How A Dating Coach Can Help You Build Muscle ... - JCD Fitness

Today?s article is specifically for a group of guys I?ve been conversing with over the last few years through email, internet forums, and in passing at the gym. Today I plan to address some problems many beginners face when it comes to getting big and strong.

Strangely, none of these problems are physical. These guys are all fully capable, and in good health. The issue seems to lie deep within their psyche.

I?ve touched on some of this before in my Former Fat Boy Syndrome article, so if you found that one of value, you?ll surely resonate with today?s message.

WARNING: Some of the material I?m referencing (mainly the RSD video by Owen Cook) may be offensive to some of you. Just because I?m referencing this video doesn?t mean I agree with everything in it.

In saying that, if you?re easily offended, you probably want to refrain from watching the video and just pay attention to my article. I didn?t have to include the video, but the concepts Owen discusses about success and human nature need to be communicated and he does a very good job of that.

Background Info About The Video I?m Referencing Today

The video title is ?The Truth About Success 2 ? Execution, Learning From Failure, Not Being A Lazy Slug ? it?s a 2 hour presentation by Owen Cook, Co-Founder and Producer of Real Social Dynamics, the world?s largest dating coaching company.

Now I want you to know that we?re not talking about dating, picking up women or seduction techniques in this article. My website is not the proper avenue to teach guys how to build confidence and charisma when it comes to approaching women.

However, the reason I?m referencing this video is because many of the topics Owen discusses directly correlate with success in general. Owen Cook is a hard-working entrepreneur, and someone whom I have much respect for when it comes to achieving success in his respective field.

Owen travels the world teaching guys how to be confident in approaching women, and building relationships. Over the years, I?ve watched his talks and lectures evolve from teaching those how to be successful with women to lessons about achieving success, and living an enriched life.

Who Is This Article For?

• Are you a dude who wants to get big and strong, but doesn?t know where to start?
• Do you have an irrational fear of gaining body fat that keeps you from making any progress in the gym?
• Do you keep making excuses about why you can?t build the physique you want?
• Do you constantly change your mind about building muscle and losing body fat?

If this sounds like you, keep reading.

The primary roadblocks we?ll be discussing today are:

• Information Overload
• Irrational Fear of Fat Gain
• Making Excuses and NOT TAKING ACTION

Free Advice Is Hardly Ever Taken Seriously

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a reader who I?d been conversing with since August 2011. He filled out a consultation request and it read the following:

• Name is Matt
• 17 yrs old
• 5?5?
• 140lbs (body fat: 14-16%)
• I squat 230?5, bench 165?5, deadlift 305?5
• I want to lose body fat and I?m extremely experienced with intermittent fasting

My first response was similar to this:

Hey Matt, First of all, you?re 17 and 140lbs ? you likely have no business dieting and how do you know so much about fasting? When I was your age, I didn?t even know what a calorie was, let alone intermittent fasting.

We went onto discuss exactly why I didn?t feel he should be dieting. And my reasoning was twofold.

1. He was too young to think about dieting, especially at his body weight of 140lbs.
2. He?s at a prime time in his life when he can grow rapidly if he?ll just lift heavy stuff and eat his mama?s home cooking.

We went back and forth about working together, but I was adamant he mustn?t diet! Needless to say we lost contact. No way was I going to let this kid do anything other than train heavy and stuff his face under my supervision.

So now we can fast-forward about 9 months. By this time, RogLaw and I?d begun our FitSmart podcast and had been discussing various topics about training, and nutrition.

We got to chatting about free advice and regardless of how great it is, no one ever takes it seriously.

It turns out Matt was listening to this episode.

So I get an email toward the end of May from Matt again. This time it was different ? he mentioned the podcast he listened to and felt obligated to give me an update. I?m sure glad he did.

I then learned after our exchange, he?d contacted my friend and mentor, Alan Aragon, who eventually gave him almost the exact advice I did: eat big, get strong and gain some body weight.

In his email, Matt shared with me that he finally took our advice, decided to get out of his own way, so to speak, begin eating well and training hard.

In about 12 weeks, he went from 140lbs to 160lbs, and added a significant amount of strength during this time frame (all numbers in pounds):

• Bench: 160X5 ?> 205X8
• Overhead Press: 105X5 ?> 135X8
• Deadlift: 305X5 ?> 380X3, 350X5,
• Weighted Chins: BW ?> BW+25X8

Turns out he didn?t gain much body fat in the process, and looks fuller, and thicker than he did before. But the best part of his transformation is not only that of his physique, but of his mind. He was hesitant at first to take our advice, forget about the fat-gain paranoia, and do what it takes.

Here?s how he ended the initial update email ? a thank-you for pushing him to do what we knew was best for him. The bold is my emphasis.

All I know is, for the first time in my life, I?ve built a physique that I?m genuinely proud of, and I can?t tell you just how awesome it feels. I know it?s nothing spectacular compared to most fitness junkies, but just having a respectable physique compared to most of my peers has given me a newfound confidence that has carried over to every area of my life.

Just wanted to say thanks again to people like yourself who helped push me in the right direction, even if it took awhile to get through my thick head.

Now there?s one thing I want you to remember here: THIS GUY IS 17 YEARS OLD. It?s pretty rare for dudes outside of athletic programs to take the advice of those older than them when it comes to strength training, and muscle gain.

Why?

Mainly because there is so much information out there ? much of which is so conflicting when comparing sources. Jason Ferruggia mentioned a few weeks ago that in order to be successful, you should probably get your information from only a few credible sources. The more books, articles, and resources you read, the more likely you are to find contrasting viewpoints.

Now there?s nothing wrong with having a broad knowledge base, but when you?re easily influenced, we must try to minimize the distractions.

Matt and I?s email conversation spanned over many exchanges and we eventually got on the phone for an interview. So, if you?re a young guy who?s ever been worried about fat gain, or afraid that you?re not doing the right things when it comes to training and eating for size, please listen to this interview I did with Matt.

We go over many of the pitfalls not only young guys, but beginners experience in general. Some of the topics discussed are the following:

• Starting out ? how he used to curl more than he could bench
• How his irrational fears crippled his efforts
• Why his obsession with his physique made him smaller and weaker and how it affected other aspects of his life
• How a few months of making no progress turned into a YEAR of no progress
• How he finally took action, let go, and flipped the switch to experience success in strength and muscle gains
• His dealing with the daily mental battles
• What adding strength and size to his frame did for his confidence
• Why he recommends to stop focusing on body composition and all the tiny details

Be sure to listen to his short interview (around 25 minutes): You can download the audio file by right clicking here and hitting ?save-as? or you can use the player below.

And now, you?re about to learn how a dating coach can help you experience massive success with your strength and muscle-building efforts.

And get this: he doesn?t even lift!

?Success is about focusing on what you want ? not focusing on what you don?t want.? ? Owen Cook, RSD

This principle applies to anything you want in life ? lots of money, healthy relationships, a significant other, etc. In this case, you probably want to be bigger and stronger than you currently are.

If you?re reading here, I don?t have to tell you that strength and mass is a product of eating well and getting stronger over time.

There?s NO other way around it.

In the video (36:30) Owen is talking about one of the simplest principles of success ? focusing on what you want, and not what you don?t want.

He?s teaching the guys that success is a narrow road, in which you must have a focused set of behaviors. As you walk along this narrow road, you?re going to mess up ? and to be successful, you have to keep course-correcting along the way.

Owen makes a great point where he essentially says don?t focus on the short-term results; focus on the behaviors that are conducive to success.

What does this matter? Because those who have been successful at getting big and strong all follow a certain set of proven processes and behaviors.

What are the proven processes and behaviors???

I think this is pretty apparent, but those who are big and strong all have a few things in common. They stuck to a well-designed strength or bodybuilding program for a matter of months (6-12) before making any major changes.

They ate above maintenance (more calories than they burned daily) and pushed their body weight up. They focused on strength gains and performance goals.

If you need a routine, or need to know how this process works, check out the how to build muscle guide for beginners. Also, check out the JCDFitness beginners muscle-building routine (free PDF download).

Let me give you an example of two guys.

The focused guy knows the path to success. He?s following a proven routine, and eating well each day. He?s been keeping record of his intake and his workouts.? Each week he?s getting stronger and noticing that his clothes are fitting tighter.

Despite the fact that his abs are not as pronounced as they were a few weeks ago doesn?t phase him. Why? He knows that his hard work is paying off. Plus, he?s enjoying his newfound confidence as his strength soars.

The scattered guy switches up his routine every other week. He continually changes his mind about dieting and bulking because he feels that he?s gaining fat too rapidly every time he eats over maintenance. He reads every piece of fitness info he can get his hands on and the differing opinions mess with his head.

His emotions control his decisions, which keeps him from sticking to any type of plan long enough to see results. He?ll probably continue this cycle for many months, and possibly years with no results to show for his haphazard efforts.

The difference between these guys is an understanding of the processes and behaviors that govern success.

Jahed Momand, a friend and accomplished weightlifter, who is now starting to coach others, says it best with the following quote:

?The most important thing you can do is keep going, and realize that your results, on any one day, are irrelevant. There will be ups and there will be downs.

Consistently getting under the bar is what we want, so ignore the daily results. Detach your ego from the outcome of any one particular day. The only thing that matters is you showed up.

Daily results are irrelevant in the long run, because it is the accumulation of your efforts and habits over time that determine what you get out of any diet or training program.??

? Jahed Momand

This is Matt?s story. He learned how to control his mind and his behaviors in a way that lead him to success.

Take home point:

Stick to the behaviors and processes that produce results ? discard everything else.

Now that we know there are indeed proven behaviors we must follow, let?s look at some of the pitfalls, along with ways to avoid them.

?Our biology tells us to maximize value and minimize time and effort? ? Owen Cook

At about 29:30, Owen says this phrase above, and every time I hear it I stop and think for a moment. We?ve grown as a species to make things easier. We want the greatest rewards without much effort.

This is not a bad thing entirely because technology has greatly improved our lives. I love writing articles on my iMac, as opposed to using a pencil and paper.

However, our current age also makes us lazy and susceptible to falling for voodoo marketing. Remember when I wrote Fitness Claims and Marketing ? How Our Emotions Control Us? This is a perfect example. Who doesn?t want abs in 7 minutes? Or who doesn?t want the fast track to muscle gain when a supplement ad claims you can add 10lbs of muscle in the next 5 days?

The old mantra is true: nothing worth having ever comes easily. It never works that way, and if it did, no one would appreciate success. Owen even says later in the video that he wouldn?t want to win the lottery because it would take away his drive and vigor to teach and build his business.

Don?t fall into the trap of believing this is an easy road. It?s not and I can tell you from experience. Don?t make this mistake.

Combat Your Irrational Fear of Fat Gain

?Our brains will rationalize almost anything that it thinks is in it?s best interest.? ? Owen Cook

In this segment of the video (about 1:09) Owen is telling the guys how some people get caught in this funk of laziness. In context, many guys are afraid to go out and initiate new friendships or relationships with girls. As a result, they will make excuses and come up with reasons why they can?t go out.

In short, their brains are making these excuses real to them, which causes them to develop an irrational belief that they can?t go out and thus, be successful meeting new women.

The same thing happens to the beginners who were either Former Fat Boys or the skinny-fat guys who have a death-like fear of adding an ounce of body fat. So what happens?

They typically under eat, and train too much in hopes of preventing any fat gain. But what typically happens is they get weaker and their body remains the same. Months and years go by without a single noticeable difference in their physique.

And it?s all based on a very irrational fear of adding slabs of body fat when over eating in the name of strength and size gains.

Here?s something you must realize.

No matter what, if you?re 150lbs and eating 1500 calories daily with the hopes of not adding any body fat, YOU WILL NOT REACH YOUR GOAL of a bigger, stronger physique.

This may sound a drastic approach to many, but I can assure you ? many people succumb to these types of behaviors over the irrational fear of fat gain.

First of all, if you?re eating well (at least 14-15xbody weight in kcals ? much more for some guys) and training 3-4 times per week, you?ll make strength gains and even build some muscle. You may have to eat more depending on how active you are.

But chronically eating much less than maintenance will forever keep you small and weak.

Keep doing this and YOU WILL FAIL.

?Failure is the default of not taking action.? ? Owen Cook

At 34:30, Owen is giving a talk about how you need to have a good mindset, and a hope that things will work out in your favor, but without a plan and actually taking action toward your goals, failure is in your future.

He even goes onto say that we must have a rational paranoia (I love this) of failure.

So what?

It means that you must be so afraid of not making progress that you do everything in your power to avoid looking back a year later to see no changes in your physique.

How will that make you feel knowing you wasted a year or longer because you couldn?t get it together?

It?s going to suck. You?re gonna be pissed that you didn?t listen to others. You?ll be frustrated that you couldn?t shut off the voice in your head telling you that you?re going to get fat if you eat a caloric surplus.

Let me elaborate ? I found this thread I found on Reddit and it?s a classic case.

As you see in the screenshot, he?s freaked out about eating over maintenance due to recently losing a lot of fat. Now, I don?t know this guy, but my hunch tells me he?ll let his irrational fear of gaining back the fat keep him from making any positive changes to his physique with regards to muscle gain.

He?ll probably start out training, and eating well, but as soon as he thinks he sees a hint of fat gain, he?ll cut calories drastically and begin an endless cycle that will result in failure.

Okay, so enough preaching. I hope you get the point. If you don?t take action, and control your thoughts, you?re going to lose at this game. And you will be very, very disappointed.

Plan Of Action

I came across a short post by Ryan Holiday the other night and it fits perfect with this theme. It?s titled Take Little Steps.

And here are your little steps to success.

• Pick a training routine and stick with it for at least 6 months ? I don?t care what you choose as long as it?s within the realm of being good for a beginner. Think of Starting Strength, Stronglifts, Syatt?s routine or mine.
• Commit to eating well for the entire time you?re training ? follow the guides Jordan and I laid out in the Muscle Building Guide for Beginners.
• Cut your fitness reading down significantly ? pick 5-10 sources of your favorite info and read a little from those daily (maybe an article or two per day). This will ensure fitness info doesn?t flood your brain 24/7.
• Focus on the journey, not the destination ? try to have fun every day and don?t let one or two bad sessions determine how you feel about where you?re headed. Realize that you?ve set a goal for yourself and that you?ll reach this goal by taking small, daily steps to eat and train well.
• Cut out the thoughts that do not serve you ? Something else Jahed introduced me to was self-talk that can instantly change your state. If you find yourself pondering a thought that is not serving you, stop and say to yourself ?this thought does not serve me,? or ?this thought is not productive.? And then forget about it.
• Develop a very real and rational paranoia that you will fail ? Don?t dwell on the negative thoughts, but remember this: if you don?t take these steps daily, you will fail ? don?t look back a year from now wishing you?d have taken my advice in this article.

Go forth. Eat, lift and be merry.

Source: http://jcdfitness.com/2012/06/how-a-dating-coach-can-help-you-build-muscle-strength-and-gain-confidence/

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Seeking Justice: Jailed Rape Victim Who Was Denied Contraception Can Sue Florida Sheriff

In January 2007, a Tampa, Fla., woman identified in court records as ?R.W.? was raped.

After visiting a rape crisis center in Tampa, she was prescribed emergency contraception as a precaution. She took one contraceptive pill immediately and intended to take a second pill 12 hours later as a doctor had instructed, court records said.?

But R.W. almost didn?t get to take that second pill. In the process of filing a report on the rape, a Tampa police officer discovered that there was an arrest warrant for R.W. She was taken to jail, and everything she had with her was confiscated ? including her pill.

The next morning, R.W. asked permission to take the second pill but was denied by jail employee Michele Spinelli because it conflicted with Spinelli?s religious beliefs. It was only when R.W. was about to be released that she was able to take the contraception, the court said.

Luckily R.W. didn?t get pregnant, but she sued both Spinelli and Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee for gender discrimination, violation of privacy and denial of equal protection.

Initially, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich said that R.W. could sue Spinelli only, dismissing claims against Gee in his official capacity. But R.W. amended her complaint against the sheriff, and earlier this month Kovachevich sided with the plaintiff.

Gee claimed that R.W. didn?t allege any sort of unconstitutional official policy or practice of the county that led to her being denied contraception. Kovachevich disagreed, saying that even though Gee didn?t instruct Spinelli to deny contraception, Spinelli became the official policy maker because Gee wasn?t on duty at the time and he had never taken a stand on access to contraception.

?The single action of a final policy-maker can represent official government?policy, even when the action is not meant to control later decisions....,?? Kovachevich said in her decision. ?

While it is indeed fortunate that R.W. is allowed to move forward with her lawsuit, her ordeal is a glimpse into the future that all Americans may face if the Catholic hierarchy and its Religious Right allies get their way.

The bishops and their fundamentalist cronies argue that their ?conscience? should never be violated, and no one who objects to birth control should ever have to provide it (or allow it to be taken). They don?t care where you work, whether it?s a church, a government agency or a Taco Bell. Your personal religious beliefs trump what anyone else needs or wants ? or what the law says.

They?re wrong. No one should be denied access to health care just because it violates someone else?s religious belief, especially when it?s a government official who is doing the denying.

If ultra-conservative religious lobbies get their way, however, stories like R.W.?s will become all-too-common. This must not happen, and the Obama administration and other elected officials need to stand up to Religious Right bullying.

Source: http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/seeking-justice-jailed-rape-victim-who-was-denied-contraception-can-sue

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In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky trial WHDH reports Concord New Hampshire youth baseball hockey coach Robert Joubert has be...

SbB LIVE FROM LA (Jun 29, 2012 @ 1:33pm ET)

1:30 PM: Washington Redskins TE Fred Davis is acting as his own defense counsel in a lawsuit filed by a woman who claims Davis poured juice on her head & busted her lip in a January 2011 nightclub incident.

1:15 PM: Donovan McNabb when asked if the Eagles would have made it to the Super Bowl without Terrell Owens: "It's tough to say. I think we would have."

1:00 PM: The Sun Sentinel reports that Chris Bosh will not play for the U.S. Olympic basketball team this summer in London due to an abdominal injury.

12:45 PM: The home belonging to the parents of Denver Broncos defensive lineman Ben Garland was destroyed by the Colorado wildfires.

12:30 PM: South African double amputee runner Oscar Pistorius failed to qualify as a individual runner for this summer's London Olympics, but he is still hoping he'll be selected for the 4x400m relay team.

12:15 PM: The NCAA Appeals Committee will reconsider Boise State's scholarship penalties after the Broncos argued that lesser penalties were handed down to other schools that committed more serious violations.

12:00 PM: Rich Chere of the Newark Star Ledger reports New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur will test the market as an unrestricted free agent & will begin talking with other NHL teams starting Sunday.

11:45 AM: Seattle Mariners player Franklin Gutierrez left Thursday night's game against the Boston Red Sox after being hit in the face by a pickoff attempt from pitcher Franklin Morales.

11:30 AM: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed that CBS should not be fined $550,000 by the FCC for Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction".

11:15 AM: The Columbus Ledger Enquirer reports Georgia RB Isaiah Cromwell was arrested on felony weapons charges on campus early Friday morning.

11:00 AM: A police officer & a suspected thief were injured in a shootout after two men robbed the home of Greek soccer coach & former Sheffield United player Giorgos Donis. The thieves briefly took the father of Donis' wife hostage, but both men were eventually caught.

10:45 AM: The 2012 NBA Draft's Mr. Irrelevant is Robert Sacre, a center from Gonzaga selected by the Lakers with the 60th & final pick.

10:30 AM: Miami Heat president Pat Riley says about winning the 2012 NBA title: "The championship felt great, and it still does. But I'm over it, we're over it, and it's time to improve the team."

10:15 AM: Derek Jeter got his 3,184th career hit Thursday night to tie Cal Ripken Jr. for 13th place on the all-time list. But the Yankees ended up losing to the White Sox 4-3.

10:00 AM: In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky trial, WHDH reports Concord, New Hampshire youth baseball & hockey coach Robert Joubert has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting young boys for over a decade.

Source: http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/sbblive?eid=39041

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EXCLUSIVE! See Victoria Justice in New 'Fun Size' Trailer

In the upcoming comedy Fun Size, Victoria Justice plays a teenage girl who's not too pleased to be stuck babysitting her kid brother on Halloween -- especially since she's been invited to the biggest party of the year. 

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/fun-size-exclusive-trailer-debut/1-a-469031?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Afun-size-exclusive-trailer-debut-469031

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Peninsula College students profit from their 'home' work

PORT ANGELES ? Student carpenters in the green building program at Peninsula College are working on their first mini-home.

The students, who began work in February on the structure at the Lincoln Center in Port Angeles, are finishing its exterior this month and expect to complete the interior in the fall.

They hope to sell the mini-home when it is completed and use the profits to fund similar projects next year ? and already have about eight people who are interested in purchasing it, they said.

The mini-home is 256 square feet and has a 48-square-foot deck.

?It's big for a mini-home,? said student Erik Fullingim.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. sells plans for mini-homes as small as 65 square feet.
Kitchen, bathroom, two lofts

The Peninsula College version features a kitchen, bathroom, living area and two sleeping lofts. To keep costs low, students installed a used toilet.

The green building program teaches both green construction and basic carpentry, encouraging energy-conscious construction.

This means they are caulking all the seams, which is something most contractors wouldn't do, Fullingim said.

This allows the building to be airtight and prevents energy waste.

The carpenters are using green materials where possible, Fullingim said. For example, they use Earth-friendly stains, finishes and caulk.

They also are using advanced framing techniques that, they say, use less lumber but provide the same strength as other methods.

They also avoided using chemicals that can be harmful to people who are sensitive to chemicals, making the mini-home hypo-allergenic, said Mitch Breece, who helps instructor Patrick Nickerson.

This is a realistic housing option for those who are sensitive to chemicals, Breece said.

Some $5,500 has been invested into the mini-home so far, Nickerson said.

A mini-home typically costs between $30,000 and $50,000.

The costs were kept low by the free labor of the students and the donations they received, said Nickerson.

He described mini-homes as an affordable-housing option, saying they are a great alternative to housing projects.

The concept of the mini-home may seem radical or unusual, but it is one of the hottest new trends in housing, Breece said.

Nickerson said there recently has been a mini-home movement in the United States and Canada.
One promoter and builder of mini-homes is in Port Townsend.

GreenPod Development, owned by Ann Raab, had a home featured at the Seattle Green Home Tour on Earth Day weekend, April 21-22.
________
Jesse Major, a recent graduate of Peninsula College and Port Angeles High School, is an intern with the Peninsula Daily News. To reach him, phone 360-452-2345, ext. 5056.

Last modified: June 28. 2012 1:26PM

Source: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012120629982

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Whistleblower Wendell Potter's inside story on health insurance and ...

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Salt Spring Island full of Canada Day fun

The Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce is confident a wider range of events and activities during this year?s Canada Day long weekend will have something special for people of all ages and interests.

The celebration kicks off well before the big day with the opening reception of the Fine Art Signature Showcase exhibit between 5 and 8 p.m. at ArtSpring on Friday, June 29.

Look for plenty of antique and classic cars throughout the Ganges area on Saturday, June 30 from 2:40 p.m. as drivers ?cruze? through Ganges, and ?do the loop? along Vesuvius Bay Road, Sunset Drive, North End and Beach roads, then Walkers Hook, Robinson and Upper Ganges roads.

People should keep those engines running for Saturday night?s nostalgic 1950s-styled sock hop dance at the Lions Hall at 8 p.m. Tickets for the event are $10 per person and the best-dressed dancer in 1950s-era costume will receive a wine basket.

Then on Sunday, July 1, the 11th annual Salt Spring Show and Shine classic car show runs at the hydro field off Rainbow Road from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free to the event hosted by the Salt Spring Car Club in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce. It?s also part of a multi-day classic car tour with stops in Sidney, Chemainus, Duncan and South Cowichan.

Canada Day also features a special edition Sunday market, live music and Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May cutting the cake along with local trustees Peter Grove and George Grams. People can try to guess the number of soccer balls inside the Honda Fit display car for a chance to win a floatplane trip to Vancouver aboard Harbour Air Seaplanes.

Look for a free program that includes a description of the fire department?s long-standing involvement with the familiar Canada Day fireworks display at Ganges Harbour. The pamphlet also includes information about the techniques used to time the blasts and create different colours.

Children can get a goodie bag, hot dogs, pop and cookies before Sunday night?s fireworks show at the Thrifty Foods Kidz Zone. The event, held at Rotary Park between 8 and 10 p.m., includes face painting, a kite-flying contest, outdoor games and many more activities to pass the time before the main event gets underway at Ganges Harbour at dusk.

For more information, visit www.saltspringchamber.com or stop by the Visitor Centre (121 Lower Ganges Rd.) to pick up a detailed program.

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Consumer Electronics ? Making Our Lives Comfortable - ECONTENTZ

The consumer electronic products are becoming popular as they offer some sophisticated features that are useful to us in our day to day lives. Some of the products not only entertain us but also make our work easier.

Electronic products have bought a lot of comfort and convenience in our lives. The electronic products popular these days include television, digital camera and accessories, DVD recorders, computers and other household electronics. With the changing technology, the world is also developing. Every now and then, there are new inventions and new products are being created. The field of consumer electronics is always going through some developments. More and more products are always coming up in the market. The demand for the latest gadgets is increasing day by day.

Consumer electronics has become such a major part of our lives that we cannot imagine life without these products. The technology is developing with a fast pace and this has resulted into rise of multitude of electronic products. At the same time, the consumers need be updated with the information on the latest devices and technologies so that they can get maximum benefits from them. The world of consumer electronics is rapidly growing and more and more gadgets are hitting the market.

Bringing a revolution in our lives, these electronic devices have made us dependent on them. Some of the popular electronic items include gaming consoles, mobile phones and music players. These high quality products are preferred by consumers worldwide as they are tools of entertainment as well as useful devices.

The popular brands like Sony, LG, Samsung and Philips are coming up with some of the best products. After every six months, one can see an upgraded model of these electronic devices. So, the user starts feeling that his product is outdated. Apart from using these products for everyday functions, these can be used for our interest and entertainment.

A popular means of entertainment as well as useful device is mobile phone. More than just communicating, these devices allow the user to use email, access the internet, take pictures and listen to music. Whether you wish to download songs from the internet or share files with friends, you can do it easily from your phone.

With the latest electronic products, one can carry out various tasks easily and comfortably. Browse through the online websites and find multitude of consumer electronics with lots of brands. The trend of comparison shopping is becoming popular. Comparing products based on their features is becoming easier. Buying electronic gadgets online gives you an opportunity to find a great variety of products online under one roof. One can easily find their specifications or search for a product recently launched in the market. Research as much as possible and take your time to compare products and prices. You do not have to spend your time going all the way to a store.

Electronic gadgets like digital camera and accessories are lightweight and compact and let us capture our special memories. The fast developing world is rapidly changing technology and lifestyles. The demand for latest electronic devices has increased tremendously. The latest brands are offering various entertainment and communication gadgets for the consumers.

Review a wide selection of products and find special offers and discounts with the best deals. Take advantage of the benefits offered online.

Jacob Marshal, an author who writes on different verticals such as electronics, finance, insurance, music, books, computers etc for Rupiz Compare and appeal to visit the site to get information about LCD TV [http://www.rupizcompare.co.uk/electronics/flat-panel-televisions.aspx] and GPS Accessories.

Content About : Consumer Electronics ? Making Our Lives Comfortable Article

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Paraguay's Lugo says only miracle can reinstate him

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Rielle Hunter: 'Edwards and I are no longer a couple'

Rielle Hunter, left, is shown Aug. 6, 2009, and former U.S. senator and presidential candidate John Edwards is seen May 10, 2012.

By msnbc.com staff and news services

Rielle Hunter says she and former presidential candidate John Edwards have ended their relationship in a painful but mutual breakup.

Edwards will still be involved with their daughter, Quinn, 4 , Hunter said.

"We are a family, but as of the end of last week, John Edwards and I are no longer a couple," Hunter said on ABC?s ?Good Morning America" on Tuesday. "We decided together to end it."

---

Hunter said she and Edwards were still a couple until late last week, as details from Hunter's memoir became public.

Asked why the relationship ended, Hunter said, "I think that's private." She said "media scrutiny" is ?hard, and it wears you down after a while."

Edwards was not immediately available for comment to msnbc.com or other news organizations.

Her book, "What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me," was released Tuesday through a Dallas-based boutique publisher, BenBella Books.

In the book, The Associated Press reported, Hunter describes intimate details about her affair with Edwards, whose campaign hired her as a videographer, and sheds light on his thoughts as federal prosecutors mounted a case against him on illegal campaign contribution charges.

Prosecutors had accused the Democratic politician of masterminding a scheme to use about $1 million in secret payments from two wealthy political donors to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008.

Watch US News videos on msnbc.com

According to Hunter, Edwards told her he would probably wind up in a low-security prison in Virginia if he was convicted, and Hunter said she planned to move nearby with their daughter if that happened.

A federal jury last month acquitted Edwards on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions but deadlocked on five related charges. A judge declared a mistrial, and federal prosecutors on June 13 said they opted not to retry Edwards.

Hunter's memoir also includes intimate details about her affair with Edwards as his wife, Elizabeth, was dying of cancer. On Tuesday, Hunter said she felt it was necessary to tell the truth about her relationship, even if doing so was painful for her, Edwards or his other children.

Saying that she still loves Edwards, and that she believes he still loves her, Hunter said Tuesday that she was unsure of the future.

"We'll see what happens," she said. "I have no plans."

This article includes reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

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Is today's Democratic primary the last hurrah for Rep. Charles Rangel?

Charles Rangel has a storied past in Harlem and the US House of Representatives, where he has served 21 terms. But ethics violations, censure, and redistricting could take a toll in Tuesday's primary.

By Ron Scherer and Kevin Loria,?Staff writer and contributor / June 26, 2012

Rep. Charles Rangel (D) of New York shakes hands with a poll worker as he arrives to vote in the Democratic primary on Tuesday in New York. He faces state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, who would be the first Dominican-American in Congress, if he wins the primary and the November general election.

Mark Lennihan/AP

Enlarge

Will being censured by the House of Representatives last December cost Rep. Charles Rangel (D) of New York his seat?

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The 21-term congressman will find out Tuesday after voters go to the polls in northern Manhattan, Harlem, and a small part of the Bronx to select who will be on the Democratic ticket in November ? practically a guarantee of election in New York's 13th Congressional District.

In the past, this wouldn?t even be an issue. Mr. Rangel, a decorated Korean War veteran who helped funnel vast federal dollars toward the revitalization of his district, usually had no trouble fending off challengers. He was always well versed on the issues, and he had a gravelly voice that resonated with voters. Many 50-year-olds still remember when he handed out candy to them.

But times have changed.

The boundaries of Rangel?s district have been changed ? giving it a much larger proportion of Hispanic voters. Rangel himself, once a vigorous campaigner, has slowed down. And Rangel no longer has the clout he used to have when he ran the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, which sets tax policy and writes bills affecting Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlement programs.

Nevertheless, he remains a force.

Last Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) of New York gave Rangel his endorsement, on the basis of the many years he has represented the district.

?The endorsement suggests he still has some clout,? says Lee Miringoff, director of polling at the Marist Institute of Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. ?Cuomo provides some important credentialization.?

Rangel also showed he still has the political skill to minimize setbacks when he commented to the television cameras last Friday about The New York Times endorsement of Clyde Williams, a former aid to President Bill Clinton: ?Just tell me how the editorial board of The New York Times could say that Clyde Williams would make a better representative of my district, my city, my country,? he intoned, emphasizing the word ?my? each time.

Nevertheless, Rangel will need all the help he can get. In December 2010, he was censured for 11 congressional ethics violations, including failing to pay taxes on a property he owned and improperly soliciting millions of dollars of corporate donations for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York.

The New York legislature has also redistricted Rangel?s turf, resulting in many more Hispanic voters than African-Americans. As a result, Rangel?s main opponent is Adriano Espaillat, a Dominican-American.

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How the Brain Views Race

Liz Phelps was one of the first researchers to tackle how the brain responds to people of different racial groups. Image: NYU

In this groundbreaking adventure into the worlds of psychopaths, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that there is a fine line between a brilliant...

Read More??

From Nature magazine

How the brain responds to and processes images of people from different racial groups is an emerging field of investigation that could have major implications for society. Psychologist Elizabeth Phelps of New York University, in New York, who in 2000 led one of the first studies in this area, tells Nature what her latest review of the field reveals about the neuroscience of race.

What does psychology tell us about race?
Social psychologists differentiate between the attitudes that people express and their implicit preferences. This can be studied using the implicit association task, which measures initial, evaluative responses. It involves asking people to pair concepts such as black and white with concepts like good and bad. What you find is that most white Americans take longer to make a response that pairs black with good and white with bad than vice versa. This reveals their implicit preferences.

What did your review of the neuroscience literature show?
My colleagues and I found that there?s a network of brain regions that is consistently activated in neuroimaging studies of race processing. This network overlaps with the circuits involved in decision-making and emotion regulation, and includes the amygdala, fusiform face area (FFA), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

What did your previous work show?
Our 2000 study was the first to link race preference to brain activity. We measured the eye-blink startle, a reflex response that people display when they hear a loud noise, for example. A lot of studies have shown that this reflex is potentiated [enhanced] when people are anxious or in the presence of something they think is negative. We found that implicit preferences were correlated with potentiated startle, and that both were correlated with the amount of amygdala activation.

How does the neuroscience fit with the psychological model?
Activity in the FFA isn?t surprising, because all of these studies use photos of faces. The amygdala is involved in emotions, and might be linked to the automatic evaluations we make when we see people from other racial groups. We think that the ACC and DLPFC are involved in more complex functions. People tend to show unintentional indications of race bias, even when they are motivated to be non-prejudiced, so the ACC may be involved in detecting these conflicts. You can have an implicit bias and choose not to act on it, and the DLPFC may be trying to regulate the emotional responses that conflict with our egalitarian goals and beliefs.

What about people who are overtly prejudiced?
Finding differences in people with extreme views wouldn?t be too surprising, but I?m not sure we?d see anything more than an exaggerated [emotional] response. We?re more interested in ?normal? people. Those who are more internally motivated to be non-prejudiced show greater ACC activity, whereas those who hold extreme views obviously have explicit, intentional race bias and don?t care about controlling their emotional responses.

What are the societal implications of this research?
Most white Americans we studied show an implicit preference for their own group. They don?t have bad intentions, but because they?ve associated black people with, say, criminality so many times, their decisions are infused with that association, whether or not they believe it?s accurate. There?s evidence of unintentional race bias at every stage of the legal process. Despite the fact that it aims to be egalitarian, sentencing is vastly different for African Americans. The bias is also there in employment.

How should this research progress?
We need to investigate how our implicit preferences are linked to the choices and decisions we make. We want to use this knowledge to reduce the unintended consequences of race bias ? the things we do that aren?t consistent with our beliefs. One problem is the lack of funding for this type of work. It?s very hard to fund this kind of research because it?s not really relevant to health. One way to go would be to apply the sophisticated tools of neuroeconomics to investigate how unintentional bias affects our decision making. The research could also be linked to emerging work on controlling emotions.

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on June 26, 2012.

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Linkin Park's LIVING THINGS: The Personal Album For The Masses

'[Our songs] can be felt on so many different levels,' Chester Bennington says of LP's latest, in stores Tuesday.
By James Montgomery

Linkin Park
Photo:

When Linkin Park began the process of making LIVING THINGS, they weren't sure where the journey would take them ... after all, the last time they headed down this path — on 2010's A Thousand Suns — their voyage ended up in decidedly dystopian territory: It was, for all intents and purposes, an album that sounded like a sonic apocalypse, and dealt with similarly dark themes.

But to be honest, that didn't dissuade them. Because, as they've discovered over their 15-year career, creative uncertainty is practically par for the course. It truly seems that Linkin Park don't know what kind of album they're making until it's done. And even then, sometimes they're still not sure.

"When we're writing a record, there's a misconception [that] maybe [we're] thinking of something, and planning a goal, trying to imagine a song and then making a song," Mike Shinoda told MTV News during "MTV First: Linkin Park." "That's not how we work. We basically sit down with instruments and try to pull it down out of the air. You go into it without thinking, and then you see what comes out. And in the process of making the last record, a lot of what was popping out was about nuclear war, stuff like that. I think, having gotten that out of our system, this record, when we sat down to write songs, it was always personal, and it kept happening."

And while most of the advance press about LIVING THINGS (in stores Tuesday) seemed to focus on LP ditching the political for the personal, that may not actually be the case. Because Linkin Park keep coming back to the idea of uncertainty ... to them, the songs on their new album are meant to be taken however their fans choose to take them. Sure, they may be drawing from the personal, but they're meant for the masses. Pure and simple. And though they've changed plenty over the years, that aspect of their music remains steadfastly, immutably unaltered.

"You can look at a song like 'CASTLE OF GLASS,' which for me, has one of the most interesting opposing points of view," Chester Bennington said. "When Mike was talking about the lyrics, at one point he had said, 'You know, it's kind of like finding yourself as this broken part of this big machine, and feeling like you're not part of that, or trying to find your place in the bigger scheme of things.' And that can mean a solider coming home from war, and trying to fit back into society, or a person getting out of prison, or whatever.

"And here I am, envisioning this big, beautiful glass castle on a hill, and, like, unicorns. I'm thinking like 'Yeah, if you zoom in, I'm this little broken part of this castle that no one knows about, and I may seem like flawed and not important, but when you back up and look at the big picture, you're part of this really beautiful thing that keeps you together," he continued. "And it was a really interesting twist; I think a lot of our lyrics can be taken from multiple perspectives, depending on what you want the song to be about ... they can be felt on so many different levels."

What do you think of Linkin Park's new album? Leave your comment below!

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Putin Tested On Iran, Syria During Middle East Trip ? International ...

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Thirtysomethings flex their number sense

Insight into quantities maxes out in adulthood and may influence math achievement

Web edition : 3:03 pm

Even 6-month-old babies can rapidly estimate approximate numbers of items without counting. But surprisingly, an apparently inborn sense for numbers doesn?t top out until around age 30.

Number sense precision gradually declines after that, generally falling to preteen levels by about age 70, say psychologist Justin Halberda of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and his colleagues. They report the findings, based on Internet testing of more than 10,000 volunteers ages 11 to 85, online the week of June 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

?I expected to see some improvement in number sense into preschool or maybe early elementary school, but not up to age 30,? Halberda says.

Evidence of critical mental abilities peaking after young adulthood is rare but has been reported for face memory (SN: 1/1/11, p. 16).

Participants in the new study completed a game that tested the precision of their number sense, or how accurately they could assess quantities. Volunteers saw a series of images showing mixes of blue and yellow dots and judged which color dot was more numerous. Each dot array appeared for a fraction of a second.

In some dot arrays, one color greatly outnumbered the other. In other arrays, one color slightly outnumbered the other.

Test-takers of the same age showed large differences in how accurately they could assess the dots, with the highest average scores coming around age 30, the researchers report. Teens and adults with a robust number sense reported doing moderately better at math in school and on the math portion of the SAT than those with a weak number sense.

Everyday activities, such as quickly deciding which of several supermarket check-out lines is shortest, may strengthen a person?s number sense, Halberda says. His team is devising an action video game containing number-related decisions that will aim to boost children?s number sense precision.

?Training to make numerosity discriminations could improve mathematics learning, whether it turns out that the ability to estimate quantities is the foundation for learning about numbers or just improves math confidence,? says cognitive neuropsychologist Brian Butterworth of University College London.?

Previous research had linked a keen number sense to superior math achievement in elementary school (SN: 9/27/08, p. 10).

Number sense is one of many influences on math performance in school and throughout life, Halberda says. A long-term study of U.S. and British youngsters published online June 14 in Psychological Science finds, for instance, that students who grasp fractions and division in grade school do particularly well in all forms of high school math.

Found in: Humans and Psychology

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Germany 'owes half its foreign aid pledges' - The Local

Germany is billions of euros behind in its pledged foreign aid payments, according to a new report issued on Monday which says only about half of what the country is pledging is actually paid.

In order to meet its promised targets for foreign aid by 2015, Germany must increase its payments by ?2.35 billion per year, according to the report, issued by the aid organisation One.

Co-founded by rock star Bono, One is an international organisation focusing on fighting poverty and disease, particularly in Africa.

At a 2002 UN conference on development at Monterrey, Mexico, donor countries reiterated a previous UN goal of having aid levels, or official development assistance (ODA), reach 0.7 percent of gross national income by 2015. The European Council later committed to that goal, and set individual targets for member states.

But not all European countries have been making their pledged contributions.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain account for almost 70 percent of the combined gap between pledges and actual payments, and the report says that in order for the EU to meet its collective targets for 2015, these countries must increase what they give.

EU countries as a whole must increase their development assistance by ?42.93 billion between 2011 and 2015 to meet their collective target of ?93.78 billion.

Five EU countries are on track to reach those targets - Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Britain.

Germany, meanwhile, met only 52 percent of its foreign aid targets in 2011. Germany would also have to increase its investment in Africa by more than ?5.5 billion by 2015 in order to meet its targeted goal. This is the largest gap of the European countries studied, according to the report.

Germany is committed to push up its global official development assistance to ?19.51 billion by 2015, but Berlin's current budget efforts indicate it won't meet those targets, the report says.

The aid organisation recognizes that reaching the goals in Europe, under the current financial difficulties, won't be easy.

It writes in the report: "Europe's protracted economic crisis has created a multitude of challenges at home, ranging from high unemployment rates to unsustainable fiscal deficits. In response, an increasing number of countries have implemented sharp cuts or have flat-lined budgets for their budgets for the coming years. This growing budget austerity has now spilled over into life-saving aid programmes."

The report praises countries like Ireland, which despite serious economic woes, is committed to meeting its foreign aid pledges.

The Local/mbw

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Today in History

Today is Tuesday, June 26, the 178th day of 2012. There are 188 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 26, 1912, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 9 in D major premiered in Vienna more than a year after the composer's death; Bruno Walter conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

On this date:

In 1483, Richard III began his reign as King of England (he was crowned the following month at Westminster Abbey).

In 1870, the first section of Atlantic City, N.J.'s Boardwalk was opened to the public.

In 1911, John J. McDermott became the first American-born golf player to win the U.S. Open, played in Chicago.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was nominated for a second term of office by delegates to the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia.

In 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.

In 1948, the Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman authorized the Air Force and Navy to enter the Korean conflict.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he famously declared, "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner).

In 1973, former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an "enemies list" kept by the Nixon White House.

In 1987, Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. announced his retirement, leaving a vacancy that was filled by Anthony M. Kennedy.

In 1988, three people were killed when a new Airbus A320 jetliner carrying more than 130 people crashed into a forest during a demonstration at an air show in Mulhouse (muh-LOOZ'), France.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush went back on his "no-new-taxes" campaign pledge, conceding that tax increases would have to be included in any deficit-reduction package worked out with congressional negotiators.

Ten years ago: The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools was unconstitutional because the words "under God" had been inserted by Congress in 1954. (The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decision in 2004 on a technicality.) The Group of Eight nations, meeting in Canada, announced that Russia would be made a full-fledged member of the elite group. Chinese basketball star Yao Ming was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets in the NBA draft.

Five years ago: Conservative commentator Ann Coulter, appearing on MSNBC's "Hardball," got into a verbal fracas with Elizabeth Edwards, who had called into the program to ask Coulter to stop making personal attacks on her husband, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. Paris Hilton left the Los Angeles County jail after a bizarre, three-week stay for a probation violation. Fashion designer Liz Claiborne died in New York at age 78.

One year ago: New York City's gay pride parade turned into a carnival-like celebration of same-sex marriage as hundreds of thousands of revelers rejoiced at the state's new law giving gay couples the same marital rights as everyone else. In Senegal, hundreds of Muslim protesters descended on a Jehovah's Witness temple and a bar in Dakar, setting the buildings on fire in a rare instance of religious extremism in the normally moderate Islamic republic. Top-ranked Yani Tseng won the LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y., by 10 strokes.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Eleanor Parker is 90. Jazz musician-film composer Dave Grusin is 78. Actor Josef Sommer is 78. Singer Billy Davis Jr. is 72. Rock singer Georgie Fame is 69. Actor Clive Francis is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer Brenda Holloway is 66. Actor Michael Paul Chan is 62. Actor Robert Davi is 61. Singer-musician Mick Jones is 57. Actor Gedde Watanabe (GEH'-dee wah-tah-NAH'-bee) is 57. Rock singer Chris Isaak is 56. Rock singer Patty Smyth is 55. Singer Terri Nunn (Berlin) is 51. Rock singer Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays) is 49. Rock musician Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) is 43. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is 42. Actor Sean Hayes is 42. Actor Matt Letscher is 42. Actor Chris O'Donnell is 42. Actor Nick Offerman is 42. Actress Rebecca Budig is 39. MLB All-Star player Derek Jeter is 38. Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 38. Rock musician Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon) is 33. Pop-rock singer-musician Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) is 33. Actor-musician Jason Schwartzman is 32. Actress-singer Jennette McCurdy is 20.

Thought for Today: "You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea." ? Pearl S. Buck, American author (born this date in 1892, died in 1973).

(Above Advance for Use Tuesday, June 26)

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Nano-sandwich technique slims down solar cells, improves efficiency

ScienceDaily (June 25, 2012) ? Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a way to create much slimmer thin-film solar cells without sacrificing the cells' ability to absorb solar energy. Making the cells thinner should significantly decrease manufacturing costs for the technology.

"We were able to create solar cells using a 'nanoscale sandwich' design with an ultra-thin 'active' layer," says Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the research. "For example, we created a solar cell with an active layer of amorphous silicon that is only 70 nanometers (nm) thick. This is a significant improvement, because typical thin-film solar cells currently on the market that also use amorphous silicon have active layers between 300 and 500 nm thick." The "active" layer in thin-film solar cells is the layer of material that actually absorbs solar energy for conversion into electricity or chemical fuel.

"The technique we've developed is very important because it can be generally applied to many other solar cell materials, such as cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium selenide, and organic materials," Cao adds.

The new technique relies largely on conventional manufacturing processes, but results in a very different finished product. The first step is to create a pattern on the substrate using standard lithography techniques. The pattern outlines structures made of transparent, dielectric material measuring between 200 and 300 nm. The researchers then coat the substrate and the nanostructures with an extremely thin layer of active material, such as amorphous silicon. This active layer is then coated with another layer of dielectric material.

Using dielectric nanostructures beneath the active layer creates a thin film with elevated surfaces evenly spaced all along the film -- like crenellations at the top of a medieval castle.

"One key aspect of this technique is the design of the 'nanoscale sandwich,' with the active materials in the middle of two dielectric layers. The nanostructures act as very efficient optical antennas," Cao says, "focusing the solar energy into the active material. This focusing means we can use a thinner active layer without sacrificing performance. In the conventional thin-film design, using a thinner active layer would impair the solar cell's efficiency."

The paper, "Dielectric Core-shell Optical Antennas for Strong Solar Absorption Enhancement," is published online in Nano Letters. Lead author of the paper is Yiling Yu, a Ph.D. student at NC State. Co-authors include Drs. Vivian Ferry and Paul Alivisatos of the University of California, Berkeley. The research was supported, in part, by the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Linyou Cao, Yiling Yu, A. Paul Alivisatos, Vivian E. Ferry. Dielectric Core-shell Optical Antennas for Strong Solar Absorption Enhancement. Nano Letters, 2012; 120611122627002 DOI: 10.1021/nl301435r

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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American Crystal union workers locked out for nearly 11 months reject contract for third time

FARGO, N.D. ? ?Locked-out union employees at American Crystal Sugar Co. rejected the company's contract proposal a third time Saturday.

The union announced that 63 percent of voters opted against the latest offer. It also said that 82 percent of the 1,300 union members that have been out of work for nearly a year took part in the vote.

"We know that give-and-take negotiations are the only way to get this cooperative back on track to productivity and profitability," the union statement said. "That cooperation has produced record profits in recent years, and, only through cooperating, will we be successful again."

A message left with American Crystal vice president Brian Ingulsrud was not immediately returned Saturday evening.

There was no statement immediately posted on the company's website about Saturday's vote.

The labor dispute, the company's first in 30 years, focuses on seniority and job security. Union employees said Crystal was out to break the union, while the company has said it offered a good contract with substantial increases in wages and benefits

American Crystal is the largest sugar beet processor in the country, with plants in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. It's a cooperative owned by beet farmers.

The company has said it will continue to operate with replacement workers.

The company's original offer included a 17 percent wage increase over five years ? which is now closer to 14 percent because the contract had a deadline ? and increased pension, leave and vacation benefits. The union continued to demand wage and pension increases "significantly above" the final offer, company officials have said.

The union's first vote, held before the lockout, turned down the contract with a 96 percent "no" vote. The second vote in November was 90 percent against the deal.

After the last negotiating session on June 8, the union said that its principal objections revolve around health care, drug testing, seniority and qualifications for promotions. The union said the company made it clear in that meeting its not willing to compromise on any issue.

The union's statement Saturday also thanked "relatives, friends, neighbors and union sisters and brothers" for supporting the locked-out workers.

"Your strong support will continue to be needed as we strive to reach a fair resolution," the statement said.

After the June negotiating session, American Crystal said in a statement that the "parties remain far apart."

Fearing a strike in the middle of processing season, the company locked out workers on Aug. 1 and hired replacements. Company officials expect the plants to ramp up production in mid-August this year, earlier than normal because of a large sugar crop.

American Crystal has plants in East Grand Forks, Moorhead, Crookston and Chaska, Minn.; Hillsboro and Drayton, N.D.; and Mason City, Iowa.

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Associated Press writer Erica Hunzinger in Chicago contributed to this report.

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