“We started this program back in 2006,” said Tony Febbraro, vice chair membership of AFE, “to make it easier and more secure for members to renew,” So far in 2008, more than 2,500 members went paperless by either joining or renewing online.

Click here to go straight to your Membership Renewal page.

Burj Dubai to Remain World’s Tallest Skyscraper At least for a Decade
from Vista Dubai
The global financial crisis has assured that Emaar’s Burj Dubai would continue to remain the tallest skyscraper, at least for a decade, and would keep up the region’s pride, say analysts. Although, several other projects were announced that claimed to surpass Burj Dubai’s height, analysis now agree that all such projects would require several billions for completion, and hence, they have all been brought to a halt. More

Self-Improvement Courses Cover Many Topics
from AFE
Self-improvement is always in season – you don’t have to wait to make it a New Year’s resolution! So if you’re looking for easy, reasonably priced ways to broaden your horizons, check out AFE’s ed2go . Your family members, co-workers and friends are welcome to use this link, too – these online courses cover a wide range of interests, so they’re open to everyone. Many courses relate to computing topics. Others teach things like starting your own consulting practice, skills for making great decisions, and conducting a successful job search. Plus, there are courses about: theme park engineering, project management, distribution and logistics management, communication, leadership, overcoming shyness, accounting, business, personal finance, real estate investing, analysis and valuation of stocks, digital photography, event management, assisting aging parents, math, teaching English as a second language, writing, starting your own arts and crafts business, legal matters, art, languages (French, Italian, Spanish) genealogy, grammar, grant writing, handling medical emergencies, hypnosis, guiding kids on the internet, music theory, Six Sigma/TQM, speed reading, outdoor survival techniques, supply chain management, team building, and wine appreciation for beginner.

Researchers: Silicon Solar Cells Offer Efficiency, Lower Cost
from Technology Review Online
Researchers at MIT have unveiled a new type of silicon solar cell that could be much more efficient and cost less than currently used solar cells. Materials science and engineering professor Lionel Kimerling and his colleagues presented results of the first device prototype at a recent meeting of the Materials Research Society in Boston. More

Pennsylvania Falling Behind in Push for Building Green
from Pittsburgh Business Times
While Pittsburgh remains one of the nation’s leaders in the green building arena, some say Pennsylvania as a whole has fallen behind other states in the push to promote energy efficient construction. States as diverse as Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland all have passed major green building legislation in the past 18 months, Sota said, and, in some instances, Pennsylvania has failed to keep pace. More

The U.K.: The Next Great Bastion of Solar Policy?
from Renewable Enegry World
The executive summary of the new U.K. Renewable Energy Strategy begins with the premise that the government of the United Kingdom must simultaneously tackle climate change while ensuring a secure source of energy. Not a very novel policy objective, some might argue. Some might start to yawn at this point, knowing that these are the stated policy objectives of every government around the world. However, there is something that is very novel about this report — something that distinguishes it from many other governmental policy reports — and that is something is important to understand. More

China's Next 30 Years: Building the World's Biggest Cities
from AFP
China's past 30 years of reforms planted seeds that will in the coming decades produce future coastal megacities, an urban population of one billion and possibly the world's biggest economy. What the next 30 years of reforms have in store may be unclear but experts agree with widespread pollution problems and a tidal wave of migration set to hit China's cities, urbanisation will be the future's biggest challenge. More