Bats occupy Israeli army ghost bunkers
QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank |
QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank (Reuters) – Abandoned Israeli army bunkers along the Jordan River are providing a lifeline for bats on the endangered species list, researchers say.
Soldiers left Israel’s underground forts along the frontier with Jordan after a 1994 peace treaty between the two countries. With much of the former front line, some of it dotted by mine fields, still designated by the military as off-limits to civilians, bats swooped into the secluded and dark steel caverns.
Several years ago, researchers from Tel Aviv University were granted access to the ghost bunkers. Now, they say, they have identified 12 indigenous bat species in the 100-kilometre- (60 mile)-long tract between the Sea of Galilee in Israel and the Dead Sea’s northern edge in the occupied West Bank.
Two of the species commonly known as the Mediterranean horseshoe bat and Geoffroy’s bat are on the critical list and three others are designated as endangered.
“There is no doubt that by being in a closed military zone that has prevented human interference, the bat habitat will allow these delicate creatures to thrive,” said one of the researchers, Eran Levin.
But he said it was too early to quantify the growth of the local bat population, estimated to be in the thousands, because the research project was not yet complete.
One former bunker — overlooking the spot along the Jordan River where some Christian faithful believe Jesus was baptized by John — has been turned into a more accommodating home for the webbed-wing mammals.
To give the bats more grip, the research team roughed up its smooth steel and concrete walls, suspended mesh sheets and wooden palates, sprayed insulating foam and stuck stones to surfaces.
Different bat species each preferred different grip surfaces, Levin said.
A thick layer of bat guano now covers the floor and metal bunk-bed frames the military left behind.
A night-vision camera follows the bats’ movements during the period they inhabit the bunkers from March to October when daytime temperatures in the area soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Enjoying their own peace dividend, the bat population could also give something back to Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians in the area.
Aviam Atar of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority said the bats help to reduce crop damage by eating insects at night, coming out to feed in the dark when
Article source: Source
Bats occupy Israeli army ghost bunkers
QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank |
QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank (Reuters) – Abandoned Israeli army bunkers along the Jordan River are providing a lifeline for bats on the endangered species list, researchers say.
Soldiers left Israel’s underground forts along the frontier with Jordan after a 1994 peace treaty between the two countries. With much of the former front line, some of it dotted by mine fields, still designated by the military as off-limits to civilians, bats swooped into the secluded and dark steel caverns.
Several years ago, researchers from Tel Aviv University were granted access to the ghost bunkers. Now, they say, they have identified 12 indigenous bat species in the 100-kilometre- (60 mile)-long tract between the Sea of Galilee in Israel and the Dead Sea’s northern edge in the occupied West Bank.
Two of the species commonly known as the Mediterranean horseshoe bat and Geoffroy’s bat are on the critical list and three others are designated as endangered.
“There is no doubt that by being in a closed military zone that has prevented human interference, the bat habitat will allow these delicate creatures to thrive,” said one of the researchers, Eran Levin.
But he said it was too early to quantify the growth of the local bat population, estimated to be in the thousands, because the research project was not yet complete.
One former bunker — overlooking the spot along the Jordan River where some Christian faithful believe Jesus was baptized by John — has been turned into a more accommodating home for the webbed-wing mammals.
To give the bats more grip, the research team roughed up its smooth steel and concrete walls, suspended mesh sheets and wooden palates, sprayed insulating foam and stuck stones to surfaces.
Different bat species each preferred different grip surfaces, Levin said.
A thick layer of bat guano now covers the floor and metal bunk-bed frames the military left behind.
A night-vision camera follows the bats’ movements during the period they inhabit the bunkers from March to October when daytime temperatures in the area soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Enjoying their own peace dividend, the bat population could also give something back to Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians in the area.
Aviam Atar of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority said the bats help to reduce crop damage by eating insects at night, coming out to feed in the dark when
Article source: Source
BP must cover some Transocean oil spill damages
(Reuters) – A federal judge on Thursday said BP Plc must indemnify Transocean Ltd for some compensatory damage claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who oversees multistate litigation over the spill, agreed with Transocean that the Swiss driller was not responsible for compensatory damage claims raised by third parties for oil spilled below the ocean surface.
He also ruled, however, that London-based BP need not indemnify Transocean for punitive damages, or civil penalties imposed by the U.S. government under the federal Clean Water Act.
Thursday’s decision reduces the potential liability Transocean faces over the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion that caused 11 deaths and the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Transocean owned the rig, while BP owned a majority of the Macondo well whose blowout led to the spill.
Shares of Transocean rose 8.9 percent in after-hours trading, and BP shares fell 0.6 percent.
“Indemnification from compensatory damages is key for Transocean,” whose litigation exposure is now “materially diminished,” UBS Securities LLC analyst Angie Sedita wrote in a research note. She has a “buy” rating on Transocean.
Sedita said BP has estimated its Clean Water Act liability at $3.5 billion, but that other estimates are as high as $6 billion. She also said Transocean has $950 million of insurance coverage for personal injury and third-party claims.
Barbier oversees several hundred cases related to the spill, including a $40 billion lawsuit that BP filed against Transocean last April.
Both companies welcomed parts of the judge’s decision.
“This confirms that BP is responsible for all economic damages caused by the oil that leaked from its Macondo well, and discredits BP’s ongoing attempts to evade both its contractual and financial obligations,” Transocean spokesman Lou Colasuonno said in an email.
BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said in an emailed statement that the decision “holds Transocean financially responsible for any punitive damages, fines and penalties flowing from its own conduct. As we have said from the beginning, Transocean cannot avoid its responsibility for this accident.”
Transocean had argued that its drilling contract obligated BP to defend it from claims over subsurface pollution, even if Transocean was found grossly negligent or “strictly liable.”
BP countered that its responsibility to indemnify Transocean did not extend that far.
Barbier did not decide whether Transocean will be liable for punitive damages or the civil penalties, or rule on BP’s claim that Transocean breached its drilling contract.
BP must cover some Transocean oil spill damages
(Reuters) – A federal judge on Thursday said BP Plc must indemnify Transocean Ltd for some compensatory damage claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who oversees multistate litigation over the spill, agreed with Transocean that the Swiss driller was not responsible for compensatory damage claims raised by third parties for oil spilled below the ocean surface.
He also ruled, however, that London-based BP need not indemnify Transocean for punitive damages, or civil penalties imposed by the U.S. government under the federal Clean Water Act.
Thursday’s decision reduces the potential liability Transocean faces over the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion that caused 11 deaths and the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Transocean owned the rig, while BP owned a majority of the Macondo well whose blowout led to the spill.
Shares of Transocean rose 8.9 percent in after-hours trading, and BP shares fell 0.6 percent.
“Indemnification from compensatory damages is key for Transocean,” whose litigation exposure is now “materially diminished,” UBS Securities LLC analyst Angie Sedita wrote in a research note. She has a “buy” rating on Transocean.
Sedita said BP has estimated its Clean Water Act liability at $3.5 billion, but that other estimates are as high as $6 billion. She also said Transocean has $950 million of insurance coverage for personal injury and third-party claims.
Barbier oversees several hundred cases related to the spill, including a $40 billion lawsuit that BP filed against Transocean last April.
Both companies welcomed parts of the judge’s decision.
“This confirms that BP is responsible for all economic damages caused by the oil that leaked from its Macondo well, and discredits BP’s ongoing attempts to evade both its contractual and financial obligations,” Transocean spokesman Lou Colasuonno said in an email.
BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said in an emailed statement that the decision “holds Transocean financially responsible for any punitive damages, fines and penalties flowing from its own conduct. As we have said from the beginning, Transocean cannot avoid its responsibility for this accident.”
Transocean had argued that its drilling contract obligated BP to defend it from claims over subsurface pollution, even if Transocean was found grossly negligent or “strictly liable.”
BP countered that its responsibility to indemnify Transocean did not extend that far.
Barbier did not decide whether Transocean will be liable for punitive damages or the civil penalties, or rule on BP’s claim that Transocean breached its drilling contract.
A Record Year for FRT
A Record Year for FRT
PR Newswire — January 27, 2012
BERGISCH GLADBACH, Germany, January 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
- The specialists for surface metrology remain on course for growth
“Highly satisfied” – is the conclusion at Fries Research & Technology (FRT), the specialists for multisensor surface metrology and wafer metrology. “2011 was a record year for us”, according to the managing director, Dr. Thomas Fries. The consistent product and marketing strategy is bearing more and more fruit: order intake and sales have exceeded the previous year’s figures.
The impetuses of growth are internationality and automation
2011 was – once again – a record year for FRT. For the third year in a row, after 2009 and 2010, the highest annual order intake was recorded. Sales also soared to a new record value for the second time to more than 45 per cent. With this rapid growth, FRT has succeeded in obtaining a very good annual result. Two factors were essentially responsible for the happy development. The highest growth rates are recorded on an international basis. In the product portfolio, the automatic production control sector achieved the greatest increase.
“Our consistent product and sales strategy is paying off; I am eagerly looking forward to 2012″, is Dr. Thomas Fries’ optimistic view of the future and quite justifiably too.
Fries Research & Technology GmbH – the art of metrology
Fries Research & Technology GmbH (FRT) supplies 3D surface metrology for research and production. With micro- and nanometre resolution, the non-contact and non-destructive measuring systems which have received many awards measure data concerning topography, structure, step height, roughness, wear, thickness variation, film thickness and many other parameters on an optionally fully automatic basis. Nearly 400 units are in use worldwide in companies from the automotive, semiconductor, optical, solar/photovoltaic and other sectors. FRT maintains subsidiaries in the USA, China and Switzerland as well as a sales and service network in the USA, Asia and Europe.
Press contact: Christina Abholte Dr. Oliver Schillings FRT Fries Research & Technology GmbH Alpha & Omega PR Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse Am Muehlenberg 47 51429 Bergisch Gladbach 51465 Bergisch Gladbach Tel.: +49-02204-843205 Tel.: +49-02202-959002 Email: abholte@frt-gmbh.com o.schillings@aopr.de http://www.frt-gmbh.com http://www.aopr.de
Subject Codes: PC/t.120127085118289, PR/dest.Public, PT/lang.en, RE/United_States_of_America, RE/United_Kingdom, RE/Germany, IN/HRD, IN/MAC, IN/SEM, IN/ALT, SU/SVY
Azure Dynamics Appoints Interim CFO
Azure Dynamics Appoints Interim CFO
PR Newswire — January 27, 2012
OAK PARK, Michigan, January 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD)(OTC: AZDDF) (“Azure” or the “Company”), a world leader in the development and production of hybrid electric and electric components and powertrain systems for light and medium duty commercial vehicles, announced today that Ryan Carr, Chief Financial Officer, has resigned as CFO of the Company and Stephen Lee, Vice President, Finance & Corporate Controller, has been appointed as interim CFO until a permanent replacement is named. Mr. Carr will remain as a non-officer employee until February 16, 2012 to assist in the transition.
“Since 2008 Azure has made significant progress in the commercialization of Hybrid and EV technologies which now powers over 2,200 vehicles worldwide and Ryan has played a key role in this growth,” said Scott Harrison, Azure’s CEO. “We thank Ryan for his contributions to Azure, wish him well and appreciate his assistance in the transition.” Mr. Carr and his family will be returning to Southern California where they previously lived and where he has accepted a similar position with Money Mailer, LLC in Garden Grove, CA.
Mr. Lee, age 35, has been with Azure for a total of five years in various financial management positions with increasing responsibility and most recently as the Vice President, Finance and Corporate Controller since June, 2010. Mr. Lee was previously the Chief Financial Officer of Vancouver based Carmanah Design and Manufacturing Inc., a leading machinery and equipment manufacturer. Mr. Lee began his career in 1998 and is a Certified General Accountant. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Calgary.
Harrison continued, “We’ve built great bench strength and continuity in our finance department over the past several years, and everyone from the management team to the board of directors has the utmost confidence in Stephen as he assumes the interim CFO position. The board of directors will begin the process of identifying a permanent replacement and expects a seamless transition throughout this period.”
For more information on how Azure Dynamics products are Driving a World of Difference, please visit http://www.azuredynamics.com.
About Azure Dynamics Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD)(OTC: AZDDF) is a world leader in the development and production of hybrid electric and electric components and powertrain systems for light and medium duty commercial vehicles. Azure is strategically targeting the commercial delivery vehicle and shuttle bus markets and is currently working internationally with a variety of partners and customers. The Company is committed to providing customers and partners with innovative, cost-efficient, and environmentally-friendly energy management solutions. For more information please visit http://www.azuredynamics.com.
The TSX Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements Advisory
Certain information included in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements and information and future-oriented financial information under applicable securities legislation and is provided for the purpose of expressing management’s current expectations and plans for the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions.
More particularly, this press release contains statements concerning Azure’s anticipated transition to an interim CFO and identification of a permanent replacement CFO. The forward-looking statements are based on a number of key expectations and assumptions made by Azure, including expectations and assumptions concerning achievement of current timetables for development programs and sales, target market acceptance of Azure’s products, current and new product performance, availability and cost of labor and expertise, and evolving markets for power for transportation vehicles. Although Azure believes that the expectations and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Azure can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct.
Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve numerous risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the projections and forecasts in the forward-looking statements will not occur and that actual performance or results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with Azure’s stage of development, history of losses and lack of historical product revenues, uncertainty as to product development and sales milestones being met, product defect and performance risks, competition for capital and market share, uncertainty as to target markets, dependence upon third parties, changes in environmental laws or policies, uncertainty as to patent and proprietary rights, availability and retention of management and key personnel, exchange rate and currency fluctuations, uncertainties relating to potential delays or changes in plans with respect to product development or capital expenditures, the ability of Azure to access sufficient capital on acceptable terms, and environmental and safety risks. This is not an exhaustive list and additional information on these risks and other factors that could affect Azure’s operations and financial results are included in reports on file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and can be accessed through the SEDAR website athttp://www.sedar.com.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Azure undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Additionally, Azure undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties about Azure.
For further information:
JurisPagrabs, Vice President, Investor Relations, +1-248-298-2403 ext 7570, Email: jpagrabs@azuredynamics.com
Subject Codes: PC/t.120127080040009, PR/dest.Public, PT/lang.en, PC/ticker, PC/ticker.bloomberg, PC/ticker.rics, RE/Michigan, RE/Europe, IN/AUT, IN/ECP, IN/WRK, IN/ALT, IN/GRE, SU/PER
Company Codes: LSE:ADC, Bloomberg:ADC@LN, RICS:ADC.L, Toronto:AZD, OTC-BB:AZDDF
How To Eliminate Plastic From Day To Day Activities
There is an increased awareness to the fact that using plastic is deemed as harmful to the environment. We now know that it’s the kind of product that takes long to decompose, filling up our landfills and causing major and critical pollution. Hence, we all do our best to try and use plastic less. However, there are still plenty of ways we can improve on this and below are some more suggestions on how to do it:
1. The easiest route would be to eliminate plastic bags when making purchases at malls and grocery stores and bring your own reusables. Stores do actually sell these reusable bags for cheap, and some even have completely done away with plastic and instead wrap items in biodegradables or reusables.
2. Do away with plastic water bottles and instead buy your own water bottle that is reusable and can be cleaned up with each use.
3. Learn about the product you’re using, especially the ones that have already provided loads of convenience in your life — such as having a plastic container handy. There are similar products you can buy to replace this, one that is unbleached and biodegradable, albeit slightly more expensive. The non biodegradables from the biodegradable products look just about the same, so it’s best to ask the store where you’re buying it from of the kind of material it is made of.
4. Go with glass. It’s the best alternative to plastic use. If we prefer to contain food in plastic, glass containers are just as convenient, albeit slightly heavy.
If you slowly embrace some of these tips in your day to day activities, you can form the habit of using less plastic in your life.
Obama to propose tax credit for natgas trucks
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday will propose a tax break for commercial trucks that run on natural gas, building on his promise to support U.S. shale gas development, senior administration officials said.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama acknowledged the nation’s booming natural gas sector, which has grown dramatically in recent years as advances in technology have unlocked vast reserves of shale oil and gas.
To take advantage of the newfound natural gas supplies, Obama plans to promote greater use of natural gas as a transportation fuel by offering a tax credit aimed at offsetting the upfront costs of purchasing alternative-fuel commercial trucks, officials said.
Obama will discuss his energy plans during a visit to a UPS facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, that received stimulus funding to invest in liquefied natural gas vehicles and construct a public LNG refueling station.
The president was also to visit Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, where the Air Force is installing a one-megawatt solar array and where last year it test-piloted jets that run on advanced biofuels.
Using domestic natural gas as a “clean” alternative to importing foreign oil has been heavily promoted by Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens and has attracted support from both sides of the aisle in Congress.
Still, Obama’s proposal, which would need Congressional approval, likely faces an uphill battle to make it into law.
Similar measures in Congress have failed to break through partisan gridlock, and conservative groups have opposed such legislation on the grounds that government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers in the energy sector.
Increasing domestic natural gas consumption would benefit drillers, as U.S. natural gas demand so far has failed to keep up with the record production increases that have turned the U.S. market on its head.
Producers like Chesapeake Energy are cutting output in the face of the weakest gas prices in ten years, and there is a chance storage may overfill this year, potentially forcing producers and utilities to sell their gas for next to nothing.
As part of its new energy initiative, the Obama administration also plans to support programs that would convert buses and trucks to run on natural gas and to launch a competitive grant program to help communities overcome barriers to natural gas vehicle deployment.
In addition, Obama was to announce
Article source: Source
How climate change, urbanization are changing disaster aid
LONDON (AlertNet) – Picture this: a terrible drought forces you to abandon your meager plot of farmland, so you migrate to a city where the jobs are, only to end up living in a slum regularly submerged by floods.
It’s a scenario that’s going to become more and more familiar in coming years as climate change and rapid urbanization play an ever-greater role in shaping humanitarian crises, according to an AlertNet poll of the world’s biggest aid organizations.
To adapt to the new reality, aid agencies will need to invest more in disaster prevention and learn a trick or two from the private sector about how to make more efficient use of limited resources, the survey of 41 relief organizations shows.
“The rising trend in the number of disasters over the past five years shows no sign of slowing down,” said Gareth Owen, humanitarian director at Save the Children UK.
“Year on year, we are responding more frequently and on a larger scale to increasing numbers of disasters.”
Asked to rank the factors most likely to intensify humanitarian needs, 28 of 41 aid agencies put the risk of more frequent and destructive climate-related floods, droughts and storms at the top.
This was followed by mass displacement due to climate change and environmental damage, urbanization, high and volatile food prices, and the expectation of more failing states.
With needs expected to grow and national budgets squeezed by the global financial crisis, some rich donor states are pressing the charities they fund to boost value for money in relief efforts.
One way to do that is to slash the overheads, bureaucracy and transaction costs of U.N. agencies that often lead aid operations, many of those polled said.
Other suggestions included investing in disaster-prone communities to make them more resilient and adopting the bottom-line approach of big business.
“We need to increase competition and create an aid ‘market’, where donors don’t need a budget breakdown but rather a set of outcomes they will pay for based on how many are achieved,” said Francesco Paganini, director of disaster response for World Relief.
Another U.S.-based agency echoed the need for a hard-nosed, performance-based approach.
“If our industry could find a way to create a compensation system that provides personal financial reward for results — as is found in for-profit businesses — it could radically alter the approach to delivering value to beneficiaries,” said one program manager, who declined to be
Article source: Source
U.N. sustainable development summit shifts from climate change
(Reuters) – Representatives from around the world gather in Rio in June to try to hammer out goals for sustainable development at a U.N. conference designed to avoid being tripped up by the intractable issue of climate change.
But there is concern in the lead-up to the conference, known as Rio+20 or the Earth Summit, that it risks ending up as all talk and little action.
In an attempt to avoid too much confrontation, the conference will focus not on climate change but on sustainable development – making sure economies can grow now without endangering resources and the environment for future generations.
U.N. conferences over the past decade have begun with high hopes for agreements to compel nations to cut climate-warming emissions and help adapt to a hotter world, but they often ended with disappointingly modest results. That was the case last year in the global climate change summit in Durban, South Africa. Participants at that meeting agreed to forge a new deal by 2015 that would go into force by 2020.
The “sustainable” branding for this year’s summit, rather than climate, is by design, said Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, who headed Brazil’s delegation to the U.N. climate talks in Durban and will be a chief negotiator for Brazil in Rio.
Sustainable development is an easier sell globally than climate change, even though sustainable development is a way of tackling global warming and other environmental issues, he said.
“Climate change is an (issue) that has very strong resistance from sectors that are going to be substantially altered, like the oil industry,” do Lago said. “Sustainable development is something that is as simple as looking at how we would like to be in 10 or 20 years.”
The time seems ripe. Natural resources are at a premium. The global human population tops 7 billion. Traditional economies are failing. And the planet is warming. Leaders may accept the premise that it makes sense to ensure rich and emerging nations can grow without further damaging the environment.
The focus of global meetings has been on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, but the world’s biggest emitters, including China and the United States, have balked, arguing it would cripple economic development.
Climate change first claimed the world stage at the U.N. Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro 20 years ago. That first Earth Summit in 1992 ultimately led to the carbon-capping Kyoto Protocol and
Article source: Source
