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 Sometimes, what happens in the dark, doesn't stay in the dark.  Here's a small piece of what's been floating in my head today.  The start of something or the end of it.  Depends on your point of view

Posted by C. A. Griffin on October 14, 2014 at 11:44pm

 Sometimes, what happens in the dark, doesn't stay in the dark.  Here's a small piece of what's been floating in my head today.  The start of something or the end of it.  Depends on your point of view.   - CAG

 

                When I first woke up, I could hear its panicked breath.  It was the kind of breathing you do when you’re having a bad dream and the monster almost gets you but you wake up just in time.  I woke up the same way.  No light.  None. I scuttled backward until my back hit the wall then stood up, ready to fight.  But the fight never came.  I waited in the silence; sometimes holding my breath so I could listen.  I knew it was doing the same.  It spoke to me in some language I didn't understand in a voice I didn't recognize.  The voice was garbled.  I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman or even human.  Then something clicked, I don’t know what but suddenly, I understood it.

          “Who are you?” he demanded.  It was a man.  Immediately, I wanted to spit out an angry reply.  Old memories flooded back of the last time I was trapped in a dark room with a man.  What he had done to me.  How he had hurt me. Over and over again.  I nearly died.  I was never the same since.  That was never going to happen again.  Never.  

                I would have answered but then I realized that I didn't know who I was.  How was that possible?  I couldn't think of my name.  My knees almost buckled at the onslaught of that realization.  I shook my head and pulled myself back into the moment.  I could figure all that other shit out later.  I answered his question with one of my own.  “Who are you?”  The silence was broken by rapid breathing.  His and mine.  

             “I don’t know.” The reply was a mixture of fear and acceptance.  I kept my back to the wall, slowly and quietly, I took a step to my right, walking the perimeter; softly tapping the wall.  Searching for a breach, for a way out.  A door.  A weapon.  I wanted a weapon.  I didn't need one.  I could fight to the death if I had to.  But a weapon would give me a nice advantage.  

             I didn't know who I was trapped in here with or who would be waiting for me once I found my way out of here.  I was going to get out of here.  My gun was gone and I left my knife embedded in the chest of the man who attacked me in the alley.  I could feel him behind me; in the shadows.  He was as blind as I was and just as wary of me as I was of him.  Good.

 

*********************

              Sometimes, I need to bounce story ideas off of friends to see if it works from a technical stand point or if it reads realistically enough to be what I intended it to be.  There are times when I just want to share what’s going on in my head.  It may be the start of a story, a scene or two from a story that I’m already working on or just a flash of something going on in my writer’s realm.  This morning I was “hit” with this little piece of inspiration and shared it with my good friend Ed Maisonet, who is also my LifeDefense Instructor.  He replied with this: 

"Be what you need to be in the moment.  Head not the tail.  Predator not prey." 

              How true those words are. They brought to mind what Ed teaches in every class and that is, every person should know how to protect themselves, especially women.  Some of the female characters I write about start off their literary lives as prey.  They don’t always remain that way though.  More often than not, they are compelled by circumstances and survival instincts to fight when running to safety is no longer an option and giving up is definitely not the plan.  They learn what they have to learn and do what is necessary to become the predator and not the prey.  This holds true in the real world as well.

             Please understand, I am not man-bashing, the same idea of being prepared to defend yourself applies to men and children as well.  Trouble arrives uninvited in many forms and can be delivered to anyone at any time.  All one has to do is pick up a newspaper or watch the news to see just how many men, women and children fall prey to violent acts all the time, day or night, while they’re at work or school and even when they’re home.  Some of us have already been a victim of violence.  Women and children are commonly thought of as “weaker” targets.  I wonder how many would be alive today if they had the advantage of knowing how to defend themselves from the bad guys that prowl our streets and break into our homes.
             I've been taking Ed’s class for some time now and while I am in no way near to being like the bad-ass protagonists of many of my stories (I’m a work in progress), I no longer feel as though I would be helpless in a dire situation.  If I could offer advice specifically to women today, it would be:

  • Learn how to protect yourself.  There are ways to fend off your attacker.  Find a good self-defense class and train.  Personally, I recommend Krav Maga but find what works for you.  With commitment, you’ll also gain the side benefit of getting into shape and feeling empowered mentally, spiritually as well as physically.  I know I have.
  • Be cautious of who you let into your life.  Take your time to learn more about the person you’re going on a date with, regardless of how good they look.  That adage about wolves in sheep’s clothing holds truth.
  • Think smart, act smarter and learn how to fight so you can live to fight another day. 
                  

Just a few things I’ve learned from a 250 pound man, that makes sense.  As Ed would say “See you on the mat.”


-To learn more about Ed Maisonet, Author of  "Things I Teach to Every Woman I Know" Written by a 250lb Man", you can follow Ed's blog at  http://twocentsfroma250lbman.blogspot.com/  or learn more about his LifeDefense Krav Maga classes by visiting his website at www.lifedefenseinc.com

To learn more about my stories, visit www.darksecrets.net  LIKE the Dark Secrets Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Secrets/296476453700082?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

 

 

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Z Machine and Nuclear Fusion...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 15, 2014 at 7:06am
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES

Scientists are reporting a significant advance in the quest to develop an alternative approach to nuclear fusion. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, using the lab’s Z machine, a colossal electric pulse generator capable of producing currents of tens of millions of amperes, say they have detected significant numbers of neutrons—byproducts of fusion reactions—coming from the experiment. This, they say, demonstrates the viability of their approach and marks progress toward the ultimate goal of producing more energy than the fusion device takes in.






Fusion is a nuclear reaction that releases energy not by splitting heavy atomic nuclei apart—as happens in today’s nuclear power stations—but by fusing light nuclei together. The approach is appealing as an energy source because the fuel (hydrogen) is plentiful and cheap, and it doesn’t generate any pollution or long-lived nuclear waste. The problem is that atomic nuclei are positively charged and thus repel each other, so it is hard to get them close enough together to fuse. For enough reactions to take place, the hydrogen nuclei must collide at velocities of up to 1000 kilometers per second (km/s), and that requires heating them to more than 50 million degrees Celsius. At such temperatures, gas becomes plasma—nuclei and electrons knocking around separately—and containing it becomes a problem, because if it touches the side of its container it will instantly melt it.





"Holding my nose, and diving deep": the first paragraph sounded like cold fusion, but Science published it, so I'll wish them well, and print the results - successes or failures, as this proceeds.



 AAAS: Z machine makes progress toward nuclear fusion, Daniel Clery

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Inventor Benjamin Valles...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 15, 2014 at 7:08am
Source: LinkedIn


Hometown: Chihuahua, Mexico

 Link to patents: here

 System and method for preforming cable for promoting adhesion to overmolded sensor body
Patent number: 7077022
Abstract: The end portion of the insulation sheath of a cable is formed into a grommet to promote better mechanical bonding with a vehicle sensor housing that is overmolded onto the cable.
Type: Grant
Filed: March 3, 2004
Issued: July 18, 2006
Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
Inventor: Benjamin Valles

 Embed for some platforms (patent 1 of 5 in both mediums):

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Diaspora Denouement...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 15, 2014 at 7:15am
Alder Koten Institute

From the beginning of the month, I quote the post Mes de la Herencia Hispana:

"The irony: in a country of immigrants, we're becoming "tribal"; somehow E pluribus unum: out of many, one - has lost its original Latin origins and just become a slogan printed on our money - if we ever bother to look at it.

"'Self-deportation' and repatriation as some have suggested would be a logistical and political nightmare that the global economy would immediately reject us as incompetent and unstable. Diversity has to be our strength, we have no other choice for continued existence as a nation state. If not, other countries that had neither a 'remember the Alamo' nor Civil War will make us look like a byword, an anachronism...a joke on the pages of history.

"That devolution does not have to take long..."



 If you've reached this point, I hope you've learned something that you didn't already know about Hispanic History; Hispanic and Latino diaspora.

 Diaspora: a group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived (Merriam-Webster). The term is typically used for certain groups - African Americans, Jews, etc., but it should apply to everyone - EVERYONE in America is from somewhere else, voluntarily or not, than where their ancestors lived.

 Hispanic and Latino culture originated in Europe/Spain, spread through colonization to the Central and South Americas; the Philippines. It is a story that is not often told, as diversity studies are under assault by myopic, authoritarian forces that attack education  - important for an informed citizenry as well as the 1st Amendment right of civil disobedience; voting rights and thus the underpinnings of democracy itself.

 I am neither Hispanic/Latino nor an expert in your history. I am a science enthusiast and an advocate of the democratization of knowledge - real knowledge, based on observation, empirical study and peer review - bringing to its participants freedom and empowerment.

 You are the generation that since 1982 have never known life without a search engine. It's on your cell phones. Use it to fill in the gaps your schools for various reasons cannot. If the Internet is a playground, let it be for your own enrichment, knowledge and thus your power. You are also the generation that has not thought deeply about your rights, how tentative they are and the forces aligned* to block you from them, delude them and ultimately eliminate them.

"Remember, remember the 4th of November." The fourth - if you're 18 and above - is important for you to register and participate in. I will be, off line: volunteering, calling, campaigning and voting. It's homage to my sister - a youthful soldier in the Civil Rights Movement, so that her sacrifices and temps of fate - nearly losing her several frightening times - won't have been in vain. Democracy is not for armchair athletes; solutions are by the "consent of the governed," as shown in participation in the democratic republic procedure of elections, and that cannot be downloaded at optical speeds. Participation is vital to its existence; lacking it the opposite becomes undesirable, and darkly obvious.

 Seeing where you've been as a culture hopefully will give you pride and confidence in where you are all eventually going - inevitably, to the future and the majority. That is a matter-of-fact; not destiny. Be an informed citizenry - and be involved in your country. Now is a good time to practice.


"We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely."
Edward Osborne Wilson, entomologist and biologist known for his work on ecology, evolution, and sociobiology.

* “The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite."


 Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, scientist, statesman and 2nd President of the United States.
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Monday Morning Memo

Posted by Moorsgate Media on October 14, 2014 at 5:44pm

_________________________________________________________________________________
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
_________________________________________________________________________________
 
From: Allan
Re: Recent developments
Cc: Management
Hi guys! 
 
I hope you had a great and restful weekend. I saw a few of you in the cafeteria who looked like their weekend was still going on! haha! Lol!

Me, I spent the weekend at my little place up by the lake. I know I say this a lot,  but anytime someone needs a weekend away, my place is always there. Just check with my wife first! Lol! Anyway, it is a good idea to get some quiet time, away from the pressures of this job. It really helps us remember what it is we do here and why.
I would love to just talk about vacations (remember that V-time expires on a quarterly basis, so use or lose!), but we need to discuss this weekend's unpleasantness. The [REDACTED], which your individual section leaders should have briefed you on, was a preventable tragedy. The outcome represented failures on a number of fronts, but I think it boils down to a lack of trust.
Like Jake, when I first started working here, I worked in Level 7 Containment. In those days we didn't have all the Makarov systems and Domain Violation monitors, but we had trust. I pride myself on fostering an open working environment; however Jake must have felt that he couldn't trust us with his concerns.
Yesterday, Jake’s long growing distrust bore fruit in the worst possible way. It wasn't unlike one of those exercises we do on the retreats. The ones where someone falls backwards and their partner catches them. You need to trust that your partner is there and paying attention. I would trust anyone in this organization, from Hugo in physical services, to Jennifer in HR, to catch me.  The only person I wouldn't count on is my wife, she would probably be too busy on Mughub looking up a friend from kindergarten. Haha! I joke, but those exercises are important. They teach you to lean on one another, to operate as a single team. I digress, but the point is that Jake thought there was no one he could rely on to catch him.
Aside from the completely justifiable anger we should all have towards Jake, I do harbor a fair bit of sadness. In my day,  people came together. Not just at work, but as a community. If there was a fire, a flood or something of that sort,  everyone would get together and try to take care of the problem. It didn't matter if you were Black or White or Chinese, people helped. It was great to see that community, people working together, putting aside disagreements. Who oppressed whom; who cheated whom, all momentarily forgotten.  If there were some gay folks in town, hiding in the closet, they probably came out to help too. Lol! This is all a long-winded way of saying that we have to be a better community, we have to look out for one another. Look out for one another like any good Gay or Black neighbor would.
The more I think about The [REDACTED] , about what Jake did and what happened to him, the more I see it as a failure for all of us.
"Hey" , you might be thinking " I work in Dirac modeling or a-causal theory, this was Jake’s problem not mine." You would be wrong in that line of thinking, and that is the wrong attitude to have going forward. Management is very clear on they type of attitude they want us all to have. 
Management would like, and I agree, that we spend a bit more time paying attention to our co-workers. Not spying on them, nobody is asking that, this isn't some Communist political office. Just be mindful of what others say and do.
SecDiv talked to the rest of the Level 7 team, and lot of incidental facts came out during some spirited exchanges. Facts that if put together sooner, might have prevented things from progressing as far as they did. Obviously Jake acted alone, but a lot of unpleasant conversations are going on this morning regarding the knowledge level of his immediate coworkers and if certain people should have spoken up sooner. These inquiries are regrettable but necessary. If there is rot, it should be rooted out, the sooner the better.  
On the bright side, Jake's children, Sally and Jake Jr. , were not home at the time of the initial breach, so they suffered only moderate residual exposure. Unfortunately, Rachel  was home.  I would like to remember Jake’s wife as that vibrant woman whose excellent pecan pie won last years "Firm Outing Baking Challenge". However, and Management thinks this is very important, the pictures attached to this memo show the extent of a massive exposure incident. These pictures are not meant to upset you, but to let you fully comprehend the issues involved.
Management also wants you to know that Jake was responsible for his actions, and that makes us responsible for Jake's family. I want everyone to remember that when they get here. I know that might sound unfair, and maybe it is.
The problem is one of perception. What you and I perceive as a non-threat, say Sally and Jake Jr, Management perceives in a completely different, totally valid, light. You might not see the topological confluence between Jake and his kids, but Management does; that is one of the reasons they are Management. I would like to say that Management thinks they are a level 1 problem. However, because of the scope of Jake's transgression, they will be going to level 6 for processing. That might make you uncomfortable, especially regarding Sally, who is a lot like my own daughter Rebecca, though they are not friends. It is a shame, but I don't make those calls, Management does.
Sure, I am not a fan of what goes on, what will continue to go on, in level 6. But Managements’ concerns encompass ours, but also other, far reaching, issues. Some of them even I am only dimly aware. I was never good at that fractal calculus, lol!  However, I have been assured that a compassionate exemption position on the children will be given a fair hearing at the next board meeting.
The point of this memo is to let you know that everything is O.K.  I don't want anyone dwelling on this unfortunate turn of events. We have a lot of work to do and I don't want anyone worrying about their own families. I have assurances from Management that so long as everyone makes sure to trust each other, every family will be perfectly fine.
If anyone wants to stop by my office to chat, my door is always open, I might even have some of those muffins my wife makes for special occasions. I hope the past few days have been just that.
 
P.S. per Management, we will not be having memorial services for Jake and Rachel.  
(C) Moorsgate Media 2014
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H. Wolfgang Porter's, 'Dark God's Gift: The EROS Device', Part II

Posted by H. Wolfgang Porter on October 14, 2014 at 3:56pm

The big day has arrived and now Research Team Leader Alicechild readies to helm the research into the strange artifact of such great interest to the Corporation. However, disturbing information arises as she is being briefed concerning previous tests conducted by other research teams. Will new knowledge concerning the EROS Device cause Alicechild to waiver in her commitment to career advancement?

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R Naught and Austerity...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 14, 2014 at 7:55am
Source: NPR

As I noted in my post on Sequestration, we are truly reaping what we've sown to the wind of libertarian philosophy and austerity.



"Tightening one's belt" is painful in actual practice, but makes for a good soundbite for politicians that get free healthcare and a six-figure salary for working less than one-third of everyone else's very busy year.



A nurse has been infected; that affects me as I have relatives - a young son in college in particular - in the Dallas area. Yet, as I've discussed basic precautions with him, I'm not as concerned as the news has whipped us up to be.



1st point: the corporate news is driven by Nielsen ratings, i.e. they need you to LOOK at them constantly to justify their diminishing existence.



2nd point: Business Insider details the last 10 pandemics that almost wiped out mankind - when mankind was in the smaller enough numbers to actually wipe out.



3rd point: the infrastructure of Liberia is third world, but don't worry! Third-term, "Oops heard 'round-the-world" Governor "Good-Hair" turning down billions of Medicaid and Medicare expansion dollars in the most obvious political stunt of the 21st century probably had nothing to do with their lack of preparation - nothing at all!



4th point: R0 or R naught is the reproduction number of a virus. Please note: Ebola has an R naught of ~ 1.5 to 2, meaning the Dallas nurse is likely not going to be the only one infected. Measles has an R0 = 18. Yes, there's a vaccine for measles and a possible one for Ebola of simian origins, which leads to my next and final point:



We don't need an Ebola health czar: a confirmed Surgeon General would do. The CDC nor the NIH can perform "magic" nor miracles with a budget slashed by 490 million and 2.5 billion (see Sequestration link above). What we need is our collective national heads either out of the clouds or out of our rears where methane flatulence dwells! We need desperately to stop electing slackers that start their campaign slogans with "government is the problem," when in a democratic republic - in order for it to function properly - it is "We The People" who give our consent to representative government to look out for our best interests...not a well-heeled, moneyed few who's psychological balance I think we all need to question.
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Black Hole Analogue...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 14, 2014 at 7:58am
Victor De Schwanberg/SPL

Scientists have come closer than ever before to creating a laboratory-scale imitation of a black hole that emits Hawking radiation, the particles predicted to escape black holes due to quantum mechanical effects.



The black hole analogue, reported in Nature Physics1, was created by trapping sound waves using an ultra cold fluid. Such objects could one day help resolve the so-called black hole ‘information paradox’ - the question of whether information that falls into a black hole disappears forever.



The physicist Stephen Hawking stunned cosmologists 40 years ago when he announced that black holes are not totally black, calculating that a tiny amount of radiation would be able to escape the pull of a black hole2. This raised the tantalising question of whether information might escape too, encoded within the radiation.



Hawking radiation relies on a basic tenet of quantum theory — large fluctuations in energy can occur for brief moments of time. That means the vacuum of space is not empty but seethes with particles and their antimatter equivalents. Particle-antiparticle pairs continually pop into existence only to then annihilate each other. But something special occurs when pairs of particles emerge near the event horizon — the boundary between a black hole, whose gravity is so strong that it warps space-time, and the rest of the Universe. The particle-antiparticle pair separates, and the member of the pair closest to the event horizon falls into the black hole while the other one escapes.



Hawking radiation, the result of attempts to combine quantum theory with general relativity, comprises these escaping particles, but physicists have yet to detect it being emitted from an astrophysical black hole. Another way to test Hawking’s theory would be to simulate an event horizon in the laboratory.



 Nature: Hawking radiation mimicked in the lab, Ron Cowen

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Inventor Emilio Sacristan...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 14, 2014 at 8:01am
Source

Hometown: Santa Ursula Xitla, Mexico



Link to patents: here


7 of 17:
Universal pneumatic ventricular assist device
Patent number: 7217236
Abstract: A pneumatic ventricular assist device (VAD) is disclosed for use in any circulatory support application including RVAD, LAVD, or BIVAD, trans-operative, short-term or long-term, tethered implantable or extracorporeal. In the preferred embodiment, the VAD consists of a soft contoured pump shell and a disposable pumping unit, which includes: a pump sac; an inlet and an outlet (a.k.a. discharge) with one-way valves; and tubing connectors. The valves comprise a cantilevered pair of closely adjacent thin ledges, nicknamed “valve leaflets,” that resemble needle-nose pliers. The valve leaflets permit a one-way flow of blood between them, as an opposite flow pinches the distal ends of leaflets together, thereby closing off the channel between them. This design is specially designed to allow continuous and fluid movement of blood (in one direction) while limiting blood-contacting surfaces.
Type: Grant
Filed: May 25, 2004
Issued: May 15, 2007
Assignee: Innovamedica S.A. de C.V.
Inventors: Moises Calderon, Emilio Sacristan

Embed for some platforms (patent 7 of 17 for both mediums):

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ET and Prayer Cloths...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 13, 2014 at 5:03am
Source

In his new book "Religions and Extraterrestrial Life" (Springer 2014), David Weintraub, an astronomer at Vanderbilt University, takes a close look at how different faiths would handle the revelation that we're not alone. Some of his findings might surprise you.



Public polls have shown that a large share of the population believes aliens are out there. In one survey released last year by the company Survata, 37 percent of the 5,886 Americans who were polled said they believed in the existence of extraterrestrial life, while 21 percent said they didn't believe and 42 percent were unsure. Responses varied by religion: 55 percent of atheists said they believed in extraterrestrials, as did 44 percent of Muslims, 37 percent of Jews, 36 percent of Hindus and 32 percent of Christians.



In light of it being Columbus Day, it's kind of a fun speculation, but a somber one as well.



There is move afoot to dumb down AP History for not teaching enough "patriotism, respect for law and order" and to avoid/obfuscate and/or present a less harsh view of American History like - colonization and its impact on Native Americans; slavery and Jim Crow and its impact on African Americans.



Seriously, the article at Space.com and I assume the book as well posits a good question: if we were to discover extraterrestrial life, how would we as a society deal with it? Currently, we're having many difficulties between science and the many faiths that insist any science conforms to what its holy writ said before telescopes...or radiometric dating...or quantum mechanics.



It's also interesting that fairly modern faiths like Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Baha'i Faith (from the article) all accept the possibility of extraterrestrial life coinciding with the telescope coming into popular usage by astronomers at the time.



Would we, or could we develop a "Prime Directive"? Note the origins of it in vintage faux Star Trek history:

The creation of the Prime Directive is generally credited to original-series producer Gene L. Coon, although there is some contention as to whether science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon, who wrote of the Prime Directive in an unused script for the original series, actually came up with it first. The Prime Directive closely mirrors the zoo hypothesis explanation for the Fermi paradox.

The directive reflected a contemporary political view of critics of the United States' foreign policy. In particular, the US' involvement in the Vietnam War was commonly criticized as an example of a global superpower interfering in the natural development of southeast Asian society, and the assertion of the Prime Directive was perceived as a repudiation of that involvement.

In an interview published in a 1991 edition of The Humanist magazine, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry implied that it also had its roots in his belief that Christian missionaries were interfering with other cultures. Wikipedia

It would be interesting (and I think, a very good idea) if we could get some practice with one another in a Prime Directive primer before encountering and trying to convert say...the Klingons.



Space.com: Would Finding Alien Life Change Religious Philosophies?
Megan Gannon, News Editor

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Juan Manuel Lozano...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 13, 2014 at 5:07am
Image Source

At Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana ( TAM ) we transform dreams into reality.



TAM is the world leader in hydrogen peroxide rocket engines for helicopters and related technologies.



Juan Manuel Lozano has been working with hydrogen peroxide propulsion systems since 1975, inventor of the penta-metallic catalyst pack to be used with organic hydrogen peroxide, and inventor of the most popular machine in the world to produce your own hydrogen peroxide to be used as a rocket fuel.

Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana: Juan Manuel Lozano, inventor

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Immortal III: Stealer of Souls (excerpt): THE PLAYGROUND

Posted by Valjeanne Jeffers on October 12, 2014 at 7:55pm

Cover art and design by Quinton Veal.

“You cold?” the young woman shook her head. “Are you finished eating?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Annabelle pushed her chair back from the table, rose and walked back out into the hallway, Sonya followed. They stood before the door. “Don’t ever try to open this door or any of the doors in this by yourself. Understand?”

Sonya nodded impatiently, now in a hurry to be off. “Cle-Menti, she’s ready,” called Annabelle.

The words were barely out of her mouth, before he blurred alongside her. “You wish to go out princess?”

“Uh-huh,” Sonya stammered. Boy, I sound brain dead. But he is so fine!

He took her hand and they faced the door. “We wish to go to the beach,” he commanded. It swung open, to reveal golden sands and foaming turquoise waters; under an unbelievably bright orange-blue sky.

They strolled around the corner of the mansion, to find the two centaurs now racing each other up and down the sand; one Bronze, with green eyes, reddish-brown hair that curled about her shoulders, and a dark red mare’s hindquarters. The other was Amber with slanted, almond eyes, and black hair that flowed to her waist—a waist that ended in black horse’s body. Each wore silver brassieres covering their torsos.

“Can I get a closer look?”

Cle-Menti smiled indulgently, “Of course!” He shouted in a booming voice that echoed along the beach: “This is Sonya and she’d like to play with you; but behave yourselves! None of your
tricks—you hear?”

Sonya approached the centaurs slowly, twisting her hands in front of her like a child. “Hi…” she said softly.

They regarded her with open curiosity. “I’m Lui and this is Juliana,” the Amber centaur lisped. “Would you like a ride?”

“Oh yes!” Sonya breathed.

“Well, climb on my back then! We’re going to race!”

“And I’m going to win!” Juliana pronounced.

“Hold on tight!” Lui warned. She galloped down the beach—with Sonya holding on for dear life— then back again. The Indigo girl glanced over her shoulder, and glimpsed mermen and women looking on with great interest.

A crowd of aquatic folk had gathered near the ocean’s edge, and were bobbing up and down in the waves, smiling and pointing: waiting for their chance to play with this newcomer.

As Sonya slid off Lui’s back, she whispered: “You would make a lovely centaur! Wouldn’t you like to be one of us?”

Sonya frowned “Oh no!”

“And why not?” Juliana chipped in petulantly. “Are we not beautiful?” Beside her Lui pouted.

Sonya’s face split in a wide grin, flattered beyond measure that these magical equines wanted her to join their family. “You’re the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!” Mollified they smiled back.

“Well?” said Lui expectantly.

“I have a family,” Sonya explained. “If I stayed with you, they’d miss me.”

For a moment Juliana and Lui seemed to seriously consider. “We could be your family,” Juliana offered, smiling openly as if this solved everything.

Sonya looked distressed. I don’t want to make them mad! “But I’d miss them too!” she stammered, “I love them!”

“What is… love?” asked Lui, looking confused.

Sonya’s jaw dropped. “You miss a person when they’re gone,” she groped for words, “you don’t ever want to be without them; and when they hurt, you hurt too.”

They listened intently. “Oh. . .!” said Juliana nodding; beside her Lui bobbed her head in agreement.

But it was obvious they still didn’t understand. Another small almost imperceptible shiver of fear coursed through Sonya. “Could we ride to the water?” she asked.

“Oh yes!” Lui smiled brightly, “We can do whatever we want!”

“Ride me this time!” chirped Juliana.

At the ocean’s edge Sonya scrambled off the centaur’s back—thankful to be rid of them—and into the warm water. She swam into the mere folks’ midst, marveling at their lustrous emerald, golden, brown, ebony, purple, sepia and pinks skins; and joined them in a game of tag.

Sonya began diving under the waves with them. A purple mermaid, with long ropy hair to match her skin, laughed at how playful the girl was;  and pulled Sonya under the water, swimming alongside her. At this, they took turns dragging her down with them. Sonya couldn’t remember when she’d had so much fun.

She paddled into the depths marveling at the sea blooms and geometric coral; and at how long she was holding her breath. A slender, pink-skinned merman with golden hair, sea green eyes, and a matching tail, bobbed alongside her grinning. Without warning, he reached out and pulled her into his arms; his body even warmer than the sea.

How do they do it?  thought Sonya, Like us?

The merman bubbled laughter in her ear, as if he could hear her thoughts, and pressed himself even more tightly against her. She could feel the maleness hidden beneath his scales.

They swam deeper and deeper still entering cobalt blue waters, bedded by stalks of coral growing from an unseen ocean floor. He paused with Sonya still in his arms and kissed her, pushing his strange bumpy tongue into her mouth. And she wondered how it would feel to have him take her right there, beneath the oceans depths.

“ENOUGH!” Cle-Menti’s booming voice echoed beneath the waves. “BRING HER BACK DEMETRI!”

Demetri lifted his mouth from hers. Frowning, he stared up; then swam to the surface, holding her in his arms. They burst above the foam, and for an instant she couldn’t breathe.

I’ve been breathing water –!

It passed. Her lungs accepted the air, and Demetri was moving to the shallows to release her. Sonya stood in thigh length water… and felt a curious longing. He held her eyes, his lips curving upward in a smile as if they shared a secret. With a flip of his tail he was gone.

Cle-Menti was sitting on the beach waiting for her. “Time to go princess.”

Sonya pouted. “Why’d you make me come back? I was having fun!”

He rose, his full lips spreading into a smile. “Not so innocent after all,” he said, almost to himself, and Sonya blushed. He put an arm about her shoulder guiding her to the door. “You couldn’t breathe when you first came out of the water,” the Indigo man said. “Don’t you wonder why?” Sonya nodded.

“Demetri changed you because he wanted you.” There was no trace of humor in Cle-Menti’s voice now. “If you’d made love to him, you would have become a creature of the sea. And you would have to stay here. Forever.”

He dipped his head toward the beach. “Many of them were human once,” he continued, “but once transformed, they forgot all about their past lives.” Now his gaze was direct, penetrating. Looking into those eyes, Sonya felt nauseous with fear. “They wouldn’t make suitable playmates, you see, if they missed their families.”

The door swung open and she rushed past him, back to the safety of the castle.

Copyright 2010, 2014 Valjeanne Jeffers

Available at www.vjeffersandqveal.com

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The Soma

Posted by Arnold L. Johnson on October 11, 2014 at 7:24am

I had it again last night, went to bed around 12:30, awoke at 3:00, tired and dislocated. Then came the restful sleep. Thought about a new hotel, The SOMA. A huge cube of sleeping rooms, no beds, no amenities. a closet, a big chair in a dim room, a bathroom. I went in, sat, pressing my backside and ribcage into the plush. The street sounds were replaced by ones of my choice interspersed with the sweet voice of the SOMA's concierge attendant. When I responded, I moved thru a dream space. I couldn't tell if it was real or what. I met with people, did business, smooth talked and jived, chilled out and closed a deal. 

I awoke, the taste of rum on my lips, the scents of the evenings, a few selfie photos, a stack of business cards, a thank you note on a napkin with a cell number. Drove home, wife kissed me, asked how was my night, had breakfast, sent the kids out to play. We had our time together, a sweet time, seems the days never end. Hey hon, time to go to work. Yeah I know. Working nights, who came up with that idea? I pulled into The SOMA tired from the day as usual, the big comfy chair welcoming and the calming voice saying message this time. The chair hummed and stroked. Drifting off I responded, received a margarita, chatted with my clan of business colleagues.....

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Felipe Vadillo-Ortega, M.D., PhD...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 12, 2014 at 7:57am
Source: Biology of Reproduction

Research Interests & Projects



Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Birth Outcomes in Mexico City. We will investigate how air pollution and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) component of particles can influence the outcome of pregnancy, and whether certain periods of gestation represent critical time windows and opportunities for preventive intervention.



Air Pollution, Inflammation and Preterm Birth: A Mechanistic Study in Mexico City. We will advance understanding of prematurity by investigating how air pollution and inflammation may act together to influence the outcome of pregnancy, and whether certain periods of gestation represent critical time windows and opportunities for preventive interventions, both clinical and environmental.



Professional Affiliations



Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM)



 School of Public Health
University of Michigan: Felipe Vadillo-Ortega, M.D., PhD

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The Dark God's Gift continues with H. Wolfgang Porter's, 'The E.R.O.S.' Device

Posted by H. Wolfgang Porter on October 11, 2014 at 1:24pm

Monday October 13th, H. Wolfgang Porter's 'Dark God's Gift: The E.R.O.S. Device' debuts! Travel 65,000 years into humanity's future to a Corporate Weapons Development and Testing Facility hidden within a Dark Matter Cloud. An incredibly ancient artifact has been found and it could be a weapon of devastating power! A team of researchers is assigned to examine the find, but will it be the financial breakthrough believed or just another old piece of junk?

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William Hayashi's 'Dark God's Gift: A Great Uncle's Legacy' concludes!

Posted by H. Wolfgang Porter on October 10, 2014 at 4:18pm

With a former Korean War Era Soldier as guide, Dr. Sybil Perth venture's forth towards the strange tower relic of the Atomic Age! Will the source of the sicknesses and disappearances of the townsfolk be found within the foreboding radioactive structure? Can even she, a Nuclear Physicist unravel and undo the mysterious force holding the town in thrall? If the good Dr. Perth's efforts fall short, is she prepared for the eternal consequences of her failure? All shall be revealed in the exciting conclusion!

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Dr. José Hernández-Rebollar...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 10, 2014 at 11:02am


José Hernandez-Rebollar -- Electrical Engineer



Inventor of the AcceleGlove, a glove-like device that translates sign language into written words for deaf individuals.



Born in the state of Puebla, Mexico, Jose Hernandez-Rebollar is a young scientist whose made a reputation for himself as a young innovator with big ideas. Long before this electrical engineer moved to the U.S. from Mexico on a Fulbright scholarship to complete work for his Ph.D at Georgetown University, he had dreamed of the possibility of creating a way for deaf people to translate sign language into text and sound by electronic means. Through persistence and the power of engineering, he has achieved that goal.



In His Own Words: Commenting on future applications of his invention, he says: “The idea is not to fix deafness. The idea is to provide an instrument that can translate ASL [American Sign Language] to other languages.”



 USA Science Festival: José Hernandez-Rebollar, PhD

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Dark Matter's Bright Future...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 11, 2014 at 8:17am
The cryostat for the XENON1T experiment.
Image credit: The XENON1T Collaboration.

The US Department of Energy Office of High Energy Physics and the National Science Foundation Physics Division have announced their joint programme for second-generation dark-matter experiments, aiming at direct detection of the elusive dark-matter particles in Earth-based detectors. It will include ADMX-Gen2 – a microwave cavity searching for axions – and the LUX-Zeplin (LZ) and SuperCDMS-SNOLAB experiments targeted at weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). These selections were partially in response to recommendations of the P5 subpanel of the US High-Energy Physics Advisory Panel for a broad second-generation dark-matter direct-detection programme at a funding level significantly above that originally planned.



 CERN Courier: A bright future for dark-matter searches

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