Euro, Introduced With Flourish, Gets Little Celebration at Its 10-Year Mark

Michel Prieur, a numismatist, called the euro's design sterile.

BERLIN — When the euro was introduced just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2002, celebratory fireworks exploded above the European Central Bank  headquarters in Frankfurt. The historic bridge the Pont Neuf in Paris was lit up in European Union  blue with 12 rays of light to symbolize the 12 nations circulating the euro — as people in those countries lined up at A.T.M.’s to get their hands on new bills that would be daily reminders of the project of European integration and unity.
Ten years later, the word “euro” in a headline is usually paired with the word “crisis.” Instead of hosting celebrations for the 10-year anniversary, policy makers appear to be staying as quiet as possible, as if hoping not to upset the brief calm that has come with the holiday season after European central bankers injected nearly $640 billion into the European banking system in December.
Read more >> http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2803355248369814966#editor/target=post;postID=2389491161402062878

Fire authorities report 16 new fires

Los Angeles Times
Dec. 31, 2011
7:33 a.m.
Authorities reported at least 16 new arson fires early Saturday in Los Angeles, bringing to more than 35 the number of fires intentionally set in the city in the last two days.

December 16, 2011, 12:37 pm 2011 in Rhyme and Headlines: The ‘Year in Rap’ and Our Annual News Quiz

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/2011-in-rhyme-and-headlines-the-year-in-rap-and-our-annual-news-quiz/

New York Times - Today's Headlines

TOP NEWS

Group's Ads Rip at Gingrich as Romney Stands Clear
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and JIM RUTENBERG
An advertising deluge against Newt Gingrich by a group supporting Mitt Romney shows how a court ruling has created powerful ways for outside money to influence elections.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/us/politics/restore-our-future-attack-ads-harm-gingrich-in-iowa.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2

The Caucus: Ads and 30-Minute Special Will Promote Gingrich
Interactive Feature: Taking to the Airwaves
Romney Says He Expects to Be the G.O.P. Nominee

The new prison in Figueres,
 in northeast Spain, sits empty,
 evidence of questionable
regional spending.

As Spain Acts to Cut Deficit, Regional Debts Add to Woe
By SUZANNE DALEY
Announcing spending cuts and higher taxes to address a wide budget deficit, Spain admitted its finances were probably even worse because of reckless outlays by its autonomous regions.

Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing Its Ideals
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Even as more Americans buy foods labeled organic, the products are moving away from a traditional emphasis on local growing and limited environmental strain.

Video: Planting the Beach - Slide Show

QUOTATION OF THE DAY
"You can ask a random question about sex and you don't feel it was stupid. Even if it was, they can't judge you because they don't know it's you. And it's too gross to ask my parents."
STEPHANIE CISNEROS, a Denver-area high school junior, on a text-chat program that provides answers to young people's questions about sex, part of a growing trend in online sex education.

Science

Video: Planting the Beach
American demand for year-round organic fruits and vegetables has incited a farming boom in the arid deserts of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.

Related Article

Opinion

Opinionator
Disunion

'A Sad, Fearful, Raging Year'
By ADAM GOODHEART
At the end of a terrible year, newspapers North and South expressed hope and fear for what will come in 1862.

WORLD

Drilling Down

Hunt for Gas Hits Fragile Soil, and South Africans Fear Risks
By IAN URBINA
A plan to drill for natural gas in the Karoo region of South Africa would use millions of gallons of water in a drought-stricken area.

Previous Articles in This Series

Germany summoned the Egyptian
 ambassador on Friday after Egyptian
authorities raided the Cairo office of
 a German civil-society foundation.

Egypt Vows to End Crackdown on Nonprofits
By STEVEN LEE MYERS and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Egypt's military rulers privately signaled a retreat in a crackdown on organizations that promote democracy and human rights, senior American officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/world/middleeast/egypts-generals-intensify-campaign-against-nonprofits-activists-say.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22


India's Way

DOING MORE WITH VERY LITTLE
 At the private Holy Town High School
 in the south Indian city of Hyderabad,
students in a predominantly Muslim
 neighborhood receive English-language
instruction at a modest tuition,
 and score well on
 standardized tests.

Many of India's Poor Turn to Private Schools
By VIKAS BAJAJ and JIM YARDLEY
Many poor families have turned away from public education, but new government rules are seen as a threat to private institutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/world/asia/for-indias-poor-private-schools-help-fill-a-growing-demand.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22






Previous Articles in This Series
• More World News


U.S.Sex Education Gets Directly to Youths, via Text
By JAN HOFFMAN
Some health organizations and school districts are developing Web sites and text services to reach teenagers.

As Crop Prices Soar, Iowa Farms Add Acreage
By A. G. SULZBERGER
In the Midwest, the spike in farm earnings has encouraged farmers to put more land into production, including parcels once deemed unsuitable.

Facing Consequences of Success in Bid to Save a Goose
By FELICITY BARRINGER
A century of efforts to sustain snow geese along their migratory paths may have succeeded a little too well.

• More U.S. News

POLITICS

As Gingrich Reels From Attack Ads, Some Aides Suggest Fighting Back
By TRIP GABRIEL
Newt Gingrich's vow to stay positive draws applause at campaign stops, but his drop in the polls raises questions about that strategy.

Gingrich Sheds Tears in Meeting With Iowa Mothers:



Paul Assails Rivals' Criticism of His Policy on Iran
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
Representative Ron Paul says that overreaction by the United States to Iran's nuclear program could lead to a war.

A New Hampshire Focus for Huntsman
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Jon M. Huntsman Jr. has warmed to his identity as the Man Who Would Dare Skip Iowa.

• More Political News

BUSINESS

When Investors Rush In, and Out, Together
By GRAHAM BOWLEY
The prices of financial assets, which in normal conditions move in unpredictable directions, are increasingly surging up or down in lockstep.

Wall Street Ends Back Where It Started
By CHRISTINE HAUSER
The S.&P. 500 was statistically unchanged for the year, while the Dow was up 5.5 percent. Major European and Asian indexes declined by double-digit percentages.

Off the Charts

The Year Governments Lost Their Credibility
By FLOYD NORRIS
In 2011, European governments badly underestimated the debt crisis and the United States nearly defaulted and had its credit rating cut.

• More Business News

TECHNOLOGY

After Outcry, Verizon Abandons $2 Fee
By RON LIEBER
Verizon Wireless bowed to consumer anger on Friday, reversing a day-old plan to impose a bill-paying fee that would have applied to only some customers.

Finding the Cleanup Crew After a Messy Hack Attack
By NICOLE PERLROTH
After a prominent attack on Stratfor, a security group, specialists in computer breaches say companies that are under siege must act quickly to assess and contain the damage.

Bits Blog: Stratfor Hackers Claim Another Attack

Today's Cable Guy, Upgraded and Better-Dressed
By AMY CHOZICK
As cable companies race to evolve, their front-line workers try to keep up with new dress codes and backgrounds in engineering and computer science.

• More Technology News

SPORTS

Lens Blog


Looking Back at the Year in Sports
By KERRI MACDONALD
Here are the moments from 2012 that captured the majesty, magic and misery of sports. http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/looking-back-at-the-year-in-sports/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha27

2011 Scrapbook: Memories From the Year in Sports
Slide Show

2011 Scrapbook

Novak Djokovic, at the United States Open

Memories From the Year in Sports
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Every day this week, reporters and editors for The Times will recall the people, teams and moments that made the past year memorable.
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/sports/memories-from-the-year-in-sports.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha27


Slide Show: The Year in Sports

A Jets Victory Would Let the Squirming Begin
By BEN SHPIGEL
The Jets' playoff chances could be decided while they are on a jet, cut off from the Internet and cellphones.

Ryan Backs His Offensive Deputy
• More Sports News

ARTS

Theater

Backstage Veterans, Taking a Breath After Long Runs
By ERIK PIEPENBURG
Backstage veterans of "Billy Elliot" and "The Addams Family" reflect on an era of steady paychecks and consider what's next.

Interactive Feature: A Home, Even If It Is Backstage

Music Review - Phish

A Band Tradition, Both Carried On and Changed
By JON PARELES
Phish continues its practice of performing at Madison Square Garden at this time of year.

This Is How the End Begins
By MANOHLA DARGIS
The overture to Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" references the Marquis de Sade, "Hamlet," the Bible and more in its first eight minutes.

The World-Ending Sounds of 'Melancholia'
Movie Review: 'Melancholia'
• More Arts News

NEW YORK / REGION

Police Tactic: Keeping Crime Reports Off the Books
By AL BAKER and JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN
Some New Yorkers have expressed frustration in trying to persuade officers to take crime reports.

Amid Inquiry, Comptroller Ends $800 Cap on Donations
By DAVID W. CHEN
John C. Liu, the New York City comptroller, who is under investigation, has lifted an $800 cap on contributions, allowing him to seek larger amounts of money from a smaller group of people.

A Collapse at a Poultry Shop Exposes a Rift Among Neighbors
By ANNE BARNARD
The smells and sights of Yeung Sun Live Poultry disturbed some in its gentrifying stretch of Brooklyn waterfront, but locals' reactions are mixed now that a freak accident may shutter it.

• More New York / Region News

TRAVEL

My Week at the Biggest Loser Fat Camp
By JENNIFER CONLIN
You can watch "The Biggest Loser" on television. Or you can live it, at a resort where guests are prodded and pushed and left panting.

Slide Show: A Working Vacation
Photos: Working Vacation

36 Hours: Trinidad
By BAZ DREISINGER
Trinidad is a place of unspoiled beaches, Creole culture and the Caribbean's most electrifying night life.

Slide Show: 36 Hours: Trinidad
Video: 36 Seconds in Trinidad

Practical Traveler

Insider Travel Tips From Campaign Reporters
By ASHLEY PARKER
Nothing instructs in the art of efficient travel like following a campaigning presidential candidate.
" --- TRAVEL is one of the great perks of being a journalist — over the years, my job has taken me to places like Los Angeles, Paris and Saudi Arabia. But when I began covering Mitt Romney’s presidential bid five months ago as a member of The New York Times political team, I suddenly found myself shuffling through airport security several times a week.---".


http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/travel/tips-from-political-reporters.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210


Chasing Presidents in Blue Frye Boots
• More Travel News

EDITORIALS

Editorial

The Damage of 2011

After Republicans took control of the House this year, they weakened many programs that Americans need.

Editorial

Egypt's Obstructionist Generals

The determination of the military council to hang on to power is the biggest threat to stability in the country.

Editorial

Big Coal's Bidding

It shouldn't take another disaster, like the Upper Big Branch explosion in 2010, to make lawmakers take action to protect lives.

• More Opinion

OP-ED

Op-Ed Contributor

Sri Lanka's Ghosts of War
By NAMINI WIJEDASA
If Sri Lanka wants true reconciliation, the government must take responsibility for civilian deaths during the civil war. " ---THE Sri Lankan government’s defeat of the separatist Tamil Tigers in 2009 ended a three-decade war that took tens of thousands of lives. But only now is the government beginning to acknowledge its huge human cost. Two weeks ago, a government-appointed reconciliation commission released a long-awaited report, giving voice to the war’s civilian victims for the first time. ---"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/opinion/sri-lankas-ghosts-of-war.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

Op-Ed Columnist

A Quiz for All Seasons
By GAIL COLLINS
Here's the End-of-the-Year Republican Presidential Primary Quiz. No peeking at the answers, people, until all questions have been answered!

Columnist Page

Op-Ed Columnist

The College Sports Cartel
By JOE NOCERA
The N.C.A.A. is a walking, talking antitrust violation.

Columnist Page
• More Opinion

ON THIS DAY
On Dec. 31, 1946, President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.

Henri Matisse December 31,1869 - November 3, 1954

Need Help Avoiding Hangover? Less Booze, More H2O

From the net

CHICAGO (AP) -- Attorney Colleen Gorman has a holiday ritual that doesn't involve buying presents or counting down to midnight: She goes online to look for new hangover remedies she hasn't tried.
She already has scratched off those big "prevention" pills, vitamins and chugging sports drinks, along with more quirky folk remedies including peanut butter sandwiches.
"My fiance says I should probably just drink less," said Gorman, 28, of Chicago.
Experts say that's good advice for everyone.
"The only way to prevent a hangover is to not get drunk," said Boston University researcher Jonathan Howland.
That might be too radical a remedy for many revelers, but it's the only one proven to work. Still, there are strategies that can soften the blow.
Topping the list? Don't drink on an empty stomach, said Sam Zakhari, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's metabolism and health effects division. Food helps absorb alcohol and delay its toxic effects on the body.
Drinking plenty of water before, during and after also helps because alcohol can dehydrate the body.
Kim Khan teaches at the American Professionals Bartending School in Villa Park, Ill., and devotes a class to serving responsibly. That includes encouraging bar patrons to drink water. Khan, who also tends bar, says alternating drinks with glasses of water helps and is a method she uses "because I've been doing this way too long."
Some people think choosing clear alcohols is safer, because darker-colored drinks contain more compounds called congeners. That is based on an unproven theory that those compounds cause the body to make toxins that upset the stomach and cause other hangover symptoms, said Howland, a researcher in the emergency medicine department.
But no one really knows what causes hangovers, which makes preventing them a challenge, Howland said.
He's hoping to find a clue in his research into why some people don't get hangovers. About 1 in 4 drinkers never feel yucky after overindulging. In Howland's lab, that includes study subjects given normally "intoxicating" doses - about six beers for men and five for women. /AETNA INTELI HEALTH

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success

By Anu Partanen
Dec 29 2011, 3:00 PM ET 353

The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.

Everyone agrees the United States needs to improve its education system dramatically, but how? One of the hottest trends in education reform lately is looking at the stunning success of the West's reigning education superpower, Finland. Trouble is, when it comes to the lessons that Finnish schools have to offer, most of the discussion seems to be missing the point.

The small Nordic country of Finland used to be known -- if it was known for anything at all -- as the home of Nokia, the mobile phone giant. But lately Finland has been attracting attention on global surveys of quality of life -- Newsweek ranked it number one last year -- and Finland's national education system has been receiving particular praise, because in recent years Finnish students have been turning in some of the highest test scores in the world.

Read more >> http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/

The Atlantic is an American magazine founded (as The Atlantic Monthly) in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets, and encouraging major careers. It published leading writers' commentary on abolition, education, and other major issues in contemporary political affairs.

Tens of thousands give inspiring pledge to Allah in Homs, Syria [Dec 2011] - MUST SEE!

Syria - December 30, 2011

Large Protests Held in Syria to Prove Discontent to Monitors /New York Times

By KAREEM FAHIM and HWAIDA SAAD

Published: December 30, 2011


BEIRUT, Lebanon — Despite a continuing government crackdown, tens and possibly hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of several Syrian cities on Friday, as protesters seemed intent on showing visiting Arab League  monitors the extent of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.
Activists said that soldiers opened fire on several of the demonstrations, killing or injuring protesters in Hama and the Damascus suburb of Douma. Al Jazeera television showed live footage of what appeared to be tens of thousands of protesters in Homs, where activists said observers were visiting several neighborhoods.

Read more >>
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/world/middleeast/new-clashes-in-syria-as-monitors-mission-challenged.html?hp

Syria: More Die In 'Biggest Protest So Far' /SKY NEWS

Det nya året startar med ett nytt inbördeskrig (Syrien)?

Wikipedia:
Huvudstad Damaskus
Största stad Aleppo
Officiellt språk Arabiska
Statsskick Statsbärande parti/Republik
President Bashar al-Assad
Premiärminister Adel Safar
Självständighet från Frankrike
• deklarerad 1 januari 1944
• erkänd 17 april 1947
Yta 185 180 km² (86:e)
• varav vatten 0,06 %
Demografi
• folkmängd (2011) 22 457 763 (55:e)
• befolkningstäthet 103 inv/km² (101:a)
BNP (PPP) (2011)
• totalt $ 105 238 miljarder (63:e)
• per capita $ 5 043
HDI (2010) ▲ 0,589 (medium) (109:e)
Valuta Syriskt pund (SYP)
Topografi
• högsta punkt Jabal el-Sheikh
2 814 m ö.h.
• största sjö Himssjön
60 km²
• längsta flod Eufrat
Nationaldag 17 april
Landskod SY, SYR
Nationell toppdomän .sy
Landsnummer 963

(RT: Syria: One-eyed quest for democracy

RT (Rome, Italy) :

More killed in Friday mass protests

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/

NICOSIA: More than 250,000 people rallied across the Syrian region of Idlib today as security forces shot dead at least five demonstrators and fired nail bombs at a crowd elsewhere, a watchdog said.

The anti-regime protests in the flashpoint northwestern province of Idlib came after the main weekly Muslim prayers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement sent to AFP in Nicosia.
“More than 250,000 people protested across Idlib province in 74 locations after Friday prayers,” said the Britain-based group.
“The largest rally was in Idlib city, Banash, Ariha, Sarakeb, Maaret al-Numan, and Khan Sheikhun... among others,” it added.
In the restive Damascus suburb of Douma, security forces fired nail bombs at tens of thousands of protesters, and demonstrators retaliated by throwing stones, said the

Syrian forces fire nail bombs

gulf news.com
     http://gulfnews.com/

Published: 00:00 December 31, 2011
Dubai: Syrian forces fired nail bombs to disperse protesters on Friday as tens of thousands poured on to the streets to make their voices heard by Arab monitors touring the hotspots.
The protesters, emboldened by the presence of monitors, called for the ouster and prosecution of President Bashar Al Assad and urged the monitors, who last week started a mission to oversee an Arab League plan to end the bloodshed, to do more to protect civilians from forces of the regime which they said killed 32 civilians on Friday. The death toll has climbed to more than 75 in the last 24 hours.
"We urge you to make a clear distinction between the assassin and the victim," activists of the Syrian Revolution 2011 said on their Facebook page.
"Our revolution which was launched nine months ago is peaceful," they said

Många

Fotbollsklubbar som tränar i Spanien i vinter (Kalmar FF i La Manga)

Chance Discoveries: Graphene -- Chemistry Now

                                                                                                                                       

Chance Discoveries: Graphene

A breakthrough small in size but potentially large in impact.
Credit: NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation (NSF)

Endless Love: Do Do, a 2-year-old monkey, feeds Affe, a 2-month-old tiger, with a bottle of milk. Both were reared at a zoo located near Bangkok, Thailand.

Nu är influensan här

Influensafallen har mer än dubblerats sedan förra veckan. Spridningen väntas ta fart efter julledigheterna.

Det är antalet laboratorieverifierade fall av influensa som ökat, till sammanlagt 32 inrapporterade fall i landet för vecka 51, uppger Smittskyddsinstitutet. Dessutom har totalt åtta fall av den pandemiska influensan A(H1N1) inrapporterats för samma vecka.
Influensaspridningen väntas ta fart efter julledigheterna. Därför uppmanar nu Smittskyddsinstitutet unga som tillhör riskgrupper och personer över 65 år att vaccinera sig.

TOP NEWS


Tax Benefits From Options as Windfall for Businesses
By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI
Companies that were granted stock options after the 2008 stock market collapse are benefiting from those awards too - in the form of tax savings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/business/tax-breaks-from-options-a-windfall-for-businesses.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2

Republicans aspiring
 to this residence have
 broad views on the power
its occupant can wield

In G.O.P. Field, Broad View of Presidential Power Prevails
By CHARLIE SAVAGE
Even as they advocate for limited government, many of the Republican candidates hold expansive views about the scope of the executive authority they would wield if elected.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/us/politics/gop-field-has-broad-views-on-executive-power.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2


Interactive Feature: The Candidates on Executive Power



Iowans listened to Newt Gingrich
 on Wednesday in Le Mars,
 north of Sioux City. The state's
 caucuses will take place
 on Tuesday.


Voters Examining Candidates, Often to a Fault
By MICHAEL BARBARO and ASHLEY PARKER
The traits and background of the Republican presidential hopefuls enter into the thinking of many voters in New Hampshire and Iowa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/us/politics/voters-say-republican-candidates-personalities-matter.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2

Republicans Campaign in Iowa

QUOTATION OF THE DAY
"I don't go out to get gas at night. I don't run to any stores. I try to do everything in the daytime and to be back before night falls."
JUANITA KENNEDY, 65, of Highland Park, Mich., a cash-strapped city that has turned off many of its streetlights to save money

Två anställda vid Läkare utan gränser (MSF) sköts ihjäl i Somalias huvudstad Mogadishu i torsdags.

Somalia = planeten Jordens största skam enligt mig Stig iaf

New technique makes it easier to etch semiconductors

Graphic by Xiuling Li

Metal-assisted chemical etching  uses two steps. First, a thin layer of gold is patterned on top of a semiconductor  wafer with soft lithography (left). The gold catalyzes a chemical reaction that etches  the semiconductor from the top down, creating three-dimensional structures for optoelectronic applications (right).




CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Creating semiconductor structures for high-end optoelectronic devices just got easier, thanks to University of Illinois researchers.

A scanning electron microscope
 image of “nanopillars” etched
 in gallium arsenide.
Image by Xiuling Li

The team developed a method to chemically etch patterned arrays in the semiconductor gallium arsenide, used in solar cells, lasers, light emitting diodes (LEDs), field effect transistors (FETs), capacitors and sensors. Led by electrical and computer engineering professor Xiuling Li, the researchers describe their technique in the journal Nano Letters.


A semiconductor’s physical properties can vary depending on its structure, so semiconductor wafers are etched into structures that tune their electrical and optical properties and connectivity before they are assembled into chips.


Semiconductors are commonly etched with two techniques: “Wet” etching uses a chemical solution to erode the semiconductor in all directions, while “dry” etching uses a directed beam of ions to bombard the surface, carving out a directed pattern. Such patterns are required for high-aspect-ratio nanostructures, or tiny shapes that have a large ratio of height to width. High-aspect-ratio structures are essential to many high-end optoelectronic device applications.


While silicon is the most ubiquitous material in semiconductor devices, materials in the III-V (pronounced three-five) group are more efficient in optoelectronic applications, such as solar cells or lasers.


Unfortunately, these materials can be difficult to dry etch, as the high-energy ion blasts damage the semiconductor’s surface. III-V semiconductors are especially susceptible to damage.


To address this problem, Li and her group turned to metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch), a wet-etching approach they had previously developed for silicon. Unlike other wet methods, MacEtch works in one direction, from the top down. It is faster and less expensive than many dry etch techniques, according to Li. Her group revisited the MacEtch technique, optimizing the chemical solution and reaction conditions for the III-V semiconductor gallium arsenide (GaAs).


The process has two steps. First, a thin film of metal is patterned on the GaAs surface. Then, the semiconductor with the metal pattern is immersed in the MacEtch chemical solution. The metal catalyzes the reaction so that only the areas touching metal are etched away, and high-aspect-ratio structures are formed as the metal sinks into the wafer. When the etching is done, the metal can be cleaned from the surface without damaging it.


“It is a big deal to be able to etch GaAs this way,” Li said. “The realization of high-aspect-ratio III-V nanostructure arrays by wet etching can potentially transform the fabrication of semiconductor lasers where surface grating is currently fabricated by dry etching, which is expensive and causes surface damage.”


To create metal film patterns on the GaAs surface, Li’s team used a patterning technique pioneered by John Rogers, the Lee J. Flory-Founder Chair and a professor of materials science and engineering at the U. of I. Their research teams joined forces to optimize the method, called soft lithography, for chemical compatibility while protecting the GaAs surface. Soft lithography is applied to the whole semiconductor wafer, as opposed to small segments, creating patterns over large areas – without expensive optical equipment.


“The combination of soft lithography and MacEtch make the perfect combination to produce large-area, high-aspect-ratio III-V nanostructures in a low-cost fashion,” said Li, who is affiliated with the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I.


Next, the researchers hope to further optimize conditions for GaAs etching and establish parameters for MacEtch of other III-V semiconductors. Then, they hope to demonstrate device fabrication, including distributed Bragg reflector lasers and photonic crystals.


“MacEtch is a universal method as long as the right condition for deferential etching with and without metal can be found,” Li said.

The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation supported this work.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2011, its budget is about $6.9 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives over 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (U of I, UIUC, or simply Illinois) is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system. The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is the second oldest public university in the state, second to Illinois State University, and is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference. It is considered a Public Ivy and is a member of the Association of American Universities. The university is designated as a RU/VH Research University (very high research activities). The campus library system possesses the third-largest university library in the United States and the sixth-largest in the country overall.

30 december

Idag fyller Ben Johnson 50 år, mannen som gav friidrotten ett riktigt tydligt fult ansikte (om än han inte var först i "branchen"). Grattis?

Idag för exaklt fem år sedan avrättades Hussein och det skulle bli lite ordning och reda ... host ... i Irak.

Year in review: Osama Bin Laden

World News Australia

China to launch Shenzhou-9, Shenzhou-10 spacecraft next year

China to launch Shenzhou-9, Shenzhou-10 spacecraft next year: spokesman

Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011 - China will launch the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spacecraft and achieve space rendezvous and docking missions with the orbiting Tiangong-1 vehicle in 2012, a spokesman for the China National Space Administration said Thursday.

http://www.spacedaily.com/

Kommunpolitiker dömd för grovt bedrägeri och grovt bidragsbrott

Margaretha Bjäkemo
(från nätet)

Margaretha Bjälkemo, kommunpolitiker för Moderaterna i Svenljunga, har dömt för grovt bedrägeri och grovt bidragsbrott mot Försäkringskassan.

Sammanlagt handlar det om felaktigt utbetald sjukersättning för 539 000 kronor. Sjukersättningen betalades ut samtidigt som hon hade politiska uppdrag.  Straffet blev villkorlig dom och 70 dagsböter. /Borås Tidning

46 kilo rent kokain

Åtal  väcktes idag mot följande:

Vojin Bacovic, svensk medborgare född 1964.
Predrag Dimitrijevic, bosnisk medborgare född 1977.
Nemanja Djokic, serbisk medborgare född 1980.
Vladan Zizic, montenegrinsk medborgare född 1981.
Carl Gustaf Orestis Ericsson, svensk medborgare född 1980, och
Björn Daniel Palmgren, svensk medborgare född 1977;

Getting ahead in Dharavi

As many as a million people live and work in Dharavi, a sprawling slum in Mumbai, India.

Photographs:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/12/28/world/asia/20111229_INDIA_GOBIG.html?ref=afternoonupdate&nl=afternoonupdate&emc=auab1#3

Stocks Turn Positive, but Euro Dips

Stock markets were modestly higher Thursday, just about recovering Wednesday’s losses, although many traders were still shying away from riskier assets at year-end.
In Italy, the government successfully tapped bond investors for more cash for the second day running.
But in a sign that nerves remained high, the euro was near a one-year low against the dollar and sank to a decade-low against the Japanese yen. In relatively thin trading, which often accentuates movements, the euro fell to $1.2883, its lowest level since Jan. 10 and not far from its 2011 low of $1.2860. Against the yen, it fell to 100.33 yen, a 10-year low.

Khan Academy

Ibland kan en eldsjäl åstadkomma mycket helt på egen hand. Salman Khan har byggt en omfattande resursbank med hundratals lektioner i matematik och ekonomi för både skola och högskola. Han har bland annat en MBA från Harvard och examen i matematik och datavetenskap och har själv byggt upp Khan Academy för att ge extra stöd till studenter. Idén är att om du inte kommer ihåg ett särskilt moment inom matematik, ekonomi eller fysik kan du lätt få lite repetition genom Kahns resursbank. Alla filmer finns på YouTube men nås via Khan Academys webbplats. Jag tycker att det är fantastiskt. Prova själv (liksom 4 miljoner andra under den senaste månaden enligt Business Insider) !

Klicka >>  http://www.khanacademy.org/

En i science-högen:



En i "math"-högen:



En i "Humanities & Other"-högen:



En i "Talks and Interviews"-högen:

Maradona: Kollegenschelte kostet 2000 Euro

Argentinier beleidigte gegnerischen Trainer

Der Fußballverband der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate hat Diego Maradona zu einer Geldstrafe von umgerechnet knapp 2000 Euro verdonnert. Der Trainer des Al-Wasl Sports-Club in Dubai hatte verbal über die Stränge geschlagen.


Grund für die Strafe: Maradona habe sich nach einem Spiel im vergangenen Monat in beleidigender Weise über seinen Kollegen Cosmin Olaroiu vom Club al Ain geäußert. Die "Hand Gottes" hatte offenbar die Siegesfeier des Rivalen nicht für gut befunden.

Störte sich an der Siegesfeier
 der gegnerischen Mannschaft:
Diego Maradona.

Bei der anschließenden Pressekonferenz äußerte Maradona sein Unverständnis über die aus seiner Sicht provozierende Zeremonie im gegnerischen Lager. In arabischen Ländern gilt es jedoch als Beleidigung, jemanden als unhöflich zu bezeichnen.
Zur Geldstrafe gab's noch eine offizielle Verwarnung obendrein. Maradona trainiert seit Mai den arabischen Klub. Davor hatte er die argentinische Nationalmannschaft trainiert.
Kicker Sportmagazin, Kicker, tysk fotbollstidning och fotbollsmagasin, utgiven av Olympia-Verlag GmbH




"Kicker": Tysklands mest välrenommerade tidning om fotboll men med tyngdpunkten förlagd kring Bundesliga och övrig tysk elitfotboll. Kicker rapporterar även om andra sporter. En rad kända idrottspersoner är krönikörer i Kicker, bl.a. Andreas Köpke och Jupp Derwall. Kicker har getts ut sedan 1920 och har trots konkurrens från andra tidningar under senare år behållit sin ställning, bl.a. genom den årliga utgivningen av Kicker Sonderheft inför Bundesligasäsongen och andra större sportevenemang.

Oil Prices Predicted to Stay Above $100 a Barrel Through Next Year

Americans have been driving less and buying more fuel-efficient cars, helping lower gas prices.

The United States economy managed to cope this year despite triple-digit prices for barrels of oil. The lessons may come in handy, economists say, because those prices will probably be sticking around.

With Iran threatening to cut off about a fifth of the world’s oil supply by closing the Strait of Hormuz and unrest in Iraq endangering the ability to increase production there, financial analysts say prices for two important oil benchmarks will average from $100 a barrel to $120 a barrel in 2012.
Raed more >> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/business/oil-prices-predicted-to-remain-above-100-a-barrel-next-year.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25

North Korea Declares Kim Jong-un as Supreme Leader

Thousands of North Koreans participated in a memorial service for Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on Thursday.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea declared on Thursday the young heir Kim Jong-un as supreme head of the country, as tens of thousands of people rallied in Pyongyang one day after the funeral of his father, Kim Jong-il, to swear their allegiance to the dynastic transfer of power. Read more >> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/world/asia/north-korea-declares-kim-jong-un-as-supreme-leader.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22

Slide Show: The Year in Live Pop
>> http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/12/29/arts/music/roundup.html