By yohoe
I installed an exhaust fan and I’m currently trying to expand the light switch from a 1 to 2 gang (the new switch will be a timer). The current electricial box is a 1 gang handy box (round edges) and I tried the 2 gang old work PVC box but its too deep. The wall depth is 2″ but I can’t find a sallow enough “old work” box to get the job done.
Any opinions will help!
Thanks
Source: DoItYourself.com
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
New Molded M12 Right-Angle Connectors from Belden’s Lumberg Automation Brand Have 360° Shielding
Reliable data transmission even in extremely demanding environments
ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Belden Inc., a global leader in signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, has extended its Lumberg Automation product program in the Americas region to include new molded M12 male and female right-angle connectors with 360° shielding. These connectors permit the reliable transmission of analog and digital data, even in environments with strong electromagnetic fields. The connectors are available as either single-ended or double-ended cordsets for actuators/sensors, PROFIBUS and Ethernet cables, and connection cables. The angular design of the connectors facilitates quick installations, even where space is at a premium.
Product features include an operating temperature range of -25 °C to +85 °C, high shock and vibration resistance, and IP67, IP68 and IP69K ratings approvals. Capable of withstanding high-pressure/steam-jet cleaning, the male and female connectors can be used even in the harshest environmental conditions. Already including straight connectors with 360 degree shielding, the Lumberg Automation program can now provide an ideal M12 connection cable for actuators/sensors, passive distributors or PROFIBUS/Ethernet modules in almost any installation scenario.
For these new 360° shielded connectors, actuator/sensor connection cables can be obtained with four, five or eight poles. Depending on the version, the rated voltage is 30, 60 or 240 V AC/DC and the rated current is 4 or 8 A. Insulation resistance is >109 Ω for all versions. The connectors for PROFIBUS and Ethernet cordsets and connection cables are B or D coded, and have a rated current of 4 A and a rated voltage of 60 or 240 V AC/DC.
The molded body and housing are made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The insert is either of the same material (PROFIBUS cordsets) or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). The contacts are gold plated. The molded cables, made of PUR or PVC, are available in lengths of 2, 5, 10 and 15 meters. Other lengths are available on request.
According to Lumberg Automation Product Manager Hiyam Wakeem, product manager for Lumberg Automation, “For restricted space applications, these new right-angle connectors provide an efficient solution. The cables also stand up to the harshest environmental conditions with their patented shielding solution especially in EMC sensitive areas.”
For more information on Lumberg Automation M12 Right-Angle Connectors with 360° Shielding, download the Product Bulletin.
Lumberg Automation products are designed for dependable signal transmission …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Metabolix Signs Distribution and PHA Supply Agreements with Tianjin GreenBio Materials Co., Ltd.
Metabolix to Distribute Tianjin GreenBio’s SoGreen
™ Heat Shrink Film in the U.S. and Europe
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Metabolix, Inc. (NAS: MBLX) , an innovation-driven bioscience company focused on delivering sustainable solutions for plastics, chemicals and energy, today announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Tianjin GreenBio Materials Co., Ltd. (“GreenBio”), a biomaterials company based in Tianjin, China. Under the terms of the agreement, Metabolix will distribute GreenBio’s SoGreen™ heat shrink film in Europe and will be the exclusive distributor in the Americas. In addition to a distribution relationship, Metabolix and GreenBio have also signed a supply agreement for PHA biopolymers. Under the arrangement, GreenBio will supply PHA resins to Metabolix, which will extend the range and availability of the Company’s PHA products.
“Tianjin GreenBio has developed a heat shrink film based on PHA biopolymers. This product complements our product slate aimed at film and bag applications and we expect will be of interest to customers in the U.S. and Europe seeking biobased materials and biodegradable performance,” said Bob Engle, vice president, business and commercial development, biopolymers, at Metabolix. “With products and technology that are complementary, the distribution and PHA supply agreements mark a first step toward potentially working with Tianjin to develop additional PHA biopolymer products.”
Tianjin GreenBio offers two grades of heat shrink film that are used to bind together items for packaging, shipping, and storage. One SoGreen product is designed to replace non-compostable PVC film often used to package boxed goods, software and other non-edible products. The other is designed to replace softer polyethylene films, also not compostable and often used for wrapping multiple items, often bulky and irregular in shape, such as packs of bottled water. The SoGreen heat shrink film resins (2001 and 3001) are certified by DIN CERTCO to meet the EN 13432 standard for compostable plastics.
“We are excited to work with Metabolix to gain greater exposure for our products in the Americas and Europe,” said Dr. Lu Weichuan, chairman and president of Tianjin GreenBio. “Metabolix has extensive experience in biopolymers, and we look forward to working together to build the market for PHA-based biopolymer products.”
About Tianjin GreenBio Materials Co., Ltd.
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Metabolix Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2012 Financial Results
Expands Sources of Biopolymer Supply; Provides Update on Biopolymer Manufacturing
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Metabolix, Inc. (NAS: MBLX) , an innovation-driven bioscience company delivering sustainable solutions to the plastics, chemicals and energy industries, today reported financial results for the three months and full year ended December 31, 2012.
“We executed well on our strategy in the fourth quarter and achieved operational milestones in each of our business areas,” said Richard P. Eno, President and Chief Executive Officer. “In biopolymers, we grew product shipments in the fourth quarter through sales to repeat and new customers. We also launched our next-generation certified compostable film product, MveraTM B5008, and began shipping I6001, a biobased polymeric modifier for PVC. We also announced today that we have signed agreements with Tianjin GreenBio Materials, a leading PHA supplier located in China, under which we will distribute Tianjin’s heat shrink film in the U.S. and Europe, and they will supply Metabolix with PHA biopolymer resins.”
Mr. Eno continued, “Under our manufacturing demonstration phase agreement, technology transfer to Antibióticos is essentially complete. However, we are aware that Antibióticos is in a process of financial restructuring, and our ability to obtain biopolymer product from Antibióticos will depend on the outcome of that restructuring. We continue to believe that the size and location of the Antibióticos facility, as well as the expertise of its technical personnel, are well suited to our current manufacturing needs. We are in the process of negotiating a commercial contract with Antibióticos so that if they achieve a satisfactory conclusion of their financial issues, we would be in position to move ahead rapidly with commercial production.”
“We will continue to build our supply chain, and through our engagement with Tianjin GreenBio as a PHA supplier, we have the potential to develop and commercialize additional PHA biopolymer products. In addition, we have initiated a feasibility study to define our priorities for a low-cost manufacturing site for long-term commercial scale production of biopolymers and potentially biobased chemicals. Our commercial strategy is to build a presence in key markets that will enable us to base-load a future low-cost plant,” said Mr. Eno.
FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2012 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
Metabolix manages its finances with an emphasis on cash flow. The Company …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Hasbro Named Among Ethisphere’s 2013 “World’s Most Ethical Companies” for Second Consecutive Year
Award recognizes exceptional ethical leadership across continents and industries
PAWTUCKET, R.I.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Global branded play leader Hasbro, Inc. (NAS: HAS) , has been recognized as one of The Ethisphere Institute’s “World’s Most Ethical Companies” (WME) for the second year in a row. Ethisphere received a record number of nominations for the 2013 WME list. Companies included on the 2013 list have distinguished themselves by implementing and maintaining an “outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices, and corporate social responsibility.”
“At Hasbro, we reaffirm our commitment to conducting business responsibly each and every day through the decisions we make and the actions we take for our company, for our consumers and for our world,” said Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner. “We are honored to be recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies, which serves a testament to our corporate values and the ethical leadership demonstrated by our employees around the world.”
Most recently, Hasbro’s commitment to responsible business practices can be seen through the company’s ongoing efforts in sustainable packaging innovation. In 2012, Hasbro announced plans to reduce materials used in product packaging for many of its highly popular global brands and, beginning in 2013, Hasbro will phase out PVC in new toy and game product packaging. Over the next two years, retailers and consumers will begin to see an even broader range of packaging efficiencies put in place across Hasbro’s brand portfolio, including redesigned disposable boxes and blister packs that use less material.
“Hasbro strives to set the bar for ethics and sustainability within our industry with a commitment to playing fair, making safe products, and making responsible choices across our business,” said Kathrin Belliveau, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility.
This is the seventh year Ethisphere has published the WME rankings. Ethisphere reviewed companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries and evaluated a record number of applications through in-depth research and multi-step analysis, naming the companies that surpassed their industry peers to this year’s World’s Most Ethical Companies list. The ranking methodology includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By MarketNewsVideo Axiall Corporation (AXLL) was upgraded by Citigroup (C) to buy as the company is likely to experience higher PVC margins. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Markets
Donatella Versace is having fun with portmanteaus. Her Fall 2013 collection is named “VUNK” – a mashup of Versace and punk – because the offering imagines what punk clothes would look like if the cultural movement had only just begun today.
While the house claims that “there’s no reference to the past” in this offering, there are still a few sentimental nods to the style’s ’90s days. Some garments were cut from fabrics like PVC or plaid, and some of the dresses appeared to be held together with long steel nails that echoed the famous safety-pin dress that Elizabeth Hurley caused a scandal with in 1994. (Lady Gaga revived the look when she was photographed in the same dress just last year.)
Some of the models also wore nails as earrings, or collars with razor blades dangling from chains. But if her accessories were extreme, Versace achieved a sort of elegant restraint with many of the actual garments here. Even the dresses covered in holes exhibited a cleanliness of line that can be hard to accomplish with solid fabric, and a color palette of white, black, red, and yellow kept things simple and graphically bold. And her timing couldn’t be better. By the time these clothes are delivered to stores, the Met’s upcoming exhibit Punk: Chaos to Couture will surely have brought punk back into the fashion conversation.
Cotton candy pinks and minty greens aren’t the kinds of hues one expects to see on a Fall runway, but then again, explained. By working that pastel palette into softly feminine silhouettes in fluttering silk and pearlized PVC, that mission was definitely accomplished.
But if featherweight dresses in ice cream hues sound a tad impractical for October’s frosty chill, don’t worry; Ilincic’s got you covered – literally. Cuddly fur coats and midi-length skirts in fuzzy chenille were plenty present too, as was a generous helping of crackly eggplant-colored neoprene.
A man who held a 5-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker for nearly a week before dying in a shootout with the FBI received “multiple gunshot wounds” to his body, a county coroner said Thursday.
Dale County Coroner Woodrow Hilboldt said he was allowed into the bunker in the southeastern Alabama community of Midland City on Wednesday evening. He pronounced 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes dead at 8:58 p.m.
“He had multiple gunshot wounds,” Hilboldt told The Associated Press. The coroner declined to say how many times Dykes had been shot or where the wounds were on his body. He said the body was taken to a state forensics laboratory in Montgomery for an autopsy.
The body was removed from the bunker Wednesday night, FBI agent Jason Pack said Thursday, hours after the FBI announced that it had found no more explosives on the property besides those that were discovered in a PVC pipe leading into the bunker and inside the bunker itself.
FBI Special Agent Paul Bresson said in an email late Wednesday that the technicians who scoured the 100-acre property in the days after the standoff ended had “completed their work and cleared the crime scene.”
“No additional devices were found,” he added.
Bresson said evidence-review teams are now sifting through the crime scene, a process that could take two to three more days. A shooting-review team from Washington also is reviewing the hostage-taking episode, which began Jan. 29 and ended Monday when Dykes was killed in a gunfight with the FBI‘s Hostage Rescue Team.
The team, which is the agency’s full-time counterterrorism unit, raided the bunker and rescued the 5-year-old boy, FBI spokesman Jason Pack said. Trained in military tactics and outfitted with combat-style gear and weapons, the group was formed 30 years ago in preparation for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
According to a U.S. official, about a dozen Navy Seabees, who specialize in naval construction, helped authorities build a mock-up of the bunker to plan the FBI assault. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the rescue effort, spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
Hilboldt, who got a close look at the bunker Wednesday night, described it as being about 6 feet-by-8 feet with an 8-foot-high plywood ceiling. The ceiling contained a 2-foot-by-2-foot hatch for a door and a ladder extending to the floor from the opening, Hilboldt said. The interior was lined with concrete blocks and the bunker contained only “makeshift” furniture, he said.
“There wasn’t much room,” Hilboldt said, adding that the officers who stormed the bunker “did good with what they had to work with.”
Hilboldt said the FBI already had removed many items from the bunker and conducted an inventory. He wouldn’t go into details about what was still there, such as toys that had been delivered to the child or electronic equipment.
Authorities said the standoff began a week ago Tuesday when Dykes boarded a bus full of children and gunned down driver Charles Albert Poland Jr. as Poland sought to protect the 21 children on board. According to officials, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
By John Johnson 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Jimmy Lee Dykes moved to a rural Alabama neighborhood on a rutted red clay road more than a year ago. It didn’t take long before he had developed a frightening reputation as a volatile man with anti-government views who threatened his neighbors at gunpoint and was viciously violent to wandering pets.
Multiple neighbors said Dykes, a 65-year-old retired truck driver, was the man suspected of boarding a school bus near his home, killing the driver and taking a 5-year-old boy hostage to begin a standoff that entered its second full day Thursday.
The neighborhood near Midland City, population 2,300, remained under siege after the Tuesday shooting, with the suspect and child holed up in a bunker-type shelter on the man’s property that was equipped with electricity, food and TV. Early Thursday, dozens of police cars and rental cars that had brought FBI agents to the site were gathered on the state highway at the clay road’s entrance. Some police officers milled about, guns holstered.
Homes on the road had been evacuated after authorities found what they believed to be a bomb on the property. SWAT teams earlier had taken up positions around the gunman’s property and police negotiators tried to win the kindergartener’s safe release.
The situation remained unchanged for hours as negotiators continued talking to the suspect, Alabama State Trooper Charles Dysart told a news conference late Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Sheriff Wally Olson said that authorities had “no reason to believe that the child has been harmed.”
Local TV station WDHN obtained a police dispatch recording of the moment officers first arrived at the site. On it, the officers are heard saying that they were trying to communicate with Dykes through a PVC pipe leading into the shelter.
Authorities gave no details of the standoff, and it was unclear if Dykes made any demands from the bunker, which resembled a tornado shelter.
State Rep. Steve Clouse, who met with authorities and visited the boy’s family, said the bunker had food and electricity, and the youngster was watching TV.
At one point, authorities lowered medicine into the bunker for the boy after his captor agreed to it, Clouse said.
The standoff began after school Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff Wally Olson said the man shot the bus driver several times when he refused to hand over the child. The gunman then took the boy away.
“As far as we know there is no relation at all. He just wanted a child for a hostage situation,” said Michael Senn, a pastor who helped comfort other traumatized children after the attack.
The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. Authorities say most of the students scrambled to the back of the bus when the gunman boarded and said he wanted two boys 6 to 8 years old.
But when the gunman went down the aisle, authorities said, Poland put his arm out to grab a pole near the front steps of the vehicle, trying to block the suspect. That’s when authorities say the driver was shot four times before the gunman grabbed one child and fled.
Asked about Dykes, neighbors said he was a man who once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a shotgun.
He had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning to answer charges he shot at his neighbors in a dispute last month over a speed bump.
Mike and Patricia Smith, who live across the street from Dykes and whose two children were on the bus, said their youngsters had a run-in with him about 10 months ago.
“My bulldogs got loose and went over there,” Patricia Smith said. “The children went to get them. He threatened to shoot them if they came back.”
“He’s very paranoid,” her husband said. “He goes around in his yard at night with a flashlight and shotgun.”
Another neighbor, Ronda Wilbur, said Dykes beat her 120-pound dog with a lead pipe for coming onto his side of the dirt road. The dog died a week later.
“He said his only regret was he didn’t beat him to death all the way,” Wilbur said. “If a man can kill a dog, and beat it with a lead pipe and brag about it, it’s nothing until it’s going to be people.”
Dykes had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to face a charge of menacing some neighbors as they drove by his house weeks ago. Claudia Davis said he yelled and fired shots at her, her son and her baby grandson over damage Dykes claimed their pickup truck did to a makeshift speed bump in the dirt road. No one was hurt.
“Before this happened, I would see him at several places and he would just stare a hole through me,” Davis said. “On Monday I saw him at a laundromat and he seen me when I was getting in my truck, and he just stared and stared and stared at me.”
__
Associated Press writers Bob Johnson in Montgomery and Jay Reeves in Birmingham contributed to this report.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Jimmy Lee Dykes moved to a rural Alabama neighborhood on a rutted red clay road more than a year ago. It didn’t take long before he had developed a frightening reputation as a volatile man with anti-government views who threatened his neighbors at gunpoint and was viciously violent to wandering pets.
Multiple neighbors said Dykes, a 65-year-old retired truck driver, was the man suspected of boarding a school bus near his home, killing the driver and taking a 5-year-old boy hostage to begin a standoff that entered its second full day Thursday.
The neighborhood near Midland City, population 2,300, remained under siege after the Tuesday shooting, with the suspect and child holed up in a bunker-type shelter on the man’s property that was equipped with electricity, food and TV. Early Thursday, dozens of police cars and rental cars that had brought FBI agents to the site were gathered on the state highway at the clay road’s entrance. Some police officers milled about, guns holstered.
Homes on the road had been evacuated after authorities found what they believed to be a bomb on the property. SWAT teams earlier had taken up positions around the gunman’s property and police negotiators tried to win the kindergartener’s safe release.
The situation remained unchanged for hours as negotiators continued talking to the suspect, Alabama State Trooper Charles Dysart told a news conference late Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Sheriff Wally Olson said that authorities had “no reason to believe that the child has been harmed.”
Local TV station WDHN obtained a police dispatch recording of the moment officers first arrived at the site. On it, the officers are heard saying that they were trying to communicate with Dykes through a PVC pipe leading into the shelter.
Authorities gave no details of the standoff, and it was unclear if Dykes made any demands from the bunker, which resembled a tornado shelter.
State Rep. Steve Clouse, who met with authorities and visited the boy’s family, said the bunker had food and electricity, and the youngster was watching TV.
At one point, authorities lowered medicine into the bunker for the boy after his captor agreed to it, Clouse said.
The standoff began after school Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff Wally Olson said the man shot the bus driver several times when he refused to hand over the child. The gunman then took the boy away.
“As far as we know there is no relation at all. He just wanted a child for a hostage situation,” said Michael Senn, a pastor who helped comfort other traumatized children after the attack.
The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. Authorities say most of the students scrambled to the back of the bus when the gunman boarded and said he wanted two boys 6 to 8 years old.
But when the gunman went down the aisle, authorities said, Poland put his arm out to grab a pole near the front steps of the vehicle, trying to block the suspect. That’s when authorities say the driver was shot four times before the gunman grabbed one child and fled.
Asked about Dykes, neighbors said he was a man who once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a shotgun.
He had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning to answer charges he shot at his neighbors in a dispute last month over a speed bump.
Mike and Patricia Smith, who live across the street from Dykes and whose two children were on the bus, said their youngsters had a run-in with him about 10 months ago.
“My bulldogs got loose and went over there,” Patricia Smith said. “The children went to get them. He threatened to shoot them if they came back.”
“He’s very paranoid,” her husband said. “He goes around in his yard at night with a flashlight and shotgun.”
Another neighbor, Ronda Wilbur, said Dykes beat her 120-pound dog with a lead pipe for coming onto his side of the dirt road. The dog died a week later.
“He said his only regret was he didn’t beat him to death all the way,” Wilbur said. “If a man can kill a dog, and beat it with a lead pipe and brag about it, it’s nothing until it’s going to be people.”
Dykes had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to face a charge of menacing some neighbors as they drove by his house weeks ago. Claudia Davis said he yelled and fired shots at her, her son and her baby grandson over damage Dykes claimed their pickup truck did to a makeshift speed bump in the dirt road. No one was hurt.
“Before this happened, I would see him at several places and he would just stare a hole through me,” Davis said. “On Monday I saw him at a laundromat and he seen me when I was getting in my truck, and he just stared and stared and stared at me.”
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
