text:
Is Mexico Safe?
Edited Sep -3, 2011
" (1) México is dearly loved by the regulars on this thread. It is a country of breathtaking beauty and friendly people who will enrich your life for having met them. There are, however, some bad hombres and mujeres in the mix and, obviously, only you can decide whether a trip into Mexico is right for you.
(2) Basic advice? Avoid riding at night and don't wander around in places your mom would not want you to be in, especially at night. Be respectful; don't be a douche with an attitude. Watch out for loose livestock and topes.
(3) Although there is much to gain from going through the entire thread you may want to consider posting your question at the tail end to get up-to-date perspectives from the regulars here.
(4) Many of the regulars on this thread live in Mexico, have lived in Mexico or have crisscrossed Mexico from one end to the other and the thread also serves as a chat room of sorts while waiting for customers to drop by with questions. If you find this annoying, kindly go elsewhere. There are scads of sources on the web to find information on the Mexico "situation".
(5) All are warmly welcomed to influence the direction of the thread so constructive comments and suggestions are appreciated. However, if you come here to complain or just kick dust in people's face, kindly go elsewhere; not every thread on ADV will please everyone so go find one that pleases you.
(6) For best results, view this thread as you would a small town newspaper; some good stuff, some filler, some gossip, some trivia with a pretty darn good "ask the experts" column. There are semi-regular columns on motorcycles, Mexico roads & traffic norms, border crossing procedures, cigars, bbq, beer, and the appreciation of beauty, both natural and surgically enhanced.
Bienvenido! "
Edit Contribution by Weazybuddha - Thank you! -
================================================== ======
In occasion of our almost 200 yrs Mexican independency anniversary; The tourism is being supported more than ever (promotion and security), and no one likes to mess with tourists, we all know they are huge money source to ramp up the poor economy situation.
check some of Tamaulipas sites on this promotinal video, which is just at 3 to 4 hours from the TX border.
you can check my last trip to see more pictures of the Zacaton area shown on the video.
Now, you wanna some Mexico's unsafe places? well go outside at 2 am, walk by the "tolerance" areas and you might be at first row seat of non safe events.
Update to the format of this guide: As the guide keeps expanding, I've discovered the 40k character limit on single posts! In talking with our moderator Cannonshot, I've also learned that hyperlinks add tons of characters that apply to the overall limit, and I have a lot of hyperlinks in this post. Hyperlink characters are hidden code but count against the limit. Therefore, over time I will need to "index out" to my other posts that follow early in this thread to place content there.
Traveling in MEXICO
The one question that is frequently asked and which was the foundation of this thread. It's typically in the back of almost everyone's mind:
Editorial Intro: Is Mexico Really Safe?
The following paragraphs are my op ed answer to that question. Here it is:
There exists a broad spectrum of opinion out there as to just how dangerous Mexico is for the motorcycle traveler.
Here in the Traveling in Mexico/"Is Mexico Safe?" thread (the title for some reason switches back and forth) we respect all opinions. And we don't care if you change horses in the middle of the stream, that is to say, you once thought it safe to ride there but have now decided to take a pause on travel south. That's fine. Or, maybe reading about the adventures of the regular posters here you decide to saddle up and see Mexico and/or points south. That's fine too.
Many of us ride Mexico regularly. We love her people, her culture, her landscape, her food, her customs and often those things you just can't put your finger on. Most of us comment on how "safe" we feel once we cross the border out of the US of A and enter Mexico. There are some of us who only ride a couple of hundred kilometers inside the border, see a few things, and come home after a few days. Some, like Sjoerd, plot extensive routes inside Mexico and keep a history of off-the-beaten-path travels on a well worn map (he showed it to me at Casa Tricepilot). A lot of us have favorite areas of Mexico. Some of our current favs is the area surrounding Durango where SR lives, the area in and around Veracruz where MikeMike lives, and many of us enjoying my personal favorite part of Mexico, Oaxaca.
Not one of the regulars here say that travel in Mexico by motorcycle is without risk. Mexico is indeed in the midst of a drug war and some would say in certain areas the climate borders on civil war. BUT, and the reader of this thread has to listen here, the task is to size up the risk individually and make a personal decision to go or stay home. My decision to ride through Mexico to Guatemala in January is not a signal to everyone else that the same decision is right for them. Once in Mexico, I generally do not go out late at night to parts of town I don't know and stay late into the night. Others have this practice, its just not normally mine. Different risk management choices. Some people take great pride in riding solo in Mexico. I have ridden many miles solo in Mexico. Whether you ride solo, with another rider, or in a group - your choice is right for you.
Participation in this thread is not a stamp that those who regularly post here believe Mexico is without issues. Regular riders believe the risks can be managed and they press on. I have personally posted stories and follow-up commentary on those who have encountered danger in Mexico. I posted the letter to the editor of BMW ON magazine regarding the robbery near El Fuerte experienced by Tope_Stomper and her riding partners. The more we share these actual, credible experiences the more data points we have to use to make our go/no-go decisions and to adjust our habits and practices on the motorcycle should we decide to press on. Based upon her report, for example, several riders reengergized their practice of spreading money around their bikes and once again committed to carrying a "throw-away" wallet. Stories like hers have a definite home here in this thread. Also welcome is commentary by anyone who takes in such stories and changes their attitude about riding to Mexico.
Don't think that all the while, we're not keeping an eye ourselves on the news, the State Department warnings, intel from those living inside the country, and sending PMs to each other with "what do you think?" We keep in mind what we read from everyone here who post "this happened to me" stories. What is most useful, IMHO, are the local reports. Not the media, but stories and impressions of those who live in Mexico, who ride there frequently, and who can see past the media layering.
What is not helpful here is the broad brush on Mexico, one way or the other. Certain posts in the past that included wording to the effect that Mexico "has the smell of death, eminating from its bowels" is a perfect example. This is disrespectful, untrue, insulting and does not make a contribution. We will address these posts and posters, and attempt to draw out a more meaningful dialog. By the same token, if anyone can send me a PM with a link to a post where a regular on this thread made any kind of statement that Mexico motorcycle travel is completely risk free and without concern, provide your address in that link and I'll send you a case of your favorite beer, and I will personally issue you a public nod that we haven't done our job here in our endeavors to keep perspective in balance.
With those thoughts expressed, on to the free guide:
Free MEXICO Guide
I keep adding to and expanding this guide. If there is a topic you'd like to see added, send me a PM. The guide is as current as of the "Last Edited" date at the bottom of the post.
Appendix A: Insurance for Mexico.
I recommend at least liability insurance and, depending upon your budget and desires, bumping this up to include full coverage on your bike.
It used to be the case that you would not need to produce evidence of insurance while riding in Mexico unless and until you are involved in an accident and you are detained until guilt is sorted out. This has changed! Baja example: Prior to 2012, drivers were only required to demonstrate proof of financial responsibility if they were involved in an accident which caused damage to third parties. Before 2012, Mexican authorities would only ask for proof of liability insurance AFTER a driver was involved in an accident. Now, Baja police are authorized to request proof of Mexican liability insurance during any routine traffic stop, and they are authorized to ticket any vehicle which is not carrying Mexican liability insurance. Having insurance will pave the way to get you out of a jam and most underwriters include a bilingual attorney to represent you in a court of law. Other Mexican states are sure to follow suit! Remember! Mexico insurance is becoming mandatory in more places!
I have for years used MexAdventure but there are other equally good companies who have been around a long time.
A very huge side benefit of insurance is "Trip Protection" which varies by company but includes things like getting you and your bike to better places after an incident. Read carefully IN ADVANCE the language attached to any policy you may consider. The time to examine your policy is not roadside just after an accident!
Another great company is Baja Bound Insurance
Take a look at their fantastic list of FAQs on Mexico Insurance
Note that liability limits for the 32 Mexican states have increased! Here's your chart:
If you want to read more about these limits, and why they changed you can go to this LINK
I also recommend MedJet air evacuation insurance. I will not travel in Mexico without it! It is good worldwide. If you are hospitalized in Mexico and need further hospital treatment back in the U.S., MedJet will come and get you and take you home in an air ambulance. If you don't think the cost of this coverage is worth it, consider the alternatives. If you ever need this type of service you will be glad you paid every penny of the premium. For an additional small fee, MedJet will also repatriate your motorcycle.
Note: Be aware the MedJet has two key stipulations:
(1) You have to be an inpatient at a medical care facility (not necessarily a hospital as we would define it). In other words, MedJet will not come pick you up roadside.
(2) A doctor (or medical provider) must recommend that you receive continued care in another medical facility back home. In other words, MedJet won't come to Mexico, pick you up, and take you to an airport to watch you get in a cab. Remember: medical facility in Mexico to medical facility back home.
Mexico insurance underwriters such as HID Seguros, ACE Seguros, and ANA Seguros as brokered by Mexadventure also offer air evac coverage as part of their policy. Look for details under variously titled "Travel Assistance" packages sold as part of the policy.
Mexadventure advertises: "Medical Evacuation Insurance and Plane Tickets Home are automatically included with our Mexican auto insurance policies"!
FAQ: So, why bother with the extra expense of MedJet?
Answer: If you need medical air evacuation, go with the pros whose job it is full time. Based in Atlanta, experienced on a daily basis doing this, always on their "A" game. When Whiskeysmith crashed in Mexico, and was hospitalized in Parral, we thought he had MedJet but all he had was Mexadventure's "Platinum" coverage which appeared to offer medical extraction as a bonus. I was on the phone with their rep all night long as was told to "call back tomorrow" - and this was a Spanish speaking operator in Mexico City. You want that when you are in a tough bind? I don't. Don't get me wrong, I've been with Mexadventure for years, and always go back to them. But I consider medical extraction by air the same way I do a parachute: you want some extra, seldom used, old model lying around the back of the hangar on your back when you jump? Or do you want the state-of-the-art, tested frequently, highly rated rig on the other end of the line when you pull the coord? Your body - Your money - Your choice.
Having these coverages is an element to my Risk Management Strategy. Yours may be completely different. I can point you in the direction of riders who have been on both sides of this fence and their stories tend to back up my recommendation on this topic.
Appendix B: Trip Planning for Mexico & Sjoerd's Guide
Frequently we see posts asking for route suggestions and what-to-see type lists. All well and good but remember the typical novice mistake is to try to pack a hundred pounds of potatoes into a fifty pound sack. IMHO you're much better off with a general direction and a few highlights and then modify your daily itinerary to fit how things are going. It is a BIG MISTAKE to, let's say, arrive in San Miguel de Allende in the afternoon, hit a restaurant and a bar, and then shove off early the next morning. Mexico is if nothing else a destination to be savored, not approached like a cruise ship docking schedule.
Here's a tip from RW66, our man in Zacatecas:
A route planning tool for Mexico you might want to check out is Traza Tu Ruta (Trace Your Route). Just enter your Mexico state/city of origin and that of your destination, and click enter. (Note: most web browsers will offer to translate the page for you). The website provides a list of enroute points and other data.
There exists a fine listing of hotels produced by our own Sjoerd Bakker which if nothing else should find a home in your tank bag. I don't care who you are you don't have the experience in Mexico that Sjoerd does so pay attention to his posts and send him a PM for specific advice about this or that Mexico state you are eyeing.
When planning your trip leave out ideas about taking your sleeping bag and tent, for there is simply an overabundance of options on any given route. While you may be the type to carry an emergency bivy sack, you won't need your Yellowstone camping package in Mexico and with just a little thinking you can choose very affordable places to stay.
The "Three Finger Rule" means when you hold you hand up to the horizon and the sun is about three fingers above, start thinking about your map and putting a close to the day. You certainly don't want to be riding at night in Mexico primarily due to livestock on the road and other road hazards, so operate in daylight and save dusk and night time for a cold Indio and some street tacos.
Where has Sjoerd been in Mexico? Take a look at his map:
And that's a dated photo. He keeps adding to the routes he's been on. There isn't anyone more experienced in Mexico. Period.
Here is the LINK to that guide
Details on how to acquire his guide are at that link.
Here's a tip on a great mod for Sjoerd's Guide:
To operate your bike south of the border zone and outside Baja and the western part of Sonora state, you will need a TVIP. A TVIP can be obtained online or at a border aduana. You can PM me for details and advice about how to get a TVIP online. Documents you will need to obtain a TVIP either online or in person include the bike's "ownership document", which can be satisfied using either your title or state registration.
For online TVIPs you can click HERE
The "ownership document" and your passport, passport card or drivers license need to match each other. If you have a lien on the bike, you either need a letter from the lender stating you have permission to take the bike to Mexico, or select a document that does not reflect the lien.
Note that Mexico now requires possession of a passport (or passport card) past the border zone. Since you need one of these to re-enter the US anyway, it's not an issue.
Make sure when acquiring your TVIP that you pay attention to the length of validity, which should be 180 days (by law it must match the valid period of your tourist card). There have been anecdotal stories of riders being "asleep at the switch" as the TVIP is being prepared and finding out the official made it valid for only 30 days.
Be sure to turn in, in other words, cancel, your TVIP as you exit Mexico, and do this prior the TVIP expiration, so as not to forfeit your TVIP deposit. You will have bonded your moto either by cash or by credit card up to an amount of $400 U.S. depending upon the age of the vehicle (see the chart) - so don't skip the cancellation process due to a fit of "border fever".
No TVIP required in all of Baja and in the Sonora Free Zone:
Vehicle Deposti Fees, payable by credit card or cash bond:
2007 and newer models, USD $400.00 deposit required
2001 - 2006 models, USD $300.00 deposit required
models previous to 2000, USD $200.00 deposit required
And as to the cost of the TVIP and the amount of money you tie up to bond the bike, there is no discount for paying in cash.
As of this writing, your TVIP is tied to your passport (or passport card) number and your VIN number.
You can aquire the TVIP online or at a border aduana, but to cancel it, you and the bike must both be present at a border aduana where the actual VIN on the bike will be examined and compared against the VIN on the TVIP itself.
Most riders keep the TVIP hologram and the form it comes on safetly tucked away somewhere on the bike. There is currently no requirement to display the TVIP hologram sticker on your windscreen.
Click LINK to understand the One TVIP Two Vehicles policy
For questions about vehicle permits you can call Banjercito direct at 011-52-555-328-2329
If you're thinking that the TVIP process is too complicated or that you might want to try to run the mainland without one, read the June 2014 experience of our man dimkick here.
Appendix D: Tourist Cards
Tourist cards (FMM) are required past the border zone and can be purchased for around $23 US. They are currently not tracked like TVIPs and are not bonded. Bear in mind that if you exit Mexico to the south via Guatemala, you must obtain a Mexico exit stamp in your passport before the Guatemala aduana will issue you an entrance stamp. To get the exit stamp in Mexico, your tourist card must have the payment receipt attached to it.
Appendix E: Topes
A Tope is in effect a speed bump, you'll hear the term "topes" all the time, because topes are all over the place in Mexico. They are commonly built before and in towns of all sizes, to control speed. They may be signed or not, tall, short, wide, narrow, and be made of asphalt (the familiar berm) or consist of low profile metal domes, or even ridge bumps. If hit at speed, they can, and have, thrown riders off their bikes.
Here is a great shot from Jim, "Our Man in Mazatlán" (Going South) on what the "metal dome" topes look like:
An ideal technique to deal with topes is first of all, to anticipate where they might be. Watch the behavior of traffic ahead of you to guage just how severe the tope is. I like to stand up in "topes zones" to stretch, but to also help the bike bounce over. Bending at the knees and elbows permits the bike full flexibility - take them slow and go with the flow.
Good Topes News #1: Yes! There are good things about topes. They are great for slowing down big trucks so you may pass with ease. In twisty mountain sections it can be a challenge to pass large, slow trucks. When you come upon an ejido, all the trucks will have to reduce to a crawl, that's when you can blast by them.
Good Topes News #2: Because traffic has to slow to a crawl over any typical size tope, you will often find folks selling everything from drinks to dried shrimp right there at the tope. You will have fun discovering just how many things are sold there on the street with traffic at a snail's pace in both directions. Observe people holding cans for donations to various causes as well. You may have your hands full with your motorcycle, and change not readily available, but the opportunity is there for a true Mexico version of "fast food!"
Tip: I keep my jacket in my top case to help pack things down. Bouncing over topes can cause your valuables to jostle (is that the word?) around, and you want to avoid damage. However you pack, remember in Mexico that off the cuota it's never a smooth ride. Topes will shake things up, the more you do to keep things packed down, the better.
I took this photo of Tom at his Hotel Los Arcos de Sonora in Banámichi, Sonora, in October 2013. This is a must visit place! Ask Tom to make you some of his adobe oven pizza!
Appendix F: Regular Mexico Riders & Trusted Resources
Here are some of the guys who regularly ride Mexico, and whose knowledge, respect for Mexico and her culture and customs, and consistent demeanor mark them as good guys, recommended advisers, and knowledgeable resources on all things Mexico:
going south*
Sjoerd Bakker**
Jick Magger
I have met most of these guys. Many of them have stayed at my house. I have corresponded with all of them. There are obviously others who should be on this list, but these guys are whom I'm most familiar with and highly recommend. I'm sure they'd be happy to answer any Mexico questions via PM. I will continue to add to this list as time goes on.
*Full or part time Expat living in Mexico
**Our "Top Expert" on Mexico - All of us combined could live 100 years and combined would not have the knowledge of Mexico Sjoerd Has. Sjoerd has been to Casona Tricepilot a couple of times and I always marvel at his experience in country. Sjoerd is the go-to guy for routing questions.
Note: Make sure to review Arte's ride reports on Mexico. Excellent!
Note: Make sure to plan a stay at Turkeycreek's Hotel Los Arcos de Sonora in Banámichi! Superb!
Note: Off-road Mexico riders on this list include SR, Jimmex, Arte, and Kiko. Ask SR about the Durango to Mazatlán event.
Note: Mexico photography aficionados on this list include MikeMike and Mark883
Note: Bill Eakins is our Butler Maps guy - great company for all kinds of motorcycle maps. Also our Sayulita expert.
Note: rockymountainoyster is our KOTO Radio guy in Telluride. Listen in via the net when he's on the air!
Appendix G: Recommended Gear: SPOT Tracker
At the time of this posting, we have a missing rider in Mexico, Harry Devert
Based upon this case and the discussion of being able to be tracked in Mexico, I'm adding this appendix for "breadcrumb" devices like the SPOT satellite tracker and SPOT TRACE, pictured above.
Here's a sample "breadcrumb trail" from last October's run through Sonora and the Copper Canyon and back through Texas:
You are strongly encouraged to consider using a device such as a SPOT tracker, to keep family and friends aware of your location at all times. Your family will be able to track you in real time. Your current position will always be known.
The latest SPOT devices allow you to configure how many "pings" are sent at timed intervals.
SPOT Unlimited Tracking:
"Only available with SPOT Gen3. Unlimited Tracking allows you to choose your tracking rate. Before you go, program your SPOT to transmit a track message every 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes. Unlimited Tracking doesn't stop until you do; with Unlimited Tracking your SPOT will continue to send Track Messages until you turn SPOT off or the batteries run out."
SPOT Extreme Tracking:
"Only available with SPOT Gen3. Get all of the great features of Unlimited Tracking but with the added ability to vary your track rate down to every 2 ½ minutes. Perfect for pilots and the ultra outdoor enthusiast"
Like MedJet Assist, the cost may make this device seem like an unnecessary expense, but they are priceless when you need them.
Appendix H: Tips and Tricks on Learning Spanish
An article I wrote on "canned" products for learning Spanish, such as Rosetta Stone. LINK
Misery Goat goes to language school in Zacatecas
more coming soon
Appendix I: When Things Stop Going According To Plan
coming soon
Appendix J: Photography in Mexico
I very much recommend that you consider taking a small point & shoot (hereafter: P&S) camera with you to Mexico for the one reason that is my biggest tip in this department: unless your camera is out and is handy, you're going to miss a lot of photo opportunities for which you will kick yourself later.
Staying on pavement, I've often kept a P&S on a lanyard around my neck. To make a quick stop while staying on the bike to grab a roadside pic, I've even gone to the point of wearing a fingerless glove on my (right) shooting hand.
You're not going to get a lot of use from your camera if you have to stop, turn the bike off, get off the bike, open a pannier, get the camera, take off your gloves, grab the shot, put the camera away, lock the pannier, put your glove back on, and start the bike and go.
You don't have to go out and buy a fancy camera. Unless you're going to publish to National Geographic, your existing camera, P&S or not, will be great, if you'll use it. Most of the time these days, your photos are going into a ride report or into Facebook anyways, so who really cares how many pixels a camera has. There are many existing P&S cameras that can do decent depth of field, and with a small portable tripod, night photography too.
Motojournalism E-Book - Learn Motorcycle Travel Photography! By Antontrax
In the link above you'll find my #1 recommended resource for moto related photography. One of the big take aways from that resource is this: you don't need a better camera, you need to be a better photographer. If you don't know how to frame a shot or use existing light, an expensive D3 isn't going to help you.
The next thing I want to encourage you to think about is workflow. This means simply the major steps between photo capture and publishing. Often times this can simply mean camera - post processing - hosting - publishing. For ride report purposes, being familiar with your camera's exposure setting, doing some simple cropping and enhancing with Snapseed, and hosting on Smugmug, and adding links to your photos to your ride report can be a simple workflow solution.
You may be taking an intermediate camera such as the Canon G16 or even a full frame DSLR on your trip to Mexico. There is no "best" camera - with a caveat:
Just remember my #1 tip - whatever the camera, if it's not handy, you're not going to use it like you thought you would. Don't assume you'll just get the camera out at your hotel and go walking around. Since we're talking about motorcycle trips to Mexico here, you're going to be on your bike - a lot. You'll be passing things all the time you'll want a memory of. Roadside vistas, beautiful churches, interesting people, boats, statues, your riding buddies, what-have-you. A camera kept handy is a camera that will get used.
Tip #2: My personal camera mantra is this: if your eye is drawn to it, take a photo of it. I remember my first trip to San Miguel de Allende. Walking down a street, my eye was drawn to an old wooden door with an ancient door knocker on it. I snapped a photo of that door. Then the one next to it, then I spent the late afternoon (when the light is the best in San Miguel) walking and snapping photos of all the doors I could find. That collection of photos is one of my favorites. It was after that trip that I consciously attempt to take a photo if my eye is drawn to something on a trip to Mexico (and elsewhere). You can go back and sort through your rough batch of photos and delete however many you wish, but you can't go back through your photos and make one appear that you wish you had taken.
Tip#3: Did you know that Smugmug is owned by Baldy, the site owner of Adventure Rider? Smugmug is a pay site, ADV is free. If you enjoy ADV and need a photo hosting site, consider paying Baldy back by subscribing to Smugmug. And it isn't just doing him a favor, I can't think of a better hosting site than Smugmug, even if I wasn't on ADV. And a pay site isn't likely to go away anytime soon, certainly not as likely as a free site to disappear. So you're not at significant risk on "losing" your photo links in your ride report.
FAQ: is taking a big, fancy DSLR going to make me into a "target"?
Answer: IMHO, no. You're already somebody standing out. But think of it this way, only you can "sense" your surroundings. There are parts of San Antonio when my spidy senses kick in when I'm walking around with my D700 and a fat, long lens. Just use your common sense.
Appendix K: Classic Mexico Ride Reports
Title says it all. An appendix of links....links to some of the best all-time reads of travel in Mexico here on ADV and perhaps from elsewhere. Interesting places. Reports with great narrative and/or great photography. Pioneering women rider tales. Eye opening forays into one of the most beautiful and culturally diverse countries on earth - Mexico!
Note: all ride report titles are active links to the actual ride report
"No Te Ahuitas" Tour - Urique/Batopilas by Gaspipe
Bruce's pioneering rides into back country Mexico are the stuff of legend. Check out his "threads started" list in his profile for a full list of his exploits. Why you want to check out this report: Everybody dreams of doing it Gaspipe's way.
Motoventuring From Alaska to South America - A Collaborative Video Blog! by Becktastic
Mexico is a ride through country for Bonzai Becky and Andrea. Pioneering report focusing on the use of videos to tell the tale. Andrea lost all her paperwork in Baja and had to have it all replaced. She prepared before the trip by learning motorcycle mechanics. Becky's videos are available on their YouTube page as well. Why you want to check out this report: Two spunky women combine talents and head south, what could be more interesting? Not much!
Riding Little pigs in Baja! by rnrdozer
This is the ride report that led me to buy my own KTM 500 and outfit it almost exactly like how Rich did it in this report. I traded a bunch of PMs with him in which he graciously helped me prioritize the build. Hint: go for the steering damper early on! A great Baja tale as well. Why you want to check out this report: How to build the perfect Baja bike and what to do with it.
The Way South by rockymountainoyster
Penned by our man in Telluride. A solo ride through Mexico, including passage through the Baja. A great read by a good friend. Why you want to check out this report: Not many of us has had the interesting life and career that David has had. See Mexico from the perspective of a man who knows half the icons in Hollywood.
Mexico in Pictures by lexluther11
Photography and ride reports go together like Salma Hayek and the Snake Dance. Mexico is one of the most diverse and beautiful countries in the world, don't blast through it without taking a camera and keeping it handy. Why you want to check out this report: Allow Lex to show you how beautiful Mexico is from the perspective of a talented lens man.
Seattle to Argentina on a KLR650 by OZYMANDIAS
For a long time, this 2006 ride report by Clayton Schwartz was stickied at the top of the ADV ride reports section. It was "released to float" in July of 2010. One of the most famous ride reports on ADV, not just in the Mexico category. A tale of lessons learned, a twist of fate, the risk of motorcycle travel, a mother's love, of life and loss. Ozy left for Argentina but only made it as far as Mexico before being airlifted home, paralyzed from the chest down. Why you want to check out this report: a young man's life is changed forever by a chance encounter with a donkey in Mexico.
2 months in Mexico solo on a KLR... by Ideikis
Luke's engaging story of taking everyman's motorcycle and meeting up with his woman in Mexico. Why you want to check out this report: see what happens to Luke's subframe and how he deals with it. My comments on this ride report back in 2009: LINK
more coming soon
or try this place closer, for those who like go to MEXTREK at Galeana NL:
the Hawk Pond Cenote
Well, if you have to ride through Juarez or Tijuana to get to your safe place then I think the term," vaya con dios" is appropriate.
You ever ridden through those areas Varna2win ?
Riding thru TJ at night is no different than riding thru Compton or Watts at night. Pretty dumb thing to do so don't do it. Ride thru in broad daylight when the animals are sleeping and you having virtually nothing to fear.
While you guys are beating a dead horse discussing Mexico safety, I'm watching the hot chick in Arte's video again :thumb
One of these days I'm going to learn! Next time someone asks this question I'm going to tell them that the last time I went to Mexico my life was saved when the US State Dept. sent in Navy Seal Team Six to extricate me from the clutches of the vicious drug cartels of Gonzaga Bay.
Cool video :thumb A me, me gusta mucho viajar a Mexico. Un pais con mucho corazon y alma ...:ricky
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The beauty of ADV rider is if you make one comment in here everybody jumps on your ass. Maybe just maybe I don't know shit. One thing is for sure I'm not some candyass that rides a GS & drinks coffee at Starbucks. The Starbucks comment really pissed me off.
A good one.
...be a man, stand by your Starbucks :D
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It's been proven that caffeine kills penis cancer...
I'll admit my own wariness about Mexico.
One of our flight crews (my usual partner and a different medic) went down to Mexico on a medical mission. Picked up a patient in a fairly small town to be brought to the US for specialty care unavailable there. On the way back to the airstrip, the ambulance stops and the driver gets out to hand a bunch of cash to someone by the roadside. A few minutes and kilometers later, he pulls over and tries to extort our medical crew. With a patient lying in the back. Didn't know our crew were military trained and unwilling to cooperate. The patient got to the US okay, but we now have orders to not go in to local hospitals on retrievals unless it is clear that the patient cannot be moved without us. This sort of incident has happened to other crews going down there, as well. Some US based flight medical crews won't even go into Mexico anymore.
For what it is worth, we do NOT have these problems in the rest of Central and South America. Not even the cartel-ridden places like Columbia.
So, for now, my wife and I are not riding down into Mexico on any vacations.
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Tear Drop Shaped Vase with Painted Designs of Maidens, Cows, Swamp Plants, etc.
During the reign of Amunhotep III, light blue was the most popular color in the artist's palette; it may have been the King's favorite color. Craftsmen frequently decorated pots with cobalt blue paint. Some of the most complex examples depict marsh scenes, evoking the papyrus swamp from which the Egyptians believed the Creator god emerged at the so-called First Moment. Blue-painted ware has been found in houses, tombs, and temples.
- Medium: Clay, paint
- Place Made: Egypt
- Dates: ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E.
- Dynasty: XVIII Dynasty
- Period: New Kingdom
- Dimensions: 11 5/8 x Diam. of body 6 5/16 in. (29.6 x 16 cm) (show scale)
- Collections:Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
- Exhibitions:
- Accession Number: 59.2
- Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Rights Statement: Creative Commons-BY
- Caption: Tear Drop Shaped Vase with Painted Designs of Maidens, Cows, Swamp Plants, etc., ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E. Clay, paint, 11 5/8 x Diam. of body 6 5/16 in. (29.6 x 16 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 59.2. Creative Commons-BY
- Image:
- Catalogue Description: Terracotta vase, tear-drop shape, rounded base. Exterior decorated with series of registers of monochrome blue and lotus petals. Main registers in pale blue, black and red representing swamp scene, two girls in reed boats, one poling boat, the other gathers lotus flowers. Birds and jumping bulls as filler. Condition: Slight chip in rim. A few worn patches on painting, particularly on boat with kneeling girl.
- Record Completeness: Best (92%)

subset: commoncrawl


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The Harvard Law & Policy Review (HLPR) serves as the official journal of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and is published twice a year under the direction of Harvard Law students.
The review invites innovative approaches to policy challenges by providing a credible and prominent forum for substantive debate between progressive legal scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. HLPR is a nexus between the worlds of academia and practice, with a focus on promoting scholarship with practical application to societal challenges. Notable contributors have included Sen. Tom Udall on Senate rules reform, Sen. Charles Schumer on Congressional Power, Prof. Cass Sunstein on welfare policy, Prof. Goodwin Liu on the Supreme Court's ruling on voluntary school desegregation, former Attorney General Janet Reno and attorney Geoffrey M. Klineberg offering advice for the incoming Attorney General, Sen. Tom Daschle and Tom Inglesby, Director of the Center for Biosecurity, on national protection from biological threats, and Sen. Ted Kennedy on how to restore the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
The current issue of HLPR, along with past articles, is available here.


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16 -
Sarah Wetherbee
Canton, Mass.
High School:
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Team leader in points the past two seasons...After 76 career games is ranked first all-time for points in a game (7), points-season (47), career points (106), goals in a game (4), goals-season (15), career goals (53), assists-season (23), career assists (53)... On Feb. 9 vs. Amherst (2 assists) became the second Crusader woman to reach 100 career points.
As a freshman played in all 25 games having one of the best seasons ever by a Crusader by netting 24 goals and 23 assists and tying for team lead with 47 points...Named to All-ECAC East First Team.
Played in all 24 games her sophomore year leading the team in goals (14), assists (20) and total points (34)...Named to All-ECEC East First Team.
As a junior, skated in all 27 games last season scoring a team-high 15 goals with 10 assists for a team-high 25 points, including seven power plays goals, two short handed and two game winners...Posted two hat tricks...Was named to the All-ECAC East Second Team and ECAC All-Academic Team.
Before Holy Cross:
Played four season as a center at Canton High School under coach Don Callow...Also a member of the soccer and softball teams.
Sarah Jean Wetherbee...Born May 23, 1984...Daughter of Peter and Ann Wetherbee...Has one brother Patrick, 20...Majoring in English...College Honors Program, English Honors Society, Presidential Scholar.


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March 23, 2012
The Belle Brigade's "Where Not To Look For Freedom" Video Premiere on Paste!
Paste Magazine has the premiere of The Belle Brigade's brand new video for "Where Not To Look For Freedom"! Watch it now HERE.The band is also offering a free download of the song in exchange for your email address on their site. Get the song now and you're entered for a chance to win a shirt from the video!
Be the first to post a comment


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Farmers in Rift Valley are worried the government's delay to import subsidised fertiliser will hurt their harvest.
The farmers have asked the government to directly import the fertiliser following a debt dispute at the National Cereals and Produce Board which has made it impossible for the board to import the Sh2 billion fertiliser.
Cereals Growers Association, Kenya Farmers Association and the Kenya National Farmers Union officials yesterday warned the delayed importation of the fertilser may delay the planting season for most farmers.
"The Agricultural Finance Corporation has already given out loans to farmers to buy farm inputs, but if they don't get the fertiliser, planting will be delayed and this may lead to farmers making losses and being unable to repay their loans," said KFA managing director Kipkorir Menjo.
He was with CGA's Sila Tiren and Musa Barno from the KNFU. The officials said the government should not wait for the NCPB to import fertiliser "because by the time they do it it may be too late."
They pleaded with the state to import the fertiliser instead and use KFA to distribute it to farmers. The NCPB is embroiled in a dispute with Erad Suppliers, which is demanding Sh500 million after it won a court case over a cancelled tender to supply maize to the board in 2004.
Auctioneers have attached the board's accounts in an effort to recover the money. A court is to rule on the matter this week. The dispute has led to delays by NCPB to import the fertiliser which it had already ordered from abroad.
NCPB managing director Gideon Misoi was yesterday unavailable for comment, while the board's spokesman Evans Wasike declined to comment on the matter.
The farmers representatives said the government should stop focusing on the elections only, "but also consider the plight of the farmers".
"The country will require food after the polls," said the farmers. The farmers are worried if the government does not not import the fertiliser in good time, middle men will hike the prices.
"We need the government to deal with this issue as a matter of urgency because it may snowball into a big crisis," said Tiren. Many farmers have already began preparing their farms for the plantings season which is expected to start mid-March.


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Comfort Sought in a Food Item May be Unhealthy-
-but sometimes necessary. Started to make a long list of all the reasons leading to this desire and changed my mind.
You fill in the blank _______________________________________________
I'd been thinking about a grilled cheese sandwich for weeks.
Like a Squirrel Gathering Nuts for the Winter
Wednesday's mail was waiting when I got home late. A box!
A box of yarn arrived from Web*sters in Ashland, Oregon. Silk Blend. 70% Merino wool and 30% silk. Manos del Uruguay. I've plans to knit my way through the freezing season. So soft and the colors like jewels.
Magenta, Aster, Dark Cherry. I love the names of the colorways.
Spolier alert: Knitty City Horizontal Cowls (link to their free pattern) for gifts.
I've made three already. Oh and an attempt for a circle scarf from a different yarn (the gray)
It can't just post comfort food.
I like this particular pattern cause the circular knitting goes around and around and around, getting me to a peaceful place, sucking out my anxiety, making me calm. Trying not to notice the sun setting earlier already.
My Go-To Comfort Food
Comfort food.
"Comfort foods may be consumed to positively pique emotions, to relieve negative psychological effects or to increase positive feelings.[4] The term was first used, according to Webster's Dictionary, in 1977." Wikipedia
A topic I study and explore from time to time. Take a poll.
In fact, i asked this question just last December.
I was with a friend on Saturday and we were talking about eating in response to stress.
His choice? a pint of Ben and Jerry's (i forget which flavor)
It's a new school year.
Grilled cheese on stove and plate below.
"Comfort food is traditionally eaten food which often provides a nostalgic or sentimental feeling to the person eating it,[1] frequently with a high carbohydrate level and a simple preparation.[2] The nostalgic element most comfort food has, may be specific to either the individual or a specific culture.[3]" Wikipedia
Yes, that is a slice of summer tomato on Laura's Birthday grilled cheese dinner. I asked her what she would like me to make for her birthday (they were in town for Celeste and Shawn's wedding weekend)
This is Kryptonite to My Son
I really wanted to grate some fresh nutmeg again.
As I left Ohio for home, I stopped off at Kroger and saw this in the dairy case. Thought I'd give it a try when I got home to Pittsburgh. My mother used to make homemade eggnog before anyone talked about salmonella and the risks of consuming raw egg. Mark feels the same way about mayonnaise. It just disgusts him.
Goes down easy for me. Comfort. Silky smooth.
I grated the wonderful little nutmeg that has the most intricate design inside. Maybe the eggnog needs some more fat in it.
Lowfat eggnog? One good thing about this particular brand is it did not have that fake-o rum flavor.
And now I'm settling down for the winter's nap to rest for the last week of school before the break.
The little hand painted glass is from that fun gift shop I blogged about , the shop in Lawrenceville named Divertido
Yes, the nutmeg kept just fine on the shelf in a bag. I love looking at the interior design of it. And the smell of it when you are graing it is so inviting. The eggnog intoxicating without a drop of spirits.
What's Your Guilty Pleasure Comfort Food? One of a series…..
Okay, it's not good for you. I know it! Beanie Weenies.
Here's the recipe. Cut a package of hot dogs like coins.
Throw in pan and turn up the gas flame.
Open can of beans
and pour over sizzling "meat".
Simmer and serve.
Buttered toast on the side optional.
Yep, it's dark outside, every day getting shorter and shorter and the winter looms. (actually today felt like Spring so let me think of a different excuse)
It's easy. You have it in the house and don't have to go to the store.
And you have a taste for something simple that isn't good for you. It's on your mind.
My friend said you can go through a lot, getting to what you wanted in the first place.
Make it, eat it, be aware it isn't a healthy choice.
My vegan, veg, Paleo, Primal, non-processed food, gourmet bloggers, and real- food conscious friends and family will have to avert their eyes today.
I think it is the lighting from the range hood that gives it the unreal color cast. I hope.
Almost ready. Don't read any labels. Enjoy.
Put your knitting aside. Try to not spill supper onto fleece robe and plaid pajamas.
I've Been Making Jamie Oliver's Recipe – Baked Orecchiette – 4 Years Now!
Some blog readers say they just look at my picture of the day and don't bother reading what I write. They are "visual".
The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is debatable some days. The number varies. On Thursday, a freshly pressed blogger suggested using photos you find on blogs to inspire writing and mentioned my blog as a resource which was flattering. I love the idea of my photos being a writing prompt.
The New York City sidewalk image of the pizza box and the pair of shoes was a recent example that triggered some one-sentence short story writing!
Today's post is experimenting with a new feature- distraction free writing- initiated by smart people at wordpress.com. I'm checking it out even if everyone stopping by is just looking at the photo of the day!
This baked pasta recipe was in the newspaper more than four years ago and I have been making it ever since. I haven't looked at the recipe in a long time but decided to search my email and the year 2007 came up. I also discovered the author of the recipe was Jamie Oliver. Four years ago I didn't even know who Jamie Oliver was. Since it is his recipe I will send you to his page to find it and he calls it baked pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella (pasta al forno con pomodori e mozzarella)
My mother always said to buy the best ingredients and do as little to them as possible. The best ingredients you need are fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese (no green-can-shaker-cheese!).
You can make the sauce in about twenty minutes and use the best quality San Marzano tomatoes just as he suggests. I've made it with fresh tomatoes, too.
This photograph was taken in my daughter-in-law's (and son's) kitchen. My son says don't call the pasta "little ears" (orecchiette) as it grosses him out. "Call it pasta. Just plain pasta." The four grandchildren call it pizza noodles!
And if there are any leftovers, it tastes even better the next day.
Comfort food.
Different choices
for different people
and occasions.
Chilly and rainy?
Bake and cook.


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What I'm Reading
Well, late Tuesday night, I turned to my husband, staring over page 167 of The Fantastic Family Whipple and said, "I have to move on." He didn't know what I was talking about, and I could hardly believe what I was saying, but I explained my thoughts. I have a ton of books from BEA that I need to read and review and this particular book is holding me up for reasons I cannot explain. It is not a bad book, but it just hasn't hooked me. The only thing I can think of is that I don't really like the protagonist's family because they are always so hard on him and, considering the book is mostly about them (see title), I am not driven forward. I will come back to this book, that I know, but in the meantime, I have to move one.
So, in other news, I am in audiobook heaven! I have been flying through my review copy of The Cuckoo's Calling, which has been a lot of fun.
Burn for Burn review)! I am really looking forward to starting that.
Writing a List Post for Your Blog, and today I did a review of one of my favorite writing tools of all time, The Writer's Toolbox. Here on Rivera Runs Through It, I shared my tips for getting started reading graphic novels and yesterday I listed my top 10 books that take place in New York.
That's it in a nutshell for me. Hopefully I will have a healthier end of week this week than last (I don't know if you noticed, but I went radio silent again on Thursday and Friday. My barometer brain didn't like the rain, so it gave me pain.)
Now it's your turn...


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Product Specs
Product Description
Check favor tags off of your to do list with these personalized holiday themed favor tags. These square tags come in multiple designs. Just choose your theme and then add a custom message or name for a special touch. Punch a hole and string each tag through with ribbon to finish off party favors or gifts!


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Opening October 3rd
The latest temporary exhibit will provide a glimpse into the shrimping industry locally by looking back at it's history, and looking toward the future. It will feature images, artifacts, and videos which will help tell the story. Children will not want to miss the photo opportunity afforded with our shrimp boat cabin mock-up.
I must go down to the sea again, To the lonely sea and sky, And all I ask is a tall ship, And a star to steer her by… John Masefield, 1902
North, South, East, West. The cardinal directions are a constant in our lives, but journey back to a time before direction. On land direction can be established by referring to a mountain, towards the sun, or away from the sea. Now place yourself in the middle of the Atlantic. What do you see? Ocean, sky…now head West. How would you know where to go?
These are the conditions early explorers faced.
Until the invention of electronic navigation equipment in the past 100 years, the stars have been the guiding factor in the creation of navigational tools. Devices such as the Cross Staff and the Astrolabe evolved from instruments used for the practice of astronomy, the study of the universe based on the behavior of astronomical objects. Explorers learned to use those same tools to measure the distance between the horizon line and the North Star, providing them with their location in an infinite ocean.
As expeditions traveled farther, the accurate measure of time became of great importance to maritime navigators. While latitude (North to South) could be accurately measured, the precise measure of longitude (East to West) is not calculated until the late 18th century with the invention of the Chronometer, a precise time keeping devise that could withstand the humidity and movement of an ocean voyage.
Journey through the timeline of maritime navigational tools and place yourself in the path of the explorers.


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This could get awkward. We need to stop burning fossil fuels to avoid the risk of dangerous climate change. But limiting the amount we can burn will take a chunk out of the global economy.
A non-binding international agreement is in place to try to limit global warming to 2 °C. If it is to be honoured, we can only burn about a quarter of the planet's existing fossil fuel reserves.
A new report from the Carbon Tracker Initiative says this would slash the value of the biggest energy companies by between 40 and 60 per cent, because they have invested billions of dollars in exploring untapped resources.
Tick tock
In effect, investors have created a "carbon bubble" by ploughing money into fossil fuel reserves that should not be exploited.
The economic damage could be minimised if any climate agreement was phased in gradually, says Aled Jones of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK. "The problem is we're running out of time," he says, so such a plan needs to be agreed soon. If an emissions limit was imposed suddenly, Jones says it would spark a global economic crisis.
Oil-exporting countries have long been aware of this problem. Since the 1990s, states like Saudi Arabia have been arguing that any climate agreement should compensate them, as they will not be able to sell their valuable fossil fuel reserves.
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.


text: If an honours project involves video editing then we currently provide you with an external hard drive and you have access to the school's edit suites. There are currently 11 fully equipped Final Cut Studio suites and honours students can book them for up to six hours at a time. To book them you use the edit suite booking sheets in the basement of Building 6, and the Labsome studio stamp that lives on the bookshelves in the studio. The stamp is necessary because undergraduate students can only book for three hours at a time, so the stamp 'authorises' your six hour bookings.


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David Caywood still remembers the memorandum of understanding that almost settled the 1968 sanitation workers strike before Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two years ago, Sen. Bob Corker wondered aloud whether the standstill Senate was worth a grown man's time.
Now the combination of Republicans' political fortunes in last November's elections and brutal terrorism overseas have put the two-term Tennessee lawmaker in the limelight. He heads the Foreign Relations Committee and is in charge of the weightiest question to ever face members of Congress: whether to authorize war.
NEW YORK (AP) – The milk industry is fed up with all the sourness over dairy.
As Americans continue turning away from milk, an industry group is pushing back at its critics with a social media campaign trumpeting the benefits of milk. The association says it needs to act because attitudes about milk are deteriorating more rapidly, with vegan groups, non-dairy competitors and other perceived enemies getting louder online.
Majority and minority are volatile terms in Memphis.
Using them in a context outside race requires an explanation because without that, the assumption is the terms are being used in a racial context.
Ronald A. Walter, president and general manager of WREG-TV, has been chosen to receive AAF Memphis' 2015 Silver Medal, the highest form of individual recognition given by local chapters of the American Advertising Federation. The annual award, which honors an exceptional leader for a career of outstanding accomplishment and contribution in the industry, will be presented at AAF Memphis' luncheon Jan. 29 at 11:30 a.m. at Memphis Botanic Garden.
General Motors' Spring Hill plant is firmly entrenched with the United Auto Workers.
In fact, it might not have retooled and started assembling vehicles again without the union's efforts.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A top Republican in the Tennessee General Assembly expects his colleagues to approve the state share of a $300 million incentive package for Volkswagen despite misgivings over a "secret deal" for the United Auto Workers union at the German automaker's plant in Chattanooga.
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Does anyone just watch TV anymore? The dramatic shift toward online and mobile viewing is driving television set makers to design as much for streaming video as for watching broadcast or cable channels.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – As a Mexican-American woman who started her own consulting firm in Los Angeles, accountant Sonia Luna has taken advantage of programs aimed at helping minority- and women-owned businesses compete for government and corporate contracts. But increasingly, the fact that Luna also is a lesbian entrepreneur hasn't hurt either.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Cargill aims to sell more corn and soybeans. MasterCard covets another site for Americans to swipe credit cards. Marriott sees beachfront property that needs hotels.
And outside Orlando, Florida, Danny Howell just knows there would be demand for his classic Chevrolet parts.
MIAMI (AP) – The coveted Cuban cigar is set to make its first legal appearance in the U.S. in years, with relaxed guidelines allowing American travelers to return with a few of the once-forbidden items in their suitcases. But the cigars won't roll into stores just yet, and owners say they aren't worried about any dip in business.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) – In rival camps located about a mile apart, both supporters and opponents of the United Auto Workers' efforts to unionize their first foreign auto plant in the South say a new labor policy at the Volkswagen factory is going to help them.
"I Choose Memphis" spotlights Memphians who are passionate about calling this community home. New Memphis Institute provides the profiles.
Name: Philipp von Holtzendorff-Fehling
The 2014 election year began in January with dissent from the floor.
At the end of the Shelby County Democratic Party's annual Kennedy Day fundraiser in January, former Memphis City Council member and state Rep. Carol Chumney, who was not among the speakers, challenged the party establishment from her table to do more to support women running for office.
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. services firms expanded more slowly in October, but the pace of growth was still healthy. Hiring also rose to the fastest pace in more than nine years.
The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that its services index dropped to 57.1 in October, down from 58.6 in September. That was the second straight drop after the index had risen steadily since February to 59.6 in August, the highest in eight years. Any reading over 50 indicates expansion.
Andrea Hill has been named manager of Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association's COOL (College Offers Opportunities for Life) program, which provides higher education counseling, life skills training and mentorship opportunities to 11th- and 12th-graders from G.W. Carver and Booker T. Washington High Schools. Hill previously worked as director of volunteer services for Cool Girls Inc. in Atlanta.
Mirimichi is a Native American word that means "place of happy retreat."
Now that global entertainment icon Justin Timberlake and his family have sold their happy local retreat, Mirimichi Golf Course, to a local group for $500,000, the new owners have an opportunity to increase the number of holes and tournaments played at the course, which underwent a massive $16 million renovation.
NEW YORK (AP) – Hotels don't want guests to have to linger at the front desk – or even stop by at all.
New programs are helping speed up the check-in process for busy travelers, or in at least one case, letting them go straight to their rooms by using their smartphone to unlock doors.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Just as the U.S. job market has finally strengthened, the Federal Reserve now confronts a new worry: A sputtering global economy that's spooked investors across the world.
Kirkland Bible has joined family law firm Shea Moskovitz & McGhee as an associate. In her new position, Bible will represent clients in a variety of family law matters, including divorce, post-divorce and child custody matters.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The 2008 government bailout of American International Group Inc. was specifically designed to punish the insurance giant, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in U.S. court Monday.
Landscape architecture firm Ritchie Smith Associates has been honored for its design of the pedestrian plaza at Memphis International Airport.
The Honor Award from the Tennessee Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects was presented this month at the group's annual meeting in Chattanooga.
LAS VEGAS (AP) – U.S. casinos and the makers of the games found inside had a $240 billion economic impact and employed 1.7 million people in 2013, a study shows.
That includes $38 billion in local, state and federal taxes the industry said it paid last year in gambling fees, property taxes, income taxes and more. Unlike prior studies, the report included the impact tribal gambling and some legal online gaming has had on the economy.
A prominent Memphis realty company has expanded its presence in East Memphis. Marx-Bensdorf Realtors has grown in the office building at 5860 Ridgeway Loop Blvd. by 526 square feet, bringing its total to 4,653 square feet.
Memphis International Airport, in the midst of reinventing itself as an origin-and-destination airport, is looking for some help telling its story.
The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority is seeking a marketing and public relations firm to help get the word out about the transformation.
The developer behind a proposed McDonald's on Highland Avenue near the University of Memphis is making another attempt at the project.
According to the most current site plan, the 5,353-square-foot restaurant building is situated along the sidewalk on Highland and a looping drive-thru proposed earlier has been replaced with one that runs along the eastern side of the building.
Investing in airlines has long been the butt of jokes, especially when many U.S. carriers traipsed through bankruptcy court in the past decade.
Now riding a post-merger tide of higher fares and stable fuel costs, those same airlines are piling up profits – and sharing the newfound riches with investors.
Beale Street Landing seems an unlikely choice as a cornerstone, considering its troubled path to completion.
At this point, it's almost a motto – not on time and over budget, and by a lot on both counts.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States wants to restart a cybersecurity working group that China shut down after the U.S. indicted five Chinese military officers on charges of hacking into American companies' computers to steal trade secrets.
NEW YORK (AP) – Microsoft Corp. and four other large American technology companies are using a Manhattan court case to draw a line in the cloud, saying the U.S. government has no right to seize computer data stored outside the country.
It's perhaps fitting that the Germantown Performing Arts Center celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with Paul Chandler as its executive director, a job he's had for almost two years now.
The Germantown Charity Horse Show will be held Tuesday, June 3, through Saturday, June 7, at 7745 Poplar Pike. Visit gchs.org for a schedule.
Here's a snapshot of recent news and developments at some of the publicly traded companies based in Memphis, reflecting the influence these companies have and the shadows they cast both in Memphis and beyond, in industries that range from bioscience to banking.
Frozen food makers plan to launch their first national TV ad in defense of their products on Tuesday as the category fights to boost slipping sales.
The ad will include the tag line "Frozen: How Fresh Stays Fresh" and is intended to address negative misconceptions people have about frozen foods.
The Volvo Group will build a massive new distribution center in Byhalia, Miss., that should employ around 250 people.
The 1 million-square-foot distribution center will support the company's Mack, Volvo and UD truck brands, as well as Volvo Construction Equipment and Volvo Penta.
The ad will include the tag line "Frozen: How Fresh Stays Fresh" and is intended to address negative misconceptions people have about frozen foods.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Airlines are taking in less money from bag fees than they did two years ago, but they are making up for it by adding charges for a slew of extras, including getting a decent seat.
Angela Aghabeg has joined temporary staffing and executive search firm Gateway Group Personnel as controller. In her new role, Aghabeg is responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of the general ledger and compliance with governmental reporting requirements and tax filings. She also is accountable for compiling historical and current data and financial records and preparing monthly financial statements for analysis and projections.
Methodist South Hospital will host a stroke support group meeting for survivors and caregivers Monday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. in the outpatient rehabilitation center, 1251 Wesley Drive, suite 141. Occupational therapists Maggie Lewis and Patricia Morgan will present "Occupational Therapy: Living life to its fullest." Email firstname.lastname@example.com or email@example.com.
B.I.G. for Memphis, a business interest group that connects Memphis Police colonels and business leaders, will meet Wednesday, March 26, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Phelps Security, 4932 Park Ave. Laura Vaughn, community chapter executive for the American Red Cross, will present "Creating Resiliency Through Preparedness." Visit phelpssecurity.com.
Southwest Airlines could expand service to Memphis if it gets access to two more gates at Love Field in Dallas.
Southwest said Monday it would begin 20 flights to 12 new nonstop cities out of Dallas Love Field, including Memphis, in late 2014 if it gets two gates that American Airlines must vacate because of its merger with US Airways.
Assistant Shelby County District Attorney General Kevin Rardin is leaving for Liberia next month for a week of trial advocacy training in the African nation.
For Rardin it is his latest venture in parts of the world with different criminal justice systems or systems that are just forming.
The University of Memphis will host the Civil Rights in Memphis luncheon and panel discussion Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University Center Bluff Room, 499 University St. Visit memphis.edu/multiculturalaffairs for more information.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve agonized in 2008 over how far to go to stop a financial crisis that threatened to cause a recession and at times struggled to recognize its speed and magnitude.
The National Hispanic Professional Organization, Memphis chapter will meet Thursday, Feb. 13, at noon at the Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Rafael Durand, director of human resources at International Paper, will speak. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. Cost is free for members and $20 for nonmembers. Email nhpomemphis.us.
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Many experts believe online wagering is the future of gambling, but the casino industry is increasingly divided on the issue.
The latest evidence of the split came Monday as the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling launched the first commercial in a six-figure campaign warning of the dangers of legalized Internet gambling. The coalition is emphasizing the possibility that criminals and terrorists may use online gambling to launder money.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Global thirst for Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey caused exports to spike beyond $1 billion for the first time ever in 2013, a distilled spirits trade group said Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama's plan to raise the minimum wage for federally contracted workers is winning praise from unions and labor activists, but it could take a year or more before any hikes take place and the impact may not be as widespread as some advocates had hoped.
The Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau forecasts 2014 to be a banner year, thanks to increased consumer confidence with leisure travelers and a booking pace for conventions, meetings and sporting events that is easily outpacing last year.
It's a new year and, like many people, business leaders are also resolving to make some personal and professional improvements.
A global look at company management trends reveals that an increasing number of executives are going the extra mile to up their A games, particularly in a shaky economy. Memphis is no exception. Locally as well as internationally, the executive coaching industry is thriving.
Elizabeth Slade has been promoted to public relations manager at Gold Strike Casino Resort. In her new role at the MGM Resorts International property, Slade will lead in developing and executing integrated marketing communication plans with components such as media relations, social media strategy, community partnerships and brand management.
NEW YORK (AP) – The Federal Communications Commission might be ready to permit cellphone calls in flight. But what about the airlines?
Old concerns about electronics being a danger to airplane navigation have been debunked. And airlines could make some extra cash charging passengers to call a loved one from 35,000 feet. But that extra money might not be worth the backlash from fliers who view overly chatty neighbors as another inconvenience to go along with smaller seats and stuffed overhead bins.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The top Democratic tax writer in the Congress is trying to jumpstart stalled efforts to rewrite the nation's tax laws. But he is running into the same kind of partisan roadblocks that plague most major initiatives in Washington.
Olymbec USA LLC has snatched up two more key Memphis properties, including the 1.8 million-square-foot Bellbrook industrial park.
Delta Air Lines considers itself a "low-cost carrier" that should be able to apply for the slots and gates US Airways Group Inc. and American Airlines are giving up as part of their merger settlement agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department says it has reached an agreement to allow American Airlines and US Airways to merge, creating the world's biggest airline.
The agreement requires the airlines to scale back the size of the merger at Washington's Reagan National Airport and in other big cities.
World-renowned as a logistics and distribution hub, Memphis will further raise its profile this month with events that showcase the city's transportation assets and standing in the global economy.
In-Synk and The Daily News will host a Leadership Lunch & Learn book review and discussion on Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead" Friday, Sept. 6, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Triumph Bank board room, 5699 Poplar Ave. Cost is $20. Visit seminars.memphisdailynews.com.
The Memphis City Council sent a proposed lease of Handy Park on Beale Street back to committee Tuesday, Sept. 3, for more discussion about the details.
And the council approved on the first of three readings a restoration of the city's solid waste fee to $25.05 a month. But there were conflicting explanations about which part of an overhaul of sanitation services the restoration of the fee is supposed to be aimed at.
Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper said the state joined the U.S. Justice Department and five other states in opposing the proposed $11 billion merger of U.S. Airways and American Airlines, because of the state's experience with past airline mergers.
Though the jump Brian Yoakum made at the beginning of August from The Biller Law Firm to Evans Petree PC was only a floor away, he saw a greater opportunity to broaden his practice areas and expand the services he could offer clients.
Graceland will present "Salute to Memphis Music," an Elvis Week concert featuring Memphis Jones and Brad Birkedahl, Monday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. on the Elvis Week main stage at Graceland, 3717 Elvis Presley Blvd. Tickets are $20. Visit elvis.com/elvisweek for more information.
Graceland will host the Elvis Week candlelight vigil Thursday, Aug. 15, at 8:30 p.m. at the gates of Graceland, 3717 Elvis Presley Blvd. Admission is free. Visit elvis.com/elvisweek for more information. More Elvis Week events are listed below.
The Internal Revenue Service is auctioning a Midtown building with an interesting history.
On Friday, Aug. 9, at the Shelby County Courthouse, the IRS will auction the building and a vacant lot at 319 Dr. M. L. King Jr. Drive and 323 Dr. M. L. King Jr. Drive. The minimum bid the IRS is seeking is $12,356. The IRS seized the building for nonpayment of IRS taxes due from Faith Village.
James Ady has joined Ballet Memphis as ballet master. In his new role, Ady will teach morning technique classes, assist with community outreach programs, and rehearse and coach dancers for upcoming performances.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Politicians and economists are straining to get a clearer view of what the economy will look like a year from now, when midterm political campaigns are heating up. Republicans see the glass as half empty; Democrats view it as half full. And the economists aren't sure.
NEW YORK (AP) – US Airways shareholders overwhelmingly approved a proposed merger with American Airlines, bringing the companies closer to creating the world's biggest airline.
The main hurdle now is a review by antitrust regulators at the U.S. Department of Justice. Concerns have been raised about the merger's impact on airfares, and the combined airline's potential dominance at Washington's Reagan National Airport.
National Hispanic Professional Organization-Memphis will meet Thursday, July 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. Nancy Coffee, president and CEO of the New Memphis Institute, will speak. Cost is free for members and $20 for nonmembers. R.S.V.P. to email@example.com or 466-6476.
The Memphis Chapter International Association of Administrative Professionals will meet Monday, July 8, at 6 p.m. at Memphis Marriott East, 5795 Poplar Ave. Monica Everrett, human resources training coordinator at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, will present "Dressing Smart." Cost is $22. R.S.V.P. to email@example.com or 419-4818.
The International Port of Memphis played host to a handful of influential guests Friday, June 21, just as the city and its partners are seeking a large federal grant to help expand the industrial area.
Christopher Blank has joined WKNO-FM, the Mid-South affiliate of National Public Radio, as news director. Blank, who has produced feature stories for the station since 2011, will oversee local news production for "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered."
The Daily News will present Literatini, benefiting Literacy Mid-South, Thursday, June 13, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Booksellers at Laurelwood, 387 Perkins Road Extended. The event will include martinis and food, an auction, live music and a wine pull. Tickets are $50 per person or $75 per couple. Visit literacymidsouth.org.
Site selection experts from six nationally known firms got a "red carpet tour" from the Greater Memphis Chamber Wednesday, June 5, in a recruitment effort that included a look at the industrial infrastructure of the Memphis area.
The city's tourism and travel industry is thriving as a one-of-a-kind destination for leisure and business travelers, but industry insiders believe a larger, technologically updated convention center is needed in years to come if Memphis wants to remain competitive in bringing larger groups to town.
CEO pay has been going in one direction for the past three years: up.
The head of a typical large public company made $9.7 million in 2012, a 6.5 percent increase from a year earlier that was aided by a rising stock market, according to an analysis by The Associated Press using data from Equilar, an executive pay research firm.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Fannie Mae said something Thursday that would have been unthinkable a few years ago: It earned a record $58.7 billion profit in the January-March quarter.
And it made clear it's on the cusp of repaying taxpayers for one of the most expensive bailouts of a single company in the financial crisis.
Business Over Coffee International will launch a six-part social media training class titled Weave Your Own Web on Thursday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the group's headquarters, 5865 Ridgeway Road, suite 300. Classes will continue the second Thursday of each month. Cost is free for members and first-time guests, and $10 for returning guests. Visit businessovercoffee.biz or call 820-4469.
Business Over Coffee International will launch a six-part social media training class titled Weave Your Own Web on Thursday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the group's headquarters, 5865 Ridgeway Road, suite 300. Classes will continue on the second Thursday of each month. Cost is free for members and first-time guests, and $10 for returning guests. Visit businessovercoffee.biz or call 820-4469.
Memphis Rotary Club will meet Tuesday, May 7, at noon at the University Club of Memphis, 1346 Central Ave. Jeremy Park, director of the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club, will discuss corporate philanthropy and community building. Cost is $18. R.S.V.P. to Taylor Hughes at email@example.com.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama on Thursday chose two old friends with corporate executive experience for top posts on his economic team, naming longtime fundraiser Penny Pritzker as Commerce secretary and adviser Michael Froman as U.S. Trade Representative.
Andy Wright has joined Memphis-based Magna Bank as senior vice president and manager of commercial banking. Wright, who previously held senior vice president positions at Iberiabank and First Tennessee Bank, has experience working with a variety of industries, with in-depth expertise in the transportation and logistics industries.
The Memphis Chapter International Association of Administrative Professionals will meet Monday, April 8, at 6 p.m. at Memphis Marriott East, 5795 Poplar Ave. Tammie Vogel of International Paper will present "Where Do I Fit? Admins in a Team Environment." Cost is $22. R.S.V.P. to firstname.lastname@example.com or 752-6213.
In-Synk and The Daily News will host a Leadership Lunch & Learn about Daniel Pink's book "To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others" Friday, April 5, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Triumph Bank board room, 5699 Poplar Ave. Cost is $20. Register at in-synksellhuman.eventbrite.com.
With sequestration at the one-month mark in Washington, the two congressmen representing Memphis in the nation's capital offered differing views on the ongoing automatic federal government spending cuts as a result of a lack of a budget agreement.
The Cotton Museum will host Patrick O'Daniel, discussing his book "When the Levee Breaks: Memphis and the Mississippi Valley Flood of 1927," Thursday, March 28, at 5 p.m. at the museum, 65 Union Ave. Cost is free and includes a complimentary museum tour and reception. Visit memphiscottonmuseum.org.
Memphis' oldest continuously practicing law firm is expanding its presence in Triad III.
Apperson Crump PLC added 2,037 square feet to its seventh floor space in a vacant adjacent area between Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Flight attendants, pilots, federal air marshals and even insurance companies are part of a growing backlash to the Transportation Security Administration's new policy allowing passengers to carry small knives and sports equipment like souvenir baseball bats and golf clubs onto planes.
The old adage "loaded for bear" is fitting for a new full-service branding agency that's emerged on the Memphis advertising landscape.
"We came up with Loaded for Bear after stepping back and looking at the Memphis creative landscape and what our goals were, which are to prove that great creative can happen in a 'creative wilderness' such as Memphis, but also to help our clients be prepared for anything," said managing director Joel Halpern. "That is where the term came from, an old hiker's saying that means going off in the prepared for the worst case scenario, or a bear."
Justin Fink has joined Diamond Cos., an International truck dealership holding company, as senior vice president, truck sales. In the new role, Fink oversees new and used truck sales, and helps develop programs and processes to grow customer relationships, sales and profits.
The 37th annual Memphis in May International Festival is a salute to Sweden, a country whose climate differs greatly from the host town but perhaps has some parallels in its rich history.
"The joke about Sweden is that nobody's really from Sweden except for the Vikings and they're long gone," said Diane Hampton, executive vice president of Memphis in May. "But they all came there from other places. It's kind of a melting pot of cultures as well – and a cold melting pot."
Memphis City Council members approved Tuesday, Feb. 19, plans for a tourism development zone to capture sales tax revenue in a large area for a renovation of the Fairgrounds property at first.
The boundaries of the zone go to the state for approval and city Community and Housing Development division director Robert Lipscomb said such a proposal could be at the state building commission in Nashville in April.
NEW YORK (AP) – Sometimes, the devil is in the deals. Americans shopped the winter clearance racks in January, resulting in strong sales during the month for retailers.
But spending is expected to slow as the deals dry up heading into the spring, and Americans digest rising gas prices and a 2 percent payroll tax hike that started in January.
Phrases used to describe Cynthia Ham at the Thursday, Jan. 24, American Advertising Federation Memphis meeting included "the Memphis enthusiast," "the art-aholic," "the hostess/entertainer," "a local celebrity" and even "a pushy broad."
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama has saluted the outgoing Timothy Geithner as one of the best U.S. Treasury secretaries ever. He's surely been among the most contentious.
Not since the Great Depression had an administration inherited so many grave financial threats at once. To many, Geithner deserves credit for helping steady the banking system and helping restore investor confidence. Yet his toughest critics say Geithner's policies consistently favored big banks over ordinary struggling Americans.
Ally Guscette has been promoted to sales representative at Germantown-based brand-marketing firm P.O.P. Solutions Group LLC. In her new role, Guscette will help businesses develop brand awareness through promotional products, press kits, print materials and point-of-purchase displays. She joined the company in 2011 as part of a sales team and begins Germantown Leadership training this month.
DETROIT (AP) – Toyota has once again dethroned General Motors as the world's top-selling automaker.
The Japanese company sold 9.7 million cars and trucks worldwide in 2012, although it's still counting. GM sold 9.29 million.
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will host student loan expert Heather Jarvis Tuesday, Jan. 8, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the school's Wade Auditorium, 1 N. Front St. Jarvis' seminar is part of a workshop for second- and third-year law students. Visit memphis.edu/law for details.
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by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


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Critical Review by John Finlay
SOURCE: "N. Scott Momaday's Angle of Geese," in The Southern Review, Louisiana State University, Vol. XI, No. 3, Summer, 1975, pp. 658-61.
In the following review, Finlay offers a stylistic and thematic description of Angle of Geese, praising the volume as Momaday's best work.
N. Scott Momaday's reputation, before Angle of Geese, rested upon two works of prose, House Made of Dawn, a novel concerned with the dislocation and eventual disintegration of an Indian youth in urban America (parts of which were first published in The Southern Review), and The Way to Rainy Mountain, a half-mythical, half-historical account of Momaday's Kiowa ancestors, beautifully illustrated by the poet's father. These two books are considerable achievements, especially The Way to Rainy Mountain, which contains some of the most powerful prose written in recent years, or any year, for that matter. Yet Angle of Geese, made up of eighteen poems, three of which are in prose, is by far the greatest thing Momaday has done and should, by itself, earn for him a permanent place in our literature. Considering, though, the general insistence upon the loose and the anecdotal in contemporary poetry, I should realistically add that Momaday's poetic reputation will probably be quiet and underground.
Nearly all of his poems are concerned with what Yvor Winters, in his discussion of Momaday in Forms of Discovery, calls "the essential wilderness," the post-Romantic landscape of modern, secular thought, inscrutable and divested of ethical values, against which the human act takes place. More often than not, this act is personified by an animal, but one that has become, in the poem, emblematic and applicable to human terms. Because Momaday realizes the ultimately philosophical implications of this wilderness, his poems end up as serious meditations on the absolute distinction between what he calls in the title poem "the pale angle of time," the informed world of identity and purpose, and the state of death and non-being, "the essential wilderness" that finally destroys that world. Like Bowers and the other post-Symbolist poets, his approach is through description permeated with philosophic awareness:
… this
cold, bright body
of the fish
upon the planks,
the coil and
crescent of flesh
just into death.
This theme is most perfectly realized in his greatest poem, "Before an Old Painting of the Crucifixion." On the one hand, there is the "critical expanse," operating in time and motivated by the human desire for "utterance" in art and religious thought; on the other, the nonhuman vacancy of a universe that completely frustrates that desire:
These centuries removed from either fact
Have lain upon the critical expanse
And been of little consequence. The void
Is calendared in stone; the human act,
Outrageous, is in vain. The hours advance
Like flecks of foam borne landward and destroyed.
The emotional control he is able to maintain in the face of this tragic perception, and with no religious belief to support him, is a measure of his greatness. The quietness and the concentration of the style reveal a mind that is as humanly fortified as it can be against the despair necessarily inherent in the subject.
In other poems this perception is less extreme. They are more concerned with the conditions of survival than with the inevitability of extinction. "The Bear," along with "Pit Viper," is an excellent example. The identity of the creature, worn down to the mere "fact of courage," holds itself together in the wilderness through an attitude of self-sufficient stoicism, a sort of expert indifference to the dangers always lurking behind the "countless surfaces" of the leaves. And in "Walk on the Moon," an epigram inspired by the Apollo mission, the emphasis is on the tentative human extension into and appropriation of the essentially nonhuman:
Extend, there where you venture and come back,
The edge of time. Be it your furthest track.
Time in that distance wanes. What is to be,
That present verb, there in Tranquility?
And other times he is capable, after the fact of annihilation, of a beautiful evocation of what he most loved in the past, the laughter and the old stories of his race, which is the subject of "Earth and I Gave You Turquoise," one of the most moving elegies in modern poetry:
Tonight they dance near Chinle
by the seven elms
There your loom whispered beauty
They will eat mutton
and drink coffee till morning
You and I will not be there
Finally, to give one an idea of the stylistic achievement evident throughout all of Angle of Geese, I should like to quote entire a poem entitled "Buteo Regalis":
His frailty discrete, the rodent turns, looks.
What sense first warns? The winging is unheard,
Unseen but as distant motion made whole,
Singular, slow, unbroken in its glide.
It veers, and veering, tilts board-surfaced wings.
Aligned, the span bends to begin the dive
And falls, alternately white and russet,
Angle and curve, gathering momentum.
What we have in this brief poem is a concise descriptive statement of a creature that knows its aim and lets nothing interfere with itself as it goes straight to the object. The intense concentration and power of the bird as it swoops down, "gathering momentum," upon the unprotected rodent, is unforgettable. The style also has the same concentration and singleness of purpose. The meter is syllabic, with no rhyme or rhetorical embellishments to enliven its "dryness," as J. V. Cunningham characterizes syllabic verse; the diction and word order as close to prose as is possible; and the tone of the poem is objective and matter-of-fact, each word quietly insistent upon its denotative value. Nothing stands out of the evenly controlled context. And the movement of the poem is lean and muscular. If for no other reason than for its style, Angle of Geese would be an important book for anyone seriously interested in what modern American poetry is still capable of.
This section contains 943 words
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Thermal Scavenging
Energy Conversion and Sensing with Multi-Functional Nanomaterials
Junqiao Wu (UCB) and Ramamoorthy Ramesh (UCB)
Nanoscale sensing of temperature, airflow, convection and sound is also at the heart of COINS' research missions. Vibrational and near-room temperature thermal energy harvesting is a promising source to power nanoscale sensors and mobile devices. We are working toward ultrasensitive, nanoscale sensing and energy conversion with a unique class of multi-functional nanomaterials.
These materials are based on vanadium dioxide (VO2), which shows a metal-insulator phase transition at 68oC coupled with a structural transition with a large spontaneous strain. Benefiting from the superior mechanical strength of nanomaterials, we have mapped and explored the phase diagram of VO2 over a range of strain ten times wider than previously attained. When a VO2 nanobeam is coupled with an inactive layer (Cr) forming a bimorph, it bends to large curvature in response to a small temperature difference, and oscillates at high frequencies in response to a weak wind flow. These device responses are derived from the electronic-structural phase transition and resultant domain dynamics in the microstructures, and demonstrate new concepts of sensing and energy harvesting using multi-functional nanomaterials. Watch the device in action here.
This work was performed under the auspices of the National Science Foundation by University of California Berkeley under Grant No. 0832819.
Left: Phase diagram of VO2 is mapped and explored over a range of strains one order of magnitude wider than previously attained. Right: large-curvature change in a Cr-coated VO2 microbeam in response to a small temperature variation, promising ultra-sensitive sensing and thermal/electro-mechanical energy conversion. An array of coherent M1 and R phase domains can be seen in the inset, which is critical for the high sensitivity.
Thermal Energy Scavenging
Unlike electrical resistivity, which can vary by more than 10^12 from insulators to metals, thermal conductivity varies by less than 10^4 from the best thermal conductors to the best thermal insulators. In addition, unlike typical field-effect transistors, which can change on-off resistances by more than 10^6, no devices have been shown to exhibit tunable thermal conductance. This lack of variability and tunability of phonon transport in materials is the main obstacle for heat management and further processing of phonons as information carriers, which in turn is crucial to accurately understand device performance. Zettl and Majumdar demonstrated that the thermal conductance of an individual multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) can be controllably and reversibly tuned by sliding the outer shells with respect to the inner core. The thermal conductance drops to 15% of the original value after extending the length of the MWCNT by 190nm. By controlling the thermal conductance in these materials, we set the stage to develop novel thermoelectrics made from nanoscale building blocks, with substantially higher figures of merit than present-day materials.
Enhancing Thermoelectric Performance
Approximately 90 per cent of the world's power is generated by heat engines that use fossil fuel combustion as a heat source and typically operate at 30–40 per cent efficiency, such that roughly 15 terawatts of heat is lost to the environment. Thermoelectric modules could potentially convert part of this low-grade waste heat to electricity. Their efficiency depends on the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of their material components, which is a function of the Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and absolute temperature. Over the past five decades it has been challenging to increase ZT above 1 since the parameters of ZT are generally interdependent. While nanostructured thermoelectric materials can increase ZT above 1, the materials (Bi, Te, Pb, Sb, and Ag) and processes used are not often easy to scale to practically useful dimensions. Here we report the electrochemical synthesis of large-area, wafer-scale arrays of rough Si nanowires that are 20–300nm in diameter. These nanowires have Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity values that are the same as doped bulk Si, but those with diameters of about 50nm exhibit 100-fold reduction in thermal conductivity, yielding ZT of 0.6 at room temperature. Although bulk Si is a poor thermoelectric material, by greatly reducing thermal conductivity withoutmuch affecting the Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity, Si nanowire arrays showpromise as high-performance, scalable thermoelectric materials.