Find out what it really takes to succeed. Rob reveals how he went from rags to riches and it has everything to do with YOU. You can listen to the WROAR Radio broadcast of ?Self-Transformation vs. Self-Improvement? with co-hosts JK and Deeone?below.
Self-Transformation vs. Self-Improvement
This is a big one. Are you ready for it? The winning way is self-transformation.
We hear about self-improvement often. There are thousands of books that give us tips on how to improve ourselves mentally, physically, financially, in relationships, at work ?.
Self-improvement is a process of making small changes in our lives ? where we improve our health habits, improve our memory skills, improve our relationship skills, improve our musical ability, improve our ability to make more money, improve our sales technique.
Everyone loves self-improvement, yet something often seems to be missing.
Now let?s look at self-transformation. We don?t hear a lot about self-transformation. This is because we are conquered by worried emotions so often than we cannot begin to imagine taking on a campaign to regain total self-command.
Self-transformation is a process of creating ourselves anew ? where we examine our daily thoughts and activity to see how we are slumbering upon ourselves, where we notice how we are behaving in fearfully reactive ways, where we become conscious of self-defeating behavior, and actually recognize it as self-defeating.
************************************************* Illuminating Tip: Only the daring choose self-transformation **************************************************
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Only the daring choose self transformation because self-transformation requires valuing more light rather than crying over the darkness ? valuing days without worries more than enjoying the drama of wailing out ?poor me?? valuing the end of self-doubt rather than coming up with excuses when things aren?t working out ? valuing living one?s own life rather than hoping someone else will give you the perfect action plan for perfect success.
It requires daily alertness to adopt the above values ? it means seeing that we place ourselves in psychological prison when we don?t dare value these things.
I am not putting down self-improvement. Self-improvement offers a healthy viewpoint ? up to a point. But self-improvement doesn?t rid you of those feelings of helplessness, it doesn?t offer you experiences of casualness and calmness when the going gets tough, it doesn?t rid you of the hidden hostility that grips you when others oppose your point of view.
As part of your program for outrageous success ? dare to choose self-transformation. To do this, you must sacrifice the false pleasures that self-improvement offers. Some folks improve their health habits to feel superior to unhealthy people. Some people improve their memory skills to look smarter than others. Some people improve their relationships skills to manipulate others. Some people improve their money-making skills to lord it over others.
When folks strive constantly for self-improvement to gain false pleasures, like the ones mentioned above, their lives continue to feel empty. Do you know why? When we participate in self-improvement to gain false pleasures, we always feel indebted to others. We?re never healthy enough to satisfy everyone. We?re never smart enough to impress everyone. We?re never rich enough to arouse everyone.
The way to live in which you are not indebted to anyone comes with self-transformation. As you transform yourself, you break free of discouraging attitudes ? you remember the existence of something within you that is never discouraged, never feels inferior, is never afraid, and never indebted to others.
Student:You would think everyone would choose self-transformation.
Teacher:We live in a distracting world. We are so distracted by the potholes on the road of life, and the psychological detours we are asked to take, that we cannot hear the good news when told that there is an open highway straight ahead for immediate use.
To see far, first be willing to look close. Be mindful of the potholes and psychological detours on the road of life. Genuine aid awaits you right now. Know that self-transformation is not a burden, as fearful thinkers think; it is an incredible opportunity for freedom ? so you can do what you really want to do and delight in every day in wonderfully new ways.
??He has chosen the highway; he will advance.? - Bhagavad-Gita
In what domain of life have you chosen the highway? In what part of your life are you inwardly free from fighting with yourself? Ah, the sweet experience of self-transformation.
Please share your experiences on this matter.
Thank you, and blessings
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On a side note: If you are in Boston, you cannot afford to miss our next Mind Adventure Meetup. Space is very limited. More info?here.
?Best Comment of the Week.??This weeks best comments come from Julie of ?A Clear Sign and Rus. Thank you for your heartfelt sharing. See their comments?here. Illustrations by?nick
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In this photo taken Wednesday, May 16, 2012, newly constructed roadways are being built in Fairfax County, Va. Driving onto an Interstate highway? Crossing a bridge on the way into work? Taking a tunnel under a river or bay? Get ready to pay. With Congress unwilling to contemplate an increase in the federal gas tax, motorists are likely to be paying ever more tolls as the government searches for ways to repair and expand the nation's congested highways. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
In this photo taken Wednesday, May 16, 2012, newly constructed roadways are being built in Fairfax County, Va. Driving onto an Interstate highway? Crossing a bridge on the way into work? Taking a tunnel under a river or bay? Get ready to pay. With Congress unwilling to contemplate an increase in the federal gas tax, motorists are likely to be paying ever more tolls as the government searches for ways to repair and expand the nation's congested highways. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
In this photo taken Wednesday, May 16, 2012, newly constructed roadways are seen in Fairfax County, Va. Driving onto an Interstate highway? Crossing a bridge on the way into work? Taking a tunnel under a river or bay? Get ready to pay. With Congress unwilling to contemplate an increase in the federal gas tax, motorists are likely to be paying ever more tolls as the government searches for ways to repair and expand the nation's congested highways. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Graphic shows motor fuels tax and toll revenues
In this photo taken Wednesday, May 16, 2011, newly constructed roadways is seen in Fairfax County, Va. Driving onto an Interstate highway? Crossing a bridge on the way into work? Taking a tunnel under a river or bay? Get ready to pay. With Congress unwilling to contemplate an increase in the federal gas tax, motorists are likely to be paying ever more tolls as the government searches for ways to repair and expand the nation's congested highways. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
In this photo taken Wednesday, May 16, 2011, newly constructed roadways is seen in Fairfax County, Va. Driving onto an Interstate highway? Crossing a bridge on the way into work? Taking a tunnel under a river or bay? Get ready to pay. With Congress unwilling to contemplate an increase in the federal gas tax, motorists are likely to be paying ever more tolls as the government searches for ways to repair and expand the nation's congested highways. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Driving onto an Interstate highway? Crossing a bridge on the way into work? Taking a tunnel under a river or bay? Get ready to pay.
With Congress unwilling to contemplate an increase in the federal gas tax, motorists are likely to be paying ever more tolls as the government searches for ways to repair and expand the nation's congested highways.
Tolling is less efficient and sometimes can seem less fair than the main alternative, gasoline taxes. It can increase traffic on side roads as motorists seek to evade paying. Some tolling authorities ? often quasi-governmental agencies operating outside the public eye ? have been plagued by mismanagement. And some public-private partnerships to build toll roads have drowned in debt because of too-rosy revenue predictions.
Tolls are hardly a perfect solution. But to many states and communities, they're the best option available.
"It's very hard in this environment for states to add capacity without charging a toll because they can't afford to do it," said Joshua Schank, president of the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington think tank. "They're barely able to maintain what they've got, and there is an urgent need for capacity."
Some changes already are under way.
In addition to the tolls allowed on Interstates in 15 states, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest, the U.S. has agreed to pilot toll projects on Interstate 95 in Virginia and North Carolina and on Interstate 70 in Missouri.
A commission created by Congress to recommend ways to pay for upkeep of the nation's transportation system predicted in 2009 that the U.S. will face nightmarish congestion unless it spends more. The commission estimated all levels of government were spending a cumulative $137 billion less each year than is necessary to maintain and expand the current system. Without action, there will be a $2 trillion-plus backlog by 2035, it said.
It's been nearly two decades since Congress last increased the federal gas and diesel taxes that have historically paid for highways. Meanwhile, the cost of road and bridge construction has gone up and the purchasing power of fuel taxes has declined by more than a third. Revenue is also down because people have been driving less due to the uncertain economy and because cars are becoming more fuel-efficient.
Federal and state fuel tax revenues peaked in 2007 at $72.4 billion, then dropped to $68.6 billion in 2010, the most recent year for which data are available. Meanwhile, state toll collections rose from $4.9 billion in 2000 to $8.9 billion in 2010, and locally administered tolls rose from $1.6 billion in 2000 to $2.5 billion in 2009.
The trust fund that pays for federal highway programs is forecast to go broke sometime next year, though the House and Senate are trying to negotiate a bill to shore up the funding and overhaul transportation programs. It's unclear whether they'll reach a deal, but if they do, it's likely to contain only a short-term financial fix. That means lawmakers will be back again, scratching for more.
Tolling is the easiest near-term way to pay the bills, says Robert Atkinson, who chaired the financing commission. "If you could allow modest tolling on Interstates, you could raise a lot of money," he said.
Fifteen states, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest, that had turnpikes before the 1956 advent of the Interstate system have grandfathered permission to collect tolls on 2,900 miles of the 47,000-mile system. But federal restrictions prevent other states from placing tolls on federal-aid highways except in limited circumstances.
States want Congress to increase their ability to charge tolls and to allow them to use the money for a variety of transportation needs ? not just upkeep of the roads where tolls are collected, said Eugene Conti, North Carolina's transportation secretary, at a Senate hearing last month.
But states also have a history of slapping tolls on roads traveled by a large share of out-of-state motorists. When Pennsylvania applied to put tolls on Interstate 80, a route favored by truckers, the federal government rejected the plan partly because some of the money raised would have gone to support public transit in Philadelphia, even though the highway doesn't touch the city's metro area. In 2004, Chicago leased its Skyway, an eight-mile road and bridge, to a private toll operator for 99 years in exchange for $1.8 billion that was used to pay off city debt. The resulting toll increases fell heavily on Indiana commuters who use the road to get to jobs in Chicago.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., has introduced a bill to give the secretary of transportation oversight of tolling practices. The financing commission made a similar recommendation.
What to do about tolling isn't addressed in the highway bill now before Congress because of a standoff earlier this year between senators who favor and oppose easing tolling on Interstate highways. The issue is expected to be revived next year after the retirement of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who has led the opposition to greater tolling.
One concern is that the Interstate system is aging, which means money must be found to repair and replace the roads.
"The roads are out there and we've paid off the mortgage, but that doesn't mean the system is paid for. ... Now the roads are crumbling and we have to upgrade them," said Patrick Jones, executive director of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, which represents toll facilities.
Some relaxation of the ban is in the works. The Transportation Department has selected the three states ? Virginia, North Carolina and Missouri ? for pilot toll projects.
Under another program, a $2 billion project now under way would add High Occupancy Toll lanes on Interstate 495 in the Virginia suburbs of Washington. The state can't afford to build the lanes on its own, but money raised by a private investment partnership and a $586 million federal loan made the project possible.
Motorists who buy an E-ZPass that can be read electronically will be able use the lanes. Toll prices will fluctuate depending on traffic density. If toll lanes are crowded, prices will keep rising until enough motorists decide to remain in the slower lanes. The aim is to give motorists a way to travel quickly, but only if they are willing to pay for it ? an idea that has stirred controversy. Cars with three or more passengers will be able to use the lanes without paying.
The administrative costs of tolling are far greater than the gas tax, even when using electronic tolling, said Phineas Baxandall, a senior analyst with the private, consumer-oriented U.S. PIRG.
Some tolling agencies could also use "a dose of sunshine," Baxandall said. Because many are quasi-governmental, public disclosure, open meeting and other transparency rules don't always apply, he said. As a result, they frequently operate out of public sight, creating opportunities for corruption or manipulation by industry, he said.
A report by the New Jersey comptroller in March said cronyism and mismanagement at the Delaware River Port Authority had wasted millions of dollars. The authority operates four bridges, a ferry and a rail line across the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently raised cash fares on six Interstate bridges and tunnels to $12 for cars. By 2015, it will cost a five-axle truck paying cash $105 to cross between New York and New Jersey, three times as much as for any other bridge or tunnel in the country, according to the American Trucking Association. Bill Baroni, the authority's deputy executive director, told a Senate hearing the fare hikes are necessary to make up for years of neglect and mismanagement.
Despite concerns about more and higher tolls, it's difficult for lawmakers to tell state and local governments not to pursue greater tolling when Congress isn't providing a comparable alternative source of funds.
Jones, of the tolling industry association, predicted that as traffic congestion worsens, people "are going to demand, 'We need better roads, we need more efficiency,' and they are going to ask for tolling and direct user fees to build the transportation that they need."
___
Follow Joan Lowy at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senators investigating the Secret Service prostitution scandal said Wednesday that dozens of reported episodes of misconduct by agents point to a culture of carousing in the agency and urged Director Mark Sullivan to get past his insistence that the romp in Cartagena was a one-time mistake.
The disconnect between the senators and Sullivan reappeared again and again throughout the two-hour hearing, even as the Secret Service chief for the first time apologized for the incident that tarnished the elite presidential protection force. By the end, Sullivan's job appeared secure even as new details emerged that left little doubt, senators said, that a pattern of sexual misbehavior had taken root in the agency.
"He kept saying over and over again that he basically does think this was an isolated incident and I don't think he has any basis for that conclusion," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the senior Republican on the Homeland Security panel that heard Sullivan's first public accounting of the episode.
"For the good of the Secret Service," added Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the panel chairman, "he's got to assume that what happened in Cartagena was not an isolated incident or else it will happen again." Still, Sullivan insisted repeatedly that in his 29-year Secret Service career he had never heard anyone say that misconduct was condoned, implicitly or otherwise.
"I just do not think that this is something that is systemic within this organization," Sullivan said.
The misconduct became public after a dispute over payment between a Secret Service agent and a prostitute at a Cartagena hotel on April 12. The Secret Service was in the Colombian coastal resort for a Latin American summit before Obama's arrival. Twelve employees were implicated, eight of them ousted, three cleared of serious misconduct and one is being stripped of his security clearance. Sullivan said two who initially resigned now are fighting for their jobs back.
"These individuals did some really dumb things," Sullivan told the Senate panel. "I'm hoping I can convince you that it isn't a cultural issue."
He didn't make much progress on that front, as senators offered fresh evidence of what they considered reckless behavior. Lieberman said 64 allegations or complaints of sexual misconduct were made against Secret Service employees in the last five years.
Three of those, Lieberman said, were complaints of inappropriate relationships with a foreign national and one of "nonconsensual intercourse," on which he didn't have enough information to elaborate. Sullivan said that complaint was investigated by outside law enforcement officers, who decided not to prosecute.
Thirty other cases involved alcohol, Lieberman said, almost all relating to driving under the influence.
Sullivan also told the committee an agent was fired in a 2008 Washington prostitution episode, after trying to hire an uncover police officer.
Charles Edwards, the inspector general at the Homeland Security Department conducting his own probe, and Sullivan discussed an episode from the 2002 Olympics when at least three agents were caught in a rowdy, drunken party in the agents' hotel rooms with college-age women under 21, the legal drinking age.
They were accused of plying the women with alcohol, and two were accused of but not charged with sexual misconduct. One agent was charged with disorderly conduct. The agents involved left the Secret Service, Edwards and Sullivan said.
Against that backdrop, Colombia was probably not an aberration, lawmakers said.
"It's just hard to believe that this is just a one-time occurrence," said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
But Sullivan stuck to that reasoning, pointing out that the dozen agents and supervisors implicated in the Colombia incident were a tiny fraction of the agency's 7,000 employees.
"I can understand how the question could be asked," Sullivan said, calling his employees "among the most dedicated, hardest-working, self-sacrificing employees within the federal government."
He also told senators that Obama's security was never at risk. The officers implicated in the prostitution scandal could not have inadvertently disclosed sensitive security details because their confidential briefing about Obama's trip had not taken place.
"At the time the misconduct occurred, none of the individuals involved in the misconduct had received any specific protective information, sensitive security documents, firearms, radios or other security-related equipment in their hotel rooms," Sullivan said.
Collins dug in. She pointed out that several small groups of Secret Service employees separately visited clubs, bars and brothels and engaged in sexual and other conduct that could have exposed them to blackmail or coercion by foreign intelligence service, drug cartels or others.
She noted that two participants were Secret Service supervisors ? one with 21 years of service and the other with 22 years ? and both were married. Their involvement "surely sends a message to the rank and file that this kind of activity is tolerated on the road," Collins said. Nor, she said, did they try to hide their activities. The agents signed themselves and their guests into the hotel registry.
Both she and Lieberman seized on Sullivan's account of a government-wide survey taken that found only about 60 percent of Secret Service agents said they would report misconduct by their colleagues.
Lieberman told the hearing it is impossible to establish a historical pattern of Secret Service conduct from what is known so far.
But he said: "It is hard for many people, including me, to believe that on one night in April 2012 in Cartagena, Colombia, 11 Secret Service agents ? there to protect the president ? suddenly and spontaneously did something they or other agents had never done before."
Prostitution is legal in Colombia, but Sullivan quickly issued new guidelines that made it clear that agents on assignment overseas are subject to U.S. laws.
___
Associated Press writer Alicia A. Caldwell contributed to this report.
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 22, 2012 file photo, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The privately built space capsule that's zipping its way to the International Space Station has also launched something else: A new for-profit space race. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 22, 2012 file photo, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The privately built space capsule that's zipping its way to the International Space Station has also launched something else: A new for-profit space race. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A privately built space capsule that's zipping its way to the International Space Station has also launched something else: A new for-profit space race.
The capsule called Dragon was due to arrive near the space station for tests early Thursday and dock on Friday with its load of supplies. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. ? run by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk ? was hired by NASA to deliver cargo and eventually astronauts to the orbital outpost.
And the space agency is hiring others, too.
Several firms think they can make money in space and are close enough to Musk's company to practically surf in his spaceship's rocket-fueled wake. There are now more companies looking to make money in orbit ? at least eight ? than major U.S. airlines still flying.
Private space companies have talked for years about ferrying goods and astronauts for NASA, but this is the first time one is actually in orbit and about to make a delivery for the space agency.
"Dragon is not the only entrant in commercial cargo," said Jeff Greason, president of XCOR Aerospace, which specializes in the also busy suborbital marketplace. "They have competitors nipping at their heels."
Still, Dragon's launch is "the spark that will ignite a flourishing commercial spaceflight marketplace," said Michael Lopez-Alegria, the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and a former astronaut.
Hiring Musk's SpaceX and other private companies is a key part of NASA's plan to shift focus. Instead of routine flights to the space station with the now retired space shuttles, NASA is aiming further out to places like asteroids and Mars. After this test flight, SpaceX has a contract with NASA for a dozen delivery runs.
The idea is to "let private industry do what it does best and let NASA tackle the challenging task of pushing the boundary further," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said last week.
NASA has given seed money and contracts to several companies to push them on their way. But eventually, space missions could launch, dock to a private space station or hotel and return to Earth and not have anything to do with NASA or any other country's space agency.
Earlier this month, the Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX signed an agreement with Bigelow Aerospace of Nevada which is designing inflatable space stations for research and maybe even tourists. SpaceX and other companies will provide the transportation ? like airlines ? and Bigelow the place to stay. There are already eight different licensed spaceports in the U.S. where companies can launch from and most of them have no connection to NASA.
Another space launch-and-tourism company, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic is working separately from NASA and the space station.
If NASA isn't involved, there is one federal agency that is. The Federal Aviation Administration has a commercial space office that licenses private space missions and works with NASA to set safety standards.
An update on some of the closest competitors to SpaceX:
? Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., is in the cargo-only business, but it is closest to launch. It has a NASA contract for $1.9 billion for eight cargo flights to the space station once its rockets succeed. The early versions of its Antares rocket and Cygnus spaceship are already built, but the company is waiting for its launch pad to be finished at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. A stay-on-the-ground test is aimed for late July, a launch test in the fall and trial run to the space station around November, said spokesman Barron Beneski.
? Alliant Techsystems, headquartered in Arlington, Va., isn't funded by NASA's commercial space program, but has developed the Liberty rocket and passenger spacecraft system. Most of the rocketry and capsule systems have been tested. A key structural test of the rocket's second stage is scheduled for early July, with the first unmanned test flight in 2014. Tests with a private crew aboard would be in 2015 and it would be ready to ferry NASA material and astronauts in 2016, according to Kent Rominger, a former astronaut and Liberty's program manager.
? Boeing Co. of Chicago has nearly $113 million in NASA commercial crew funding and just finished its second parachute drop test in the Nevada desert. It has completed 46 of 52 milestones needed before flights, spokeswoman Susan Wells said. A landing airbag test is targeted for the fall. The Boeing space capsule, called a CST-100, will carry astronauts and cargo with three test launches aimed for 2015 and 2016, the last one with a crew on board.
? The Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., with nearly $106 million from NASA, is building a mini-shuttle crew vehicle called Dream Chaser with a first flight targeted for 2016 or possibly 2017. The company this year finished landing gear tests and has a full-scale ship for flight testing attached to a helicopter this fall in California.
? The most secretive of the companies, Blue Origin of Kent, Wash., is run by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and has received $22 million from NASA. Its crew and cargo vehicle, called New Shepard, would also take tourists to suborbit. Its shell passed wind tunnel tests and its engines are now being test fired at NASA's Stennis Space Center.
___
Online:
NASA commercial program: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/index.html
___
Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears
Now a day?s one of the most Utilized gadget in the world is the cellphone. It?s not only a source of communication but this high tech, dashing and trendy machine has multiple functionalities eg the ability to surf the Web, pump out tunes, capture your memories, and play full-length movies and TV shows. Mobile phones have become more than miniature long-distance walkie-talkies, electronic utility of this tool has been further complemented by its accessories, making it not just a phone, rather a minicomputer. Phone accessories are as high in demand as a mobile phone itself.
Making a fashion statement in the technological world of telecommunication, style and chic are extended to accessories of phone as well. Today, the market is flooded with a sprawling range of phone accessories from hard ware to software. All phone companies famous designer accessories for phones, to attract high number of customers before designing a new model. Accessorize your phone with colorful cell phone cases, phone holders, hands free kit, Bluetooth headset, etc not only provides functionality but also adds beauty and style. In addition to being an integral part of the gadget, these accessories enhance the appearance of mobile phones. You can add a touch of your personality to your cell phone when you choose the right faceplate, case or cover. High quality and affordable cases Can Provide a new look for your existing phone. These cases are available in almost any style imaginable. Equipping your mobile phone with a nice fitting, durable case will greatly enhance the lifetime of your phone as well. Faceplates so comes in a variety of colors and styles so you can easily find one that suits you and makes your mobile phone stand out from others, while protecting the original face of your phone. Purchasing of additional car charger is another must-have phone accessory, as it will preventDefault you from being stranded with a dead mobile phone. Many people, especially travelers do not properly care for their batteries, due to Which mobile go dead there in the middle of a call when they are between locations. These chargers charge your battery willfully in under an hour. Sometimes if you?re lucky you will receive one with your phone upon purchase but do not count on it. The handsfree kit has become one of the ultimate cell phone accessories, especially if you find yourself needing to talk on the phone while you are driving a car. Some of the headsets are equipped with inbuilt microphones and Provide excellent sound quality with deep bass. They also feature noise canceling facility that cut down the ambient sounds. More over if your phone has Bluetooth capabilities then you will be able to get a wireless set up Which is a pretty slick way to go. If your phone can handle stereo Bluetooth streaming, you are probably on the lookout for different ways to pipe music to your ear holes. No more inconvenience of tangling wires headset you can answer calls, dial by voice, and chat hands-free device while driving with this minute that stays in your ear quiet unnoticed. Phones therefore include keypads, data cables, antennas and memory cards. These accessories are not only functional but decorative and add spice to your phone. Data cables are must for camera phones and all those with MP3 capabilities. The data cables works as a communication medium between your PC and mobile. It allows you to transfer data and other media files from your cell phone to computer and vice versa. The memory cards are so must for the same types of phones so you can store more music and pictures before having to download it to your computer. Some phones allow memory cards to be plugged directly into the phone. This will increase the capacity for photos, music, or anything else you want to store on your cellphone. Antennas will give your phone a boost reception Which will increase the received signal a couple of times, so you?ll never worry about dropping a call even if you have dropped off the map. Wide range of Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC, Palm, Sony Ericsson, iPhone and BlackBerry accessories are available online at a nominal prices against the functionality they provide. Whatever the phone accessory there?s one that fits every personality. All you need to do is shop. With high quality and affordable pricing, many phone accessory wholesale websites will help equip you with the hottest accessories in the market. Accessories add to the performance of a cellphone, they offer practical solutions to data-connectivity, make driving safer and add class to your cell phone. id=?article-resource?> Ronnie Williams is a staff writer for WirelessPhoneGallery.com. You can find latest cell phones, discounted cell phone accessories , especially blackberry accessories , iphone accessories, palm accessories, apple accessories and wide range of accessories for LG, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and HTC.
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It?s hard to overestimate the degree of naivet? on the part of the West as it heads toward another round of nuclear talks with Iran in Baghdad on Wednesday.
Clearly, Iran is stalling for time to develop a nuclear weapon. One example: In talks last month in Istanbul, Tehran seems to have convinced international negotiators of the sincerity and weight of a fatwa, or religious edict, by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that a nuclear bomb is haram ? forbidden ? in Islam.
Last week, for instance, former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard said the fatwa will help promote confidence about Iran?s nuclear activities.
OPINION:?3 reasons not to attack Iran
The ayatollah is not beholden to keep his word, but that doesn?t seem to be of much concern. At the Istanbul talks, the West agreed for the first time to Iran?s demand that it may enrich uranium, with restrictions ? despite UN resolutions to the contrary.
The Islamic regime has continuously believed that the more its nuclear program is expanded and progress is achieved, the less likely the West will demand a halt to the program ? and if Iranian leaders remain steadfast in the face of all threats, the more likely the West will eventually accept a nuclear Iran.
Recent chronology bears this out.
When President Obama took office in 2009, Iran was under several UN sanctions conditioned on its suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities. At the time, Iran had 1,200 kilos of low-enriched uranium at its Natanz facility.
Mr. Obama chose to engage the Islamic regime, believing that an extended hand would yield better results than threats. He reasoned that a new US approach would be welcomed by Tehran because it was a complete change from the Bush administration.
However, the radicals ruling Iran saw this extended hand as weakness. They engaged the Obama administration while enriching uranium beyond the benign 3.5 percent level, as it had been limited to for many years, to the 20 percent level. While that is not a high enough enrichment level for a nuclear weapon, it is high enough to get to bomb-grade very quickly ? in a matter of weeks if Tehran decides to do so.
Early in 2010, Obama, realizing his defeat in the negotiation phase, moved to a sanctions phase. But instead of the crippling sanctions he had promised, he started step-by-step sanctions that Iran?s clerics saw as further proof of America?s inability to stop Iran, which emboldened them to speed up their program.
OPINION:?5 reasons US must avoid war with Iran
Today Iran, under further sanctions by the United Nations, United States, and European Union, has over 5.5 tons of enriched uranium ? enough to eventually make six nuclear bombs. It continues to enrich uranium with more than 9,000 centrifuges at Natanz, both at the 3.5 and 20 percent levels, and at the previously secret site, the Fordow facility, deep in a mountain near the city of Qom, to the 20 percent level.
All the while Iran is expanding the number of centrifuges at both sites, with a possibility that there are more sites unknown to the West or the International Atomic Energy Agency.
This takes us to the current set of negotiations. In Instanbul, the West handed the Islamic regime a historic win. For the first time in the negotiations over Iran?s nuclear program, the West offered Iran full acceptance of its nuclear enrichment process if Iran stopped the 20-percent enrichment.
In other words, the West has caved to Iranian demands of accepting its domestic nuclear enrichment.
Most interesting is an Iranian analysis of Khamenei?s fatwa: ?If the Obama administration realizes the importance of the place of the supreme leader in Iran and understands the fatwa, then most of their problem [with Iran?s nuclear issue] will be solved.?
The analysis ominously stated: ?There will be no other guarantee beyond the fatwa to the West? ? meaning that the West will only get the word of a leader whose regime has been based on lies and deceit, a leader who has ordered the slaughter of thousands of Iranians ? and also Americans ? in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a leader who constantly threatens the existence of Israel and the ?defeat? of America.
ANOTHER VIEW: Iran nuclear talks: To keep global support, US must seize diplomatic opportunities
Khamenei is not a grand ayatollah, or a marja, and therefore cannot issue a fatwa. Many in Iran?s Islamic leadership know this. He was elevated to ayatollah status overnight to replace Ruhollah Khomeini when he died in 1989. Even if a marja issues a fatwa, he can overturn it if it benefits Islam. So Khamenei?s fatwa can be tossed out at the right time.
Interestingly, the regime?s interpretation of the Quran is to deceive its enemy, i.e. the West, until such time as the regime is strong enough to confront it.
Is Obama so naive as to hang on to a fake fatwa in return for accepting a nuclear Iran?
His secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, says she has discussed the fatwa with Turkey?s prime minister, experts, and religious scholars. ?If it is indeed a statement of principle, of values, then it is a starting point for being operationalized, which means that it serves as the entryway into a negotiation as to how you demonstrate that it is indeed a sincere, authentic statement of conviction,? she said last month.
According to media reports, the US is expected to push Iran to close its Fordow facility and send its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium out of the country.
Iran has ruled out the closure of Fordow, even announcing that it will increase the number of centrifuges at that facility. And so far, its strategy of expanding its nuclear program while wearing down the West has already proved successful.?
OPINION:?Five reasons to attack Iran
It is clear that after a decade of negotiations and sanctions, the leaders of the Islamic regime will not accept a full halt to their nuclear program. But given that Iran now has the know-how to make a bomb, that is the only outcome that should be acceptable to the West.
Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran?s Revolutionary Guard and the author of the award winning book "A Time to Betray:?The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent Inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran." He teaches at the US Department of Defense?s Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy (JCITA) and is a member of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security.
ALSO BY THIS WRITER:?Ex-CIA spy: History of failed negotiations shows Iran won't deal
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MIAMI (AP) - Forgive rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill if he looks lost. Since joining the Miami Dolphins, he has been trying to get around town without using a GPS.
Driving home one day from the team complex, Tannehill was determined to find his way without navigational help. He overshot his apartment and wound up on Alligator Alley.
"I ended up missing an exit and was halfway to the Everglades before I turned around," he said with a rueful smile.
There are sure to be moments of confusion for Tannehill on the field, too, but so far the Dolphins like what they see. Even his competition for playing time raves about the rookie.
"Hey, he can spin it. He definitely can throw the ball," incumbent quarterback Matt Moore said Tuesday following the first of the Dolphins' offseason organized team activities. "He's quiet right now, but you can tell he's definitely a quality, quality player. I'm looking forward to getting to see him play more."
It's been many years since a rookie quarterback joined the Dolphins with the lofty expectations that accompany Tannehill. Some of that stems from desperation - since Dan Marino retired following the 1999 season, the Dolphins have started 16 quarterbacks, the most in the NFL.
Tannehill was selected eighth overall in last month's draft, making him the first QB taken in the opening round by the Dolphins since Marino in 1983.
It's unlikely he'll beat out Moore and veteran David Garrard to start the season opener. But it wouldn't be surprising if the rookie sees significant action before the season is over.
Working against Tannehill is his lack of experience at quarterback. He started just 19 games there at Texas A&M after switching from receiver.
On the other hand, his progress with the Dolphins should be accelerated because he's so familiar with the offense. His college coach, new Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, brought along the A&M playbook.
As Tannehill lined up to run a play Tuesday, he paused before taking the snap to tell tight end Michael Egnew he was lined up wrong. Garrard, 34, said it's weird to be around a rookie quarterback who already knows everyone's assignments.
"They usually come in with a question mark on their face and have starry eyes trying to figure out what's going on," Garrard said. "But this is the offense he ran in college, or a lot of it."
As a result, Garrard and Moore find themselves getting help from the rookie.
"A lot of times he's giving us tips on things," Garrard said.
While the two veteran quarterbacks praise Tannehill, he appreciates the way they've accepted him.
"From day one they kind of welcomed me into the quarterback room," he said. "I was kind of wondering how it was going to be walking into that room, but they're great guys."
Sorting out the pecking order at the position will likely be the most scrutinized decision this year by new coach Joe Philbin, who helped groom Aaron Rodgers to succeed Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers.
With the first game nearly four months away, Philbin's not about to tip his hand on which way he's leaning.
"We want a competitive situation at that position, as well as the other positions," Philbin said. "These guys work hard; they deserve the opportunity to compete for a job on this team, a starting position on this team. The quarterback position in my mind is no different from other positions. I like the group of guys that we have. We have a million miles to go, and so we will see how it shakes out."
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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My son's first steps, my daughter holding my younger son on the day he was born ? as a parent, these pictures of my kids are priceless and irreplaceable. That's why it's so important to back them up.
I've heard from many people, including friends and family, who say that they use external hard drives to back up photos because they're afraid pictures of their kids could get out onto the Internet or that their cloud service might lose their photos.
It's easy to see where these concerns originate ? it seems like every couple of weeks we hear about some big company or service being hacked. Sony Entertainment Network, Zappos, even Symantec, which makes Norton Antivirus software, have been the victim of hackers. And Internet giants, like Microsoft Hotmail and Amazon, have experienced service outages and data loss.
But most people's family photos are safer when stored online. First and foremost, the files are encrypted on most major cloud storage sites using the same level of security banks use for online transactions, both during transport from your computer to your cloud service and as they sit on your service's servers. And, unless you are a celebrity, your family photos are only valuable to you. Hackers go after corporations and other targets in hopes of monetary gain, for notoriety or for political reasons. Frankly, most of our photos aren't worth a hacker's time and effort.
As far as data loss, cloud services are far more reliable backup solutions than external hard drives. Yes, in rare instances cloud-based services have lost data, but external hard drives can fail, too. What's more important is not whether your backup solution can fail, but when it will fail. An external hard drive is far more likely to fail at the same time as your computer ? whether from fire, flood or theft ? resulting in total loss of all your precious photos. If a cloud service fails, you still have the original photos on your PC.
So where should you back up your photos online? If privacy isn't a concern, the logical place for some might be Facebook. You'll be losing image quality if you go that route. Facebook will only store up to 4MP-size files, which is far below the original files size generated by most digital cameras and even cellphones today. Plus, backup won't be automated.
You might also consider a commercial photo service, like Shutterfly. Just keep in mind that some services require an annual purchase to continue storing your photos (Shutterfly doesn't), your photos won't be encrypted and the backup process won't be automated.
I prefer to use a cloud storage service, which automatically backs up my files. The best services:
Encrypt your data during transport as well as while stored on the service.
Have apps for accessing data on mobile devices, so you have access to all your photos on the go.
Work with Macs and Windows PCs.
Are easy to set up and use.
Google Drive and Microsoft SkyDrive provide automatic sync and are good, low-cost options. In the end, though, I selected CrashPlan+ for its unlimited backup and SugarSync for its flexibility in syncing files stored anywhere on your computer.
CrashPlan+ This back-up service is a great deal for those who have a lot of photos and video. For $49.99 a year, you get unlimited backup for one computer. With CrashPlan+ Family at $119.99 per year, you can backup two to 10 computers. You can specify where files are backed up ? to the CrashPlan server, to a family member's computer or to other computers on your network ? and how often. You can set backup intervals from once a day to real time. There are apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices to access your files on the go.
SugarSync If you're looking to synchronize your files across multiple computers and create a backup, you'll want to go with SugarSync. With this service, you can make a change in a file on any computer you have on your account and those changes will be automatically made to all of the other computers you have synced. If you need to view a previous version of a file, SugarSync stores the last five, with only the latest version counting toward your storage limit.
You can share folders or files with other people as read-only or with full access, which makes it great for sharing pictures and albums with family and friends. You can also access all your files with Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone apps.
You can get a free 5GB account. Paid accounts start at 30GB for $49.99 per year for one user.
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HIT essential to disaster support, recoveryPublic release date: 21-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stacey DiLorenzo sdilorenzo@gwu.edu 202-994-8356 George Washington University
IT planning for data and infrastructure key to sustaining care
WASHINGTON and NEW YORK A new article titled, "An HIT Solution for Clinical Care and Disaster Planning: How One Health Center in Joplin, MO, Survived a Tornado and Avoided a Health Information Disaster," by the Geiger Gibson /RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, was released today in the Online Journal of Public Health Informatics (OJPJI). It examines the experience of a community health center in the aftermath of the major tornado that swept through the American Midwest in the spring of 2011, and provides insight into key information technology planning issues, especially those related to patient records and health center data, essential to disaster survival and recovery.
Access Family Care (AFC), a community health center serving southwest Missouri at four sites, including two in the city of Joplin, sustained the May 2011 tornado that pummeled the area, devastating Joplin and the surrounding communities. Despite catastrophic damage to the Joplin area, AFC was able to continue serving patients because of its comprehensive disaster planning and robust electronic medical record (EMR) system. While other providers, including the local hospital, were nearly demolished, the center's physical plant remained intact and the health information technology platform enabled it to play an integral role in post-disaster response and recovery, as well as the ongoing provision of primary medical and dental care to adults and children in the community.
"Few examples exist in which health centers and other safety net providers understand and plan for patients' need to access their medical records in the wake of natural disasters. In this instance, AFC shows that thoughtful planning, more than luck, helped ensure that their investment in HIT was secured and ability to provide essential care for patients retained." said Peter Shin, Ph.D., M.P.H., co-author of the article and Associate Professor in GW's Department of Health Policy.
Authors Shin and Feygele Jacobs, M.P.H, M.S., note that today, HIT initiatives are focused largely on electronic capture of meaningful clinical data, the use of data to track and improve quality, and the exchange of patient information in a structured format. However, there is relatively little attention to how CHCs and other providers should best secure their data and prepare for possible interruptions to care and information access. The authors recommend that clear guidance, based on industry best practices, be developed to help health centers plan for the information technology elements of disaster situations, and that data security be identified as a priority.
"In today's world, it is increasingly important that we equip health centers with the tools and information they need to ensure that they are adequately prepared for a range of scenarios and can continue to offer vital services to the community." said Julio Bellber, President and CEO of the RCHN Community Health Foundation. "Investing in HIT planning has short- and long-term benefits, helping communities when unforeseeable disasters strike."
###
The article appears in the April 2012 edition of the Online Journal of Public Health Informatics (Vol 4, No 1), and can be accessed here: http://ojphi.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/ojphi/article/view/3818/3214
About the Geiger Gibson / RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative
The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy, established in 2003 and named after human rights and health center pioneers Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, is part of the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University. It focuses on the history and contributions of health centers and the major policy issues that affect health centers, their communities, and the patients that they serve. Additional information about the Research Collaborative can be found online at www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/ggprogram or at rchnfoundation.org.
About the RCHN Community Health Foundation
The RCHN Community Health Foundation, founded in October 2005, is a not-for-profit foundation whose mission is to support community health centers through strategic investment, outreach, education, and cutting-edge health policy research. The only foundation in the country dedicated to community health centers, the Foundation builds on health centers' 40-year commitment to the provision of accessible, high quality, community-based healthcare services for underserved and medically vulnerable populations. The Foundation's gift to the Geiger Gibson program supports health center research and scholarship. For more information on RCHN CHF, visit www.rchnfoundation.org.
About the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services:
Established in July 1997, the School of Public Health and Health Services brought together three longstanding university programs in the schools of medicine, business, and education that we have since expanded substantially. Today, more than 1,100 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 40 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees in public health. Our student body is one of the most ethnically diverse among the nation's private schools of public health. http://sphhs.gwumc.edu/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
HIT essential to disaster support, recoveryPublic release date: 21-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stacey DiLorenzo sdilorenzo@gwu.edu 202-994-8356 George Washington University
IT planning for data and infrastructure key to sustaining care
WASHINGTON and NEW YORK A new article titled, "An HIT Solution for Clinical Care and Disaster Planning: How One Health Center in Joplin, MO, Survived a Tornado and Avoided a Health Information Disaster," by the Geiger Gibson /RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, was released today in the Online Journal of Public Health Informatics (OJPJI). It examines the experience of a community health center in the aftermath of the major tornado that swept through the American Midwest in the spring of 2011, and provides insight into key information technology planning issues, especially those related to patient records and health center data, essential to disaster survival and recovery.
Access Family Care (AFC), a community health center serving southwest Missouri at four sites, including two in the city of Joplin, sustained the May 2011 tornado that pummeled the area, devastating Joplin and the surrounding communities. Despite catastrophic damage to the Joplin area, AFC was able to continue serving patients because of its comprehensive disaster planning and robust electronic medical record (EMR) system. While other providers, including the local hospital, were nearly demolished, the center's physical plant remained intact and the health information technology platform enabled it to play an integral role in post-disaster response and recovery, as well as the ongoing provision of primary medical and dental care to adults and children in the community.
"Few examples exist in which health centers and other safety net providers understand and plan for patients' need to access their medical records in the wake of natural disasters. In this instance, AFC shows that thoughtful planning, more than luck, helped ensure that their investment in HIT was secured and ability to provide essential care for patients retained." said Peter Shin, Ph.D., M.P.H., co-author of the article and Associate Professor in GW's Department of Health Policy.
Authors Shin and Feygele Jacobs, M.P.H, M.S., note that today, HIT initiatives are focused largely on electronic capture of meaningful clinical data, the use of data to track and improve quality, and the exchange of patient information in a structured format. However, there is relatively little attention to how CHCs and other providers should best secure their data and prepare for possible interruptions to care and information access. The authors recommend that clear guidance, based on industry best practices, be developed to help health centers plan for the information technology elements of disaster situations, and that data security be identified as a priority.
"In today's world, it is increasingly important that we equip health centers with the tools and information they need to ensure that they are adequately prepared for a range of scenarios and can continue to offer vital services to the community." said Julio Bellber, President and CEO of the RCHN Community Health Foundation. "Investing in HIT planning has short- and long-term benefits, helping communities when unforeseeable disasters strike."
###
The article appears in the April 2012 edition of the Online Journal of Public Health Informatics (Vol 4, No 1), and can be accessed here: http://ojphi.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/ojphi/article/view/3818/3214
About the Geiger Gibson / RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative
The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy, established in 2003 and named after human rights and health center pioneers Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, is part of the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University. It focuses on the history and contributions of health centers and the major policy issues that affect health centers, their communities, and the patients that they serve. Additional information about the Research Collaborative can be found online at www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/ggprogram or at rchnfoundation.org.
About the RCHN Community Health Foundation
The RCHN Community Health Foundation, founded in October 2005, is a not-for-profit foundation whose mission is to support community health centers through strategic investment, outreach, education, and cutting-edge health policy research. The only foundation in the country dedicated to community health centers, the Foundation builds on health centers' 40-year commitment to the provision of accessible, high quality, community-based healthcare services for underserved and medically vulnerable populations. The Foundation's gift to the Geiger Gibson program supports health center research and scholarship. For more information on RCHN CHF, visit www.rchnfoundation.org.
About the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services:
Established in July 1997, the School of Public Health and Health Services brought together three longstanding university programs in the schools of medicine, business, and education that we have since expanded substantially. Today, more than 1,100 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 40 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees in public health. Our student body is one of the most ethnically diverse among the nation's private schools of public health. http://sphhs.gwumc.edu/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
The first worldwide regionalized life cycle impact assessment methodology
Berlin, Germany, May 21, 2012 IMPACT World+, the first worldwide regionalized life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methodology was launched today in Berlin, Germany during the 6th SETAC World Congress / SETAC Europe 22nd Annual Meeting. The event featured the results of this innovative undertaking spearheaded by a team of leading international LCIA experts and researchers from five countries.
The production and consumption of goods and services generate significant detrimental impacts on the environment. In an era of market globalization, climate change, continued population growth and resource depletion, there is a compelling need for decision-making tools to evaluate the best environmental options. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an ISO-standardized method that assesses the potential environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use and reuse, maintenance and recycling to its final disposala cradle-to-grave approach.
The life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase of an LCA aims to establish the relationship between the product or service and its potential environmental impacts (e.g. climate change, toxicity, biodiversity, etc). It answers questions such as what are the potential impacts on ecosystem quality and human health of 1 kg of carbon dioxide, dioxins or NOx emissions released into the atmosphere? Which is worse? LCIA therefore makes it possible to draw conclusions on the best environmental options.
However, LCIA has come under criticism because current methodologies do not account for the spatial variability of environmental impacts, relying instead on average conditions for non-specific areas. For example, a particulate matter emission will currently be considered in the same way in the respiratory effects environmental impact category whether it is emitted in the Sahara or in the middle of Tokyo.
IMPACT World+ was designed out of the need to develop a worldwide regionalized impact assessment method that accounts for local conditions and covers the entire planet. It implements state-of-the art impact modeling approaches developed as a major joint update to existing LCIA methods, including IMPACT 2002+ (Europe), EDIP (Scandinavia) and LUCAS (Canada).
"The IMPACT World+ team is very pleased to have contributed to the development of this novel methodology that extends beyond current regional modeling capabilities to the global level. IMPACT World+ is a further step towards improved transparency and reliability," said Ccile Bulle, who leads the IMPACT World+ team.
Among its most important innovations, IMPACT World+ allows for the regionalized assessment of any geo-referenced emission/resource use and considers the uncertainty and spatial variability related to an unknown emission location by associating the corresponding geographic variability to each modeled impact score at a given geographical scale. IMPACT World+ has also led to major developments in the characterization modeling of human and ecosystem toxicity, acidification, water use, land use and eutrophication as well as multiple improvements in other impact categories.
When making an LCA-based decision, IMPACT World+ ensures that local issues all over the globe are considered in an environmental impact profile of a product or service assessed by the best scientific knowledge and approaches available. It is also the first LCIA method to quantify the certainty of a decision by determining, for example, that product A has an 85% probability of generating fewer impacts than product B.
###
IMPACT World+ was made possible through the dedicated work of the IMPACT World+ team and a $350 000 research grant from Alcoa Foundation. The LCIA method draws on the scientific developments of the last ten years and brings the work of some of the best researchers and PhD students in the field from the lab into daily LCA practice.
About the IMPACT World+ team
The mission of the IMPACT World+ team, a non-profit organization that includes leading experts and researchers from the University of Michigan (USA), the Technical University of Denmark (Denmark), Quantis (Switzerland), EPFL (Switzerland), CYCLECO (France), Polytechnique Montral (Canada) and the CIRAIG (Canada), is to operationalize regional impact assessment on a global level and integrate uncertainty and variability analysis into life cycle assessment. For more information, go to www.impactworldplus.org.
With the scientific contributions of:
Anne-Marie Boulay (CIRAIG), Guillaume Bourgeault (CIRAIG), Vit Cao (CIRAIG), Vincent de Bruille (CIRAIG), Louise Deschnes (CIRAIG), Peter Fantke (University of Stuttgart), Carina Gronlund (University of Michigan), Andrew Henderson (University of Michigan), Anna Kounina (EPFL, Quantis), Gladys Liard (CIRAIG), Annie Levasseur (CIRAIG), Jrme Payet (Cycleco), Pierre-Olivier Roy (CIRAIG) and Shanna Shaked (University of Michigan).
And the financial support of:
ALCOA Foundation
www.alcoa.com/canada/en/info_page/SR_operations_soc_foundation_overview.asp
International Life Cycle Chair Partners
www.chaire-cycledevie.org/en/partnership.php
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.
The first worldwide regionalized life cycle impact assessment methodology
Berlin, Germany, May 21, 2012 IMPACT World+, the first worldwide regionalized life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methodology was launched today in Berlin, Germany during the 6th SETAC World Congress / SETAC Europe 22nd Annual Meeting. The event featured the results of this innovative undertaking spearheaded by a team of leading international LCIA experts and researchers from five countries.
The production and consumption of goods and services generate significant detrimental impacts on the environment. In an era of market globalization, climate change, continued population growth and resource depletion, there is a compelling need for decision-making tools to evaluate the best environmental options. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an ISO-standardized method that assesses the potential environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use and reuse, maintenance and recycling to its final disposala cradle-to-grave approach.
The life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase of an LCA aims to establish the relationship between the product or service and its potential environmental impacts (e.g. climate change, toxicity, biodiversity, etc). It answers questions such as what are the potential impacts on ecosystem quality and human health of 1 kg of carbon dioxide, dioxins or NOx emissions released into the atmosphere? Which is worse? LCIA therefore makes it possible to draw conclusions on the best environmental options.
However, LCIA has come under criticism because current methodologies do not account for the spatial variability of environmental impacts, relying instead on average conditions for non-specific areas. For example, a particulate matter emission will currently be considered in the same way in the respiratory effects environmental impact category whether it is emitted in the Sahara or in the middle of Tokyo.
IMPACT World+ was designed out of the need to develop a worldwide regionalized impact assessment method that accounts for local conditions and covers the entire planet. It implements state-of-the art impact modeling approaches developed as a major joint update to existing LCIA methods, including IMPACT 2002+ (Europe), EDIP (Scandinavia) and LUCAS (Canada).
"The IMPACT World+ team is very pleased to have contributed to the development of this novel methodology that extends beyond current regional modeling capabilities to the global level. IMPACT World+ is a further step towards improved transparency and reliability," said Ccile Bulle, who leads the IMPACT World+ team.
Among its most important innovations, IMPACT World+ allows for the regionalized assessment of any geo-referenced emission/resource use and considers the uncertainty and spatial variability related to an unknown emission location by associating the corresponding geographic variability to each modeled impact score at a given geographical scale. IMPACT World+ has also led to major developments in the characterization modeling of human and ecosystem toxicity, acidification, water use, land use and eutrophication as well as multiple improvements in other impact categories.
When making an LCA-based decision, IMPACT World+ ensures that local issues all over the globe are considered in an environmental impact profile of a product or service assessed by the best scientific knowledge and approaches available. It is also the first LCIA method to quantify the certainty of a decision by determining, for example, that product A has an 85% probability of generating fewer impacts than product B.
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IMPACT World+ was made possible through the dedicated work of the IMPACT World+ team and a $350 000 research grant from Alcoa Foundation. The LCIA method draws on the scientific developments of the last ten years and brings the work of some of the best researchers and PhD students in the field from the lab into daily LCA practice.
About the IMPACT World+ team
The mission of the IMPACT World+ team, a non-profit organization that includes leading experts and researchers from the University of Michigan (USA), the Technical University of Denmark (Denmark), Quantis (Switzerland), EPFL (Switzerland), CYCLECO (France), Polytechnique Montral (Canada) and the CIRAIG (Canada), is to operationalize regional impact assessment on a global level and integrate uncertainty and variability analysis into life cycle assessment. For more information, go to www.impactworldplus.org.
With the scientific contributions of:
Anne-Marie Boulay (CIRAIG), Guillaume Bourgeault (CIRAIG), Vit Cao (CIRAIG), Vincent de Bruille (CIRAIG), Louise Deschnes (CIRAIG), Peter Fantke (University of Stuttgart), Carina Gronlund (University of Michigan), Andrew Henderson (University of Michigan), Anna Kounina (EPFL, Quantis), Gladys Liard (CIRAIG), Annie Levasseur (CIRAIG), Jrme Payet (Cycleco), Pierre-Olivier Roy (CIRAIG) and Shanna Shaked (University of Michigan).
And the financial support of:
ALCOA Foundation
www.alcoa.com/canada/en/info_page/SR_operations_soc_foundation_overview.asp
International Life Cycle Chair Partners
www.chaire-cycledevie.org/en/partnership.php
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.
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Public release date: 21-May-2012
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