Debunking the ‘Nuclear Renaissance’ – Interview # 3: Diane D’Riggo, Radioactive Waste Project Director for the Washington, DC based Nuclear Information Resource service ( www.nirs.org ), talks about the mounting risks from radioactive waste and the many reasons that the claim that a new generation of nuclear power plants is a necessary response to global climate change is a dangerous fallacy. She summarizes the findings in a NIRS report she recently co-authored with Mary Olson, OUT OF CONTROL…ON PURPOSE: DOE’s Dispersal of Radioactive Waste Into Landfills and Consumer Products.
What is the most recycled product in the US? Newspapers? Water bottles? Actually, the surprising answer is automobiles. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 95% of all automobiles are recycled, beating both paper and plastic. Millions of vehicles will reach the end of the road this year and the Automotive Recyclers Association is predicting 11.4 million of those will be recycled. The junk yards of yesterday are quickly being replaced by today’s automotive recyclers. These high-tech facilities are capable of recycling more than 84% of a vehicle and preventing millions of tons of automotive parts and materials from going to landfills. Advanced technology in this industry allows everything from floor mats and instrument panels to upholstery, aluminum and steel to be recycled for use in new automobiles and other consumer products. The raw materials that go into building a vehicle are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, so manufacturers are not only designing how a car will be put together but simultaneously how it will be taken apart. US automakers continue to research and implement new technologies to make their cars more recyclable and ultimately have less impact on the environment. Vehicle recycling is the 16th largest industry in the country; a market-driven and highly profitable business. Produced for General Motors
The financial sector’s leading role in the Great Recession has prompted calls for a re-write of their rules of conduct. The previous regulatory regime did not include sufficient safeguards to protect consumers nor prevent a near total collapse of the national economy. The Obama Administration has proposed stronger consumer protections enforced by a newly created independent agency. The House has already has passed a sweeping reform bill that includes the establishment of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency and Senate deliberations are ongoing. As the debate unfolds, the specifics of this proposal deserve scrutiny as well as the underlying principles which should govern a safer and sustainable marketplace for financial services.”Banking is based on trust,” according to Elizabeth Warren, and the key to meaningful reform is ensuring that consumers have access to transparent credit products with short, comprehensible contracts that allow for real product comparison.” She argues that these connections have broken down and continue to threaten the entire economy. Can trust be resurrected once again? Can this be done without a new consumer watchdog? What stands in the way of successful reform? Join the New America Foundation’s Asset Building Program for a lively discussion of the connections between consumer protections and financial sector reform. www.newamerica.net
President Bush has nominated Michael Baroody — one of Corporate America’s leading anti-consumer henchmen — to head the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) — our top government agency protecting millions of Americans from injury and death from unsafe products.
Just in time for back to school, this new fashion music video set to Demi Lovato’s “Me, Myself, and Time” features the new D-Signed collection for 8-12 year old girls inspired by the character Sonny Munroe from Disney Channel’s “Sonny With A Chance.” Mix the fashions, count the combinations and express your personal style and creativity — it’s all about you. Available only at Target and www.Target.com starting August 1, 2010.
Better and different — convergence and divergence www.globalchange.com Divergence or convergence? Consumer focus, IT systems, software and mobile phones. Multiple devices and systems. Multiple capabilities and features. Innovation, divergence, new products and services. Customer choices and consumer satisfaction. How multiple features can win market share but also confuse customers. Innovation is about being different. Convergence in broadcasting, entertainment platforms, multimedia devices, mobile wireless organisers, and in business communication tools. Why convergence and divergence happen at same time. Future of convergence in product design. Limits to convergence in retail sector. Conference keynote speaker and Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon.
www.youtube.com Click this to watch ETC Plus: Sharp Quadpixel CES Interview! Entertainment, Technology, Culture: CES Coverage Recap (Consumer Electronics Show) CES 2010 is over but ETC has one final thing to say about it. Actually a lot of final things. Enjoy! Follow Machinima on Twitter! Machinima twitter.com Inside Gaming twitter.com Machinima Respawn twitter.com Machinima Entertainment, Technology, Culture twitter.com FOR MORE MACHINIMA, GO TO: www.youtube.com FOR MORE GAMEPLAY, GO TO: www.youtube.com TAGS: yt:quality=high CES 2010 khail etc entertainment technology culture machinima original series personal las vegas consumer electronic show khail annonymous anonymous kail wrap up recap end final day international products hd 3d entertainment event microsoft surface table zune videos kodak slice camera sony dash samsung camcorder nvidia chip phillips songbird polaroid printer no ink panasonic tv
Elizabeth Topp has 17 years of experience working with individuals and organizations on personal and professional development and transformation. Her work includes executive coaching, consulting, and cross-cultural training for leaders, global work teams and expatriate families with clients such as 3M, Honeywell, Medtronic, General Electric, & Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. She holds a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology and a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology & Holistic Human Development, and is the creator of the Presence-Based Coaching™ leadership development model. Tim is a co-founder of shiftalliance, a think tank, consultancy and community focused on ‘meaningful business models. Before this Tim had a 28-year career first as an industrial designer, then as a leader helping companies build, fix, or re-set their internal design cultures. He led design in a variety of industries: computers (manager, industrial design studio, Apple), office products (vp, consumer products design ACCO), cell phones (corp vp consumer experience design, Motorola), toys and kid focused consumer products (vp consumer products design, Mattel), to digital entertainment (partner, director of user experience, entertainment and devices, Microsoft). The first TEDxConejo was held on March 27, 2010 at the Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks, Ca. TEDxConejo is an independently organized TED eventproduced in association with the Conejo Valley Unified School District. About TEDx, x = independently organized …
