Para-nimation
A model of the title character's house from "ParaNorman" on display at an Arclight theater.
There's a nice article about Laika in the New York Times today. While not tremendously in-depth, it's a neat bit of context for the release of the Portland studio's"ParaNorman" this Friday.
Moving Ahead in Stop Motion/With 'ParaNorman,' Laika Aims to Push Animation Boundaries
It's a wonderful and fairly astounding thing that not one but several studios are busy making animated features in this viscerally appealing, supposedly "throwback" technique. At SIGGRAPH in 2008 Laika had a booth filled with puppets, sets and props from their then-unreleased "Coraline"; I could have stared at it all for hours, and the resulting film was a happy experience-different, moody, ambitious, and in many moments and respects very beautiful.
When I was launched on the Aardman/Dreamworks production "Flushed Away" in 2008 I went into the conference room to hear a pitch of the film and get my first assignment. Before they began the directors, David Bowers and Sam Fell, put a puppet of a character from "Chicken Run"-Fetcher the rat-into my hands. At that point it was going to be a stop motion, not CG, film. Looking at this little plasticine figure in his miniscule tatty clothes, charming, completely solid and three dimensional, was an inspiration; I just wanted to see him move-to act.
Artists have a tremendous soft spot for handmade things, don't we?
Labels: animated features, animation, laika, stop motion
"Art of Brave" Book Signing and Talk at Gallery Nucleus This Saturday
This Saturday, June 23, Gallery Nucleus is hosting an "Art of Brave" panel. Present, signing and speaking-and in the case of the two esteemed Pixar artists, showing-will be myself, story artist Emma Coats and visual development artist Paul Abadilla.
Nucleus, by the way, is a great space, and always has interesting art in its constantly changing exhibits and on sale in its store-often by animation artists exercising their creative urges outside of their day jobs. It's well worth a visit when in Southern California.
Art of BRAVE Artist Panel & Book Signing
Opening Reception / Saturday, Jun 23 12:00PM - 3:00PM
Gallery Nucleus
210 East Main St, Alhambra CA 91801
Store 626.458.7482 Gallery 626.458.7477
Labels: animation artists, animation books, animation development, animation story, Art of Brave, story artists
The New York Times on the design of Brave's Merida
Matt Nolte's early sketch of Elinor tangling with Merida's unruly mane. c. Disney/Pixar
On June 15th the New York Times ran a very nice piece dealing with the design development of Merida, the heroine of "Brave". See it here.
And not only see, but hear: as is often done at the Times, there's an accompanying slide show of artwork with narration by production dsigner Steve Pilcher and directors Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews.
I've been looking forward to seeing the finished film for some time, and will finally get my chance this Friday. I saw it three times (most recently in March of 2011), but it's existed for me mainly as the preproduction work and vibrant thoughts of its artists-the material for my book, "The Art of Brave". Tomorrow I'll post a little about writing it.
Labels: animated features, animation, Art of Brave, brave, pixar
Trailer: "Longway North", aka "Tout en Haut du Monde"
At lunch today with several of my story colleagues the talk turned to films as yet unreleased, those in different styles and with potential we find exciting and inspiring-in other words, the usual banter. Johane Mate mentioned a trailer she'd seen for an upcoming French feature that really engaged her. It sounded like something I had to have a look at. Having just done so I think you should, too. Its english title is "Longway North":
Pilote Tout en Haut du Monde / Longway North from Sacrebleu Productions on Vimeo.
I just love the look of this. The director is Rémi Chayé. Disney story artist extraordinare Paul Briggs points out that there's a production blog here. While I was turned onto this today, he had it up last night. Indefatigable Briggs! Be sure & visit his blog.
Labels: animated features, animation, France
If anything from my experience of the last 15 years or so has made itself clear to me as a story truism, it's that the importance of the smallest details matter.
The difference between a dull scene or stock character and one that breathes, that thinks, is in the details. Details spring out and suggest themselves when the story artist believes in a character's reality no matter how superficially unlikely the scenario they're placed in might be.
There are times when a story artist is given a sequence that's already laid out pretty extensively: the characters must say this or that, do this, that and the other thing, get from here to there. You might think that that would be a boring sort of sequence to work on. Not necessarily.
Of course one wants to be as creative as one can, but in putting a feature film together there's not always an opportunity to start from scratch(and if there always is, the film's probably in trouble). Does that mean there's no room for the story guy to have fun, to make an impression, to enhance or "create" the scene? Far from it. But you'd better believe in the characters you're working with.
If you do, wonderful things can happen. Some of it might wander off in a direction that will result in the kibosh being put on the sequence in whole or in part--a great big old redo. But sometimes (often enough if you're both lucky and inspired) a sudden, truthful idea will pop up out of nowhere and work so well it's just got to go in. No one planned for it until it struck--you didn't see it until you were least expecting it, surrounded at your desk by crumpled paper and worn down stubs. Suddenly it's there, and it seems exactly the thing the character should say or do at that moment. If it really is as right as it feels, it'll make it into the film. You'd be surprised how often that happens in spite of any and all obstacles.
This to me is the most exciting, rewarding part of my job, but it's not a daily occurrence--it couldn't be. Films just don't play with too much going on at every second, all the time. They flow in a narrative dance in any of a million permutations, all with one commonly understood goal: to tell you a story.
And I should mention that the function of your storyboards is twofold: not only are you designing the action within the frame, but most importantly you're responsible for setting the mood and emotion of the scene--that's how it's supposed to be, anyway. This really can't be stressed too strongly. The times that a completely flat, emotionless story sequence didn't work in boards but came to life in animation, out of nowhere, is exactly zero. Can sequences be plussed by animation? You bet, and they almost always are--hugely. The medium is about moving drawings/characters, after all. But plussing has to start from something. The drawings needn't necessarily be fancy, but they must certainly read and communicate.
We in animation have a big hurdle, a doozy: we have to take a two-dimensional, stylized design of a character and entice the audience into caring about it. I believe the key to doing that is to lend the characters your faith while you board them--to invest them with little parts of your life in the form of those little details.
All of this comes from you, from your own real, personal experience and your unique observations. To have to squeeze the wonky story-peg into a predetermined hole doesn't always work. Often these characters take over, just a bit. Or a bit more than a bit. To know when and how to apply your observation and build each character a soul--that's where your day to day story experience hopefully takes you.
It's why I do this job, why I love it. It's like climbing a mountain that grows as I grow. The mountain is impossibly huge, but it can be conquered at the most unpredictable times if you keep your imagination open and remember to mine truth from the little details of life.
Labels: animation story
On Story: No reason to sacrifice character to plot
This is a reposting of a Diaries entry from March 2006 that I think bears revisiting.
Michael Sporn posted this still of Bill Peet-taken from the Sword in the Stone DVD-on his blog in 2008
Michael Barrier makes some sharp--and challenging--comments about the point of great character animation in his most recent post. He describes his friend, animator Milt Gray, flipping some of Ollie Johnston's animation of "Jock" from Lady and the Tramp, and being startled by the amazingly lifelike performance that sprung off the pages. Barrier continues:
The great virtue of Disney films like Lady and the Tramp was that they showed that such animation is possible. Their great vice was that they seemed to say, in a louder voice over time, that such animation is possible only in children's films.
As a result, the temptation, if you're making more "adult" films, is surely to shrug off the Disney animators' lessons; but there's no way, if you're doing that, to achieve the emotional strength of their best work. A lot of animated filmmakers seem to think that they can work around that problem by making "story" their mantra, or by simply ignoring the question of how to give animated characters a vivid presence on the screen. But such dodges never succeed. It's only by meeting head-on the challenge of making the characters in their films as real as the best live actors that animated filmmakers will ever escape from the ghetto to which they have been, so far, rightly assigned.
Tough words...but I know what he's talking about, and I suspect most of my colleagues do, too.
To turn Barrier's premise inside-out, though, there have been some Disney films where "story" took a backseat to characters. In that category I'd put "Sword in the Stone" and "Jungle Book", both films I saw and loved as a kid and still love--but mainly for the performances of such as Shere Khan, Archimedes, Merlin and King Louis--not for the relatively weak story/plot and the corniest gags that are in them. Were the characters in those films not as entertaining and real as they are, there'd be pretty much nothing there but color and movement.
It's been said by wiser heads than mine that in the latter days of the nine old men, they were actors without a worthy stage, much like Laurence Olivier giving it his all in "Boys From Brazil" or "The Betsy". Feature animation was in a general doldrums; the kidvid ghetto was going full bore on TV, and there was no guiding hand at the world's most sophisticated animation company. It seemed to operate on the inertia of a more energetic time.
I think there are definitely pitfalls in having a story "mantra" that ignores just who's doing what in a film, though it's never intentional to sacrifice personality for plot--the aim is almost always the opposite, in fact.
Maybe there's a perception among non-artists of animation as having some sort of special needs, since our characters aren't seen in early development as castable flesh and blood actors, but are drawings and designs.
Of course the very, very early, embryonic beginnings of a feature film are a story's premise. If there isn't any story there to tell, well, that's trouble. It needn't be at as big as an epic, it can be small and even personal--but in the end it has to connect with a wide audience, and more than plot it's characters who carry that burden.
So to continue and develop that premise, assuming the story has something to work with it really does depend on the characters(that goes for the great shorts as well: Bugs Bunny trapped on a desert island is a hell of lot more interesting than Barney Bear trapped on a desert island or a Genericized Rabbit in that situation).
The story of a father fish looking for his lost son...okay. The story of a terribly neurotic, xenophobic, keep-to-the-reef father fish forced to plunge into deep seas, teamed up with various creatures he'd never want to deal with, but does it anyway, struggling all the while? Much better.
One doesn't want the plot running the characters, one wants the characters to be the plot--to make it their own one of a kind story, if you will. But(remembering "Sword in the Stone")they still need something worthwhile to do, and in a long-form story it probably can't be a one-set premise(never say never, but to generalize). No "Waiting For Godot"s. Pinocchio should get out of Gepetto's workshop. But personally I don't see any way forward in any story without nailing down the characters first. I have to know this person if I'm going to make drawings of them, and especially if I have to have them do or say anything.
Ideas come from drawing; good drawings--great drawings--come out of acting, the old "acting with a pencil" canard. It's really true. The more you know and love the characters, the more options for entertainment you'll have. They'll take over a scene in the same way novelists describe, with their characters. If you're taken in an entirely new direction, and it's going to work, it might be a very good thing when strong characters hijack you.
Labels: story, Story in Animation
Fred Moore Pinup Girls up for auction today
This typical Fred Moore group of ladies en deshabille is being auctioned online today by Heritage. It's lot 78744, 12x13.5", watercolor and ink mounted on cardboard(as were many of Fred's "presentation" girls), and described as being from the estate of one John McLaughlin.
The bidding's currently at $1200(as of 10am PST). It's certainly going to be over my budget, but perhaps there's a Blackwing reader who'd be interested. Barring that, at least here's the artwork to peruse gratis.
This one looks like a later example of Fred's pinups-late '40s, I'd guess. Incidentally, the initial listing had this as a pinup by "Frank" Moore, with no mention of any Disney studio relationship. Someone set them straight(it's signed, after all), but I wonder what it might have fetched if left unrecognized among the Elvgrens and other rarities that comprise the illustration auctions Heritage does.
Labels: disney artists, Fred Moore
A Disney Story Session-for the Camera, 1951
I came across this today and thought I'd post it; I haven't seen it elsewhere although as one of many hundreds of such photos taken for publicity purposes, it's likely floating around somewhere. So here's a pretend-impromptu story session for "Alice in Wonderland" with some of the gentlemen of Disney's story department, including its first head, Ted Sears. Walt's holding the glasses he'd rather not be photographed in...actually, perhaps it really was an actual meeting. I wonder how many shots exist of Walt wearing his cheaters? There are some stats of Mary Blair's paintings down there amid the Milt Kahl model sheets; the sequence on the boards behind them is the Queen of Heart's croquet game.
The caption affixed to the reverse is reproduced here also. Erdman Penner, on the far right, died in 1956 aged 51; Ted Sears died two years later at just 58 years old. Winston Hibler passed away in 1976.
Just for the heck of it, here too is an example of one of Ted Sears' Christmas cards, upon which he expended a good deal of ingenuity and charm, and featuring his young family. This example comes from the Flickr stream of one molliesc, who posted a trove of them.
Labels: alice in wonderland, animation story, disney animation, Disney Studio history, ted sears, walt disney
Actually, every scene DOES get the storyboard treatment
Time magazine's online edition has a "behind the scenes" slideshow featuring Pixar's next release, Brave. Worth a look to see some nice photos of the crew(including one showing directors Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews on a Scottish hillside covered in heather), but the accompanying captions by Jared Miller include one major error. Alongside a story panel from the sequence "The Prize" Miller writes[emphasis mine]:
Not all scenes get the storyboard treatment, but this one, called "The Prize," closely matches the scene as it appears in the completed film.
It's an odd aside, one that really only makes sense in live action where, as a matter of course, storyboarding is usually reserved only for particular scenes and sequences. As readers of this blog know, animated features are storyboarded from start to finish, top to bottom, left to right and every which way imaginable, over and over and over again. All the scenes in Brave did and do "get the storyboard treatment". Mr. Miller's assertion that it's not done for every scene is a major boner...if you're a story artist at least.
Not incidentally, the sequence as boarded is an impressive one-and the panel above of Merida taking aim is from the Time feature. There'll be much more of the boards in the forthcoming Art of Brave book. Available for pre-order now at a generous discount-a handy link's over there to the right. Yes, I just had to mention that.
Labels: animation story, Art of Brave, brave, pixar
Inside Walt's Apartment with Diane Disney Miller at Disneyland Park
Hope for Hand Drawn Animation: Minkyu Lee's "Adam and Dog" trailer
Traditional character/hand-drawn animator (and current Disney visdev artist) Minkyu Lee has been working on a personal film over the past two years, a short that from the looks of the footage I've seen proves it's possible for beautiful and polished work to be achieved by a very small number of individuals, if the people involved--and especially the person in charge--has the chops to pull it off.
Obviously Minkyu Lee does. This has the look of what we tend to call "classical animation". By the way, Minkyu painted all the backgrounds himself. There are only 6 key animators listed in his credits, all are friends and fellow CalArts grads with the notable exception of James Baxter(I think his work is immediately apparent in the short trailer). In additon, a dozen more artists not listed below, all of an obviously high caliber, helped finish it on their own time and in addition to their day jobs.
This is really something else.
Adam and dog Trailer from Minkyu on Vimeo.
Here are the credits as listed on the trailer's page:
Written and directed by Minkyu Lee
Animation by:
Minkyu Lee
Jennifer Hager
James Baxter
Mario Furmanczyk
Austin Madison
Matt Williames
Associate Producer:
Heidi Jo Gilbert
Technical Direction:
Ethan Metzger
Joey Newman
Film consultants:
Thomas Ethan Harris
A complete list of everyone who contributed is on the film's Tumblr page, which is also where I got the accompanying artwork I've posted.
Labels: animation artists, animators, disney artists, independent animation, Minkyu Lee
"Art of Brave" Book Signing and Talk at Gallery Nu...
The New York Times on the design of Brave's Merida...
Trailer: "Longway North", aka "Tout en Haut du Mon...
On Story: No reason to sacrifice character to plot...
Actually, every scene DOES get the storyboard trea...
Inside Walt's Apartment with Diane Disney Miller a...
Hope for Hand Drawn Animation: Minkyu Lee's "Adam ...


Researchers aim to discover impact of vitamin K on COVID-19
By Nikki Hancocks
05-Mar-2021 - Last updated on 05-Mar-2021 at 10:49 GMT
getty | samara heisz
Related tags COVID-19
After recent studies demonstrated a correlation between low vitamin K levels and more severe COVID-19, researchers are now planning to undertake the first ever prospective trial to explore whether supplementation could benefit patients.
Research will be led by pulmonologist Dr Rob Janssen, MD, PhD, and Researcher, and Coordinating Investigator Dr Jona Walk, MD, PhD and Resident in Internal Medicine at the Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, in The Netherlands.
The prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled "KOVIT" clinical trial aims to evaluate whether vitamin K status affects elastic fibres degradation in the lungs. In total, 40 COVID-19 patients, hospitalised with respiratory failure, will be included and given 999 micrograms of vitamin K2 MK-7, or placebo, for 14 days. The trial is now enrolling patients, and results are expected in the Autumn.
Dr Walk and Dr Janssen were part of the research team who, for the first time, revealed a correlation between low vitamin K status and more severe COVID-19.
An extrahepatic deficiency was found in COVID-19 patients, something that could lead to an imbalance within the coagulation machinery and degradation of the elastic fibres in the lungs. Unlike vitamin K1, the researchers note that K2 is directly distributed extrahepatically, and could therefore play an important role to restore this recently discovered imbalance leading them to wonder whether supplementation with vitamin K2 might help reduce thrombosis and lung damage observed in COVID-19.
"Considering that vitamin K is important for regulating lung health and blood clotting, vitamin K deficiency during COVID-19 may make both those problems worse," explains Dr Jona Walk.
Among all menaquinones, menaquinone 7, or K2 MK-7, has the best bioavailability and longest half-life, according to the team.
"Because of their structural differences, vitamins K1 and K2 do not have the same biological activities. With K2, the role of vitamin K extends beyond blood clotting, as it also regulates other important metabolic processes, such as calcification and inflammation. K1 is easily found in a balanced diet, which is not the case for K2. Deficiency might be more common than we think," says Dr. Trygve Bergeland, VP Science at Kappa Bioscience AS, who supported the research.
The KOVIT trial is funded by Kappa Bioscience AS, Norway-based company and global vitamin K2 MK-7 ingredients company.
Trygve Bergeland, Vice President Science at Kappa Bioscience, said: "Based on the recently published science, it is important and also necessary for us to seek more understanding about the role of vitamin K2 (as menaquinone-7) in COVID-19 through research collaborations with experts in the field. We are committed to supporting ongoing projects in this important research area. In addition, we also welcome other researchers to engage and illuminate the potential roles for vitamin K2 in immune health."
Related topics Research
Vitamin K2's growing awareness for immune, bone, and cardiovascular health
Study finds low vitamin K status predictive of COVID-19 mortality
Nutrition a possible factor in Covid-19 vaccination efficacy, concludes review
Research advances make it possible to assign an age to individuals' immune systems


Challenges and Prospects of Steelmaking Towards the Year 2050
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Special Issue "Challenges and Prospects of Steelmaking Towards the Year 2050"
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A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020).
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Special Issue Editor
Prof. Lauri Holappa
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
Interests: fundamentals of metallurgical processes; sustainability in steel production; converter processes; clean steel production; inclusion engineering; Tundish metallurgy; slag chemistry
The world is experiencing a period of imminent threat regarding climate change. The IPCC report 2018 defined the jointly approved target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2050, which means deep cutting of CO2 emissions comprehensively. These challenges concern all human activities, including steel production.
Steel is central to modern society. It is necessary for infrastructure, buildings, transportation vehicles, and energy production. The annual consumption of steel is about 1.6 billion tons, and this is growing due to global progress. Steel production is quite an energy-intensive branch of industry. Due to the central role of coal/coke in ironmaking, carbon dioxide emissions are large corresponding to approximately 7 % of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions. On the other hand, steel is a necessary material to solve the global dilemma to radically decrease the use of fossil energy and increase the share of renewable energy. The challenge of the steel industry is thus dual: on one hand, it must strongly cut its own CO2 emissions by improving and developing the process route, and on the other hand by developing new steel grades with improved properties in order to achieve a longer life cycle and better recyclability.
This themed Issue aims to review the present situation of steel production, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions. The potential methods to decrease CO2 emissions in current processes via improved energy and materials efficiency, increasing recycling, and utilizing alternative energy sources are considered. Development programs for current and novel innovative processes as well as trends of alternative energy sources are surveyed. Additionally, the role of steel as an integral part of the global circular economy should be discussed. As a whole, the target of this Issue is to give a holistic overview of the current situation and challenges, and a comprehensive cross-section of the potential technologies and solutions for the global CO2 emissions problem.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
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The Mini Blast Furnace Process: An Efficient Reactor for Green Pig Iron Production Using Charcoal and Hydrogen-Rich Gas: A Study of Cases
Jose Adilson de Castro
Giulio Antunes de Medeiros
Elizabeth Mendes de Oliveira
Marcos Flavio de Campos
Hiroshi Nogami
Metals 2020, 10(11), 1501; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10111501 - 11 Nov 2020
The mini blast furnace process is an efficient route to produce pig iron based on the burden with granulated charcoal. New, improved technologies have recently been introduced in the mini blast furnace process, such as pulverized charcoal and gas injections, new burden materials, [...] Read more.
The mini blast furnace process is an efficient route to produce pig iron based on the burden with granulated charcoal. New, improved technologies have recently been introduced in the mini blast furnace process, such as pulverized charcoal and gas injections, new burden materials, and peripheral devices that improve the overall process efficiency. In this paper, we revise the new injection possibilities and discuss new aspects for further developments. The analysis is carried out with a comprehensive multiphase multicomponent mathematical model using mass, momentum, and energy conservation principles coupled with the rate equations for chemical reactions, multiphase momentum, and heat exchanges. We analyze new technological possibilities for the enhancement of this process as follows: (i) a base case of pulverized charcoal injection with industrial data comparison; (ii) a set of scenarios with raceway injections, combining pulverized charcoal with hydrogen-rich fuel gas, replacing granular charcoal in the burden; (iii) a set of scenarios with hydrogen-rich gas injection at the shaft level, replacing reducing gas in the granular zone of the reactor; and the possible combination of both methodologies. The simulated scenarios showed that a considerable decrease in granular charcoal consumption in the burden materials could be replaced by combining a pulverized charcoal injection of 150 kg/tHM and increasing rich gas injections and oxygen enrichment values, decreasing the specific blast injection and granular charcoal. The productivity of the mini blast furnace process was increased for all scenarios compared with the reference case. We review the aspects of these operational conditions and present an outlook for improvements on the process efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Prospects of Steelmaking Towards the Year 2050)
A General Vision for Reduction of Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions from the Steel Industry
Lauri Holappa
Metals 2020, 10(9), 1117; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10091117 - 19 Aug 2020
The 2018 IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's) report defined the goal to limit global warming to 1.5 °C by 2050. This will require "rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities". The challenge falls on all sectors, [...] Read more.
The 2018 IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's) report defined the goal to limit global warming to 1.5 °C by 2050. This will require "rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities". The challenge falls on all sectors, especially energy production and industry. In this regard, the recent progress and future challenges of greenhouse gas emissions and energy supply are first briefly introduced. Then, the current situation of the steel industry is presented. Steel production is predicted to grow by 25–30% by 2050. The dominant iron-making route, blast furnace (BF), especially, is an energy-intensive process based on fossil fuel consumption; the steel sector is thus responsible for about 7% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. In order to take up the 2050 challenge, emissions should see significant cuts. Correspondingly, specific emissions (t CO2/t steel) should be radically decreased. Several large research programs in big steelmaking countries and the EU have been carried out over the last 10–15 years or are ongoing. All plausible measures to decrease CO2 emissions were explored here based on the published literature. The essential results are discussed and concluded. The specific emissions of "world steel" are currently at 1.8 t CO2/t steel. Improved energy efficiency by modernizing plants and adopting best available technologies in all process stages could decrease the emissions by 15–20%. Further reductions towards 1.0 t CO2/t steel level are achievable via novel technologies like top gas recycling in BF, oxygen BF, and maximal replacement of coke by biomass. These processes are, however, waiting for substantive industrialization. Generally, substituting hydrogen for carbon in reductants and fuels like natural gas and coke gas can decrease CO2 emissions remarkably. The same holds for direct reduction processes (DR), which have spread recently, exceeding 100 Mt annual capacity. More radical cut is possible via CO2 capture and storage (CCS). The technology is well-known in the oil industry; and potential applications in other sectors, including the steel industry, are being explored. While this might be a real solution in propitious circumstances, it is hardly universally applicable in the long run. More auspicious is the concept that aims at utilizing captured carbon in the production of chemicals, food, or fuels e.g., methanol (CCU, CCUS). The basic idea is smart, but in the early phase of its application, the high energy-consumption and costs are disincentives. The potential of hydrogen as a fuel and reductant is well-known, but it has a supporting role in iron metallurgy. In the current fight against climate warming, H2 has come into the "limelight" as a reductant, fuel, and energy storage. The hydrogen economy concept contains both production, storage, distribution, and uses. In ironmaking, several research programs have been launched for hydrogen production and reduction of iron oxides. Another global trend is the transfer from fossil fuel to electricity. "Green" electricity generation and hydrogen will be firmly linked together. The electrification of steel production is emphasized upon in this paper as the recycled scrap is estimated to grow from the 30% level to 50% by 2050. Finally, in this review, all means to reduce specific CO2 emissions have been summarized. By thorough modernization of production facilities and energy systems and by adopting new pioneering methods, "world steel" could reach the level of 0.4–0.5 t CO2/t steel and thus reduce two-thirds of current annual emissions. Full article
Open AccessCommunication
Toward a Fossil Free Future with HYBRIT: Development of Iron and Steelmaking Technology in Sweden and Finland
Martin Pei
Markus Petäjäniemi
Olle Wijk
Metals 2020, 10(7), 972; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10070972 - 18 Jul 2020
The Swedish and Finnish steel industry has a world-leading position in terms of efficient blast furnace operations with low CO2 emissions. This is a result of a successful development work carried out in the 1980s at LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag, mining company) and [...] Read more.
The Swedish and Finnish steel industry has a world-leading position in terms of efficient blast furnace operations with low CO2 emissions. This is a result of a successful development work carried out in the 1980s at LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag, mining company) and SSAB (steel company) followed by the closing of sinter plants and transition to 100% pellet operation at all of SSAB's five blast furnaces. However, to further reduce CO2 emission in iron production, a new breakthrough technology is necessary. In 2016, SSAB teamed up with LKAB and Vattenfall AB (energy company) and launched a project aimed at investigating the feasibility of a hydrogen-based sponge iron production process with fossil-free electricity as the primary energy source: HYBRIT (Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology). A prefeasibility study was carried out in 2017, which concluded that the proposed process route is technically feasible and economically attractive for conditions in northern Sweden/Finland. A decision was made in February 2018 to build a pilot plant, and construction started in June 2018, with completion of the plant planned in summer 2020 followed by experimental campaigns the following years. Parallel with the pilot plant activities, a four-year research program was launched from the autumn of 2016 involving several research institutes and universities in Sweden to build knowledge and competence in several subject areas. Full article
Open AccessFeature PaperArticle
Hydrogen Ironmaking: How It Works
Fabrice Patisson
Olivier Mirgaux
A new route for making steel from iron ore based on the use of hydrogen to reduce iron oxides is presented, detailed and analyzed. The main advantage of this steelmaking route is the dramatic reduction (90% off) in CO2 emissions compared to [...] Read more.
A new route for making steel from iron ore based on the use of hydrogen to reduce iron oxides is presented, detailed and analyzed. The main advantage of this steelmaking route is the dramatic reduction (90% off) in CO2 emissions compared to those of the current standard blast-furnace route. The first process of the route is the production of hydrogen by water electrolysis using CO2-lean electricity. The challenge is to achieve massive production of H2 in acceptable economic conditions. The second process is the direct reduction of iron ore in a shaft furnace operated with hydrogen only. The third process is the melting of the carbon-free direct reduced iron in an electric arc furnace to produce steel. From mathematical modeling of the direct reduction furnace, we show that complete metallization can be achieved in a reactor smaller than the current shaft furnaces that use syngas made from natural gas. The reduction processes at the scale of the ore pellets are described and modeled using a specific structural kinetic pellet model. Finally, the differences between the reduction by hydrogen and by carbon monoxide are discussed, from the grain scale to the reactor scale. Regarding the kinetics, reduction with hydrogen is definitely faster. Several research and development and innovation projects have very recently been launched that should confirm the viability and performance of this breakthrough and environmentally friendly ironmaking process. Full article
Metals Production, CO2 Mineralization and LCA
Ron Zevenhoven
Metals 2020, 10(3), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10030342 - 04 Mar 2020
Modern methods of metal and metal-containing materials production involve a serious consideration of the impact on the environment. Emissions of greenhouse gases and the efficiency of energy use have been used as starting points for more sustainable production for several decades, but a [...] Read more.
Modern methods of metal and metal-containing materials production involve a serious consideration of the impact on the environment. Emissions of greenhouse gases and the efficiency of energy use have been used as starting points for more sustainable production for several decades, but a more complete analysis can be made using life cycle assessment (LCA). In this paper, three examples are described: the production of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) from steelmaking slags, the fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) from blast furnace top gas into magnesium carbonate, and the production of metallic nanoparticles using a dry, high-voltage arc discharge process. A combination of experimental work, process simulation, and LCA gives quantitative results and guidelines for how these processes can give benefits from an environmental footprint, considering emissions and use and reuse of material resources. CO2 mineralization offers great potential for lowering emissions of this greenhouse gas. At the same time, valuable solid materials are produced from by-products and waste streams from mining and other industrial activities. Full article
Review of the Energy Consumption and Production Structure of China's Steel Industry: Current Situation and Future Development
Kun He
Li Wang
Xiaoyan Li
Metals 2020, 10(3), 302; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10030302 - 26 Feb 2020
China produced 49.2% of the world's total steel production in 2017. From 1990 to 2017, the world's total steel production increased by 850 Mt, of which 87% came from China. After 30 years of rapid expansion, China's steel industry is not expected to [...] Read more.
China produced 49.2% of the world's total steel production in 2017. From 1990 to 2017, the world's total steel production increased by 850 Mt, of which 87% came from China. After 30 years of rapid expansion, China's steel industry is not expected to increase its production in the medium and long term. In fact, the industry is currently in the stage of industrial restructuring, and great changes will arise in production structure and technical level to solve pressing issues, such as overcapacity, high energy intensity (EI), and carbon emission. These changes will directly affect the global energy consumption and carbon emissions. Thus, a review of China's steel industry is necessary to introduce its current situation and development plan. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of the Chinese steel industry, and factors involved include steel production, production structure, energy consumption, technical level, EI, carbon emission, scrap consumption, etc. In addition, four determinants are analyzed to explain the EI gap between China and the world's advanced level. In addition, comparison of steel industries between China and the world, development plans for energy savings, and emission reduction are also included in this paper to give readers a clear understanding of China's steel industry. Full article
Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions in Ironmaking and Development of a Novel Flash Technology
Hong Yong Sohn
Metals 2020, 10(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10010054 - 27 Dec 2019
The issues of energy consumption and CO2 emissions of major ironmaking processes, including several new technologies, are assessed. These two issues are interconnected in that the production and use of fuels to generate energy add to the total amount of CO2 [...] Read more.
The issues of energy consumption and CO2 emissions of major ironmaking processes, including several new technologies, are assessed. These two issues are interconnected in that the production and use of fuels to generate energy add to the total amount of CO2 emissions and the efforts to sequester or convert CO2 require energy. The amounts of emissions and energy consumption in alternate ironmaking processes are compared with those for the blast furnace, currently the dominant ironmaking process. Although more than 90% of iron production is currently through the blast furnace, intense efforts are devoted to developing alternative technologies. Recent developments in alternate ironmaking processes, which are largely driven by the needs to decrease CO2 emissions and energy consumption, are discussed in this article. This discussion will include the description of the recently developed novel flash ironmaking technology. This technology bypasses the cokemaking and pelletization/sintering steps, which are pollution prone and energy intensive, by using iron ore concentrate. This transformational technology renders large energy saving and decreased CO2 emissions compared with the blast furnace process. Economic analysis indicated that this new technology, when operated using natural gas, would be economically feasible. As a related topic, we will also discuss different methods for computing process energy and total energy requirements in ironmaking. Full article
Jump to: Research
Reuse and Recycling of By-Products in the Steel Sector: Recent Achievements Paving the Way to Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis in Europe
Teresa Annunziata Branca
Valentina Colla
David Algermissen
Hanna Granbom
Umberto Martini
Agnieszka Morillon
Roland Pietruck
Sara Rosendahl
Over the last few decades, the European steel industry has focused its efforts on the improvement of by-product recovery and quality, based not only on existing technologies, but also on the development of innovative sustainable solutions. These activities have led the steel industry [...] Read more.
Over the last few decades, the European steel industry has focused its efforts on the improvement of by-product recovery and quality, based not only on existing technologies, but also on the development of innovative sustainable solutions. These activities have led the steel industry to save natural resources and to reduce its environmental impact, resulting in being closer to its "zero-waste" goal. In addition, the concept of Circular Economy has been recently strongly emphasised at a European level. The opportunity is perceived of improving the environmental sustainability of the steel production by saving primary raw materials and costs related to by-products and waste landfilling. The aim of this review paper was to analyse the most recent results on the reuse and recycling of by-products of the steelmaking cycles as well as on the exploitation of by-products from other activities outside the steel production cycle, such as alternative carbon sources (e.g., biomasses and plastics). The most relevant results are identified and a global vision of the state-of-the-art is extracted, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the main outcomes achieved by the European steel industry and of the ongoing or potential synergies with other industrial sectors. Full article
Society, Materials, and the Environment: The Case of Steel
Jean-Pierre Birat
This paper reviews the relationship between the production of steel and the environment as it stands today. It deals with raw material issues (availability, scarcity), energy resources, and generation of by-products, i.e., the circular economy, the anthropogenic iron mine, and the energy transition. [...] Read more.
This paper reviews the relationship between the production of steel and the environment as it stands today. It deals with raw material issues (availability, scarcity), energy resources, and generation of by-products, i.e., the circular economy, the anthropogenic iron mine, and the energy transition. The paper also deals with emissions to air (dust, Particulate Matter, heavy metals, Persistant Organics Pollutants), water, and soil, i.e., with toxicity, ecotoxicity, epidemiology, and health issues, but also greenhouse gas emissions, i.e., climate change. The loss of biodiversity is also mentioned. All these topics are analyzed with historical hindsight and the present understanding of their physics and chemistry is discussed, stressing areas where knowledge is still lacking. In the face of all these issues, technological solutions were sought to alleviate their effects: many areas are presently satisfactorily handled (the circular economy—a historical' practice in the case of steel, energy conservation, air/water/soil emissions) and in line with present environmental regulations; on the other hand, there are important hanging issues, such as the generation of mine tailings (and tailings dam failures), the emissions of greenhouse gases (the steel industry plans to become carbon-neutral by 2050, at least in the EU), and the emission of fine PM, which WHO correlates with premature deaths. Moreover, present regulatory levels of emissions will necessarily become much stricter. Full article
The Challenge of Digitalization in the Steel Sector
Barbara Fornai
Maria Maddalena Murri
Eliana Streppa
Antonius Johannes Schröder
Digitalization represents a paramount process started some decades ago, but which received a strong acceleration by Industry 4.0 and now directly impacts all the process and manufacturing sectors. It is expected to allow the European industry to increase its production efficiency and its [...] Read more.
Digitalization represents a paramount process started some decades ago, but which received a strong acceleration by Industry 4.0 and now directly impacts all the process and manufacturing sectors. It is expected to allow the European industry to increase its production efficiency and its sustainability. In particular, in the energy-intensive industries, such as the steel industry, digitalization concerns the application of the related technologies to the production processes, focusing on two main often overlapping directions: Advanced tools for the optimization of the production chain and specific technologies for low-carbon and sustainable production. Furthermore, the rapid evolution of the technologies in the steel sector require the continuous update of the skills of the industrial workforce. The present review paper, resulting from a recent study developed inside a Blueprint European project, introduces the context of digitalization and some important definitions in both the European industry and the European iron and steel sector. The current technological transformation is depicted, and the main developments funded by European Research Programs are analyzed. Moreover, the impact of digitalization on the steel industry workforce are considered together with the foreseen economic developments. Full article
Displaying articles 1-10
Metals, EISSN 2075-4701, Published by MDPI Disclaimer
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Film Record: Autumn: Frost Country
Screen capture of the film.
18583524 (Source: https://searchit.libraries.wsu.edu/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=CP71172079780001451&context=L&vid=WSU&search_scope=WSU_everything&tab=default_tab〈=en_US)
740914043 (Source: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/740914043)
Sound Notes:
PSA Class C Commercial Film Winner 1969
"Autumn...Frost Country and Dunes both films made by David Adams of Santa Monica, Calif. rated high in the Class "C" list of winners. Both in color with optical sound. "Autumn...Frost Country" is an 8-minute film of changing leaves narrated with a poem written and recited by Robert Frost. "Dunes" is a 7-minute film depicting the vastness of the desert at Death Valley. The film does an excellent job of conveying the fact that, in spite of the soltitude of the desert, there is plenty of life to be observed there if one has patience," PSA Journal, Mar. 1970, 43.
PSA Journal, Nov. 1969, 54.
According to WorldCat the film was produced by Pyramid Films, and instead of PSA's title Autumn...Frost Country the title is Autumn: Frost Country.
New England, USA (Filming)
Relevant Locations
Holland and Terrell Libraries, Washington State University
Video Link:
YouTube link to a 16mm transfer of the film.


The "white paper" indicates a major imbalance in the work of governmental and private banks in Iraq
Shafaq News / The "white paper" on economic reform published by the Ministry of Finance on its official website indicated a defect in the work of government and private banks in Iraq, indicating that government banks have a monopoly of 82% of total loans and 86% of total deposits.
The paper, which was reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, indicated that "public companies stand a major obstacle to the development of the private sector, which is of great importance, especially the financial sector," indicating that "public sector banks monopolize 82% of total loans and 86% of total deposits in Iraq."
And she added, "This percentage is like a total monopoly for the public sector in loans, deposits and commercial finance operations," noting that "the private sector makes most of its deposits and loans with government banks, which does not allow the development of private banks."
She pointed out that "because of this imbalance, the deposits base of the private sector banks, amounting to about 10.8 trillion Iraqi dinars, has not developed, which is approximately 14% of the total deposits and concurrently with the stray loan base of 7.3 trillion Iraqis, or about 18% of the total loans." "In such a case, the financial situation cannot give sufficient liquidity to the private banks to provide the necessary capital for the development of the private sector."
She pointed out that "the budget has become the only means by which the state strengthens its role in the economy and society, as the salaries of employees and retirees are constantly increasing, which consecutively consumed increasing proportions of oil revenues, while the share of investment in non-oil infrastructure was constantly decreasing."
shafaq.com


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The Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman Receives ISO Business Continuity Certification - ISO 22301:2021
The Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman has received the ISO Business Continuity Certification ISO 22301:2021, making it the first department at a municipality or local level to obtain this prestigious certificate in the UAE.
His Excellency Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Department and Chairman of the Business Continuity Committee, confirmed that the certificate added one more achievement to the Department's successful record. He explained that the Department has adopted a business continuity methodology founded on an integral management system that enables the Department to provide a set minimum of services during crises and emergencies until the situation returns to normal (pre-crisis or disaster).
His Excellency confirmed that the Department earned this prestigious certificate through hard work and numerous business continuity drills. The aim is to first and foremost save lives and then to guarantee that work is done and regular services are still provided to the Emirate's public. The Department has also sought to raise awareness among its employees on how to act and what measures to take in the case of an emergency. Al Nuaimi noted that employees have been very responsive to the Business Continuity Committee and have respected the correct procedures to follow during emergencies and at gathering points.
Mr. Rashid bin Hashim, Director of the Business Continuity System and Director of the Institutional Communication and Marketing Department, explained that the Business Continuity Team conducted a study to predict and analyze possible risks that may hinder the normal provision of key services. The study sought to guarantee key services for customers and to maintain control during crises and disasters that may hinder the Department's work. Clear and defined plans were set and effective plans were drafted to provide supplies, identify responsibilities during the recovery period, and resume services as soon as possible to satisfy customers, the community and partners.


Billboard Hot 100 Songs and Singers The First Week Of January 2022
Billboard Hot 100 Songs and Singers The First Week Of January 2022.
We are going to make a list of singers and songs that made the "Hot 100" debut the first week of January 2022, we will cover both US and foreign artiste and songs on Hot 100.
The list goes as folllows ;
1. Wizkid, Tems and Justin Bieber with the song "essence" Remix.
The song was originally done by Wizkid and Tems both African artiste, later on Justin Bieber was featured on the Remix which is the major reason for its debut on Hot 100. It is the first Nigerian song to chart 25 weeks on the billboard.
Wizkid's"Essence"makes re-entry on the Billboard Hot 100. It has spent 25 Wks on the chart,it's the Longest charting African song ever,first African "Song" to crack top 10,first African song to go platinum & about to go 2x platinum. Best selling & most impactful African song ever
.@wizkidayo, @temsbaby and @justinbieber's "Essence" re-enters this week's Hot 100. It's the first Nigerian song to chart for 25 weeks.
— chart data (@chartdata) January 5, 2022
2. Taylor Swift – Message in a bottle.
Taylor Swift's "message in a bottle" song have spent 7 weeks on the chart.
Billboard Hot 100: #80(+13) Message In A Bottle (From the Vault), @taylorswift13 [7 weeks]. *peak: #45*
3. Ari Lenox – Pressure
Ari Lenox pressure song earns it's first entry into Hot 100 as it debuts at Number #94.
Ari Lennox earns her first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as "Pressure" debuts at #94 this week. pic.twitter.com/I3OI8idekw
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 5, 2022
4. Fireboy and Ed Sheeran – Peru
"Peru" is a solo song done by Fireboy_Dml a Nigerian artiste, Ed Sheeran was later featured on the Remix of the song, this played a major role on pushing to number 3 spot on "Hot 100"
• Fireboy & Ed Sheeran "Peru" debuts on Billboard Bubbling 100 chart at #3, just few spots away from Billboard Hot 100 chart.
— MUSICFRO (@MusiqFro) January 5, 2022
5. BTS- Christmas Tree
"Christmas Tree" by BTSd ebuts at #79 on Billboard Hot 100, the first week of January 2022
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Bent Street, Future Stars ready for MVP Sports Futsal final
| December 9, 2022
Afena Baptiste of Tiger Bay (left) and Hasha Holder of Fruta Conquerors
IT will be either Bent Street or Future Stars who will be crowned the male champions of the MVP Sports Futsal tournament when they meet in the final at the National Gymnasium tomorrow evening.
In the female final, Fruta Conquerors will face Tiger Bay, and four finalists are eager to battle hard to cop the top prize.
At a press briefing yesterday, the four finalists expressed the desire to produce their best and thrill the fans.
Co-Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca, expressed happiness with the success of the tournament and disclosed that teams have already been rewarded for their placements in the group stage, and that a fan and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) will win a motorcycle.
Managing Director of MVP Sports, Ian Ramdeo, pledged further support and wants to see the tournament grow given its connection to grassroots football.
The male third place playoff will feature Stabroek Ballers and Gold is Money while the female will feature Police and GT Panthers.
In the male segment, the champion team will collect $500 000, while second to fourth will get $300 000, $200 000 and $100 000 respectively.
The top teams of each of the six groups will also be financially rewarded with $50 000, $30 000, $20 000 and $10 000 respectively.
The champion team of the female tournament will receive $200 000, runners-up $100 000, third-placers $50 000 and fourth $25 000.
The action starts at 20:30hrs.
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Edo Govt Suspends Traditional Ruler
Edo State Government has suspended His Royal Highness Anselm O Aidenojie, the Onojie of Uromi from office for seven days.
A letter signed by Secretary to the State Government, Prof Julius Ihonvbere dated October 26, 2016, titled "Suspension from Office as Traditional Ruler", states: "I write to convey to you, the decision of the Edo State Executive Council at its meeting on the 26th October 2016, suspending you from office for 7 days as Onojie of Uromi. The suspension from office was based on, among other reasons:
'Your unprovoked attack, inflicting grievous bodily harm on one Mrs Betty Okoebor on September 28, 2016 in full public glare to the embarrassment of those present and causing disgrace to your otherwise esteemed office;
'Your refusal, even after two weeks, to respond to a query issued by the appropriate authority within the stipulated 72 hours demonstrating total disregard and disrespect for constituted authority; and
'Travelling outside the country without appropriate permission in further demonstration of your disregard for extant regulations and laws.'
"In the circumstances, the State Executive Council has arrived at a conclusion that these and other acts of misconduct of Your Royal Highness, the Onojie of Uromi are not only distasteful but also unbecoming of a traditional ruler of your status.
"Based on the above and convinced that your Highness has denied yourself of the opportunity of entering a plea against the charges against you that were duly conveyed in writing to you, and therefore in exercise of the powers conferred on the State Executive Council by virtue of Section 28(1) of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law (1979) and all other Laws enabling it in that behalf, has approved your suspension from office as the Onojie of Uromi with immediate effect for a period of seven (7) days, that is, from the 26th of October 2016 to the 1st of November, 2016.
"Consequently, within the suspension period, you shall cease to be recognized and treated as traditional ruler or as the Onojie of Uromi in Edo State and you shall not exercise any powers or function or enjoy any privileges provided for under the Traditional Rulers and Chief Law (1979) and all other relevant provisions under the said law.
"Within the 7-day suspension period, you are required to tender unreserved apologies to your victim, Mrs Betty Okoebor and the Government of Edo State. However, if within the said 7 days no public apology in tendered by your very self, you will stand deposed as the Onojie of Uromi."
Uromi, headquarters of Esan North Local Government of the state is the birth place of former National Leader of Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih and former Works Minister, Mike Onolememen
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Home	News	Madagascar police arrest six over alleged plot to kill president
Madagascar police arrest six over alleged plot to kill president
by centra July 22, 2021
written by centra July 22, 2021
Police in Madagascar this week arrested six people, including one foreign citizen,suspected of plotting to kill the president following what officials in the Indian Ocean island nation said was a months-long investigation.
Madagascar has a history of political violence. Former coup leader Andry Rajoelina, 44, was sworn in as president in 2019 after a hard-fought election and a constitutional court challenge from his rival.
"According to the evidence in our possession, these individuals had devised a plan for the elimination and neutralisation of a number of people including the head of state," the attorney general said in a statement.
It added that investigations were still ongoing. The arrests were made on Tuesday.
Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina attends a meeting to discuss the 20th replenishment of the World Bank's International Development Association, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast July 15, 2021. REUTERS/Luc Gnago
Officials did not give details on the extent of the plot or how far advanced it was when the suspects were apprehended. The attorney general's statement did not specify the nationality of the foreign citizen allegedly involved.
A separate statement by the public security minister on Wednesday said that six people had been arrested: one foreign citizen, two dual nationals, and three Madagascans.
"The police had information for several months, but only now was there an opportunity to arrest them," that statement said.
Rajoelina first seized power in the deeply impoverished former French colony of 26 million in a March 2009 coup, ousting Marc Ravalomanana. He remained in control at the head of a transitional government until 2014.
In the 2019 elections, Ravalomanana challenged Rajoelina, lost, and cried fraud.
Nine out of 10 Madagascans live on less than $2 a day. Climate change and deforestation have exacerbated the worst drought for four decades in the south of the island. @reuters
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madagascarMadagascar's President Andry Rajoelina
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A&M starts practice without its coach
In what has become an annual event at Texas A&M, Maroon Madness signaled the start of practice in conjunction with Midnight Yell Practice at football's Kyle Field.
Both the men's and women's programs ran through drills on a temporary court Friday night, following the yell practice to roars from the crowd.
The only damper on the crystal clear night was the absence of first-year men's coach Billy Kennedy. He has taken leave from the program while dealing with an undisclosed medical condition, the school announced Friday. Top assistant Glynn Cyprien conducted A&M's first practice earlier Friday in Reed Arena.
''Don't worry, I'll be back soon,'' Kennedy said in a release from A&M.
The release said Kennedy ''will have a series of tests run and be evaluated by his physician before returning to lead the Aggie basketball program.''
A&M hired Kennedy from Murray State in May to replace Mark Turgeon, who took over for the retired Gary Williams at Maryland. The Aggies were picked - along with Kansas - to win the Big 12 in the preseason coaches poll.
The Aggies return 10 lettermen and three starters, including versatile guard Khris Middleton, a preseason All-Big 12 selection. Because of Kennedy's medical condition, no players or assistants were made available for interviews during or after Maroon Madness.
Meanwhile, the women's team celebrated their first national championship.
This season the Aggies were picked second in the Big 12 behind perennial power Baylor - just like last season.
''We have a lot of expectations for this season,'' forward Kelsey Bone said. ''We're the defending national champions and we're picked second in the conference again? That serves as motivation.''
Coach Gary Blair said he enjoys the mixing of the football tradition of yell practice and Maroon Madness.
''It just adds to the mystique of being an Aggie and the mystique of the 12th Man,'' Blair said.
The women return three starters: Tyra White, Sydney Carter and Adaora Elonu.
Friday night's event was attended by A&M president R. Bowen Loftin, and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, the Butkus Award winner last season and the No. 2 overall selection of the NFL draft out of A&M. Miller is set to serve as honorary captain at Saturday morning's Baylor-A&M football game at Kyle Field.
This marks the final season for A&M in the Big 12. The school is entering the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Loftin, the catalyst behind the move to the SEC, wrapped up the event by dancing on the temporary court with the women's team.


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Office of the First Lady
Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the 2006 American Library Association Conference
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
1:07 P.M. CDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you, Caitlyn, for your really wonderful words about librarians. I don't know if school librarians get thanked enough. And so thank you for letting them know how important they are to your library, to your life, and also how important they are to all your success. So congratulations to you.
I also want to acknowledge Leslie Berger, the ALA President-elect. Thank you very much, Leslie, for all the work you're going to do and have already done. I think Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and Cheryl, his wife, are here. Thank you all very much for joining us today. Seletha Nagin, wife of Mayor Ray Nagin has joined us. Seletha, thank you for coming. And Dick Robinson, the President and CEO of Scholastic. Scholastic has been such a huge partner in school libraries around our country -- also with the Texas Book Festival and the National Book Festival, and I want to thank you very much for that, Dick. Anne Radice, the Director of the IMLS is here, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal agency. Anne, thank you for joining us. And also out in this crowd are members of the Laura Bush Foundation Library Board -- the library experts, the librarians who are the ones that read the grants and choose the schools that get a Laura Bush grant.
Also, I hope in this crowd, but I haven't seen them yet, are a group of Middle Eastern and North African librarians. (Applause.) Thank you all very much for coming. They're here in the United States. Some of you may have hosted them in your home cities over the last week. They're here with the State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative, and they've visited libraries all over our country to see what American libraries are like. So welcome, and welcome to the United States. (Applause.)
I'm delighted to be here with all of you for this year's conference of the American Library Association. I've seen the great work that ALA members are doing in the many libraries I've visited around our country. In public libraries, in school libraries, through ESL instruction and literacy programs, librarians are encouraging lifelong lovers of reading. And their encouragement is taking increasingly innovative forms.
Earlier this month, I was in Guadalupe, Arizona, to see "Tom s and the Library Lady," a play based on Pat Mora's book about Tom s Rivera and how his early love of learning was nourished by an Iowa librarian. The play is staged throughout the Maricopa County Library District, through a partnership between Childsplay, a local Arizona theater company, and the library district, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and local donors. Thanks to the dedication of the Maricopa County Youth Services Coordinator, Tim Wadham, almost 72,000 Arizona students have seen the play, and there are plans for "Tom s and the Library Lady" to begin playing in libraries around the country next year.
"Tom s the Library Lady" is an example of how librarians are collaborating with community groups, government institutions, corporations and local philanthropies to extend the resources and reach of libraries, and to get the message out to the public, and especially to children, about the importance of libraries and reading.
Thanks to each and every one of you for your service in your communities. And thanks to the ALA leadership for your commitment to the New Orleans community. ALA is the first organization to hold a major convention in this city since last summer's hurricanes, and this gathering is an important step in New Orleans' rebirth as a convention destination, which is vital to this area's long-term economic recovery.
Today I'm happy to join you as you discuss another important part of Gulf Coast recovery -- perhaps the most important part -- and that is the rebuilding of schools. Schools are at the heart of Gulf Coast recovery. Until there are schools for children, families won't return home. And for many children who stayed on the Gulf Coast after losing their homes and all their possessions, their school is their only comfort left.
The task of rebuilding these schools is unprecedented in its difficulty and scope. Never have state school officials and school superintendents had to restore entire school districts as fast as they can without a tax base to finance the reconstruction. The work of rebuilding schools may be daunting, but it's absolutely essential. And as all of us know, each of these new schools must have a new school library.
In the wake of the hurricanes, school officials and librarians have shown extraordinary determination. I've seen this determination at nearby Chalmette High School in St. Bernard Parish. Before Katrina, Chalmette's library had an impressive collection of almost 29,000 volumes. The school was especially proud of its collection of Life magazines, which dated back to the very first issues in the late '30s, and which students used as primary sources to study the history of the 20th century. But when Katrina struck, every book and every magazine was lost to eight feet of water. Chalmette High School had been a designated evacuation center, and amid the surging floodwaters of Katrina, people swam or took boats to the second floor of the school. Chalmette's first floor was completely flooded, and the second floor was used as a shelter for almost a week.
But the storm couldn't touch Chalmette's community spirit. The superintendent of St. Bernard Parish schools, Doris Voitier, went right to work so Chalmette students could return to their school. Doris had the second floor of Chalmette High School rebuilt and ready for students by November. And not just high school students, Chalmette reopened as a K-12 school, taking in all the students from St. Bernard Parish that had returned. Some of Chalmette's students returned to St. Bernard Parish even before their parents did, because they were so eager to be back in their school, and to graduate with their class.
Last month, I saw the results of Doris's hard work when I stood in Chalmette's beautiful new library, which was filled with excited students and lined with brand new shelves awaiting new library books. Doris Voitier is here with us today. Is Doris out there? Oh, here she is, right here on the very front row. (Applause.) Let me tell you, too, that Doris didn't wait till she heard from FEMA. She just billed FEMA after she rebuilt her school. (Laughter and applause.)
Making sure librarians can restock these new shelves is the goal of the Laura Bush Foundation's Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative. In 2001, the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries was established to help school libraries expand their collections. Over the last five years, the Foundation has awarded 634 grants, totaling more than $3 million to schools in 49 states.
Shortly after last summer's hurricanes, the leadership council of the Foundation gathered for what was to be the last meeting. The council had reached the fundraising goal for its endowment and was ready to disband. But at that meeting, the council decided to continue raising money for a special fund to help schools in the Gulf Coast region.
So the Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative was established, which will help schools damaged by the hurricanes rebuild their libraries' book and materials collections.
And the task is huge. You saw some of it in the video. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 1,121 private and public schools in the Gulf Coast region were damaged or destroyed. And as many of you know, the basic cost of building a book collection for an elementary school library is about $50,000. And the cost for a good basic secondary school library is usually over $100,000.
As schools rebuild, they are eager to have these resources so they can restock their libraries. In fact, within a month of announcing the initiative, 24 schools had applied for grants. And last month, the Laura Bush Foundation awarded its first round of grants, totaling $500,000 to ten schools in Louisiana and Mississippi.
I know ALA shares this commitment to rebuilding Gulf Coast libraries. ALA members have raised more than $300,000 to help libraries affected by the storms restore their materials collections. And during this conference, many ALA members are giving their time and energy to local libraries left understaffed by the hurricanes.
Joining these efforts are major corporations, private foundations and individuals from around the country. During this conference, you've heard of the generosity of Scholastic, of Dollar General, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.
Earlier, I told you about Chalmette's lost collection of Life magazines. What I didn't mention was that last month when I visited Chalmette to announce the school libraries grant, the CEO of Time Warner, Ann Moore, joined me. Ann presented Chalmette with the complete collection of Life magazines, along with digital copies and historic Life photos. (Applause.)
Corporations are helping, and I've found that they're very happy to help. So I urge you to reach out to corporations in your communities and ask them for help with your own libraries.
Federal institutions, too, are doing their part. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is dedicating $1 million in grants for library projects on the Gulf Coast, and is reserving $500,000 to help staff temporary library facilities in Gulf Coast communities.
Restoring libraries on the Gulf Coast will be a long-term endeavor, requiring well-trained librarians for years to come. And the work of recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians here on the Gulf Coast and throughout our country must start now.
So today, I'm happy to announce that the IMLS Librarians for the 21st Century program is awarding more than $20 million to support almost 3,900 library science students at 35 universities. (Applause.) With these grants, IMLS is ensuring that librarians will have the training they need to keep libraries and education at the center of community life.
When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita roared through the Gulf Coast, they brought images of destruction that we're unaccustomed to seeing in the United States. But they also brought images we've come to expect in America. In the faces of the victims, we saw resilience and courage. In the rescue workers and volunteers, we saw generosity and self-sacrifice. And we see endurance and hope in every act of rebuilding, especially of schools -- schools like Second Street Elementary School in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Before Katrina hit Second Street Elementary School, the librarian, Marianne Higginbotham, had always taught her 4th and 5th graders how to take good care of their library books. So as the hurricanes bore down on their homes, many of these children took Marianne's lessons to heart. During the evacuation, most of their possessions were left behind, and ultimately lost. But as they fled, these kids made sure to save their library books. (Laughter and applause.) Most of the children's homes were destroyed, and for months, some of them moved from evacuation shelters to relatives' homes to FEMA trailers -- all the while safeguarding their library books. When they returned to school in November, Marianne said some of the children were afraid they would have a big fine. (Laughter.) But the students treasured those books, and they were happy they'd saved them. And when the rescued volumes were presented to Marianne, the children told her proudly, "I brought your book back."
These books are the beginning of Marianne's new collection, and now with the help of a grant, she'll add many more new books to her reconstructed library.
With the help of private foundations -- companies like Scholastic and Time Warner, federal institutions, and organizations like the ALA -- more books will be brought back to school libraries throughout this region, and good schools will help bring families back to the Gulf Coast.
Thank you for your commitment to Gulf Coast libraries, and thank you for serving your communities and our country every day. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
END 1:23 P.M. CDT
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Latvian bank embroiled in row with central bank governor declared insolvent
By bne IntelliNews August 23, 2019
The Latvian financial market watchdog FKTK declared PNB Banka, formerly known as Norvik, insolvent on August 22.
The decision comes in the wake of an assessment by the European Central Bank (ECB) from August 15 that PNB was "failing or likely to fail" because of "significant capital shortfalls."
The ECB began supervising PNB Banka earlier this year after the bank's main shareholder, the Russian-born UK citizen Grigory Guselnikov, accused Latvia's central bank governor Ilmars Rimsevics and the FKTK of trying to force a bribe. Riga asked for the ECB's supervision to avoid accusations of being impartial in the conflict.
Guselnikov claimed the Latvian authorities put the bank under "unfair, arbitrary, improperly motivated and unreasonable regulatory treatment" in order to extort money in return for allowing the bank to carry on business in the Baltic state.
Riga says the bank's problems are due to its inability to meet capital requirements.
"The bank supervisors, the ECB and the FKTK, have repeatedly applied to PNB Banka supervisory measures for the purpose that the bank would meet regulatory requirements, as well as granted the bank an opportunity to carry out capital strengthening measures within the specified deadlines, but the bank was unable to meet the set limits and deadlines," the FKTK said in a statement.
The case has also embroiled Latvia's government that saw the dispute as damaging to the country's reputation, already in doubt after a series of scandals involving its lenders in money laundering or financing terrorism.
PNB Banka is Latvia's sixth largest lender. It has €550mn in assets, €472mn in deposits and employs about 500 people.
US lifts sanctions from Latvia's port of Ventspils
The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions from the Ventspils Port Authority on December 18. The sanctions were imposed over the port's ties to Aivars Lembergs, a Latvian businessman ... more
Turkey colludes with Islamic State proxies says Macron as spat over block on Nato's Baltic, Poland defence plans escalates
French President Emmanuel Macron on December 3 accused Turkey of colluding with Islamic State proxies on the opening day of Nato's London summit at which officials were discussing how to deal ... more
Estonian ruling coalition hit by resignation of another far-right minister
Estonia's Prime Minister Juri Ratas dismissed Mart Jarvik, Estonia's minister of agriculture, on November 25, following controversy over a conflict of interest involving one of his advisers. ... more


Nicholas Schmidle on How to Save Pakistan
Nick Schmidle has written an essay in Slate on How to Save Pakistan. Nick, with whom I have exchanged e-mail, is not only a first rate Pakistan and Taliban scholar (see his work on Next-Gen Taliban), but an all around nice guy (and if he sends me a copy of his new book, I would give it a great review). He deserves to be read by anyone interested in the future of Asia and its implications for our own security. Parts of his piece are reproduced below.
This is the only country in the Islamic world where tens of thousands protest in the streets for the rule of law. Sure, there's some support for the Taliban and their ilk, but as last year's election, in which the Islamist parties were drubbed, showed, the Islamists don't enjoy as much grass-roots support as their American-flag-burning rallies would suggest. (Unfortunately, the civilian government that took power last spring has squandered much of its goodwill and is, like Pervez Musharraf's government before it, increasingly seen as toadying to the Americans.) So what can Washington do to save Pakistan?
For starters, it can ignore the tribal areas, NWFP, and regions already under Taliban control. The Taliban cannot be defeated militarily, as the Americans have learned in Afghanistan. You kill one of them and immediately create 10 or 20 or 50 more. Bombing their strongholds merely breathes life into the insurgency. It is not just that ordinary Pakistanis tend to sympathize with the Taliban when they are under attack but also that the Taliban ably turn each bombardment into propaganda, play themselves up as victims, and attract more foot soldiers. Moreover, the Pakistani army usually, if not always, loses. Groomed to battle columns of Indian tanks, the army is untrained to wage a counterinsurgency against a bunch of rebel bumpkins.
… there is a critical ethnic difference between these areas under already Taliban control and Punjab: The NWFP and FATA are mostly Pashtun, while Punjab is populated mostly by Punjabis. The Taliban have succeeded in part by marrying their religious and political program with an ethnic and nationalist agenda. While not every Pashtun belongs to the Taliban, nearly every member of the Taliban is a Pashtun. Punjabis, on the other hand, are one of the only ethnic groups that identify first and foremost as Pakistanis. Besides the ethnic distinctions, there are physical ones, too: The Indus River divides the two provinces.
If there's any hope of containing the insurgency, it's by building a wall along the Indus River. Not a physical wall, like the one Musharraf proposed constructing along the Pakistani-Afghanistan border, but an imaginary barrier that the Taliban wouldn't be able to breach. How would you go about building such a thing? First of all, the United States would immediately divert much of the $1.5 billion it is planning to spend annually in FATA and NWFP to Punjab. While development projects in South Waziristan are futile at this point in terms of building confidence in the state, they may still accomplish that goal in the villages and towns of Punjab, and even down in Karachi. Since these places are the next battlegrounds between the Taliban and the Pakistani state, U.S. funds could also be diverted to train the Punjab police, who will probably become embroiled in the insurgency over the coming months.
First of all, Nick is right that the province of Punjab is the next battle space. And in Karachi more than 100 Taliban fighters launched an attack on a Christian neighborhood, killing some, burning homes and brutalizing others. Nick is right to be concerned about the most central and important province in Pakistan.
But is his solution the right one? To say that the Islamist parties were drubbed in the last election misses the point, in my opinion. The elections were more about rejection of the old guard's ability to govern rather than their view of the Taliban (who completely sat out and ignored the elections based on theological principle). But we may overlook this point since this is still in the provinces that Nick is recommending we abandon. His focus is on Punjab. His recommendation is basically geographic seclusion.
Will it work to isolate the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and North West Frontier Province? My sense is that it won't. Nick is smart and does mention right up front that there are dangers with this approach, such as the fact that the Taliban won't be content with holding this terrain. Their goals have been both regional and global. He also mentions that the Taliban will continue to have sanctuary for attacks against NATO troops from these regions of Pakistan.
AM mentions that Dave Kilcullen also raised the question of logistical routes which flow from Karachi to either the Khyber pass or Chaman, yet another risk with this approach. So did I by telling you that the Taliban strategy included interdiction of logistical routes – more than one year ago (then also covering logistics issues for the last year). I also recommended an alternative route through the Caucasus, although as mentioned earlier, it might require hitting the "make my day" button with Russia rather than the more effeminate "reset" button.
Either way, Nick is interesting and compelling reading. He seems to have landed on the last option before I have, and unless we can project increased force into the near regions of Afghanistan (Helmand, Nuristan and Kunar Provinces) and convince the Pakistan Army to conduct counterinsurgency in Pakistan, Nick's recommendations may indeed be our last and best option. I don't think it is lost yet.
Abu Muqawama,Nicholas Schmidle,Pakistan,Tehrik-i-Taliban
You are currently reading "Nicholas Schmidle on How to Save Pakistan", entry #2786 on The Captain's Journal.
This article is filed under the category(s) Abu Muqawama,Nicholas Schmidle,Pakistan,Tehrik-i-Taliban and was published April 28th, 2009 by Herschel Smith.