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Quality: Approximately 92% of all PV cells produced are the crystalline silicon (c-Si) type. Many manufacturers in the silicon PV industry utilize the gravitational deposition of silicon, be it either as molten silicon, particulate silicon in a solvent, or decomposition of silane on backing plates. In most of these PV cell fabrication processes, recrystallization at high temperature is done. However, there are still quality problems.
There are several technical reports concerning silicon layer uniformity and performance by the industry's current method. Hsu, et.al., have indicated uniformity problems (1). Oxygen precipitates (SiO2) which interrupt the uniformity of silicon layers is discussed by Wang, et. al (2). P-type and n-type doping via ion implantation results in induced lattice damage and non-uniformity (3). Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition processes have resulted in chronic non-uniformity of deposited layers (4). Graf, et.al., has shown improved silicon wafer integrity after annealing at 1200 degrees C in argon and hydrogen atmospheres. This shows some reduction of crystal defects with some improvement in uniformity (5). Shimizu, et.al. has used the Bridgman method for phosphorus deposition that resulted in crystal defects (6).
Conversion Efficiency: Solar conversion efficiency of the PV cells is important from several aspects. The efficiency appears several times in the cost factor equation as shown later.
A number of reported attempts have been made in improving silicon's direct conversion efficiency by improving high temperature annealing or sintering. K. Drain has announced a silane laser decomposition method for deposition of silicon on monolithic large glass substrate. Recrystallization was conducted at high temperatures (8). Konarka has shown a 12% efficiency with its thin film hybrid silicon (a-Si) PV cells (9). Although, no aging studies have been done. They are doing further research with IMEC (Belgium) to improve that to >20%. Signet Solar has started manufacturing thin-film silicon modules that achieves 6.2% efficiency (9). NREL tested Global Solar Energy's (GSE) new prototype CIGS cell at 15.45% but GSE's production cells are still 11.7% (10). In addition, CdTe production solar cells as made by First Solar achieves 9% efficiency (8). EMPA, the Swiss Federal Labs have improved the efficiency of flexible CdTe cells to 12.4% (11). Both CdTe and CIGS are susceptible to efficiency degradation by moisture.
A recent contract signed by Evergreen Solar (c-Si) requires PV panels of 19% efficiency (9). The "Q-Cells" Company has achieved 15% efficiency for their crystalline Si cells (10). However, in all cases, the efficiency for field installed solar PV cells should achieve 20% or higher for good return on investment.
Solar Tracking: There are two types of solar tracking equipment for mounting the PV modules. These are 2-axis and single-axis tracking units. The current 2-axis tracking units do not gain sufficient increase in wattage to be economical during the lifetime of the PV modules. For the single-axis tracking units, they would be a marginal investment if their installed price is below $0.50/watt.
Cost Factors: There are three major cost factors that can be developed for the cost of the installed PV modules. The solar PV efficiency is an important factor in two of the three major cost factors. The three major factors are:
Total Cost = Land area cost + PV module cost + Installation cost
For a good return on the investment, all three factors should be minimized. The land area required for a given PV solar farm, e.g. 20 MWe, is dependent inversely on the solar cell efficiency:
Land area required: 20 x 103 kW/(1 kW/m2 x solar PV efficiency)
For the given solar farm size of 20 MWe, the PV module cost can be expressed as:
PV module cost = (cost/ m2) (20 x 103kW/PV efficiency)(m2/1 kW)
(The factor 1 kW/m2 is the solar insolation factor at noon.)
The third factor, installation cost, is composed of a number of items including module support structure, labor, land preparation, etc.
In summary, for a given "farm" size and when the solar conversion efficiencies approach 22% vs. current 9-14%, then fewer acres are required and, hence, the land cost is lower. In addition, fewer PV panels are required and, therefore, installation costs are less.
Cost Reduction: For the past three years, ICT Corporation, a little known company in upper Michigan, has experimented and developed a unique and innovative method for producing crystalline PV cells. This new development produces the Solar Industry's lowest cost PV cells based on their 40 years experience in high temperature furnaces.
ICT's innovative high temperature process directs the silicon material to the proper surface area without any loss of expensive silicon material. This process overcomes the surface energy of molten silicon using a new unique vacuum/purge high temperature centrifuge process designated as the "FW"process. This method spreads the molten silicon uniformly to any chosen thickness. The extreme thinness of the silicon layer (0.0017") on the backing material enables a very significant lowering of manufacturing energy use and material cost.
This very thin layer is the underlying reason for many advantages of this approach. Primarily, minimizing the loss of expensive silicon, i.e. approximately 1/15th of the amount of the sawn methods. Secondarily, the method only heats about 1/10th the amount of silicon resulting in an obvious energy savings. Finally, the method crystallizes the silicon much faster due to the small volume. A crudely-fabricated first version of the high temperature "FW" unit has been used to make small prototype PV cells. Chemical analysis has indicated no harmful defects and the silicon is crystalline. ICT has received one U.S. Patent with six more U.S. Patent applications made and international patent applications being developed.
Independent external review of prototype PV cell has been completed at MIT, Arthur D. Little and Miami Research Labs with highly positive reports. M.I.T. has stated: "these were made of silicon on graphite cells provided by ICT... of the curves, the one in (a) is the one closest to ideal and is the best of all cells tested, including single crystal cells... control of the degree of penetration of the graphite by the silicon layer is unique to the ICT process -- in no other process known at this time is there a way of controlling substrate contact area.
Independent cost analysis has shown a $0.76/watt production cost for up to 40 MWe. This is 25% lower than First Solar's recently announced "lowest production cost" of $0.98/watt (March 2009). First Solar's FOB factory selling price is $2.50/watt (8) while ICT's price is projected at $1.75 (FOB, Michigan). Their current goal is fabrication of PV cells with 20% efficiency. This will make inexpensive solar energy available to homes and businesses.
The innovative "FW" method is broadly applicable such that it can be applied to the improvement in efficiency and cost for the electrolysis electrodes. By applying ICT's "FW" method to the development of nickel electrodes, this removes the expensive platinum electrodes as well as increasing the electrolysis efficiency and, hence, reduces the size and cost of the electrolysis unit. This can also be done using the nickel electrodes for fuel cells. Hence, this would bring down the cost of fuel cells and make them available for auto makers to produce fuel cell autos. ICT's innovative development has far-reaching applications.
Summary: Rapid strides are being made to improve the quality and efficiency of the crystalline silicon solar cells. Silicon solar cells have the added advantage of having a much higher efficiency and lower cost than either the current CdTe or CIGS PV cells.
(1) Hsu, J-C, Lee, C-C, Kuo, C-C, Chen, S-H, Wu, J-Y, Chen, H-L and Wei, C-Y, Applied Optics 44(20) 4402-07, 2005
(2) Wang, Q., Daggubati, M., Yu, R., and Zhang, X-F., Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 242112, 2008
(3) Sundaresan, S., Doctoral Diss. George Mason Univ., Oct. 2007
(4) Zhao, A., Bulgar, J.M., Green, L.P., Harris, W.C., Hunt, T.J. Marchesseault, W.R., Shuman, R.F., French, M.C. and Lisy, H.C. Adv. Semiconductor Manufacturing Conf. IEEE/SEMI issue 11-12, 143-148, 2005. See also: Xiang, B. et. al.,Nano lett., 2007, 7(2) 323-328.
(5) D. Graf, U. Lambert, M. Brohl, A. Ehlert, R. Wahlich and P. Wagner, J. Electrochem. Soc. 142 (9) 3189-92, 1995.
(6) A. Shimizu, J-I Nishizawa, Y. Oyawa, K. Suto. J. Of Cryst. Growth, Techn. Conf. #1 Sendai, Japan, 2001 229, p119-123.
(7) K. Drain's NanoGram Corp. development as reported by D. Vogler, Sr. Tech. Ed., PV World 21 May 2009.
(8) Doty, "Solar Photovoltaic (PV)" www.dotyenergy.com/markets. See also: Plenary Lecture: "The Solar-Hydrogen Economy - An Analysis" by W.D. Reynolds, presented August, 2007 at SPIE's International Solar Energy Conference, San Diego, CA.
(9) See www.q-cells.com /en/products
(10) See "Global Solar Energy's CIGS Production Material Achieves 15.45% Efficiency" Photovoltaic Wire News: www.electroiq.com 9/18/09
(11) See Thin Film Today Newsletter, 3 September 2009.
They are also useful in some ways - small scale - where the grid does not go, and in very small scale applications like calculator power. For large and reliable operation, they are a bust.
I hope ICT's name and their people go down in the history books someday after becoming highly successful commercially from their pioneering work.
As for the politics of Solar energy, I'm not sure what was worse, Carter putting them up, or Reagan taking them down. Given they were already there, I can't see the harm in them. Perhaps they didn't match Nancy Reagan's new China (also bought at taxpayer expense).
The Carter Solar Panels cost $28,000 (they were for hot water, not electricity). The Reagan China was $209,000, though it was paid for with private donations. My mistake.
Economies of scale still work in the electricity industry, as evidenced by, well, every place in America that has actually achieved relatively low-cost power.
I agree with you. The problem is how much oil is subsidized by our armed forces and gov't involvement in general. Based on your comments, our Middle-East involvements should be paid for by Exxon and Chevron. Others might argue that the Price-Anderson act represents a subsidy to nuclear power by having the government provide reinsurance to our nuclear power plants.
It is disruptive to think about digging this all up, as the status quo has been working pretty well for some time at this point. The problem is that the embedded subsidies have a significant edge over new technologies. I wish there was a more orderly method of updating our technology, but politics and human behavior seem to prevent that from happening.
I sympathize with you big-time on the point of "socialize the risk/privatize the gain", it seems very unfair to taxpayers. The trouble is entrepreneurs and VCs with deep pockets are increasingly hard to find that will fund the R&D of new energy technologies.
The reasons are because firstly energy tech is extremely risky given the industry is so heavily regulated and controlled by government. A political decision can wipe out one's investment in R&D with a stroke of a pen, or similarly make some projects wildly successful. Future political decisions affecting energy are extremely unpredictable.
Secondly, the US and Canada are experiencing a continuous demise in their manufacturing industries, and when combined with the current recession that chokes off money from being spent on R&D and creates massive unemployment, desperation rears its ugly head. In other words, if government doesn't spend public money to help foster new R&D, in hopes of creating new domestic energy industries down the road, few others in the private sector will.
Remember my post comparing R&D to lotteries - continued investment in R&D is never guaranteed to win, but if no one invests America is guaranteed to lose.
And guess what else Joseph, if any new domestic energy industries become viable technologically, governments all over the globe will ensure their commercial success. They will do so by FORCING the public to buy into their technologies. You can see it happening already with the lucrative grid feed-in tariffs being set for renewable source generation, carbon taxes or cap&trade schemes looming on government radar screens, and forced energy efficiency targets being imposed on future manufactured consumer products.
Good points. I guess the other thing I don't understand, though, is why the green industries won't end up leaving when the subsidies stop just like most other industries have. Why would wind turbines, solar turbines, fuel cells, etc. be built here in the long run rather than in China or someplace even poorer than China. We'll pay to get the industries on their feet, and then they'll leave when they can, just like in "Roger and Me." Right?
Governments are also gambling that in many years time when the subsidies come down, their manufacturing costs will have also come substantially down. They are speculating production and maintenance costs will be low enough to keep renewable source generators on line competitively, and the volume manufacturing that created a large penetration of renewables into the grid by that time will have brought their manufacturing costs down low enough to keep building new ones economically.
In my industry, the electronics industry, we have been fighting cheap foreign competition now for three decades if not longer. The only way some survive is to continually innovate, meaning continuously develop next generation products to stay ahead of competitors. Once you mass market a new commercially successful product, it is almost routinely expected that it will have a relatively short life cycle, to be cloned within a year. After that prices begin dropping for it, and so you are already developing the next one where, in smart companies, it is critical that profits from the successful products get re-invested in a continuous R&D stream, tapping into all the government tax break incentives that go with it.
Such rapid and continous innovation has historically been a foreign concept happening much more slowly for energy generation technologies, in part because of the much longer product life cycles, but also because of all the embedded subsidies that conventional power generation and energy sources have received keeping our energy bills relatively extremely low.
Also, 2012 for solar PV power to cost the same as, say, natural gas power (never mind coal)? I hadn't heard that. Massachusetts is paying 90 cents a kwh for solar right now, I believe, so I would think the parity in pricing would be a longer way off, if it ever happens. Is there an assumption of some massive natural gas/oil shortage baked into the 2012 estimate?
The technical problems you mentioned have long since been resolved in the IC industry. However, without a standard setting organization (such as JEDEC for the IC industry, including free documents for manufacturing, marketing, quality, reliability, shipping, labeling), there is little reason the expect the renewable energy industry will achieve the same continuous cost and performance improvements that propelled the IC industry to dominance.
Since the most productive workers in the world are in the USA (except where there are strong unions), the major impediments to manufacturing in the USA are not labor costs, but the costs of capital, government regulations (all the people to fill out the paperwork), taxation, and poor management (too many MBA's with emphasis on accounting not operations). Address those issues and the differences in ROI between the various energy technologies becomes a moot point.
Part of that solution is demand response. I don't know about you, but my retail price for electricity (with delivery) is above 10 cents, and it is much higher on the coasts. Demand response would lower costs for everyone, and would make renewables more viable. (That being said, it should be done bottom up (real-time pricing) not top down.)
Another part of that solution is using a bit less electricity. A 10% efficiency increase is (sort of) the same as reducing the energy cost by 10%.
Also, if you are basing demand response on baseline usage my guess is that you are frequently buying air, as the baselines can be faked or insufficiently updated.
Finally, there is a known potential overpayment problem for demand response participating in energy markets, as they are selling somehting they haven't "bought."
Demand response has its place. I can't imagine it has a very big place. In the long-run, it might be better to just have smart meters and time-of-use pricing and then people can respond or not to the pricing as they see fit, without having a demand response "program" and middlemen. However, I know I won't win that argument.
I am all for efficiency, but low cost energy benefits everyone. Why is it that we have to find so many gimmicks to rationalize "renewable" energy ? Wind energy is a fool's errand using endles rationalizations based on junk economics. But heh, build 'em all you want, just don't use tax subsidies to do it. In Nebraska, we get commercial rates under 6 sents (great for data centers !) and I understand that in the front range of Washington state it can be had for a nickel.
I'm 95% in agreement with you, but spewing mercury, emitting lots of CO2, leveling mountain tops, and clogging up half of our rail lines could be considered pretty "gimmicky" for coal, if it weren't the status quo.
"the major impediments to manufacturing in the USA are not labor costs, but the costs of capital, government regulations (all the people to fill out the paperwork), taxation, and poor management (too many MBA's with emphasis on accounting not operations)."
I suggest it depends heavily on what industry you are talking about before dismissing labor costs as being insignificant in the US. If a manufactured product is largely produced by machines in large volumes, I would agree labor is a small contribution to costs, but not so for labor intensive manufacturing. A good example is in the clothing industry where Levis, the well-known jeans maker, has absolutley no sewing plants left in North America.
The US has prided itself on having a highly productive workforce mainly BECAUSE of its pioneering history of adopting a high level of factory automation. But as automation has proliferated over the last few decades, invading practically most industries to some degree, eventually the other costs you cite David become relatively important. Indeed many former US companies that were highly automated now find it cheaper to set up their machines in far-east countries to do business.
Low cost energy benefits everyone, sure it does, but the whole world doesn't see many low cost sources down the road anymore. Oil will spike in prices more and more as we pass the production peak, coal is too harmful costing us the environment, and nuclear is too costly up-front to build and fraught with waste disposal and safety issues that the public cannot stomach in spite of its cheap production costs. So what else is left besides pushing efficiency upgrades on everyone, deploying renewable source generation, and pushing demand response programs or conservation on everyone.
Dr. Reynolds is correct with this statement: " Independent cost analysis has shown a $0.76/watt production cost for up to 40 MWe. This is 25% lower than First Solar's recently announced "lowest production cost" of $0.98/watt (March 2009). First Solar's FOB factory selling price is $2.50/watt (8) while ICT's price is projected at $1.75 (FOB, Michigan). Their current goal is fabrication of PV cells with 20% efficiency. This will make inexpensive solar energy available to homes and businesses."
Obviously, with a 76¢/watt manufacturing cost for a finished array, we could easily sell for $1.75/watt. I would be very wealthy if we could do that! I think a selling price closer to $1/watt would be much more realistic. The only way for solar photovoltaics to compete globally is to make the selling price VERY low. There is NO room in the legitimate solar photovoltaic business for excessive profits.
Also, if you check some of the present photovoltaic manufacturing companies , Evergreen Solar for instance, you may note their financial statements are starting to show the truth about their actual costs.
Larry P Kelley President/Founder ICT, Inc. Shelby, MI 49455 231 861-2165 firstname.lastname@example.com
In general, the prices now being regularly bandied about for solar PV are in a territory which utility insiders thought impossible only ten years ago. I dare anyone to put a personal bet on it never becoming competitive. If 2 to 8 GW of central solar thermal with thermal storage (83% reliable) were built now in the US southwest or north Africa, the cost of generated electricity from the last units would be in the range of $0.035 to $0.062 / kwh Assessment of Parabolic Trough and Power Tower Solar Technology - Cost and Performance Forecasts - Sargent & Lundy LLC Engineering Group Chicago, Illinois. Storage for PV and wind will be resolved with grid intelligence and intelligent metering, battery powered transport and gas-fired distributed micro-CHP.
"This will make inexpensive solar energy available to homes and businesses." I believe your pioneering heroic company is on the verge of becoming very rich someday, particularly if you partner with distributors and installation companies selling to residential and small business commercial people. I believe these applications rather than large utility-owned solar farms in rural areas have the most potential for large volume commercialization.
The vast numbers of rooftops potentially available on residential homes and small business commercial buildings all over North America are a huge market since these types of sites present the lowest costs to integrate into the grid for a number of reasons. They can be privately owned by the building owner and hence don't suffer from NIMBYs or environmentalist opposition. They don't require long haul transmission lines to connect into the grid since they are by definition already at an end-point on a local grid. And most importantly they can be used to augment the owner's energy use lowering their local utility bills, and can sell excess capacity at times back into the grid.
New home builders and commercial property developers should be partnering with this in a big way for new building construction because these are the low-hanging fruits that are easiest to capitalize on. Just think for a moment what a prospective home buyer would think when shopping for a new house if their local home builder offered a state-of-the-art solar PV power system integrated into the roof of a new house, where its cost was included in the selling price of the house. They could advertise dramatically lower household energy bills, plus the ability to make extra income by periodically selling excess capacity back into the grid, all for a paltry small marginal increment on the mortgage payment to pay for the system.
What most of you don't seem to get is that PV, whether on vast tracts of land or rooftops, isn't going to result in huge energy savings. By the time you amortize the cost of the PV array and installation, include the extra maintenance to all the components exposed to the weather, the energy storage systems, insurance, etc, your cost per kwh will be higher than store bought electricity. Most of you I fear have no concern ( or maybe idea) for the average guy's cost of living. In my part of the midwest, the everage roof last 10 years, mostly due to hail damage. Then there's is that troublesome issue of snow, are you going to deice these arrays as well ? PV is a non starter.
Lastly, Scientific American has been reduced to little more than a pathetic green rag. Compared to what this publication was 30 years ago, it's the scientific equivalent of the national inquirer.
Frankly I wouldn't care if my rooftop solar PV system got covered in snow a few or half dozen times a year during snowstorms. It's just a few more days (or hours if I shovel it off) of out-of-service in addition to the absent night-time operation every day of the year.
As for cost per kwH, wake up and smell the coffee Mike. Solar fuel is free in case you haven't noticed. Granted fuel is only part of the costs, and costs of PV systems take years of amortization now to recover, but guess what, prices for your "store bought electricity" are on their way up, ... way up, particularly after all the changes looming on our utility industry get factored into the massive rate increases coming down everyone's throats soon. And combined with dropping solar PV hardware costs over time, it won't be long before solar PV will compete with store bought electricity.
S. F. P. Zwart, Professor of Computational Physics.
R. D. Fields, editor in chief of journal Neuron Glia Biology
M. Z. Jacobsen, prof civil and environmental eng., Stanford and M. A. Delucchi researcher at UC Davis.
Kate Wong, editor SA, Bachelor's degree in physical anthropology and zoology from the University of Michigan.
Micheal Moyer, staff writer
Dickson Despommier, prof. at Columbia.
(interview on future of autos) L. D. Burns, VP R&D GM. B. Reinert, Nat. Mgr. Adv. tech TOyota USA. M. S. Duvall, Director Elect. Transport EPRI. J. B. Straubel, CTO Tesla.
Above are the credentials of the authors of all main articles in Nov. 2009 Scientific American. ?=Enquirer? Perhaps your prejudices are colouring your judgement, just like your wishing that solar energy will not shortly radically re-structure the energy industry.
Say a local home builder offered as an option a complete solar PV system built into the rooftop, connected with all the necessary hookups to the local utility grid, and with the utility company's official blessing. The option costs say an extra $10,000 on the house price, which is not unthinkable if the technology development continues on its current pathway.
Say the cost added $100 a month maximum (probably less), to my mortgage payments. Augmenting my personal grid power use it saves an average 30% on my monthly electricity bills, the latter which might typically be $100 a month without it, on average. Say the utility company paid me for any excess capacity sold back to the grid during daytime hours, and at a hefty feed-in tariff premium at that.
To top it off, say the manufacturer makes provision for an easy future hookup to store excess capacity output if say economical residential storage is developed down the road that could be retrofitted to my house too.
Sound like I am dreaming? It's getting closer to reality in places like Ontario for example. For any intelligent house buyer, the math would dictate it is worth strongly considering, especially if you believe also as I do that grid power consumer rates are going to escalate much faster than inflation over the coming years.
1) Your house doesn't move, therefore the watts per square meter number for Ontario's lattitude (already bad) gets worse because that is an idealized (and false) average that assumes the earth is a flat plate (not a sphere) and the sun is directly overhead (it isn't).
2) The price is double what you're saying unless/until there are major breakthroughs that haven't materialized. In fact, unless you have a ridiculously small house or are only doing the PV treatment on the south facing side the price will be substantially higher
3) I'm surprised Dr. Reynolds didn't mention the DC-AC conversion losses in his otherwise excellent treatment. Since the PV systems on your home need to be converted to AC to be useful to your appliances, one must account for the conversion losses which can and do approach 50% depending on the conversion method and whether the load is inductive (refrigerators, vacuum cleaners etc.) and where your load is on the inverter efficiency curve. Since you'll be "blending" your household usage with the grid power, you'll have a hard time knowing whether you're giving your inverter enough of a load to make it worth while.
4) Batteries? Then add the losses charging the batteries and add in the inverter losses getting useful AC back out.
On the other hand, I don't think our oil problems go away with "Drill, baby, drill", so there seems to be no shortage of poor thinking on all sides of this problem.
I think you are being a little harsh. If PV got down to $1-$2 per watt installed, that could have a big impact on residential power. Even at 20% capacity, they'd pay for themselves in about 5-10 years. Not too bad, really. I'm not really a huge PV fan, but the one advantage they do have is that they compete with retail electricity rates, which is a big plus. Use any extra to charge your car.
Big problem in high latitudes is energy for heating homes. And it's hard to retrofit existing homes to be super energy efficient, especially old ones.
2) There are indeed breakthroughs on the horizon. Morgan Solar in Toronto is one company about to do so, check their technology out for yourself on their website. And yes, anyone in Ontario who in past implemented rooftop solar has done so on south-facing roof slopes only, this is common sense. For existing homes without a south-facing roof, it is a problem, but not insurmountable.
3) DC-AC conversion can achieve over 80% if the inverter uses state-of-the-art design techniques, I have designed similar DC-DC switching regulators where with proper design you can get over 95%. For highly inductive loads the grid has the same problems putting extra current demand on generators. In a house this is only a big problem if the TOTAL loading is highly inductive, which is not that common in a residential customer. If it were very common, our local utility companies would start complaining and want to install capacitor banks for power-factor correction in your house, which is almost unheard of.
4) Charging losses in batteries are not that high for high current capacity batteries provided heavy gauge conductors are used to connect to them on the DC side of the inverter. I don't have any data on lead-acid batteries but they are still among the most efficient, which is why you still find them in every automobile today. Charging a large bank of lead-acids has been refined down to an art where the latest charger systems for things like electric fork-lift vehicles use microcontrollers for battery management (I have worked with them in recent years).
Even without battery storage, solar PV as a part-time island generator for private use is becoming more economical every year. And the kicker in my opinion is if electricity bills start becoming higher than average consumer's mortgage payments, as they are threatening to do in some parts of the US, just watch how fast consumers will increasingly start looking for and investing in alternative energy sources.
Let me translate for those of you on the koolaid only diet
Taxpayer takes in the shorts with gubment subsidies to whatever industry (PV, wind, ethanol, biodiesel, etc), gave the most money to their legislators , and the rate payer takes in the shorts by paying the higher rates required for the utility to buy non-competitve energy at the highest possible price.
no thanks,
In the US it is a well known fact that big industry pulls legislators in Washington in whatever direction they want with huge political contributions, which some people will view as legalized bribery. In Canada we have laws severely limiting the size of any corporate or individual political contribution, so the only way to have huge donations to political parties or individual politicians is to offer them real bribes under the table.
I guess what your post above is saying is bribery of legislators is rampant throughout all the renewable energy industries, legally or under the table. Well, well, Mike, I didn't imagine you having such dim view of our legislators and politicians. I suppose you are going to say that voting in elections is therefore a complete waste of time.
Regarding batteries, here's a possible development of a sodium sulphur battery which runs cool enough to install in the home. Claims 20 kwh storage with unlimited cycling for $2,000 is in near future. Coorstek Low Temp Sodium Sulphur Battery
Regarding Scientific American, I agree that its articles appear to be somewhat less "hard science" than they used to. I attribute all of the change to their apparent need to hire staff writers to do some of their articles, writers who are often not experts in the field of the articles. I assume that is largely a reaction to the loss of monopoly of the english language on all important science, eg. many important scientists no longer have english as their first language, or even an important second. I also assume that their editorial stance on secular religions like climate change and the need for substitute energy sources abrades a lot of the religious deniers of global warming and the finite future of fossil fuels.
Of course, you diehards will simply claim that the Germans are inept in matters of science, engineering technology and economics.
I rest my case.
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Create sticker scenes with the pups and their new gear!
Dora and Alana help a talking box bring a dress back to a princess
The Team needs your help! Round up the bad guys and get your own UmiCops badge
Peppa and her pals go on a pretend jungle adventure in the gym
Help Dora's friends make it to the fiesta in time & get your own charm bracelet
Will our PAW Patrol friends be able to save the stranded kitty?
You're invited to Dora's home to explore what's behind every door!
It's up to the Team to help Sunny get her sunshine power back!
Kids can play with the PAW Patrol and rescue their friends around Adventure Bay
Dora, Boots, and Benny are taking care of a bunch of puppies
FLAMING FLASHDRIVES! Watch a compilation of the best of Bot's phrases
Wally and Norville go on a quest to return to their normal size
There's a friendship parade in Lalaloopsy land & you get to decorate the floats

subset: commoncrawl


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Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Welcome to the Umbrella Academy
A Lab Partner Named Frank3 Reviews
Meet Frankie.
Welcome to the Umbrella Academy
(#) xXLaylaxX 2011-09-30 06:39:42 AMGod, this story is awesome and so fucking original. I never would have thought to make a story from the Umbrella Academy.
Another chapter soon? I'll give you cookies P:
Welcome to the Umbrella Academy
(#) xXLaylaxX 2011-09-30 07:11:52 AMOh and I love how you sorta added suspence at the end. By not telling the readers who she was kissing until the very end.
Author's responseThank You.
Welcome to the Umbrella Academy
(#) LoveLiesBroken 2011-09-30 08:24:48 PMThis shit is the BOMB. o.o If I could reach over the internet and hug you, I would. You are incredibly original and descriptive, and I absolutely adore the love triangle that is forming. Please continue writing :{D
Author's responseThank you so much! I'm working on Chapter 6 now!


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As I posted a couple of days ago, Washington State voters approved MaryJane for personal use. This is a good thing long overdue but is also (unfortunately) in violation of federal law. Federal law is an ass. Be that as it may, the Seattle Police Department has a (actually somewhat humorous) guide to what you should know about the new marijuana law. Well, at least in their jurisdiction, anyway. And, good for them.
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Online Specialized Teaching Degree Programs Resource
A specialized teacher is a teaching professional who educates students with specific needs. These teachers specialize in one specific education field to which they devote themselves. There are several different areas of specialization available including teaching gifted students, ESL students, and adult students. The overall career outlook for these type of educators is positive, as more schools seek to hire teachers with specialized training to better accommodate the needs of students. Online degree programs from accredited schools are a worthwhile option for busy students. They offer specialized teaching degrees which can prepare a student for nearly any kind of teacher specialization.
Being a specialized teacher requires several different skills. First, they need excellent social skills. The ability to communicate well with other people is very important. Not only do they have to be a good speaker, but a good listener as well. They also need patience. Specialized teachers work with students who have unique problems, which require an educator to remain calm and supportive even during challenging times.
How To Become A Specialized Teacher
Becoming a specialized teacher often requires additional training. First, they must complete a program in specialized education and earn a degree. The curriculum for most specialized teaching programs consists of a mixture of general coursework as well as education classes to prepare prospective teachers for working with students in a classroom setting. The majority of education programs allow for specialization. Students can choose to take elective coursework which prepares them to work within a specific teaching field. The overall course of study in a specialized teaching program can take up to four to five years to complete. There are, however, fast track options available that can allow a person to receive a specialized education degree in as little as three years. Some of these fast track options are available online. Online specialized teaching programs are quickly becoming a popular option for students who need some flexibility in their studies.
Specialized Teaching Degrees and Certification
Once a person completes the necessary coursework, receives a specialized teaching degree or specialized certification, and becomes certified, they can start pursuing specialized teaching jobs. There are many specialized teacher job opportunities. Those specializing in ESL can travel and teach abroad. Teachers specializing in adult education can find jobs at vocational and extension schools. Others will find excellent career opportunities within a traditional school setting. Examples of these jobs include working with gifted students and within school administration. While not as flexible as more traditional teaching degrees, having a bachelor's degree in specialized teaching allows a person to command a higher salary and focus on teaching in a field that they truly enjoy.
- Ph.D. in Education - Mixed-Model
- Ed.S. in Assessment Evaluation and Accountability - General Program
- Ph.D. in Education - Mixed-Model - Global and Comparative Education
- And more...
- M.Ed. Teaching & Learning: History
- AA in Education (Non-Licensure)
- CERT: Preschool
- And more...
- Teacher Assisting
- Basic Early Childhood
- Advanced Early Childhood
- Early Childhood Education


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Cut from center of the ham, this piece delivers the heavenly flavor of Spain's most prized delicacy. When an entire ham is a bit too much for your culinary needs, the center piece of the exquisite Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is the perfect solution. The nutty and rich flavor of the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota will leave you in awe as it melts in your mouth.
The best way to enjoy this succulent jamón is to eat thin slices freshly carved by hand. Serve the famed free-range ham alongside cheese, olives and other traditional tapas or indulge by making a superior bocadillo sandwich. Use trimmings for savory stews, paella and other traditional Spanish fare.
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How to Look Taller and Slimmer
If you're short, and a little bigger, this is "How to" look tall and slim.
1Never skip meals. Your body will not like that, and it'll make you non-healthy. You can look slim other ways.Ad
2Don't wear skinny jeans, wear regular jeans, if you're trying for your legs, for you upper parts, wear a belt, don't make it to tight.
3Wear t-shirts that are slim, and not tight. If you're getting into the cooler season, wear layers, like a hoodie, with a t-shirt.
4Wear nice long jeans to look taller, without doing anything.
5Wear some nice stylish black heels.Ad
Are you an expert on beautiful eyes?
If so, share what you know about how to make your eyes attractive.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
We are a bit smarter today because of you.
- You can try black things to make you look slim, they won't make you look bigger, they'll squeeze your body and make you look slimmer.
Article Info
Categories: Diet & Lifestyle
Recent edits by: Frostmaker84, Lettyb, Paranjayap
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 14,803 times.


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Press Release
September 17, 2009
Janet Bass
301-502-5222 (Cell)
Statement by Randi Weingarten,
President, American Federation of Teachers,
On U.S. House Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act
WASHINGTON—We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives' approval of this legislation, which correctly redirects savings to make it easier for the neediest students and their families to afford college, and provides direct investment in community college programs and infrastructure. We're also pleased about the bill's competitive grant program for states to build high-quality early childhood education programs and its support for school renovation and construction, especially for energy-efficient buildings.
We look forward to working with the U.S. Senate as it considers this legislation.
# # # #
The AFT represents more than 1.4 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.


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This is the bizarre tale of a watercooler in a far away wasteland, and those who drink from it.
It is a most unusual film, its closer to anime than any drama. Thanks to Fergus's crazy mind, its a bizarre tale, we are not entirely sure of the location, or who the oddly dressed characters are.
This film has no script, instead a series of very detailed story boards, which we say we worked on and tweaked for weeks before the shoot, but really we just spent the evenings talking shit and drinking Sapporo.
The storyboards for this film were like an Anime comic book. An unusual theme and colourful images. We felt the movement in the film should replicate the Anime films that Fergus loves; the camera is mostly on sticks, using the movement of a zoom instead of a dolly.
Like Anime, parts of the film are split screen. We shot a number of crash zooms and our closeups were closer than we would shoot a conventional drama. The camera height changes as the male warrior character of the film becomes exhausted and the female warrior overpowers him. Anime often exaggerates the props in scenes, so our pickups are shot on the longer side of the zoom. The composition mimics the anime too, characters are usually centred in frames, over the shoulder shots only show a tiny amount of the other character in the frame. We used a gas burner under the matte box to create heat waves, similar to anime. Its a weird effect, and somehow we managed not to burn anyone or melt the matte box.
Fergus wanted the visual style to feel "psychedelic". We both felt that although this is a super low budget short, this film should be shot on celluloid. Fergus wanted the sky to blow out as we progress into the story, he wanted the geography to be established in a way that this was some kind of futuristic climate which was humid and possibly polluted. We were hunting for genuine grain, Fergus really wanted to push the colour and latitude of film in the primary grade, all of these things we just couldn't create by shooting digital. I looked at a lot of tests with Arriraw which I love, but I couldn't find a test that blew out an entire sky in a convincing way, for the amount that we are shooting, Super 16mm is not only the most suitable option for this film, but also the most affordable format. Film is the best thing.
To make shooting on film work, Fergus and I payed for the stock, finding the perfect stock is really important to me, I looked through tests of;
Kodak Vision 3 50D/5203
Kodak Vision 3 250D/5207
Kodak Vision 3 500T/5219
Fujifilm F-64D
Fujifilm ETERNA Vivid 160
Fujifilm ETERNA Vivid 250D
Fujifilm ETERNA Vivid 500
I was really looking for a saturated film stock with grain and versatile highlight latitude. It basically came to a showdown between the Fuji Vivid 250D and Kodak Vision 3 250D. Both have amazing highlight latitude, the grain in both stocks is similar, but the Fujifilm colours are saturated, which is exactly what we needed. Without the budget to run our own tests, and a combination of an antique lens, and a director who wants to go ape shit with the highlights and colours in the grade, I didn't want to run the risk of having the colours in the negative over saturated. So we went with the Kodak Vision 3 250D. I think you would be surprised at how affordable film can be.
I think I find comfort in the 250D, because if I fuck up the exposure, it would be salvageable. Thank god I didn't. Even though we had no money, I still wanted Fergus to have all of the footage he needed in the edit room (Kerri's lounge), so we still shot 5 rolls, (55 minutes). Fergus loves shooting off speed (which makes me secretly nervous), god knows how we made it through with a short end to spare!
We wanted to shoot this short on old glass. Which is great for our tiny budget. To start with I was looking for primes and zoom lenses. I wanted an old, grainy, soft lens. I looked at older Arri super speeds, rehoused cooke panchros and considered finding a PL mount adaptor for old Leica stills lenses from the 50's. In the end, the display cabinet at Panavision provided the answer. The Angenieux 25-250 T3.9. It is the funkiest lens under T8, so much so that no primes will match it, for the first time I shot a film only on this crazy Angenieux zoom. Panavision don't usually send it out, because its so fucked up. It's the weirdest lens, I'm not really sure how anyone ever used it without their film looking odd. The colour of the lens changes between focal lengths. I found at around 50mm the film came out more magenta than at 100mm. The lens breathes as you shift focus like nothing I have ever seen; it is ridiculously soft and the highlights are brighter than the rest of the image, its really strange but perfect for the look Fergus and I wanted for this story. We shot with the trusty Arri SR3. Its such a wonderful camera, Thank you Panavision!
I looked through a number of filters, and considered shooting with an enhancer, but again, without the ability to run tests, we shot the image clean and let the crazy Angenieux zoom and Fergus go nuts in post. I looked into underexposing the film by 1 stop and pushing it a stop in post, but again, I thought it would be best to shoot clean and add the grain in post. I looked at a bleach bypass in processing, but the consistency is hard to control and I think the film already looks funky. Hopefully its not too odd. Hat off to Tom Neunzerling who somehow wrangled that antique Angenieux into focus.
The wide landscapes called for a 1.85 aspect ratio; 2.35 feels too enclosed for this story and 4.3 didn't feel right since Fergus intends for this film to be played in a cinema. The 2 Anime films I have seen are 1.85.
We wanted to keep the lighting true to the location so our Gaffer Matt Koefed used a 10x bounce and 10x silk to control the harsh New Zealand autumn sunlight. We used a poly in some of the close ups, really just to match the wides. We looked at using a large HMI with the bounce. But that would get expensive. The fast stock and plenty of sun saved our shit. Daylight control is a real challenge in a country with extreme sun and fast moving cloud, especially when matching the previous days close ups. Its definitely something I need to practice way more. Matt did the best job. Next time I will definitely hire more lighting assistants as using a 10x in a desert with strong wind calls for human sandbags. The wind almost killed the cast with the giant bounce. Then there would have been no film.
This film was different for me because we had rehearsals and prep work. Its a little more relaxed on the day when you know what your shooting that day. I love creating a world and a look, as well as choosing a format which suits the story. I think this shows that film negative absolutely does have a place in modern cinema, just not all stories suit celluloid. I do love shooting film, I like some digital cameras too. Fergus and I love taking away monitors, going on our gut feeling through the viewfinder. The format really depends on the script, and I love that.
God knows where this video started. One minute Jordan Dodson and I were talking about our love of late night dining establishments. For the next 10 hours we find ourselves frequenting every greasy spoon in Auckland… which sounds normal, except we had a camera and a bunch of film. Heres how we did it…
We didn't have any prep time to be honest, this was a spontaneous project that would begin a trilogy of similar styled projects.
Jordan and I worked on the concept together, which was great because it combined our two favourite things, eating and shooting. The spontaneous nature of the project meant we couldn't light anything… so we shot on film.
We literally started shooting at 11pm on a weekday, it was just one car, with the camera already built, Jordan, Randa (the artist) and I. This meant I had to be well prepared, I preloaded my film, and pulled focus myself, which made us just like a documentary crew, it was perfect, I love small crews and I think it benefited the performance by just hanging out, talking shit, eating greasy food, but also shooing the thing.
I shot on expired Kodak Vision 2 250D. We didn't have the time for tests. I actually didn't even have a changing tent or dark room, so I improvised one from bed sheets, towels, and a bunch of gaffer tape. I crossed my fingers (much to Jordan's amusement). I had no idea how the film would come out! I think it was actually the perfect stock in a way, Vision 2 is quite dated, but it made sense to use it for this project, since Randa dresses like she's from the 90s.
The film was scratch-tested by Park Road, who told us it wasn't suitable to be used, but we knew it had been well looked after and so we figured it would just be extra grainy. We wanted the grain, I think grain adds character and texture to the video that we wouldn't have found with new stock.
The camera was provided by Paul and Manfred at Panavision, who are just the coolest guys. There are not too many choices when shooting 16mm in Auckland, both big rental houses stock only Arri 16mm cameras, so we shot on an SR3 - which is a great piece of kit, (although since this project was all handheld I would have much rather had an Aaton XTR). But the SR3, with just a viewfinder and a 400ft mag (without a matte box) is lightweight and easy to thread - which is perfect for a documentary-type project. We shot 800ft which gives a comfortable shooting ratio of 10:1. Lucky us. 16mm is great.
The only 16mm lenses we could get our mits on were Ziess Mk3 Superspeeds - which is great because we really needed the stop. I shot most of the video somewhere between f1.3 & f2 and I only used the 12mm
We shot without permits and only did one take per location. We wanted this video to look natural and totally spontaneous. I didn't light anything, I didn't use a poly.
We processed normally at Park Road in Wellington. Gareth Evans transferred the film, and did a pretty flat one light grade. In the final grade we crushed the blacks. We wanted the video to feel like 16mm.
One thing I was nervous about was the fact I didn't have a light meter. Our backup was downloading the free light meter for iPhone app on the way to the first location. I guess it came out a dream. Since then we have actually tested against my Sekonic meter and it is actually pretty accurate, thank god for that.
Randa is a pleasure to work with, we had the best time making the video, I also learned the crews personalities are just as important as their quality of work. I love the work we are doing, we have the greatest lives! You can see the video below…
Directing duo THUNDERLIPS (Jordan Dodson & Sean Wallace) made the decision to treat Randa's Frankenstein as a US-city-apartment style sitcom.
I was lucky enough to be brought on as the cinematographer early on in the project, I worked with Jordan and Sean through the treatment stage over a number of weeks then gave myself 2 weeks straight for prep.
I started by looking at popular sitcoms made in the 80's and 90s both from the UK and the US. Basically, making this film means I got to say I was working when really I was just watching hours of Friends, Seinfeld, Taxi, Frasier, Home Improvement, Married With Children, Arrested Development, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air among many others.
It became clear very early on that the majority of these shows were 35mm. With an enormous lighting package. I looked at every aspect of the show in terms of the look and made a decision that to authentically recreate the show we had to shoot 2 cameras 4 perf 35mm.
Film Stock
I began to look around at the sort of stocks, filters and lenses these shows shot with.
Stock choice is really important to me, I did a lot of research and looked at 5 stocks:
Kodak 200T/5213
Kodak 500T/7219
Fuji Eterna Vivid 160T/8547
Fuji Eterna 400T/8583
Fuji Eterna Vivid 500T/8547
I wanted to avoid grain, which is unusual for me since I love the grain of film, but I needed a high ASA stock to still get the stop I needed. I also needed a tungsten stock, one with saturated and warm colours, since its a sitcom, we don't really need a film suitable to shadows or harsh sunlight, at the same time the most important thing is to keep the skin tones natural and a little warm. We also wanted to keep as close to the style of the 90s sitcom shows by shooting with 2000ft mags. We couldn't get ahold film in 2000ft rolls and settled with 1000ft loads. I found everything that I had wanted in Fuji Vivid 500.
I looked at articles from Michael Slovis, ASC who shoots Breaking Bad, he uses 500T for all of the studio shoots and 50D for New Mexico . Fuji came out a lot warmer in the tests I saw compared to Kodak, so it made sense along with our tight budget to shoot Fuji - which was a fucking pleasure. We shot 3200ft which gives us around a 7:1 shooting ratio.
My next challenge was to find a camera similar to that used in Friends. The dream has always been to shoot with a Panaflex and it would have been perfect for this project! We wanted to shoot 2 Panaflex cameras with primo zooms. The only problem is that neither Panavison in New Zealand nor Australia stocks Panaflex cameras! Dream over. I began research on Arri cameras. We don't have the budget for Arricams and we couldn't get ahold of 2 Arriflex BL's, so I made the decision that although we are recording sound, we had to shoot with 2 MOS cameras. Andy, William and Ryan at Metro Film here in Auckland came to the rescue with 2 Arri 435s. We needed our lenses to match so we shot with Cooke 18 -100mm T3 zooms. The 1000ft Mags were provided by Panavision New Zealand.
The 435s were incredible to work with and never missed a beat. The image through to the monitors were really good considering it comes from a video tap. Why the fuck would anyone ever shoot digitally for this kind of project?
Movement & Composition
Sitcoms, especially studio sitcoms of the 90s are framed, covered and composed in a totally different way to most feature films, they are for the most part shot 4:3. They are all shot from one side, always on a dolly, they always cross shoot. These shows always allow enormous headroom, and never feature the sort of close up we are used to in a feature film. Eion O'Liddigh was my A Camera Operator with Alex Campbell and Tom Neunzerling on Focus, I operated B camera and had Finn McGowan as my focus puller. Eion and I spent a few days watching references, which again was the best time. We set out some rules, which included dolly drops as characters sit down, tracking with characters, shooting diagonally to the set to make it feel larger than it is, to always look down on characters and allow an unnatural amount of headroom - which Eion and I had to keep reminding each other whilst shooting. We shot 1.33 (4:3) which again was totally different to framing anamorphic or 1.85 but also a lot of fun.
We could only afford a single Elemac Dolly with Roan our Key Grip on A Cam. Roan and I talked about how the dolly often will only crab through dialogue scenes, and this is something we replicated, slow dolly moves combined with slow zooms. B camera was restricted to movement through the cooke zoom. Sexy times.
After watching all of Friends, I read a lot about sitcom lighting and had some great advice from cinematographer Rob Marsh and from Gordon at Flashlight. I decided that we'd use the back cross keys method which means having a VERY strong fill and harsh backlights.
We used mostly Arri tungsten lamps from Flashlight, Drew shared role as Gaffer with Matt Kofed, who is just the hardest working, coolest dude around. Basically we looked to achieve a constant ambient soft light level across the entire set with just a kiss of soft backlight on the actors' heads. We also needed to light to the same stop across the entire set - which was T4.
We had small package with 4 x 2k Fresnels, 4 x 2k Arri Blondes 8 x 650s, 2 Selecon 1200w Pacifics a Mole Richardson 1k and a 1200w Selecon spot - as well as poly boards, muslin, cutters, and 1 stop nets. We wired all our lamps to a control desk through 3 x 32 amp dimmer packs.
Friends has a 5 day pre light, we had a just 1 and half days which was fast but also the best time, it meant that I was able to focus on lighting and camera separately, which was relaxing and a lot of fun. I've attached a lighting diagram below.
Friends uses practical lights to sell the sets. Lyn Bergquist the production designer was really kind and creative when it came to finding these. We used a chinese symbol neon screwed to the wall and a desk lamp which I added a 75w tungsten bulb to, closer to the the front of the set, both on hand dimmers. We also added heavily diffused 650W lamps for details on the wall such as paintings and giant fish, again, on dimmers.
Grade and Colour
The grade of this show is another important element to recreate the style of the 90s sitcoms. Obviously we are very lucky with the DI stages available to us compared with the telecine of the 90s. The shows we used as references are all very warm. I ensured we shot tungsten film under tungsten lamps. I looked into adding a 1/4 CTO gel to all of the lamps, but I left them clean in the end since the walls and furnishings of the set were all very warm. I looked at adding a coral filter in camera. The only problems with shooting a coral filter is that we would loose an entire stop, which would mean we need to run bigger lamps which we simply couldn't afford. We looked at a 1/4 coral filter on the day under the light and it would have become too orange considering we are shooting saturated film and an orange set. We couldn't afford tests so we shot clean and will replicate something like a coral filter in the transfer at Park Road in Wellington. In the transfer there will be little need for shot matching since we shot the entire music video at T4.
Honestly, I thought the last Randa shoot was the greatest time ever. This was the hardest thing I have shot to date, pre production was hard but with the greatest young directors THUNDERLIPS and producers Alix Whittaker and Anna Duckworth around it was a blast and I had the fucking greatest time. I love making movies, I love the challenges of making stuff we believe in. I am so amped for all of the projects to come… Shoot film.


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Lakeside is Florida's most comprehensive resource for occupational health services.
Every Lakeside clinic has Certified Audiometric Technicians.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Lakeside Acquires OHP in Lakeland and Bartow.
Lakeside Occupational Medical Centers, Inc. (www.lakesideoccmed.com) has announced that they will have two more clinic locations to serve more communities. Lakeside now has clinics at 5040 US Highway 98 N, in Lakeland, and at 1750 N. Broadway in Bartow, Florida. Lakeside will now have 14 Occupational Medicine and Urgent Care clinics located in Orange, Polk, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.
Lakeside was established by Richard F. Johnson, M.D. in 1978. The goal has been to provide the highest level of medical care and services to keep employers and their employees safe, healthy and on-the-job. Lakeside has recently taken on a new dimension by offering Urgent Care at all 14 locations. This provides a value added service not only to employers, but to the entire service area and surrounding communities.
Brenda Jacobsen, CEO of Lakeside, stated "These former OHP clinics have had a rich history of serving the Lakeland area for over 25 years. We intend to bolster the trusted providers and staffs at these clinics by augmenting their current capabilities with the strength and resources that Lakeside can immediately bring." Added Jacobsen, "This will be an extremely smooth and transparent transition as we share many common employers, payers and suppliers."
Dr. Richard Johnson stated "This acquisition is a significant link in Lakesides' 'Corridor of Care' connecting Hillsborough and Orange counties to provide additional, convenient access for our clients. The Lakeside staff are delighted to be a new addition to Polk County, bringing "The Lakeside Way" to the employer community. For over 30 years, Lakeside has been nationally recognized for its exceptional occupational health services. Lakeside operates 4 clinics in Pinellas, 5 clinics in Hillsborough, 3 clinics in Orange and now 2 clinics in Polk Counties.
The Lakeland clinic phone number is (863) 859-3511.
The Bartow clinic phone number is (863) 533-2030.
©2014 Lakeside Occupational Medical Centers. All rights reserved.
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Twins-Cardinals: It's hot. Mauer is not in the lineup. Ron Coomer makes a predictionPosted on June 27th, 2009 – 9:28 AM
By La Velle
I flew in yesterday and was driving in from Lambert Airport when I switched on the radio to some sports show called, `The Men's Room.'
The host talked about how he compared the careers of Chris Carpenter and Johan Santana, who squared off against each other the night before. On Friday, he decided to compare the Cardinals' Yadier Molina and the Twins' Joe Mauer – the two Gold Glove winners from last season.
So I'm listening to this, and the host is reeling off career stats. Mauer has Molina beat across the board and blows him away in doubles, walks, batting average, etc.
The host then concludes, "Mauer gets the nod here."
Ya think?
He later adds, "I'd take either one of them but the edge goes to Mauer."
It ain't just an edge, buddy.
I'm impressed with Busch Stadium. Love the color scheme. Twins players like how the clubhouse is laid out. The pressbox stinks. It's at the top of the stadium and it's a journey to get to the clubhouse. I was told the original plan was to put the pressbox behind the right field wall. Right Field. Someone, fortunately, stepped in and stopped that.
The first year the park opened, there were no windows installed. The heat was oppressive during the summer. Then the Cardinals reached the World Series and it was freezing. There was a rain storm that blew water on a bunch of laptops and ruined them. Some of the insulation was visible. The league was ticked off and ordered the Cardinals to make adjustments.
But that's not my main beef – believe it or not. The railing in front of the first row on most levels is too short. When fans are seated, their knees are almost even with the top of the railing. Not safe. If someone stumbles, jumps out of their seat to cheer or catch a ball – or has their .15 on - it could get ugly.
And it did on Friday, when a fan fell out of the top level of Busch Stadium and onto the level below him – during the national anthem. He was a bloody mess. The female with him was blubbering. I guess other than cuts and bruises, he was fine. But they need to look at these railings again.
Getting back to this right field thing. Other pro sports are moving the press areas out of the areas where they can make money. Soldier Field has its pressbox in the corner of the stadium. I've heard the pressbox at FedEx Field in Washington is in the end zone. NBA teams are moving some media off of midcourt.
The Twins, while designing Target Field, asked for our input on how the pressbox should be designed. It will be located on the club level, a little bit toward first base but that's no big deal. There will be places to store our bags so they won't be in the way. They'll hold an elevator for us after games. And they have taken us twice on tours of the construction site.
I can't thank club president Dave St. Peter, GM Bill Smith, the baseball communications department and other members of the organization enough for allowing us to have some input. After sitting in the St. Louis pressbox and hearing the stories, I appreciate what the Twins have done for its media even more.
I'll post the lineups and updates when they become available.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire hinted before the game that Nick Punto has a couple more days to prove he's healthy or he will land on the disabled list. Start your Steven Tolleson speculation now.
Joe Mauer is getting the day off. Day game after night game thing. Mike Redmond will start to today. When asked about starting Jose Morales, Gardenhire admitted that it's a sensitive situation and that Redmond remains his No. 2 catcher. He said Morales will enter the game if (when?) Redmond wilts from the heat or of he needs a pinch runner late in the game. Gardy said he's not adverse to putting Morales behind the plate, but Redmond is his No. 2.
I think the offseason will solve this problem. Morales is a better hitter and deserves to play. And I write that with the utmost respect for what Redmond does with the pitchers and in the clubhouse.
Kevin Slowey's last named is spelled, "Slowley" on the lineup sheet.
Just heard that yesterday's accident was the second time this year a fan had tumbled out of one of the decks here. Here's a link to a story about yesterday's accident.
A woman already has succumbed to the heat here and has been stretchered out. The high might hit 100 today.
FSN's Ron Coomer on Justin Morneau, "he's breaking out today," Coomer said. Coomer pointed out that Morneau has gone to a no stride approach to keep himself balanced and hit the ball hard yesterday.
Twins (38-37)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Brendan Harris, 2B
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Jason Kubel, LF
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Joe Crede, RF
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Matt Tolbert. 2B
9. Kevin Slowey, RHP
Cardinals (40-35)
1. Skip Schumaker, 2B
2. Colby Rasmus, CF
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Chris Duncan, LF
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Rick Ankiel, RF
7. Tyler Greene, SS
8. Todd Wellemeyer, RHP
9. Joe Thurston, 3B


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Posts Tagged 'Gleaner'
AGCO Sweeps Agri Marketing Magazine's 2013 New Product & Product of the Year Awards
The RG700 self-propelled sprayer and Gleaner Super Series combines have been chosen as Agri Marketing magazine's 2013 New Product of the Year and 2013 Product of the Year, respectively. AGCO is the first company in the 15-year history of the Agri Marketing product awards to take home both honors in a given year.
"Our panel of independent agriculture industry professionals chose these two innovative machines based on the value they provide to today's farmers and the unique marketing approaches that have helped contribute to their success in our industry," says Lynn Henderson, publisher of Agri Marketing. "The RG700 and Gleaner Super Series join a distinguished group of winners, all of which contribute to making growers more successful in producing feed, food and fiber for a growing world population."
Agri Marketing's 2013 New Product of the Year, the RG700 self-propelled sprayer, debuted this fall, proving the axiom that good things can come in small packages. The RG700 is a compact, 700-gallon tank machine that brings growers the benefits found in larger, professional-grade RoGator® sprayers.
The Tier 4 interim-compliant RG700 has an industry-leading AWD Smart Drive System™, even weight distribution and Parallel C-channel flex frame, providing consistent field speed without shifting, plus excellent traction with all four wheels remaining in constant contact with the ground. The result is a smooth ride and more precise product application, even under varying field conditions. Other key benefits include a powerful, yet fuel-efficient high-torque engine, adjustable track widths, and outstanding cab comfort and safety.
The Gleaner Super Series combine, Agri Marketing's 2013 Product of the Year, was first introduced in 2010 with the S7 Super Series transverse rotary combine. Built to solve the challenges of greater yields, more residue, more acres and rising fuel costs, the S7 Super Series represented a large leap forward in harvesting capacity and efficiency, while reinforcing Gleaner's reputation for durability, simplicity, low grain loss and very clean grain sample.
The new S8 Super Series, introduced in August 2013, takes harvesting technology even further — and includes the world's first Class 8 transverse rotary combine. Built on the Optimum Harvesting Performance platform, the S8 Super Series is designed for ultimate efficiency and reduced parasitics. This drives horsepower to the rotor to process and thresh the crop, so growers can get more done while burning less fuel. The S8 Series features the lightest Class 6 through 8 combines on the market, and provides growers with unmatched grain quality and great throughput.
"We are incredibly honored that these products have been recognized for their innovation and value to agricultural producers," says Bob Crain, senior vice president and general manager for AGCO North America. "In 2007, AGCO began an era of significant investment in new-product research and development, driven by listening to the needs of our customers in the United States and Canada. The innovations these products deliver are a result of that investment, plus a lot of hard work. We're proud these products provide producers with the solutions they need."
Full details about the products and the marketing case studies behind them are available in the November/December issue of Agri Marketing magazine. For more information on the RG700, visit www.applylikeapro.com/RG700. For more information about Gleaner combines or to find a dealer near you, visit www.GleanerCombines.com.
Gleaner Introduces First Class 8 Transverse Rotary Combine, S8 Super Series
It was literally standing-room only as nearly 1,800 Gleaner dealers, customers and enthusiasts filled Wichita's Hartman Arena as the Gleaner S8 Super Series combines were introduced Aug. 15, 2013.
The full line of Tier 4 Final, Class 6 through Class 8 platforms and the industry's first Class 8 transverse rotary combine is built on the Optimum Harvesting Performance platform, and is the culmination of design refinements that further reduce the liabilities of weight, size, fuel consumption, wear and complexity while maximizing capacity, grain quality, reliability and durability. These attributes have been part of many of the brand's design principles since it was introduced in 1923, and they heavily influence today's Gleaner Super Series combines.
"Since the day we launched the Super Series, we've been developing the Gleaner combine platform so that all functional areas of the machine deliver optimum performance and efficiency," says Kevin Bien, Gleaner brand marketing manager at AGCO. "We've created a light, nimble combine designed so that the horsepower is used to efficiently cut and thresh the crop, not to move a heavy machine or overly complex system through the field."
Gleaner's one-of-a kind combine platform gets its start on a unitized, welded mainframe with a low center of gravity and true centerline design. This provides the lightest, most balanced weight distribution combine in the world. In fact, the Gleaner S88 is as much as 12,300 pounds lighter than competitive Class 8 combines, allowing the Gleaner to get through muddy fields when others will require substantially more horsepower and tracks to get through similar conditions. The new Class 7 Gleaner S78 is as much as 8,200 pounds lighter than other Class 7 machines.
There are many exciting new features and even special purchase incentives available. You can learn more at www.GleanerCombines.com or see the S8 Super Series combine at the 2013 Farm Progress Show, Husker Harvest Days and the Big Iron Farm Show.
AGCO Appoints New Full Line Dealer for Griffith, New South Wales, Australia
Celebrated for its rich agricultural industries, vineyards, orchards and cereal production, Griffith situated in South Western New South Wales, has a new full line AGCO dealer for the town and surrounding areas.
At an evening event marking the beginning of the company's promising new relationship with AGCO were 130 local guests and AGCO representatives from management, sales and technical support.
From humble beginnings in 1996, well-known local Darryl Serafin has built a successful business offering outstanding service and support for different tractor and machinery brands while developing extensive experience in the Australian agricultural industry.
His awareness of different challenges and factors affecting farming practices has made Serafin Ag Pro the success it is today. With 22 experienced and fully equipped staff, Darryl and his team understand the importance and urgency of ensuring customers continue to operate in the field.
Previously a dealer for various other tractor brands, Serafin Ag Pro is now on board with AGCO and can supply recognised major brands including Massey Ferguson, Challenger, Fendt, Gleaner and Iseki.
Gleaner Super Series Demo Combine Hits Australian Harvest
After all the news, coverage and widespread discussion, the time had finally come – the Gleaner Super Series combine hit the field in Australia!
The main feature of the Australian 2011/2012 harvest was the big, black S77 combine; travelling throughout Australia as part of the Gleaner Demo Program.
Starting in Springsure, Queensland, the Gleaner combine worked its way down to the southern state of Victoria.
"It's fantastic to finally see the Gleaner S77 in action during harvest," says Marcus Paul, Gleaner Product Manager. "After our Australian launch back in April 2011, dealers and customers alike had the opportunity to see the combine at work first hand," he added.
This year's harvest shaped up to be a hot one, with soaring temperatures in central Queensland and New South Wales. However, the heat didn't affect the new Gleaner combines – grain samples were of the highest quality, with minimal losses – something customers across the country have been more than happy with.
Pictured: The Gleaner S77 working the fields in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
What combine did you use this harvest?
Kaitlyn Nelson
I am joining AGCO to report on the North American wheat harvest. In the fall, I'll begin my junior year at Oklahoma State University, where I am majoring in agricultural communications and minoring in agronomy.
Raised in a custom harvesting family, I've spent many hours in the cabs of our Gleaner combines as we traveled across the Midwest. My harvest experiences have cultivated a passion for the men and women who harvest the grain that feeds the world and for the products that make it all possible.
Wheat harvest is in my blood, but I am a little bit different than the average harvester. I want to share our stories with you. I will be giving you the ins and outs of the wheat harvest run and how AGCO products make harvesters' lives easier and more profitable. Stay tuned!


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