A Hi tech Hydrogen Scooter from The Netherlands

High-tech hydrogen scooter

An Industrial Design Engineering graduate from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has designed and built a working prototype of a scooter, which can be powered by hydrogen. Crijn Bouman, who graduated for his Master's degree with credits, designed the Fhybrid scooter for the purpose of fighting pollution in inner-cities. Industrial designer Bouman: "the look and feel of the scooter are aimed at selling the clean technology inside".

The scooter has an electric in-wheel motor that derives its power from a (Li-)ion battery. This battery (primarily when the scooter is stationary) is charged by a compact fuel-cell system, which derives its energy from hydrogen (from a tank) and oxygen (from the air). The battery moreover stores up energy when the scooter brakes. Depending on the amount of traffic, this so-called regenerating braking system reduces the hydrogen consumption by 10-20 percent. To use the energy generated during breaking optimally, the scooter is front-wheel driven.

Apart from being environmentally friendly, the Fhybrid performs better than regular petrol powered scooters during test drives. The Fhybrid has a top speed of 65 km/ph, accelerates faster than regular scooters and can travel approximately 200 km on a full tank of hydrogen. An additional feature is the parking assistant. The electric engine can be very precisely controlled when travelling at low speeds, enabling the driver to park backwards or forwards without having to push the entire scooter into place.

The Fhybrid is designed to be hydrogen-powered, but for now the prototype is powered by batteries, with the help of a fuel-cell simulator that was specially designed for this project. "A special course and various permits are required to build a hydrogen-powered engine. It wasn't possible to achieve this during the time period of my graduation project", Crijn Bouman explained. "The faculty is now trying to assemble all the necessary means to fully develop the hydrogen-powered scooter."

The Fhybrid's complete drive system and energy management system were built by Epyon, a TU Delft spin-off company, of which Bouman is one of the founders, and in partnership with the Delft Design Institute.

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Vancouver Gadgeteers Rescues the Planet

Everything the Vancouver Gadgeteers have done is mainly focused into saving the planet. From Hydrogen ran scooters, to the 80-cent per day cost to run Electric Pick-up running on revived batteries... to the Tree saving technology they are now pushing.

Solar Road shows are being done regularly to benefit and enlighten kids and communities about off the grid technologies. The kids love it! Because science can also be fun!

For more information, please google search Van Gadgeteers or the Battery Reviver in youtube or any internet search engine.

The Vancouver Gadgeteers is a breath of fresh air for times like these.

I think people should make one in their own community.

Salmonella Outbreak possibly Worldwide!

Salmonella Outbreak Hits 42 States
388 Sick, No Deaths So Far; Source Unknown
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Jan. 7, 2009 -- An ongoing salmonella outbreak has sickened 388 people in 42 states, the CDC said today.

At least 67 people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported. Victims of the outbreak range in age from less than 1 year to 103.

"We are collaborating with public health officials in 42 states, the FDA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate an ongoing multistate outbreak of human infection with Salmonella typhimurium," CDC spokesperson Lola Russell tells WebMD.

The CDC has not released the names of the states involved. However, the Ohio Department of Health says in a news release that there have been 50 cases among residents of that state, making Ohio the state with the second most cases.

An FDA spokesperson says the agency is working closely with the CDC to identify the cause of the outbreak. If the CDC determines that the illnesses were caused by an FDA-regulated product, the spokesperson says, the FDA will perform a "traceback" investigation to determine the specific product linked to the outbreak and how that product became contaminated.

The salmonella strain is a common one. Salmonellatyphimurium is the same type of salmonella that in 2007 sickened 401 people in 41 states, Russell says. A CDC investigation traced the 2007 outbreak to undercooked not-ready-to-eat Banquet brand frozen pot pies.

The recent salmonella outbreak traced to peppers (and possibly tomatoes) was the saintpaul strain, a different type of salmonella.

Previous outbreaks of Salmonella typhimurium have been traced to poultry, raw milk and cheese, and pet turtles.

"We are reminding people that it is often difficult to trace the source or sources of salmonella outbreaks," Russell says. "We don't have a potential source at this point."

Localized salmonella outbreaks are not uncommon. Every year, the CDC receives reports of some 40,000 salmonella cases, with about 400 deaths. Because less serious cases are not reported, the actual case number is estimated to be 30-fold higher.

Kids under age 5 are five times more likely to get salmonellosis than others.

Here's the CDC's advice on how to prevent salmonella infection:


* Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs or raw (unpasteurized) milk.

* If you are served undercooked meat, poultry, or eggs in a restaurant, don't hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.

* Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.

* Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.

* Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.

* Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised people.

* Don't work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.

* Mother's milk is the safest food for young infants. Breastfeeding prevents salmonellosis and many other health problems.

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MY THEORY:

Climate Change can cause Mass extinction of species and this includes germs, bacteria or even viruses... on the other hand, it can also cause the birth of new types of species that are more resistant and immune to the new ambient condition or climate. Outbreaks are merely an accelerated birth rate of viruses or bacterias that are air borne which can be spread by natural wind movements or human migratory flow.

This article is placed here in order to raise up our awareness with the environment, the space and everything in it... that includes us... me and you.

Biomass Gasifiers Downsides

This technology was developed before and during the dawning of the industrial revolution, it was further used during a fuel crisis in the 1920's in Europe, Wood Gas burners where used to run vehicles. This is a very efficient, sustainable and non-polluting source of energy. Hydrogen is cracked with the use of this method and CO or Carbon Monoxide is released as one of its by product... very toxic. This is the downside.

I have quoted this from a book on how to make your gasifiers:

"Generator gas poisoning is often caused by technical defects in the functioning of the gas generator unit. When the engine is running, independent of the starting blower, the entire system is under negative pressure created by the engine's pistons; the risk of poisoning through leakage is therefore minimal. However, when the engine is shut off, formation of wood gas continues, causing an increase of pressure inside the generator unit. This pressure increase lasts for approximately 20 minutes after the engine is shut off. For this reason, it is not advisable to stay in the vehicle during this period. Also, the gas generator unit should be allowed to cool for at least 20 minutes before the vehicle is placed in an enclosed garage connected with living quarters. It should be emphasized that the gas formed during the shutdown period has a carbon monoxide cdntent of 23 to 27% and is thus very toxic."

On Toxic Poisoning:

"Many deaths in Europe during World War II were attributed to poisoning from wood gas generators. The danger of 'generator gas poisoning' was one of the reasons that such gasifiers were readily abandoned at the end of World War II. It is important to emphasize that 'generator gas poisoning' is carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Acute 'generator gas poisoning' is identical with the symptoms that may develop if a heating stove damper is closed too early, or if a gasoline vehicle is allowed to idle in a poorly ventilated garage. Table 3-2 shows how poisoning symptoms develop according to the concentration of carbon monoxide in breathable air. It is important to note that rather brief exposures to very small concentrations of carbon monoxide result in undesirable physiological effects.

In case of carbon monoxide poisoning, first aid should consist of the following procedures:

Move the victim quickly out into the open air or to a room with fresh air and good ventilation. All physical exertion on the part of the victim must be avoided.
If the victim is unconscious, every second is valuable. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck. If breathing has stopped, remove foreign objects from the mouth (false teeth, chewing gum, etc.) and immediately give artificial respiration.
Keep the victim warm.
Always call a physician.
In case of mild carbon monoxide poisoning without unconsciousness, the victim should be given oxygen if possible."

This technology seems to be attractive for todays crisis... but I think it is better to stick with enhanced Fossil Fuels... Enhanced Fossil Fuel is about a Hybrid Approach in burning fossil fuel more thoroughly and completely.

Fossil Fuels that are incompletely burned or unburned will release methane... we don't want methane to be released into the atmosphere, what we need to do is crack methane further into it's most disintegrated form - making it harmless to our planet. The process of disintegration can be utilized to benefit mankind in the form of usable energy.

For extreme scenarios, wood gas reactors or biomass gasifiers should incorporate some water hybrid system in it's combustion applications. This will decrease the CO output - which is GOOD! But the wood as fuel is another question. For how long are we going to have a steady supply of waste woods?... another scenario will emerge, shortage of trees in the forest. In my honest opinion, the number of trees should not be compromised when it comes to making an alternative renewable energy project. The trees or any part of it should not even be part of it in the first place.

I think, the best applications for this will be the conversion of land rubbish into public grid energy when it is burned into Gasifiers to run Generators in Power Plants or Boilers with Water Hybrid system.

For those who can think and ponder about this... do so.

A possible solution...

Nothing is impossible... but you need to believe it yourself.

Arctic sea ice melting faster than expected

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer Randolph E. Schmid, Ap Science Writer – Fri Apr 3, 1:03 am ET

WASHINGTON – Arctic sea ice is melting so fast most of it could be gone in 30 years. A new analysis of changing conditions in the region, using complex computer models of weather and climate, says conditions that had been forecast by the end of the century could occur much sooner.

A change in the amount of ice is important because the white surface reflects sunlight back into space. When ice is replaced by dark ocean water that sunlight can be absorbed, warming the water and increasing the warming of the planet.

The finding adds to concern about climate change caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, a problem that has begun receiving more attention in the Obama administration and is part of the G20 discussions under way in London.

"Due to the recent loss of sea ice, the 2005-2008 autumn central Arctic surface air temperatures were greater than 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above" what would be expected, the new study reports.

That amount of temperature increase had been expected by the year 2070.

The new report by Muyin Wang of the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean and James E. Overland of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, appears in Friday's edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

They expect the area covered by summer sea ice to decline from about 2.8 million square miles normally to 620,000 square miles within 30 years.

Last year's summer minimum was 1.8 million square miles in September, second lowest only to 2007 which had a minimum of 1.65 million square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The Center said Arctic sea ice reached its winter maximum for this year at 5.8 million square miles on Feb. 28. That was 278,000 square miles below the 1979-2000 average making it the fifth lowest on record. The six lowest maximums since 1979 have all occurred in the last six years.

Overland and Wang combined sea-ice observations with six complex computer models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to reach their conclusions. Combining several computer models helps avoid uncertainties caused by natural variability.

Much of the remaining ice would be north of Canada and Greenland, with much less between Alaska and Russia in the Pacific Arctic.

"The Arctic is often called the Earth's refrigerator because the sea ice helps cool the planet by reflecting the sun's radiation back into space," Wang said in a statement. "With less ice, the sun's warmth is instead absorbed by the open water, contributing to warmer temperatures in the water and the air."

The study was supported by the NOAA Climate Change Program Office, the Institute for the Study of the Ocean and Atmosphere and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Extinction of Animal and Plant Species

The Planet's First-ever Mass-Extinction Precipitated by a Biotic Agent: Humans
by Rebecca Sato
Global Research, March 31, 2009



Amphibians_2 Should we be alarmed at the current massive die-offs being noted in the animal and plant kingdoms? After all, new species arise and old species die off all the time. Its just nature taking its course, right? Not necessarily. The Earth is now entering the sixth mass extinction event in its four-billion-year history, but what’s different about this die-off is that this is the only such event precipitated by a biotic agent: humans.

The extinction numbers far outweigh the emergence of new species. From a purely selfish perspective, humans should be very concerned. Since we haven’t terraformed Mars yet, we still need a livable ecosystem on this planet in order to survive. As mass extinction occurs, experts say that we end up dealing with serious consequences. Recently, a team of scientists have discovered new information, that indicates things are worse than we previously thought.

"There's no question that we are in a mass extinction spasm right now," said David Wake, professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley. "Amphibians have been around for about 250 million years. They made it through when the dinosaurs didn't. The fact that they're cutting out now should be a lesson for us."

A recent study supported by The National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, found that nearly all of the amphibian species that inhabit the peaks of the Sierra Nevada are threatened. Wake and Vance Vredenburg, research associate at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley and assistant professor of biology at San Francisco State University discovered that for two of these species, the Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog and the Southern Yellow-legged Frog, populations over the last few years declined by 95 to 98 percent, even in highly protected areas such as Yosemite National Park. This means that each local frog population has dwindled to 2 to 5 percent of its former size! Originally, frogs living atop the highest, most remote peaks seemed to thrive, but recently, they are also dying off.

In an article published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers argue that substantial die-offs of amphibians and other plant and animal species force us to accept that a new mass extinction is facing the planet.

Frogs are certainly not the only victims in this mass extinction, Wake noted. Many other scientists studying other organisms are discovering similarly dramatic effects.

Over 10,000 scientists in the World Conservation Union have compiled data showing that currently 51 per cent of known reptiles, 52 per cent of known insects, and 73 per cent of known flowering plants are in danger along with many mammals, birds and amphibians. It is likely that some species will become extinct before they are even discovered, before any medicinal use or other important features can be assessed. The cliché movie plot where the cure for cancer is about to be annihilated is more real than anyone would like to imagine.

"Our work needs to be seen in the context of all this other work, and the news is very, very grim," Wake said.

As of yet, there is no consensus among the scientific community about when exactly the current mass extinction started, notes Wake. It may have been 10,000 years ago, when humans first came from Asia to the Americas and hunted many of the large mammals to extinction. It may have started after the Industrial Revolution, when the human population exploded. Or, we might be seeing the start of it right now. But whatever the start date, empirical data clearly show that extinction rates have dramatically increased over the last few decades.

Peter Raven, past President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, states in the foreword to their publication AAAS Atlas of Population and Environment, "We have driven the rate of biological extinction, the permanent loss of species, up several hundred times beyond its historical levels, and are threatened with the loss of a majority of all species by the end of the 21st century."

The causes of biocide are a hodge-podge of human environmental “poisons” which often work synergistically, including a vast array of pollutants and pesticides that weaken immunity and make plants and animals more susceptible to microbial and fungal infections, human induced climate change, habitat loss from agriculture and urban sprawl, invasions of exotic species introduced by humans, illegal and legal wildlife trade, light pollution, and man-made borders among other many other causes.

Is there a way out? The answer is yes and no. We’ll never regain the lost biodiversity-at least not within a fathomable time period, but there are ways to help prevent what many experts believe is a coming worldwide bio collapse. The eminent Harvard biologist Edward O Wilson has wisely noted that the time has come to start calling the "environmentalist view" the "real-world view". We can’t ignore reality simply because it doesn’t conform nicely within convenient boundaries and moneymaking strategies. After all, what good will all of our conveniences do for us, if we keep generating them in ways that collectively destroy the necessities of life?

Global Research Articles by Rebecca Sato