Vasaloppet

This morning at 08:00 started the annual skiing race, called Vasaloppet, with 16,500 skiers. It was -12 F very good weather for skiing. The distance is 90 kilometers and usually takes a little more than 4 hours for the elite, but up to 12 hours the amateur athletics and some interrupt. During the route ski runners are served blueberry soup.
I will follow the Wasaloppet on TV.

On February 10, 1922 said editor Anders Pers a historical article in Vestmanlands County Newspaper. He launched the idea of a Vasaloppet between Salen and Mora. And so it was - the same year!
Anders Pers from Mora is the father of Vasaloppet. It was his thoughts and expressions that made the world's largest skiing competition was born. He wrote about the contemporary interest in ski sports and linking it with Gustav Eriksson Vasa's flight on skis from Mora to Norway 1521. Maybe a Wasalopp.
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Petra Diamonds sold a 507-carat diamond for $35.3 million on Friday

LONDON (Reuters) – Petra Diamonds sold a 507-carat diamond for $35.3 million on Friday, breaking a record as the highest price ever paid for a rough diamond.
Analysts had estimated the value of the stone, one of the 20 biggest high-quality rough diamonds, at around $25 million.
"It is fitting that the Cullinan Heritage should achieve a sale price of $35.3 million, the highest sale price on record ever achieved for a rough diamond, as it has the potential to produce one of the world's most important polished gems," Chief Executive Johan Dippenaar said.
London-listed Petra said in a statement the gem was purchased in a tender by Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Co Ltd in Hong Kong.
Proceeds will help boost Petra's profit for its fiscal year to end-June after the firm swung to a first-half profit on higher production and sales.
AIM-listed Petra found the gem last September at its 74 percent owned Cullinan mine in South Africa, which it bought from sector giant De Beers in 2007.
The Cullinan mine has been the source of many large diamonds, including the world's largest rough diamond -- the Cullinan -- at 3,106 carats. That gem was cut into the Star of Africa stones that are now set in Britain's Crown Jewels.
Petra was a member of a consortium that paid $148 million when buying the Cullinan mine from De Beers, which is 45 percent owned by mining group Anglo American.

(Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by David Holmes)

Al Gore can surely find a chilling disaster to preach about

Ulf Nilson Expressen wrote following:
Free translation in English.

Al Gore can surely find a chilling disaster to preach about
The bad news is that the weather is downright sucks. In the short term it will be that the pulsations, shovel and curse the cold. Anyone who so desires may be happy for me to draw any particular rich imprecations against the airheads in the UN's climate panel IPCC, claiming that we are heading for a devastating global warming in which the Himalayan glaciers melt, Holland flooded and our dear old ball more or less uninhabitable. Yes, if not!
Yes, you know what I mean. Then the IPCC report was published, we have witnessed an incitement campaign - surely the most comprehensive in world history, though mostly because communication is so advanced. Scientists, politicians (especially the terrible Al Gore) and, unfortunately, all the world mediepellar have puked up millions of words - no, certainly billion! - About how awful it must be if we do not stop driving, stop burning coal, ending expel carbon dioxide, etc, etc. The basic message, which we often try to hide, is that we must submit ourselves to more rules and regulations, of course, formulated by experts and the noble politicians (as I write this I smile wrong) actually, yes, really want our best. But: The good news is that the bad news is wrong! Gradually, it has been leaked to the IPCC simply cheated, used ridiculously poor sources (including a student essay), and refused to take into account the facts that pointed in the "wrong" direction. And more. The head of the panel, Rajendra Pachauri, the Indian accused, as I understand it rightly, for corruption. In short: a vertigo of cosmic proportions.
But the reality is a noisy beast. And everything suggests that psychosis and mass hysteria will drive forward a positive development. What we call the market is about to take over - simply because there are billions to gain new energy. Around the World, but not least in the U.S. and China are preparing a new generation of nuclear reactors. Fine! In Sweden we should emulate. Wind power is probably an oblique tracks, but little benefit, it will be done and new methods to isolate buildings will reduce heating - and electricity bills! - Huge. Improved car engine is phased in and around the world improve manufacturing machines and processes. All this leads to more and more incisive research - and millions of new jobs! Those who wish may speak of a paradigm shift - radical and disruptive change.
In doing so, we glimpsed the extension and it is perhaps the best news of all, the end of the dictatorship of oil. And hence a drastically reduced influence in the countries that happen to have had the good fortune to sit on the "black gold".
The idea of Russia that need to support themselves in work and entrepreneurship is very attractive (though perhaps not for Putin). Hypocritical Saudi princes may cut down on his disgusting luxury and Iran might - might - be a democracy where even women are counted. The unpleasant Hugo Chávez of Venezuela may begin to strain the talking - to the delight of all sensible Latin Americans - and Al Gore can surely find a new chilling disaster to preach about.
And perhaps best of all. The car, which is a far the freedom machine for us ordinary WARE-SLAVE, still has his best time in front of him ...
Ulf Nilson

Posted on February 23, 2010 Updated February 23, 2010
URL to this page: Link to the Swedish newspaper

Countdown to Launch begins

The countdown for space shuttle Endeavour's Feb. 7 liftoff began on schedule Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2 a.m. EST.
Tune into the STS-130 mission's Ountdown Status Briefing that will air tomorrow at 10 a.m. on NASA TV at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA Shuttle at Launch Pad for Final Scheduled Night Launch

Crew Set to Arrive for Practice Liftoff CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, space shuttle Endeavour now awaits its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-130 mission. Reporters are invited to cover the launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, scheduled to take place at Kennedy from Jan. 19 to 21.
Endeavour arrived at Launch Pad 39A at 8:45 a.m. EST Wednesday on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 4:13 a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the pad at 10:37 a.m.
With Endeavour on the pad, the STS-130 astronauts and ground crews can participate in the practice countdown and related training starting Jan. 19. The rehearsal provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training.
Source: NASA

Fuel cell-powered airplane Ion Tiger has set a new record with 23 hours and 17 minutes non-stop flight.

Naval Research Laboratory conducted in October, a flight with the plane but was then not get it to stick in the air a full day, there was 43 minutes.
But in November it tried again, and this time it was flying time 23 hours and 17 minutes. The fuel cell in Ion Tiger has a power of 550 W. The electric motor driving planet, resulting in a very quiet ride. According to NRL is the fuel cell four times as efficient as an internal combustion engine and seven times as effective as the equivalent weight of batteries.
The next step in development is to increase the impact of the fuel cell to 1.5 kW and extend flight time to three days. While the fuel cell will supply electricity to the supplied loads, such as reconnaissance cameras.
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STS-129 Launch Countdown Begins Today

At today's launch countdown status briefing held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managers reported space shuttle Atlantis, its payload and crew are ready for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Monday.
NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson reported everything is progressing on schedule for Atlantis' 31st flight to deliver the crew, two Express Logistic Carriers and other necessary parts to the International Space Station.
"Our teams here at Kennedy Space Center, as well as all the NASA centers around the country, have worked very hard preparing this hardware for flight," said Blackwell-Thompson. "We're all looking forward to the mission that lies ahead."
Scott Higginbotham, the STS-129 payload manager, said the processing of the payload for this mission has been a difficult and challenging race for his team. "But we're smiling today," Higginbotham said. "Because we crossed the finish line and we survived." Final inspections were completed and the payload bay doors were closed for flight this morning.
Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported weather is looking very good for launch day and for the loading of propellants into Atlantis' external fuel tank. At this time there's only a 10 percent chance of weather hindering a successful launch on Monday.
At 1 p.m. today, NASA's official launch countdown clock begins counting backward toward Monday's liftoff.

Source: NASA