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Dubai World Cup

Source: FT April 2009

آخرین شلیک توپخانه

توپخانه مهمترین بخش یک گردان است" اینها را پیرمرد برای نوش داشت به دقت میگفت. چنان به جزییات دقت میکرد چنانکه یک نبرد نظامی یا مانور رزمی در راه است. عکسهای روی دیوار حکایت از گذشته او میکنند. جوانی بلند قد در یونیفرم نیروی زمینی آراسته همراه با شمشیر دوره افسریش. در کنار عکسها ، یک نقشه دنیا با پونز روی دیوار نصب شده ، روی نقشه علاماتی گذاشته شده و در کنارشون نوشته " نقاط آشوب زده ". همگی خبر از گذشته جناب سرهنگ میدهند. "بابا سرهنگ توپخانه را در جلو بزارم یا در عقب؟" نوه از بابابزرگش میپرسید وقتی هر دو داشتند جبهه جنگ را با سربازهای سبز رنگ پلاستیکی میچیدند. پسرک همیشه چشم به راه بود تا بابا سرهنگ بیاد دیدنش ، براش بستنی نون خامه ای بیاره و ساعتها با هم بشینند و سرباز بازی کنند. "توپخانه را در پشت خط مقدم بزار نوه عزیزم " پیرمرد جواب میده و ادامه میده " آلمانها را در جنگ محاصره نظامی با توپخانه شکست دادند". پسرک که به دقت مشغول چیدن سربازهای پلاستیکیش بود از جنگ جهانی میپرسه و علت شکست آلمان. جناب سرهنگ با جدیت تمام میگه " ژنرال سرما ، او آلمانها را شکست داد". پسرک با تعجب میپرسه " ژنرال سرما؟ اونکیه؟ " در میان صدایی از آشپزخانه میاد که ناهار حاضر است. بابا بزرگ میگه " پشو بریم که ناهار ننجعفری نعنا مادرت درست کرده و بعد از ناهار برات میگم ژنرال سرما کیه" و هردو صحنه جنگ را نا تمام میگذارند و میرند برای ناهار
جناب سرهنگ ، دستور آتش بده ؛ توپخانه منتظر است......

Is Hell exothermic or endothermic?

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world to day.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives ustwo possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......

dudududu?

Luck

Once I read somewhere that “Luck is a preparation needs an opportunity” and I like it. It is so me as I don’t believe in Luck as lottery. But what if I do all the preparations it needed and I just miss the perfect opportunity? What if I miss the opportunity to get what I have been preparing for? So does it mean I am not lucky? No, I don’t think so! I think I haven’t done my homework completely. I haven’t developed opportunity hunting skill! Or I shall say it better, I am not an opportunist! I believe it is very important to be an opportunist not in a negative way but in a positive way. It is important to get what we have been preparing for.

I have missed many opportunities in my life and I think those opportunities all are gone and they won’t come back again.

End

Ahmed The Terrorist

End of another chapter

It just seems yesterday to me when for the very first time I stepped in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering. I still remember every second of my PhD interview with Dr Nigel Russell and the short chat with former head of the Department (Prof Michael Hounslow). More than seven years has passed from that day and now it is time for me to leave the Department. During these years I learned many things and I made many friends. Some of them graduated and/or left CPE and the rest are still in the Department. I spent most of my time in the Department and I can say CPE was my first home for the past seven years as I spent more time in my office than in my flat!

I would like to use this opportunity to thank all of them, for their support, their time and their help which without them I couldn’t get my PhD and continue my career as post-doctoral researcher. I would like to thank my supervisor and friend Dr. Nigel Russell for his major role in my success. His great sense of humour, unflappability and patience brought a sense of much needed sanity in times of stress. He has been a great support for me in all these years. I express my sincere gratitude for having given me the opportunity to work with him.

My special thanks to Prof. Will Zimmerman for his priceless advices. His many years of research experience work meant he is a limitless resource of engineering and science knowledge. I was inspired by him during my work. He changed my perspective to engineering and science and I learned how to engineer the science under his supervision.

Million thanks to Prof. Agba Salman for passing my PhD application to Nigel and for his priceless support in these years. My thanks to Prof. Vida Sharifi and Dr. Robert Edyvean for their support and advice.

Also I would like to thank Dr Russell Hand and Dr Phil Ward which I had the privilege to work with them for the past two years.

For their kindness assistance and advice, super thanks are also due to Richard Stacey, Andy Fairburn, Dean Haylock, Ian Watts, Mike O'Meara, David Palmer, Andy Patrick, Keith Penny, Maria Soto, Louise Cowling, Natalie Swallow, Michael White, Christine Wilkinson, Oz McFarlane and the rest of the staff of CPE. With no doubt I could not do anything without their help.

Many thanks are also due to Dr Buddhi Hewakandamby which my computer and network worked smoothly without any problem in the past seven years. My thanks to the rest of them especially Dr Brian O'Sullivan , Dr David Poole, Dr Robert Bachmann, Dr Amjad Shaikhfor, Dr Bobby Assiddiq, Kieran Baker, Ibrahim El-Azizi, Karen Finney, Paul Gilbert, Zakaria Mirza, Marie Taylor, Gareth Barns, Jess Bastock, John Heneghan, Bennett Nwaobi, Hamid Pouran, Ammar Razak, Hayley Castlehouse and Winson Chung for making the department’s atmosphere friendly and pleasant.

I will miss all of them.

End.

Barclays shuts Iranian accounts

By Stephen Fidler in London and Daniel Dombey in Washington

Published: June 6 2008 20:37 | Last updated: June 6 2008 20:37

Source: FT

One of Britain’s biggest banks has shed customers linked to Iranian entities in the UK in an apparent effort to avoid falling foul of US financial sanctions.

The decision by Barclays to close accounts of Saderat and Melli, two Iranian-owned banks, along with those of bank directors and staff, follows a decision last year by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) to place the two on its list of specially designated nationals (SDN).

The sanctions against the two, along with Bank Mellat and other Iranian entities, were announced last October by Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, and Hank Paulson, Treasury secretary. Neither bank is subject to separate European Union or British sanctions.

The move was first reported by the Times newspaper of London. It quoted a letter from a Barclays lawyer, Deborah Cooper, to lawyers representing bank employees, as saying: “Barclays ... has a policy of not conducting business with people or entities which are publicly designated SDNs.”

The bank would not comment.

Lisa Osofsky, of the independent risk consultancy Control Risks, said: “The US has a very expansive view of its jurisdictional reach, and Barclays does a lot of business in the US and wants to keep easy access to US markets.”

Underlining the costs of falling foul of US authorities, Lloyds Bank said this week that it had made provision to put aside funds to cover £180m ($355m) related to historical payments being investigated by Ofac, the US Department of Justice and the New York county district attorney.

Though the Ofac sanctions make it more difficult for targeted organisations to obtain dollar financing, a key purpose has been to encourage governments – and individual banks and companies – to follow suit.

The policy is part of the US push to heighten financial pressure on Iran, and so increase the incentives for Tehran to rein in its nuclear programme and curb its support for radical groups such as the Hizbollah movement in Lebanon.

A United Nations Security Council resolution, championed by Washington and approved in March, also called for UN member states to exercise “vigilance” over Saderat and Melli.

So far, the EU has not fully implemented the measure. Some US officials hope that individual banks, such as Barclays, can act where their governments have not yet moved.

The EU is in the process of deciding on restrictions on Melli’s activities in Europe, but is unlikely to make a final decision for several weeks. Bank Saderat is more problematic for the bloc to act against, since one of the main grounds for the US action against the bank is its alleged ties to Hizbollah, which is formally classified as a terrorist organisation by the US but not by the EU.

Difficult!

For the first time in my life today I was in a very difficult position where I have to decide what is the best for me! These occasions don't happen very often and I didn't know what to do. I received a job offer today from a firm in North of London. The salary for start was so tempting and I didn't know what to do with it! I could accept the offer, move to London, be closer to my brother, see my friends more often, enjoy London life culture and change my career course or I could I stay where I am here, in Sheffield and go with the other firm in Sheffield which offered me a position months ago. What would you do? London or Sheffield? I was under lots of pressure. Well, at the end, I went for Sheffield not only for being in Sheffield, not at all. I went for Sheffield as I thought I will have a better opportunities with the other firm in Sheffield! In addition, due to some personal matters, I decided not to fall for the firm in London. I don't know I did the right thing or not, only time can say that and I hope I made the right decision and in 2 or 3 years time I won't regret it! End.

Iran's (Persia's) Territorial Changes in 19th & 20th Centuries

Sheffield International Toilet

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Google your way to a wacky office

I wish I was working there!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7290322.stm

Virtual Barber Shop

Make sure you have your headphones! Close your eyes and now listen,

DO NOT LISTEN WITHOUT HEADPHONES

Happy New Year 2008

Wish you all a wonderful green year.

Happy Birthday Mr Amigo!

Today is the birthday of the best brother in the world, the best of bests, you can not find anyone like Mr Amigo in the world, he is the one.

Happy birthday Mr Amigo and wish you the best of bests in life and lots of happiness and of course million of millions pounds in your pocket (don't forget to share part of that).

Happy Birthday Bro,

Happy Birthday Mr Amigo

Doing PhD?

Are you about to graduate very soon? Are you aiming PhD? Are you mad? You haven't had enough of books and assignments? You want to do PhD but you don't have money to pay your fees? Or you have money and you want to pay it yourself? which in that case I would say you should be a millionaire or you don't know that you can find scholarship for continueing your studeis!

Well, I suggest first make up your mind! PhD takes minimum three years and you should be prepare for it financially, physically and emotionally! Once you start it, your whole life and time will be dedicated to it! You will become part of it. Well I can't help you with your emotions or physics but I can help you with finding the right scholarship for doing PhD! If you want to do PhD in UK, this is the right time for you to start. Have you prepared your CV (resume)? If not then start it today. Then you need to search for available funded projects, where? it is easy! Just go to:

www.jobs.ac.uk

and find your subject there, then click search, go through all the projects, take a note of the available projects, salary, person in charge and of course the dead line! Then start...send them a letter containing your CV and education history. I strongly suggest to call the project holder in person and ask for more information or go and visit the university in person. Don't forget to book an appointment! It will help you a lot. Bottom line, hurry up, there are only limited funds for PhD students and if you leave it for next year it might be too late!

Good luck!

The Energy 2007

A great exhibition conference focused on Energy. Most of the big names attend the exhibition and it is a good opportunity to see the lastests developments and technology in Energy sector.

Opening time are:

12 September 2007 9:00 to 16:00

13 September 2007 9:00 to 15:30

Address:

National Motorcycle Museum

Solihull

Birmingham

UK

Finally It is Coming Out!

Finally it is coming out soon! It has been the best reference for more than half a century and will be. It has been updated for the first time in more than a decade and the new version will include the latest advances in modeling, biological processes, biochemical and membrance separation processes and chemical plant safety practices with accident histories. All the sections on chemical and physical data are updated and expanded. It contains over 700 detailed illustrations and after all it is Perry's Chemical Engineers's Handbook!

2007 ICCS&T

2007 ICCS&T was held in Nottingham University this year from 28th to 31st of August. Most of well-known scientists and engineers involved in coal industry were there. The atmosphere of the conference was friendly and I have to say it was a great success for its organising committee and also Nottingham University except the food which was a bit disappointment. This year most of the oral presentations focused on CO2 storage and new techniques for reducing emissions from coal combustion. In general the sessions were:

Combustion;
Gasification;
Coal preparation;
Analytical methods;
Oxy-fuel firing;
Adsorption of gases;
Gas clean-up;
Co-combustion and biomass;
Trace elements and
CO2 capture and utilisation.

There were few poor presentations from far east countries were they were really repeating the works which have been done many years ago! Unfortunately many of the studies carried out by post-graduate students suffered from poor literature review! The most important part of each novel work is reviewing past works and research. The element that many new researchers underestimates it as they want to get results as soon as possible!

The other disappoint of the conference was its prize session which the prizes were not given to those who really deserve it. Instead, I think the prize winners were selected more politically than based on the quality of the work!

Bottom line the conference brought a great opportunity to compare your work with others! To know what others are up to and where the funds and grants are spending on. I got new ideas during the conference and thanks to Nottingham Conference that I made new scientist friends!

A Song of Joy

King of All Time

Thirty years passed so quick, many things changed in these years, many people came and left us, but He never left us. He is still with us and he will be. Everyone loves him. He shares his passion and love with us with no exception. He is my King and his songs are my pray. Elvis Forever.

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