It's very rare that I lead chat discussion with Bellator news and notes, but this week is one such time where that makes sense. MMA's number two organization does their best to recover from their abrupt albeit temporary pivot away from pay-per-view after the cancellation of Tito Ortiz vs. Quinton Jackson.
The reality, despite the hemming and hawing from some fans and media online, is a great card. I don't know if it was ever pay-per-view ready, but it's more than a fine fit for Spike TV.
The questions I have are: will Tito Ortiz finally go away? Who is next for Rampage? Why is Bellator rushing to pay-per-view? And perhaps most importantly, why does everyone seem to not understand a thing about Bellator?
We'll, of course, get to all UFC news and notes.
There's a lot going on, so join me today to discuss all of this and more. In terms of today's chat, anything is up for discussion, but I will lead with this and it all kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.
As is customary, I'll post the video window here as the event draws near and I'll answer any questions you may have if you post them in the comments section below. Be sure that you click the 'rec' button for those comments/questions you believe most deserve a response.
Be sure to link this page and use the hashtag #chatwrappers on Twitter or even Facebook when you're watching this to let everyone know you're taking part is this activity of ours.
The UFC is sending a pair of title fights to UFC 169 in Newark, New Jersey as UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will face Ricardo Lamas and UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will face UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao. The UFC announced the pairings earlier this afternoon.
The Aldo and Lamas pairing will headline the UFC’s Super Bowl weekend fight card. Aldo heads into the bout after winning his last 16 fights, including seven straight title defenses dating back to his WEC title days. Ricardo Lamas comes into the title bout having won his last four fights, with his last victory coming over Erik Koch at UFC on FOX 6.
In the night’s co-headliner, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will defend his title for the first time in over two years when he vies to unify the bantamweight crown against UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao. Cruz last defended his title against UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in 2011 and then suffered a knee injury during The Ultimate Fighter Live that has kept him out of contention since.
Meanwhile, interim champion Renan Barao has run roughshod over the bantamweight division in Cruz’s absence. Barao, who rides a 31-fight unbeaten streak, has won all six of UFC appearances and has defended the bantamweight crown twice since winning the title at UFC 149.
UFC 169 will take place at the Prudential Center on February 1 in Newark, New Jersey. The title fights will join a heavyweight pairing between Frank Mir and Alistair Overeem on the pay-per-view lineup.
Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy for the latest on UFC 169 and all the latest UFC News.
Front-Page Photo Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday honored former House Speaker Tom Foley as a model of civility in government, someone who put problem-solving ahead of politics and never lost his sense of wonder about serving in Congress.
Obama said the first time he visited Capitol Hill and saw the gleaming white dome, Tom Foley was House speaker.
"I was a very young man ... and I remember seeing that Capitol and having that same sense of wonder," Obama told the crowd of Washington luminaries gathered in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. "And I think now about Tom Foley being here, doing that work."
Speakers from across the partisan spectrum — and across the generations — remembered Foley, who died Oct. 18 at the age of 84. They included Obama, former President Bill Clinton, House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
Most, like former House Republican leader Bob Michel, remembered Foley not so much for his political positions but for the way he conducted himself. Michel and Foley served as leaders in opposite parties, Michel said, but they were close friends for decades. He fondly recalled spending time with Foley just weeks before he died.
"We knew we were icons of a bygone era," Michel said.
As Michel finished his tribute, the crowd rose for a standing ovation and House Speaker John Boehner dabbed tears away with a handkerchief.
Foley was a 30-year veteran of the House from Washington state, serving from 1989 to 1995 as speaker, second in the line of succession to the presidency, and the first speaker from west of Texas.
Foley was defeated in the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress and went on to serve as ambassador to Japan under President Bill Clinton.
Clinton said he was anguished by Foley losing his congressional seat and speakership, knowing that legislation he championed and Foley helped guide through the House had cost Foley his seat. But Clinton said Foley was never afraid to take a position he believed in that might be politically difficult.
"Tom Foley, as nice as he was, was a tough guy," Clinton said.
Homeowners in Eugene, Ore., called the police on their own party after more than 200 guests got out of hand. Even their private security couldn't handle it.
A desperate act in wartime comes when you call an air strike on your own position. This, in effect is what the hosts of a party in Eugene, Oregon had to do. More than 200 partygoers got out of hand. Even the private security couldn't handle it. Rather than wait for angry neighbors to call police, the homeowners called the cops themselves. Police did not make arrests as they broke things up. But their best professional judgment was that people looked a little drunk.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
It's joked that duct tape can be used to fix almost anything. But a new product called FiberFix might very well be the only tool you'll ever need for emergency repairs. And the secret is its special resin adhesive that hardens stronger than steel as it cures.
Learn what MHL is and how it works with Phil and Michael
A lot of work goes into those little MHL dongles you buy from Monoprice. Michael Bergen, senior partner alliance manager from MHL knows a thing or two about that. He spent a few minutes with Phil at the Samsung Developer Conference this afternoon.
The California-based MHL sets and controls the standards that millions of different products use when they need a fast, solid HD link between to smart devices. Partners all over the world build it into their products, and we imagine Michael is one busy man.
Have a listen and find out a little more about that little white box, and how plugging it in really works.
If you verbally attack Diego Sanchez, he's going to react in the same manner he does when he's being challenged in the Octagon: He's coming right at you and firing away with big bombs.
In case you needed a reminder, Sanchez was in rare form during Monday's edition of The MMA Hour.
Sanchez, coming off his match of the year candidate brawl with Gilbert Melendez at UFC 166, was asked about recent comments made by a pair of fighters, Conor McGregor and Melvin Guillard. And his reaction was as if Greg Jackon had told him he needed a knockout going into the final round of a fight.
McGregor, the controversial Irish featherweight, said in a recent interview "I don't want to be the guy leaving [Sanchez] being fed with a tube for the rest of his life. But as I said, it's easy money and money is my favorite."
"He's got the big mouth," Sanchez replied. "This all started when he put out a tweet that was disrespecting all the top 145ers in the world. And I was just, this is ridiculous. No one's going to talk back to him? You know, somebody has to put the dude in his place because he has a real mouth. The crazy thing about it is he really believes his own hype. I put out a tweet, notable victories. Who are they? Who are you notable victories? Who are your notable fights? Who are these guys who beat you? You have losses on your record and you act like you're the Muhammad Ali of Ireland. You have losses on your record. Who are they? C'mon. Why do you think you're freakin superman when you ain't done it. You gotta walk the walk before you can talk the talk. He fought two fights in UFC and he talks like he's champion? I think it's a bunch of crap."
The fighter who has been called both "The Nightmare" and "The Dream" was just getting warmed up.
"For a guy like him to disrespect me? I didn't disrespect him, I just told him how it was. .... He was talking s--- about Chad Mendes. Chad Mendes! This guy will eat you for lunch. You have not proved you can wrestle. You have not proved you are legitimate on the ground. What are you going to do when you have Diego Sanchez on top of you ground and pounding you? You have not proved that you are equivalent to that situation. It's a bunch of crap."
The TUF 1 middleweight champion also seized upon McGregor's "money" comments, saying that this demonstrated the difference between he and McGregor as fighters.
"He's all ‘I'm going to fight Diego. I like easy money. Oh, money, money, money. Money is my favorite,'" Sanchez mocked. "I'm not about the money, I'm about being a warrior and getting it in there and putting it down for my legacy, for what I was born to do. I fight. I ain't no little punk about money. I'm humble when it comes to that stuff. This dude, he's going to get humbled. If our paths cross eventually, I'm going to get him, if that's what the matchmakers in the UFC wants to do. I doubt UFC would let that even happen because there's money in this guy, he can bring the crowd to Ireland and Europe, they're not going to give him nobody like me who is going to destroy this guy. But the dude's eventually going to get his."
While the verbal dustup with McGregor is one between a pair of fighters who have never crossed paths, the words between Sanchez and Guillard are more personal. Guillard used to train at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque, one of several places Guillard has trained during his career.
Sanchez highly disputes the notion, and went on to imply Guillard has a glass jaw.
"I was cool with Melvin Gullard until he said that," Sanchez said. "Maybe he was upset because whenever we fought in training camp, here's the thing with Melvin. The guy's an awesome athlete. He's really explosive, he's really fast. But the dude's got a questionable chin. I've seen everyone in the gym drop him. I've dropped him two times with a straight left. And that's the truth. The guy's got a questionable chin. Joe Stevenson dropped him with a jab. Joe Lauzon dropped him with a jab. He doesn't have an iron chin like me. For him to say he dropped me all the time, it's a bunch of bulls---. You can ask Mike Winklejohn, you can ask Greg Jackson, you can ask anyone who is in the gym, the coaches, they'll tell you, they're going to say 'I don't remember the last time I saw Diego get dropped.'
"I'll tell you who dropped me. Adlan [Amagov], he dropped me with a body shot. He hit me with a liver kick, that was the hardest I ever got kicked in my life. But yeah, I don't get dropped very much. If I did, its something like a body kick or something like that. That's part of the sport. For him to say he drops me all the time, that was the biggest untrue bulls--- I ever heard in my life."
Meanwhile, with a week and a half to reflect on it, Sanchez still believe his bout with Melendez, which Melendez won via unanimous decision, should have been ruled a draw.
"He got me with a good cut and he was doing good counterstriking," said Sanchez, who indicated a desire to meet Nate Diaz in his next fight. "But I feel like I got no points for my takedowns. He got back up, so be it, but I took him down, I took his back, I had dominant position. I was landing a lot of body kicks. I knew how tough Gilbert Melendez was. I just kept chopping at that tree, chopping at that tree, and eventually that try was going to go down. That's just how I felt. When the doctor coming over to check my cut, yeah it was a bad cut, I understand. But with my style, every second is pivotal and vital in my style. That's why I have such good conditioning and keep a high pace and get the guy tired. That's my style right there, that's what the nightmare is, when you're getting tired and you're just, that's what the hell, that guy, he keeps coming.
"Whenever they had to come check my cut they were getting little breaks," Sanchez continued. "He came in excellent shape. That affected me too, because I felt like I was chopping down that tree and I felt like I was wearing him down. He came in excellent shape. Gilbert Melendez is known for good conditioning too. But felt like I was working harder to get the W. I thought it was closer than the unanimous decision. It was a draw."
It was only at this year's I/O that Google introduced a new feature it calls Auto Awesome, which lets you edit your photos in Google+ and even create your own GIFs. The company's not done enhancing this ability, however, as Vic Gundotra has announced that video capability is coming to the tool as ...
Earlier this month, responding to the wave of news about Indian men fatally gang-raping a 23-year-old student, of Indian children being lured with chocolate and then sexually assaulted, and of Western women in study-abroad programs suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after repeatedly being groped and harassed by Indian men, Lavanya Sankaran published an essay in the New York Times titled “The Good Men of India.”
Let me introduce the Common Indian Male, a category that deserves taxonomic recognition: committed, concerned, cautious; intellectually curious, linguistically witty; socially gregarious, endearingly awkward; quick to laugh, slow to anger. Frequently spotted in domestic circles, traveling in a family herd. He has been sighted in sari shops and handbag stores, engaged in debating his spouse’s selection with the sons and daughters who trail behind. There is, apparently, no domestic decision that is not worthy of his involvement.
Thank you for the introduction, but was there ever a question that men in India are capable of good acts? Is Sankaran explaining to her audience, as an adult would to small children, that there are different kinds of people in the world and that yes, Virginia, Indians are people too?
Sankaran’s need to point out the sunny obvious is only slightly less offensive than her undercutting of the seriousness of India’s problems. At best, she writes of the Good Man’s doting domesticity, “the results, in women’s lives, speak for themselves.” But “[a]t its excessive worst, this sensibility can produce annoyances: a sentimentalized addiction to Mummy; concern that becomes judgmental and stifling; and a proud or oversensitive emotional landscape.”
If that’s the excessive worst, then Sankaran’s daddy kept her more sheltered than the rest of us. Because we know that the Common Indian Male is more flawed than this. True, he can be all the wonderful things Sankaran lists. But he also can be timid, and sometimes even craven.
To understand what I’m talking about, observe the Common Indian Male’s interaction with the Common Indian Child. It’s India’s dirty little not-so-secret: Fifty-three percent of children—boys and girls equally—are victims of sexual abuse, ranging from child grooming and forcible kissing to petting and penetration. That’s according to a 2007 study by the Indian Government of nearly 12,500 children from across India. Half the abused children in the study were preyed upon by “persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility.”
He tugged my hand across his body until I was splayed on his chest. I remember thinking, is he trying to hug me?
Contrary to Sankaran’s classist argument, this is not an issue of lower classes skewing results. In a 2006 study conducted by the nongovernmental organizations Save the Children and Tulir on 2,211 schoolchildren from Chennai, “the prevalence of sexual abuse in upper and middle class was found to be proportionately higher than in lower and lower-middle class.”
Just how bad is it in the upper echelons of society? A 1998 study by RAHI (Recovery And Healing from Incest), a Delhi-based NGO, surveyed 600 English-speaking women from upper and middle classes and found that 76 percent of respondents had been sexually abused when they were children. Forty percent of those abuses were committed by a family member, typically an uncle, a cousin, or an older brother.
Indian men masquerading as trusted friends or relatives prey upon Common Indian Children. These men are not what Sankaran describes as “feral men, untethered from their distant villages, divorced from family and social structure … denied access to regular female companionship.” These men are deep within a family’s framework.
I know this because I was once a Common Indian Child.
I was 12, on my first trip to India without my parents. A group of cousins and I were dutifully visiting some elders—summers in India are scorching, so I broke away from the group and went to the kitchen for a bottle of water. I crossed the living room, and there he was, lying on a bench swing, gently swaying, reading a newspaper. He saw me, pushed his reading glasses up on his head and his face lit up. He said my name, held out his hand. Thinking he wanted a handshake, I put my hand in his.
He said something then, something like how it was good to see me after so long, and how were my parents? He tugged my hand across his body until I was splayed on his chest. I remember thinking, is he trying to hug me? I started to answer. His hand cupped my breast through my thin kameez, his finger stroked over my nipple.
I froze. I’d been drilled to obey my elders, but this was wrong wrong wrong, and I knew it. I should have screamed bloody murder. I should have roused the whole family. I should have made a scene. Instead I made small talk for a while until the conversation faded and I could escape.
Grounds crew members dismantle the batting cage after the Boston Red Sox's workout at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Red Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of baseball's World Series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Grounds crew members dismantle the batting cage after the Boston Red Sox's workout at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Red Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of baseball's World Series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Championship banners hang on the facade of Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, including the one from 1918, which was the last World Series that the Boston Red Sox clinched at home. The Red Sox will face the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of the World Series on Wednesday in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
A security guard keeps an eye on things outside Gate D at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. If the Boston Red Sox are able to win the baseball World Series at at the stadium, police and city officials want to make sure fans celebrate responsibly. Boston holds a 3-2 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals with Game 6 and if necessary Game 7 scheduled at Fenway for Wednesday and Thursday nights. Police plan to put extra patrols on duty to guard against any unruly celebrations. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell speaks during a news conference before a workout at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Red Sox are scheduled to host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of baseball's World Series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz walks into the dugout after a workout at Fenway Park in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Red Sox are scheduled to host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of baseball's World Series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
BOSTON (AP) — Generations of New Englanders are preparing. Practically no one alive can remember seeing such an event unfold: The Boston Red Sox could win a World Series title on the celebrated green grass at Fenway Park.
Ted Williams never did it. Not Carl Yastrzemski. Not Carlton Fisk. Not even Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, who ended The Curse nearly a decade ago but did it on the road.
When the Red Sox last won a World Series at home, Babe Ruth, Carl Mays and Harry Hooper were the stars in September 1918, a season cut short by World War I. Ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2, the Red Sox have two chances to reward their faithful.
"It would be awesome," said John Lackey, who starts Game 6 on Wednesday night against Cardinals rookie Michael Wacha.
Fenway was just a kid the last time the Red Sox won a title at home, a modern 6-year-old ballpark. A crowd of 15,238 watched the Red Sox defeat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 to win the Series in six games.
"It was a ball game that nobody who was present will forget. It left too many lasting impressions," Edward F. Martin wrote the following day in the Boston Globe.
That was so long ago that Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States, television hadn't been invented and the designated hitter didn't exist. There were 16 major league teams — none west of St. Louis — all games were played in the daytime and the NFL was 23 months from formation.
Now, Fenway Park is a centurion, the oldest home in the majors and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The last time a World Series Game 6 was played between Lansdowne and Van Ness Streets was in 1975, the night Fisk sent Pat Darcy's second pitch of the 12th inning high down the left-field line and waved his arms three times, urging the ball fair, before it clanked off the yellow foul pole atop the Green Monster.
"I was just wishing and hoping," Fisk recalled in 2005. "Maybe by doing it, you know, you ask something of somebody with a higher power. I like to think that if I didn't wave, it would have gone foul."
Boston needed that 7-6 win to force a seventh game against Cincinnati, and the Red Sox went on to lose the following night.
Now, they are one win from setting off a Boston Glee Party.
"With no disrespect to history or to Carlton, you know, it's an iconic video and a highlight that is shown repeatedly, and one of the more memorable swings that probably has taken place in this ballpark," Red Sox manager John Farrell said Tuesday, "but hopefully there's somebody tomorrow night that can wave their arms just the same."
Boston swept the Series in 2004 and '07, starting at home and winning titles at St. Louis and Colorado. Given the length of time since the last championship clincher at Fenway, there is a seemingly insatiable demand for the just over 38,000 tickets.
As of Tuesday evening, the cheapest of 1,600 or so ducats for sale on Stubhub.com was for standing room on the right-field roof deck for $983.75. A dugout box seat was available for $10,894.20.
"I don't know what happened in 1918, but tomorrow we're going to try and make it happen, make people proud and happy in the city of Boston and New England," David Ortiz said. "I guarantee it's going to be wild."
Ortiz's performance in the World Series has been better than Ruthian. He's batting .733 (11 for 15) with two homers, six RBIs, four walks and a sacrifice fly, and has one-third of Boston's hits.
"That's why we call him 'Cooperstown,'" Game 5 star David Ross said, "because he does Hall of Fame stuff."
While the Red Sox went through a light workout at Fenway Park on a cool autumn afternoon, the Cardinals tried to maintain their cool as they got stuck in St. Louis, joined by their families on a charter flight delayed several hours by mechanical difficulties.
"Fortunately we have plenty of food, snacks for the kids, lots of entertainment with on-board movies, and everybody travels with all their high-tech stuff," manager Mike Matheny said. "Most of these kids are pretty happy that they're not in school right now, and it's a great way to spend a day."
The plane took off about 9:10 p.m. EDT after a delay that appeared to last around 6 hours.
Farrell made a bit of news, saying Ross will get his fourth Series start behind the plate in place of slumping Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
"David has given us a spark offensively out of the position," the manager said.
Shane Victorino is expected to return to right field after missing two games due to a bad back, and Game 4 star Jonny Gomes will start in left over Daniel Nava. With the shift back to the American League ballpark, Mike Napoli returns to first base and Ortiz to designated hitter.
Playing with a foot injury, Allen Craig will be the DH for St. Louis. Trying for their second title in three seasons, the Cardinals have high confidence in Wacha, a 22-year-old rookie who has won all four of his postseason starts, allowing three earned runs in 27 innings.
"I imagine it's going to be crazy, but I'm not going to pay any attention to it," Wacha said.
Boston doesn't want the Series to reach a seventh game on Halloween night, which likely would be started by Jake Peavy, who has a 7.11 ERA in this postseason. St. Louis would start Joe Kelly, who pitched well in Game 3 but didn't get a decision.
Ortiz, the last remaining veteran from the 2004 title, wants to make sure fans can start the hullabaloo.
"Hopefully this will get over tomorrow, and they'll get to enjoy it like they always do," he said. "Party time."
NOTES: Forty-one of 62 previous teams with 3-2 World Series leads won the title, including 24 in Game 6. ... Since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates won Games 6 and 7 in Baltimore, six straight teams have failed to overcome 3-2 deficits on the road.
From left, National Security Agency Deputy Director Chris Inglis, National Security Agency director Gen. Keith Alexander, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Deputy Attorney General James Cole, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, before the House Permanent Intelligence Committee hearing on potential changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Faced with anger over revelations about U.S. spying at home and abroad, members of Congress suggested Tuesday that programs the Obama administration says are needed to combat terrorism may have gone too far. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
From left, National Security Agency Deputy Director Chris Inglis, National Security Agency director Gen. Keith Alexander, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Deputy Attorney General James Cole, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, before the House Permanent Intelligence Committee hearing on potential changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Faced with anger over revelations about U.S. spying at home and abroad, members of Congress suggested Tuesday that programs the Obama administration says are needed to combat terrorism may have gone too far. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper listens at right as National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on potential changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Faced with anger over revelations about U.S. spying at home and abroad, members of Congress suggested Tuesday that programs the Obama administration says are needed to combat terrorism may have gone too far. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, file photo, a man speaks on a cell phone in the business district of Madrid. A Spanish newspaper published a document Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, that it said shows the U.S. National Security Agency spied on more than 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month alone — the latest revelation about alleged massive U.S. spying on allies. (AP Photo/Paul White, File)
Graphic shows country-by-country look allegations of spying by the U.S. National Security Agency and reaction; 3c x 5 inches; 146 mm x 127 mm;
From left, National Security Agency Deputy Director Chris Inglis, National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Deputy Attorney General James Cole, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on potential changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Faced with anger over revelations about U.S. spying at home and abroad, members of Congress suggested Tuesday that programs the Obama administration says are needed to combat terrorism may have gone too far. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Faced with anger over revelations about U.S. spying at home and abroad, members of Congress suggested Tuesday that programs the Obama administration says are needed to combat terrorism may have gone too far.
The chairman of the House intelligence committee said it might help to disclose more about National Security Agency operations but barring NSA from collecting millions of Americans' phone records would scrap an important tool.
"We can't ask the FBI to find terrorists plotting an attack and then not provide them with the information they need," said Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich. He spoke at the start of a hearing where top intelligence officials were testifying, including National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander.
A bipartisan plan introduced Tuesday would end the NSA's massive sweep of phone records, allowing the government to seek only records related to ongoing terror investigations. Critics both at home and abroad have derided the program as intrusive and a violation of privacy rights.
The proposal comes as President Barack Obama and key lawmakers are saying it's time to look closely at surveillance programs that have angered many Americans and now are drawing complaints from world leaders because of reports that their cellphone conversations were monitored.
The White House is considering ending eavesdropping on friendly foreign leaders, a senior administration official said.
The administration tried to tamp down damage Tuesday from the months-long spying scandal — including the most recent disclosure that the National Security Agency had monitored the cellphone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. A final decision about listening in on allies has not been made, the senior official said.
The White House also faces complaints at home about the NSA collecting millions of Americans' phone records and sweeping up Internet traffic and email. The Obama administration defends those programs as important in the fight against terrorism.
Asked about the reports of eavesdropping on world leaders, Obama said in a television interview that the U.S. government is conducting "a complete review of how our intelligence operates outside the country." Obama declined to discuss specifics or say when he learned about the spying operations.
"What we've seen over the last several years is their capacities continue to develop and expand, and that's why I'm initiating now a review to make sure that what they're able to do doesn't necessarily mean what they should be doing," he said Monday on the new TV network Fusion.
A second U.S. official said Obama did not know the NSA was monitoring Merkel's communications until after his visit to Germany in June. The official said information about the surveillance of foreign leaders emerged in the course of the White House's broader review of spying programs, triggered by media reports based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and insisted on anonymity.
The White House says the United States isn't currently listening to Merkel's conversations and won't do so in the future.
On Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner said there should be a thorough review of intelligence gathering, bearing in mind the responsibility to keep Americans safe from terrorism and the nation's obligations to allies.
"We have to find the right balance here," said Boehner, R-Ohio. "And clearly, we're imbalanced."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for a "total review of all intelligence programs" following the Merkel allegations. In a statement, the California Democrat said the White House had informed her that "collection on our allies will not continue."
The senior administration official said that statement was not accurate, but added that some unspecified changes already had been made and more were being considered, including terminating the collection of communications from friendly heads of state. That official also was not authorized to divulge information about the program by name and insisted on anonymity.
Reports based on new leaks from Snowden indicate that the NSA listened in on Merkel and 34 other foreign leaders.
"With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of U.S. allies — including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany — let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed," Feinstein said.
In response to the revelations, German officials said Monday that the U.S. could lose access to an important law enforcement tool used to track terrorist money flows.
Other longtime allies have also expressed their displeasure about the U.S. spying on their leaders.
Spain's prosecutor's office said Tuesday it has opened a preliminary inquiry to determine whether a crime was committed by NSA surveillance. French President Francois Hollande said the United States should not be eavesdropping on its allies but that U.S. officials were cooperating with Europe on fixing the problem.
Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo's office on Tuesday confirmed a report in De Standaard that at his most sensitive meetings, the premier is asking government ministers to leave their mobile phones outside the room.
As possible leverage, German authorities cited last week's non-binding resolution by the European Parliament to suspend a post-9/11 agreement allowing the Americans access to bank transfer data to track the flow of terrorist money. A top German official said Monday she believed the Americans were using the information to gather economic intelligence apart from terrorism and said the agreement, known as SWIFT, should be suspended.
European Union officials who are in Washington to meet with lawmakers ahead of White House talks said U.S. surveillance of their people could affect negotiations over a U.S.-Europe trade agreement..
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Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Kimberly Dozier at http://twitter.com/kimberlydozier
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Associated Press writers Connie Cass, Donna Cassata and Kimberly Dozier in Washington, Frank Jordan, Geir Moulson and Robert H. Reid in Berlin, Juergen Baetz in Brussels, Ciaran Giles, Jorge Sainz and Alan Clendenning in Madrid and Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris contributed to this report.
Taking care of promotional duties for her upcoming film "About Time," Rachel McAdams stopped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Tuesday (October 29).
The 34-year-old actress donned a striped dress as she sat down and chatted with the host about her favorite Halloween memories, which include passing out candy to teenagers who recognized her as "Mean Girls'" Regina George.
"I have to dress up now to give out candy because I was giving out candy one year and some teenage girls came to the door," Miss McAdams explained. "And they were like, 'Are you Regina George from Mean Girls?' and I was like 'No... Just no. That's so weird that you're asking me that.'"
Ellen then joked, "'You don't know where I live now. I'm in someone else's house doing this.' And you had to move the next day?"
Rachel continued, "So I had to try to find whatever was in my closet [to wear]. I think I came up with a ski bunny [costume]. I basically put on my snowsuit and a hat and sunglasses."
[ Find out the latest craziness in the world of technology: Read InfoWorld's Notes from the Field blog or newsletter by our man on the street, Robert X. Cringely. ]
Software is so transient, though. It's sometimes hard to get a program from 2003 to run on a modern machine, let alone a program from 1983. For most people it wouldn't be worth the trouble to, as the Internet Archive puts it, "track down the hardware and media to run [old software], or download and install emulators and acquire/install cartridge or floppy images as you boot up the separate emulator program, outside of the browser."
An easier way The Historical Software Archive, announced Friday, changes that. There's no need to fuss with stand-alone emulators. Instead, the Internet Archive runs MESS (short for Multi Emulator Super System) with Javascript in Chrome, Firefox, Safari -- any modern browser.
"Turning computer history into a one-click experience bridges the gap between understanding these older programs and making them available in a universal fashion," says the Internet Archive's announcement. "Acquisition, for a library, is not enough -- accessibility is where knowledge and lives change for the better."
Of course, this isn't the first time someone has emulated old software in a browser. Look around the Internet, and you'll find plenty of sites that allow you to play Gameboy and SNES games.
The difference, presumably, is twofold. One is that the Historical Software Archive is for all types of software -- not just games. Go ahead and check out Apple Presents the IIc, a series of instructional guides that introduced users to their new computer. Then make a spreadsheet in VisiCalc, the 1979 Apple II program that pioneered the computer spreadsheet.
The second difference is legality. The Internet Archive is a reputable organization with a clean website and a name you can trust. That site where you found all those Nintendo ROMs? Yeah, not so much.
The unfortunate problem with legality, however, is it limits your scope. Hopefully more developers will open up their software for emulation through the archive, as it has the potential to make preservation more than an academic exercise. The full list is only 28 programs for now, but expect that number to grow soon.
For now you can always play E.T., the Atari game that reputedly caused the video game industry to crash and burn in 1983 -- and you can understand why E.T. caused the video game industry to crash. Spoiler: it's abysmal.
NASA sees newborn twenty-ninth Depression in the Philippine Sea
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Rob Gutro robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA infrared imagery revealed that bands of thunderstorms have been wrapping into the center of newborn Tropical Depression 29W, indicating it's organizing and strengthening in the Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Sea is located within the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It's located east and north of the Philippines and covers about 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers).
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on Tropical Depression 29W on Oct. 29 at 04:23 UTC/12:23 a.m. EDT. AIRS data revealed strong thunderstorms with cloud top temperatures exceeding -63F/-52C that indicated they were high in the troposphere. They thunderstorms appeared in bands west and east of the center. Those thunderstorms were part of bands that formed around the circulation center.
On Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. EDT/1500 UTC, Tropical Depression 29W had maximum sustained winds near 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 kph. It was located near 15.7 north and 131.3 east, about 634 nautical miles/729.6 miles/1,174 km east of Manila, Philippines. 29W is moving to the west at 14 knots/16.1 mph/21.3 kph and is expected to continue moving in that general direction over the next couple of days.
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that warm sea surface temperatures in the Philippine Sea (where it is currently moving through) will enable 29W to strengthen into a typhoon in the next one or two days.
29W is expected to move west crossing over Luzon (the northern Philippines) as a tropical storm sometime on Oct. 31 then move into the South China Sea.
###
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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NASA sees newborn twenty-ninth Depression in the Philippine Sea
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Rob Gutro robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA infrared imagery revealed that bands of thunderstorms have been wrapping into the center of newborn Tropical Depression 29W, indicating it's organizing and strengthening in the Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Sea is located within the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It's located east and north of the Philippines and covers about 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers).
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on Tropical Depression 29W on Oct. 29 at 04:23 UTC/12:23 a.m. EDT. AIRS data revealed strong thunderstorms with cloud top temperatures exceeding -63F/-52C that indicated they were high in the troposphere. They thunderstorms appeared in bands west and east of the center. Those thunderstorms were part of bands that formed around the circulation center.
On Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. EDT/1500 UTC, Tropical Depression 29W had maximum sustained winds near 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 kph. It was located near 15.7 north and 131.3 east, about 634 nautical miles/729.6 miles/1,174 km east of Manila, Philippines. 29W is moving to the west at 14 knots/16.1 mph/21.3 kph and is expected to continue moving in that general direction over the next couple of days.
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that warm sea surface temperatures in the Philippine Sea (where it is currently moving through) will enable 29W to strengthen into a typhoon in the next one or two days.
29W is expected to move west crossing over Luzon (the northern Philippines) as a tropical storm sometime on Oct. 31 then move into the South China Sea.
###
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
"@ladygaga I acted like a child last night. Just not into publicity stunts call me & we will end this like adults I don't want 2 fight anymore," the purple-haired E! star tweeted on Oct. 28.
The A-Listers' latest feud started after Gaga visited the X Factor UK set and posed with Kelly's mother Sharon Osbourne holding a birthday cake for Kelly.
The pastry may have been sweet, but Osbourne didn't perceive it that way. The opinionated star took to Twitter to share her frustrations saying, "Not to be ungrateful but why would you send me a birthday cake via my MOTHER in a country half the would away? #JustSendItToME #LoveNotWar."
She also posted a picture of the cake with the caption, "#EatMySh-t #Hypocrisy," but the post as since been taken down.
This celebrity feud originated long before bakers got involved. In 2009 Osbourne called Gaga a "butterface," causing the iconic crooner's band of loyal fans to launch into a series of threats against the Brit.
Gaga later penned an open letter to the Fashion Police star, criticizing her career choice saying, "Your work on E! with the Fashion Police is rooted in criticism, judgment, and rating people's beauty against one another."
But it was Sharon Osbourne who criticized Gaga's note, saying the eccentric star was bullying her daughter.
Clearly Mama Osbourne and Gaga have made up. After the "Applause" singer performed on The X Factor UK, the red-headed judge tweeted, "Blown away by Lady Gaga's performance and graciousness."
To know where Modern Kin is coming from now, it helps to know where its members have been. The Portland trio — made up of Drew Grow, Kris Doty and Jeremiah Hayden — contains three-quarters of Drew Grow & The Pastors' Wives, a band noted for the loose, rollicking gospel fervor of its live shows over the past four years.
Modern Kin represents a reboot of sorts, and its self-titled debut (produced by Janet Weiss) is a collection of tighter, more focused songs. The fervor remains, and the most intense moments find Grow channeling a preacher in thrall to the good books of Cave and Waits. "Unannounced" is Modern Kin as a power trio, the band announcing itself and dispensing catharsis in the record's most straightforward rock song.
"To the person who stole my son's pumpkin," wrote Becky Reina. "Thank you for the life lesson. This will teach him that sometimes people are mean for no reason and you have to just brush it off.
"Because my son is 2-yrs-old and cannot read this sign, I will add: You are an a- - - - - -."
You don't need much imagination to fill in the blank letters on that last word. (We've covered it up in the photo we've put atop this post, but you can easily see the word if you click on this link to photographer Eric Fidler's Flickr page.)
Reporters have called Reina from around the nation and Europe. Thanks to WJLA-TV, you can also hear from her. As the station reports:
"Becky has no way of knowing if the thief has seen the sign, but she hopes so.
" 'I do hope they see the sign, and I hope they feel bad about it,' she said."
This story reminds us of a 2010 report from NPR's Alan Greenblatt:
Foes of Obamacare are excitedly citing a rash of new stories claiming untold Americans are “losing” their insurance, as CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell puts it. One of them is this NBC News story, which reports that “millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.”
Stanford faculty awarded $2.2 million for innovative energy research
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Mark Golden mark.golden@stanford.edu 650-724-1629 Stanford University
Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy, the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center and the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy have awarded 11 seed grants totaling $2.2 million for promising new research in clean technology and energy efficiency.
The seed funding supports early work on concepts that have the potential for very high impact on energy production and use. Through a competitive process, two committees of faculty and senior staff awarded the grants to Stanford researchers from a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, physics, economics, business, communication and education.
"We received 42 proposals from across the campus to explore new ideas where the potential payoffs warrant taking the risk inherent in proof-of-concept work," said Precourt Institute Director Lynn Orr, a professor of energy resources engineering. "There were lots of good proposals, which induced a lively debate in the selection committee. The projects selected offer a variety of approaches to the overall goal of a clean, affordable, efficient energy system."
Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy, the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center and the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy have awarded 11 seed grants totaling $2.2 million for promising new research in clean technology and energy efficiency.
The seed funding supports early work on concepts that have the potential for very high impact on energy production and use. Through a competitive process, two committees of faculty and senior staff awarded the grants to Stanford researchers from a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, physics, economics, business, communication and education.
"We received 42 proposals from across the campus to explore new ideas where the potential payoffs warrant taking the risk inherent in proof-of-concept work," said Precourt Institute Director Lynn Orr, a professor of energy resources engineering. "There were lots of good proposals, which induced a lively debate in the selection committee. The projects selected offer a variety of approaches to the overall goal of a clean, affordable, efficient energy system."
Precourt Energy Efficiency Center awards
The five studies funded by the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center (PEEC) focus on improving the performance of hybrid cars, natural ventilation systems in buildings and programs that financially motivate utility customers to use electricity more efficiently. "For the most part, we are looking at how to make the most of efficiency technologies already emerging, though we are also trying to help lay the groundwork for the very dynamic electricity system of the future," said PEEC Director Jim Sweeney, professor of management science and engineering.
Trip Estimation Techniques to Better Manage Hybrid Vehicle Batteries: This project will develop techniques to predict the most probable trip a car is taking based on the driver, time of day, location, trip starting point and other parameters. Such predictive ability could help maximize the electric part of the car and minimize the gasoline side. PIs: John D. Fox, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Applied Physics; William Dally, Computer Science; Jonathan Levav, Graduate School of Business.
Improving Predictions of the Efficiency of Natural Ventilation in Buildings: Designing buildings that rely on natural ventilation for temperature control is a relatively new science and has often resulted in uncomfortable occupants. This work seeks to advance the design and operation of such buildings to yield increased overall building efficiency without sacrificing comfort. PIs: Gianluca Iaccarino, Mechanical Engineering; Martin Fischer, Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Better Decision Making for Policies and Programs to Reduce Electricity Use: This project seeks to aid decision making in energy-efficiency initiatives from government policies to business campaigns by identifying critical changes in public opinion regarding efficiency technologies and their adoption. PIs: Roy Pea, Education; Michael Bernstein, Computer Science; Martha Russell, H-STAR (Human-Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute).
Visualization of Smart Meter Data for Critical Peak Pricing: Using data from 2,000 businesses, this work will build software to identify businesses that are good candidates for financial incentive programs to reduce electricity use or shift usage to off-peak times. The system will include a visualization and interaction front end for engaging selected customers. PIs: Ram Rajagopal, Civil and Environmental Engineering; June A. Flora, H-STAR.
Efficiency and Group Behavior in Power Distribution Networks: Many local devices that can either generate electricity, like rooftop solar panels, or store energy, like electric cars, are expected to help reduce the costs of the traditional system, especially as intermittent renewable energy provides a bigger fraction of our energy use. This novel study examines the "micro grids" that owners of these resources likely will form for negotiating with their local utilities. PIs: Ramesh Johari, Management Science and Engineering; Ram Rajagopal, Civil and Environmental Engineering.
TomKat Center awards
The TomKat Center is supporting three investigations this year aimed to boost the output of wind farms, invent a new kind of solar cell and use carbon dioxide as a way of storing electricity. "These are projects that we think could eventually lead to less expensive ways of generating and storing renewable energy," said TomKat Center Director Stacey Bent, professor of chemical engineering. "Lowering costs on both those counts is the key to a sustainable energy future."
Electrochemical Splitting of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide: This project looks at the fundamentals of splitting CO2 under supercritical temperature and pressure to form CO, which can be used as a fuel to produce electricity as needed. The researchers hope the process can recover much of the energy used to break down the CO2 and become a carbon-neutral way to store renewable power. PIs: Mark Cappelli, Mechanical Engineering; Reginald Mitchell, Mechanical Engineering; Tsuyohito Ito, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Japan.
Making Large Wind Farms More Productive, Less Expensive: Researchers will test the benefits of positioning smaller turbines among the primary turbines in a large wind farm, along with other new operational approaches. The study, jointly funded by the TomKat Center and the Precourt Institute, will also develop a model for designing and operating new wind farms based on terrain and environment. PIs: Sanjiva K. Lele, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Mechanical Engineering; John Weyant, Management Science and Engineering.
Junctionless Solar Cell for Enabling Third-Generation Photovoltaics: The investigator hopes to demonstrate the low cost and high productivity of new, junctionless solar cells with transparent electrodes on commonly available semiconductor materials, such as silicon or germanium. Such cells could be stacked on top of each other and, combined with other advantages, could lead to greater than 50 percent efficiencies. PI: Krishna Saraswat, Electrical Engineering.
###
Additional support for the 2013 seed grants was provided by Wendy and Eric Schmidt and the Stinehart/Reed Awards.
This article was written by Mark Golden, Precourt Institute for Energy.
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Stanford faculty awarded $2.2 million for innovative energy research
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Mark Golden mark.golden@stanford.edu 650-724-1629 Stanford University
Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy, the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center and the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy have awarded 11 seed grants totaling $2.2 million for promising new research in clean technology and energy efficiency.
The seed funding supports early work on concepts that have the potential for very high impact on energy production and use. Through a competitive process, two committees of faculty and senior staff awarded the grants to Stanford researchers from a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, physics, economics, business, communication and education.
"We received 42 proposals from across the campus to explore new ideas where the potential payoffs warrant taking the risk inherent in proof-of-concept work," said Precourt Institute Director Lynn Orr, a professor of energy resources engineering. "There were lots of good proposals, which induced a lively debate in the selection committee. The projects selected offer a variety of approaches to the overall goal of a clean, affordable, efficient energy system."
Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy, the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center and the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy have awarded 11 seed grants totaling $2.2 million for promising new research in clean technology and energy efficiency.
The seed funding supports early work on concepts that have the potential for very high impact on energy production and use. Through a competitive process, two committees of faculty and senior staff awarded the grants to Stanford researchers from a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, physics, economics, business, communication and education.
"We received 42 proposals from across the campus to explore new ideas where the potential payoffs warrant taking the risk inherent in proof-of-concept work," said Precourt Institute Director Lynn Orr, a professor of energy resources engineering. "There were lots of good proposals, which induced a lively debate in the selection committee. The projects selected offer a variety of approaches to the overall goal of a clean, affordable, efficient energy system."
Precourt Energy Efficiency Center awards
The five studies funded by the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center (PEEC) focus on improving the performance of hybrid cars, natural ventilation systems in buildings and programs that financially motivate utility customers to use electricity more efficiently. "For the most part, we are looking at how to make the most of efficiency technologies already emerging, though we are also trying to help lay the groundwork for the very dynamic electricity system of the future," said PEEC Director Jim Sweeney, professor of management science and engineering.
Trip Estimation Techniques to Better Manage Hybrid Vehicle Batteries: This project will develop techniques to predict the most probable trip a car is taking based on the driver, time of day, location, trip starting point and other parameters. Such predictive ability could help maximize the electric part of the car and minimize the gasoline side. PIs: John D. Fox, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Applied Physics; William Dally, Computer Science; Jonathan Levav, Graduate School of Business.
Improving Predictions of the Efficiency of Natural Ventilation in Buildings: Designing buildings that rely on natural ventilation for temperature control is a relatively new science and has often resulted in uncomfortable occupants. This work seeks to advance the design and operation of such buildings to yield increased overall building efficiency without sacrificing comfort. PIs: Gianluca Iaccarino, Mechanical Engineering; Martin Fischer, Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Better Decision Making for Policies and Programs to Reduce Electricity Use: This project seeks to aid decision making in energy-efficiency initiatives from government policies to business campaigns by identifying critical changes in public opinion regarding efficiency technologies and their adoption. PIs: Roy Pea, Education; Michael Bernstein, Computer Science; Martha Russell, H-STAR (Human-Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute).
Visualization of Smart Meter Data for Critical Peak Pricing: Using data from 2,000 businesses, this work will build software to identify businesses that are good candidates for financial incentive programs to reduce electricity use or shift usage to off-peak times. The system will include a visualization and interaction front end for engaging selected customers. PIs: Ram Rajagopal, Civil and Environmental Engineering; June A. Flora, H-STAR.
Efficiency and Group Behavior in Power Distribution Networks: Many local devices that can either generate electricity, like rooftop solar panels, or store energy, like electric cars, are expected to help reduce the costs of the traditional system, especially as intermittent renewable energy provides a bigger fraction of our energy use. This novel study examines the "micro grids" that owners of these resources likely will form for negotiating with their local utilities. PIs: Ramesh Johari, Management Science and Engineering; Ram Rajagopal, Civil and Environmental Engineering.
TomKat Center awards
The TomKat Center is supporting three investigations this year aimed to boost the output of wind farms, invent a new kind of solar cell and use carbon dioxide as a way of storing electricity. "These are projects that we think could eventually lead to less expensive ways of generating and storing renewable energy," said TomKat Center Director Stacey Bent, professor of chemical engineering. "Lowering costs on both those counts is the key to a sustainable energy future."
Electrochemical Splitting of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide: This project looks at the fundamentals of splitting CO2 under supercritical temperature and pressure to form CO, which can be used as a fuel to produce electricity as needed. The researchers hope the process can recover much of the energy used to break down the CO2 and become a carbon-neutral way to store renewable power. PIs: Mark Cappelli, Mechanical Engineering; Reginald Mitchell, Mechanical Engineering; Tsuyohito Ito, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Japan.
Making Large Wind Farms More Productive, Less Expensive: Researchers will test the benefits of positioning smaller turbines among the primary turbines in a large wind farm, along with other new operational approaches. The study, jointly funded by the TomKat Center and the Precourt Institute, will also develop a model for designing and operating new wind farms based on terrain and environment. PIs: Sanjiva K. Lele, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Mechanical Engineering; John Weyant, Management Science and Engineering.
Junctionless Solar Cell for Enabling Third-Generation Photovoltaics: The investigator hopes to demonstrate the low cost and high productivity of new, junctionless solar cells with transparent electrodes on commonly available semiconductor materials, such as silicon or germanium. Such cells could be stacked on top of each other and, combined with other advantages, could lead to greater than 50 percent efficiencies. PI: Krishna Saraswat, Electrical Engineering.
###
Additional support for the 2013 seed grants was provided by Wendy and Eric Schmidt and the Stinehart/Reed Awards.
This article was written by Mark Golden, Precourt Institute for Energy.
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| E-mail
Share
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
It was only at this year's I/O that Google introduced a new feature it calls Auto Awesome, which lets you edit your photos in Google+ and even create your own GIFs. The company's not done enhancing this ability, however, as Vic Gundotra has announced that video capability is coming to the tool as ...
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