Free Republic

President Jiang Zemin gets an update on China´s Terfenol-D project. The U.S. Navy spent millions of dollars to develop Terfenol-D in the early 1980s, and intelligence experts estimate that the People's Republic of China (PRC) has devoted extensive resources to try to steal it. Insight has learned that these PRC efforts have paid off. The spy target is an exotic material made up of two types of rare-earth metals called lanthanides, terbium and dysprosium, plus iron (FE). The NOL stands for Naval Ordnance Laboratory. Hence the name Terfenol-D. Those who have worked with this exotic material call it almost magical....

There has been a debate going on for some time over efforts by supporters of ethanol based fuel to get a waiver from the EPA which would allow gasoline to be blended with 15% ethanol (E-15) rather than the current limit of 10%. As recently as last December the EPA has held off on such a decision at the request of groups such as the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Their chief concern was that more time was needed to do long term testing of cars currently in the fleet to ensure that the higher rated mixture would not adversely affect...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring about 3,500 Boeing jets to fly with extra fuel to prevent fuel pumps from overheating and possibly causing an explosion. The FAA has sent airlines three safety warnings about the problem since August. The latest was issued last weekend after pumps in three planes overheated, the FAA said Tuesday. The warning is intended as a precaution while the FAA figures out what's causing the problem with the pumps, made by Hydro-Aire Inc. of Burbank, Calif. James McKenna, managing editor of Aviation Maintenance magazine, said the FAA doesn't ordinarily need to make...