About time right?

Since doe and HJ couldn't wait anymore...

U.N. Finds Syria Committed Crimes Against Humanity

The United Nations condemned Syria for "gross and systematic violations" after evidence reveals that the country's security forces had committed crimes against humanity. The government was found out doing violent crackdowns for an eight-month old uprising.

Syria's allies on the Security Council vetoed a resolution because they said it could for something that would end up like Libya. Some of the documentations included torturing and shooting unarmed demonstrators. Since March, over 4,000 people have ended up dead because of this. There has been no word on what Syria will do to amend this.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria-un-20111203,0,1827015.story

70% to Islamist Party

Since the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian government has been in control by the new military. Many citizens are upset about this and wanted the military out of office. Due to this the citizens want the military to step down as the governing body, and choose a new president. This is why the military has proposed Egypt performs an election for a new president.

So far with all of the elections the Islamist Party is speculated to have seventy percent of the vote in the election so far. So it seems like Islamic parties will play a leading role in the next phase during the transition towards democracy. 62 percent of voters turned up to vote, which was roughly 8.4 million.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-02/islamist-parties-may-have-won-70-of-vote-in-egypt-s-election.html

Tomorrow's Toilet?

$6,000.00 is the cost for a new state-of-the-art toilet. Made from Kohler it offer features that they felt were missing from standard toilets. The toilet looks like a fancy waste bin, and is much smaller than a normal toilet. So what features does one get for the cost?

The toilet has a motion sensor, so when one approaches it, the toilet will open and when one leaves, it will close. The seat is heated,and there is a grate that can blow warm air on one's feet. There is an ecological flush system, which uses .6 gallons to flush, and the standard one is twice that amount. There is a remote control to use on the toilet, and an audio jack for ones media player.

So while functionality comes with this, the installation also is a bit more complicated. While a regular toilet only requires the normal tubes and pumps for the water system, this toilet requires an electrical set up as well, and with more set-up requirements, the more problems can occur. So the big question is, is it worth it?

Source: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/10/12/technology/personaltech/100000001071311/the-toilet-of-tomorrow.html

Bottled Bridges

Plastic bottles are great for recycling, but many ignorant or unobservant people put them with trash where they end up in a landfill. Being in these landfills are terrible for the environment because they do not degrade. Only 27.5 percent of plastic bottles are being recycled. Another problem with these problems the bottles are very strong to be replaced, and they have to be melted down to be used for other items. Now manufacuterers are using this plastic to make them into boards for decks or clothing materials. There is even one town in Maine that is using recycled bottles to build a bridge.

A polymer bridge being made in York, Maine.

There is some speculation to use plastic versus wood for this bridge. Firstly, the cost to create it is twice as expensive to make this rather than a wooden bridge. However, some of the benefits can outweigh that cost. Trees are not cut down, which is good for the environment, and the plastics are invulnerable to bugs and water. Finally, just as long as they last in a landfill, the bridge will last that long as well.

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/plastic-bottles-reborn-as-a-bridge/?ref=energy-environment

Hope in Jobs

The unemplyment rate in the US has fallen to 8.6%. This is the lowest level in two-and-a-half years (March 2009). Due to this, 120,000 jobs were able to be added. Due to this slow growth, the unemmployment rate is very high.

It causes wondering if there will be any concern for engineers if unemployment becomes large enough. Due to the vastness that the engineering covers, would it be possible that the unemployment rate for an engineer would be zero? Hopefully by furthering education in engineering, no one will lose their job through their desired field.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16005502

Printing New Bones

With the creation of the 3D printer, humans have been able to create many things. Some of these creations have included art, blood cells, car parts, and now engineers have been able to create new bones. Engineers have created a composite-like material that can be added to a normal bone that has been damaged which promotes cell growth. After many tests, no ill-effects have been found yet. Given a few years, doctors will be able to use this research in order to replace bone tissue.

The use of a 3D printer to repair bone problems is valuable. Unlike human error, all of these 3D printers are very exact. By creating a bone-like substance, doctors and physicians can order repairs that are unique to each individual patient.

So while these substances promote new bone growth, engineers could go even further than this. There could be the possibility where they can create an entire new bone that will be able to create artificial cell growth. With this, it could help many patients that have bone ailments such as leukemia. There will be great opportunities with this product with bio-medical engineers.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15963467