Residential Natural Gas Inverter

A hydrogen powered car uses hydrogen as fuel for motive power. Hydrogen is used as a fuel in vehicles ranging from golf carts to rockets. It has proven to be an ideal alternative fuel source, owing to the fact that fossil fuels, on which we are totally dependent at present, are going to exhaust someday. Being emission free, hydrogen as an energy source is gaining wide popularity among nature lovers as well. Knowing how do hydrogen cars work will give you a brief idea about the advantages of using hydrogen powered cars.

How do Hydrogen Powered Cars Work?
Hydrogen powered cars use hydrogen as the catalyst to create electric energy. Here reactive fuel cells use hydrogen to produce electricity used to power the vehicle. In these cars the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted to mechanical energy either by combustion or electrochemical conversion in a fuel cell.

Electrochemical Conversion in Fuel Cells
Though there are various types of fuel cells, some fuel cell components are common to all. These are anode, cathode, electrolyte and catalyst. These four components form the composite structure of fuel cells. The cathode is the positive point of the cell, while the anode is the negative point. The catalyst in these cells is usually made of platinum, while solid polymer is used to create electrolyte. In hydrogen powered cars each component is assigned with a specific task. In the beginning, hydrogen is pumped into the anode of the cell, while oxygen is acquired from the atmosphere by the cathode. The anode takes the help of catalyst to split the hydrogen cells, and separates the electrons from it. These electrons are further passed on to a separate external circuit, in order to form an electric current. This electric current propels the car forward. At the same time the hydrogen cells, devoid of electrons, and the electrons which went to the external circuit return to combine with oxygen. Owing to the reaction, facilitated by the catalyst between these two elements, water, is formed. Hundreds of cells are arranged in a series, to produce the energy required to power a hydrogen car.

Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine
In hydrogen powered cars, hydrogen is combusted in engines in the similar way in which gasoline is combusted in traditional gasoline internal combustion engine vehicles. The engines operate in a traditional way, but there is slight modification in fuel storage and engine body. These engines are designed to burn hydrogen to produce energy, and therefore don’t emit any harmful gases. The only drawback of these cars are the relatively high costs incurred to build and maintain the required equipment, which is very less in gas powered cars. The technology also requires keeping hydrogen in liquid form which is a bit expensive and unsafe.

Every new invention and discovery brings us a step closer to a new useful technology, which makes our work relatively easier. Researchers are working to make hydrogen the perfect fuel of the future, and it wouldn’t be long before we see environment friendly hydrogen powered cars eventually replacing gas powered cars.

Tags: Cars, Hydrogen, Powered, Work
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The security policemen who snatched the young shop owner from his bed and hauled him off to the bare interrogation room of Mandalay’s police station No 14 really had only one question – and just one answer – in mind.

But the interrogators had an array of techniques to extract the “confession” they wanted to hear from him and the thousands of others scattered in jails across Burma; an admission that the pro-democracy demonstrations led by thousands of monks that shook the country’s paranoid military government in September were really a foreign-backed political plot to bring down the regime.

“I was sitting on the floor of the interrogation room,” said the man, an art shop owner in his 20s. “There were five of them asking questions. The first day I was beaten very hard and they asked: who organized the monks? I told them we were following the monks, respecting the Buddha, they weren’t following us.”

“I was interrogated all night for three nights. They kicked and punched me on the side of my head with their fists. They asked me the same question over and over. I told them: you can ask anything, my answer will always be the same. I don’t know who organized the monks. They didn’t like that answer.”

So the interrogators forced the young man to half-crouch as though he were sitting on a motorbike, made him put his arms out as if gripping the handlebars and demanded he imitate an engine, loudly.

The initial humiliation gave way to intense pains in his legs, arms and throat after several hours. When he fell over he was beaten again. He was held for a month and is still not sure why he was detained. He suspects the police identified him from photographs of civilians who marched with the monks. But he was not alone in the cells of police station No 14.

Thousands of civilians have emerged from weeks in prison following the protests with accounts of brutal torture aimed at extracting “confessions” and at terrorising a new generation of Burmese into acquiescing to military rule.

Crackdown

From Rangoon to Mandalay and down the Irrawaddy river to the small town of Pakokku, demonstrators and politicians were rounded up in the crackdown against the greatest challenge to the 400,000-strong army’s hegemony in a generation. Scores were killed, including monks.

At the same time, hundreds of monasteries were purged of monks. Some were arrested and tortured but mostly they were driven back to their villages to prevent more protests which began over price rises but evolved into demands for an end to 45 years of military rule.

What remains is a climate of terror in an already fearful land where anyone who took part in the protests lives in dread of being identified. Even the monks are suspicious of each other, believing the regime has planted spies and agents provocateurs or coerced some into becoming informers.

But the military has not emerged unscathed from its confrontation with the monasteries. There are divisions over the brutal treatment of the monks, and accounts that soldiers are fearful of the spiritual price they might pay.

The monks of Pakokku are wary of unknown faces. Their monasteries were among the first to be purged after the small town and seat of Buddhist learning, about six hours downriver from Mandalay, became the crucible of the demonstrations that spread nationwide.

Behind closed doors inside the largest of Pakokku’s monasteries, the Bawdimandine, two monks describe a confrontation with the army that on the face of it the monks have lost, but which the Buddhist clergy believe marks the beginning of the downfall of the regime – although none of them are predicting that it will happen any time soon.

“All the monks here are very much against the government,” said one. “They’re still against the government mentally but not physically because we can’t do anything. If we do they will arrest us. We don’t want to kill. We don’t want to torture. The government takes advantage of this. The government suppressed the protests but there’s not really quiet. There’s a lot of defiance.”

The protests began in August over fuel and food price rises but escalated in September after the army broke up a demonstration in Pakokku by shooting dead one monk and lashing others to electricity poles and beating them with rifle butts. Pakokku’s monks demanded an apology from the junta and the reversal of price rises.

But they added two overtly political demands – for the release of the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest and the start of a dialog to end military rule – that changed the character of the confrontation.

When the deadline passed, monasteries across Burma took up the cause and poured tens of thousands of monks on to the streets in days of marches that initially left the military paralyzed. But the crackdown soon came. In some cases it took no more than the threat of mass arrests to empty a monastery. Lorryloads of troops herded the clergy away from others.

Fear of arrest

Almost half of the 1,200 monks at the Bawdimandine monastery fled. Those who remain say they are afraid to venture on to the streets for fear of arrest.

“Things have changed for us,” said one monk. “The soldiers used to drag the civilians off the buses to check their identity cards and leave the monks in their seats. Now it is the monks they line up in the road to check and they leave the civilians on the bus.”

It is a similar story in monasteries from the former capital, Rangoon, to Mandalay where 20,000 monks and their supporters turned out on the streets of Burma’s second city and religious heartland to challenge the military regime.

The purges continue despite the government’s assurances to the United Nations. “The government has many spies among the monks,” said one of the chief monks of the Old Ma Soe monastery in Mandalay.

“During the demonstrations they pulled the prisoners out of Mandalay jail and shaved their heads and put them among the monks to cause trouble. The bogus monks were chanting aggressively. They are still trying to send spies. When we have a new monk we do not know we test their knowledge of Buddhist literature. If they don’t know we send them away.”

In some monasteries, the monks were given time to pack up and get out. But in others, they fled without notice, leaving neatly made beds, books lining the shelves of their cubicles and the single key that each monk is permitted to possess. Cats and dogs wander the prayer halls.

Ask where the monks are and those that remain say they went back to their villages. What has happened to them there? Some were arrested but most have been left alone, provided they do not try to return to their monasteries, according to the leading clerics. “It was all about silencing them,” said the monk at Old Ma Soe.

Fear is pervasive in Burma. There are not many soldiers on the streets but the regime has many ordinary people believing that their every move is being watched and that anyone might be an informer. .

The fear is underpinned by the sheer numbers of men who have been through the regime’s jails at some time or another, even if only for a few weeks.

The 1988 generation of protesters remembers the slaughter of 3,000 of their number as the regime quashed the demonstrations and the mass arrests afterwards.The latest crackdown has introduced a new generation to the regime’s use of terror against its own population.

“There were 85 others in my police cell, mostly young people,” said the young shopkeeper held in police station No 14. “Some were only 15 or 16 years old. One boy told me he was arrested for wearing an American flag on his head. Some of the students had broken bones and head wounds.

“At the end of three days I still hadn’t confessed so they gave up and put me back in the cell and left me alone. Some of the others confessed under the pressure but they weren’t real confessions. I don’t blame them. There were people in my cell who were interrogated non-stop for 15 days.”

Among those detained were politicians from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) elected in the annulled 1990 parliamentary election.

Last week, the government called diplomats to the new capital, Naypyidaw, to lay out the results of all these interrogations. The military said it had uncovered a longstanding plot involving “bogus monks”, a little-known exile group, the Forum for Democracy in Burma, and billionaire financier George Soros’s Open Society organization to bring down the regime.

The junta outlined a complex conspiracy to infiltrate the monasteries, the labor force and universities in an 18-page document filled with scores of names of alleged plotters and their backers. Among others, it names U Gambira, the 27-year-old leader of the All Burma Monks Alliance, who is presently locked up in Mandalay prison. The government accuses him and opposition politicians of using ordinary monks as a front for political ends.

Foreign diplomats who have spoken to senior army officers since the protests say the regime is blind to the growing discontent at deepening economic hardship that underpinned the demonstrations.

The government maintains the illusion that Burma’s economy is growing faster than China’s even though the World Bank has rubbished statistics that claim to show double-digit growth. The reality can be seen in the contrasts with the booming economies of much of the rest of south-east Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia – particularly outside Rangoon. There’s hardly a new vehicle to be seen besides scooters and Chinese-made motorbikes. The principal means of transport is old, underpowered buses and horse and trap. Ploughs are pulled by cattle.

There is such a shortage of cars that 25-year-old vehicles worth a few hundred pounds across the border cost £10,000 in Burma. A Sim card for the government-run mobile phone network, the only one there is, costs about £1,000.

Aside from a sprinkling of new hotels, there are few modern buildings to be seen beyond Rangoon and the surreal new capital, Naypyidaw. Life expectancy is well short of that in Burma’s neighbors.

The chief United Nations representative, Charles Petrie, left Rangoon last week after being expelled for a speech in which he observed that Burma’s per capita gross domestic product was less than half that of Cambodia or Bangladesh, and that the recent protests “clearly demonstrated the everyday struggle to meet basic needs. The average household is forced to spend almost three-quarters of its budget on food. One in three children under five are suffering malnutrition, and less than 50% of children are able to complete their primary education”.

Military elite

That is not the world the generals live in. They are cocooned in the new capital or Pyin U Lwin, an army town 90 minutes’ drive north of Mandalay. It is home to the military’s main barracks and the defense Services Academy training base. The grand, red-tiled entrance proclaims in gold lettering that its officers are the Triumphant Elite of the Future.

Two new and vast mansions sit on distant hilltops, and a neighborhood of spacious, colonial-style homes is spreading in all directions, all apparently reserved for the military elite.

Few outsiders penetrate this closed world where career officers and their families live mostly cut off from the rest of Burma. Inside that world, the junta portrays itself as all that stands between order and disintegration into ethnic conflict. It says it is committed to a road map to a “disciplined flourishing democracy” that will lead to a “golden land in future”.

But it has taken 14 years to complete the first two stages of the map which means that at the present rate of progress the end of the road will not be reached until well into the second half of the century.

The military’s view that it is central to Burma’s very survival is displayed on the front of all the heavily censored newspapers, where each day appear the 12 “political, economic and social objectives” of the military government. These include “uplift of the morale and morality of the entire nation” and “uplift of dynamism of patriotic spirit”.

A senior monk who teaches at Pyin U Lwin’s military academy said there was disquiet among some soldiers over the assault on the monks. “Soldiers are telling their relatives not to go into the army. Many soldiers are unhappy with what has happened. Some of them are my pupils. Even some of the colonels tell me they don’t agree with what has happened,” he said.

“We are educating the new generation about what is right and what is wrong. Evolution is better than revolution. We have no weapons. They have the weapons. All we have is loving kindness. Who wants to be killed? People are very peaceful, very passive. No one wants to die, no one wants to kill. They are not like the Muslims. You never heard of Myanmar people suicide bombing. But it will not be quick. Maybe another 10 years.”

Many people in Burma are patient, but not that patient. The frustration and sense of helplessness is reflected in the self-delusion among some that the United Nations will invade and overthrow the regime.

Others draw strength from the widespread practice of interpreting what are seen as auspicious signs. Near Bagan a small pagoda has become the site of pilgrimage after a colony of bees settled on the face and chest of a Buddha. Bees are considered particularly auspicious and their choice of a Buddha has been widely interpreted as siding with monks.

Sitting atop a centuries-old pagoda nearby, a politician who has gone into hiding said many Burmese drew strength from the belief that the military leaders will pay for their crimes in the next life.

“They will have an amazing surprise in their afterlife. By killing monks they will come back as dogs who eat shit with many diseases, not the ones that eat good food and look nice; ugly dogs,” he said. There are not many who would dare say such things openly but Thet Pyin is among them. The army first threw him into prison 45 years ago for his opposition to its rule.

“The problem the government has created for itself is that the conflict is no longer between the government and the people, it’s between religion and the government. That’s important because 80% of the population is Buddhist and the government is Buddhist. All the army is Buddhist. That will be its downfall,” he said.

Occupation

“I’m 81 years old. I’ve never in all my life seen as bad a government as this, as unqualified as this. Even the Japanese occupation was not as bad as this. These military people don’t have a clue what they are doing and their treatment of the monks is the latest evidence of that.”

Pyin, a member of a small party that won three seats in the annulled 1990 election, said that the army duped people back then with promises of democracy but that it will not be able to get away with that again.

“This regime managed to pacify people after the 1988 demonstrations with promises of multi party elections and an open economy and that the military would return to the barracks. The army reneged on that but it was forced to make the promise. The regime is going to have to do something to pacify the people again but they will not believe its promises now,” he said.

“There are divisions in the army. The core of the dictatorship is small, it is at odds with the military in its larger role. This government will fall.”

Burma’s most renowned female writer, Ludu Daw Ahmar, is also outspoken against the regime. Arrested in 1978 at the age of 63 on suspicion of links to the Communist party, which she denies, Ahmar spent a year in Mandalay jail. She has just celebrated her 92nd birthday and no longer fears what the regime might do to her. Frail and hard of hearing, she remains vigorously defiant.

“People are very much afraid of the government but this can’t go on forever. There will be a day when the people break this,” she said. “People will have to sacrifice their lives. There is no choice. We can’t go on like this. We must get arms to resist them. I can’t say how, but the people must find arms.”

That is not the view of most Burmese, or the monks who have taken up a low-key but symbolically significant protest against the regime by refusing alms from the government. Some monks turn their bowls upside down when offered food by soldiers, interpreted as a form of excommunication.

At the Old Ma Soe monastery the monks refused to invite government representatives to celebrations to mark its 100th anniversary.

The clerics have also declared a boycott of government exams they are expected to take every year. But the monasteries hold their own exams in April, and some senior clerics are predicting that will mark the beginning of a new campaign of protest.

“The monasteries will be full again. They will not be silent. No one has changed their mind about this government,” said a senior cleric in Mandalay. “But we know it will not change tomorrow. It might take five years, it might take 10, but it will be go. It has no solutions.”

Atop the pagoda near Bagan, the political activist who is now in hiding said the military was wrong to believe it has cowed another generation.

“Nobody won in September because it’s not finished,” he said.

Resource-rich but with faltering economyBurma is a resource-rich country but its economy is crippled by overbearing government control and ineffective policies. It is the world’s biggest exporter of teak, a principal source of precious stones, has fertile soil and significant offshore oil and gas deposits but the majority of its people live in abject poverty. Steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the program Burmese Way to Socialisation, a large-scale attempt at central economic planning, were largely unsuccessful. The US imposed fresh economic sanctions in August 2003 in response to the junta’s attack on Aung San Suu Kyi and her convoy. A banking crisis in the same year saw hundreds of Burmese lining up outside banks to withdraw their savings after the government shut down several institutions. The average household spends three-quarters of its budget on food and one in three children under five are suffering malnutrition.Alexandra Topping

·Gallery: The Guardian’s Sean Smith in Burma

Tags: After, Empty, Monasteries, Revolution, Saffron, Spies, Suspicion
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Toyota has set out its vision for the future of motoring. It envisages accident-proof eco-cars, powered by a non-polluting engine that can clean the air around it, running on open roads free of congestion.

The Japanese group is on course to become the world’s biggest carmaker this year, and says its vision could become reality in 10-20 years. By 2050, the group envisages a recycling society: there would be no petrol stations, instead vehicles would run on hydrogen produced using renewable energy.

Katsuaki Watanabe, its chief executive, said in an interview: “For us to become the genuine number one – in quality – we have to realize the dream vehicle, which makes the air cleaner, never injures people, makes people healthier and can run on a single tank of fuel between London and Istanbul.”

He wants to eliminate the environmental damage caused by cars and plan for the period when the world’s reserves of oil and gas are expected to run out: around the middle of this century. Mr. Watanabe and his board are investing 4%-5% of the group’s global turnover of 18 trillion yen (£88bn) in hybrid vehicles, based not just on petrol but on diesel, biofuels such as ethanol and biomass, all-electric motors and fuel cells. “We are aiming at making a quantum leap in the next 10 years,” said Shinichi Abe, head of Toyota’s hybrid division.

Studies by the firm’s 21st Century Group of executives and experts foresee the number of vehicles on the roads increasing from 750m now to 1.2bn as the world’s population surges to 8 billion, making the car industry’s role in reducing emissions vital.

Toyota researchers have already produced a series of concept cars, including the Fine-X, which runs on a hydrogen fuel-cell and can cover more than 300 miles at speeds up to 125mph. A few, earlier versions are being driven around Tokyo, where a handful of hydrogen stations to fill the on-board battery are available. Fuel-cell hybrid buses and trucks, under the group’s Hino brand, are running in some cities.

Mr. Abe admits that the biggest problem with such vehicles is the sheer cost – not only of the vehicle and the fuel-cell, but the infrastructure required for the hydrogen economy as a whole. The problem of how to generate hydrogen and where to store or dispose of the resultant CO2 has also yet to be resolved.

Hybrids have so far proved far more expensive than traditional cars but Toyota, which sold 300,000 of its Prius and Lexus RX hybrids last year, plans to sell more than 1m by around 2010. In Britain an initially slow take-up has accelerated, with 1,500 sold in the first three months of this year at prices starting from £17,760.

Toyota is working on plans for “plug-ins” for the battery from the grid at fuel stations, with future hybrids carrying a traditional power-point for domestic appliances to be used outside the home. Mr Abe said the next Prius model will be able to do a nine-mile commute to work without using any petrol or diesel.

Tokuichi Uranishi, head of overseas operations excluding China, said the group’s environmental credentials had enabled it to outpace the growth of the US “big three” of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, and boost its market share in the US to 13.3%, against GM’s 24%.

It has already overtaken Ford to become the world’s second biggest carmaker and is expected to surpass General Motors this year to become the biggest. Its growth has come as its two US rivals flirt with Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, sack a combined 60,000 employees and close 26 factories in north America.

Toyota meanwhile has set a global sales target, including Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino, of 8.8m cars, compared with 8.1m in 2005, and its production goal is 9m compared with 8.2m. It made about $15bn (£8.6bn) operating income in 2004 compared with GM’s loss of $8bn-$10bn in 2005 when it sold 9.1m cars.

But Mr. Watanabe is not complacent about the competition. “We have no plans to acquire a carmaker but new technologies are certain to emerge, like fuel-cells or other ones related to the environment, safety and information, and if there’s any we don’t have, even with our accelerated R&D and investment in-house, we might have to buy them in.”

He added: “There’s a very good chance of others – the Americans, the Germans, the Koreans – overtaking us in terms of innovation and quality. In fuel-cells the US is ahead of us and the US and Germans could jointly develop hybrids better than ours. That’s a sense of crisis I always have.”

Meanwhile, Toyota is using its considerable financial muscle and know-how to meet a precept of its founding father, Sakichi Toyoda: “Always be creative and studious, striving to be ahead of the others.” Already, several of its Japanese models carry safety features which could soon be standard on European cars.

These include devices to prevent whiplash and lateral skidding, which have cut accidents in Japan by 15%.

The group is working on sensors, millimeter-wave radars and infra-red cameras that would, in combination with information panels installed at the roadside, warn the driver of dangers ahead such as a potential accident or, say, child. Ultimately, the car itself will take over and put on the brakes or decelerate to keep a safe distance.

Masatami Takimoto, head of research, said of Mr. Watanabe’s dream: “Maybe the president was just trying to give us engineers homework, but engineers, by their nature, make tremendous efforts and I think it’s not impossible to envisage the ultimate eco-vehicle on our roads … We’re even beginning to address the ageing process and thinking of the best personal mobility vehicle for the elderly … We could break through in all these areas on our own, or with others.”

Mr. Watanabe, whose target is a global market share of 15% early in the next decade, says the Toyota way marries brand leadership as an eco-friendly manufacturer with growing profitability. – A kind of Greenpeace geared to profits? one asks. He smiles serenely.

Hybrids and hydrogen

Carmakers across the globe are looking to make their cars more environmentally friendly. Fuel is a key area and attention is focused on three technologies: fuel cells, hybrids and biofuels.

Hybrids work on the combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Conventional engines are inefficient when idling or at low loads. Using an electric motor improves that performance, after which the engine takes over. With a “regenerative braking” system the energy traditionally lost to heat in braking is used to charge the motor. For those who want acceleration rather than lower carbon dioxide emissions, the two can even be used together. For the moment hybrids are used on petrol engines though French car maker PSA is working on a diesel version.

With fuel cells, the principle is to have hydrogen and air separated by a membrane through which the hydrogen can permeate. Add a platinum catalyst and you get a battery-like reaction which produces electricity, is more efficient in turning fuel into motive power and from which the only waste product is water. There are snags: the platinum is expensive, and then there is the question of getting the hydrogen. It must either be released from hydrocarbons, or extracted from water – a process that demands lots of electricity, produced, of course, mainly by burning hydrocarbons.

Some companies are looking at fuel cells using a ceramic membrane, which operates at high temperature but there are problems with weight while the big temperature changes place demands on the membrane’s ability to sustain expansion and contraction.

At least one company is looking at using hydrogen in an internal combustion engine. That makes it more user friendly but it may not be as efficient, as it generates heat – ie, wasted energy.

Biofuels such as ethanol or vegetable oils are not short of fans. They can be mixed with traditional fuel, the carbon they emit is balanced by the carbon captured during the growth of the crop used in the fuel. Industry insiders say there are high hopes for more sophisticated second-generation biofuels. Critics worry about the possible damage to the environment of farmers possibly uprooting rain forests to plant biofuel crops.

Mark Milner

Tags: Accidentproof, Foresees, Giant, Nonpolluting, Saloon
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Want to know if it’s possible to convert your car to run on water and if this water for gas conversion system is a myth or can it really improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency?

The concept of a water powered engine is always a hot topic in hypermiling discussion forums, but the world began to buzz on this water for gas hybrid technology after fuel prices around the globe escalated to record highs. Ordinary folks searching for alternative energy resources began testing the possibility of generating water fuel in an attempt to squeeze as much percentage of fuel efficiency out of their vehicles because they know that even small improvements can have a huge long term benefits to their bottom line.

Run Your Car On Water – The Truth

Surprisingly, the water for gas technology is not a myth and it is actually possible to convert water into fuel with electrolysis by transforming H2O into a flammable gas that is known as Oxyhydrogen or HHO.

In 2004, the FISITA World Automotive Congress performed a test on the addition of HHO from water to a single cylinder direct injection fuel engine (common in cars) and came to a conclusion that when a small amount of hydrogen is added, the combustion process of the internal combustion engines could be considerably enhanced.

Since then, DARPA has been working with this technology trying to make more efficient military vehicles. Even large automobiles companies like BMW and Honda Technology are already in the process of developing this water hybrid technology into their own cars and industry insiders are already saying that this water gas technology will be the standard in future automobiles. In fact, most cars will be a hybrid and will be running with either water or electricity within the next 5 to 10 years!

Then, why is the general community having problems believing such water for gas conversion is genuine and denying the obvious benefits of the process? Regrettably, most of the people or “experts” who have so far spoken against these water fuel technology are people who have never tried to make a water power car. They think within a box similar to Lord William Thomson Kelvin, a brilliant scientist for whom the Kelvin temperature scale is named, stated “Heavier-than-air flying machines are not possible.” Of course, two Americans didn’t believe in that and eventually invented the world’s first successful airplane that made heavier-than-air human flight possible.

The laws of aerodynamics prove that the bumblebee should be incapable of flight but scientists later reported that “One shouldn’t be surprised that the results of the calculations don’t square with reality”.

The fact is HHO technology is being demonstrated to members of Congress, local government officials, and even NASA. Many media coverage are already being done on people who have already successfully build their own fuel efficient water hybrid vehicles. Eventually, this technology is going to end up being in the mainstream and the critics are going to look absolutely foolish.

If you truly want your car to be more fuel efficient and save yourself thousands of dollars in fuel costs every year, the future is now! Build your own hydrogen fuel cell and Run your car on water for less than $150 today!

Tags: Busted, Myth, Water
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We have an ‘occasion’ to attend in Los Angeles next April. We thought we should be able to include that in our road trip of the southwest.

I dug out my scenic byways guides. I stopped by AAA and got a map of the U.S. so I could highlight the routes and then work them together.

I sent away for information from the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.(Yes, I love the internet but I also like having paperwork I can spread out before me.)

But now I’m looking at the rising price of gasoline. No one knows where it will be next spring but everyone says it will be higher.

We took my husband’s car on the last trip.My car will probably need to be replaced next year.What do we buy in anticipation of the high fuel prices?Do we consider buying a hybrid car?

Or, should we do something like turn our current cars into hybrid cars? That idea is a very popular one circulating on the internet right now.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Water4Gas. I did some research into this. Is Water4Gas a scam? Well, if you pay someone for something, and don’t get what you were told you would get then, yes, that is a scam.

Here is what Water4Gas promises:
IMPORTANT: We are going to reveal to you fuel saving techniques unknown to the average mechanic

Based upon my research, Water4Gas is not a scam because it gives you exactly what they say they will.There are ideas and suggestions on ways to improve your gas mileage.They provide pictures and part numbers, including where to buy the needed items, to build your own hybrid system and include the instructions on how to install it. On top of all this, if the information they provide doesn’t work for you, you can get your money back.

The information from Water4Gas sounds like it will mean more money in my pocket. On top of that,add a reduction on our need for foreign oil AND even a way to help clean up the environment.Those sound like good reasons to check out Water4Gas

Tags: Fuel, past, prices, rising, road, thing, trips
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Ford makes one great move as it graces one great event. Recently, Ford Focus Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicle amazes over a million spectators in this year’s Dream Cruise. Said event was held in Birmingham, Michigan last Saturday, August 19.

Woodward Dream Cruise is a prestigious annual event of car culture. This event is the largest among car celebrations. It attracts millions of spectators as well as famous car manufacturers. In this 12th Woodward Dream Cruise, Ford made an on the road and on display exhibit to put on show its enormous fleet of fuel cell vehicles.

Due to the cost of fuel cell technology, it is deemed that cars such as Focus can be valued close to $1 million. It can be the most expensive car in the Dream Cruise. This is because Ford Focus parts are quite costly and classy. The car looks like sedan, the main difference lies on what is tucked under the floorplan which is the hydrogen fuel cell and auxiliary energy system. The trunk also carries the renewable hydrogen fuel.

Ford Motor Company is operating 9 hybrid hydrogen Ford Focus Fuel Cell vehicles in California. It is one of the 7 cities which Ford has planned to do testing on fuel cell technology. Ford’s fleet is composed of 30 fuel cell vehicles that can mount up more than 180, 000 miles.

Mary Ann Wright, director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Programs for Ford Motor Company, said, “the engineers who work on the Focus FCV work hand in hand with those developing our gasoline hybrids. The knowledge we gain by engineering these cars not only benefits our expertise in innovative fuel cell propulsion technology, it also will help us deliver even better gasoline hybrids in the near term.”

Ford Focus Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles represent the devotion of Ford to advancing alternative-fuel in today’s generation. In fact, in the next decade, said alternative is expected to be viable in the automotive market.

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It didn’t take long for the spin-doctors to establish Al-Queda links, but ….

Mysterious motives
By Gwynne Dyer

Earlier this year, the Pentagon committed $50m to a study on why the suicide rate in the military is rising: it used to be below the rate in comparable civilian groups, but now is four times higher. Thirteen American soldiers were killed by a gunman at Fort Hood, Texas, last Thursday, but 75 have died by their own hand at the same base since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Why?

The US military budget tops half a trillion dollars, so the military can splash out on diversionary studies that draw attention away from the main problems – combat fatigue and loss of faith in the mission. We are seeing the same pattern in the response to the Fort Hood killings, although in this case the army is getting the services of the media for free.

Let’s see. A devout Muslim officer of the US Army, born in the US but of Palestinian ancestry, is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan. He opens fire on his fellow soldiers, shouting “Allahu Akbar”. Was he unhappy about his promotion prospects?

There is something comic in the contortions the media engage in to avoid the fact that if the US invades Muslim countries, some Muslim Americans will think that it has declared war on Islam. It has not, but from Pakistan to Somalia the US is killing Muslims in the name of a “war on terror.”

So is it possible that the Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, did not want to take part in that enterprise in Afghanistan? Might he belong to that large majority of Muslims (though probably a minority among American Muslims) who, unable to discover any rational basis for US strategy since 9/11, have drifted towards the conclusion that the US is indeed waging a war on Islam?

Rather than entertain such subversive idea, US spokespersons and media have been trying to come up with some other motive for Maj Hasan’s actions. Maybe he was a coward who couldn’t face the prospect of combat in Afghanistan, or a nut-case whose actions had no meaning or unhappy at the alleged abuse he had suffered because he was Muslim/Arab/Palestinian.

The one explanation excluded is that the US wars in Muslim lands overseas are radicalising Muslims at home. Never mind that the home-grown Muslim terrorists who attacked the London transport system in 2005, and the plotters caught in other Western countries before their plans came to fruition, have almost all blamed the Western invasions of Muslim countries for radicalising them.

What radicalised them was the fact that those invasions made no sense in terms of Western security. No Afghan has attacked the US, although Arabs living in Afghanistan were involved in the planning of 9/11. There were no terrorists in Iraq, no weapons of mass destruction, and no contacts between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. So why did the US invade those countries?

The real reasons are panic and ignorance, reinforced by militaristic reflexes and laced with racism. But people find it hard to believe that the US, Britain and other Western governments involved in these foolish adventures could be so stupid, so the conspiracy theories proliferate.

It is a testimony to the loyalty of Muslims in the West that so few of their members have succumbed to these conspiracy theories. It is evidence of the denial that reigns in the majority community in the US that the obvious explanation for Major Nidal’s actions didn’t even make the media’s short list.

Geneva Conventions need to be stronger, 60 years on
By Kofi Annan

In all the understandable attention given to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this week, there is a risk that another important anniversary will be overlooked. Sixty years ago, the Geneva Conventions were signed, giving force to a simple but enduring idea – the belief that we should do everything we can to reduce human suffering in war.

But while the Conventions have been a remarkable force for good, this commemoration should galvanise us to do more to protect people. Around the world, we see continued evidence of the callous inhumanity of those waging war.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, militias and soldiers are carrying out mass killing and rape. In Sri Lanka, thousands of civilians were killed in the fighting between the Sri Lankan Army and the Tamil Tigers. Many more remain interned in camps. The people of Somalia are once again caught between the guns of rival militias and foreign forces. And, of course, the terrible tragedy of Darfur continues.

We also see in many parts of the world, terrorists deliberately detonating bombs to kill hundreds of civilians. The state response too often is indiscriminate attacks and the abuse of detainees. There are some who claim that the blame for this inhumanity lies, in part, with the failure of international law. They argue that it has not kept pace with conflicts no longer predominantly waged between states or with conventional forces or weapons.

But this fails to recognise how the Conventions have been improved and expanded to better cover civil wars and armed groups. Furthermore new conventions banning or restricting new types of weapons, including landmines and cluster munitions, have been agreed.

This argument also lets those responsible for such suffering off the hook. It is not international laws that are to blame for the continuing death and destruction in our world but that leaders deliberately disregard them. And they will continue to ignore these rules as long as they think they can get away with it.

The challenge is to alter the balance of the calculation they make. All alleged breaches of international humanitarian law, wherever they take place, must be formally investigated, and we mustn’t let states – especially powerful ones – dismiss or ignore the resulting reports, as we have seen recently with the Goldstone report. We then have to take bold steps to ensure those found responsible, whoever they may be, are held to account.

National and international human rights groups work tirelessly and with courage to expose abuses. But no matter how thorough their investigations and indisputable the evidence, their reports are too often and too easily dismissed and discredited.

We can’t expect, of course, those with so little regard for human suffering to readily accept responsibility for war crimes. What is worrying, however, is how often their denials deflect blame and spread confusion among world opinion. Countering this culture of denial must be a priority for the international community.

While civil society plays an important role, it can only do so much. I believe we must now consider activating formal permanent bodies to monitor and report on the widespread breach of human rights and humanitarian principles in armed conflicts – bodies already provided for under international law. These investigations should be triggered automatically whenever armed conflict arises just as the United Nation’s relief agencies respond automatically to major humanitarian catastrophes.

This will only work, however, if allcountries believe they will be fairly treated.The accusation that powerful states avoid scrutiny, while those with less influence and fewer friends attract it too readily, cannot be brushed aside. There has been, and continues to be, selectivity in who is investigated and acted upon, even when formal reports are prepared and abuses are well documented. International bodies, first and foremost the Security Council, must redress this bias to restore trust in their authority.

While exposing abuses is important, it is only the first step in changing behaviour and improving protection for civilians. We also need to ensure that there is a much stronger link between committing a crime and the likelihood of punishment.

For much of the past 60 years this link has been missing. War criminals rarely faced justice. National courts lacked the will or mandate to act. Amnesties were too freely given as part of peace accords. For many, international justice seemed an illusion.

In recent years, this has changed. We have seen the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and international criminal tribunals set up to punish genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

International justice is also at work, alongside national judicial systems, in Cambodia and Sierra Leone. National courts are increasingly ready to hold to account those responsible for flouting the protections of the Geneva Conventions and human rights standards no matter where the crime was committed. Amnesty laws that shield war criminals are being overturned by courts.

International justice has gone from an abstract concept to a reality. Impunity is in retreat.

But the battle is far from over. Some of the world’s most powerful countries have not ratified the ICC statute. Many who have are still not living up to their obligations. Countries are too quick, for historical or political reasons, to ignore the abuses of neighbouring leaders and allow themselves to be deflected into attacking the rules or how they are applied.

I am aware of the reasons for this. But leaders need to remember that the whole purpose of the ICC and international standards is to serve victims, not protect those in power. Concessions that weaken international justice risk being seen as a license to kill with impunity.

As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, we don’t need to change the rules. We do need to ensure they are enforced much more widely, robustly and fairly. Only then will they provide the protection that people around the world require.

(*) Kofi Annan was secretary general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2007. He is now president of the Kofi Annan Foundation

Israel Files Case with UN on Illegal Arms Smuggling with German Ship

Israel has filed an official complaint with the United Nations following its seizure earlier this week of the German-owned boxship MV FRANCOP laden with arms allegedly bound for Hezbollah. The complaint singles out the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines for repeatedly engaging in arms trafficking.

The Lebanese militia group Hezbollah denied any link to weapons on boxship and refuted the Israeli claims.

Israel’s navy has intercepted the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged containership 160 km off its coast.

The 864 teu, was caught with dozens of containers carrying and ordnance reportedly disguised as civilian cargo.

According to the Israeli authorities, commandos who boarded the 864 teu Francop uncovered 500 tonnes of weapons in 36 containers disguised as aid delivery of mainly food.

But behind the blinds more than 3000 Raketen, anti-tank weapons, rocket propelled grenades, hand-grenades and many boxes of ammunition for assault rifles.

The cargo was allegedly transported by a small vessel from Iran to the Egyptian harbour Domiat and there transferred onto the MV FRANCOP, which was supposed to first sail to Cyprus and then to the Syrian harbour Latakia, from where it would have gone by land into Lebanon.

The German authorities apparently are satisfied with the explanation of the owner of the vessel, Gerd Bartels, that the ship was permanently chartered to United Feeder Services and that the real owner of the vessel had no knowledge of the cargo.

It is, however, the second time in a few weeks that a German vessel is involved in weapons-smuggling. Just recently the US navy boarded in the Red Sea the German freighter MV HANSA INDIA (a sister ship to the HANSA STAVANGER, which was sea-jacked off Somalia not long ago). The vessel owned by the Hamburger shipping magnate Leonhardt und Blumberg actually carried several containers with cartridges for automatic weapons.

The German authorities are investigating also this case, though even the involvement of several German vessels in the alleged arms smuggling to Sudan via Kenya has not yet been concluded.

Let’s Not Forget DU Weapons in Beletweyn and from MV Faina

The Responsibility of the US in Contaminating Iraq with Depleted Uranium
By Souad N. Al-Azzawi (*)

For two decades, the administrations of the United States of America and the United Kingdom have been waging continuous wars on Iraq to occupy this oil rich country.

The armed forces of those two countries attacked civilians with different kinds of conventional, non-conventional, and banned weapons such as cluster bombs ammunitions, napalm bombs, white phosphorous weapons and depleted Uranium weapons.

Depleted Uranium (DU) is a radioactive and chemically toxic heavy metal. If ingested, inhaled, or it enters the human body through wounds or skin, it remains there for decades.

Within the human body the (DU) particles would be a continuous source for emitting alpha particles. With its toxic effects, published research & epidemiological studies have proved that it causes serious health damages to the human body. Some of the damage to the human body is to lymph tissue, kidneys, developing fetuses, neurological system, the bones, lung fibrosis, and an increase in the risk of many types of cancer and malignancies.

Hundreds of tons of (DU) expenditure have been fired & exploded on Iraqi highly populated areas like Basrah, Baghdad, Nasriya, Dewania, Samawa, and other cities.

Exploration programs and site measurements by Iraqi and non-Iraqi researchers all proved the existence of (DU) related contamination over most Iraqi territories.

Iraq’s Minister of Environment admitted in July 23, 2007 in Cairo that “at least 350 sites in Iraq are contaminated with (DU)”. She added that the nation is facing a tremendous number of cancer cases and called for the international community to help Iraq cope with this problem.

A few years after exposure to (DU) contamination, multifold increase of malignancies, congenital malformations, miscarriages, children leukemia, and sterility cases have been registered in suburb areas of Basrah and other surrounding areas. Similar problems appeared in Falluja, where illegal weapons were also used intensively in the 2004 attack of occupation forces on the city. More than two million of the Iraqi population died since 1991 because of the synergic multiple impact of using (DU) weapons, economical sanctions, and the destruction of the health care systems.

The economical sanction that were also imposed by USA and UK administrations deprived the children and people of Iraq their rights in food, potable water, health care, sanitation and other life supporting necessities.

The USA and UK administrations have subjected the whole nation of Iraq for two decades to torture and slow death through the intentional use of radioactive weapons and the sanctions. The continuous and intentional use of radioactive weapons is a crime against humanity due to its undifferentiating harmful health effects on civilians in contaminated areas tens of years to come after the military engagements. The existence of (DU) radioactive contamination in the surrounding environment is a continuous source of exposure to low level radiation. This exposure can be considered as a systematic attack on Iraqi civilians in an armed conflict, according to Article 4 of the official regulations and Article 7 of the ICC.

This paper is submitted to present the facts and scientific evidences regarding the intentional use of the USA and UK administrations of depleted uranium weapons against the people and environment of Iraq, in addition to the health consequences that have been result from them.

1.0 Introduction:

The administrations of the United States of America and the United Kingdom have been continuously waging wars against Iraq since 1991.

The armed forces of these two administrations have been using different kinds and new generations of conventional, nonconventional, and illegal weapons like Napalm, cluster bombs, white phosphorous, microwave, and Depleted Uranium weapons [1][2][3][4] against the human population and the environment of Iraq. Invasion and occupation of Iraq proved to the world that oil flow is the main reason behind these criminal attacks.

As a result of using these weapons, with the economical sanctions that were also imposed on Iraq by the same administration more than two million Iraqi people died and the count continues.

In this paper, we present the consequences and damage resulting from the use of Depleted Uranium weaponry against Iraq, backed by scientific fact and research.

2.0 What is Depleted Uranium?

Depleted Uranium (DU) is a man-made, radioactive, heavy metal extracted from Uranium ore. Since (DU) is a byproduct of the Uranium enrichment process to produce spent fuel for nuclear reactors. Natural Uranium has an isotopic content of 99.274% of U-238 by weight, 0.072% of U-235, & 0.0057% of U-234 [5].

Due to its highly pyrophoric and spontaneously ignitable properties, the DU penetrator ignites on impact generating extremely high temperatures. As the projectile pierces, it leaves its jacket behind dispersing DU dust into the environment during the impact. The quantity of the aerosol production is proportional to DU mass within the projectile and the hardness of the impact.
It is estimated that up to 70%of DU in the projectiles to be aerosolized when on the impact DU catches fire [6]. The explosion generates high temperatures of (3000-6000) °C. The aerosols particles are smaller than 5µm in size [6]. These nano-particles act more like a gas than a particle. The DU aerosols remain windborne for an extended time and this is the most dangerous pathway on civilian population around the battlefield areas.

3.0 Depleted Uranium within the human body

There is empirical documentation that suggests that DU aerosols can travel up to 26 miles [5], others suggest even further distances. The full radiation effect of DU occurs six months after production [6]. One milligram of U-238 can give of 1, 07, 000 alpha particles in one day. Each alpha particle releases over 4 MeV (million-electron-volts) of energy. If swallowed or inhaled, this much energy will hit up to 6 nearby cells away in the organ [6]. Just 6-10ev (electron volt) is needed to cleave the nuclear DNA strand in the cell.

Dr. Rosalie Bertell, an epidemiologist with 30-years experience in the field of low level radiation explains DU potential harm to the human body [6]:

After inhalation (DU) nano-particle aerosols cross the lung-blood barrier and gain entrance to the cells. They create free radicals. As a heavy metal, DU toxicity attacks the proteins in the cell which normally fight the free radicals, and creates extra free radicals. This amount of free radicals creates total oxidative stress in the human body. This stress causes failure to protective enzymes, leaving cells vulnerable to viruses and mycoplasmas, damage to cellular communication system and the mitochondria.

As a heavy metal, DU replaces the magnesium in the organ’s molecules that normally function as antioxidants, and causes the destruction of the body’s repair mechanisms. Consequences of this destruction are chronic diseases and tumors. Free radicals can also totally disrupt the folding process and manufacturing of the molecule proteins which is sequenced by DNA and manufactured by the RNA. Some of the diseases resulted from misrouted proteins include cystic fibrosis, diabetes insipidus and cancer. [6]

Amassing and accumulation of misfolded proteins leads to neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s Diseases and early onset Alzheimer’s disease. In these diseases, amyloids are formed from protein fragments and dysfunctional proteins and that “Misfolded proteins” are the central pathogenic mechanism.

Gulf War veterans have manifested many of the symptoms of these neurodegenerative diseases.[6]

Other health effects of DU within the human body are:

- Lou Gehrig’s disease is twice as commonly diagnosed in Gulf War veterans as expected.

- Immune and Hormonal system damage

- Disturbance of thyroid function

- Mycoplasmas invasion into human cells.

- Initiation or promotion of cancer

- Tetratogenic toxicity which causes mental retardation, congenital malformations.

- GW veterans were twice-three times as likely to report children with birth defects as their counter partner who did not serve in the first Gulf War.

- Miscarriages

Dr. Hari Sharma, formerly of the University of Waterloo, tested the urine of some US, UK and Canadian veterans as well as Iraqi civilians from Basra and Baghdad.

Using 24hr urine samples, his isotopic analysis revealed a range of DU in the sample of (81-1,340) nanogram. Results showed that two of the three Iraqis from Al Basra had 147 – 426 nanograms respectively in their urine. Also it showed that 2 out of 5 Iraqis from Baghdad have DU in their urine

4.0 Other Important Scientific Evidence:

* Dr Alexandra C. Miller and her team at the Armed Forces Radiological Research Institute, Bethesda, MD and the University of Paris, France used human cell models (the human Osteoblast cell HOS) to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of DU in vitro through assessing morphological transformation, genotoxicity [7] (chromosomal aberration), mutagenic (HRRT Ioci) and genomic instability.

Published data of the results have demonstrated that DU exposure in vitro to immortalized HOS cells is neoplatically transforming, mutagenic, genotoxic, and induces genomic instability. Other results showed:

- Exposure to embedded DU pellets could induce leukemia in mice.

- Internalized DU resulted in significant increases in the mutagenic frequency in the Lac gene in the tests of the exposed mice.

- Internalized DU resulted in the development of bladder carcinoma in 75% of all animal exposed within 90 days of initial DU exposure.

As we can see all these results suggest that long-term exposure to internalized DU could be critical to the development of neoplastic disease in humans.

Pub. Radiation Protection Dosimetry Schroder, Heike 2003. A molecular biologist conducted research about the chromosomal aberration on white blood cells of 16 British Gulf War veterans of 1991. The veterans have suffered from symptoms ranging from headache, to chronic fatigue, depression, muscle and joint pains, impaired short-term memory and other cognitive defects. [8]

The results showed that the mean frequency of their blood cells chromosomal aberrations is 5-fold elevation higher than the control blood samples. This strongly indicated previous exposure to ionizing radiations.

The intercellular distribution of the Dicentric and Centric ring chromosomes indicates significant over dispersion on the group level for the veterans who served in the Gulf War. Dic and CR are a known consequence of non uniform irradiation on the human body. [8]

Dr. Huda Ammash, Professor of Molecular Biology in Baghdad University and her team [9] conducted and published the results of genetic hematological analysis for a group of individuals living in DU contaminated areas in southern Iraq. Blood tests for the (47) individuals who lived in Basrah contaminated areas and another 30 as a control group. The control group individuals lived in Baghdad.

Blood tests showed that 21% of the studied individuals in Basrah group suffered a reduction in hemoglobin concentration of (9-13) g/d.

The blood packed cell volume (PCV) test results showed that 25.5% of Basrah studied group showed abnormal (PCV) rates of (30-39)% less than the normal rate.

Total white Blood Cells count (WBC) results showed that 8% of the individuals in the Basrah study group with (WBC) less than normal which is (4000)c/ml or higher than normal rate (1100)c/ml.

Compound chromosomal changes in the lymphocytes of periphal blood of the individuals of Basrah studied group had been found at a ratio of (0.1118)% which is significantly higher than that of the control group.

The ratio of dicentric and ring centric chromosomal abnormality fraction was found to be (0.04479) which is higher than ordinary ratio chromosomal damages where mostly in male veteran individuals. One case was for a 13 year old young boy at the time of the exposure in Al-Zubair contaminated area.

* Rita Hindin, et al [5] published a paper “Teratogenicity of Depleted Uranium aerosols: A review from an epidemiological perspective” in which they stated that animal studies firmly support the possibility that DU is a teratogen. They also concluded that the human epidemiological evidence is consistent with the increased risk of birth defects in offspring of persons exposed to DU.

* For further scientific evidences by Iraqi researchers, check: “Depleted Uranium Contamination: Iraq: An overview” http:///www.globalresearch.org.

5.0 Contaminating Iraq with Depleted Uranium

The USA and UK armed forces used Depleted Uranium ammunition for the first time in the history of their wars during the Gulf War of 1991. About one million bullets, projectiles, and missiles were fired along the highway from Kuwait to Basrah then up to Nasriya and other Iraqi cities. About 60-65% of this ammunition and expenditure were fired within Iraqi territories,

As stated previously, as soon as DU projectiles hit the target, it will ignite with a huge explosion that generates Depleted Uranium oxide aerosols. Mixing height of the aerosols in the atmosphere gets to 250m [13]. Area of Basrah War Zone and highway warzone [10] [14] were calculated to be around 2400km2. This area was the major continuous source of DU aerosols and contaminants to surrounding areas years to come.

Types of Depleted Uranium contaminants in the studied areas were:

1. Destroyed tanks and artilleries.
2. DU projectiles shells (exploded and unexploded)
3. DU shrapnel’s (different sizes)
4. Deposited DU particles
5. Deposited DU oxide aerosols

Modeling mechanisms of spreading of DU pollutants from the source to surrounding populated areas were done by the Environmental Engineering department of Baghdad University [10] [14] [15]. The results of modeling spreading of pollutants through different environmental pathways to human population suggested that total calculated annual body dose received from DU aerosols inhalation pathway for the period from 1991-1996 in Basrah warzone was between 0.1768 Sv and 0.2309 Sv [10] (for a person both in normal or active duty respectively). Compared to normal background annual effective dose people should receive of 2.4 mSv only. In the highway warzone, these values came up to 0.4425 Sv and 0.577 Sv [14] respectively.

6.0 DU Contaminated Dust Storms In Iraq

Spreading and dispersion of DU contamination to surrounding areas also occurs through wind storms, dust storms, sandstorms, and rainstorms. Mechanisms of surface migration of DU radionuclide’s in soil include [16]:

- Siltation, creeping, and suspension from contaminated soil to atmosphere.

- Suspension and re-suspension of deposited DU aerosols are the most dangerous and critical pathway of transfer and spreading from source to the human population.

DU nano-particles through this mechanism stay suspended in the atmosphere for tens of days. With each dust storm a new DU attack on the civilians within populated cities occurs. Published data indicate a significant increase in the frequency of annual dust storms in both Iraq and Kuwait areas [17]. The first 8 months of 2009 witnessed 20 dust storms, as declared by the Iraqi Minister of Health [18]. Figures (3) and (4) show sites of these dust storms.

DU contaminated dust storms can be considered as new systematic attacks by USA armed forces, on civilians, since it adds an extra harmful radioactive dose received by the people internally and externally.

The USA and UK administrations should be held responsible for exposing a whole nation to the risk of continually receiving high radioactive and toxic persistent contaminants such as DU.

Cumulative effects of these additional doses add additional risk to residents of these areas. Intentional denial and cover up of the types, locations and amounts of DU ammunitions by the US and UK armed forces prevent Iraq from taking any precautionary measures to reduce exposure to additional radioactive doses.

To understand how persistent these pollutants are; Soil and dust samples from areas near NL Industries site in Colonie, NY, USA proved containing DU after more than 20 years of the closure of these DU manufacturing industries [19].

A total of 5 to 10 metric tons of DU dust and aerosols settled from air on soil, rooftops, and other surfaces near the plant during its operation. The plant was closed in 1984 and contaminated soil was removed. In 2006, twenty-two years later, dust samples that had been collected from residents in the area proved the existence of DU significantly above the clean up standard. People working near NL Industries also tested positive for DU in their bodies. Results of these tests are being published in the international journal “Science of the Total Environment” [20].

If we compare this case study with Basra DU contamination where (320 tons of DU * 0.65 in Iraqi territories * 0.6 aerosolized) we end up with about 114.80 metric tons of DU aerosols spreading through winds to huge inside Iraq and the Gulf countries’ areas, then pre-suspension of these contaminants to larger areas with each dust and sand storm that hits the area.

In 2003, it is estimated the US & UK armed forces used about (700-800) tons of DU [21]. The aerosolized portion of this amount is about 420 metric tons, a quantity large enough to cover the soil of the whole country after the dispersion of plumes with the previously mentioned mechanisms.

7.0 DU Contamination Casualties in Iraq:

Epidemiological studies in contaminated areas indicated a drastic rise in the incidences rate of malignancies amongst children to be far more noticeable from 1995 onward, namely a four times increase than prior to 1991, the distribution of this increase specifically in contaminated areas west of Basra City [22].

Moreover, the shift in Leukemia to younger children supports the criteria of biological plausibility specificity and is consistent with findings of correlating such incidents to exposure to ionized radiations [23].

Also a six fold increase in congenital malformations among births in Basra City since 1995 onward, have been registered [24]. Congenital heart diseases and chromosomal aberrations have been also reported.

Another crime of the occupation forces is the destruction of the evidence targeting the Iraqi research centers related to this issue.

Two decades of suffering, pain, and human life losses, the Minister of Environment in Iraq finally announced in 2007 the disaster of DU contamination in Iraq. She pointed out that more than 300 sites have been contaminated with these radioactive weapons [25]. She also called for the Japanese authorities and the international community to help Iraq with coping with the drastic increase of cancer incident rates [26].

To prove our case: Kuwait DU waste & wreckage from Gulf wars are shipped back to be dumped in USA.

After 18 years, Kuwait required US dept. of defense to remove the DU contaminated wreckage from their land [21]. Over 6,700 tons of contaminated soil, sand and other residues were collected and shipped back to the USA for burial by American Ecology at Bios, Idaho.

The US administration and pentagon officials still insist that DU has no significant health hazards, if so, why would they have to ship back their dirty radioactive wreckage back home from Kuwait?

8.0 Stand of the International Community on DU Weaponry

The Hague and Geneva conventions and its protocols and subsequent treaties clearly declare that weapons which cannot discriminate between civilians and military or combatants are prohibited from not only use but also from manufacture and sale [27].

The Nuremberg principles were incorporated into the Charter of the UN, a treaty which is supposed to be “Supreme Law” in the USA. When the American Administration ratified it, the 7th principle declares that “Complicity with a crime against Humanity is a war crime”.

UN resolutions since 1996 called DU weaponry “incompatible” (i.e. illegal) under existing humanitarian law and human rights [UN Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1997/27 and additions; E/CN.4/Sub.2/2002/38 and E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/35] [28].

Uranium radiation hazards are covered up and misrepresented through the obsolete models of risk and derived standards of allowable exposure set by the International Commission on

Radiological Protection (ICRP).

This model was derived from invalid assumptions due to secrecy and cover up about the health effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs then, around the cold war developments of nuclear power and weapons [28].

The ICRP risk model was built from studies of the atomic bomb survivors, which overlooked the effects from the internal radiation source and ignored cancer that in some cases takes decades to appear.

It was certainly developed before the DNA and the human genome knowledge existed the way it does to date.

Cover-ups and deception are expected from American and UK administrations the perpetrators of all radiological wars and illegal weapons, which should face liability for war crimes, military and civilian casualties, as well as contamination of the environment.

The US has refused to disclose information about DU during the invasion military operations of Iraq in 2003, and did not let UNEP team study DU contamination Iraq [29].

With the great efforts of anti-nuclear weapons groups, NGO, peace organizations and international figures, the call of these organizations to ban the all Uranium weapons, including DU, have earned very good momentum especially among the NATO countries.

On March 23rd, 2007, the Belgian Chamber Commission on National Defense voted unanimously in favor of banning the use of DU ammunitions and armor plates [30].

On November 1, 2008, a UN committee passed a resolution with an overwhelming majority, highlighting concerns over the military use of Uranium. The resolution entitled “Effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing Depleted Uranium 1″ urges the UN member states to re-examine the health hazards posted by the use of Uranium weapons [31].

Another historic sentence was pronounced on January 13, 2009 by a court in Florence, Italy asking the Italian Ministry of Defense to compensate Gianbattista Marica with Euro 545,061, a parachutist who was deployed in Somalia for eight months in 1993. The sentence is very important because it states “the casual link between the presence of depleted uranium and the illness (cancer) of the Soldier” [32]. The courts statement includes the report of technical consultant who maintains that there is a causal link between the Hodgkin Lymphoma developed by the soldier and the exposure to DU.

In September 2009, a British jury at Smethwick Council House ruled that DU was likely cause of death of Gulf War veteran Stuart Dysan in June 2008. Dyson had been a Lance Corporal with the Royal Pioneer Corps and had cleaned tanks after the 1991 Gulf War. He developed colon cancer that killed him last year [33].

The European Parliament on 22nd of May 2008 passed its fourth resolution against the use Uranium weapons. MEP’s have called for EU and NATO-wide moratorium and global ban [29].

9.0 Concluding Remarks:

1. The US and UK administrations have been using Depleted Uranium weapons against the civilian population and the environment of Iraq since 1991.

2. Laboratory studies and scientific evidence prove the link and causal relationship between exposure to Depleted Uranium and the increased risk of inducing neurodegenerative diseases, immune and hormonal system damage, initiation or promotion of cancer, Tetratogenic Toxicity which causes mental retardation and congenital malformations, miscarriages, and sterility.

3. Intentional denial and refusal of the US and UK administrations to release any information about the types, locations, and amounts of DU weapons that have been used against Iraq have caused additional radioactive doses, and health damages to the people in contaminated areas.

Both administrations should be held responsible for this crime.

4. The drastic increase of cancer incidences in Iraq since 1995 to date and the DU related diseases like congenital malformation, miscarriages, etc, are all attributed to the use of prohibited weapons including Depleted Uranium.

5. DU contaminated areas all over the country are continuous source of radioactive pollution.

Without cleaning and other measures, resuspension of these contaminants with each dust and sand storm can be considered as systematic attacks by the US and UK armies on civilians in an armed conflict.

This is a crime against humanity to its undifferentiated harmful health impacts on civilians long times to come after the military operations (Article 4 of the official regulations and Article 7 of ICC).

Notes

1. Simon Helweg-Larsen, “Irregular Weapons Used against Iraq”. ZNET http://www.znet.org/welser.htm ,April 2003

2. Sarah Meyer. “What Kind of Incendiary Bomb Was Used Against People in Iraq” http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=1226 November 14, 2005.

3. Steven D. “US Army Admits Use of White Phosphorus as Weapon”. Daily KOS.

4. Scott Peterson Remains of Toxic Bullets Litter Iraq, May 18, 2003, Christian Science Monitor.

5. Rita Hindin, Doug Brugge, and Bindu Panikkar, “Teratogenicity of Depleted Uranium aerosols: A review from an epidemiological perspective ” Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source 2005. http://www.ehjournal.net/info/instructions/

6. Rosali Bertell “Depleted Uranium: All the questions about DU and Gulf War Syndrome are not yet answered”. International Journal of Health Service 36(3), 503-520, 2006

7. Alexandra C. Miller, Mike Stewart, Rafael Rivas, Robert Marlot, and Paul Lison, “Depleted Uranium” internal contamination: Carcinogenisis and Leukeinogenisis in Vivo. Proc. Am Assoc Cancer Res. Volume 46, 2005.

8. Chroder, H. et al. “Chromosome aberration analysis in peripheral lymphocytes of Gulf War and Balkans War veterans”. Radiation Prot. Dosimetry. Vol. 103(3) 2003 (PP. 211-219).

9. Ammash, H., Alwan, L., and Maarouf, B.,”Genetic hematological study for a selected population from DU contaminated areas in Basra.” Proceeding of the conference on the effects of the use of DU weapons on human and environment in Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq 2002.

10. Al-Azzawi, S. N. and Al-Naemi, A. “Assessment of radiological doses and risks resulted from DU contamination in Basrah war zone.” Proceeding of the conference on the effects of the use of DU

11. Gulf War Resource Center “Primary Areas of DU Expenditure”, USA, 1999.

12. Turnley, P.; News Week Magazine; (January-20), 1992.

13. Neboysha, L. “Environmental Impact on Humans During the Gulf War”, Communications between Professor Neboysha and Professor Sharma, 1999.

14. Al-Azzawi, S., and Al Naemi, A., 2002, “Assessment of radiological doses and risks resulted from DU contamination in the highway war zone in Al-Basra governorate”, proceedings of the conference on the effects of the use of DU weaponry on human and environment in Iraq, March 26-27 2002, Baghdad, Iraq.

15. Al-Azzawi, S. et al, ” Environmental Pollution Resulting from the Use of Depleted Uranium Weaponry Against Iraq During 1991, World International Conference on DU, Hamburg, Germany, 2003 http://www.grassrootspeace.org/wuwc_reader2_science.pdf – p.41

16. Al-Heli, W.M. “Effects of DU Weapons on Air and Soil Pollution in Southern Iraq”, M.Sc. Thesis in Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Iraq. 1998.

17. Draxler R. R., et al, “Estimating PM10 Air concentrations from Dust storms in Iraq, Kuwait and Kingdom Saudi Arabia. Atmospheric Environment” vol35:4115-4330.

18. Middle East Online, “Draught steals Iraqi’s nutrition”, September 1st 2009

19. ICBUW, “Robert shows New Yorkers Contaminated with DU over 20 years after exposure” http://www.banddepleteduranium.org/

20. William, D. “Hazards of Uranium Weapons in the Proposed War on Iraq” full report.. The Eos life resources center. Oct, 2002.

21. ICBUW, “Statement by the DU positive testees” http://www.banddepleteduranium.org/

22. Yaqoub, A., et.al., 1999, “Depleted Uranium and health of people in Basrah: an epidemiological evidence; 1-The incidence and pattern of malignant diseases among children in Basrah with specific reference to leukemia during the period of 1990-1998″, the medical journal of Basrah University (MJBU), vol.17, no.1&2, 1999, Basrah, Iraq.

23. Yaqoub, A., Ajeel, N., and Al-Wiswasy, M., 1998, “Incidence and pattern of malignant diseases (excluding leukemia) during 1990-1997″, Proceeding of the conference on health and environmental consequences of DU used by U.S. and British forces in the 1991 Gulf War, Dec. 2-3, 1998, Baghdad, Iraq. http://www.irak.be/ned/archief/Depleted%20Uranium_bestanden/DEPLETED%20URANIUM-3-%20INCIDENCE.htm

24. Al-Sadoon, I., Hassan, J., and Yaqoub, A., 1998, “Incidence and pattern of congenital anomalies among birth in Basrah during the period 1990-1998″, Proceeding of the conference on health and environmental consequences of DU used by U.S. and British forces in the 1991 Gulf War, Dec. 2-3, 1998. http://www.irak.be/ned/archief/Depleted%20Uranium_bestanden/DEPLETED%20URANIUM-1-%20INCIDENCE.htm

25. RIA Novoski “Iraqis blame US depleted Uranium for surge in cancer”

26. Tokyo Newspapers “Iraqi Minister of Environment Appeals to Japanese Government for Assistance in Dealing with DU contmination”. September 10th 2008 http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp

27. Proceeding of World Uranium weapons conference 2003, Hamburg, Germany. Page 192

28. Protr Bein “Uranium Weapons cover-ups in our midst”. Proceedings of world Uranium Weapons conference, 2003, Hamburg, Germany.

29. David Goliath “The Adversary’s Tactics and Effectiveness”. Proceedings of world conference, 2003 Hamburg, Germany, Page 204.

30. William Van Den Panhuysen. “Belgium Bans Uranium Weapons and Armor”. ISBUW, March 24, 2007.

31. ICBUW, “UN First Committee Passes DU Resolution in Landslide Vote” Nov. , 2007 http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/

32. Stefania Divertito “Historic sentence in Florence, Italian court recognizes the link between cancer and Depleted Uranium”. 13th Jan. 2009 http://www.peaclink.it

33. ICBUW, DU was a likely cause of dead Gulf Veteran’s cancer”. Sept. 11, 2009 http://www.bandepleteduranium.org

34. ICBUW “European Parliament passes far reaching DU resolution in landslide vote”, May 22, 2008. http://www.bandepleteduranium.org

(*) Prof. Souad N. Al-Azzawi presented the above article to the Kuala Lumpur International Conference to Criminalise War, Putra World Trade Centre, 28-31 October 2009. He has published extensively and many of his articles can be found on Global Research For more information on DU: http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/en and

The terrorists’ weapon of choice
By Beth Day Romulo

While military leaders in the US and Europe have gone on record that their worst fear is that unclear weapons may fall into the hands of terrorists, the terrorists’ weapon of choice is not nuclear. They are waging daily destruction and heavy loss of life against US and NATO troops in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq with simple, homemade improvised explosive devices, known to the military as IEDs.

Whenever a soldier goes out on patrol, or a military vehicle travels down a road, they face the possibility of stepping on or running over one of these devices, hidden in the pathway, that will blow up, on contact, killing, maiming, and destroying troops and vehicles. IEDs have been the major killer of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have also been used, with devastating effect, in India, Sri Lanka, Columbia, Somalia, and yes, in the Philippines. As I was working on this article, two IED attacks were reported in Quezon City. Russian troops have encountered them in the former Soviet Republics. In testimony before a US House Armed Services Committee, General Thomas Metz, who directs the US military efforts to counter improvised explosives, warned, “There is a robust and constant IED effort among violent extremists who are using it as their weapon of choice.” And, he added, “That won’t change for decades. We are in this fight for a long time.”

The threat is growing. General Metz estimated that use of IEDs outside of Afghanistan and Iraq add up to at least 300 cases each month.

In Afghanistan, in this year alone, there have been 955 cases. In Iraq, there were over 1,000 so far this year, far less than the 4,718 cases in 2006.

India has the second highest number of IEDs. Thailand comes in third, but their number has been on the decline since 2007. In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers are known to have stockpiled IEDs and the US military assumes that North Korea has learned about them by watching what has been going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While there is no immediate threat of war with North Korea, the US and South Korean military assume that if war should break out, North Korean forces would plant IEDs in the demilitarized zone to prevent or slow an invasion from the south. American and South Korean forces are incorporating countermeasures in their war plans and practicing them.

Although IEDs can’t win a war against a stronger opponent, they can be used for strategic purposes to slow the advance of troops or wound and kill civilians on major highways.

Top-Crook lands Top Job

Criminal fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra was appointed senior governmental adviser for economics in Cambodia. Thaksin, responsible also for vast environmental destruction, the persecution of the Akha people and sick ventures like the Chian-Mai Night-Zoo for which he wanted to steal wildlife from Kenya must be attractive to the Cambodians because the economy of the crooks seems to rule today’s world.

Thailand on Monday accused ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra of offending the country’s monarchy, stepping up pressure on the fugitive tycoon as he prepares for a provocative trip to neighboring Cambodia. The Thai government also said it was preparing a formal extradition request for Thaksin, who was toppled in a 2006 coup, when he visits Phnom Penh this week in his new capacity as economics adviser to the Cambodian leadership.

ASEAN said on Monday that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has triggered anxiety in the organisation. ”This is not just a border dispute any more because it has caused anxiety in ASEAN and could affect the image and profile of the body,” the Secretary-General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan told ambassadors for the organisation in Jakarta.

We do not send pictures with these reports, because of the volume, but picture this emetic scene with your inner eye:

A dying Somali child in the macerated arms of her mother besides their bombed shelter with Islamic graffiti looks at a fat trader, who discusses with a local militia chief and a UN representative at a harbour while USAID provided GM food from subsidised production is off-loaded by WFP into the hands of local “distributors” and dealers – and in the background a western warship and a foreign fishing trawler ply the waters of a once sovereign, prosper and proud nation, which was a role model for honesty and development in the Horn of Africa. (If you feel that this is overdrawn – come with us into Somalia and see the even more cruel reality yourself!)

- and if you need lively stills or video material on Somalia, please do contact us.

There is no limit to what a person can do or how far one can go to help
- if one doesn’t mind who gets the credit !

ECOTERRA Intl. maintains a register for persons missing or abducted in the Somali seas (Foreign seafarers as well as Somalis). Inquiries by family member can be sent by e-mail to office[at]ecoterra-international.org

For families of presently captive seafarers – in order to advise and console their worries – ECOTERRA Intl. can establish contacts with professional seafarers, who had been abducted in Somalia, and their wives as well as of a Captain of a sea-jacked and released ship, who agreed to be addressed “with questions, and we will answer truthfully”.

ECOTERRA – ALERTS and pending issues:

PIRATE ATTACK GULF OF ADEN: Advice on Who to Contact and What to Do http://www.noonsite.com/Members/sue/R2008-09-08-2

NATURAL RESOURCES & ARMED FISH POACHERS: Foreign navies entering the 200nm EEZ of Somalia and foreign helicopters and troops must respect the fact that especially all wildlife is protected by Somali national as well as by international laws and that the protection of the marine resources of Somalia from illegally fishing foreign vessels should be an integral part of the anti-piracy operations. Likewise the navies must adhere to international standards and not pollute the coastal waters with oil, ballast water or waste from their own ships but help Somalia to fight against any dumping of any waste (incl. diluted, toxic or nuclear waste). So far and though the AU as well as the UN has called since long on other nations to respect the 200 nm EEZ, only now the two countries (Spain and France) to which the most notorious vessels and fleets are linked have come up with a declaration that they will respect the 200 nm EEZ of Somalia but so far not any of the navies operating in the area pledged to stand against illegal fishing. So far not a single illegal fishing vessel has been detained by the naval forces, though they had been even informed about several actual cases, where an intervention would have been possible. Illegally operating Tuna fishing vessels (many from South Korea, some from Greece and China) carry now armed personnel and force their way into the Somali fishing grounds – uncontrolled or even protected by the naval forces mandated to guard the Somali waters against any criminal activity, which included arms carried by foreign fishing vessels in Somali waters.

LLWs / NLWs: According to recently leaked information the anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden are also used as a cover-up for the live testing of recently developed arsenals of so called non-lethal as well as sub-lethal weapons systems. (Pls request details) Neither the Navies nor the UN has come up with any code of conduct in this respect, while the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) is sponsoring several service-led acquisition programs, including the VLAD, Joint Integration Program, and Improved Flash Bang Grenade. Alredy in use in Somalia are so called Non-lethal optical distractors, which are visible laser devices that have reversible optical effects. These types of non-blinding laser devices use highly directional optical energy. Somalia is also a testing ground for the further developments of the Active Denial System (ADS) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). If new developments using millimeter wave sources that will help minimize the size, weight, and system cost of an effective Active Denial System which provides “ADS-ACTD-like” repel effects, are used has not yet been revealed. Obviously not only the US is developing and using these kind of weapons as the case of MV MARATHON showed, where a Spanish naval vessel was using optical lasers – the stand-off was then broken by the killing of one of the hostage seafarers. Local observers also claim that HEMI devices, producing Human Electro-Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) Bioeffects, have been used in the Gulf of Aden against Somalis. Exposure to HEMI devices, which can be understood as a stun-gun shot at an individual over a larger distance, causes muscle contractions that temporarily disable an individual. Research efforts are under way to develop a longer-duration of this effect than is currently available. The live tests are apparently done without that science understands yet the effects of HEMI electrical waveforms on a human body.

WARBOTS, UAVs etc.: Peter Singer says: “By cutting the already tenuous link between the public and its nation’s foreign policy, pain-free war would pervert the whole idea of the democratic process and citizenship as they relate to war. When a citizenry has no sense of sacrifice or even the prospect of sacrifice, the decision to go to war becomes just like any other policy decision, weighed by the same calculus used to determine whether to raise bridge tolls. Instead of widespread engagement and debate over the most important decision a government can make, you get popular indifference. When technology turns war into something merely to be watched, and not weighed with great seriousness, the checks and balances that undergird democracy go by the wayside. This could well mean the end of any idea of democratic peace that supposedly sets our foreign-policy decision making apart. Such wars without costs could even undermine the morality of “good” wars. When a nation decides to go to war, it is not just deciding to break stuff in some foreign land. As one philosopher put it, the very decision is “a reflection of the moral character of the community who decides.” Without public debate and support and without risking troops, the decision to go to war becomes the act of a nation that doesn’t give a damn.”

ECOTERRA Intl., whose work does focus on nature- and human-rights-protection and – as the last international environmental organization still working in Somalia – had alerted ship-owners since 1992, many of whom were fishing illegally in the since 1972 established 200 nm territorial waters of Somalia and today’s 200nm Exclusive Economic Zone (UNCLOS) of Somalia, to stay away from Somali waters. The non-governmental organization had requested the international community many times for help to protect the coastal waters of the war-torn state from all exploiters, but now lawlessness has seriously increased and gone out of hand – even with the navies.

ECOTERRA members with marine and maritime expertise, joined by it’s ECOP-marine group, are closely and continuously monitoring and advising on the Somali situation. (for previous information concerning the topics please google keywords ECOTERRA (and) SOMALIA)

The network of the SEAFARERS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME helped significantly in most sea-jack cases. ECOTERRA Intl. is working in Somalia since 1986 on human-rights and nature protection, while ECOP-marine concentrates on illegal fishing and the protection of the marine ecosystems. Your support counts too.

Please consider to contribute to the work of SAP, ECOP-marine and ECOTERRA Intl. Please donate to the defence fund.

Contact us for details concerning project-sponsorship or donations via e-mail: ecotrust[at]ecoterra.net

Kindly note that all the information above is distributed under and is subject to a license under the Creative Commons Attribution. ECOTERRA, however, reserves the right to editorial changes. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/. The opinion of individual authors, whose writings are provided here for strictly educational and informational purposes, does not necessarily reflect the views held by ECOTERRA Intl. unless endorsed. With each issue of the SMCM ECOTERRA Intl. tries to paint a timely picture containing the actual facts and often differing opinions of people from all walks of live concerning issues, which do have an impact on the Somali people, Somalia as a nation, the region and in many cases even the world.

Send your genuine articles, networked or confidential information please to: mailhub[at]ecoterra.net (anti-spam-verifier equipped)

Pls cite ECOTERRA Intl. – www.ecoterra-international.org as source (not necessarily as author) for onward publications, where no other source is quoted.

Press Contacts:

ECOP-marine
East-Africa
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Nairobi Node
africanode[at]ecoterra.net
+254-733-633-733

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sap[at]ecoterra.net

N.B.: If you are missing certain editions of our updates, this can have two reasons: Either you have not white-listed our sender address office[at}ecoterra-international.org for your inbox and your server provides for censorship (beware of yahoo and barracudacentral as filter - it shows only that you want to remain dumb folded) or you do not belong [yet] to our trusted friends and supporters, who receive all updates including those with classified content. Join the network or become a funding supporter to get them all. Look up earlier public updates on the internet – e.g. at: http://www.australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=136&Itemid=229

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Tags: 2009, Chronicle, December, Ecoterra, June, Press, Release, Somalia
Posted in natural gas energy conversion | No Comments »

Car and truck batteries. We rely on them to start our cars. We take automobile batteries for granted that they will tirelessly start our vehicles. Yet that one time when either we carelessly leave our head lamps on and we are stuck dumfounded. Or alternatively in the cold dead of winter our engine’s starter motor cannot turn – we then realize how dependent we are on this simple and standard automotive component. Yet few of us ever give second thought on the basics of auto batteries – that is how do they work and function.

In the sense in which it is commonly understood an automotive battery does not actually store a charge of electricity. The process is entirely one of chemical action and reaction.

A battery is neatly divvied into units called “cells”. Each cell is complete in it and is uniform with every other cell in the battery. Each and every battery cell consists of certain elements which when a current of electricity of a given value is sent through them in one direction for a certain length of time, will produce a current of electricity , in the opposite direction , if the terminals of the battery are connected to a motor , lamps or other resistance. The cell will of course, also produce a current if its terminals are simply brought together without any outside resistance. This however would not be a good thing as a dead short circuit would be created and would permit the battery to discharge itself to no good use or avail. On top of that the short circuit of the battery may well be so rapid a current as to ruin and destroy the elements of your precious automotive battery.

Hence one of the major concerns of auto owners and mechanics is to prevent against short circuits of a cars electrical system. As well when working with or attending to your auto or truck battery ensure that its terminals are not exposed where tools may accidentally drop or come into contact with these terminals. For this purpose many auto battery makers and automobile manufacturers place plastic insulating caps over the red positive terminal of their battery products.

Simply put and described. When current is being sent into the battery it is said to be “charging”. When the converse is true and current is connected to outside resistance, then the unit is said to be “discharging”

What are the parts of a battery cell and how are they composed and constructed?

The first components are what are called “the elements”. These are the positive and negative plates of the battery cell and simply correspond to the respective positive and negative terminals of the functioning battery. Simply put they are composed of lead or lead compounds

Next is what is termed “separators”. If the elements would come into contact with each other in the battery cell – a short circuit would result. Thus to all intensive purposes your battery would not function what so ever and would on top of that have a short life span. Hence insulating separators are required in auto lead battery design to insulate and separate the lead plates from each other.

Lastly to complete the cell, the grouped elements with their separators are immersed in a jar holding what is termed “electrolyte”. Battery electrolyte is solution consisting of water and sulphuric acid in certain proportions. What is most important is that the water and sulfuric acid are made and held to certain standards. It is for this reason that many mechanics will insist that for winter battery use (when the battery is most tested to hold its charge) that distilled pure water is used to top up the electrolyte level rather than standard tap water.

Most motorists and automobile owners give their battery little interest or attention. Yet they aught to as they are most dependent on the battery starting their car or trucks engine and running all the modern electrical accessories and contraptions present in our vehicles as we drive down the road or highway.

Tags: Batttery, Cars, Work
Posted in natural gas to electricity converter | No Comments »

The manufacturer of the A380 super jumbo has pledged to produce greener planes powered by radical “step change” technology before 2020 in response to airline clamor for more fuel-efficient aircraft.

Airbus said it would produce planes powered by “emerging technology” by the end of the next decade, as the high oil price becomes a bigger driver for change than the environmental debate.

Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, said: “What we are looking for and what the airlines are looking for is a step-change in terms of aircraft technology. The aircraft should be ready to go into service by the end of the next decade.”

New planes such as the A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner generate 20% less carbon dioxide per journey than their predecessors did a decade ago, but airlines under threat from the crippling surge in oil prices are demanding planes that burn fuel at an even lower rate. That, according to Airbus and Boeing, will take more advanced technologies including major improvements by engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce and General Electric.

Both companies have looked at fuel cell and carbon capture technologies, but carrying 300 passengers with engines based on those systems is currently impossible. Ric Parker, head of research and technology at Rolls-Royce, told the Guardian last year that fuel cell and carbon capture engines would be bigger than the planes themselves, based on current designs.

Also under consideration is the “blended wing” design, which converts an airplane into a giant wing resembling a Stealth bomber. However, Boeing has so far limited small prototypes to experiments for military customers and is not actively pursuing a passenger plane model.

Developing new airplane models is a costly business even when using established technology, so planes that use “step-change” systems are likely to be approached with caution by manufacturers and customers. The research and construction costs, allied to public doubts over new technologies being launched in a safety-obsessed industry, are much greater, analysts have warned.

Enders was speaking at the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association alongside Scott Carson, chief executive of arch-rival Boeing. Carson said the current dip in the airline market would affect aircraft orders in the short-term, but with production lines overbooked for years ahead, it will give the company more breathing space.

“We recognize that there is going to be some effect on the total order book,” he said.

Airbus has predicted that 28,534 passenger and freight aircraft will be flying by 2026, more than double the current total of 13,284. Boeing is predicting a similar rise in air travel.

Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier, also weighed into the environmental debate by urging fellow airlines to hit back at the green lobby. Dermot Mannion, Aer Lingus chief executive, said governments had used airlines as “cash cows” over the past three years and should now scrap taxes on an industry that is heading for a $6bn (£3bn) loss this year.

“Perhaps if there is any advantage to be gained from high fuel prices right now, it is in the argument with the environmental lobby. They have had a freen run for two years. May be for the first time we can convince governments that the industry is not a cash cow, if it ever was one,” he said.

Tags: 2020, Airbus, Green, Maker, Planes, Pledges
Posted in natural gas energy conversion | No Comments »

Toyota is formulating an anti-drunk system that detects drunken drivers via steering wheel-based sensors. The sensors detect the alcohol content of drivers through their sweat. If the sensors detect unusual steering or if the installed camera shows that the pupils of the driver are not focused on the road, the vehicle will be slowed to a halt.

Vehicles equipped with said detection system will not start if sweat sensors detect high alcohol consumption in the driver’s bloodstream. Also incorporated in the system is the special camera that shows the driver’s eyes. Said system is expected to come to the market by the end of 2009. Now, occupants of the automaker’s vehicles will not only be protected by the Toyota transmission speed sensor, side and front airbags, and other safety features; they can also rely on the efficiency of the anti-drunk system.

Nissan, another Japanese automaker, has previously ventured in a system almost similar to this one. Nissan’s device is called the breathalyzer. The latter is likened to the immobilizers used in the United States as part of several drunk-driving sentences. The system can also be mated to a camera in order to monitor if the driver is sleepy while driving. Saab and Volvo auto parts are also designed to complement this system. This is because Sweden has stringent laws against drunk-driving. Similar technologies like alcohol ignition interlocks are also rampant in the United States and other territories.

What triggered Toyota to formulate the anti-drunk system is the fact that drunk-driving and alcohol related accidents have surged in Japan in 2006. In August, a drunken driver collided with another vehicle carrying a family of five. The three children were killed when the vehicle fell off the bridge. The accident prompted safety roadside spot checks to be done by the police. It also was the beginning of the clamor for higher penalties relating to drunk-driving and other safety issues. With the present statistics relating to drunk-driving accidents, it is just but essential to equip vehicles with features and systems to ensure safety of the occupants.

Toyota, a Japanese multination corporation, is the second largest automaker worldwide. It is popular in the field of manufacturing automobiles, buses, trucks and robots. To measure the magnitude of its financial presence in the world, the company is the 8th largest company by revenue. Also, Toyota is expected to become the world’s largest automaker this year or no later than 2008. The automaker is investing a great amount of money in cleaner-burning vehicles like the Prius and the much-awaited RAV4 that runs on hydrogen fuel cells.

Toyota is in almost every part of the globe. It has established factories and assembly plants in the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Poland, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey, France, and more recently Pakistan, India, Argentina, Czech Republic, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Venezuela, and the Philippines.

Tags: Antidrunk, Driving, Formulates, System, Toyota
Posted in Fuel Cell | No Comments »

A hydrogen fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device which uses chemicals like, hydrogen and oxygen. It generates electric power and emits only water and heat as its by-products. In contrast to batteries, hydrogen fuel cell is a thermodynamically open system, needs no recharge, and produces electricity as long as it is supplied with fuel and oxygen.

History
In 1839, the first fuel cell was perceived by Sir William Robert Grove, a Welsh judge, inventor and physicist. He produced electricity and water, by combining hydrogen and oxygen in presence of an electrolyte, but this invention didn’t generate enough electricity. So, in 1889, Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer built a working fuel cell by using air and industrial coal gas. It is believed that they were the first to coin the term ‘fuel cell’. Earlier, porous platinum electrodes and sulfuric acid electrolyte bath were used in the fuel cell, but they were expensive and corrosive. In 1932, Francis T. Bacon came up with an idea of hydrogen fuel cell, using less corrosive alkaline electrolyte and inexpensive nickel electrodes. In 1959, he developed a five-kilowatt fuel cell that could power a welding machine. This cell was later known as the Bacon’s cell.

Working of Hydrogen Fuel Cell
The working of the hydrogen fuel cell is similar to a battery. It consists of two electrodes; an anode and a cathode, separated by a polymer electrolyte membrane. Oxygen is fed to the cathode, and hydrogen to the anode. At anode, the hydrogen reacts with the platinum catalyst and splits into negatively charged electrons (e-) and positively charged ions (H+). The hydrogen ions move through the membrane towards the cathode. The electrons route along the external circuit to the cathode, and create an electric current. They travel externally to the other side of the PME membrane, combine with the oxygen, and merge with the positively charged hydrogen ions. As a result, pure water and a small amount of heat are formed. A hydrogen cell, at full rated load can produce voltage ranging from 0.6 V to 0.7 V. This cell can be combined in series or parallel circuits to increase efficiency, as series circuits yield higher voltage, while the latter draws more current.

Types of Fuel Cell
The fuel cells are mainly classified by the type of electrolyte they use, and their operating temperature. The main types of fuel cells are:

Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC): It is also known as proton exchange membrane fuel cell, and has a high power density. This cell uses a solid polymer as an electrolyte, and porous carbon electrodes, containing a platinum catalyst. PEM fuel cell is light in weight, and has an operating temperature ranging from 60°C to 80°C, or 140°F to 176°F. It is mainly used in transportation applications, like vehicles, cars, buses, etc.
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC): This fuel cell uses a hard, non-porous ceramic compound as its electrolyte. Solid oxide fuel cell is suitable for large-scale stationary power generators, and operates at very high temperatures between 700°C and 1,000°C. Due to its high operating temperatures, it produces more steam which in turn generates more electricity and hence, improves the overall efficiency of the system.
Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC): It is known as Bacon fuel cell, and is one of the oldest and reliable fuel cell technology. It uses a solution of potassium hydroxide in water as an electrolyte, and operates at low temperatures between 100ºC to 250ºC, or 212ºF to 482ºF. As alkaline fuel cell gets contaminated by carbon dioxide (CO2), it requires pure hydrogen and oxygen. It is a high performance cell, and has an efficiency up to 60% in space applications.
Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC): This fuel cell is best suited for natural gas and coal-based power plants, and operates at 600ºC. This cell uses an electrolyte, composed of a molten carbonate salt mixture suspended in a porous, chemically inert ceramic lithium aluminum oxide (LiAlO2) matrix.
Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC): Phosphoric acid fuel cell uses an electrolyte, composed of liquid phosphoric acid and porous carbon electrodes, containing a platinum catalyst. This cell is used in small stationary power-generation systems. It operates at high temperature and so, it is unsuitable for cars.Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC): It is supplied with pure methanol, mixed with steam and fed directly to the anode. It has a same operating temperature as PEMFC. This fuel cell is expensive and uses large amount of platinum as a catalyst. It has no fuel storage problem and is portable.
Advantage
Fuel cell uses hydrogen as its fuel, hence it produces water as an exhaust. Since, there are no other emissions, fuel cells are extremely clean and renewable source of electricity. As its electrochemical conversion rate is high, it extracts more energy from the fuel, and produces significant amount of power. Since, there are no moving parts and mechanical inefficiencies in a fuel cell stack, hence it is silent and vibration-free. Fuel cell provides high quality DC power for modern electrical applications, and is compatible with other fuels like, fossil fuels, biofuels and hydrocarbon fuels. Power fluctuations in National electrical grids can be avoided, by using a fuel cells-powered distributed generation energy network. It has a high-power density, and can operate in variable temperatures. Fuel cell is not very expensive and has excellent suitability for hybridization with other technologies. Hence, it is more reliable than any other traditional combustion engines.

Application and Efficiency
Hydrogen fuel cell is compact, lightweight, and used as an energy source in remote locations, such as spacecraft, weather stations, large parks, rural locations, and military applications. The efficiency of the fuel cell is directly proportional to its voltage, and inversely proportional to the current drawn. The efficiency of a hydrogen cell operating at standard conditions without reactant leaks, depends on the enthalpy or heating value of the reaction. A typical cell functioning at 0.7 V, has 50% efficiency, as 50% of the energy content of hydrogen is converted into electrical energy, and the remaining 50% is converted into heat. For better efficiency, hydrogen cell should be operated at low power density, and pure hydrogen and oxygen reactants should be used.

Hydrogen fuel cell provides a wide range of critical benefits over any other power producing technology. It has the potential to solve problems like, dependence on petroleum, poor air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Its efficiency and design flexibility makes it one of the most reliable technology.

Tags: Cell, Hydrogen, Work
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While many people view going “green,” as a politically correct thing to do in this day and age, when it comes to fuel be it gasoline or diesel there are limited supplies and seemingly unlimited demand.

This means that finding alternatives to traditional forms of fuel is a wise decision for many automobile owners as well as those who decide to supplement their current fuel or diesel, if the case may be, consumption by incorporating the regular use of a fuel additive in order to keep vehicles running smoothly along the way while stretching the gas (or diesel) mileage even further.

Truthfully, there is much more good that can be done for the environment by using alternative fuel sources than one may realize. Even better, the more people who decide to utilize alternative sources of fuel the more the big businesses that are growing fat off our pain will notice a slice into their pieces of profit pie. All in all, taking a bite out of their profits is not a bad idea all around.

If you cannot afford or do not have access to alternative fuel sources where you live you can do your part to put these big businesses growing fat on your dependence on fuel on a diet by using FuelBoost Diesel Additive each and every time you fill your tank.

Keep in mind however that saving money and using less fuel isn’t the only benefit that this brings to the table. Enjoy the bounty of benefits that incorporating it into your automotive diet, whether using traditional fuel sources or alternative fuels, such as biodiesel or traditional fuel from the pump while remaining true to your green causes and your efforts to curtail your own impact on the global warming of our planet.

One way FuelBoost helps is by lowering the emissions that are put out by your automobile. Depending on how often you use your vehicle this can have a significant impact. Imagine if everyone in the world did their part to lower the emissions of their own vehicles? By saving money and helping the planet at the same time there is little in this situation that isn’t worth sharing.

Another way that this additive I can see helps save the planet or at least prolong the resources of the planet is by reducing, by small fractions true but small fractions just the same, our dependence upon foreign oil, or worse yet, drilling new pipelines that may threaten delicate ecosystems that will allow fuel to be gathered a little closer to home.

The impact of massive oil pipelines is no small footprint upon the planet and FuelBoost can increase your gas mileage by as much as 10 per cent. This may not seem like much but when you imagine these large trucks that deliver goods across the country mile after mile 10 per cent can really add up quickly in savings not only monetarily but also consuming a resource that we will some day be unable to replenish.

Whether using FuelBoost Diesel Additive with diesel fuel straight from the pump or in combination with other alternative diesel fuels on the market the impact to the planet can be as significant as the impact to your wallet and that is quite an accomplishment.

Tags: Additive, Boost, Diesel, Fuel, Green, Help
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For months, we all have had troubles as per how we would be able to fill up our car’s gas and fuel tanks when the gas prices were soaring like they have never soared before. For months, we have tried to find ways and even alternative answers to this dilemma that all car owners were facing. If only water could be used as fuel for our vehicles, we would have done so even before. But is it possible to use water as fuel?

Of course, many people would answer no. And many scientists have tried looking for ways to actually make and create a vehicle that could run on water as fuel. And it looks like their efforts have not been put to waste.

You see, the HyPower Fuel Inc. has already announced to the world that they have been able to successfully make a vehicle run and function with only water as its main source of fuel. The company also did share that the vehicle is just an ordinary Volkswagen GTI with also ordinary Volkswagen car parts making up the vehicle. But the only thing not so ordinary about this Volkswagen GTI is the fact that underneath its hood, HyPower has installed an H2 Reactor (or H2R) hydrogen system.

The H2R hydrogen system is actually a system that has the capacity to produce the right amount of hydrogen that the vehicle needs. And all it needs is water so as to create the much needed hydrogen. This system makes use of electrolysis which actually converts water so much so that it becomes hydrogen gas or oxygen gas. And when this has been done, the gas can then be used to give the vehicle power to do what it has been meant to do.

Doug Bender is the president of HyPower and he does share, “This is an extremely significant advance in that a vehicle with a standard internal combustion engine can be powered with hydrogen produced onboard as needed. Other hydrogen vehicles require special storage tanks to supply the highly compressed gas to the engine. This is not yet a practical application as there are simply very few available refueling stations for these vehicles.”

Tags: Power, Vehicle, Water
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According to a recent Reuters analysis pointed out that the global solar energy industry could face a situation of supply exceeding demand, in turn leading to the price of solar cell modules tumbled 50% following the 2008 financial crisis became another industry after the Great Depression.

Germany is currently the world’s largest solar market. Last year, the German solar industry was investing heavily to make up for the loss of the financial crisis. As businesses have reduced time for the government to subsidize the industry prior to purchase, so in 2010 the industry showed signs of recovery. At the same time, manufacturers are most significantly increase productivity, and thus meet market demand, but for most manufacturers, can be fatal, because of their dependence on the German market are usually higher.

And Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic and other European countries are planning or already cut solar subsidies, should the banking sector, the shortfall, Reuters said the move could exacerbate the plight of solar energy industry.

Investment bank RBC Capital Markets analyst Situ Ta Bush (Stuart Bush) said: “Next year will be in serious oversupply situation. Most of the profits of suppliers will be affected by a fall in price.”

Weaken the impact of economic incentives, supporting the solar industry operating cost of funds no longer exist, manufacturers have turned to France, the United States, China and India, these emerging markets. According to EPIA, Europe’s largest solar energy association data show, the above four countries of the photovoltaic solar market in 2011 will account for 30% of the global market, far higher than 17% this year.

Analysts, however, whether these increases offset the impact of market downturn in Germany differ greatly. According to EPIA’s data, the German market will shrink 57 percent next year, from 70 billion watts of this year, down 30 billion watts.

Crisis, the European Solar Energy Research Centre analyst that the decline of the German market may not as serious as people predicted, the growth rate of other European countries may be able to compensate for this loss. The world’s leading thin film photovoltaic module manufacturer First Solar U.S. and German solar giant SolarWorld also on demand by 2011 are optimistic.

EPIA said that the current global completed 23-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy station in 2011 will add 15.4 megawatts. However, if the government cut subsidies, additional requirements may be reduced to 9 MW.

Emerging markets analyst Situ Ta Bush’s contribution to the supply and demand is still reported to have doubts. He said: “I do not think that emerging markets can make up for declining demand.” But Situ Ta predicted that next year the global demand for photovoltaic solar energy will decline by 3.7% compared with 2010, reduced from the current 11.2 megawatts to 10.8 megawatts.

PhotON according to industry publication reported the world’s top ten solar cell manufacturers have nine plans to expand production capacity by the end of this year, when the total capacity of these enterprises will reach 9.5 MW.

EnergyTrend research analyst, said: “With the increased capacity, we expect solar energy to provide insufficient for Qingkuangqiangzai year Xia Bannian improve. Therefore, solar energy prices will remain stable or even slightly down.”

Currently the price of solar energy in Europe 1.92 euro, has dropped 27% last year. Analysts predict prices will continue to decline next year, could drop as much as 40%.

Reuters said that Chinese companies may profit from the decline in this round because they are usually below the market price can be sold for 20% of the hands of the solar modules. While the recent appreciation of the renminbi, these companies are also facing growing price pressure.

Jefferies analyst Michael McNamara (Michael McNamara) pointed out that there are three pairs of solar energy market prices and supply and demand forecast. The first is that demand remains strong and prices fell 15%. McNamara support the second view, that is, that the oversupply will lead to moderate price pressures, together with the German government to tighten the impact of subsidies, the battery module prices will decline 25%. He said: “I think this assumption is the most realistic situation.”

But McNamara also noted that in the worst case, the next price drop may be as high as 40%, with close to 2009.

Tags: Faces, Industry, Recession, Second, Solar
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This coming 29th of July, everyone can be part of the Green Car and Transportation Festival. Starting at twelve o’clock noon up until five in the afternoon, people can roam about the event’s area and learn more about being green and environment friendly. Interested parties can simply troop to Ipswich, Massachusetts’ Town Hall.

This green festival would actually be a venue for auto manufacturers to show off their environment friendly cars. In fact, the festival already has in store a huge array of the now familiar hybrid cars as well as electric cars. There are even some cars that are a combination of both hybrid and electric. There are also vehicles that show off cutting edge technologies which could already be in the market or are just in the late stages of development. Information on these vehicles would also be provided like data on Land Rover cooling system parts or other car features that could enhance a vehicle’s performance without sacrificing the environment.

Production vehicles that you could feast your eyes on would include Honda hybrids Accord, Civic, and Civic ICE. Toyota hybrid vehicles Highlander, Camry, and Prius would also take part of the festivities. You can also find compressed natural gas cars like the Crown Victoria, Honda Civic GX, and the Ford F150 pickup truck.

Aside from cars and hybrids, the Green Car and Transportation Festival would also be the host for other exhibits where participants, visitors, and guests could learn more about being green. There are exhibits that would provide information on transportation agencies, environmental organizations, and advocacy groups. These, of course, would have to be those groups and organizations that are working towards lessening pollution and reducing the country’s dependence on oil imported from other countries.

There would also be presentations that would be given by experts in the automotive industry. The topics would range from global warning, hydrogen fuel, solar energy, and even biodiesel fuel.

Tags: Cars, Festive, Green
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Electrical energy can be generated by using the renewable sources such as wind, sunlight, geothermal, hydropower and biomass. These energy sources are renewable, meaning that they can be replenished naturally. In comparison to fossil fuels that are commonly utilized for generating the energy, these renewable sources are eco-friendly. Another major advantage of renewable source is that they generate clean electricity without the emission of hazardous greenhouse gases. With the raising need of electricity and issues regarding the energy crisis, renewable energy sources are the future hope to meet the demand of worldwide population. It is estimated that about 50 percent of the energy generated from the renewable source is used to produce electricity.

Biomass
Biomass refers to any organic material derived from plants and animals. Humans have been using biomass for generating energy since long time. For example, wood biomass has been used to provide heat in many regions. It is still practiced in remote areas as the major source for cooking and heating. Apart from releasing heat, biomass can also be converted into electricity, biodiesel, ethanol and methane gas. Generation of electricity from biomass is commonly implemented in manufacturing industries, in which the leftover biomass like wood waste or paper waste is burnt first to produce steam, which is then used for producing the electricity.

Geothermal
Geothermal source is used less common as compared to other renewable sources. It refers to the energy present inside the Earth’s crust. In order to generate electricity from geothermal source, deep wells are dug and water with high temperature or steam is pumped into the surface. Large hydrothermal (heated ground water) areas found naturally are called geothermal reservoirs. Geothermal power plants are built near hydrothermal reservoirs. Geothermal energy forms present on the Earth’s surface are hot springs and volcanoes. Other than generating electricity, geothermal energy source is used for heating purposes.

Hydropower
Among the other renewable sources of electricity, hydropower is most commonly used. Electricity generation by using hydropower was discovered in the 1880s. The principle behind the working of hydroelectric power plants is to use mechanical energy of moving water (swift falling or descending water) to turn blades of a turbine, which in turn produces electricity. Since the source of hydropower is moving water, it is obvious that the power plants are located near the water source (either natural waterfalls or man-made dams). The more the amount and speed of flowing water, the higher is the electricity production.

Solar
Solar energy or sunlight is used commonly to convert into electricity and heat energy. For converting into electricity, there are two major methods, direct and indirect technique. In the former case, solar energy is converted directly into electricity by using solar cells or photovoltaic devices. In case of indirect conversion, solar heat harvested through solar thermal collectors is used to heat fluid and produce steam. The generated steam produces electricity by using generators. The disadvantage of solar energy is the variance in intensity depending upon the climatic condition and location.

Wind
Wind refers to moving air. The speed and/or velocity of wind is used to rotate blades, which then generates electricity with the help of a generator. Wind turbines or wind mills are installed, especially at the higher elevated areas in a particular orientation so as to harvest maximum wind energy. A series of wind farms installed for supplying electricity in a mass scale is called a wind power plant. Nowadays, many private companies have started the business of installing wind power plants to produce and sell electricity to large industries.

As per statistics, the use of renewable energy sources is increased tremendously in recent times. As of 2006, about 18 percent of the world’s energy is derived from the renewable sources, with 13 percent accounting to biomass source. In fact, biomass is the major renewable energy source in the developing countries. However, major drawbacks of renewable sources are the high cost of producing electricity. More sophisticated techniques need to be introduced in order to combat this problem and make it available to the general public.

Tags: Electricity, Renewable, Sources
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Fuel cell technology is one of the advanced technologies that auto manufacturers are trying to perfect at the moment. This is most possibly due to the high rise of gas prices as well as the large amount of concerned consumers and manufacturers on the harmful emissions that ordinary vehicles and cars emit.

According to Vijay Shankar Murthy, a senior research analyst from Frost & Sullivan, “Fuel cells are likely to be initially targeted on fleet vehicles. Following the success of these cells in fleet vehicles, other vehicles such as passenger cars and trucks are expected to exhibit similar trends.” And if this kind of technology proves to be much more beneficial than the usual, the auto industry sure would be reaping in more consumers which could result to higher amount of sales. Although Geo auto parts creators and other auto parts manufacturers may not directly benefit from this, the more sales of vehicles would also help them out have much sales. More vehicles on the streets would also equate to more sales for auto parts and auto accessories.

Aside from these, there are even growing pressures from the regulations and rules given out by authorities and government groups like the Environmental Protection Agency, or the EPA, as well as the Department of Transportation or the DOT. These groups are much encouraging the use of fuel cell technologies. You see, these technologies actually are a surefire way of ensuring that vehicle emissions are greatly reduced. Consumers who also use cars with fuel cell technology are able to save much on the much coveted fuel and gas.

Murthy further explains, “Prospective fuel cell technologies for the automotive industry such as solid oxide, proton exchange membrane, and alkaline fuel cells can power a variety of automobiles including trucks, cars, and motorcycles.” Indeed, if this kind of technology is further developed, results could prove to be very beneficial not only to consumers and manufacturers alike but also to the environment.

Tags: Auto, Beneficial, Cell, Could, Fuel, Industry, technology
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Platinum has unique properties that have made it the most significant element in myriad industries. It is a grayish white element with a metallic finish exhibiting some of the best properties. A dense, heavy, ductile, soft, and highly malleable material that is resistant to oxidation and corrosion. Good conductor of electricity, a powerful catalyzing agent, and a high coefficient of expansion are also some of its wonderful characteristics. All these wondrous properties of platinum make it a perfect element for various applications.

Explore some of the significant uses of platinum below:

Platinum has become the latest trend in the world of fashion jewellery. The durability and hardness of the material makes it a perfect choice for securely setting valuable stones. Many people today go for buying platinum jewelery because it delivers bright brilliance due to its rich hue and reflectivity.

The silvery white material is also used as a catalytic agent in chemical processing of various materials like fertilizers, nitric acid, and synthetic fibers. In the chemical processing, the catalytic agent is not consumed and hence can be recycled and used again for future use. Many industries also facilitate mining of platinum for various industrial purposes. These characteristics make it widely used material in the petroleum industry.

In the recent years platinum is also being widely used in the electronics industry. It is used in wires, electrical circuits, optical storage system, thermocouple device, and temperature-sensing devices. Being a good conductor of electricity the use of platinum in electronics is widely accepted.

Automotive industry is one of the major industries that make wide use of platinum for various applications. It is employed as a significant material in catalytic converters that are used in the conversion of unburned hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water. It is also used as oxygen and sensors, electrodes in spark plugs, and even as fuel cells for electric cars.

The density, hardness, and high melting point of the element make it use extensive in the glass industry as well. Its use in the production of fiber glass is a new driver for the increasing demand of platinum. Apart from this it is also used in the production of medicines, chemicals, computers, fiber-optic cables, and lasers.

Apart from all this applications, platinum has also become a major element for investment purposes. Over the last ten years, the metal has gained lot of popularity in the field. Today, it is available in the form of bar and coins for investment and it worth more than gold and silver. Earlier those who used to make huge investments in gold are now shifting towards platinum investment.

In all its form, platinum has proved to be a strategic metal that is critical for many industries across all sectors.

For more information on this precious metal, check Platinum.

Tags: Explore, Platinum, Uses
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Even though the price of a new boat can vary widely with size and make, it comes as a surprise to many that dealers and manufacturers are willing to finance them–often for less than the cost of a new car payment.

Financing A Boat

Financing a boat works exactly like financing a new car. As with car and home loans, loans for boats have became more flexible and easier to obtain in recent years. The terms for boat loans generally range from 2 to 20 years. Comparing rates online is a good way to make certain to get the most from financing. Remember that monthly payment is not necessarily the most important term to consider.

Outfitting A Boat

A variety of options and accessories are offered with all new boats. When pricing boats a buyer make sure to factor in the costs of any electronics, accessories, and water toys that will need to be added. Buy only that which is appropriate for the type and size of boat in question.

More affordable now than ever before, modern marine electronics are very reliable and loaded with features. Not only do these accessories can make boat trips easier and more fun, they make any trip onto the water measurably safer.

Operating A Boat

Unlike driving, a boat doesn’t use gas all the time. While sitting still fishing, swimming, or simply relaxing the boat is actually not using the motor at all. In the case of using a sailboat the motor is used less. For these reasons fuel consumption is often far lower than the new boat owner anticipates.

Most modern boats are 21 feet or less in length. Boats of this size in particular don’t require a lot of gas. In fact, most boat owners in this class use less than 50 gallons of gas per season.

Maintaining A Boat

Simply washing a boat and trailer down with fresh water after each use will be enough to keep them covered between boat trips. If there isn’t enough time to do it yourself, a professional can always be hired to take care of it.

Insuring A Boat

The cost of insurance for a boat varies by type, size, and other less tangible factors. An insurance agent that covers boats should be consulted for quotes before seriously shopping for a boat.

Tags: Boat, Budgeting, Ownership
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Biodiesel vehicles are already starting to pave a way towards total popularity. In fact, it is starting to become a household buzz and also starting to gain name and fame. Many auto makers are also starting on creating biodiesel vehicles and cars so as to keep up with the trends. And the Saab brand has also been working on this. And instead of marketing this kind of vehicles as biodiesel cars, the brand has made sure that their biodiesel cars would hold a name different from the rest. And they named this new breed of Saab vehicles as Biopower cars.

Saab Biopower cars are, in essence, just like any other biodiesel vehicles. First off, they are able to run well but do not harm the environment greatly compared to the usual type of vehicles one can find in the market. Also, these Saab Biopower cars are easy to maintain for Saab performance parts are readily available in the market. They are also able to run on both E85 fuel as well as the conventional kind of petrol. Keep in mind that E85 fuel is a combina tion and mixture of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol.

By the end of this year, auto consumers can now find two new Saab Biopower cars available in the market. There is the Saab 9-3 Biopower car and the Saab 9-5. Both carry a 2.0 Biopower engine. But heed not for these vehicles may use a different kind of source of fuel but they certainly can speed through roads without much effort.

Orders for the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5 Biopower vehicles are now pouring in. Jonathan Nash of Saab even exclaims, “We have got a backlog of orders to fulfill. Private buyers are ordering these cars, with their own money, just because they believe in ethanol as an environmentally-friendly fuel.”

Tags: Saab, Soon
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