FLASHBACK: Frank Marshall Davis' 1987 Interview with Hawaii's Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR)

For further reading, check out Frank Marshall Davis - Barack Obama's Real Father? (A "Star Wars" Level Conspiracy Theory).

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Washington University Libraries adds Frank Marshall Davis Collection

Interview, photographs, news clippings of famous African-American poet and journalist preserved

October 8, 2009

Washington University Libraries' Film & Media Archive has partnered with the University of Hawaii-West Oahu to preserve and digitize an interview with African-American poet and journalist Frank Marshall Davis. Also preserved were photographs, news clippings and poetry readings by Davis, which along with the interview make up the Frank Marshall Davis Collection, a new addition to the holdings of the Film & Media Archive.

Davis published several books of poetry in the 1930s and '40s. Despite being based in Chicago and the Midwest, he was considered to be a part of the Harlem Renaissance along with prominent authors such as Langston Hughes. Davis also was a journalist and headed the American Negro Press. He moved to Hawaii in 1949. In Hawaii, Davis wrote a weekly column, "Frankly Speaking," in the labor-oriented Honolulu Record newspaper.

The newly digitized interview with Davis was conducted in 1987 by Hawaii's Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) as part of a planned long-form documentary about Davis. Davis died before the program was completed. A shorter, 30-minute program was created as a tribute to Davis and aired on Hawaii Public Television.

Davis is mentioned in President Barack Obama's book "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance" as a drinking buddy of his grandfather and an African-American that made an impression on Obama as a young man growing up in Hawaii.

CLEAR has transferred all the Frank Marshall Davis materials to Washington University's Film & Media Archive, where they complement existing holdings on civil rights, labor, democracy and 20th-century African-American artists.

The Frank Marshall Davis Collection is fully searchable in the Film & Media Archive catalog. Clips from Davis' interview can be viewed online at library.wustl.edu/units/spec/filmandmedia.

U.S. Marines to Get Flying Car as Logi AeroSpace Proposes "IED Proof" Vehicle Called Tyrannos to DARPA

First, it was the Terrafugia Transition® flying car. Now, it's the Tyrannos flying car - which is allegedly going to be for the U.S. Marines.

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logi AeroSpace Proposes “IED Proof” Vehicle to DoD

BELLEVUE, Nebraska (July 1, 2010) - logi AeroSpace, working with several other innovative companies, is leading the way in advanced transportation with a proposal to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the Tyrannos, a new concept vehicle based on proven technologies.

Designed for protection of military troops, the Tyrannos can travel both on and above roads to speed transportation between locations. The Tyrannos was inspired by the hundreds of US military troops who have lost their lives to IEDs while driving on roads in Iraq and Afghanistan. Using a flight-proven shrouded propeller design from Trek Aerospace, it’s designed to drive in the air above roads to avoid IED explosions. This vehicle also drives on the ground in all terrains from mountainous to city streets and can take off vertically without a runway. For non-military uses, the vehicle will transform modern lifestyles. Travel limited by terrain or time will no longer exist. Living in the country while working in the city becomes a viable option. Imagine the Poconos to New York City in 20 minutes or Santa Barbara to LA in 35 minutes.

To put this design into effect, logi AeroSpace is tapping the experience and expertise of electric vehicle pioneer ZAP (www.zapworld.com) for its advanced technology and knowledge in electric drive trains for road vehicles. Trek Aerospace (http://www.trekaero.com/) will implement its shrouded propeller technology.

The Tyrannos is a bold, new and exciting vehicle that has been designed like no other car; it can drive along highways at 60 mph or climb vertically from a driveway and travel at 155 mph in the sky. This eco friendly AT-TV (Airborne and Terrain Transport Vehicle) comfortably seats four, and can operate at zero emissions both on the ground and in the air. On the ground it can travel 46 miles in the all-electric mode and will get 43 miles per gallon on the road or obtain an astounding 19.4 air miles per gallon when flying.

The strategic advantage in Tyrannos is its super computer designed shrouded propellers and its advanced guidance system. Larry Ortega, the inventor of the guidance system and an Air Force Test Pilot School Flight Test Engineer Graduate says: “The aerospace industry has been flyingaircraft as airborne simulators of other aircraft to train pilots in the air for decades. This airborne simulator simulates a car. Any person who can drive on a street can drive it. We’ll project a freeway in the sky on the windshield for the driver to see so they can get comfortable with the environment. It will be like crossing a high bridge.”

About logi AeroSpace
logi AeroSpace engineers have been developing vertical takeoff shrouded propeller vehicles since 1996. More information about logi, and the stunning images of the Tyrannos as well as videos of flying pre-prototypes may be found here: www.logiaerospace.com at Press-Contacts.
Contact:
Jackie Ortega
logi AeroSpace
jackie@logiaerospace.com
408 569-6025
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DARPA Awards Ascent Solar Team Multi-Million Dollar Contract for High-Efficiency Low-Cost Portable Photovoltaics (PoP) Program

To new readers of this blog, I tend to write a lot of articles about DARPA. If you are unfamiliar with DARPA, DARPA is like the mad scientist wing of the Pentagon. It has unlimited budgets to create science fiction devices for use in the military arena. It created the Internet and many other technologies that have been modified into consumer versions. You can read for about DARPA at Wikipedia or read some of my past DARPA articles right here on Remixx World!

DARPA's latest project relates to creating portable photovoltaics for the battlefield. You can read the entire DARPA solicitation by clicking DARPA-BAA-09-45.

Synopsis:
DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of photovoltaic power sources that excel in efficiency, portability, flexibility, durability, and ease of manufacture. See attached DARPA-BAA-09-45.

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DARPA Awards Ascent Solar Team Multi-Million Dollar Contract for High-Efficiency Low-Cost Portable Photovoltaics (PoP) Program

THORNTON, Colo., Jun 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI), a developer of state of the art flexible thin-film solar modules, announced today that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected their team for an award under the Low-Cost Lightweight Portable Photovoltaics (PoP) solicitation. The ASTI-led program, entitled "Flexible High-performance Tandem-junction PV Array", consists of three gated phases, the first of which is 18 months and has an approximate contract value of $3.8M. The entire program is anticipated to continue over the next 54 months. The goal of PoP is to demonstrate low-cost, lightweight photovoltaics (PV) that can stand up to battle conditions and environmental extremes while delivering a power conversion efficiency of 20% or greater by the end of the program.

ASTI leads a highly-talented team of small businesses (ITN Energy Systems, Littleton, CO, Cambrios Technologies Company, Sunnyvale, CA, Brewer Science, Rolla, MO), large business (QinetiQ North America-TSG, Boston, MA) and academia (Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC), Newark, DE) partners to leverage their collective expertise with dedicated funding from DARPA to meet the highly aggressive goals of the PoP program.

"We are excited that DARPA selected our team for the PoP project," stated Farhad Moghadam, President and CEO of Ascent Solar. "In order to meet the aggressive goals of performance, capacity, and military toughness, our team has put together a definitive plan that combines our flexible CIGS production experience and existing MILSTD 810G military product, advanced high-temperature substrates from QinetiQ, the combined expertise in multijunction thin film technology from ASTI and IEC, films for optical and electrical enhancement from Brewer and Cambrios, and enhanced packaging technologies being developed by ITN and ASTI. The outcome of the program dovetails nicely with our existing technology improvement pathway for our flexible thin film monolithically integrated CIGS-based PV modules at 20% module efficiency for the Department of Defense (DoD)."

About Ascent Solar Technologies:

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules with substrate materials that can be more flexible and affordable than most traditional solar panels. Ascent Solar modules can be directly integrated into standard building materials, commercial transportation, space applications, consumer electronics for portable power or configured as stand alone modules for large scale terrestrial deployment. Ascent Solar is headquartered in Thornton, Colo. Additional information can be found at www.ascentsolar.com.

About ITN Energy Systems:

After working for more than 20 years in aerospace industry, Dr. Mohan Misra founded ITN Energy Systems, Inc. (ITNES) in 1994 to bring aerospace know-how to the commercial marketplace. ITNES primary mission is to identify, develop and commercialize emerging technologies for defense and commercial markets by establishing successful spin-offs, joint ventures or licensing arrangements. ITNES focuses on developing advanced products and technologies that address the needs of today's competitive business environment, which is driven by the technology revolution. ITNES has built a diverse and growing technology portfolio for CleanTech including energy generation and storage, energy efficiency, and environment applications, which has provided ITNES with an unprecedented growth opportunity in the past as well as in the future. Since 1996 ITNES has successfully spun-off four companies, they are Global Solar Energy (www.globalsolar.com), Infinite Power Solutions (www.infinitepowersolutions.com), Microsat Systems (www.microsatsystems.com) and Ascent Solar Technologies (www.ascentsolar.com). For more information on ITNES please visit www.itnes.com.

About Brewer Science

Brewer Science delivers innovative material, process, and equipment solutions for various applications including nanotechnology, lithography, advanced packaging, MEMS, optoelectronics, and compound semiconductors. As the inventor of ARC(R) anti-reflective coating products for the microlithography world, Brewer Science continues to expand its scope with CNTRENE(R) microelectronics-grade carbon nanotube solutions, ProTEK(R) temporary etch protective coatings, WaferBOND(R) temporary bonding materials, OptiNDEX(TM) high refractive index coatings, and Cee(R) processing equipment. Additional information can be found at www.brewerscience.com.

About Cambrios

Cambrios is an electronic materials company that develops proprietary, competitive products using nanotechnology. Cambrios implements its novel technology to simplify electronics manufacturing processes, improve end-product performance and identify ways to satisfy unmet industry needs. The company's first product is ClearOhm(TM) coating material that produces a transparent, conductive film by wet processing. ClearOhm(TM) films have improved properties by comparison to currently used materials such as indium tin oxide and other transparent conductive oxides. Applications of ClearOhm(TM) coating material include transparent electrodes for touch screens, liquid crystal displays, e-paper, OLED devices, and thin film photovoltaics. Additional information can be found at www.cambrios.com.

About QinetiQ North America's Technology Solutions Group

QinetiQ North America's Technology Solutions Group includes the businesses of Foster-Miller, Inc. and its subsidiaries Planning Systems Incorporated - PSI, Automatika, Applied Perception, Spectro, Inc., plus the research and development activities of Apogen Technologies, Inc. It is a technology and product development business with an international reputation for delivering innovative products and systems that perform under the most demanding conditions. Additional information can be found at www.qinetiq-na.com.

About the Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC)

The Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC), established at the University of Delaware in 1972, is a laboratory devoted to research and development of thin-film photovoltaic solar cells and other photonic devices. IEC was designated a University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education by the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 1992 . Fundamental materials and device research is carried out in parallel with process engineering studies and analysis of film deposition and processing. The broad scope of the research and development effort offers opportunity for study in the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering as well as collaboration with industrial groups seeking to manufacture and commercialize photovoltaics. IEC is a totally integrated laboratory in which materials and films are synthesized and characterized and electrical devices are fabricated and analyzed, offering the unique experience of correlating properties of completed devices with their fabrication processing all under one roof. Close collaboration between IEC staff and thin film photovoltaic industrial partners insures that the research is relevant to today's technology and includes state-of-the-art process development.

SOURCE: Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.
Brian Blackman, 720-872-5107 (Investor Relations)
bblackman@ascentsolar.com
or
Brand Fortified Public Relations
Kelly Brandner, 303-289-4303 (Media)
kellybrandner@msn.com

BP's Deepwater Relief Well Drilling Technology Explained by SVP Kent Wells (Multimedia Presentation Showing How BP Plans to Stop Oil Spill)

Click the picture above to view the video explaining how BP's relief well is supposed to stop the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. If you cannot see the screen capture above, then click the following to view the video: Relief well overview and ranging animation with Kent Wells - 27 June 2010.

UCSB Scientists Discover How the Brain Encodes Memories at a Cellular Level

My alma mater - UC Santa Barbara. I love that school and cherish my times there in the mid-1990s. Some of my best memories come from that place. While UCSB has always been a stellar school, it has certain renegade-like tendencies that tend to separate it from other top-level schools. It is a huge party school right on the beach with a ghetto of students living in the densely-packed community of Isla Vista which is adjacent to the campus. The students burned the Bank of America down in the early 1970s. In addition to producing me as an alum, the school also produced Jack Johnson, Michael Douglas, Benjamin Bratt, Jim Rome and Brian Shaw.

Current UCSB scientists may surpass all of those notable alums mentioned above with this recent discovery. Check out the official press release below.

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UCSB Scientists Discover How the Brain Encodes Memories at a Cellular Level

December 23, 2009

	Click for downloadable imageKenneth S. Kosik credit: Rod Rolle Click for downloadable imageSourav Banerjee and Pierre Neveu credit: Rod Rolle Click for downloadable imageneuron credit: Sourav Banerjee

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have made a major discovery in how the brain encodes memories. The finding, published in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, could eventually lead to the development of new drugs to aid memory.

The team of scientists is the first to uncover a central process in encoding memories that occurs at the level of the synapse, where neurons connect with each other.

"When we learn new things, when we store memories, there are a number of things that have to happen," said senior author Kenneth S. Kosik, co-director and Harriman Chair in Neuroscience Research, at UCSB's Neuroscience Research Institute. Kosik is a leading researcher in the area of Alzheimer's disease.

"One of the most important processes is that the synapses –– which cement those memories into place –– have to be strengthened," said Kosik. "In strengthening a synapse you build a connection, and certain synapses are encoding a memory. Those synapses have to be strengthened so that memory is in place and stays there. Strengthening synapses is a very important part of learning. What we have found appears to be one part of how that happens."

Part of strengthening a synapse involves making new proteins. Those proteins build the synapse and make it stronger. Just like with exercise, when new proteins must build up muscle mass, synapses must also make more protein when recording memories. In this research, the regulation and control of that process was uncovered.

The production of new proteins can only occur when the RNA that will make the required proteins is turned on. Until then, the RNA is "locked up" by a silencing molecule, which is a micro RNA. The RNA and micro RNA are part of a package that includes several other proteins.

"When something comes into your brain –– a thought, some sort of stimulus, you see something interesting, you hear some music –– synapses get activated," said Kosik. "What happens next is really interesting, but to follow the pathway our experiments moved to cultured neurons. When synapses got activated, one of the proteins wrapped around that silencing complex gets degraded."

When the signal comes in, the wrapping protein degrades or gets fragmented. Then the RNA is suddenly free to synthesize a new protein.

"One reason why this is interesting is that scientists have been perplexed for some time as to why, when synapses are strengthened, you need to have proteins degrade and also make new proteins," said Kosik. "You have the degradation of proteins going on side by side with the synthesis of new proteins. So we have now resolved this paradox. We show that protein degradation and synthesis go hand in hand. The degradation permits the synthesis to occur. That's the elegant scientific finding that comes out of this."

The scientists were able to see some of the specific proteins that are involved in synthesis. Two of these –– CaM Kinase and Lypla –– are identified in the paper.

One of the approaches used by the scientists in the experiment was to take live neuron cells from rats and look at them under a high-resolution microscope. The team was able to see the synapses and the places where proteins are being made.

The first author on the paper is Sourav Banerjee, a postdoctoral fellow with the Neuroscience Research Institute and the Department of Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. The other author is Pierre Neveu, who is affiliated with the Neuroscience Research Institute and the Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics.

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Milorad "Rod" Blagojevich Curses President Obama on Tape About Illinois Senate Seat

Wells-Fargo Asset Wachovia Reportedly Helped Mexican Drug Smugglers Launder $378.4B in Narcotics Money in Violation of Bank Secrecy Act

In order for the illegal drug game to be profitable, all pieces of the distribution chain must be available and in play just as in a legal business. In any distribution system, there must be a financing mechanism to ensure there is a place to hold the business' income and profits. A bank is a critical piece in any distribution chain, even in the illegal drug game. If there is money to be made, the bankers want a piece of the action and there is a lot of money in the illegal drug game.

Therefore, it is no wonder that Wachovia recently admitted its part handling $378.4 billion in illicit narcotics funds in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act in the mid 2000s.

This was no isolated incident. Wachovia, it turns out, had made a habit of helping move money for Mexican drug smugglers. Wells Fargo & Co., which bought Wachovia in 2008, has admitted in court that its unit failed to monitor and report suspected money laundering by narcotics traffickers...

Wachovia admitted it didn’t do enough to spot illicit funds in handling $378.4 billion for Mexican-currency-exchange houses from 2004 to 2007.

Source: Bloomberg

Millions of Gallons of Raw Sewage Reportedly Flowing into Mississippi River Near Jefferson Barracks, Missouri

They don't call it the muddy Mississippi for nothing.

State officials say raw sewage is flowing into the Mississippi River near Jefferson Barracks and has been for nearly a week.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources says the Metropolitan Sewer District reported a mechanical failure at one of their stations Tuesday.

Source: KMOX.com

U.S. Government to Burn 40 Million Doses of Expired Swine Flu Vaccine as Sebelius' H1N1 Pandemic Sham Costs Taxpayers $260 Million

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Thank you Madame Secretary for all the fear and paranoia. Only fear and paranoia would cause a government to buy millions of doses of a toxic H1N1 "swine flu" vaccine that no one wanted and that must now be incinerated. That's $260 million literally up in smoke for a false pandemic.

What is the name of the person who was responsible for ordering so many doses of the H1N1 vaccine that are now wasted? Unless that person is identified, then the buck stops with Kathleen Sebelius. She is responsible for a $260 million waste, because she continually promoted the vaccine like the H1N1 "swine flu" was the end of the world instead of it being nothing more than a mild flu.

About a quarter of the swine flu vaccine produced for the U.S. public has expired -- meaning that a whopping 40 million doses worth about $260 million is being written off as trash.

"It's a lot, by historical standards," said Jerry Weir, who oversees vaccine research and review for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Source: WSBTV-2

Pennsylvania Police Departments Will Be Able to Wirelessly Monitor Franklin Regional School District Bathroom Cameras Live in Realtime from Laptops

I know that some people are happy that kids and teenagers do not have any right to privacy in public schools, but I am not one of those people. I believe that students should have an expectation of privacy in school, but unfortunately, they do not. These new live cameras in the Franklin Regional School District (Pennsylvania) with real time police monitoring capacity end any privacy rights that still exist in the schools.

About 128 cameras keep watch over the Franklin Regional School District's five schools - one high school, one middle school and three elementary schools. And the Murrysville Police Department will upgrade officers' in-car laptops with software that will connect to each of the district's live video feeds. Linking to these feeds could provide vital information for police officers in the event of an emergency...

When the software is installed, police officers can log on through their laptops, most likely via a virtual private network (VPN), to access the software hosted from the school district's server. The software will provide a live feed from the schools' cameras, and also can load other information, like electronic floor plans to help police officers identify points of interest, such as stairwells and bathrooms.

Let's hope that this police force does not have officers who will use these live bathroom camera feeds for unauthorized purposes.

Source: Government Technology

Yong Xiang Xan Convicted of Honey-Laundering (Sending Cheap Chinese Honey to Philippines for Relabeling to Avoid U.S. Import Taxes)

File Photo

I have always said that I want to learn something new every day. On July 1, 2010, I learned about the practice of honey-laundering. I am surprised that it has taken me this long to hear about it, because the practice seems fairly simple.

Anyway, here's the story that brought me this new knowledge. A Chinese businessman named Yong Xiang Xan was sending its containers of cheap honey to the Philippines for relabeling and shipping to the United States. The criminal action in United States District Court can be read at: U.S. vs. Yong Xiang Yan (a/k/a "Nonstop Smoker," a/k/a "NSS"). Here's Mr. Yong Xiang Yan's plea agreement.

A Chinese businessman has been convicted of trying to get around U.S. import taxes by sending 15 shipping containers of cut-rate honey to the Philippines to be relabeled and sent on to the United States.

Source: The Press Enterprise (California)

Image Source: akarlovic

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Reopens Oyster Harvesting Areas 27 and 28

This is good news for the oyster eaters of the world. At least temporarily. Let's hope and pray for some more good news.

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NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Contact: State of Louisiana News Desk; (225) 358-5361

DHH Reopens Oyster Harvesting Areas 27 and 28

No Intrusion of Oil Reported; Reopening Allows Harvesters Additional Time to Gather Oysters

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced today that it is reopening oyster harvesting areas 27 and 28 to give harvesters as much time as possible to harvest their product before any potential impact from the BP oil spill in the Gulf.

Areas 27 and 28, which are west of the Mississippi River in Iberia Parish, were originally closed June 9 and May 26 respectively, as a precaution in anticipation of possible oil intrusion. There has been no intrusion as of yet in either area being opened. DHH officials continue to monitor the areas and have worked with the Food and Drug Administration and within federal protocols to facilitate the partial reopening.

In addition to continued lab testing being conducted by the state, oyster harvesters "taste test" the oysters as they are pulled from the water to make sure their product is not contaminated.

DHH Secretary Alan Levine and State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry signed the order today to reopen areas 27 and 28, which will take effect at sunrise June 30.

DHH officials have been working closely with local, state and federal agencies to monitor the oil plume that continues to grow off of the Louisiana coastline for its potential impacts on oyster harvesting areas.

In addition to regular testing schedules, DHH scientists and engineers are conducting enhanced testing of oyster meat taken from the closed beds to monitor the presence of oil. Oysters being harvested in areas open for harvesting have been deemed safe by DHH.

Areas 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 29 and 30 remain closed. Areas 2, 3, 9 and 10 are partially closed. All other areas are open.

The public is encouraged to call a toll-free hotline, 1-800-256-2775, to report the presence of oil or an oil sheen.

For more information related to the oil spill, visit http://www.emergency.louisiana.gov. Connect with us on www.facebook.com/GOHSEP and on Twitter as @GOHSEP. View photos from the state's response efforts at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagohsep.

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Twenty-One (21) Suspected Mexican Gang Members Reportedly Killed in Border Shootout in Sonora

Coincidentally or not, this border shootout between suspected Mexican gangs happens on the very same day that President Obama gives an impassioned speech on immigration. Mr. Rahm doesn't believe in letting a crisis go to waste, so I bet you will hear the government and the Attorney General spin this event for its purposes.

A clash between suspected members of rival Mexican drug gangs in a rural area near the US border has left 21 people dead, officials say.

The shootout on Thursday involved "two groups of suspected drug traffickers and undocumented" migrants, the Sonora state attorney general's office said in a statement.

Source: 9 News (Australia)

Airport Body Scanners Deliver Twenty (20) Times More Radiation Than Originally Estimated

This is not too surprising.

They [scientists] say that the low level beam does deliver a small dose of radiation to the body but because the beam concentrates on the skin - one of the most radiation-sensitive organs of the human body - that dose may be up to 20 times higher than first estimated.

Source: Daily Mail

Sarah Palin's Husband Todd Worked for BP as an Oil Production Operator on Alaska's North Slope

Does everyone have a connection to BP? BP financed Rahm Emanuel's DC living quarters. BP gave more money in 2008 to Barack Obama than anyone else. President Obama's father allegedly worked for BP. And now I learn that Mr. Sarah Palin also worked for BP. Wow! I wonder what Sarah is saying about BP out on the stump these days.

Mr. Palin, in addition to being a champion snowmobile racer, is an oil production operator on the North Slope, working for BP, a company that has had to make major repairs since a spill on the slope temporarily shut down production there in 2006.

In addition to Ms. Palin’s $125,000 state salary, Mr. Palin earned $93,000 last year running his own commercial fishing business and working part-time at BP’s oil production facility, according to her public financial disclosure reports.

Source: New York Times

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Says H1N1 "Swine Flu" Pandemic Emergency Is Over

So after billions of wasted taxpayer dollars and paranoia, the government finally realizes that the H1N1 "swine flu" was a dud. I wrote a lot about the H1N1 in 2009 and those topics put this blog on the map. Now, the Health & Human Services reportedly says the H1N1 pandemic emergency is over. By the way, has anyone seen Sebelius lately, because she has been missing in action over the last few weeks?

Federal officials today allowed the public health emergency declaration that was prompted by the H1N1 influenza outbreak last year to lapse, signaling an end to emergency authorizations for certain special uses of antiviral drugs and other items.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) first declared the emergency Apr 26, 2009, and has renewed it quarterly since then, the last time on Mar 26. "The current March 26 determination is scheduled to expire on June 23, and, based on the current circumstances, will not be renewed," says a statement released by an HHS official today.

Source: CIDRAP

Washington State Department of Ecology Conducts Oil Spill Response Drill Near Kalama on Columbia River

Video from May 5, 2010 at Richland

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Department of Ecology News Release - June 25, 2010

Drill event near Kalama to test response to spill on Columbia River

OLYMPIA ─ If you are in the Kalama area on June 29, 2010, and see a flurry of activity on the Columbia River, there should be no cause for alarm.

Private spill response boats and recovery vessels will be deploying oil boom barriers and tracking buoys and other gear in a test of their ability to quickly deploy equipment in the event of an actual oil spill.

No oil will be used for next Tuesday’s exercise.

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) will test how well several state-regulated companies can implement their oil spill preparedness plans, including coordinating actions and quickly mobilizing equipment to effectively respond to an oil spill.

This planned drill is being conducted by the Marine Spill Response Corp., a private, non-profit contractor providing oil-spill response services for 20 companies in Washington.

Drill participants include the barge-towing operation Harley Marine Services Inc. of Seattle and oil shipping companies Polar Tankers Inc., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., and Alaska Tanker Co.

All of these companies operate on the Columbia River and maintain mandatory oil-spill contingency plans that spell out how they will respond to oil spills, using geographic-based response plans that are tailored to help reduce adverse effects on sensitive natural, cultural and economic resources in an area.

The Columbia River is a particularly challenging location for the exercise. Shifting sediments can make navigation tricky and participants may have to work in swiftly moving water. Oil tankers, fuel barges, and large cargo vessels make more than 2,300 transits a year in the Columbia River.

A major oil spill on this waterway would have catastrophic impacts. For that reason, it is essential that the companies responsible for carrying millions of gallons of oil onto this river system are prepared to mount a rapid, aggressive, well coordinated response.

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Media Contact: Curt Hart, 360-407-6990; cell, 380-480-7908 (curt.hart@ecy.wa.gov)

For more information:

• Ecology Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Program: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/spills.html
• More about Ecology’s spill drills: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/preparedness/Drills/drills.html
• 2009 Vessel Entries and Transits for Washington Waters: www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/1008004.pdf
• Ecology in Focus: Spill Readiness Drill, Richland, Washington: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V51nf47zyEY

U.S. Government Lifts City Ban on Trucks Carrying Hazardous Materials in Downtown Boston During Daytime Hours

Why, why, why? There is no reason hazardous materials should be rolling through downtown Boston during the daytime hours when it is at maximum capacity. That is ridiculous!

The U.S. government will lift a city ban on trucks carrying hazardous materials downtown during the daytime, starting later this week.

But under a gentleman’s agreement between the city and a trade group, the truckers will limit their use to Cross Street, instead of the heavily residential Commercial Street in the North End.

A gentleman's agreement? Is the government seriously discussing gentleman's agreements in 2010? That is equally ridiculous, because now the hazardous materials ban is lifted, it will be easier for terrorists, operatives or other evil doers to transport hazardous materials into the city during peak times. And that is not a good thing. Remixx World! previously reported in August, 2009 that Boston could be a false flag target (Is the Globalist N.W.O. Setting Up Boston for a False Flag Terrorist?). Let's hope I'm wrong.

Why, you may ask? It mainly relates to the various connections between Boston, PTech, 9/11, Special Agent Warren Bamford and Mayor Tom Menino.

1. PTech was based in Boston. PTech was founded by persons with connections to Al-Qaeda, and the company's software gave it back doors to override government computers and systems. These back doors could have been used to make NORAD and the FAA stand down on 9/11 as has been alleged by Indira Singh and Michael Ruppert in "Crossing the Rubicon."

2. There was a big arrest of PTech executives by the F.B.I. in July, 2009 that received NO COVERAGE from the mainstream media aside from The Boston Herald. It was the first real mention of PTech since around 2002 and one of the first biggest arrests to date of a real 9/11 terrorist. The current article is archived by The Boston Herald, but here is the FBI press release relating to this arrest.

3. Now, Warren Bamford, the F.B.I. agent in charge of the recent PTech arrest, is saying that Boston police need to be armed with semi-automatic assault rifles to protect against a possible terrorist attack similar to the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks. However, Mayor Tom Menino is against the proposal.

Why would Special Agent Bamford issue such a warning? Does he know something that we do not know? Could he be trying to warn Boston about a possible false flag terrorist attack similar to how FBI agents tried to warn people prior to 9/11?.

Canal Bursts in Idaho Flooding Homes & Closing Roads

No word in the quoted story on why this canal burst. It is probably the result of faulty infrastructure.

An overnight canal burst in southwest Canyon County flooded homes and covered roads with several inches of water.

Source: Idaho Press-Tribune

Excess Titanium from NNSA’s Y-12 Plant To Be Used by U.S. Army for New Generation of Protective Body Armor for Combat Troops

The Internet makes it quite easy to find press releases. During my university days as a media relations intern, I remember how difficult it was to get press release coverage before the Internet age. I had to use the fax and phone back in the day to get placement, but now, one only has to put up a website with the most recent releases. Without the Internet, I doubt if I would have ever found a press release like the one below.

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Published on National Nuclear Security Administration (http://nnsa.energy.gov)

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Excess Titanium from NNSA’s Y-12 Plant to be Used by the Army for New Generation of Protective Body Armor for Combat Troops

Release Date:

Mon, 2010-06-28

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced that excess titanium at its Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee will be used by the U.S. Army to develop a new generation of lightweight protective body armor for combat soldiers.

The material, which was originally intended for use at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., facility, has been provided to the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (ARDEC) at Picatinney Arsenal, N.J. The high strength, lightweight material is also being considered by ARDEC for use in breech assemblies on field artillery to improve maintenance and reliability.

“As we work to transform a Cold War-era nuclear weapons complex into a 21st century nuclear security enterprise, NNSA is committed to finding new ways to reuse unwanted material that save taxpayers money,” said Randal S. Scott, Deputy Associate Administrator for Infrastructure and Environment. “The fact that this excess titanium will be used to protect our soldiers in combat makes this accomplishment even more rewarding, and is one more example of our investment in nuclear security paying dividends in other areas.”

The titanium, valued at about $10,000, was processed and transferred to ARDEC at a cost to the Army of $2,500. The transfer saved Y-12 $12,000 in waste characterization and disposal costs. This cooperative effort between NNSA, Y-12 and ARDEC resulted in a net benefit to the government of $19,500. Based on the success of this effort, Y-12 is considering this business model to dispose of additional excess materials.

This marks the second successful transfer of materials from Y-12 to the Picatinney Arsenal. In October 2009, Y-12 transferred a large quantity of stainless steel that was used for various military support and production activities at the New Jersey site.

Follow NNSA News on Facebook [1], Twitter [2], YouTube [3], and Flickr [4].

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a separately organized agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.

NNSA Policies Site Map Site Feedback Department of Energy

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Source URL: http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/pressreleases/titanium062810

Links:
[1] http://www.facebook.com/nnsanews
[2] http://www.twitter.com/nnsanews
[3] http://www.youtube.com/nnsanews
[4] http://www.flickr.com/nnsanews

U.S. Fishery Closure Boundary Map in Gulf of Mexico as of June 28, 2010

For the full press release, click BP Oil Spill: NOAA Modifies Commercial and Recreational Fishing Closure in the Oil-Affected Portions of the Gulf of Mexico.

Current revisions to the closure, described below, will be effective on June 28, 2010 at 6 p.m. eastern time (5 p.m. central time). All commercial and recreational fishing including catch and release is prohibited in the closed area; however, transit through the area is allowed.

Source: NOAA Fisheries Service

Terrafugia Transition® Street-Legal Flying Car Receives FAA Weight Exemption to Go Into Production

"A flying car! How droll!" I guess if we can buy flying cars, then the future is officially here.

See also: Terrafugia Transition 'flying car' gets go-ahead from US air authorities

The Terrafugia Transition, a light aircraft that can convert into a road-legal automobile, is to go into production after being given a special weight exemption by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Image Source: MarkWarren

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The Transition® Roadable Aircraft Receives Additional 110 pounds

FAA Grants Terrafugia Extra Takeoff Weight for Road Safety Features

Woburn, MA -- June 17, 2010: Terrafugia, Inc., developer of the Transition ® Roadable Aircraft, or "Flying Car", has received an exemption from the FAA to allow the Transition ® a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 1430 pounds (650 kg). This additional weight accommodates the structure and equipment necessary for compliance with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) which are not found in other Light Sport Aircraft. Items such as airbags, an energy absorbing crumple zone, and a protective safety cage will increase safety both on the road and in the air. Exclusively applicable to the Transition ® , the FAA's grant of an additional 110 pounds will allow a competitive useful load while providing a revolutionary level of crash safety in a Light Sport Aircraft.

By giving pilots a convenient ground transportation option, the Transition ® reduces the cost, inconvenience, and weather sensitivity of personal aviation. In addition to the enhanced protection afforded by applying automotive crash safety technology to light planes, the Transition ® reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of potentially flying into marginal conditions.

Classified as a Light Sport Aircraft, the Transition ® requires a Sport Pilot certificate to fly and is designed to drive on public roadways and park in a standard garage. Terrafugia successfully completed flight and drive testing of its Proof of Concept Transition ® in 2009. Refundable airframe reservations are being accepted with first delivery scheduled for late 2011.

Computer graphics of the production prototype design will be unveiled at a press conference at 10:30 a.m. on July 26, 2010 at Terrafugia's exhibit at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI.

Terrafugia (terra-FOO-gee-ah), based in Woburn, MA, is comprised of a team of award-winning engineers who have been advancing the state of personal aircraft since 2006. Founded by five pilots who are graduates of MIT and supported by a world-class network of advisors and private investors, Terrafugia's mission is the innovative expansion of personal mobility. "Terrafugia" is Latin for "escape from land."

Terrafugia would like to thank the EAA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA), & Women in Aviation International (WAI) for their support.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Richard Gersh at Terrafugia: +1-781-491-0812, visit http://www.terrafugia.com , or e-mail: press@terrafugia.com

Images may be downloaded from http://press.terrafugia.com

FAA Docket ID: FAA-2009-1087

Full Text of Exemption:

Exemption No. 10072

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON, DC 20591

In the matter of the petition of TERRAFUGIA, INC. for an exemption from § 1.1 of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations

Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2009-1087

PARTIAL GRANT OF EXEMPTION

By letter dated November 12, 2009, Mr. Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia, Inc., 5 Cranes Court, Woburn, MA 01801, petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for an exemption from § 1.1 of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). The proposed exemption, if granted, would allow the Terrafugia Transition® roadable aircraft to be eligible for the issuance of a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category with an additional weight allowance for a four wheel light-sport aircraft (LSA) with folding wings intended for operation on public roadways (i.e., roadable aircraft).

The petitioner requests relief from the following regulation:

Although the petitioner requests an exemption from § 1.1, we find instead, for the operations requested, the petitioner will need an exemption from § 21.190(c)(2), which prescribes that:

(c) Manufacturer's statement of compliance for light-sport category aircraft. The manufacturer's statement of compliance required in paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section must—
(2) State that the aircraft meets the provisions of the identified consensus standard;

The petitioner supports its request with the following information:

The petitioner seeks airworthiness certification in the special light-sport aircraft (SLSA) category under the ASTM International (ASTM) light-sport airplane consensus standards for its Transition® roadable aircraft. For their roadable design to meet the applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and still maintain a useful load equivalent to other LSA, the petitioner has requested a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 1,474 pounds (670 kg).
The petitioner states that aircraft designed for dual use operation have a higher minimum empty weight due to the design requirements of a vehicle with two very distinctive needs. Additional systems are needed in a roadable LSA to provide dual functionality similar to LSA intended for operation on water. These systems include, but are not limited to, a ground drive system independent of the propeller (such as a transmission and differential), automotive lighting, signals, suspension, brakes, mirrors and windshield wipers. The requested increased weight of 1,474 pounds (670 kg) is due to the addition of structure and components for these systems that not only provide increased functionality, but also allow for the safe operation of the aircraft in both transportation modes. The additional safety features required for an automobile (such as side impact protection, roll cages and head restraints) also add to the increased weight of the aircraft.

The petitioner states that while the additional safety features incorporated into the structure of the aircraft offer protection to the pilot in emergency landing scenarios they do not add any complexity to the operation of the aircraft. The petitioner believes that by giving pilots the option of diverting and safely continuing their trip on the ground, a roadable LSA reduces the temptation to fly in marginal weather conditions. This has the potential to significantly reduce the number of visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) accidents and their resulting fatalities. Incorporating proven automotive crash safety features into aircraft fuselages could help reduce fatalities from accidents of all causes.

A summary of the petition was published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2010, (75 FR 42) and was assigned Docket Number FAA-2009-1087. The FAA received comments from four commenters. All comments were in favor of the relief requested by Terrafugia. Every commenter supported the petitioner’s request for weight allowance for safety items to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for a roadable special category LSA.

The FAA's analysis is as follows:

The FAA reviewed Terrafugia’s petition and supporting information, as well as information provided in comments submitted in response to the publication of a summary of the petition in the Federal Register. After careful consideration, we find a partial grant of exemption, subject to specific conditions and limitations, would provide an equivalent level of safety to that of the regulation and would serve the public interest. This partial grant is for increased weight to accommodate roadable aircraft meeting the FMVSS requirements and is not intended to provide a weight increase for traditional configurations under LSA. The following is a summary of the FAA’s analysis of Terrafugia’s petition for exemption.

The petitioner seeks an exemption so it can certificate its Transition® roadable aircraft with a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category. The SLSA category was created in 2004 with a 1,320 pound (600 kg) weight limit to provide for the manufacture of new aircraft conforming to acceptable consensus standards. The “Certification of Aircraft and Airmen for the Operation of Light-Sport Aircraft” final rule (69 FR 44772) (sport pilot rule) was meant to address new sport and recreational aircraft that previously lacked suitable certification guidelines.

In the preamble of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the FAA stated that it intended the rule to increase safety in the sport aircraft community by closing the gaps in existing regulations and by accommodating new advances in technology. Included was the development of consensus standards to address the unique design, production and continued operational safety aspects of light-sport category aircraft.

As a member of the consensus standard body, the FAA can call for revisions to the consensus standard when the agency determines such revisions are necessary. The FAA, as all other participants, may propose changes to amend the consensus standards to address new technology, applications, or deficiencies. As part of the FAA's participation in the consensus standards development, the FAA will review proposed consensus standards prior to the issuance of a Notice of Availability (NOA).

Each SLSA aircraft design must meet the consensus standards acceptable to the FAA. However, the existing consensus standards for LSA do not yet address roadable aircraft. The intent is for new or novel concepts in light-sport to gain operational experience as experimental aircraft while working with the ASTM F37 Committee for Light Sport Aircraft to develop the standards needed to address new or novel concepts. Terrafugia is currently working with ASTM to accomplish this goal.

The FAA has an established precedence for allowing 1,430 pounds (650 kg) under LSA intended for operation on water, which also have unique configuration characteristics that justify an increase in MTOW above the original 1,320 pound (600 kg) LSA limit. This petition is significantly different from previous requests for exemption to the LSA MTOW limitations, as the Transition® roadable aircraft design is unique and must simultaneously meet both sets of standards for ASTM and FMVSS.

A partial grant of exemption by the FAA would allow certification of the Transition® as a roadable aircraft with a MTOW of 1,430 pounds (650 kg); otherwise, the aircraft would be required to meet acceptable consensus standards for conventional configuration SLSA aircraft with MTOW of 1,320 pounds (600 kg). We reviewed the information provided by Terrafugia, as well as that provided by the commenters to the petition for exemption. The FAA agrees with the commenters who inferred the safety of roadable aircraft is better served by allowing for the weight increase for safety features required for use while driving on the road. However, the FAA does not intend to extend this exemption to conventional configuration LSA for safety enhancing equipment (i.e., roll cages, ballistic parachutes, etc.).

The data submitted by the petitioner supports the assertion for roadable aircraft, accidents in airplanes equipped with NHTSA-required safety features are more survivable than in similar airplanes without NHTSA-required safety features. The FAA intends to cooperate with industry efforts to determine if appropriate design constraints in the consensus standards can further guarantee that roadable LSA have appropriate safeguards in the event of a failure in the transition from road to flight configuration.

We find that, with the conditions and limitations specified, this exemption provides an equivalent level of safety to that of an aircraft that has been issued a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category.

The FAA’s Decision:

In consideration of the foregoing, I find that a partial grant of exemption that grants relief to Terrafugia from having to meet the requirement of 1,320 pounds (600 kg) maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) for certification and operation of roadable LSA is in the public interest. However, I do not find that a grant of exemption is in the public interest for the certification of roadable LSA operating at 1,474 pounds (670 kg) MTOW. Therefore, pursuant to the authority contained in 49 U.S.C. §§ 40113 and 44701, delegated to me by the Administrator, Terrafugia, Inc. is hereby granted an exemption from 14 CFR § 21.190(c)(2) to the extent necessary to allow Terrafugia Transition® aircraft, that otherwise meet the requirements of § 21.190, to be eligible for issuance of a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category, having a MTOW of not more than 1,430 pounds (650 kg).

Conditions and Limitations

1. This partial grant of exemption applies only to the Terrafugia Transition® aircraft.

2. Terrafugia, Inc. must supply each purchaser of a Transition® aircraft with a copy of this exemption. A copy of the exemption must be carried on board each Transition® aircraft certificated under the provisions of this exemption.

3. Terrafugia must maintain a record of all owners of the Transition® aircraft certificated under the provisions of this exemption.

Issued in Kansas City, MO, on May 27, 2010.

s/

Kim Smith, Manager
Small Airplane Directorate
Aircraft Certification Service



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Alabama Disaster Relief Officials Tell Dick Morris There is No More Inventory of Booms Anywhere on Earth

Hopefully, there is a factory somewhere that is going into mass production mode to make some booms, because it appears that boom supplies will be quite limited in the near future.

Now the greatest crisis of all looms on the horizon as hurricanes sweep into the Gulf. Should one hit offshore, it will destroy all the booms that have been placed to stop the oil from reaching shore. And there are no more booms anywhere in the world, according to Alabama disaster relief officials. “There is no more inventory of booms anywhere on earth,” one told me in despair.

Source: The Hill

CIA Director Leon Panetta Says That It Has Not Had Any Reliable Intelligence on Osama bin Laden's Location Since Early 2000s

Well duh, Mr. Panetta. Hello McFly. Of course the CIA has not had any reliable intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden in a long, long time. One mainstream news agency reported Osama bin Laden dying around December, 2001. Unless Mr. bin Laden is a ghost haunting the battlefields of Afghanistan or a cyborg sent back in the time, no one will not be seeing him any time soon.

Mr Panetta said the al-Qaeda leadership was at its weakest point since the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, but admitted that he had not had reliable intelligence on the location of the group's leader since "the early 2000s".

"Since then, it's been very difficult to get any intelligence on his exact location," he said.

Source: Telegraph

CIA Director Leon Panetta Says That Cyber Warfare Could Paralyze United States of America

Remixx World! has been discussing cyber attacks for over a year on this site. Therefore, tell us something we don't already know Mr. Panetta. However, you seem to be leaving out a key detail. Unless the attack originates from the Chinese and/or North Korean military, the CIA will likely be influencing or financing the hackers who conduct the aforementioned cyber attack. If it is a foreign power other than China or North Korea, then the U.S. military will be able to track, trace and database the source of the cyberattack and destroy the applicable infrastructure being used to facilitate the attack.

“It could paralyze this country, and I think that's an area we have to pay a lot more attention to,” the CIA chief said.

Why are critical government, financial and business networks connected to the non-secure Internet? Who made that dumb decision?

The networks should have internal encrypted connections, and these critical networks should never be connected to the Internet.


Source: ABC News (This Week)

Escambia County Health Department Reopens Beaches & Lifts Health Advisory Despited Four Hundred (400) Reported Illness Cases

Why is the beach being reopened and health advisories lifted when people are still getting sick down in Escambia County, Florida?

So far, 400 people have sought medical care for upper or lower respiratory problems, headaches, nausea, and eye irritation after trips to Escambia County beaches, [Dr. John] Lanza [director of Escambia County Health Department] said.

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Escambia County Health Department
1295 W. Fairfield Drive
Pensacola, Florida 32501-1107
John J. Lanza, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAP, CHD
Director-Health
www.escambiahealth.com
850.595.6500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 25, 2010 0750 CDT HA003

MEDIA CONTACT:
Molly Payne-Hardin, desk (850) 595-6410, cell (850) 791-1604

Health advisory rescinded for portion of beach

PENSACOLA -- Effective immediately, the Escambia County (FL) Health Department is
rescinding the health advisory issued on June 23, 2010 for the following beach waters in Escambia County, Florida, that were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill:

Public Walkover 23 at Pensacola Beach west to the entrance of Ft. Pickens

Health officials are working with the National Parks Service to determine if the health advisory for the beaches of Ft. Pickens and Johnson Beach can also be lifted today.

"This is a highly dynamic situation varying by tide, current, and wind changes/direction,” said health department director Dr. John Lanza. “We expect to frequently give and rescind advisories along our beaches."

The health department is rescinding its health advisory now that government officials verify that there is no oil sheen or oil slick observed in the water from the high water mark out to 100 yards from shore. Officials continue to recommend that beachgoers avoid contact with tar balls. However, if an individual’s skin comes into contact with tar:

1.) Wash with soap and large amounts of water. Health officials discourage the use of gasoline, kerosene or other solvents to clean oil from skin.

2.) If tar is not removed with soap and water, scrape off the excess tar from your skin and apply a grease removing agent – such as a liquid grease-fighting dish detergent -- or mineral oil. Rinse your skin with large amounts of fresh water.

3.) Remove contaminated clothing.

4.) If symptoms or irritation occur, call a physician. Government officials continue to monitor the water for impact from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

For more information contact:
Charlie Crist
Governor
Ana M. Viamonte Ros, M.D., M.P.H.
State Surgeon General
www.escambiahealth.com
850.595.6500

·Escambia County Health Department at (850)595-6700 and www.EscambiaHealth.com
·Escambia County Citizen’s Information Line at 471-6600 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
CDT (Monday – Sunday) or www.escambiadisasterresponse.com
·Florida Oil Spill Information Line at (888)337-3569

Wyss Institute at Harvard University Creates Bio-Device on a Microchip That Mimics a Living, Breathing Human Lung!

Interesting. If man can create a respiratory system on a microchip, then man is one step closer to creating the long-elusive cyborg.

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Living, breathing human lung-on-a-chip: A potential drug-testing alternative

BOSTON, Mass. -- Researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, and Children's Hospital Boston have created a device that mimics a living, breathing human lung on a microchip. The device, about the size of a rubber eraser, acts much like a lung in a human body and is made using human lung and blood vessel cells.

Because the lung device is translucent, it provides a window into the inner-workings of the human lung without having to invade a living body. It has the potential to be a valuable tool for testing the effects of environmental toxins, absorption of aerosolized therapeutics, and the safety and efficacy of new drugs. Such a tool may help accelerate pharmaceutical development by reducing the reliance on current models, in which testing a single substance can cost more than $2 million.

"The ability of the lung-on-a-chip device to predict absorption of airborne nanoparticles and mimic the inflammatory response triggered by microbial pathogens provides proof-of-principle for the concept that organs-on-chips could replace many animal studies in the future," says Donald Ingber, senior author on the study and founding director of Harvard's Wyss Institute.

The paper appears in the June 25 issue of Science.

Room to breathe
Until now, tissue-engineered microsystems have been limited either mechanically or biologically, says Ingber, who is also the Judah Folkman professor of vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston. "We really can't understand how biology works unless we put it in the physical context of real living cells, tissues, and organs."

With every human breath, air enters the lungs, fills microscopic air sacs called alveoli, and transfers oxygen through a thin, flexible, permeable membrane of lung cells into the bloodstream. It is this membrane -- a three-layered interface of lung cells, a permeable extracellular matrix, and capillary blood vessel cells -- that does the lung's heavy lifting. What's more, this lung-blood interface recognizes invaders such as inhaled bacteria or toxins and activates an immune response.

The lung-on-a-chip microdevice takes a new approach to tissue engineering by placing two layers of living tissues -- the lining of the lung's air sacs and the blood vessels that surround them -- across a porous, flexible boundary. Air is delivered to the lung lining cells, a rich culture medium flows in the capillary channel to mimic blood, and cyclic mechanical stretching mimics breathing. The device was created using a novel microfabrication strategy that uses clear rubbery materials. The strategy was pioneered by another Wyss core faculty member, George Whitesides, the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University.

"We were inspired by how breathing works in the human lung through the creation of a vacuum that is created when our chest expands, which sucks air into the lung and causes the air sac walls to stretch," says first author Dan Huh, a Wyss technology development fellow at the Institute. "Our use of a vacuum to mimic this in our microengineered system was based on design principles from nature."

To determine how well the device replicates the natural responses of living lungs to stimuli, the researchers tested its response to inhaled living E. coli bacteria. They introduced bacteria into the air channel on the lung side of the device and at the same time flowed white blood cells through the channel on the blood vessel side. The lung cells detected the bacteria and, through the porous membrane, activated the blood vessel cells, which in turn triggered an immune response that ultimately caused the white blood cells to move to the air chamber and destroy the bacteria.

"The ability to recreate realistically both the mechanical and biological sides of the in vivo coin is an exciting innovation," says Rustem Ismagilov, professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago, who specializes in biochemical microfluidic systems.

The team followed this experiment with a "real-world application of the device," says Huh. They introduced a variety of nano-scaled particles (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter) into the air sac channel. Some of these particles exist in commercial products; others are found in air and water pollution. Several types of these nanoparticles entered the lung cells and caused the cells to overproduce free radicals and to induce inflammation. Many of the particles passed through the model lung into the blood channel, and the investigators discovered that mechanical breathing greatly enhanced nanoparticle absorption. Benjamin Matthews, Harvard Medical School assistant professor in the Vascular Biology Program at Children's Hospital Boston, verified these new findings in mice.

"Most importantly, we learned from this model that the act of breathing increases nanoparticle absorption and that it also plays an important role in inducing the toxicity of these nanoparticles," Huh says.

Organs-on-chips
"This lung-on-a-chip is neat and merges a number of technologies in an innovative way," says Robert Langer, MIT Institute professor. "I think it should be useful in testing the safety of different substances on the lung and I can also imagine other related applications, such as in research into how the lung functions."

According to Ismagilov, it's too early to predict how successful this field of research will be. Still, "the potential to use human cells while recapitulating the complex mechanical features and chemical microenvironments of an organ could provide a truly revolutionary paradigm shift in drug discovery," he says.

The investigators have not yet demonstrated the system's capability to mimic gas exchange between the air sac and bloodstream, a key function of the lungs, but, says Huh, they are exploring this now.

The Wyss Institute team is also working to build other organ models, such as a gut-on-a-chip, as well as bone marrow and even cancer models. Further, they are exploring the potential for combining organ systems.

For example, Ingber is collaborating with Kevin Kit Parker, associate professor at Harvard University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and another Wyss core faculty member, who has created a beating heart-on-a-chip. They hope to link the breathing lung-on-a-chip to the beating heart-on-a-chip. The engineered organ combination could be used to test inhaled drugs and to identify new and more effective therapeutics that lack adverse cardiac side effects.

This research was funded by the the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.

Written by Elizabeth Dougherty

Contact:
Mary Tolikas
mary.tolikas@wyss.harvard.edu

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The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University uses Nature's design principles to create breakthrough technologies that will revolutionize medicine, industry, and the environment. Working as an alliance among Harvard's Medical School, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Boston University, the Institute crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers to engage in high-risk, fundamental research that leads to transformative change. By applying biological principles, Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, energy, and sustainable architecture. These technologies are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators, corporate alliances and new startups.

Harvard Medical School (http://hms.harvard.edu) has more than 7,500 full-time faculty working in 11 academic departments located at the School's Boston campus or in one of 47 hospital-based clinical departments at 17 Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes. Those affiliates include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Forsyth Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hebrew SeniorLife, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and VA Boston Healthcare System.


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