Friday, December 5, 2008

Drop in copper price could save nation's infrastructure

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Drop in copper price could save nation's infrastructure

An FBI criminal intelligence report from September on major copper thefts has been circulating online the past few days.

The FBI summary says, "Copper thieves are threatening US critical infrastructure by targeting electrical sub-stations, cellular towers, telephone land lines, railroads, water wells, construction sites, and vacant homes for lucrative profits. The theft of copper from these targets disrupts the flow of electricity, telecommunications, transportation, water supply, heating, and security and emergency services and presents a risk to both public safety and national security."

At the time the report was prepared and released, the price of copper was averaging $3.60 a pound and spiking into the $4+ range. But today, copper is running below $1.50. That's enough of a drop for major mines to shut down, so I bet it's enough to discourage would-be thieves and turn their attention to more lucrative targets.

at 9:38 PM

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2008/12/drop-in-copper-price-could-save-nations.html

Sunday, November 30, 2008

The news (media) hates the USA

So I was out Friday morning at 5am (a long story)

We are supposed to call it "black Friday" now I guess Rolling Eyes

Anyway I was surprised to see the parking lot at my local strip mall almost completely full.. shoppers were already swarming the office supply warehouse store and the sporting goods store and fabric store and whatever other stores were in that mall, remember this is at 5 AM !!

So I had nothing else to do so I went to the 'real' malls around my house

there are two of them and they were both full of cars (well one was more crowded, but the second mall is all but empty of stores right now) and all the 'strip centers' between them were also full..

Smaller stores that weren't open yet had lines of shoppers waiting for their doors to open

Smart restaurants (that normally are closed so early) were open and were full of shoppers eating breakfast

I took a bunch of pictures of the full parking lots and lines and traffic all well before the sun came up..

I thought to myself .. where is the 'CRISIS' ??
And who is responsible for not informing all these poor schmucks that they had no money and couldn't afford to shop this year because we are in an economic crisis !!!

I listened to the news (radio) as I drove around and they were going on and on about how 'black Friday' was forecasted to be much lower than last year.. and they forecasted how many stores would be forced out of business after their low numbers this year

Well I switched to the music channel and fought traffic back to my house at 6am

So now it is Sunday morning a few days later.. and I hear the local news tell me how 'black Friday' was up 3% from last year..
Good News??
Heck no.. even though the people of Tucson spent 3% more than last year, and even though the news companies stupid forecast was way off about lower numbers.. we still have a reason to worry..

It turns out we had 30 something days between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year.. this year we only have 29 days !!!!!!!!!
(the horror)

When are we going to stop listening to this anti-US drivel the majority of news shows spew on a near constant basis?

I recently have to listen, here in AZ, to news reports about an incident where a few people are hurt (killed) in India by a few crazy people but they couldn't find anything positive to report on??

For crying out loud, we have over 300 MILLION people in this country
I bet more than 100 people did something more positive than dying for the anti-US press to report on

So I've decided what I'd like for X-mas this year..
A new US news philosophy

Lets all do what we can to throw out the current pile of losers who report on BS, hatred, despair and agony almost constantly.
And lets replace them with worthwhile people who would try reporting on interesting, uplifting, positive events, while DOCUMENTING the bad things instead of highlighting the worse crap they can find each day

Perhaps that would swing the economy, perhaps that would empower the population as opposed to depressing us daily, perhaps that would give our young people a few more reasons to roll up their sleeves and help build, instead of giving them very little to look forward to

OK, rant off, I'll step off my soapbox, since talking about the current US news community is basically talking about crap, and I'd rather talk about something positive Wink

Friday, November 21, 2008

Regional Renewable Energy Conferences Returning In March

A pair of regional renewable energy conferences announced their return for 2009.

The Sustainability and Energy EXP09: Building a Better Community will be held March 6-7 at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Ariz. The event is expected to attract 60 exhibitors offering solar power, solar thermal and biofuel solutions. The event is a continuation of the 2007 Alternative Energy Expo, which drew 4,000 attendees. The Pima Association of Governments, a nonprofit metropolitan planning organization, will sponsor the 2009 event. For more information, go to www.pagnet.org.

The week after the Tuscon event, another renewable energy conference will be held in Boston. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association is hosting BuildingEnergy09 at Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center. This event will focus on the construction and design aspect of renewable energy, with exhibitors coming from the solar, wind and geothermal sectors of the industry. For more information, go to www.buildingenergy.nesea.org.

SOURCES: Pima Association of Governments, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Recycle your grease into biodiesel

Friday, Nov. 28, 2008
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Multiple drop-off locations

Recycle Turkeys Flyer

Recycle your grease
into biodiesel.
Recycle your used
cooking oil.
All cooking grease accepted!
Get maps and info at Grecycle.com

Grease collection sites:
• Pima County Operations Division,
3390 N. Richey Blvd.
• O’Reilly Chevrolet, 6160 E. Broadway Blvd.
• Pima County Industrial Wastewater Control, 5025 W. Ina Rd.
• El Hogar de la Paz Alternative Learning Center,
450 E. Wetmore Rd. across from Wal-Mart
• Tucson Water Plant #2, 1102 W. Irvington Rd. Located
west of I-19 on the north side of Irvington Road
• Shell Super Stop in Sahuarita, 795 W. Via Rancho
Sahuarita. Located east of I-19 at Exit 75.

http://www.pagnet.org/documents/cleancities/GrecycleTurkeys2008.pdf

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Plastics Task Force

Seven Misconceptions about Plastic and Plastic Recycling

Misconception # 1: Plastics that go into a curbside recycling bin get recycled. Not necessarily. Collecting plastic containers at curbside fosters the belief that, like aluminum and glass, the recovered material is converted into new containers. In fact, none of the recovered plastic containers from Berkeley are being made into containers again but into new secondary products such as textiles, parking lot bumpers, or plastic lumber – all unrecyclable products. This does not reduce the use of virgin materials in plastic packaging. "Recycled" in this case merely means "collected," not reprocessed or converted into useful products.

Misconception # 2: Curbside collection will reduce the amount of plastic landfilled. Not necessarily. If establishing collection makes plastic packages seem more environmentally friendly, people may feel comfortable buying more. Curbside plastic collection programs, intended to reduce municipal plastic waste, might backfire if total use rises faster than collection. Since only a fraction of certain types of plastic could realistically be captured by a curbside program, the net impact of initiating curbside collection could be an increase in the amount of plastic landfilled. The Berkeley pilot program showed no reduction of plastic being sent to the landfill in the areas where the curbside collection was in operation. Furthermore, since most plastic reprocessing leads to secondary products that are not themselves recycled, this material is only temporarily diverted from landfills.

Misconception # 3: A chasing arrows symbol means a plastic container is recyclable. The arrows are meaningless. Every plastic container is marked with the chasing arrows symbol. The only information in the symbol is the number inside the arrows, which indicates the general class of resin used to make the container. The attorneys general of 11 states objected to false and misleading claims about plastic recyclability. The recent settlement that they reached with the American Plastics Council paves the way for a first-ever definition of what claims can or cannot be made about plastic recycling and recyclability.

Misconception # 4: Packaging resins are made from petroleum refineries’ waste. Plastic resins are made from non-renewable natural resources that could be used for a variety of other applications or conserved. Most packaging plastics are made from the same natural gas used in homes to heat water and cook.

Misconception # 5: Plastics recyclers pay to promote plastics’ recyclability. No; virgin resin producers pay for the bulk of these ads. Most such ads are placed by virgin plastic manufacturers whose goal is to promote plastic sales. These advertisements are aimed at removing or diminishing virgin plastic’s greatest challenge to market expansion: negative public conception of plastic as unrecyclable, environmentally harmful, and a major component of wastes that must be landfilled or burned.

Misconception # 6: Using plastic containers conserves energy. When the equation includes the energy used to synthesize the plastic resin, making plastic containers uses as much energy as making glass containers from virgin materials, and much more than making glass containers from recycled materials. Using refillables is the most energy conservative.

Misconception # 7: Our choice is limited to recycling or wasting. Source reduction is preferable for many types of plastic and isn’t difficult. Opportunities include using refillable containers, buying in bulk, buying things that don’t need much packaging, and buying things in recyclable and recycled packages

Plastic packaging has economic, health, and environmental costs and benefits. While offering advantages such as flexibility and light weight, it creates problems including: consumption of fossil resources; pollution; high energy use in manufacturing; accumulation of wasted plastic in the environment; and migration of polymers and additives into foods.

Plastic container producers do not use any recycled plastic in their packaging. Recycled content laws could reduce the use of virgin resin for packaging. Unfortunately, the virgin&endash;plastics industry has resisted such cooperation by strongly opposing recycled -content legislation, and has defeated or weakened consumer efforts to institute stronger laws. Plastic manufacturers recently decided that they will not add post consumer materials to their resins used in the USA.

There is a likelihood that establishing plastics collection might increase consumption by making plastic appear more ecologically friendly both to consumers and retailers. Collecting plastics at curbside could legitimize the production and marketing of packaging made from virgin plastic. Studies of garbage truck loads during the recent plastic pick-up pilot program showed no reduction of "recyclable" plastic containers being thrown away in the pilot areas (in fact, there was a slight increase). Due in part to increased plastic use, glass container plants around the country have been closing, including Anchor Glass Container Corporation in Antioch, putting 300 people out of work

Plastic recycling costs much and does little to achieve recycling goals. Our cost/benefit analysis for implementing curbside plastics collection in Berkeley shows that curbside collection of discarded plastics: involves expensive processing; has limited benefits in reducing environmental impacts; and has limited benefits in diverting resources from waste.

Processing used plastics often costs more than virgin plastic. As plastic producers increase production and reduce prices on virgin plastics, the markets for used plastic are diminishing. PET recyclers cannot compete with the virgin resin flooding the market.

Increasing the capture rates of glass, paper or yard debris in Berkeley could divert more resources from landfills than collecting plastics at curbside. The "recyclable" plastic to be collected in Berkeley at most would only amount to 0.3% of the waste stream.

Five Strategies to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Plastics

1. Reduce the use
Source reduction Retailers and consumers can select products that use little or no packaging. Select packaging materials that are recycled into new packaging - such as glass and paper. If people refuse plastic as a packaging material, the industry will decrease production for that purpose, and the associated problems such as energy use, pollution, and adverse health effects will diminish.

2. Reuse containers
Since refillable plastic containers can be reused about 25 times, container reuse can lead to a substantial reduction in the demand for disposable plastic, and reduced use of materials and energy, with the consequent reduced environmental impacts. Container designers will take into account the fate of the container beyond the point of sale and consider the service the container provides. "Design for service" differs sharply from "design for disposal".

3. Require producers to take back resins
Get plastic manufacturers directly involved with plastic disposal and closing the material loop, which can stimulate them to consider the product’s life cycle from cradle to grave. Make reprocessing easier by limiting the number of container types and shapes, using only one type of resin in each container, making collapsible containers, eliminating pigments, using water-dispersible adhesives for labels, and phasing out associated metals such as aluminum seals. Container and resin makers can help develop the reprocessing infrastructure by taking back plastic from consumers.

4. Legislatively require recycled content
Requiring that all containers be composed of a percentage of post-consumer material reduces the amount of virgin material consumed.

5. Standardize labeling and inform the public
The chasing arrows symbol on plastics is an example of an ambiguous and misleading label. Significantly different standardized labels for "recycled," "recyclable," and "made of plastic type X" must be developed.

Ecology Center
2530 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
Phone: (510) 548-2220 x233
email: erc@ecologycenter.org

http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

PCC students share money-saving tips

You can wash it, pull it, yank it and maybe even try to grow it but you aren’t likely to stretch that dollar any further. Poor college students need to know every opportunity available to save and manage their precious few funds while avoiding the dread of debt.

Quick tips and some helpful suggestions from fellow Pima Community College students will have you on your way to a balanced budget and steering clear of sneaky and unnecessary costs.

Food and drinks can add up tremendously over the month.

Small day-to-day expenses can lead to thousands of dollars down the drain every year. A daily trip to the coffee shop for your $3 latte will total nearly $1,100 by year’s ends.

To save money on food, PCC student Andy Bulkley will “eat off the dollar menu” while Carlos Barragan tries “not to eat out at fast food restaurants.”

Have you been to an art opening recently? If so, you might have seen Samantha Angiulo, who takes the opportunity to go “to art openings because they always have free food” that can serve as her dinner.

Housing costs can be a large chunk of your budget.

PCC doesn’t have dorms, so students must find other options for housing.
“I live with my parents, so that helps,” Christine Woodrich said.

Daniel Epp saves by living “with a lot of roommates to keep costs down.”

Transportation costs are up, thanks to high gas prices.

Consider alternative options to driving a car.
“I take the bus,” Miko Gastelum said.

If the bus isn’t best for you and a bicycle is out of the picture, you can adopt driving habits that save money.

Consider following Dana Burns’ example. “I don’t floor it around town,” she said.
If you are looking to buy a vehicle, get a history report on that used car before your purchase and save future costs by avoiding a lemon.

The report will inform you about the vehicle’s title, registration, odometer, major damage and recall history.

Several online sources are available and dealers often provide this service for free, according to www.azag.gov.

Save money on clothes.

Used clothing stores often sell name-brand fashions at greatly reduced prices. Trade in your old or unwanted clothes in exchange for a new wardrobe.

In addition to national outlets like Salvation Army and Goodwill, Tucson is home to stores such as Buffalo Exchange and Plato’s Closet that buy and sell gently used clothing. You can find store details on the Web.

Avoid payday loans.

Lenders often charge hefty annual percentage rates that can equal 390 percent, according to www.azag.gov. It is easier to just flush your money down the toilet and save the trip.

Don’t use your credit card unless you can pay it off at the end of the month.
It takes many years and thousands of dollars to pay off credit-card debt. Everyone knows this but many will learn the hard way.

Use alternate sources to get college textbooks.

Many online sources offer discounted new and used college textbooks. Popular outlets include Amazon.com and eBay.
PCC student Narcisa Palma said she saves more than 60 percent with her method of “renting” textbooks online.
* * * *
You now have tools to budget your funds and shave expenses. Following these suggestions can add up to big savings. Your future worry may be how to manage all that extra money as you continue your costly education.

http://aztecpress.blogspot.com/2008/10/pcc-students-share-money-saving-tips.html

Monday, October 27, 2008

Explaining Our U.S. Tax System with Beer

I found this fairly simple explanation of how our tax system works, and why so many people 'feel' they are getting 'less' than the 'rich'

I hope this helps at least a few people understand our current situation.

Bravo to David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics University of Georgia
for posting this excellent break down with simple numbers

I highly suggest that everyone read this one so you can attempt to educate people who 'don't get it'

"Explaining Our U.S. Tax System with Beer

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. ‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said, ‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beers by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.’

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so: The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before and the first four continued to drink for free, but once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. “I only got a dollar out of the $20,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got $10!” “Yeah, that’s right,”exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got TEN times more than I!” “That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!” “Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!” The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something very important….they didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier. [Click on the title above, or date stamp below, to see the full post.]

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics University of Georgia"

http://robertbluey.com/blog/2008/10/25/redistribution-of-wealth-experiment-3/#comment-1822

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Academic vs coaching salaries

"Piled Higher and Deeper" (PhD) Comics is one of the best online comic strips and a favorite of mine. This one from a couple days ago was picked up by the New York Times economy blogger and is stirring up wider responses than the comic normally gets.

Given the budget turmoil at UA and elsewhere, it hits home.

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2008/10/academic-vs-coaching-salaries.html

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Save money by turning off office electronics

Heard a quick story on the radio this morning, and did a little research on the internet. Did you know 3/4 of the power used by home and office electronics are used when the devices are turned off? Here is some information we collected from Wikipedia and the U.S. Department of Energy website

In the U.S., nearly 4.2 million people worked from home in 2000, up from 3.4 million in 1990. Working from home saves energy and time by cutting out the commute, but it may increase your home energy bills a lot unless you use energy-saving office equipment

Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off. These "phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.

There are a few simple methods to reduce standby power. The easiest way to do that is to simply unplug the unused devices. Replacing battery powered devices, such as cordless phones or rechargeable razors with corded alternatives not only cuts down on the standby power required to charge the battery, but also reduces energy lost in battery charging and discharging inefficiencies.To switch off several devices that are often used together such as a PC, a monitor and a printer it is advisable to use a switchable power bar or surge protector with multiple sockets.Timers can be used to turn off standby power to devices that are unused on a regular automated schedule.

Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.

There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.

Common misconceptions sometimes account for the failure to turn off equipment. Many people believe that equipment lasts longer if it is never turned off. This incorrect perception carries over from the days of older mainframe computers.

Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.

http://www.free-pc-help.com/Articles.php?action=detail&g=content1224678566

Democratic Trick or Treating

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Storing solar energy in rock and sand

The US Dept. of Energy awarded $4.35 million to Arizona Public Service and Tucson-based US Solar to develop thermal storage systems for solar energy. One of the test sites, the Saguaro Solar Power Plant [right, credit APS], near Red Rock, north of Tucson, will store the energy in oil in a tank filled with rock. The other site is in Georgia and will use sand to absorb the heat for use later.

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2008/10/storing-solar-energy-in-rock-and-sand.html

Friday, October 17, 2008

SOLON inaugurates new production facility in Tucson, Arizona

October 17, 2008. SOLON AG's state-of-the-art production facility for solar modules came on stream today in Tucson, Arizona (USA). In its first phase, the production site will have an annual capacity of 60 MWp. It will produce crystalline and thin-film solar modules as well as photovoltaic systems for the North American market. SOLON currently employs around 100 people at its site in Tucson.

SOLON's local presence provides a good basis for breaking into the US solar market. "The solar market in the US is growing rapidly", according to Olaf Koester, president and CEO of SOLON Corporation. "The recent legislation on tax breaks for the construction of solar power systems creates a secure framework for the further expansion of renewable energies in the US and will accelerate their growth. We intend to benefit from this trend, and our new facility will put us in an excellent position to do so."
"We are excited to have SOLON's new state-of-the-art factory in Tucson as well as the associated high skill jobs", Tucson Regional Economic Organization President & CEO Joe Snell said. "We expect SOLON to be a cornerstone of very large solar economic development in Southern Arizona."

About the SOLON Corporation:
SOLON Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SOLON AG and was established at the beginning of 2007. It manufactures solar modules and turnkey photovoltaic systems for the North American market and has already installed more than 9 MWp of integrated photovoltaic power systems and solar power stations in the US. The aim of SOLON Corp. is to promote the large-scale use of solar power in the USA.

About SOLON AG:
SOLON AG is one of the largest solar module manufacturers in Europe and a leading supplier of photovoltaic systems for large-scale solar power plants. The SOLON Group has subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.S. and employs more than 850 people worldwide. The SOLON Group's core business is the manufacture of solar modules in various performance categories and of complete photovoltaic systems for the construction of solar power plants as well as the construction of turn-key solar power plants worldwide.

http://www.solon.com/cw/en/press/detail.html?ID=280

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

FAQ - Watermarks on images used on the internet

Q: Firstly, how do you add a watermark?

Secondly, [and I sound naive here], but what are the disadvantages with people stealing the images ? I'm thinking it's even more publicity and compliments the photo.

A: Well how to add one is a good question, because there are lots of ways, I add a line of text, with a URL, when I crop my images
If you crop them too, this is when I would add it by hand simply because you can put it where you want to on the image

There are programs to add watermarks for you (I use Photoshop for this sometimes) but the disadvantage that way is they add the text in one area and that sometimes covers an important part of an image

You just add text, type something out you want to say, like a URL. If possible and you like the effect, you can apply transparency to

The reason I started to do it was because I host my own pics and people would steal one of my pics as a 'hot link' so I would be hosting my stolen image for them at my cost (So I was paying to be ripped off)
That was mostly on free sites, but as soon as I noticed stores and for-profit sites using my images I started adding a watermark all the time.

Mostly it stops for-profit sites from just using your images as their own without any effort
(it can still happen with a watermark, but they need to steal it first, photoshop it then host it themselves, which is more work than they want to do)

Does your pup have it's own website?
If you don't have a business, consider making a free site for the dog, if nothing else it is a place to post your photos, but you could list accomplishments, training schedules, etc.. add a few google ads and you might make a few bucks too

at that point if people steal your pics (with a watermark) it's like free advertising wink wink

Friday, October 10, 2008

Arms sales are boon for contractors in Arizona

by Max Jarman - Oct. 10, 2008
The Arizona Republic

A proposed $6.4 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan could be a windfall for Boeing's Mesa helicopter plant and Raytheon's missile factory in Tucson.

The deal also provides job security for the 12,000 employees at Raytheon and the 4,500 workers at Boeing and could result in some new hires.

Such contracts could become increasingly important for Arizona defense contractors due to an expected drop in U.S. defense spending.

The deal, which has drawn strong protests from China, includes 30 next-generation Apache Longbow helicopters for $2.5 billion and $47 million worth of Raytheon's Javelin missiles.

It's the latest in a string of foreign military sales that have included $30 billion worth of announced deals in the past 30 days.

They included the sale of 12 Apaches to Saudi Arabia for $600 million and a $90 million deal with Israel for anti-armor weapons made in Mesa by Nammo Talley, formerly Talley Defense Systems.

As a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and unprecedented military budgets, the defense industry in Arizona has boomed while other segments of the economy have lagged. But the growth could slow.

Paul Kinsinger, a global business professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, said U.S. defense contractors will be relying more on international sales, given inevitable U.S. defense cutbacks.

"The buildup cycle of the Bush years is coming to an end, and there will be a likely downturn in U.S. weapons procurement no matter who becomes president," he said. "The winning strategy now is to focus in international markets."

Defense spending for next year is slated at $612 billion, comprising the largest segment of the federal budget.

That, combined with the $700 billion aid for the ailing financial industry, has prompted various analysts to predict cutbacks in defense spending.

For many companies, international sales already are a big part of their business. Others will have to cultivate those markets, Kinsinger said.

"Foreign military sales already make up a big part of our portfolio," said John Patterson, a spokesman for Tucson missile- builder Raytheon. "It's a segment of our business that we see increasing in the years ahead."

Indeed, in the past month, there have been nine separate foreign deals for Raytheon's Tucson-made missiles valued at more that $2 billion. That includes a $737 million order from the United Arab Emirates shared with Boeing Aerospace in Huntsville, Ala.

Foreign military sales have risen sharply in the past year as the U.S. moves to fortify friendly governments in the Middle East in advance of troop withdrawals from Iraq.

The Department of Defense proposed more than $70 billion in foreign military sales during the government's fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That compares with $22 billion in the prior year.

Many of those deals involve countries in the Middle East, such as Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt and Israel, as well s Greece.

The deals are put together through the Defense Department and administered by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The agency notifies Congress about a proposed sale, and lawmakers have 30 days to block a deal. But such action is rare.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2008/10/10/20081010biz-boeing1010.html

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

New geothermal assessment of U.S.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey released the first national geothermal resource e stimate in more than 30 years.

The results of this assessment show that the United States has an estimated 9,057 Megawatts-electric (MWe) of power generation potential from domestic, conventional, identified geothermal systems, 30,033 MWe of power generation potential from conventional, undiscovered geothermal resources, and 517,800 MWe of power generation potential from unconventional (high temperature, low permeability) Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) resources.

Arizona is shown as having only 0.29% of the currently identified geothermal assessments, 3.47% of the unknown resources, and 10.56% of the enhanced geothermal resource potential identified.

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2008/10/new-geothermal-assessment-of-us.html

Monday, October 6, 2008

Project 10 to the 100th

Submission Deadline:
October 20th, 2008

Project 10¹⁰⁰

How it works

Project 10¹⁰⁰ (pronounced "Project 10 to the 100th") is a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible. Here's how to join in.

1. Send us your idea by October 20th.
Simply fill out the submission form giving us the gist of your idea. You can supplement your proposal with a 30-second video.

2. Voting on ideas begins on January 27th.
We'll post a selection of one hundred ideas and ask you, the public, to choose twenty semi-finalists. Then an advisory board will select up to five final ideas. Send me a reminder to vote.

3. We'll help bring these ideas to life.
We're committing $10 million to implement these projects, and our goal is to help as many people as possible. So remember, money may provide a jumpstart, but the idea is the thing.

Good luck, and may those who help the most win.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Arizona gets $1M grant for Phoenix-Tucson rail study

Arizona was awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct a planning study on the environmental impacts of passenger rail service between Phoenix and Tucson.

The grant would complete the environmental analysis necessary for project development, according to a written statement from the federal agency.

The proposed rail plan would operate trains at speeds up to 125 miles per hour with up to 15 rail stations between the two Arizona cities. Currently there is no daily service between Phoenix and Tucson. It’s estimated that daily rail service would attract 1.2 million passengers annually.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, the former director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, released data Tuesday showing that Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in July 2008 compared with July 2007. At the same time, transit ridership increased 11 percent. Amtrak had its busiest month ever in July.

The $1 million grant Arizona received is a matching grant and is part of a $30 million grant program that will be shared with several other states, including California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Phoenix Business Journal - by Jan Buchholz

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/09/29/daily26.html?ana=from_rss

Sunday, September 28, 2008

What Caused Our Economic Crisis? V2

An insightful look into the cause of our current economic crisis.

Goldwater Institute celebrating its 20th anniversary

"The Goldwater Institute, a Phoenix-based, policy-research organization named after the late Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, is celebrating its 20th anniversary."

Read some of the responses to their article

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/2008/09/27/20080927vip-goldwater0928.html

Friday, September 26, 2008

Neighborhood Recycling Centers

Neighborhood Recycling Centers are located at 14 convenient sites around Tucson for citizens to drop off recycling. This service is especially valuable for apartment and mobile home residents and for small businesses that do not have curbside recycling service.

Neighborhood Recycling Center Locations
(Addresses below map)

Locations
1. Joaquin Murrieta Park, northwest corner of Club View Dr. & El Rio Dr.
2. Mansfield Park, on 4th Ave., one block south of Grant Rd.
3. Morris K. Udall Park, south side of Tanque Verde Rd., 1/4 mile east of Sabino Canyon Rd.
4. Miller-Golf Links Library, 9640 E. Golf Links Rd., southeast corner of Golf Links Rd. and Harrison Rd.
5. Golf Links Sports Park, west side of Craycroft Rd., north of Golf Links Rd.
6. Ward 5 Office 4300 S. Park Ave., north of Fair St.
7. Kennedy Park, northwest of the library on the west side of Mission Rd., north of Ajo Way
8. Patrick K. Hardesty Midtown Multi-Service Center 1100 S. Alvernon Way, northwest corner of Alvernon Way and 22nd St.
9. Los Reales Landfill, 5300 E. Los Reales Rd., southwest of Los Reales Rd. and Craycroft Rd.
10. Booth-Fickett Magnet School, 7240 E. Calle Arturo, east of Kolb Rd.
11. Jacobs Park, on Fairview Ave., south of Prince Rd.
12. Tucson Convention Center, northwest corner of Cushing St. and Granada Ave.
13. City of South Tucson, South 6th Ave. at 38th St., southwest corner
14. Himmel Park, 1st St at Tucson Blvd, north parking lot.

Items recyclable at Neighborhood Recycling Centers

Check out the detailed list.
Please don�t contaminate containers with unacceptable items.

Paperboard/
chipboard
Fiberboard
White & colored office-type paper
Milk cartons & drink boxes
Mail
Phonebooks
Newspaper & all newspaper inserts
Glass food & beverage containers
Corrugated cardboard
Brown paper bags
Magazines & glossy catalogs
Steel/tin cans
Plastic non-hazardous product bottles and jugs
Aluminum cans

See the detailed list

http://www.tucsonrecycles.org/

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Geothermal power plant being considered for Nutrioso area

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Geothermal power plant being considered for Nutrioso area

At yesterday's Arizona Geothermal Working Group meeting in Tucson, the CEO for Navopache Electric Cooperative, Dennis Hughes, described their plans to build a geothermal power plant in the Nutrioso area of east central Arizona, capable of generating 50 MW of electricity. If successful, this would be the first geothermal power plant in Arizona.

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2008/09/geothermal-power-plant-being-considered.html

Thursday, September 18, 2008

United Way desperate for volunteers

Every year Tucson businesses let employees take off work to participate in United Way's annual Days of Caring. With the poor economy, many businesses can't afford to do that leaving the United Way short 450 volunteers.
more here: http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9029476&nav=HMO6

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Constant Contact and United Way Introduce Tucson Small Businesses to Local Nonprofits and Agencies at Free Cares4Kids Networking Event

TUCSON, Ariz., Sep 16, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Constant Contact(R), Inc., a leading provider of email marketing and online surveys, is working with the United Way to bring a very special 'Cares4Kids Community Connections' networking event to Tucson this Thursday, September 18, 2008.

This free networking event will help to bring together Tucson area businesses and local Constant Contact customers that care about helping their community nonprofits and United Way agencies in need. Throughout the course of the evening, attendees will be given the opportunity to network with other organizations in the area, learn more about Constant Contact's Cares4Kids program, and enroll in the Cares4Kids Community Connections initiative.

The Details:
What:         Constant Contact's Cares4Kids Community Connections event
When:         September 18, 2008, 6:00-8:30 PM
Where:        The
            Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
            3800 East Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ 85718
Who:          This networking event is open to prospective and current Constant
            Contact customers, United Way agencies and local nonprofit
            organizations that deliver social or educational programs to children

Food and drinks will be served during the event. Space is limited. Please RSVP at cares4kids@constantcontact.com

How Constant Contact's Cares4Kids Program Works:

The Cares4Kids program empowers Constant Contact's small business customers to give back and strengthen their local communities by providing nonprofits and agencies with free access to the full suite of Constant Contact's email marketing and online survey tools. Every Constant Contact customer is eligible to nominate one nonprofit organization that delivers social or educational programs to children, to receive a free Constant Contact account. Pending approval, the nominated organization is accepted into the Care4Kids program and receives one free account including email marketing and online surveys to help bolster their online marketing initiatives. The sponsoring customer dedicates time to helping the local organization create and implement its very first Constant Contact campaign, acting as both a mentor and a guide. For more information on the Cares4Kids program and to sign up to participate in the program visit: http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/cares4kids.jsp

SOURCE: Constant Contact(R), Inc.

National Preparedness Month

National Preparedness Month – Arizona is joining a nationwide campaign sponsored by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign to encourage individuals, families and communities to take action and prepare for emergencies.

During monsoon season, many of us experience a power outage at one point or another. For most, the power service is restored within hours. However, have you thought about what you would do if power could not be restored within hours? Do you have a family communications plan in place? Do you have an emergency supply kit? Do you have nonperishable food supplies for 72 hours?

Please join me this month in taking these important preparedness steps: Get an Emergency Supply Kit; Make a Family Emergency Plan; Be Informed about the types of emergencies and their appropriate responses; and Get Involved in your community’s efforts.

Take that important first step to begin preparing yourself and your family for an emergency. To learn more about family preparedness kits, click here.

AZDOHS National Preparedness Month Prepare, Plan, Be Informed and Be Involved

1. Prepare
	Begin preparing for emergencies by assembling an emergency supply kit. Your kit should contain supplies to survive at least three days. Click here for items to include. Emergency Pantry Chart Instructional Videos on Emergency Preparedness

2. Plan
	Making a family emergency plan is easy. Create a disaster plan with your family so you will all know what to do in the event of an emergency. Be prepared to stay or be prepared to go. Click here for a checklist of items to include in your plan.

3. Stay Informed
	Learn all you can about emergencies that could occur in your community by visiting www.az211.gov or your local county emergency management office.

4. Be Involved
	Find out about local National Preparedness Month events in your area by visiting the ready.gov event calendar and selecting Arizona. Please click on the links for training and volunteer opportunities through local Citizen Corps Councils and other emergency preparedness organizations.

Interested in organizing a fundraiser to benefit the Red Cross?

Cochise | Graham | Greenlee | Pima | Santa Cruz

How to Do It

Download our agreement (MS Word doc, 37k), print and sign the agreement, and send it to us before you begin.
Download and print signs for your fundraiser. Show Signs.

Click on the links below to print the signs you need for your fundraiser to support the American Red Cross. Thanks for supporting our efforts!

Sign for Local Services for Children & Families (Adobe PDF, 48k)

Sign for the National Disaster Relief Fund (Adobe PDF, 48k)

Sign for the International Relief Fund (Adobe PDF, 91k)

Hide Signs
Please count the money you raised.
After your fundraiser ends, please send your funds to our local office (see contact information) in the form of a check to ease in processing.

When a disaster strikes, our staff and volunteers are busy serving children and families devastated by disaster. Because this is our first priority, we are unable to provide support for fundraising efforts. We do appreciate all your support in helping children and families in need.

The American Red Cross encourages, but does not sanction, independent fundraising activities on our behalf by caring members of the community. Because we cannot guarantee the legitimacy of independent fundraising events conducted on our behalf by people outside the organization, we advise that you make a donation directly to your American Red Cross.

Concerned that a particular fundraising effort conducted on behalf of the American Red Cross is not legitimate? Report it here.

Friday, September 12, 2008

New Arizona Business Blog

Welcome to our new Arizona Business Blog.. looks like most of the pictures stopped working in our first set of posts, we'll add them a different way next time.

More reviews, photos along with our thoughts on the way..

Womens Self-Defense Class at Kodenkan of Tucson
Posted By: Kodenkan
Posted: Thu Jul 3 2008
A 2-day course designed to empower and educate women. The focus of this series is to learn and practice methods that may decr ...Click Here for full article

Individualized Spanish classes in Tucson, AZ
Posted By: Crescent Security
Posted: Sun Jun 22 2008
A recent guest speaker at the Leads Unlimited meeting was Pamela Felice Kahlo-Fina who offers Individualized Spanish classes ...Click Here for full article

Eye Institute of Southern Arizona, P.C.

Eye Institute of Southern Arizona, P.C.
Posted By: Eye Institute of Southern Arizona
Posted: Sat Jun 21 2008
Our mission is to provide the highest quality of
care in a compassionate and efficient manner.
By combining sta ...Click Here for full article

Kinney Village Townhomes MODEL HOME located in Phase II
Posted By: Kinney Village Townhomes
Posted: Mon May 5 2008
We are excited to announce the Grand Opening of our new MODEL HOME located in Phase II.
Visit us at 5766 W. Treasure ...Click Here for full article