Hello, My Name Is Curt

IE: Do you keep track of how many albums you’ve put out?
Curt Kirkwood: I don’t know. It’s more than a dozen. Twelve, 13, maybe 14. One solo, Eyes Adrift with Krist [Novoselic] and Bud [Gaugh], then we did Volcano with Bud and Miguel [Happoldt]. It was never released. It was a vanity project; we made a thousand of them and you can get on Miguel’s Web site and he has it posted. We just made it. It was an album, and a pretty cool one.

Appearing: May 30th and 31st at Schubas in Chicago.

IE: Do you ever feel bad that songs you wrote years ago, and probably worked really hard on them, but you can’t easily recall them now?
CK: I don’t remember how to play all of them, and I don’t remember all the songs on each album. It’s always like, “Oh yeah! That one!” I can relearn ‘em – some of them are hard to relearn. I don’t know music real well – I don’t read or write it, I just make the stuff up and know how to play it. Figuring [songs] out again, a lot of the time I’m just not sure. A lot of the stuff is based on something that’s comfortable for my hands to play. I don’t remember a lot of them, honestly.

IE: You couldn’t pull a Robin Zander in concert and say, “This is the seventh song off our sixth album”?
CK: No, not without preparation. There’s just something about the heritage that irks me. I always try to be current. It’s funny because you can have oldies and you can tell like “Chantilly Lace” is an oldie. I was aware of that starting out, so I always tried to write stuff like country music: You can’t date it so well. Just to write stuff where you can’t tell what era it’s from, and I think I did a pretty good job at it. I can still play stuff and it still sounds like an album we made now. It’s not like, “Oh, that’s ’80s.” It’s hard to tell with us. That was the goal, and I like it that way. I never wanted to be dated like that and it’s supposed to be timeless. Who cares when it was written? I like stuff to be that way now. My brother will now-and-then be like, “The first time we played here was 25 years ago,” and that makes my skin crawl. “All right, that’s a real shit in the punchbowl for me.”

IE: I’m surprised to hear that you don’t read music. You play very fluently.
CK: It’s all fake. We’re plastic. People ask, “What is your genre?” We’re plastic rock. We’re Neo-preen. It’s all air guitar put on a real guitar. I just do stuff that feels cool. If it’s too hard to play I’m not gonna do it.

IE: You’re in luck because they have Air Guitar Championships now.
CK: Oh yeah, I’ve seen it. That’s pretty much what it is. I really don’t know. John Dee Graham is my neighbor and he’s been around for years with True Believers here in Austin. John Dee’s a great musician and asked me if I wanted to do a thing he’s doing one with Ray Price, Alejandro Escovedo – John Dee And Friends, we’d do some of his songs, some of mine. Anecdotes and stuff, a thing he just started doing. I said, “I’ll need a couple of days – I gotta get my head around it.” I’m a pretty good musician, I told him, but I’m so used to doing my thing. I was in cover bands in the ’70s and I can learn those songs, but I know my tricks and I know my songs. Musically I think I could play anything, but it’s more like I’ll hit a note and see if it works and if it don’t I’ll slide to the next one. There’s a lot of Miles Davis in there: If you make a mistake, repeat it and people will think you’re a genius.

IE: You’re in Austin now? I’ve always associated you with Phoenix.
CK: I’ve lived in Austin for 12 years, and lived in Venice for two years before that. Cris [Kirkwood, bass] still lives in Phoenix, we recorded this album in Phoenix. It’s a hard place to move back to – it got too big. It’s not supposed to be there. They shouldn’t have built a city there, especially something that size. We’re from Phoenix, but I’m based out of Austin for a long time. Ted [Marcus, drums] lives in New York City, Cris lives in Phoenix, and I’m here. We’re all over the place. All three of us in different states – it’s more plastic that way. We don’t practice, just get away with stuff. There’s enough genres and we’ve always been quick to admit that we’re crap and the joke’s on everybody – on us, too, because we have to purvey this crap. Our hands are dirtier than everybody else’s.

IE: You have to be good at the crap.
CK: Apparently. When I hear a record like this, I’m like “We made that? Shit. How did we do that? If I lay off the weed I’ll figure it out.”

Reko Announces Strategic Business Transformation

Reko International Group Inc. (TSX VENTURE: REK) today announced the implementation of a strategic business transformation. The transformation will place greater emphasis on its custom machining operations, reduce fixed costs and eliminate excess capacity in its plastic injection mold building operations.

The initiative addresses four key issues: improve the profitability of our plastic injection molding building business; reduce corporate borrowings; divest non-strategic business assets; and, improve the Company's overhead cost structure. After completing the restructuring, the Company's competitive position in the North American market will be enhanced and a solid foundation for future profitability will have been created.

Operational implications

The operational implications of the strategic business transformation project include:

-- Closure of 7 plants in Oldcastle, Ontario - The Company will consolidate the plastic injection mold operations with its factory automation operations at its Lakeshore Automation facility. The real estate associated with current plastic injection mold building operations will be vacated and sold. This will result in a reduction of the Company's manufacturing footprint from approximately 310,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet; -- Elimination of excess machining capacity - The Company will concentrate its machining operations on large parts to be machined to high tolerances with its most efficient and effective machines, resulting in a decrease in machining capacity from approximately 60 machines to 30 machines. As part of this concentration on high value operations, the Company will cease to provide EDM (Electric Discharge Machining), Gundrilling and Try- out functions in-house; -- Employee head count rationalization - The Company will reduce its current employee headcount of approximately 225 employees to approximately 160 employees.

The Company anticipates completing the steps associated with implementing the transformation by its year-end, July 31, 2011 and anticipates completing all non-strategic business divestitures by the end of its 2012 fiscal year.

Financial implications

The financial implications of the strategic business transformation include:

-- Improvement to overhead cost structure - After implementing the initiative, the Company forecasts its labour costs year over year will decrease by $3.5 million and fixed costs by $4 million; -- Improvements to debt service costs - After implementing the initiative and divesting all non-strategic assets, the Company forecasts its annual debt service costs will decrease to $2.3 million.

In total, the initiative is estimated to result in $7.5 million of after-tax charges, after-tax gains on the sale of real estate of approximately $2.0 million and generation of $9.5 million in cash. The cash generated will be used to finance the cash expenditures required in the plan and all remaining amounts used to reduce outstanding debt.

The quarter by quarter financial implications will depend on specific transaction details, such as the timing of real estate sales, timing of reductions of working capital associated with plastic injection mold building projects and proceeds realized from non-strategic business asset divestitures.

$7.5 million of after-tax charges

The Company currently anticipates taking:

-- $3.0 million in after-tax charges related to the write-down of non- strategic business assets, which will be expensed in the current quarter; -- $2.2 million in after-tax charges related to severance, which will be expensed in the current quarter; -- $1.6 million in after-tax charges related to the carrying costs associated with real estate while it is held for sale, which will be expensed as period costs as incurred; -- $0.5 million in after-tax charges related to moving strategic business assets from the closed facilities to their new facility, which will be expensed as period costs as incurred but which the Company anticipates will occur in the fourth quarter of 2011; and, -- $0.2 million in after-tax charges related to asset restoration costs, which will be expensed as part of disposition costs of the real estate being held for sale.

$2.0 million of after-tax gains on the sale of real estate

The Company does not anticipate a write-down of its real estate. Based on current appraised values for the real estate, the Company anticipates recording an after-tax gain of between $1.7 million and $2.4 million. Portions of this gain will be recorded as income as each real estate asset is sold.

$9.5 million in cash generated from initiative

The Company anticipates generating cash from its strategic business transformation, as follows:

-- $1.3 million in net proceeds from the sale of non-strategic business assets - The Company anticipates realizing on these proceeds during the first quarter of fiscal 2012; -- $4.2 million in net proceeds from the sale of real estate assets - The Company anticipates realizing on these proceeds over the next 27 months; and, -- $4.0 million reduction in working capital associated with plastic injection mold builds - The Company anticipates working capital reductions beginning in the first quarter of 2013.

"These initiatives mark a major and necessary transformation in our business. Our goal is to create a business that is more strategically focused and better suited to today's business environment," said Diane St. John, CEO of Reko International Group Inc. "The changing landscape in the automotive market we serve required that we evaluate our operations and adapt our cost structure to market conditions. We anticipate efficiency gains from the co-location of our mold and automation manufacturing into a single facility that is conveniently located beside our Concorde facility. Additionally, we believe that this will allow us more flexibility in adapting to changing market conditions in all areas of our business. During this transformation, the impact upon families and the community will be very painful; however, this initiative is critical to the survival and future success of Reko as an organization."

Founded in 1976, Reko International Group (TSX VENTURE: REK) is a manufacturing firm providing high precision machining of very large parts, as well as tooling and automated solutions for the transportation, energy, automotive, aerospace and consumer product markets, all delivered through its nine production facilities in Ontario.

REKO INTERNATIONAL GROUP INC. 5390 Brendan Lane Oldcastle, Ontario N0R 1L0 www.rekointl.com SUBSIDIARIES/DIVISIONS: Canada: - Reko Tool & Mould (1987) Inc. Divisions - -Reko Automation and Machine Tool -Concorde Machine Tool United States: - Reko International Sales Inc. - Reko International Holdings Inc. - Reko Global Services, LLC.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Machining Injection Molds with Ultrashort Laser Pulses

Systems for homogeneous LED lighting have in the past used a large number of LEDs and optical diffuser panels for distributing the high spot-luminance. As an alternative, ever compacter optical waveguides, adjusted to the lighting requirements, are increasingly being used, in which the light is diverted and distributed with refractive outcoupling by roughening or structuring. Refractive light outcoupling is performed with microlens arrays. Such an array may consist of several hundred thousand microlenses with geometries in the micrometer range. Producing such structures by injection molding requires a high, uniform quality. It is determined by the precision of the molds.

At the Fraunhofer-Institute of Laser Technology (ILT) Aachen, Germany, injection molds were machined with ultrashort laser pulses. This could significantly improve the process. New, industrial ultrashort pulse lasers reduce machining times to a few hours, compared with conventional methods, which take at least a week. Moreover, the ultrashort pulse lasers permit high precision for machining steel molds. The picosecond laser pulses are about a thousand times shorter than a conventional quality-switched solid-state laser, like that used, e.g., for marking. While melt expulsion still occurs with conventional lasers, the ultrashort pulse laser evaporates the material with high precision and no residues. Subsequent laser polishing permits a smooth and uniform surface on the molds down to the submicrometer range (Ra > 100 nm).

For the tests, commercial systems with a focus diameter of 20 µm, several 10 µJ of pulse energy and a repetition rate of >100 kHz were used. The mold insert microstructure generated by laser texturing has depressions with a diameter of 50 µm and more. While commercial systems have so far only been available in the range below 100 W, prototypes of over 1,000 W average output have already been developed at the Fraunhofer ILT.

Jon Savage: Punk may be dead but its spirit lives on

The premature death of Poly Styrene is a sad occasion for anyone who knew her or was touched by the extraordinary music that she made under her own name and with her group X-Ray Spex, who, for a couple of years, were among the most innovative and trenchant of all the British punk groups.

It is also an opportunity to reflect on the achievement of Poly and her peers – Ari Up, Viv Albertine, Tessa Pollitt and Palmolive of the Slits, Siouxsie of the Banshees, Gaye Advert of the Adverts, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders – who, in a short time, redefined what women could do as musicians and performers.

When you saw Poly, dressed in a military helmet and a lurex Sixties dress, declaiming: "Thrash me, crash me/ Beat me till I fall", in an impossibly high register, you knew that this had never been done before. In spring 1977, there was still the idea that punk should be new, provocative, and relevant to the world outside. "I was trying to do a diary of 1977," she told me. "I wanted to write about everyday experiences."

Like many people in 1976, Poly Styrene saw the Sex Pistols and had her life changed on the spot. She changed her name – from Mari Elliot – and became the projection of a consumerist nightmare, assuming the name of the least natural, least biodegradable substance she could think of – the epitome of "plastic artificial living".

Her first single, the enduring classic "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" was "about being in bondage to material life. There was so much junk then," she remembered. 'The idea was to send it all up. Screaming about it, saying: "Look, this is what you have done to me. I am your product. And this is what you have created: do you like her?"

There was sexism but, like the Slits and the Banshees, X-Ray Spex were quickly accepted by the growing punk audience. They all rejected the fluffy femininity of the mainstream pop music of the time, refusing to sing about "love and romance". Their confrontational performances and disdain for a male-dominated music industry initially hampered any major label pick-up.

The potency of their music and their determination to see their vision through eventually paid off. X-Ray Spex signed to EMI and released a string of classic singles: "The Day The World Turned Dayglo", "Germ Free Adolescents", and "Identity" – one of the most frightening songs ever written about the corrosive impact of celebrity.

All of these, like their album Germ Free Adolescents, were hits. But, despite the fact that they were one of Vivienne Westwood's favourite groups, X-Ray Spex could not keep going. Poly found fame psychologically difficult: that hadn't been the point, making art and defining the moment was. As punk declined, she quit the music industry and turned towards a spiritual life.

As far as gender roles were concerned in pop music, things quickly reverted to "normal", whatever this is. Only the toughest of Poly Styrene's peers, such as Siouxsie and Chrissie Hynde, continued to prosper, as laddishness – after a brief and, to many people, welcome holiday – returned to rock music, where it remains.

But the impact of that brief, revolutionary period continues to reverberate. Although punk is now deep in history, you can trace the influence of that generation through to mould-breaking female performers as diverse as Lady Gaga and PJ Harvey – who have the talent and vision to rewrite the rules and to do exactly what they want to without compromise.

Like the Slits' Ari Up, who has also died recently, Poly Styrene was a pioneer and a rebel. Almost instinctively, she captured the present and the future with a series of sharp, provocative and prophetic songs about consumerism, materialism, and genetic engineering. She was my friend: she had a great sense of humour, an infectious, full-throated laugh, and the courage of a lion.

Couple struggles to tear down business

What once was a thriving community store is now a financial and unsightly millstone around the necks of Ray and Gail Taylor.

As spring yields to summer, Ray Taylor can still remember the days when tourists pulled into his Dumfries parking lot along the Trans-Canada Highway, lured by the smell of hot pizza by the slice or the need for snacks or a pop.

With the post office and liquor agency store, locals were always in and out of the business and next door, the popular Moonlight Motel and Restaurant with its homemade rolls and meringue-piled-high pies.

Now, Taylor is trying to pull down the old hardware-cum-convenience store by hand to save money because the opening of the new four-lane Trans-Canada Highway in 2006 killed the business.

"It was very much a going concern. Right up until they opened the highway, and the difficult part of the highway business was that they opened it the first of November and that meant that I had to spend an entire winter here to find out if there was going to be any summer business whatsoever. By the time that came and went, it was too late. We lost our shirt," he said.

"Had they opened the highway in the spring and we operated it through the summer, we would have known what we were up against and we could have done something about it.

"We had to take out a personal loan to get out of the business ... Then I had to go in December and take out more money to tear the damn thing down."

Although he's got visual impairments, Taylor has been going to the store every day to remove as much of the building as he can before he has to bring in a dozer to finish the job. He's been removing the building's insulation, pulling out the old plastic vapor barrier and salvaging anything he can before the building is torn down. If he strips the rubber from the building's copper wiring, he might be able to get $3 a pound for it.

"This was a great little pizza business," he said in the tiny kitchen area where the cupboards are streaked with muddy water lines and mould where a hole in the roof has let water in to do its damage.

"It's sad, sad, sad," he said as he stands in the partially stripped building. "It's been a heartache."

The Taylors would like to sell their home with its view of the St. John River, but three different real estate agents have told them the old store has to go if they're to have any chance of selling their house.

Ray's General Store, formerly called Rae's, was established in the late 1920s. It was bought by Perley and Clara Rae in 1931.

The Taylors took over the business in 1988 and Taylor said he gave up selling pig and horse feed and secured the liquor store agency.

Taylor still blames the government for closing the road near Longs Creek for close to two years, which crippled the highway's use even as a scenic tourist route.

"Had they left that alone, we might have survived," he said.

The couple had hoped to create a nest egg for their son.

"It was always my hope to build the business for him and he would have had something that would be worth something. He's out in Alberta now along with everybody else," Taylor said.

"I'll tell you the thing that's always bugged me more than anything else is that there was never, never any consultation whatsoever. They just came along and had a meeting down at Kings Landing one day and said here's what we're doing."

Nearby, business at the Moonlight Restaurant slowed to the point where it's only open during the summer and Taylor predicts it's likely that long-standing business in the community may end up going the same way as his store before long.

Ironically, the new Trans-Canada Highway has turned the former two-lane stretch of roadway through Dumfries into a quiet rural road and that has driven some city dwellers to the area to build houses along the banks of the St. John River. Most of the new suburbanites, however, are used to travelling to Fredericton to work and shop.

Lowell looks to brighter future

Just as its famous mills are a symbol of the Industrial Revolution, Lowell officials hope the state-of-the-art UMass Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center — set to open in fall 2012 — will put the struggling city back on the map and at the forefront of the coming revolution in high-tech manufacturing.

“We’re looking forward to this center being able to expand the breadth of the university’s ability to do research that spins off new companies, as well as the depth and sophistication of their ability to do that in certain fields,” said Adam Baacke, Lowell’s assistant city manager for planning and development. “We definitely think that it bodes well for the city.”

The center is a building that will “serve big ideas,” according to University of Massachusetts at Lowell’s Chancellor Marty Meehan.


“We believe the next industrial revolution will be fueled by the work that goes on at the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center,” he said.

The university last month raised the final steel beam on the four-story, 84,000-square-foot, $70 mil-lion center, which will house clean-room space, wet labs, engineering labs and plastics processing facilities for research and development in the fields of plastics engineering, nanotechnology, electro-optics and biomedicine.

Last September, UMass- Lowell was designated as a National Science Foundation Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing – one of four in the country – in collaboration with Northeastern University and the University of New Hampshire. The result has been more than $25 million in funding, according to Meehan. In partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, the center will focus on helping companies safely manufacture nano products.

“That’s part of the reason why we really need a new cutting-edge research building that will house numerous labs for both bio- and nano-manufacturing research,” Meehan said. “Nano products are likely to fuel the next economic boom. Existing products can be made more useful, cost-effective and durable through the use of nano elements.”

The first floor of the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center will serve as the new home for a national plastics museum, tying in with the school’s internationally known plastics engineering program, according to Meehan.

Two-story bay rooms, meanwhile, will accommodate oversized equipment such as extruders and injection molding machines, and the center’s clean rooms will be equipped to filter air at a very high level for sensitive research equipment including biochemical sensors to measure toxins.

The new facility will help UMass-Lowell attract additional researchers and further collaborate with industry, academic and government partners. University researchers already are working with 30 businesses and institutes in Massachusetts, and Meehan expects that to expand to 50 or 60.

“We expect to draw researchers from around the world to collaborate with faculty and students at the center, as well as work hand in hand with industry,” Meehan said. “The opportunity for business to have access to this kind of research building will be key to us developing our partners.”

The university is borrowing $25 million to build the center, which also will be financed with $35 million in state funding, and $10 million in federal and private money.

UMass-Lowell is talking to companies interested in naming rights for the building, its labs and lobby.

“This building is going to create revenue by bringing in more research, roughly 300 jobs and partnerships established with companies that will rent space and work with us,” Meehan said.

A number of companies already have recently moved to the city in part because of their ability to partner with the university, tapping its graduate students as employees, its technical facilities and research expertise, according to Baacke.

“We fully anticipate that this new facility will broaden our ability to do that and businesses’ ability to do that,” he said.

Ellie Goulding's light-speed tour ended in San Francisco with a slow show

Those of you raised on neon ’60s-era psychadelia, bad ’70s-period schmaltz or even ’90s bass-pumping dance mixes don’t need to move your radio dial to understand how the music industry has changed.

It’s gone viral, which like most things infectious and techno-related, has both considerable up and downs.

This realization was brought home with some immediacy when I had to chance to talk to rising British music sensation Ellie Goulding, who was in San Francisco for a private show at the W Hotel, which has embarked on a marketing series that should set new parameters for all things hip and now.

Click on the photo to the right to see pictures of Goulding performing at the W Hotel. Scroll down to see video from the performance.

Goulding is living proof that in the new-world network, things happen faster. Three years ago, she was just another college student at the University of Kent with artistic leanings. Today she is the biggest pop star in the United Kingdom, and has spent the last six weeks touring America, with stops at the Coachella Music Festival, the Jimmy Kimmel show and her last performance Thursday here in San Francisco.

Goulding has considerable talent, as she proved when she wowed an audience of about 400 people with a set that included a cover of Elton John’s classic “Your Song.” And since she has shown to be a fairly prolific songwriter, she may have staying power, a general obstacle in today’s music business that tends to cast aside its favorite flavors almost as quickly as YouTube can post them.

When I caught up with her, Goulding was anything but the bubbling, bouncy pop princess that the BBC crowned her in 2010 when she was placed atop the network’s music star list and followed that up with a BRIT award for her debut album “Lights.”

She was tired. She was dragging. She was homesick. She was clearly sick of interviews. Her representative from Interscope, the industry’s gold standard for pop talent, was openly concerned about her mood, which was summed up with a pouty complaint about “not having enough time on my hands.”

It’s a lot for a 24-year-old who grew up in farming country just outside of Wales to take the world by storm. Fame can be so wearing.

“It’s been just madness,” she said of her rise up the charts. “The whole thing has been very surreal. Yet it’s been amazing as well.”

Youth being what it is, within an hour she rallied, arriving on stage a little tepid, and by her fourth song, radiating fun and friskiness, to the point that she started pulling fans on stage to dance with her. An energetic crowd was all a saucy blonde in hot pants needed to turn the place all Gaga.

Those in the music world noticed this some time ago, which is how Goulding ended up here for her last U.S. appearance. Three years ago, the brand-setting folks from the W Hotels kicked off a global music series featuring top acts around the world. They have used their high-end brand to promote the likes of Peter Bjorn and John, Natasha Bedingfield, Janelle Monae and Cee-Lo Green. Goulding was timed and ready.

“Because we’re a global company, we’re looking at music acts that go beyond a certain city or place,” W Music Director Michaelangelo L’Acqua said of the company’s Symmetry Live series. “We’re approaching this more as a lifestyle than as a particular music choice. We’re looking at people who push the envelope, artists on the cusp.”

That would be the edge of rising celebrity, and Goulding fits the bill almost as well as her leather boots. I don’t know how her label or W picked her audience, yet it’s fair to say they know how to cast a video. It was no place for a scruffy columnist.

Goulding’s appeal is that she seems more like a musician than a diva. She spent most of the show comfortably strumming a guitar.

But it’s nice to know that even while the music industry is convulsing with the world’s quicksilver media transformation, the artists still shine bright. Polydor and Sony can package “stars” anyway they like, but no amount of remixing can mask talent.

DeKalb County Employer Plans Expansion

DeKalb Molded Plastics Co., a manufacturer of molded foam and plastic products, announced today that it will expand its operations here, creating up to 20 new jobs by 2014.

The company, which manufactures structural foam products and provides foam assembly, kitting and decorating services, will invest more than $1.2 million to purchase additional storage space and add a new molding press at its existing Butler operations.

"We appreciate DeKalb Molded Plastics' commitment to invest in the continued competitiveness of the Butler operations as well as new jobs in Indiana and making Indiana the center of its long term growth plans," said Mitch Roob, Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

The company, which currently employs more than 70 associates in Butler, plans to begin hiring additional manufacturing and warehouse associates later this year as the new press becomes operational.

"We have proven we can survive during the tough economic times and have readied the company for expansion as recovery occurs. We continue to invest in our people, as well as our equipment and facility. We're excited for that growth here in Butler," said Rick Walters, president of DeKalb Molded Plastics Company. "We appreciate that Indiana values that DeKalb Molded Plastics has been doing business in Indiana for more than 30 years and supported us as we considered our growth opportunities."

Founded in 1979 DeKalb Molded Plastics serves customers in the specialty materials handling, medical enclosure and safety products markets.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered DeKalb Molded Plastics Co., up to $100,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to $40,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. DeKalb County will consider additional property tax abatement at the request of the DeKalb County Economic Development Partnership.

"The city of Butler is delighted to learn of the new jobs which will be created by DeKalb Molded Plastics. DeKalb Molded Plastics has been faithfully involved in local activities for a number of years. We look forward to their continued involvement in our community and congratulate them on their growth and success," said Butler Mayor Ron Walter.

DeKalb Molded Plastics' announced expansion comes just one month after tire manufacturer, Michelin North America Inc., announced its plans to invest $50 million to expand production capacity at its BFGoodrich Tire manufacturing facility in nearby Woodburn, creating up to 35 new jobs by the end of the year.

Efficiency and the environment at JEC

At the JEC composites fair in March, many of the exhibitors focused on the rising importance of carbon and natural fibres in applications that are both efficient and environmentally friendly. European Plastics News attended the fair to take a look at the applications on show

In March, more than 1,100 brand names showed their wares at the JEC 2011 composites fair in Paris, which this year had a strong focus on efficiency and the environment. Visitors were confronted by these themes right from the get-go, approaching the exhibition hall past a 40m-long, materials-efficient, carbon fibre composite pipe.

This entrance exhibit was produced by CGB Carbon Grossbauteile of Wallerstein, Germany, using T-Igel machinery from Austria based Teufelberger.

CGB managing director Bernd Schottdorf told European Plastics News that the manufacturing process for the pipes is highly efficient, as are CGB's MakroComb honeycomb-backed parts, all "with low scrap". Schottdorf added: "About 90% of the RTM (resin transfer moulding) and SMC processes here at the JEC fair are just playing around with prototypes compared with our technology."

CGB manufactures carbon pipes up to a diameter of 1,000mm and a length of 42.5m for less than €30 per kilogram, he said.

Teufelberger said the cost of incorporating metal connections into CFRP parts with its T-Igel machinery is 60% lower than processes that use staked adhesive joints because the T-Igel method has four, not five, steps, which reduces manufacturing time by 40%.

CFRP technology was also shown at JEC by Paderborn University on the Kunststoff.NRW stand. Prof Thomas Tröster, head of the LiA chair of lightweight automotive construction, showed European Plastics News CFRP/steel technology, which reinforces metal structures and enhances crash performance in automotive applications.

Tröster said partial CFRP reinforcement is most efficient when applied by pressing a CFRP pre-preg with a heated stamping tool into the already formed metal structure, while it is held in a heated mould half. After around two minutes, the semi-cured CFRP polymer bonds the fabric to the metal. Full polymer cure is reached in a second stage, for example by stoving electro-deposition paints to the metal structure.

Paderborn University also displayed examples of CFRP/steel sandwich structures with CFRP placed between the inner and outer steel layers. CFRP's high strength means manufacturers can lower weight as they would have to increase the thickness of steel four or five times to achieve the same strength, says Tröster.

A similar CFRP/steel sandwich construction is used to make a car B-pillar, as outlined in a JEC carbon fibre market forum paper by Dr Uwe Kobs, business analysis and strategic planning director at SGL Carbon.

The B-pillar concept came about thanks to the Benteler-SGL joint venture between Benteler Automotive and Fischer Composite Technology. The JV is aiming to realise a cycle time of 96 seconds, enabling production of 150,000 parts per year, and has already built a test stand with various loads for sill and roof frames.

Similarly, the ZLP centre for lightweight production technology at the DLR German aerospace centre showed an NFS/NVS New Vehicle System part. DLR engineer Arne Stahl described the part as an omega-shaped steel stiffener enveloped by CFRP inner and outer shells to form a closed-ring passenger car mid-frame.

On the NRW stand, the IKV plastics processing institute showed technologies which are designed to improve composites production efficiency, such as flow impregnation, PUR spray impregnation, RTM pre-pregging and gap impregnation.

In another CFRP/metal hybrid, epoxide resin supplier Huntsman and the UK's Bristol University showed a CFRP rim which is applied to a cast magnesium-aluminium alloy wheel hub. This CFRP/metal hybrid wheel won the JEC 2011 sports and leisure category innovation award for NRG Wheels, based in the UK. The rim is fixed to the metal hub with coated titanium fasteners and bonded bushings.

The developers claim the wheel is 40% lighter than conventional wheels, so that a Porsche fitted with the wheels consumes 10% less fuel. The higher impact strength exceeds the necessary limit for conventional cars but the wheels can be used for higher value and performance vehicles, they add.

On the Huntsman stand, the NRG wheels were shown as part of the U-Box electric concept van.

Designed by the D3 consultancy, the van uses basalt and flax fibre composites and new epoxide resins, for fast cycle resin transfer moulding. In polyurethane, the new Vitrox series is also designed for fast cycle RTM of large volume automotive and transport parts.

Flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) lighting is also integrated within the U-Box composite bodywork.

Huntsman also supplied the Araldite epoxide resin used to make composite structures for a boat which will take part in the 2011 Mini Transat 6.50 transatlantic solo sailing race and which was on display in the JEC product showcase area.

Half of the composites used to make the boat consist of flax versions, made with flax from Belgian producer Lineo. Lineo coated the flax fibres to prevent humidity absorption to increase interfacial bond strength. The manufacturers claim the boat is the first racing vessel to have flax reinforced composites in its construction.

In a JEC bio-based materials forum presentation about the boat, Huntsman Advanced Materials' marketing manager Laurent Pourcheron said: "The coefficient of thermal expansion and elongation at break for flax are close to values for carbon fibre, while flax based composites usually have higher stiffness than glass composites."

Due to high flax fibre composite stiffness, there is potential for weight reduction over glass fibre composites, he added. Flax fibre accounts for 75-80% of the hull and deck reinforcement.

Induction heating technology company RocTool demonstrated how it uses linen fibre fabric to produce iPhone and iPad covers made of fibre-reinforced polyamide 12.

The company uses its 3iTech system to reach a PA12 melt temperature of 200°C in less than a minute before rapidly cooling the material. The covers are then trimmed, varnished and buffed.

RocTool says the technology is the only one of its kind "capable of moulding linen fibre quickly without burning or ruining its mechanical properties".

The company simultaneously launched its new FiberShell trademark to market the EcoFiber covers, alongside Performance Collection carbon fibre versions. The FiberShell cases are sold on the FiberShell website for €45 and €75, depending on size.

RocTool CEO Alexandre Guichard added: "We are thinking of developing the material for use in car interiors, car seat shells, luggage, furniture and electronics industry accessories."

Power trooper

IIt's easy to kick back and rely on your husband/boyfriend or trusty old dad to help you out when things go wrong around the house. But let's face it, it's not doing much for your independence, is it? And what about when they're not around and you're all by yourself.

It isn't rocket science. It's just a little know-how, a little technique. If they can do it, so can you. Here are some simple tricks to show you how it’s done.

De-stink your sinks

Unblocking a sink is one of the easiest and cheapest DIY jobs. Pour two to three tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda down the plug hole, followed by some glugs of vinegar supermarket brands are fine. Then simply flush through with hot water. Voila.

For really stubborn sinks

If your sink still isn’t playing ball, you’ll need a more drastic action. Place a bucket under the sink and start dismantling the U-bend. You won’t need tools as all the connections will be hand-tightened.

De-clogging the sink is one of the easiest jobs around the house. A little smelly, no doubt

Wash the U-bend in another sink and reassemble. To prevent a big mess, keep some old clothes and a nose peg handy in case of smells and spillages.

Reseal bath TILES

Guaranteed to impress friends and family, but quite a time-consuming task. As soon as black mould starts to appear around your bathroom tiles and commode, use a utility knife to cut out the old sealant between tiles. Clean the area with white spirit and wait until dry.

Then, using a nozzle attached to a long tube (easily found at any hardware store), slowly apply a silicone sealant or white plaster of paris, cheaply available. Keep consistent pressure on the tube and don’t let it form lumps.

Once you have placed an even bead round the tiles, smoothen it using your fingers or a flat wood board. Keep the bathroom dry for atleast 10 to 12 hours after applying the sealant as to get it aptly dry.

Cleaning taps of limescale

Use the trusty bicarbonate of soda and vinegar combo again a couple of tablespoons of bicarb to one tablespoon of vinegar mixed in a plastic bag.

Tie the bag over the taps, ensuring the ends are dipped in the solution. Leave for two to four hours and scrub off with an old toothbrush.

Use a power drill

Before you start drilling, practice in thin air and then on some scrap material like old wood. For stronger surfaces, such as brick, you'll need a hammer drill and a masonry drill bit. For softer services use a wood bit and take the drill off hammer setting. Start with a smaller hole and work it up.

Paint a window

External windows and doors need to be painted regularly as it protects wood from elements. Scrape away any flaky paint, sand back the area, fill any holes with wood filler and sand again.

Clean the area and apply paint with a small, one-inch brush. Don’t overload the brush and don’t overwork the paint. Work slowly and methodically and your windows will look pretty as a picture.

Re-oil wood surfaces, doors or tables

Kitchen tables or bedroom doors looking a bit lack-lustre? Like all natural products, they just need a good feed. Ensure the wood is clean and sand away any nasty marks or chips.

Wipe the surface with white spirit or a tack cloth (a sticky cloth or roll of sticky paper available at a hardware and stationery stores) is great for picking up lint) to banish dust. Pour some oil (a hardware store can point you towards a good one) on a lint-free cloth.

Work into the wood and follow the grain. Wait until it’s dry and apply another coat. Ta-da... all done.

Spider HRS Shredder Series

Size reduction is key to the materials reprocessing industry. Colin Irons, National Sales Manager, from Fercell Engineering/WEIMA UK, specialists in the design, manufacture and installation of shredders and briquetters looks at two of the company's products and explains why shredders and briquetting presses make ideal companions.

The UK recycling sector demonstrates an ever-increasing thirst for plant flexibility and increased efficiencies, with future-proofing considerations now becoming increasingly important during the investment decision process.

Putting aside external pressures of volatile material markets, recyclers are now more focused on internal costs, favouring plant proven to lower operating overheads decrease maintenance downtime cycles and deliver a multi tasking capability across differing materials; while at the same time retaining affordability.

The three Spider HRS models, now available to the UK through the sole UK distributor Fercell Engineering of Aylesford, Kent, while following in the mould of the WLK series single-shaft shredders, are a new generation of shredder. The Spider HRS list of new features and improvements is an impressive one.

Principally the Spider HRS is equipped with an interchangeable pressing system designed to handle a variety of materials to include lumps, film, and hollow moulds. The modular pressing systems are quick to replace, making it effortless to tailor the machines to different material flows, even after years of operation.

And because there is unrestricted access to the cutting system, cleaning and servicing are quick and easy to perform. Guided over belt-retaining strips - attached externally for straightforward replacement – the push ram is located on plastic rollers for optimum system guidance and jamming prevention. Furthermore, the pressing system hydraulics installed beneath the machine housing can be fully removed via a sliding draw providing quick access to minimise maintenance down time.

This new generation breed of single-shaft shredders are generally equipped with a hydraulically-driven swivel screen basket, a mechanism that helps to prevent jamming of material between the rotor and the inner screen wall. The screening surface around the rotor has also been increased for faster material output, while the reduced size of the individual screen elements make screen replacement easier than ever before.

Single-shaft shredders are supplied in rotor widths of 1000 mm, 1500 mm and 2000 mm, with a rotor diameter of 450 mm, delivering rotational speeds of up to 150 rpm.

Summary of the Spider HRS Series at a Glance:
A completely modular, interchangeable systemGeneral standardisation of all component partsA robust machine design suitable for the toughest industrial applicationsTotal operator flexibility and easy maintenance accessHigher throughputs with Supercut adjustable counter knifeHeavy duty spherical bearings and Siemens control.

Chocolate Tower Recipe by Mathew Metcalfe

1. Divide the chocolate into two quantities of 2kg and one quantity of 3kg.

2. Place 200mls of water each into two large pots and bring each to a medium simmer.

3. Start breaking chocolate into small pieces

4. Place a large bowl (totally dry, no water or moisture inside whatsoever) over each pot and 'assign' each of the 2kg quantities to one of the bowls. Start melting the chocolate by placing one handful of chocolate from each quantity into each of the double boilers. Go between each bowl with a wooden spoon, and start to move the chocolate as it begins to melt and to avoid burning. When the first handful has melted, add another handful. Repeat, only adding more chocolate when the previous quantity has melted, until all chocolate has been added. The temperature of the chocolate should not exceed 48C.

5. Once there is 2kg of melted choc in each bowl, remove from heat and wipe all of the condensation from the bottoms of the bowls.

6. Pour the chocolate into four disc moulds, ensuring that the chocolate reaches all the corners. Gently tap to release any trapped air bubbles. Ensure the chocolate is flush with the top of the disc mould but not overflowing. Rest on the bench for 20 minutes, then place into refrigerator for two hours.

7. Place another pot on the stove with 200ml of water. Temper the final 3kg of chocolate by the same process, stirring, one handful at time until all chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and wipe the condensation from the bottom of the bowl. Leave the water on the stove but with the stove turned off.

8. Take the prepared cone, hold with one hand and pour approximately one third of the chocolate into the cone with the other hand. Place the bowl of chocolate back onto the pot (stove still off). Rotate the cone to coat the inside with chocolate and pour excess back into bowl. Place cone into the fridge in glass stand. Set for 10 minutes.

9. After 10 minutes, remove cone from the fridge and repeat process of coating. Then, repeat the process twice more for a total of four coats of chocolate.

10. Finally line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. From the remaining melted chocolate, pour three cups into the cone and then quickly but carefully invert so the cone is base side down. The chocolate will run down the inside of the cone to form a solid base. Place back into fridge and leave to chill for at least 2 hours. Leave all chocolate in fridge until 20 minutes before required.

11. Put on a pair of rubber gloves to avoid getting fingerprints on the chocolate. To assemble, start by removing the chocolate cone from the fridge. Remove greaseproof paper from base and place on presentation tray. Very gently, with a sharp knife, score the tape marks on the seam on the outside of the cone and gently unravel the outside plastic layer. Pay attention to the pieces of double sided tape on the final seam on the inside. Gently remove the plastic from the outside of the chocolate cone.

12. With each disc, starting with the largest, carefully remove dowel by holding down the outside wood and firstly removing the centre dowels and then the four corners. Gently twist the top layer 45 degrees to unstick from bottom layer whilst supporting the chocolate. Lift the top layer of the mould up. Carefully turn over, careful not to drop. Gently peel off the plastic, and then gently tap the wooden centre of the mould, enough to dislodge the wooden disc and pop the seal without breaking the chocolate.

13. With one hand lift the outside edge of the mould and with the other hand, work around and push the chocolate completely free of the mould. Do not push too hard or it will break.
Gently lift the chocolate disc. The centre part of the mould should fall free. Gently, with two hands under disc, place it over the cone and bring down until it rests level in place
Repeat process with other three layers, in order from largest to smallest.

14. Place cupcakes on rings.

Let's get physical: the fight against files

Though CDs remain the most popular format for music buyers, the plastic disc is in decline, under threat from downloads both legal and otherwise. Some artists, labels and retailers are beginning a fightback against the threat to physical music releases with innovative new formats and ideas – including USB keys and album badges. LAUREN MURPHY reports

IT’S BEEN a while since Jon Bon Jovi was described as anything close to a spokesman of a generation, but his recent denunciation of download culture resonated more vociferously than expected with music fans of a certain vintage.

You could argue that the rocker is being more than a little excitable with his dramatic statement that “Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business”, but in many ways he has a point. Although CDs remain the most popular format for music buyers, their value has been diminished by the convenience of MP3s, not to mention illegal downloads.

Nevertheless there are bands, companies and music fans still doing everything within their power to stay connected to the physical world.

Last week The Flaming Lips announced their plan to release several new songs on a USB key enclosed in an edible jelly mould in the shape of a skull, with frontman Wayne Coyne telling Billboard: “Everybody’s in the same quagmire now. How do you release music? What would be interesting? I’d just like to release music all the time and just put it out in all kinds of weird formats and not just collect it until we’re ready to put out every two years or so.”

The White Stripes released a slightly less wacky version of their album Icky Thump on collectible USB keys in 2007, oddball indie-pop band Of Montreal bundled download codes of Skeletal Lamping with items ranging from a paper lantern to wall decals, and Laura Marling made an event of her debut album by releasing it as a Song Box keepsake. Even Tinie Tempah appealed to his young demographic by releasing a version of his album as a collectible lanyard with a download code attached. Novelties? Perhaps, but it sure beats the throwaway nature of a computer file.

Record Store Day takes place tomorrow

THE RETAILER

Making music collectable has never been so crucial to the faltering retail sector. The past 12 months have seen many of Ireland’s independent shops close, but a glimmer of hope remains among the remaining retailers.

“We’re seeing more and more albums and singles coming out on different formats,” says Gennaro Castaldo of HMV. “Partly this is because artists and their labels are becoming more imaginative in how they seek to connect with fans, but it’s mainly because rapid changes to digital technology are making it increasingly possible.

“Ultimately it’s always going to be about novelty and niche – designed mainly to attract press or social media coverage to help a release stand out – and the vast majority of releases will remain on CD and digital formats. But it will be interesting to see what new ideas the tech boffins come up with. A few years back, HMV stores exclusively stocked the first single to come out on a USB memory stick – by Keane – and they sold out within days. They can be highly collectible and are likely to appreciate in value.”

THE CONSUMER

Twentysomething Dubliner Mark is a self-confessed “music obsessive” who has spent “thousands” on CDs in the past. These days, however, he’s more inclined to get most of his music via illegal downloads, unless it’s a collectors’ item or individually numbered limited release from one of his favourite bands.

“I just can’t afford to buy most CDs, apart from certain bands that I really like,” he says. “Music is too expensive these days. I can’t afford to chance €15 or €17 on a band that I might never have heard of. If I really love an album [that I’ve downloaded], then I might buy it. It’s a popular opinion that illegal downloading is a lost sale, but that’s not necessarily the case.”

He agrees that a certain amount of responsibility for the faltering retail sector lies with people such as him – but he also thinks that stores, labels and promoters should be doing more to increase footfall. Special events don’t have to be restricted to Record Store Day alone, he says.

“It would be a sad thing to not be able to physically browse a back catalogue in a shop, but I don’t see why some of the independent stores don’t tie into more in-stores or live gigs and stop solely relying on sales, or even the novelty releases you mentioned,” he says. “Getting people into shops again is crucial. I’m not saying that running a business is easy, but independent stores need to provide something the big stores don’t, and adapt to the online market – not just sit back and sink, like some of them seem to have done.”

And he doesn’t necessarily agree with Jon Bon Jovi’s sentiments, either.

“It was inevitable that people would find a new way to consume music – it’s evolution, plain and simple. The biggest challenge facing the industry now is giving music a currency that’ll steer future generations, and people like me, away from exploiting it.”

Former Vesuvius church sees the light through renovation

Even the most minor of home renovations on Salt Spring’s historical gems can be no small miracle to pull off, but work on a converted Anglican church in Vesuvius proves that a power washer, 20 gallons of paint and a little bit of faith can really pay off.

Whereas many prospective buyers looking at the property might have seen a classic handyman’s special and moved on to something in need of a little less divine intervention, island contractor Derek Sowden saw opportunity and went home to speak with his wife Andrea.

The small Anglican community at Vesuvius completed work on St. Nicholas Church back in the early 1940s. The congregation flourished and additions to the original structure were added up until the church was finally converted into a home in the 1960s.

From today’s perspective, the only evidence of the building’s past is a modest wooden sign hanging near the front entrance. The sign welcomes everyone for weekly Sunday services at 9:15  and 10:30 a.m. along with evening worship every Thursday night from 5:15 to 6:15.

As the Sowdens spoke to island historians and examined archival photos, they became intrigued by the building’s historical character, appealing structural aesthetic and echoing roof lines.

“It had a little bit of cachet. It’s a cute little building,” Sowden said during a recent tour of the Vesuvius Bay Road property. “Normally a small rectangular building wouldn’t be that interesting.”

Having lived in the neighbourhood for years, the couple already had a good sense of the house and what they’d do if they could acquire the property.

Setting goals, knowing what you have to work with and establishing a plan, Sowden said, is probably the most important component to any successful building project.

Sowden located and documented all of the features in need of repair and used that to his advantage when negotiating a price.

Once the couple had done the research and established that the building was structurally sound and mould free, they negotiated a deal and put their plan in motion.

The first things to go were the large Douglas firs and arbutus tree that crowded the property’s front yard.

While the barrier of a large tree created a  welcome buffer from the nearby street, Sowden said, decades of windstorms had subjected the home to a steady onslaught of branches, needles and bark.

The result meant overflowing gutters, a roof damaged beyond repair and perpetual shade for both garden and home.

Calling in the faller to handle the big trees requires a leap of faith not many homeowners are willing to take, but the Sowdens figured opening up the property’s southern frontage was the only way to make the building finally see the light.

“[The trees] really didn’t do the building justice,” he said. “We had to let the light in. That made a big difference — to open it up and let the sun in.”

Not only does the home now get filled with midday sunshine, a world of gardening opportunities awaits in the property’s front yard.

The home’s vinyl siding, though well worn by the elements, was fully restored to its brilliant white after the Sowdens took to it with scrubbers and a power washing machine.

A gallon of paint for the window trim, a few repairs to the windows, a new roof and a set of gutter guards later and the place has never looked so good.

Down in the home’s crawl space — a crucial component of any home that’s frequently ignored until there’s a major problem, Sowden said — he installed a plastic liner, some new vents and fixed up the insulation.

On the inside, Sowden used 19 additional gallons of paint, made a few upgrades to the washrooms and created some extra room by taking out a bulky gas fireplace.

It may sound easy in print, but even an experienced builder like Sowden concedes he was breaking a sweat during the reno process.

“It’s a huge deal. We worked for 90 days straight without a day off,” he said. “It’s not something you should take lightly.”

As the owner of Strait Construction, Sowden has had plenty of experience renovating and building custom homes from the ground up. Whether building for himself or for a client, he said, doing the research and buying at the right price are critical to any project’s success.

It’s been 90 days of back-breaking work and a significant financial investment, but the Sowdens already have the place rented out to a satisfied tenant.

Sowden said even the neighbour is happier now that the pine cones haves stopped thundering down every time the wind picks up and the heavens open up.

Hardware features

The RBM HD comes equipped with one of the Snapdragon family of system on chip – a Qualcomm MSM 7230 chipset featuring a 45nm 800MHz Scorpion processor, an Adreno 205 GPU and 512MB RAM. In terms of performance, this hardware setup is not too shabby at all. Impressively, our benchmarking results pegged the entire system on chip combination as a rather highly rated device - slightly ahead of the Motorola Droid (Android 2.2+), and just behind the Google Nexus One (Android 2.2+) in terms of system on chip performance.

The device supports HSDPA 900 / 2100 with a downlink speed of up to 7.2 Mbps. Coupled with the full range of 2G GSM support, this means the phone isn’t locked to a particular network.

The 5-megapixel camera does an admirable job of taking photographs, but does suffer in low light conditions (as do most cellphone cameras). The LED flash didn't compensate too well in low light scenarios, occassionally washing out the image rather than illuminating the scene. This is a fairly average performance for a cellphone camera.

The camera can also record video at 720p and the Qualcomm MSM 7230 chipset is handily capable of playing this back at that resolution on the 480x800 resolution screen.

Most of the other bells and whistles you’d expect are in place, such as Bluetooth, an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, ambient noise reduction and GPS. Internal storage of 4GB combined with a microSD slot (up to 32GB) should provide enough space for most purposes.

The battery lasts a long time in standby mode, and we can fully believe the manufacturers claims of 380 hours. Of course, no one buys a phone to leave it in standby, and in practice the RBM HD exhibits typical smartphone tendencies of a full charge lasting for just about a day’s worth of average to heavy use, before needing a night-time charging.

Call quality was adequate, with the earpiece, microphone and noise cancellation appearing to work in admirable harmony. The rear loudspeaker sounded rather weak, however. It’s not terrible, but it certainly could have been louder and better.

All in all, the RBM HD features fairly standard hardware among current Android devices, with nothing to really complain about, nor make a fuss of.

Screen

The screen is also fairly standard kit for a modern high-end smartphone - a 3.8-inch, 480x800 resolution, 16M colours, TFT LCD with a capacitive touch-sensitive layer. This means it can take advantage of multi-touch user input schemes and is generally more sensitive than the now outmoded resistive touch-screen. Of course, this is not a Super AMOLED or ‘Retina Display’ but it does the job.

At 245.51 PPI images appear to be sharp enough, but of course pixellation also depends on the user’s eyesight. Most should find the screen to be colourful, bright, sharp and responsive – good enough for prolonged periods of browsing, reading and viewing.

Software

One of the attractions of the RBM HD is that it comes with the vanilla Android 2.2.1 (FroYo) operating system. Thankfully, Red Bull Mobile branding didn’t extend to a custom user interface (UI). The standard Android FroYo UI is functional and intuitive - there are no complaints here.

RBM did include a bunch of ‘value add’ apps. The Red Bull Mobile portal is a fairly typical content portal with a Red Bull flavour - free wallpapers, videos, music, news, and access to the streaming Red Bull TV. There is also Red Bull Radio, an exercise coach, and a Red Bull Flugtag game. I make mention of these (possibly) innocuous apps because they are annoyingly irremovable. Of course, where there’s and Android user with a will, there’s a way…

Icelandic todger museum acquires human hampton

The Icelandic Phallological Museum last Friday became "probably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country", when it took possession of a human penis.

The example of Homo sapien Islandicus's wedding tackle was kindly bequeathed to by 95-year-old Pall Arasson. The ceremonial handover was attended by a large crowd in the fishing village of Húsavík, keen to celebrate the successful conclusion of museum founder Sigurdur Hjartarson's quest to acquire the full set of 46 mammalian members.

Arasson beat off stiff opposition to attain penile immortality. An American, a Brit and a German had also promised their dangly bits, with the Yank sending "a life-size plastic mould of his member, which he calls 'Elmo' in place of the real thing, as part of his pledge to donate".

Arasson was apparently troubled in later years that his bid for "eternal fame" might be compromised by his shrinking schlong. The museum diplomatically declines to say how he measures up to the opposition, including a 1.7 metre-long sperm whale spam javelin, but it's pretty certain he won't be threatened by the 2mm hamster hampton (pictured, somewhere behind the magnifying glass).

Magnifying glass in front of hamster penis exhibit. Pic: M.O/The Icelandic Phallological Museum

Sigurdur Hjartarson got his hands on his first dick – a bull's pizzle – back in 1974. He gradually built up his collection before opening the The Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik in 1997.

In 2004, the museum upped sticks to Húsavík, where visitors can enjoy the total of 272 specimens from 92 different species of animals. It's open between 20 May and 10 September and easily located by the "large brown phallus near the entrance".

Now's perfect time to get stuck in

Lifestyle today welcomes back Nelson garden writer and new mum Vanessa Phillips, who

will be writing a fortnightly column on life in and around her city garden

A few weeks ago if the welcome mat was out at my home it would have come with a

caution, to read: "Welcome to the jungle."

A month or so of not venturing into the garden after having my baby girl Abby in

late January was all it took for the garden to completely go out of control, with

weeds to knee level and all manner of vines creeping around carefree.

Luckily my partner – a bit of a neat freak – decided he could take the mess no

more and embarked on a frantic clean-up mission, although ripping up a few of my

treasured raspberry and rhubarb plants in the process.

With the hard work done and most of the vegetable plots cleared out now, I've

started going back into the garden to complete the cleanup and begin planting again,

but things are not as they were.

Now, tasks which used to take me a day can take a week as I rush out in short bursts

during my 11-week-old daughter's daytime sleeps to frantically dig, pull, plant,

heave and haul things.

My progress in the garden is going so slowly at the moment that the Yates

"Phenomenal Early" cauliflowers I should have sown by now are looking likely to be

phenomenally late.

But now is the perfect time to get stuck into a post-summer garden cleanup. Not only

does a good autumn cleanup clear space for winter crops, but removing old plants

prevents bad bugs from sheltering and over-wintering in them, and gives you the

chance to revitalise the soil for the months ahead, by adding the likes of lime,

composts, well-rotted manures or fertilisers.

There is an art to doing an effective autumn cleanup, to not only make the most of

what the garden has to offer in the process, but also to reduce the amount of

greenwaste that needs to be taken off site to be disposed of.

One of the first jobs for autumn is to make use of the leaves starting to fall from

deciduous trees by gathering them and putting them in a pile where they'll

eventually break down to make a rich leaf mould for use on the garden (you can put

the leaves in a large black plastic bag with a few holes poked in it or any sort of

pen/structure which they can't blow out of).

While tidying up, seed can be saved from annual flowers, and veges such as tomatoes

and beans (except for F1 hybrids which won't come true from seed); in the strawberry

patch it's time to cut off and replant runners, while in the ornamental garden now

is also a good time to divide perennials such as daylilies so you get more for free

for replanting in the garden.

Plastic And Cosmetic Surgery Clinic Offers Natural Looking Nose After Rhinoplasty

People who have an imbalanced nose can find some solace to their distress. Plastic And Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, a Bangalore based clinic holding expertise in the plastic surgery, have surgeons that perform rhinoplasty only to impose a better and natural looking nose. The surgery includes removal of lumps and bumps, shortening and lengthening of the tip to provide a better shape to the nose.

Talking about the surgery, a senior surgeon stated, "We mould the tip of the nose into a desired shape by sculpting the cartilages and then draping the skin. The key to our success is an expert team and their disciplinary effort to handle the new frontiers and shape the nose perfectly. The demand for cosmetic procedures like rhinoplasty is on the rise in India and many young people come to us seeking the procedure."

In recent times, more and more people are opting for cosmetic surgeries to get attractive looks in order to get rid of the deformities that impact their self confidence. The clinic offers the latest in rhinoplasty as well as new techniques and methods to ensure the best rhinoplasty outcome.

He further added, "The unusual shape of the nose is mostly the result of heredity but the appearance sometimes can be altered in an accident or during a surgery. Although a majority of cosmetic surgeries are risk free and simple to perform, rhinoplasty can be very tricky. It needs to be performed with more caution because of the importance of nose in breathing and smelling."

Known for the excellent reshaping of the nose, the surgeons from the clinic have given many people that 'perfect face'. They have expertise in correcting deformities or making subtle aesthetic changes for cosmetic purposes. Cosmetic surgery in India is on a rise due to two main reasons, that are its affordability and the awareness among people which is a result of active media.

About Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Clinic

Plastic And Cosmetic Surgery Clinic is a well known clinic in Bangalore that strives to help people look perfect. The surgeries are performed by trained an experienced surgeons. The cosmetic surgical center provides economical cosmetic surgery India services at par with international standards.

Around the world in a dozen plates

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Travel & Vacation Show took a decided culinary flair in the first weekend of April as no fewer than five guest chefs appeared on stage to showcase everything from Nova Scotia lobster to Mexican tostadas — and a traditional fried-rice Indonesian breakfast.

"Over the years we've deliberately and thoughtfully placed more emphasis on culinary travel," says organizer Halina Player of Player Expositions.

"This year I wanted to attract not only Canadian chefs, but chefs from other countries. And I got a very good response — I was actually offered two chefs from Ecuador and Argentina, but I couldn't accommodate them because I simply ran out of time slots on the demonstration schedule."

Scroll down for recipes. But first, here is a list of the chefs on stage:

Michael Howell, cookbook author and proprietor of the critically acclaimed Tempest Restaurant in Wolfville, N.S., who has twice cooked at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. He made lobster rolls and then his award-winning grilled cheese panine Toscano;

Affable chef Steve Watson from Newfoundland and Labrador returned for a second year with pan-seared steelhead trout, as well as his ice-carving techniques using a chain saw;

Representing Mexico, chef José Hadad from Frida Restaurant in Toronto demonstrated authentic Mexican cuisine;

French-trained chef Eric Masson, owner of The Brentwood Bistro & Wine Bar in Little River, S.C., prepared South Carolina coastal cuisine with a French twist;

Indonesian embassy chef Ifmal Darmin demonstrated traditional breakfast with fried rice with myriad accompaniments.

Ford's Chocolate Inspired Weight-Saving Technology

There are many areas where weight can be saved by changing the type or grade of metal used to a stronger, lighter material to trim kilos from the kerb weight. Plastic parts are an area where it is traditionally difficult to save weight without sacrificing strength, durability or function, but Ford has found a solution. MuCell technology introduces gas bubbles into the plastic as it is moulded, leaving a microscopic honeycomb structure. These tiny spaces save weight by reducing the amount of plastic used, without compromising the integrity of the part.

Weight plays a key role in vehicle emissions and reducing the overall mass of the vehicle results in improvements to fuel economy and carbon emissions. Vehicle weights have increased in the last 30 years to allow for much greater levels of equipment and radically improved safety attributes. Ford has targeted reducing weight while still providing class leading levels of equipment and 5-star Euro NCAP safety ratings.

MuCell brings a host of other benefits with lower pressures used to mould the plastic and up to 33 per cent more parts per hour than a conventional process. This increase in speed and efficiency reduces energy consumption, manufacturing emissions and cost for parts produced using the innovative technique.

MuCell technology expert Carsten Starke is excited by the potential of the new process. He says: "The first time I saw this plastic under the microscope I thought to myself it looks like an Aero chocolate bar! The bubbles in the chocolate change the taste, but in our plastics they save weight and making cars lighter reduces emissions and fuel consumption significantly.

"We are saving weight in many ways, not just by using this new plastic, because lighter cars handle better, accelerate faster and stop more quickly. For the customer it is win-win, the plastic is 20 per cent lighter without increasing cost or reducing strength and it will help make their Ford better in almost every aspect."

The MuCell technology will see its first application in engine covers which will be rolled out over the next few years on vehicles such as Focus, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, S-MAX, Mondeo and Galaxy. Ford has committed to a minimum of 100kg weight reduction from even its smallest cars and 300kg from larger cars by 2020 as part of its environmental initiatives. This weight-saving initiative, which includes MuCell technology, also features a suite of other materials like high-strength Boron steels which are now used extensively in Ford models.