Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272773030?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Bank Watch: Cooper, CFPB partner on action against debt relief firm
About 80 North?Carolinians?who paid Payday Loan Debt Solutions for debt relief but didn't get help will be reimbursed following the first partnership between states and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the state attorney general's office said Friday.
Attorney General Roy Cooper and counterparts in four other states went in with the fledgling financial system regulator to take the Florida-based firm to court. A federal judge in Miami ordered it to pay $100,000 in refunds.?
It's illegal in North Carolina to collect fees up-front for debt settlement services. The other states involved were?Hawaii, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The CFPB described its first joint enforcement as a "landmark."Source: http://obsbankwatch.blogspot.com/2012/12/cooper-cfpb-partner-on-action-against.html
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Engineers seek ways to convert methane into useful chemicals
Friday, December 21, 2012
Little more than a decade ago, the United States imported much of its natural gas. Today, the nation is tapping into its own natural gas reserves and producing enough to support most of its current needs for heating and power generation, and is beginning to export natural gas to other countries.
The trend is expected to continue, as new methods are developed to extract natural gas from vast unrecovered reserves embedded in shale. Natural gas can be used to generate electricity, and it burns cleaner than coal.
"With petroleum reserves in decline, natural gas production is destined to increase to help meet worldwide energy demands," said Matthew Neurock, a chemical engineering professor in the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science. "But petroleum ? in addition to being used to make fuels ? is also used to make ethylene, propylene and other building blocks used in the production of a wide range of other chemicals. We need to develop innovative processes that can readily make these chemical intermediates from natural gas."
The problem is, there currently are no cost-effective ways to do this. Methane, the principal component of natural gas, is rather inert and requires high temperatures to activate its strong chemical bonds; therefore the practical and successful conversion of methane to useful chemical intermediates has thus far eluded chemists and engineers.
Neurock is working with colleagues at Northwestern University to invent novel ways and catalytic materials to activate methane to produce ethylene. This week the collaborators published a paper in the online edition of the journal Nature Chemistrydetailing the use of sulfur as a possible "soft" oxidant for catalytically converting methane into ethylene, a key "intermediate" for making chemicals, polymers, fuels and, ultimately, products such as films, surfactants, detergents, antifreeze, textiles and others.
"We show, through both theory ? using quantum mechanical calculations ? and laboratory experiments, that sulfur can be used together with novel sulfide catalysts to convert methane to ethylene, an important intermediate in the production of a wide range of materials," Neurock said.
Chemists and engineers have attempted to develop catalysts and catalytic processes that use oxygen to make ethylene, methanol and other intermediates, but have had little success as oxygen is too reactive and tends to over-oxidize methane to common carbon dioxide.
Neurock said that sulfur or other "softer" oxidants that have weaker affinities for hydrogen may be the answer, in that they can help to limit the over-reaction of methane to carbon disulfide. In the team's process, methane is reacted with sulfur over sulfide catalysts used in petroleum processes. Sulfur is used to remove hydrogen from the methane to form hydrocarbon fragments, which subsequently react together on the catalyst to form ethylene.
Theoretical and experimental results indicate that the conversion of methane and the selectivity to produce ethylene are controlled by how strong the sulfur bonds to the catalyst. Using these concepts, the team explored different metal sulfide catalysts to ultimately tune the metal-sulfur bond strength in order to control the conversion of methane to ethylene.
Chemical companies consider methane a particularly attractive raw material because of the large reserves of natural gas in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
In 2007, Dow issued a "Methane Challenge," seeking revolutionary chemical processes to facilitate the conversion of methane to ethylene and other useful chemicals.
The company received about 100 proposals from universities, institutes and companies around the world.
In 2008, the company awarded major research grants to Cardiff University and Northwestern University to advance the quest. Neurock is a member of the Northwestern University team. He is using theoretical methods and high-performance computing to understand the processes that control catalysis and to guide the experimental research at Northwestern.
"The abundance of natural gas, along with the development of new methods to extract it from hidden reserves, offers unique opportunities for the development of catalytic processes that can convert methane to chemicals," Neurock said. "Our finding ? of using sulfur to catalyze the conversion of methane to ethylene ? shows initial promise for the development of new catalytic processes that can potentially take full advantage of these reserves. The research, however, is really just in its infancy"
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University of Virginia: http://www.virginia.edu
Thanks to University of Virginia for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126061/Engineers_seek_ways_to_convert_methane_into_useful_chemicals
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Chicago bandit captured after high-rise prison escape
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The FBI said on Friday it captured one of two bank robbers who escaped this week from a high-rise jail in downtown Chicago by rappelling to the street using a makeshift rope and hailing a cab to get away.
Joseph Jose Banks, 37, was taken into custody without incident late on Thursday night in an apartment complex on the city's north side, said FBI spokeswoman Joan Hyde.
Banks appeared subdued during his brief appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier on Friday. Banks was shackled at the hands and legs and dressed in an orange jump suit like the one he was wearing when he staged the daring escape with his cell mate early Tuesday morning.
He is charged with escape from federal custody.
Banks waived his right to a detention hearing. He will be put in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Correctional Center from which he escaped, according to Beau Brindley, Banks' attorney.
Banks and his cell mate, Kenneth Conley, escaped from the MCC early on Tuesday morning. The pair apparently broke a window in the cell they shared, squeezed through the opening and lowered themselves nearly 20 stories to the street, authorities said.
They made their rope from bed sheets and dental floss, according to local media reports.
The FBI said that, based on videotape evidence, agents believe the pair hailed a taxi a few blocks from the jail after making their escape.
Banks was convicted of armed robbery this month, and Conley pleaded guilty to bank robbery in October. Both men were set to be sentenced early next year.
According to a federal affidavit, Banks and Conley were present during a physical head count at the jail at 10 p.m. Monday.
But jail employees arriving for work Tuesday morning saw what appeared to be a rope hanging from a window on the south side of the building. When a physical head count was conducted inside the facility, neither Banks nor Conley was present.
Conley is considered armed and dangerous, the FBI said.
Escape carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
(Reporting by James B. Kelleher and Mary Wisniewski; editing by Jim Marshall)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chicago-bandit-captured-high-rise-prison-escape-202004703.html
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Poll: If you worked for Google, which corporate gift would you pick?
Gift-giving is a beautiful thing, but it inevitably sets precedents. Last Christmas, Google's employees were each handed a customized Galaxy Nexus to take home, which means they'll be expecting something just as nice this year. One solution would be the Nexus 4, but Mountain View is far too smart to let its festive joy hinge on LG's supply chain. Instead, it's apparently taking the safer route of letting workers choose for themselves: either the excellent Nexus 7 (it's not clear which capacity, but we'd guess 32GB) or a wonderful new Samsung Chromebook, or a recently Jelly Beaned RAZR M. So go on, tell us, if all the right hypotheticals were in place, which would you pick?
Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Google
Source: The Next Web
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9MPTYsTnf9M/
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Friday, December 21, 2012
C&EN Jobs: jobs, Midland jobs, Michigan jobs, Analytical ...
Kelly Services is seeking an Analytical Lab Technologist for our client, a global chemical company, in Midland Michigan.?? This position is a long term contract opportunity and can be extended indefinitely based on performance and business needs.?
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Qualified candidates outside the Midland Michigan area must be willing to interview and relocate at their own expense.? Target start dates?for most positions are 2-3 weeks post interview.? Once submitted for a position, hiring managers typically interview within 5-10 business days.?? Individuals must be current and legally permitted to work in the US.?
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Important information:?? This position is recruited by a remote Kelly office, not your local Kelly branch.? To be considered for this position, use the ???apply now??? button below to submit your resumes.? If you have questions about the position, you may contact the recruiter recruiting for this position (email/phone); however your resume must be received via the ???apply now??? button included within.
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Job Summary:
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The Analytical Technologist will play an important role within the company???s Analytical Support and Operations Group, which provides analytical support to the manufacturing facilities.
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The Analytical Technologist will perform non-routine testing on raw materials, in-process and final product testing.? Calibration and maintenance of all lab equipment will also be performed.? The qualified individual(s) will perform a variety of instrumentation and analytical techniques including HPLC, GC, FTIR, titration, pH, particle size distribution, Karl Fisher moisture analysis.? Additionally sample preparation and separations will be performed.?
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Primary Responsibilities:
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·???????? Provide plant support for maintenance, calibration and troubleshooting of analytical equipment.
·???????? Provide operator training and development of procedures.
·???????? Participate on a cross-functional team to support business or organizational needs.
·???????? Participate in Root Cause Analysis as necessary
·???????? Provide project support as directed by the Business Analytical Leader or Analytical Sciences
·???????? Conduct instrument qualification as needed.?
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Qualifications:
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·???????? BS degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry.?
·???????? 1-3 years experience working in a chemistry laboratory or environment
·???????? Perform daily work independently; be highly productive and efficient.
·???????? Be an effective, contributing member of the team.
·???????? Exude a ???Strong Commitment to Service??? attitude.
·???????? High regard for individual and group safety is expected.
·???????? Strong oral and written communication skills.?
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About Kelly Services
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB)?is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire basis.? Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 550,000 employees annually.?Revenue in 2011 was $5.6 billion.?Visit www.kellyservices.com and connect with us on?
Source: http://chemistryjobs.acs.org/jobs/5051225/analytical-technologist
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Longform?s Best Sex Stories of 2012
This week, we?ll be sharing our favorite articles of the year on Slate. For our full list?including the top 10 of the year, plus picks in sports, politics, tech and more?check out Longform?s Best of 2012.
Demystifying a ubiquitous Internet presence.
?If you think cam girls?those flirty naked characters that plague porn site pop-up ads?are raking in easy money, you're right. If you think cam girls are bleakly stripping online out of desperation, you're also right. Peel away the sex and pixels and money and you're left with the cloudy truth about the Internet's relationship status with these on-demand entertainers: it's complicated.
?You've looked at porn online, which means you've likely been propositioned by advertisements for cam girl networks. They invade your peripheral vision; they pop up behind your window. The women wait for you to start staring, and, just when you're interested, they hit you up for money. You've seen them sitting at their keyboards, wearing barely anything, winking at you, typing to nobody in particular with thin, lethargic arms: bored and conventionally beautiful. The ads, with flirty video that might be live or recorded years ago, shout at you with promises of ?Live Sex Chat? and ?Sex Shows,? with both amateurs and ?pornstars? alike. It's a web red light district, and unlike some gaudy Dutch strip or seedy sidewalk, you're completely anonymous. The sex comes to you.?
Absolute Beginners
Bethany Cosentino, Krista Burton, Lena Dunham, Liz Phair, Miranda July, Pamela Des Barres, Sarah Silverman, Shannon Woodward ? Rookie
Eight women remember their first time.
Lena Dunham talks sexJason Merritt/Getty Images.
?Lena Dunham: When I was about nine I wrote a vow of celibacy on a piece of paper and ate it. I promised myself, in orange magic marker, that I would remain a virgin until I graduated from high school. This seemed important because I knew my mother had waited until the summer after she graduated and also Angela Chase seemed pretty messed up by her experience at that flophouse where high school kids went to copulate. If my relationship to liver pat? was any indication, and I had recently eaten so much that I barfed, then my willpower was very bad, and I needed something stronger than resolve to prevent me from having intercourse too early in life.
?Turns out, this was an unnecessary precaution. The opportunity never arose in high school, nor even during the first year of college, save for a near-miss with a stocky kid I knew who was home visiting New York City from the Air Force Academy?that encounter went far enough that I had to fish a mint-colored, never-used condom out from behind my dormitory bunk bed the next day. I transferred to Oberlin my sophomore year, a small liberal arts school in Ohio that was known for having been the first college to admit both women and men, as well as for its polyamorous, bi-curious student body. I was neither, but it did seem like a good environment in which to finally get the ball rolling. I really felt like the oldest virgin in town, save for a busty riot grrrl from Olympia, Washington, who was equally frustrated; she and I would often meet up in our nightgowns to discuss.
?I was pretty sure I had already broken my hymen in high school, crawling over a fence in Brooklyn in hot pursuit of a cat that clearly didn?t want to be rescued. So the event would only be psychologically painful.?
Sex and status disclosure in the age of Grindr and undetectable HIV-levels.
?The first guy I ever turned down on Grindr for having HIV, my patient zero if you will, is all kinds of hot: hot in the face, hot in the body and hotheaded. In May, he asked me to come over and make out. We chatted a little bit more, he told me about his status and I slipped out of the conversation, just like that. Randomly in July, I noticed him at a movie theater: On Grindr and online, people lie with pictures all the time, choosing ones that distort their appearance in a captured second, but I was able to pick Miguel right out of a crowd. His picture is a symbol of habitual honesty, maybe, but also because he's so attractive, he has no reason to lie.
? ?This always happens: someone will feel bad and then they'll see me out and they'll be like, ?Oh my god, you're so fucking hot,? ? Miguel told me while we waited for our table outside of a Chelsea brunch spot one Saturday in early July after I reconnected and asked him to talk to me.
?Miguel told me that being turned down for sex because he's HIV-positive is something that happens ?all the time,? and that ?almost every time, the minute someone gets to know me, their mind changes.? Exposure to a gay friend often converts homophobes swiftly; the same can be said of an HIV-positive guy meeting others who are fearful. It's somewhat reassuring that that's all it takes in many cases, but it also underlines the exponential burden put upon positive guys. They are either in a constant state of proving themselves socially or they are sitting on a secret.?
The Ayatollah Under the Bed(sheets)
Karim Sadjadpour ? Foreign Policy
Politics, sex, and political sex in Iran.
?Perhaps it's not entirely surprising that Iran's Shiite fundamentalists?not unlike their evangelical Christian, Catholic, Orthodox Jewish, and Sunni Muslim counterparts?spend an inordinate amount of time pondering sexuality. They are human, after all. But the sexual manias of Iran's religious fundamentalists are worthy of greater scrutiny, all the more so because they control a state with nuclear ambitions, vast oil wealth, and a young, dynamic, stifled population. Yet for a variety of reasons?fear of becoming Salman Rushdie, of being labeled an Orientalist, of upsetting religious sensibilities?the remarkable hypocrisy of the Iranian regime is often studiously avoided.
?That's a mistake. Because religion is politics in a theocracy like Iran, uninformed or antiquated notions of sexuality aren't just confined to the bedroom?they pervade the country's seminaries, military barracks, boardrooms, courtrooms, and classrooms. A common aphorism among Iranians is that before the revolution, people partied outside the home and prayed inside, while today they pray outside and party inside. This reverse dichotomy is true of a lot of social behavior in Iran. For many Iranians, this perverse state of affairs is now so ingrained, such an inherent aspect of daily interactions with Iranian officialdom, that it is no longer noteworthy. For those in the West who seek to better understand what makes Tehran tick, though, the regime's curious fixation on sex cannot be ignored.?
Sex in the Olympic Village.
?Home to more than 10,000 athletes at the Summer Games and 2,700 at the Winter, the Olympic Village is one of the world's most exclusive clubs. To join, prospective members need only have spectacular talent and ?we long assumed?a chaste devotion to the most intense competition of their lives. But the image of a celibate Games began to flicker in '92 when it was reported that the Games' organizers had ordered in prophylactics like pizza. Then, at the 2000 Sydney Games, 70,000 condoms wasn't enough, prompting a second order of 20,000 and a new standing order of 100,000 condoms per Olympics.
?Many Olympians, past and present, abide by what Summer Sanders, a swimmer who won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze in Barcelona, calls the second Olympic motto: ?What happens in the village stays in the village.? Yet if you ask enough active and retired athletes often enough to spill their secrets, the village gates will fly open. It quickly becomes clear that, summer or winter, the games go on long after the medal ceremony. ?There's a lot of sex going on,? says women's soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo, a gold medalist in 2008. How much sex? ?I'd say it's 70 percent to 75 percent of Olympians,? offers world-record-holding swimmer Ryan Lochte, who will be in London for his third Games. ?Hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.? ?
For more of the year?s best writing, check out Longform?s Best of 2012.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=90d51895713f8d2d3c1a7a6475b0dfbf
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