Isabella's Blog |
NASA chief reprimanded in ethics probe
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden violated ethics standards by contacting Marathon Oil about a biofuel project while he owned as much as $1 million in the energy company's stock, a recent internal probe found.The former astronaut admitted his April 10 call to a Marathon executive was "inappropriate," removed himself from the alternative fuel research and "received supplemental training regarding his ethical responsibilities" as a result of the probe by NASA Inspector General Paul Martin.
Bolden was on Marathon's board of directors for six years before the Senate confirmed him July 15, 2009, as the 15th head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The inspector general's investigation focused on Bolden's April 30 phone conversation with Linda Capuano, Marathon's vice president for emerging technology.
Bolden told investigators that he contacted Capuano to discuss the technical feasibility of deriving fuel from algae, which NASA was considering funding under a joint project with the Navy.
Bolden and Capuano discussed the project, called the Offshore Membrane Enclosure for Growing Algae, or OMEGA, for 10 to 15 minutes, they told investigators.
Capuano expressed skepticism about the viability of deriving large amounts of fuel from algae, according to the report.
That conversation violated the ethics pledge that Bolden had signed after the Senate confirmed him as NASA head, the inspector general found.
After interviewing 15 senior NASA officials and scientists, and consulting with the FBI, the Justice Department and the Office of Government Ethics, Martin concluded that Bolden had not broken any federal law or violated conflict-of-interest regulations.
The space agency's top internal investigator said he'd found no actual conflict of interest in Bolden's behavior, but he criticized the administrator for creating the appearance of possible conflict.
Bolden's action predictably led to concerns both inside and outside NASA about whether his actions relating to OMEGA had been improperly influenced by a large oil company in which he held a substantial amount of stock,the report said.
As part of his inaugural address pledge to open a new era of responsibility in Washington, Obama issued an executive order Jan. 21, 2009, his first full day in office, requiring all of his appointees to sign a new ethics pledge.
Pretty Ms Monique Berry makes shareholder updates
I envy Ms Berry's looks as much as her position as head of Biocentric Energy :-)The company releases shareholder's updates regularly and is also showing considerable interest to manufacture nutraceuticals. That is the trend in 2010.
Monique Berry Read on
BioCentric Energy President, Ms. Monique Berry returned to Death Valley Junction to test the water temperature and collect samples of the Company's Haematococcus that's been strategically placed on site.
The Haematococcus samples collected will be tested and reviewed at the Company's headquarters this week by BEHL's Algae Specialist, Ms. Domini Maddox.
Ms. Maddox has been diligently tracking the growth rate of this strain and how it reacts in the extreme Death Valley Junction environment. After 6 days in Death Valley Junction, the Haematococcus is doing well, although it purposely being deprived of nutrients and other vital elements that the commercial Haematococcus will receive once inoculated into the system.
Based upon these preliminary results, the Company is highly confident that under a controlled environment in Death Valley Junction, this highly valuable strain will exceed expectations.
Ms. Berry stated, "I tested the water from the onsite aquifer and in the filled CAB's for the first time July 4th weekend. This past Saturday, I tested the water filled in the third CAB, the aquifer and a few 2" puddles in the first completed CAB. The temperature ranged from 69 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit."
The low water temperatures will be highly beneficial to maintain the perfect temperature for our commercial Haematococcus.
As a follow up to last week's press release, BEHL's Founder and Chairman of the Board, Dennis Fisher had a successful meeting with a nutraceutical Company interested in BEHL's systems and ability to grow mass quantities of algae for their nutraceutical products.
Mr. Fisher stated, I had a very interesting meeting and believe there are several mutually beneficial opportunities for our companies. We are moving forward and working out the necessary details this week.
Both BioCentric Energy and BioCen Natural products (Pink Sheets:BNPD) shareholders have inquired as to the name of this potential client.
However, at the request of this publically traded company, Ms. Berry signed an NDA last week prohibiting any disclosure of the Company's name, address and other vital information.
Last Friday, BEHL President, Ms. Berry had a conference call with its Hawaiian client to solidify the date and plans for deploying the Company's PBR systems.
Depending upon the completion on the Death Valley Junction site, the Company is anticipating beginning the Hawaiian project the last week of October or the beginning of November. A few BioCentric Energy employees will be traveling to Hawaii early October to review the client's site and draft the plans and schedule for deployment."
On Friday, September 30th a few BEHL team members will be traveling to Berkley, California to meet with Dr. Melis, a professor of plant and microbiology at UC Berkley. The goal for BEHL is to utilize UC Berkley's state of the art laboratories, research and students to assist BEHL in developing methods for maximizing the growth of Haematococcus in a variety of environments.
Tue September 28 2010 05:16:30 AM by Isabella
nutraceuticals from algae | nutraceuticals | biocentric energy | Monique Berry
