Luke_Wilbur

Your organization will need to obtain a DUNS Number before applying for a government grant. If your organization does not have one, you will need to go to the Dun & Bradstreet website: http://www.dnb.com/us/ The D&B D-U-N-S® Number is a unique nine-digit identification sequence, which provides a unique identifier of single business entities, while linking corporate family structures together. D&B links the D&B D-U-N-S® Numbers of parents, subsidiaries, headquarters and branches on more than 64 million corporate family members around the world. Used by the world's most influential standards-setting organizations, it is recognized, recommended and/or required by more than 50 global, industry and trade associations, including the United Nations, the U.S. Federal Government, the Australian Government and the European Commission. In today's global economy, the D&B D-U-N-S® Number has become the standard for keeping track of the world's businesses.If you want to learn more about what a D-U-N-S number can do for your business. The unique and patented DUN System blends specific industry sectors with numeric sequencing providing a multitude of sector-based information that is compared and contrasted with like industries in a local, state and regional format. DMI entries provide legal and trade names, physical and mailing addresses, geographical descriptions, product and industry descriptors, sales and number of employees for three years and growth rates, as well as up to 40 vital statistics about each organization: Corporate and competitive intelligence Market research Mailing lists Trade name research Merger and acquisition analysis Industry statistics Telemarketing lists New product development Corporate family trees

GENERAL GROWTH PROPERTIES, INC. (NYSE: GGP) (“GGP”) today announced that it is voluntarily seeking relief to reduce and restructure its debts under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. In addition, approximately 158 regional shopping centers owned by GGP and certain other GGP subsidiaries (collectively with GGP, the “Company”) have also filed for protection. The Company intends to work with its constituencies to emerge from bankruptcy as quickly as possible while executing on a plan of reorganization that preserves the Company’s integrated, national business operations. Certain subsidiaries, including GGP’s third party management business and GGP’s joint ventures, have not filed for protection. A complete list of subsidiaries that have filed voluntary petitions can be found at www.ggp.com. All day-to-day operations and business of all of the Company’s shopping centers and other properties will continue as usual. The decision to pursue reorganization under chapter 11 came after extensive efforts to refinance or extend maturing debt outside of chapter 11. Over many months, the Company has endeavored to negotiate with its unsecured and secured creditors to obtain the time needed to develop a long-term solution to the credit crisis facing the Company. Unable to reach an out-of-court consensus, the Company reluctantly concluded that restructuring under the protection of the bankruptcy court was necessary. During the chapter 11 cases, the Company will continue to explore strategic alternatives and search the markets for available sources of capital. The Company intends to pursue a plan of reorganization that extends mortgage maturities and reduces its corporate debt and overall leverage. This will establish a sustainable, long-term capital structure for the Company. The Company also announced that it has received a commitment for a debtor-in-possession financing facility of approximately $375 million from Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P., as agent. When approved by the bankruptcy court, the new facility will provide a source of funds to the Company during the chapter 11 process. The Company has requested, and expects to receive, additional approvals to give the Company the authority to make payments to ensure that the Company’s shopping centers and other properties continue to operate uninterrupted in the ordinary course of business, including paying employee compensation, certain critical service providers, insurance and other claims. The Company intends to pay all providers of goods and services delivered post-petition. “Our core business remains sound and is performing well with stable cash flows. We believe that chapter 11 is the best process for restructuring maturing mortgage loans, reducing the Company’s corporate debt, and establishing a sustainable, long-term capital structure for the Company,” said Adam Metz, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “While we have worked tirelessly in the past several months to address our maturing debts, the collapse of the credit markets has made it impossible for us to refinance maturing debt outside of chapter 11,” he said.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the USDA will be sending $84.8 million to state and local governments to improve water quality, increase water supply, decrease soil erosion, and improve fish and wildlife habitat in rural communities as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. "President Obama is committed to improving water quality, creating more dependable water supplies and decreasing soil erosion and this funding will make a big difference in the lives of the people who live in these rural communities," Vilsack said. Other major benefits include improved community safety and health, flood mitigation, sediment control, and enhanced fish and wildlife habitat. "For example," Vilsack said "the Neshaminy Creek Watershed (Pennsylvania) project funding will be used to acquire, elevate and flood-protect approximately 80 homes and businesses in the 100-year flood plain, while the Beaver Creek (Colorado) Watershed project will develop 45 land-treatment contracts with family-owned farms, resulting in significant water quality improvement, water conservation, and enhancement of scarce wildlife habitat." ARRA funds will be used to develop conservation measures such as planting vegetative cover and creating shallow water ponds to improve wildlife habitat, improving irrigation efficiency and conserving water, installing filter strips and soil erosion control practices, flood proofing homes and enhancing stream corridor and floodplain function, and constructing small flood control dams. USDA is directing technical and financial assistance available through this funding toward projects that are ready to begin and that will relieve stress on local economies through the creation of over 1,400 jobs. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has worked closely with sponsors to identify projects that are ready for immediate implementation. Virginia Little Reed Island Creek $225,300 Virginia Chestnut Creek $367,700 Virginia North Fork Powell River $380,000 West Virginia Upper Deckers Creek $2,100,000 West Virginia Upper Tygart $3,025,000 Pennsylvania Tulpehocken Creek $1,375,000 Pennsylvania Red-White Clay Creeks $430,000 Pennsylvania Brandywine Creek $20,000 Pennsylvania Neshaminy Creek $10,075,000

Iowa Governor Chet Culver and local community leaders joined officials of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, the largest wind and solar energy producer in North America, to break ground on NextEra Energy Resources’ Generation Repair and Service (GRS) facility. The GRS facility will be used to overhaul and repair wind turbine electric generation equipment operated by subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources. GRS will also be used to warehouse and store parts and supplies to support renewable and other energy-related operations throughout the Midwest. “Renewable energy is a key not only to long term issues, such as the environment and national security, but for our immediate need to create jobs in Iowa,” said Governor Culver. “NextEra Energy’s groundbreaking represents a positive step in moving Iowa’s economic growth forward by a company that has been a leader in generating wind power across the nation. The jobs created here are going to be jobs of the future, and they’re coming to Iowa.” NextEra Energy Resources expects to invest approximately $20 million to expand an existing building located in the I35 Business Park east of Story City and about 40 miles north of Des Moines. Construction on the project is expected to begin immediately and be completed by the end of 2009. The facility will provide significant economic benefits including more than 75 jobs during peak construction and, once operational, 20 to 25 full-time positions. In addition, by the end of the second year of operation, the facility is expected to generate total tax revenue of approximately $500,000 based on current projections. “We are committed to clean energy generation and expanding our industry-leading wind generation portfolio in North America,” said NextEra Energy Resources President and CEO Mitch Davidson. “By having what amounts to our own in-house maintenance facility for certain wind turbine components, we will be able to reduce our equipment down time, allowing us to generate even more emission-free energy for our customers. We appreciate all the support we’ve received from state and local authorities and look forward to expanding our presence in Iowa.” This project would not have been possible without the support of Governor Culver, Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Story City Economic Development Corporation. The teams collaborated with GRS to provide incentives involving land grants, direct financial assistance, new employee training, sales tax refunds and tax credits for inventory, equipment and property. NextEra Energy Resources is no stranger to Iowa. The company and its affiliates currently own and operate seven wind energy centers with a combined generating capacity of nearly 780 megawatts, or enough renewable energy to power more than 190,000 average Iowa homes. In addition, the company owns a 70 percent interest in and operates the only nuclear plant in Iowa, the Duane Arnold Energy Center. About NextEra Energy Resources NextEra Energy Resources is a clean energy leader and one of the largest competitive energy suppliers in North America. A subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group (NYSE: FPL), NextEra Energy Resources is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun. It operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the FPL Group nuclear fleet, which is the third largest in the U.S. FPL Group had 2008 revenues of more than $16 billion, approximately 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and more than 15,000 employees in 27 states and Canada. For more information, visit these Web sites: http://www.NextEraEnergyResources.com http://www.FPLGroup.com.

AWEA ANNUAL WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY REPORT REFLECTS STRONG GROWTH IN 2008, DRAMATIC INCREASE IN MANUFACTURING Washington, D.C. (April 13) – Wind energy leaders in several categories maintained their #1 positions even as other leaders emerged in new categories, while 24 states saw new wind turbine and component manufacturing facilities opened, expanded or announced in 2008, according to the annual wind energy industry rankings report released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The new listings, based on 2008 year-end numbers, show Texas leading in wind capacity and largest wind farms installed, Minnesota and Iowa both generating over 7% of their electricity from wind, and Indiana as the state with the fastest growth in wind on a percentage basis. In company rankings, NextEra Energy Resources (formerly FPL Energy) continues to lead in wind farm ownership; GE Energy remained the wind turbine maker with the largest amount of new capacity installed, and Xcel Energy again leads investor-owned utilities in wind power. Wind power’s recent growth has also accelerated investment in manufacturing: wind turbine and turbine component manufacturers announced, added or expanded more than 55 facilities in 2008 alone, spanning 24 states from Alabama to Wisconsin. "The wind energy industry today generates not only clean energy for our economy, but also hope and opportunity for American workers and businesses,” said AWEA CEO Denise Bode. “Whether it is building or maintaining a wind project, or producing wind turbine components, you’ll find people employed in wind power in nearly all 50 states today,” Bode said. “But we cannot rest on past achievements. We need the right policies in place for our industry to maintain its momentum. A national Renewable Electricity Standard, requiring utilities to generate 25 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025, is vital to provide the long-term, U.S.-wide commitment businesses need to invest tens of billions of dollars in clean energy installations and manufacturing facilities, and create hundreds of thousands of American jobs,” Bode said. Highlights from AWEA’s new report include: •Iowa, with 2,791 MW installed, surpassed California (2,517 MW) for the No. 2 position in wind power generating capacity. •The top five states in terms of capacity installed are: ◦Texas, with 7,118 MW ◦Iowa, with 2,791 MW ◦California, with 2,517 MW ◦Minnesota , with 1,754 MW ◦Washington, with 1,447 MW •Oregon moved into the 1,000-MW club, which now counts seven states, including Texas, Iowa, California, Minnesota, Washington and Colorado. •Indiana ranked as the state with the fastest growth rate, expanding installations from zero to 131 MW, followed by Michigan (48%), Utah (21%), New Hampshire (17%) and Wisconsin (6%). •Two states – Minnesota and Iowa – now get over 7% of their electricity needs from wind. Minnesota ranks first in this list (7.48%), followed closely by Iowa (7.1%). The rest of the top five are Colorado, North Dakota, and New Mexico. •Ten new manufacturing facilities came online, 17 were expanded, and 30 were announced in 2008, according to AWEA estimates. These investments and announcements span 24 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Tennessee, Wisconsin, South Carolina, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Illinois, Alabama, Ohio, Indiana, Montana, Texas, Minnesota, Idaho, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Massachusetts. •Approximately 85,000 people are employed in the wind industry today—a 70% increase from 50,000 a year ago—and hold jobs in areas as varied as turbine component manufacturing, construction and installation of wind turbines, wind turbine operations and maintenance, legal and marketing services, and more. •NextEra Energy Resources remains atop the list of project owners, with 6,290 MW of wind power assets, roughly 25% of the total installed in the U.S. The three companies that make up the next 25% are Iberdrola Renewables, MidAmerican Energy (including PacifiCorp), and Horizon-Energia de Portugal. •GE Energy turbines accounted for 43% of all new capacity installed in the U.S. in 2008. The rest of the top five include Vestas, which accounted for 13%, Siemens and Suzlon at 9% each, and Gamesa at 7%. Several new companies--Acciona, REPower, Fuhrlander, DeWind and AWE--entered the U.S. market in 2008. •The wind power generating fleet of over 25,300 MW in place as of December 31,2008 will generate an estimated 73 billion kWh in 2009, enough to serve the equivalent of close to 7 million average U.S. homes.

Our ability to visualize enormous quantities of data is now made possible by one of the world's largest graphics processing units (GPU). Nicknamed Eureka, this installation of NVIDIA Quadro Plex S4 external GPUs allows researchers to better understand the data they produce with Intrepid at the ALCF. The powerful installation provides more than 111 teraflops and more than 3.2 terabytes of RAM. "Eureka provides a vital link between simulation and analysis by allowing scientists to probe and interrogate their data in an interactive manner," said Argonne computational scientist Paul Fischer. Since Eureka and Intrepid share a disk, there is no need to move data between machines. " Eureka dramatically reduces the amount of time needed to create these hugely complex visualizations, while greatly boosting their quality." The ALCF's Intrepid provides resources for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) program, which supports computationally intensive projects from industry, scientific researchers and research organizations. Using software developed both at Argonne and externally, computer scientists have visualized data with Eureka for DOE INCITE projects focusing on turbulent thermal transport in sodium-cooled nuclear reactor cores, cardiac rhythm disorders and Type Ia supernovae, which are among the brightest and most powerful exploding stars in the universe. "Eureka delivers a quantum leap in visual compute density, enabling breakthrough levels of productivity and capability in visualization and data analysis," said Craig Dunwoody, CEO of GraphStream, Inc. in Belmont, Calif., the supplier of scalable computer systems that provided Eureka. Eureka incorporates four high-end graphics cards and places them in a configuration known as a "pizza box." Because the cards are packed so closely together, this configuration helps to reduce the complicated power and cooling issues associated with the graphics cards. Eureka needs only four racks to hold the same number of cards that previous configurations required more than 10 racks to accommodate. The heart of Eureka's data-management system contains a nine-switch complex that supports up to 2,048 connections, each of which simultaneously exchanges data at roughly 1 billion bytes per second. The storage system consists of a bank of more than 10,000 disk drives that will send and receive data from the Blue Gene/P's more than 100,000 processors. Altogether, this system can deliver nearly 80 billion bytes per second to and from the disk—the equivalent of transferring the content of 100 full CDs every second. http://www.graphstream.com/

We took our son to the 'National's Home Opener.' It was Luke Jr.'s first birthday. The District's transition over the last decade has been quite amazing. The National's really need to capitalize this moment. We are in a recession with hypes of hope. Everyone pays attention to an outdated market. The real market is what people are saying about you. Right now the 'Love is Leaving' the Nats.' The team needs more discipline. Errors cost us the game. I saw alot of Philly fans and empty seats in a great stadium. P.S. they misspelled my Luke Jr.'s name on the billboard.

I think this is an informative video on what consumers are spending there disposable income on. Watch Tech Trends video:

OMG!!! 4 Trillion Dollars. That is equal the entire federal budget.

You may be interested in purchasing Cuneiform Texts from the Ur III Period in the Oriental Institute Volume 2: Drehem Administrative Documents from the Reign of Amar-Suena. Markus Hilgert, with contribution by Clemens D. Reichel. https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/pubs/catal...oip/oip121.html

The Stone of Destiny is an important symbol of Scottish nationhood, and still plays a central role in all British coronations. I actually viewed the "Stone of Destiny" when I was visited Edinburgh Castle. I never read about "The Irish prince, of Zarah" Jacob's Pillow-Pillar Stone refers to an episode in the Book of Genesis 28:10-18 when the Hebrew patriarch Jacob was running from home after getting the blessing of the first born from his father Isaac (and which his brother Esau also wanted), he came to a place where he rested his head on a stone and then consecrated it after God appeared to him in a dream. The text of Genesis describes the event as follows: Jacob left Beer-sheba and headed toward Charan. He came to a familiar place and spent the night there because the sun had already set. Taking some stones, he placed them at his head and lay down to sleep there. He had a vision in a dream. A ladder was standing on the ground, and its top reached up toward heaven. God's angels were going up and down on it. Suddenly he saw God standing over him. [God] said, "I am God, Lord of Abraham your father, and Lord of Isaac. I will give to you and your descendants the land upon which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth. You shall spread out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. All the families on earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. I am with you. I will protect you wherever you go and bring you back to this soil. I will not turn aside from you until I have fully kept this promise to you." Jacob awoke from his sleep. "God is truly in this place," he said, "but I did not know it." He was frightened. "How awe-inspiring this place is!" he exclaimed. "It must be God's temple. It is the gate to heaven!" Jacob got up early in the morning and took the stone that he had placed under his head. He stood it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He named the place God's Temple (Beth El). The town's original name, however, had been Luz. Jacob made a vow. "If God will be with me," he said, "if He will protect me on the journey that I am taking, if He gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return in peace to my father's house, then I will dedicate myself totally to God. Let this stone that I have set up as a pillar become a temple to God. Of all that You give me, I will set aside a tenth to You." (Genesis 28: 10-22) According to one legend, it was the Coronation Stone of the early Dál Riata Gaels when they lived in Ireland, which they brought with them when settling Caledonia. Another legend holds that the stone was actually the travelling altar used by St Columba in his missionary activities throughout what is now Scotland. Certainly, since the time of Kenneth Mac Alpin, the first King of Scots, at around 847, Scottish monarchs were seated upon the stone during their coronation ceremony. At this time the stone was situated at Scone, a few miles north of Perth. Another tradition holds that, in gratitude for Irish support at the battle of Bannockburn (1314), Robert the Bruce gave a portion of the stone to Cormac McCarthy, king of Munster. Installed at McCarthy's stronghold, Blarney Castle, it became the Blarney Stone. A contemporary account by a Walter Hemingford, a canon of Guisborough Priory in Yorkshire says: Apud Monasterium de Scone positus est lapis pergrandis in ecclesia Dei, juxta manum altare, concavus quidam ad modum rotundae cathedreaie confectus, in quo future reges loco quasi coronatis. In the monastery of Scone, in the church of God, near to the high altar, is kept a large stone, hollowed out/concave as a round chair, on which their kings were placed for their ordination, according to custom. http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/index/to...-of-destiny.htm

History seems to always repeats itself. When Rome emerged as a superpower, it opened up the foreign markets. Cheap grain flooded into Italy that eventually drove the native farmer out of business. The rural unemployed fled into the city look for jobs, but there were none to be given. Government leaders handed out free grain in attempt to calm the growing mob.

Now with Circuit City gone I wonder who will be getting their business. Best Buy? Walmart? Target?

Despite international appeals, North Korea has gone ahead with a long publicised rocket launch. Authorities from the United States, Japan, and South Korea confirm that the rocket lifted off at 11.32 local time (02.30 GMT) on Sunday April 5, 2009. "A short time ago a flying object appeared to have been launched from North Korea," read a statement by the Japanese government. The rocket seems to have passed over the Japanese capital of Tokyo and headed over the Pacific Ocean. Two parts of the rocket, the first and second stages, fell either side of the Japanese home islands, falling into the Sea of Japan and the Pacific. A statement by the North Korean official news agency said that the rocket had successfully launched a satellite which is now broadcasting "data" and North Korean propaganda songs. A South Korean source told the South Korean Yunhap news agency that the rocket did appear to be carrying a satellite. The North Korean statement calls the rocket Unha-2 ("Galaxy-2") and the satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 ("Lodestar 2"). The Unha or Eunha（Galaxy) is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which experts say utilises the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile. The designation Unha-2 has also been used to refer to the rocket, however it has not been confirmed whether this is part of the name, or a serial number for an individual rocket. The Taepodong-2 is a designation a North Korean three-stage ballistic missile design that is the successor to the Taepodong-1. Very little is currently known about the missile design. Based on the size of the missile, the fuel composition, and the likely fuel capacity, it is estimated that a two stage variant would have a range of around 4,000 km (2,500 statute miles) and a three stage variant would be capable of reaching as far as 4,500 km (2,800 statute miles), giving it potentially the longest range in the North Korean missile arsenal. The burn time of each stage is a little over 100 seconds, thus allowing the missile to burn for 5 or 6 minutes. Future highly speculative variants of the missile could be capable of a range of approximately 9,000 km (5,600 statute miles). At maximum range, the Taepodong-2 is estimated to have a payload capacity of less than 500 kg. President Obama of the United States condemned the launch as "provocative" and stated that "North Korea has ignored its international obligations...and further isolated itself from the community of nations." America, Japan and South Korea will discuss the launch at an emergency UN Security Council meeting at 15:00 EDT (1900 GMT). Pyongyang's one ally, China, has called for "restraint" on all sides. Both China and fellow veto power Russia oppose further sanctions on North Korea. Resolution 1718 enacted in the wake of a stated 2006 nuclear weapons test bans North Korea from missile development. North Korea claims that the rocket is a launch vehicle to orbit a satellite, however its neighbours suggest that this is simply a cover for a long-range missile test, a missile that could potentially hit Alaska and the West Coast of the United States. DigitalGlobe

This has to be the most outrageous spam I have ever received. Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Seattle Division 1110 Third Avenue Seattle, Washington 98101-2904 Payment Code: R5109176K Reg No: 132731593 Date: April 2, 2009 The Federal Bureau of Investigation has discovered through our intelligence Monitoring Network that you are eligible to receive the sum of $7,500,00.00 USD regarding to an over-due Inheritance/Award payment which was fully endorsed to be paid in your favor. Therefore, the FBI Seattle Division in conjunction with the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Has screened through our various Monitoring Networks and has been confirmed and notified that the transaction you have with the Financial Institution is Legal and you have the Lawful Right to claim your due fund. Basically, there are three (3) options for you to get your fund transferred to you. These options includes 1. Bank To Bank Transfer 2. Bank Account Opening 3. ATM Card Payment. You are to make your preferred and affordable choice from the three options below: Option (1) Bank To Bank Transfer:This is a direct electronic transfer that will enable you receive the sum of money in any account that you will provide for this Bank to effect the transfer as it is always done electronically. It will take three (3) business days to reflect in the account that you will provide. Cost of transfer:................$100 VAT:.............................$20 Insurance:.......................$45 Total:............................$165 Option (2) Bank Account Opening: You will have to open a new Bank account here and it will be registered for international transfer and you can make an online transfer as it will take 24Hours to get the account done. Account Opening:..................$50 VAT:..............................$20 Non Residential Permit:...........$95 Insurance:........................$45 Total:.............................$210 Option (3) Client Card Payment: You will have to receive an ATM Card and approved clearance documents this will take two (2) business days to deliver to your doorstep. We will have to use our courier company to deliver the parcel to your location. Post Fee:........................$43 VAT:.............................$20 Insurance:.......................$45 Total:............................$108 Please respond to this email by making a selection from the (3) options above. Note: Your funds are protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it can be remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from the Funds and hence must be provided by you before your fund is transferred to you. The payment for any of the above options should be sent via Western Union Money Transfer OR Money Gram in the name of head of operation Mr. Ola Martins. Find below the payment information. Name of receiver: Ola Martins Office Address: Plot 143, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos 23401 Nigeria. Text Question: In God Answer: We Trust Name of Sender:..................... Address of Sender:.................. MTCN#............................... Please contact the Head of Operations Dr. Gerard Batten Acess Bank Plc. As soon you make the your payment. Dr. Gerard Batten (Head of Operations) International Remittance Department Telephone: +234 709 043 4091 Email: drgerardbatten@sogou.com As soon as he receive your payment, he shall proceed with your fund transfer immediately. We anticipate your prompt response. Sincerely, Scott Parker (Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge) cc Robert Mueller (FBI Director)

A material developed, produced and marketed by BASF over fifty years ago in the pioneering phase of engineering plastics is undergoing a renaissance. At K 2007, the world's largest plastics exhibition, BASF is unveiling Ultramid® BALANCE, a polyamide 6.10. This is based to the extent of about 60 per cent on sebacic acid, a renewable raw material derived from castor oil. Given that interest in materials based on renewables has risen sharply in many markets we have decided to bring the product back into our range”, explains Kurt Hoefli, Head of Marketing for BASF’s Engineering Plastics in Europe. “We have woken it up from a long sleep because the subject of renewable raw materials has become important to our customers. This established and now revitalized material combines a relatively low density for a polyamide with good low-temperature impact resistance and has great dimensional stability due to its low water absorption. Accordingly, it can be employed not only in classic PA 6 applications, but also wherever the use of PA 6 in the past has run up against limitations. Castor oil - suitable for many plastics Apart from Ultramid BALANCE BASF has another plastic in its portfolio that is produced in substantial measure from castor oil. BASF's subsidiary Elastogran has already presented its new polyol Lupranol® BALANCE 50. This can be used for manufacturing slabstock foams for mattress production. Castor oil is obtained from the seed of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). It was in use for thousands of years as a medicine, but it has also long been used in engineering oils, cosmetics, coatings and in hydraulic oils. The principal regions where the castor oil plant is grown as a crop are India, Brazil and China. http://www.plasticsportal.net/wa/plasticsE...?doc_lang=en_GB

Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. Announces Nationwide Recall of Pistachios Because of Possible Health Risk Terra Bella, CA (March 30, 2009) – Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. announced today that it is voluntarily recalling from nationwide distribution specific lots of bulk roasted shelled pistachios and 2,000 lbs., 1,700 lbs., 1,800 lbs. and 1,000 lbs. tote bags of roasted inshell pistachios sold to wholesale customers due to potential contamination with the Salmonella organism. This voluntary recall affects certain bulk roasted inshell and roasted shelled pistachios shipped on or after September 1, 2008. The bulk product was distributed throughout the United States. The Company is voluntarily taking this precautionary measure after learning that a small amount of roasted shelled pistachios processed by Setton Pistachio and received by a commercial customer in late 2008 recently tested positive for Salmonella. This voluntary recall is not in any way related to the recent recalls associated with peanuts or peanut butter. The Company is asking those firms who received bulk product and have further processed, repackaged, or distributed the affected products to recall those products and contact FDA. In addition, the company is voluntarily recalling the following retail product: Setton Farms brand roasted salted shelled pistachios in 9 oz. film bags, UPC Code: 034325020252 with a "Best Before" date between 01/06/10 and 01/19/10. This product was distributed in the following states: SC, GA, FL, NC, VA, TN, KY. Consumers should not consume this product and should return what they may have to the place of purchase for a full refund. Setton has established a toll free number, (888) 228-3717, for consumers to call for further information. Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. This is the first ever pistachio recall for Setton Pistachio, which has been selling pistachios for more than 13 years.Setton Pistachio is committed to quality products and consumer safety, and is taking aggressive action to prevent the need for any future recalls of its products.

The FDA and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are investigating Salmonella contamination in pistachio products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, Calif. The company has stopped all distribution of processed pistachios and will issue a voluntary recall involving approximately 1 million pounds of its products. Because the pistachios were used as ingredients in a variety of foods, it is likely this recall will impact many products. In addition, the investigation at the company is ongoing and may lead to additional pistachio product recalls. The contamination involves multiple strains of Salmonella. Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Thus far, several illnesses have been reported by consumers that may be associated with the pistachios. It is not yet known whether any of the Salmonella strains found in the pistachio products are linked to an outbreak. The FDA is conducting genetic testing of the samples to pursue all links. FDA is working closely with the pistachio industry and recommends that consumers avoid eating pistachio products until further information is available about the scope of affected products. FDA will provide a searchable database of affected products at http://www.fda.gov/pistachios/ and will continue to update the public. FDA first learned of the problem on March 24, when it was informed by Kraft Foods that its Back To Nature Trail Mix was found to be contaminated with Salmonella. Kraft had identified the source of the contamination to be pistachios from Setton and conducted a recall.

The FDA and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are investigating Salmonella contamination in pistachio products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, Calif. The company has stopped all distribution of processed pistachios and will issue a voluntary recall involving approximately 1 million pounds of its products. Because the pistachios were used as ingredients in a variety of foods, it is likely this recall will impact many products. In addition, the investigation at the company is ongoing and may lead to additional pistachio product recalls. The contamination involves multiple strains of Salmonella. Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Thus far, several illnesses have been reported by consumers that may be associated with the pistachios. It is not yet known whether any of the Salmonella strains found in the pistachio products are linked to an outbreak. The FDA is conducting genetic testing of the samples to pursue all links. FDA is working closely with the pistachio industry and recommends that consumers avoid eating pistachio products until further information is available about the scope of affected products. FDA will provide a searchable database of affected products at http://www.fda.gov/pistachios/ and will continue to update the public. FDA first learned of the problem on March 24, when it was informed by Kraft Foods that its Back To Nature Trail Mix was found to be contaminated with Salmonella. Kraft had identified the source of the contamination to be pistachios from Setton and conducted a recall.

Surface transportation trade between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was 27.2 percent lower in January 2009 than in January 2008, dropping to $47.5 billion, the biggest year-to-year percentage decline on record, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (Table 1). The $47.5 billion in U.S.-NAFTA trade in January 2009 was the lowest monthly amount since January 2004. U.S.–Canada surface transportation trade totaled $29.0 billion in January, down 31.1 percent compared to January 2008. The value of imports carried by truck was 31.3 percent lower in January 2009 compared to January 2008, while the value of exports carried by truck was 27.2 percent lower. U.S.–Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $18.5 billion in January, down 20.0 percent compared to January 2008. The value of imports carried by truck was 20.5 percent lower in January 2009 than January 2008 while the value of exports carried by truck was 10.7 percent lower.

Skynet is here... As more and more everyday communication takes place over email, lots of people have complained about how hard it is to read and respond to every message. This is because they actually read and respond to all their messages. FAQ How does Gmail mirror my communication style? The more Gmail messages Autopilot can sample, the better. With fewer than 100 messages, there may not be enough data to calibrate Autopilot effectively. You can adjust tone, typo propensity, and preferred punctuation from the Autopilot tab under Settings. You may want to log in every week or so to ensure Autopilot is calibrated optimally. Does Autopilot work for Gmail chat too? Yes. Chat was actually simpler to build, given the natural language headway made by Joseph Weizenbaum's ELIZA. While many claim ELIZA oft times passed the Turing test, Gmail Autopilot passes with 99.9% accuracy due to the inclusion of human-like qualities such as compassion and wisdom and CADIE's related ability to calibrate to match your chat style. What happens if a sender and recipient both have Autopilot on? Two Gmail accounts can happily converse with each other for up to three messages each. Beyond that, our experiments have shown a significant decline in the quality ranking of Autopilot's responses and further messages may commit you to dinner parties or baby namings in which you have no interest. http://mail.google.com/mail/help/autopilot/index.html

$53,643,444.58 is a pretty large number.

I find planting Marigolds helps keep the deer away. Otherwise, think about putting an eight foot fence around your garden.

I just got this email sent to me:

This has been a long battle. If you go on the USDA's web site you will see that Christmas trees are grown as a crop and not planted in the wild. The USDA does not want to fullfill its obligation, because they now do not have money for it. Also calling Jay Hayek 217-244-0534