Just in case . . . Published on Sep 22, 2017 Views: 13,467,027
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I made a brick mold that makes bricks 25 x 12.5 x 7.5 cm from wood. A log was split and mortise and tenon joints were carved using a stone chisel and sharp rocks. The mold was lashed together with cane to prevent it from coming apart when used.
Next, I made a mixture of mud and palm fiber to make the bricks. This was then placed into the mold to be shaped and taken to a drying area. 140 bricks were made.
When dry, the bricks were then assembled into a kiln. 32 roof tiles were then made of mud and fired in the kiln. It only took 3 hours to fire the tiles sufficiently. The mud bricks and tiles were a bit weaker than objects made from my regular clay source because of the silt, sand and gravel content of the soil. Because of this, I will look at refining mud into clay in future projects instead of just using mud.
Interestingly, the kiln got hot enough so that iron oxide containing stones began to melt out of the tiles. This is not metallic iron, but only slag (iron oxide and silica) and the temperature was probably not very high, but only enough to slowly melt or soften the stones when heated for 3 hours.
The kiln performed as well as the monolithic ones I've built in the past and has a good volume. It can also be taken down and transported to other areas. But the bricks are very brittle and next time I'd use better clay devoid of sand/silt, and use grog instead of temper made of plant fiber which burns out in firing. The mold works satisfactorily. I aim to make better quality bricks for use in furnaces and buildings in future.
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Caption author (Japanese)
折田吏毅
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Перевод песен
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Tay Tay,
Перевод песен
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Zsolt Kadar
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Guillaume F
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Sigve Hagesæter
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Jens Delorge
Let's get down to the nitty-gritty: There was an earliest post on this blog about plans for Boeing to move jobs from Seattle, WA here to Mesa when the World Trade Organization was about to rule on subsidies from the State of Washington that might get taken away, and looking to either/or the City of Mesa or State of Arizona to provide "incentives" to land more jobs here. Now there's more to deal with in international competition in the markets, the question of tariffs and subsidies and trade/finance blocks in global regions and domestically - where resolving some of the problems depends on whom Trump chooses to appoint [and get approved by Congress] for vacancies on the Security & Exchange Commission where Patriarch Partners owner Lynn Tilton has been under investigation for six years, and for seats on the board of the Ex-Im Bank. . . that's all a mash-up in some ongoing details farther along in this post. First, back to the article in The Economist:
“WE WON’T do business with a company that is busy trying to sue us.” So said an uncharacteristically stern Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, alongside his British counterpart, Theresa May, in Ottawa on September 18th. The two had teamed up to take on Boeing. The giant American aeroplane-maker is pressing Donald Trump’s administration to impose duties on commercial jets made by Canada’s Bombardier. Boeing says its smaller rival is using Canadian government subsidies to sell aircraft to Delta, an American carrier, at below cost price. . .
Few in either country question that Bombardier has had vital financial support from the Canadian and British governments . . . It was not until 2016 that the aircraft’s future seemed assured, when Delta ordered 75 units. Boeing then accused Bombardier of dumping the jets into America at “absurdly low” prices and asked the Commerce Department to impose countervailing duties. A preliminary ruling is due on September 25th. . . Naturally, Boeing itself got billions of dollars of help (in the form of military contracts) to get off the ground back in the 1950s and 1960s. . . Boeing has reasons to guard against Bombardier. First, it fears encirclement by state-subsidised aircraft makers—not only Airbus and Bombardier, but ambitious state-supported Chinese and Russian producers. . .
If Boeing gets its way, about 3,500 jobs will be threatened in Quebec, where Canadian politicians are wary of stirring up separatist sentiment, and a further 4,500 in Northern Ireland, where Bombardier is the largest private-sector employer. Mrs May’s Conservative government is propped up by the ten MPs from the province’s Democratic Unionist Party; Bombardier lies in east Belfast, the party’s heartland.
Canada has also threatened to cancel a likely $5bn order of military jets from Boeing if the American company prevails against Bombardier; Britain could follow its lead. Several airlines, fearing less competition among planemakers, are unhappy with Boeing’s behaviour and privately threaten to shun its jets if it continues to bully its smaller rival. This may be the trade case that ends up costing Boeing much more than it has to gain.
Online research suggests that one of the issues for industry supporters of the Export-Import Bank is urging action on three nominees stalled in The Senate.
If export financing isn't available, the project doesn't stop. You just find an export credit agency in another country - when that happens the supply chain leaves the United States and finds a home in that country.
At the same time Ex-I'm Bank is caught in the crossfire of conservative groups like The Heritage Foundation and "Tea Party" activists who say the government should not be involved in export credit financing.
60 other nations do that. Trump has given mixed signals . . .
Industry supporters of the US Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) are urging quick ... that Eximbank helps small US companies as well as large ones such as Boeing, ...
> Why Governments Shouldn't Treat Companies as 'National Champions'
Boeing, with its proven record of slopping at the government trough, is another example of government favoritism. In fact, the Export-Import Bank is sometimes referred to as ‘Boeing’s Bank.’ A study released two years ago by the non-profit organization Good Jobs First showed that over the previous 15 years, Boeing was one of five triple dippers – companies that received funds from three sources: state subsidies, as well as federal grants and tax credits, and federal loans, loan guarantees and bailout assistance. At $13.4 billion, Boeing had received far more state and local subsidies than any other company. But what has this huge subsidy actually bought for Americans? The aerospace giant has been pruning staff for over a year, sharply cutting jobs in its home base of Seattle and in South Carolina. . .
Canadian and U.S. governments enable Bombardier and Boeing in their addiction to corporate welfare. Even worse than the direct dollar cost are the indirect costs: Corporate welfarism distorts investment, shifting capital in the markets based not on value but on government favoritism. It prompts more capital to go to big companies with a foot in the government door, drying up capital needed by start-ups and SMEs. It encourages businesses to invest in lobbying government rather than developing new products. And it undermines the process of creative destruction that drives the creation of wealth.
The Take-Away:
Governments should not treat companies as national champions for a simple reason – they aren’t. Bombardier does not champion the interests of Canadians, any more than Boeing champions the interests of Americans. They champion the interests of their investors, as they should. Governments need to champion the interests of their people. The best way to do that is to refrain from lobbingsubsidies to some favored companies, and encourage an open marketplace for all of them.
Blogger Note:Allan Golombek is a Senior Director at the White House Writers Group
> Ex-Im Bank Cronies: 0 Pro-Market Advocates: 1
by Veronique de Rugy September 7, 2017 2:14 PM Source: National Review
After the Export-Import Bank’s charter was reauthorized at the end of 2015, it was still unable to function at its full crony potential. The bank needs a quorum of its board if it wants to approve loans larger than $10 million, but it currently only has two members instead of the three needed. I would like to see the Bank fully dead, but since that doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now I am pretty content with this current state
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/451146/ex-im-bank-cronies-defeated-export-import-bank
> Trump picks wrong side in battle over 'Bank of Boeing'
There's a battle looming over the "Bank of Boeing," with President Donald Trump squaring off against the business community, including some Illinois-based companies.
The "Bank of Boeing" is what critics sneeringly call the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a federal agency that provides low-cost loan guarantees that help companies, including Boeing, expand and compete internationally.
Trump wants the Senate to approve former congressman and Ex-Im Bank nemesis Scott Garrett as president of that federal lending agency.
The reality is the bank serves an important public-private purpose that helps the economy.
One of its main functions is providing U.S.-backed guarantees on higher-risk loans to global buyers of big-ticket items from U.S. manufacturers. The bank makes business loans, provides insurance and makes sure firms selling overseas are paid promptly.
That translates into jets from Boeing, heavy equipment from Caterpillar or parts from any number of Illinois-based companies and suppliers employing thousands of people.
Trump was critical of the Ex-Im Bank during his campaign. Yet earlier this year, at the prodding of bipartisan and pro-Ex-Im Bank forces, he voiced a change of heart and vowed to revive the bank.
Published in 1988, this book created a heated discussion . . .
being able to read [and understand] is one of the biggest "challenges" is as they say "one of the biggest challenges" for Pluralistic Ignorance - surprising to say that Illiteracy is now classified as a Functional Dis-Ability here in America. But it goes deeper than that when "The Melting Pot" myth has disintegrated with everyone trying to find new identities or hanging-on to the old separate-and-equal false lines of discrimination . . . confirmation-biases where we retreat to tribal enclaves of where we choose to live and who we choose to associate with. We may like our own "comfort zones" but there is no comfort in the fact that we as a nation are more divided than ever before. Read more >
A regional partnership to catalyze economic growth by raising awareness of the importance of angel investing and enhancing access to early-stage funding for PHX East Valley tech startups
PHX East Valley Angel Investor Workshop | October 4th
We are seeking individuals interested in becoming PHX East Valley Angel Investors. A series of free workshops will be offered to provide the knowledge and tools needed to start investing. Link > http://www.evp-az.org/news-media/
What Potential Angels Will Learn: – How investment decisions are made – How deals are structured – How to build a diverse portfolio – How exits occur, generating ROI
But most importantly, how YOU can generate return on investment while helping to grow businesses in our region. These workshops are for anyone who wants to invest in PHX East Valley tech startups and is an “accredited investor” per the definition set by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. To be an accredited investor, individuals must have
a net worth over $1M (excluding value of primary residence),
or annual personal income over $200k,
or annual family income over $300k.
Our first workshop is October 4th from 5:00-6:00pm at Chandler Innovation Center located at 249 E. Chicago St. in Downtown Chandler.
_________________________________________________________________________________
EVP Partnering on a Region-Wide Startup Funding Initiative
EVP is working with a number of PHX East Valley partners to catalyze economic growth by raising awareness of the importance of angel investing and enhancing access to early-stage funding for area tech startups.
We are seeking individuals interested in becoming PHX East Valley angel investors. Education on the topic of angel investing will be offered to introduce the skills needed to start investing. Learn how you can generate return on investment while helping to grow businesses in our region.
The East Valley in the early 1980s was starkly different from what it is today.
The region was the 90-pound weakling to Phoenix. Major traffic arteries beyond County Club Drive were almost nonexistent. Cities fought over scant opportunities for development. The Pentagon was letting Williams Air Force Base die a slow death.
Amid this bleak and unpromising scene, a small group of business executives began meeting in 1982 at the Mesa Holiday Inn – then an exciting addition to a region dominated by cut-rate motels.
They formed the East Valley Partnership because they saw the region as a land of opportunity unrealized.
Some of those executives gathered two weeks ago at the same Holiday Inn to reminisce over the battles and the struggles that helped make the region what it is today.
Six men and two women who chaired the East Valley Partnership board at various times over the last 35 years were joined by its two former directors and a legendary former county supervisor and legislator who had worked closely with them all. . .
(Image credit Ryan Glauser Photography/Special to the Tribune)
