Microbes make 'clean' methane

Public release date: 26-Jul-2012
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Contact: A'ndrea Elyse Messer
aem1@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Microbes that convert electricity into methane gas could become an important source of renewable energy, according to scientists from Stanford and Penn State universities.

Researchers at both universities are raising colonies of microorganisms -- methanogens -- with the remarkable ability to turn electrical energy into pure methane, the key ingredient in natural gas. The goal is to create large microbial factories to transform clean electricity from solar, wind or nuclear power into renewable methane fuel and other valuable chemical compounds for industry.

"Most of today's methane is derived from natural gas, a fossil fuel," said Alfred Spormann, professor of chemical engineering and civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. "And many important organic molecules used in industry are made from petroleum. Our microbial approach would eliminate the need for using these fossil resources."

He added that all of the carbon dioxide released during combustion is derived from the atmosphere, and all of the electrical energy comes from renewables or nuclear power, which are also carbon dioxide free.

Methane-producing microbes could help solve the problem of what to do with surplus electricity generated by photovoltaic power stations and wind farms.

"While conceptually simple, there are significant hurdles to overcome before electricity-to-methane technology can be deployed at a large scale," said Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh Professor and Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, Penn State. "That's because the underlying science of how these organisms convert electrons into chemical energy is poorly understood."

Burning natural gas accelerates global warming by releasing carbon dioxide that's been trapped underground for millennia. The researchers wanted to take a "greener" approach to methane production. They envision large bioreactors filled with methanogens single-cell organisms that produce methane.

Methanogens cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. Instead, they regularly dine on atmospheric carbon dioxide and electrons borrowed from hydrogen gas. The byproduct of this microbial meal is pure methane, which methanogens excrete into the atmosphere.

The researchers plan to use this methane to fuel airplanes, ships and vehicles. In the ideal scenario, cultures of methanogens would be fed a constant supply of electrons generated from emissions-free power sources, such as solar cells, wind turbines and nuclear reactors. The microbes would use these clean electrons to metabolize carbon dioxide into methane, which can then be stockpiled and distributed via existing natural gas facilities and pipelines when needed.

Microbial methane is much more ecofriendly than ethanol and other biofuels, the researchers noted. Corn ethanol, for example, requires acres of cropland, as well as fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and fermentation.

Methanogens are much more efficient, because they metabolize methane in just a few quick steps.

For this new technology to become commercially viable, a number of fundamental challenges must be addressed.

In 2009, Logan's lab was the first to demonstrate that a methanogen strain known as Methanobacterium palustre could convert an electrical current directly into methane. For the experiment, Logan and his Penn State colleagues built a reverse battery with positive and negative electrodes placed in a beaker of nutrient-enriched water.

"The microbes were about 80 percent efficient in converting electricity to methane," Logan said.

At Penn State, Logan's lab is designing and testing advanced cathode technologies that will encourage the growth of methanogens and maximize methane production. The Penn State team is also studying new materials for electrodes, including a carbon-mesh fabric that could eliminate the need for platinum and other precious metal catalysts.

"Many of these materials have only been studied in bacterial systems but not in communities with methanogens or other archaea," Logan said. "Our ultimate goal is to create a cost-effective system that reliably and robustly produces methane from clean electrical energy. It's high-risk, high-reward research, but new approaches are needed for energy storage and for making useful organic molecules without fossil fuels."

###

A three-year grant from the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford funds this project.

Contact:

A'ndrea Elyse Messer (814) 865-9481 aem1@psu.edu

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 26-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: A'ndrea Elyse Messer
aem1@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Microbes that convert electricity into methane gas could become an important source of renewable energy, according to scientists from Stanford and Penn State universities.

Researchers at both universities are raising colonies of microorganisms -- methanogens -- with the remarkable ability to turn electrical energy into pure methane, the key ingredient in natural gas. The goal is to create large microbial factories to transform clean electricity from solar, wind or nuclear power into renewable methane fuel and other valuable chemical compounds for industry.

"Most of today's methane is derived from natural gas, a fossil fuel," said Alfred Spormann, professor of chemical engineering and civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. "And many important organic molecules used in industry are made from petroleum. Our microbial approach would eliminate the need for using these fossil resources."

He added that all of the carbon dioxide released during combustion is derived from the atmosphere, and all of the electrical energy comes from renewables or nuclear power, which are also carbon dioxide free.

Methane-producing microbes could help solve the problem of what to do with surplus electricity generated by photovoltaic power stations and wind farms.

"While conceptually simple, there are significant hurdles to overcome before electricity-to-methane technology can be deployed at a large scale," said Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh Professor and Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, Penn State. "That's because the underlying science of how these organisms convert electrons into chemical energy is poorly understood."

Burning natural gas accelerates global warming by releasing carbon dioxide that's been trapped underground for millennia. The researchers wanted to take a "greener" approach to methane production. They envision large bioreactors filled with methanogens single-cell organisms that produce methane.

Methanogens cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. Instead, they regularly dine on atmospheric carbon dioxide and electrons borrowed from hydrogen gas. The byproduct of this microbial meal is pure methane, which methanogens excrete into the atmosphere.

The researchers plan to use this methane to fuel airplanes, ships and vehicles. In the ideal scenario, cultures of methanogens would be fed a constant supply of electrons generated from emissions-free power sources, such as solar cells, wind turbines and nuclear reactors. The microbes would use these clean electrons to metabolize carbon dioxide into methane, which can then be stockpiled and distributed via existing natural gas facilities and pipelines when needed.

Microbial methane is much more ecofriendly than ethanol and other biofuels, the researchers noted. Corn ethanol, for example, requires acres of cropland, as well as fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and fermentation.

Methanogens are much more efficient, because they metabolize methane in just a few quick steps.

For this new technology to become commercially viable, a number of fundamental challenges must be addressed.

In 2009, Logan's lab was the first to demonstrate that a methanogen strain known as Methanobacterium palustre could convert an electrical current directly into methane. For the experiment, Logan and his Penn State colleagues built a reverse battery with positive and negative electrodes placed in a beaker of nutrient-enriched water.

"The microbes were about 80 percent efficient in converting electricity to methane," Logan said.

At Penn State, Logan's lab is designing and testing advanced cathode technologies that will encourage the growth of methanogens and maximize methane production. The Penn State team is also studying new materials for electrodes, including a carbon-mesh fabric that could eliminate the need for platinum and other precious metal catalysts.

"Many of these materials have only been studied in bacterial systems but not in communities with methanogens or other archaea," Logan said. "Our ultimate goal is to create a cost-effective system that reliably and robustly produces methane from clean electrical energy. It's high-risk, high-reward research, but new approaches are needed for energy storage and for making useful organic molecules without fossil fuels."

###

A three-year grant from the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford funds this project.

Contact:

A'ndrea Elyse Messer (814) 865-9481 aem1@psu.edu

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/ps-mm072612.php

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Time Speeds By | Musings from Me on Kids, Preteens, and Teens

So let?s see. The summer is over half way over. I?m sure this is not the first time and it certainly won?t be the last time I?ll exclaim ?Wow, where did the summer go??

Summer, like every other season, flies by. Did life move slower when I was working and had no children? Did I putter about during the baby and toddler days? Did the days seem endless during the years when I had little kids? Our calendar was certainly not so full. I could manage the day-to-day events for my baby and myself quite easily. I never felt that life was speeding by. On the contrary, I often felt that the days were endless. Would my husband ever get home?I?d ponder as I stared at the unmoving hands of the clock.

What I wonder give for time to standstill. My oldest will be college hunting this coming school year. Her younger sister is about to start high school. Even the baby?my youngest?is heading in to 4th grade. Almost done with elementary school. Hard to believe. There?s only one solution. Time needs to stop rushing by so quickly.

Source: http://www.musingsfromme.com/time-speeds-by/

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Iran's leader says sanctions won't alter policies

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Western-led sanctions and diplomatic pressure will not force Iran to halt its nuclear program, Iran's Supreme Leader said Wednesday.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran, voiced confidence that the Islamic Republic can beat the latest punitive measures aimed at blocking the country's vital oil and banking industries over the disputed program.

"They (the West) explicitly say they need to increase pressures, tighten sanctions to force Iranian authorities to reconsider their calculations," Khamenei said in comments broadcast on state television. "But a look at the facts leads us not only to avoid reconsidering our calculations, but to move on our intended path with greater confidence."

The latest European Union sanctions against Iran's vital oil industry came into effect on July 1, three days after the U.S. tightened measures that prohibit international banks from completing oil transactions with Iranian banks. The moves, a response to Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, further complicate the country's ability to conduct trade abroad.

The West suspects Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes such as power generation and medical treatment.

In his remarks, Khamenei said he felt some countries partaking in the U.S.-led sanctions will not continue them over the long term because of economic drawbacks, calling the sanctions a challenge that could be overcome.

"Although there are challenges in the path of the Iranian nation, there is no dead-end," he said.

Khamenei said Iran has offered some concessions in the past, but claimed the West is unwilling to allow what Iran calls a peaceful nuclear program.

He was referring to a period between 2003 and 2005 when Iran agreed under former reformist president Mohammad Khatami to suspend uranium enrichment and all related activities as part of confidence building measures to dispel fears that Tehran was not seeking nuclear weapons.

"The West became so arrogant during that period that they opposed possession of three centrifuges which our officials had agreed. But now there are 11,000 centrifuges operating in the country," he said.

Centrifuges are machines that spin at supersonic speed to purify uranium. Uranium enriched to low level is used to fuel a nuclear reactor but higher enrichment makes it suitable for use in building a nuclear weapon.

Iran's suspension of nuclear advancements coincided with a period of small steps toward easing the diplomatic freeze between Tehran and Washington, but tensions quickly returned following the election in 2005 of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and moves to restart Iran's nuclear efforts.

The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop an atomic bomb, but Iran has denied the charges and says its nuclear program aims at producing electricity and radioisotopes used to treat cancer patients.

Khamenei also urged Iran's politicians to show unity and avoid bickering in efforts to overcome the sanctions, which experts say have driven up the cost of imports by 20 to 30 percent.

Ahmadinejad's conservative rivals in parliament are openly criticizing the handling of the economy and failing to prevent a sharp rise in food prices in recent months.

"The reality is that there are problems but one should not blame this or that. It must be resolved through unity and wisdom," Khamenei said. "You should avoid useless disputes and publicizing these disputes in order to protect the nation's unity."

Iran's parliament speaker has acknowledged that 20 percent of Iran's economic problems are due to sanctions, a rare public acknowledgment by a top official that sanctions are biting.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/irans-leader-says-sanctions-wont-alter-policies-122110079.html

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Hitting back at 'wiretapping' parasite

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Dodder vines are parasitic plants that suck water, nutrients and information from other plants as they spread over them. Plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, have now shown that they can make plants resistant to dodder by attacking the junctions where the parasite taps into the host.

"We think that this will translate into other parasitic plants," said Neelima Sinha, professor of plant biology at UC Davis, who led the project. The work was published online July 20 by the journal Plant Cell.

Sinha's lab uses dodder as a model for more serious parasites such as Striga, which attacks the roots of maize, sorghum and other African crops.

In earlier work, Sinha and colleagues found that when dodder taps into a host plant, it takes up RNA molecules that can act as chemical messengers in the host along with water, sugars and other nutrients. These circulating RNA molecules act as messengers inside plants, for example coordinating growth and flowering.

The researchers wondered if they could exploit this to attack the parasite. It is possible to switch off a gene with a short piece of RNA with which it pairs. This technique is called RNA interference or RNA silencing, and it won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2006.

To use RNA interference against dodder, the team looked for genes that could affect the parasite but not the host.

"The answer turned out to be genes I've worked on all my career," Sinha said, describing a group of genes that control the activity of other genes involved in shoot and root growth.

Parasitic vines like dodder are major pests. UC Davis plant biologist Neelima Sinha talks about her work which helps plants fight off these parasites by attacking the connections where they tap into the host. Credit: Andy Fell, UC Davis

These genes are active in both the host plant meristem (an area of active growth in roots and shoots) and in the haustoria, the junctions where the parasite penetrates the host, Sinha said. So the researchers identified regions that were unique to the parasite, and used them to make a short DNA construct. Tobacco plants carrying this construct make short pieces of RNA that match the genes of the parasite, but not the host.

Dodder did not grow as well on the engineered plants as on control plants, Sinha said. At the same time, the dodder showed high levels of stress signals and flowered early -- a reaction to stress.

The work was initiated by Steven Runo and spearheaded by Amos Alakonya, two African graduate students who have now returned to Kenyatta University in Kenya, Sinha said. They hope to develop the technique to control Striga in African maize crops.

"This is the proof of concept, and now we can take it into the field," she said.

###

University of California - Davis: http://www.ucdavis.edu

Thanks to University of California - Davis for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/122009/Hitting_back_at__wiretapping__parasite

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Knock Them Down a Peg (Private)

Private Harry Potter Roleplay between myself and Child of the Winged.

Whilst he was known as a Hufflepuff with behaviour typical for those of his house, Jacob Wright was by no means a person who would willingly side with Dumbledore, The Ministry of Magic or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Jacob was born to muggle parents and had a strangely twisted outlook on how the Wizarding World should be run. His opinions were an odd mix between the solid opinions of Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore. He believed that muggles should be allowed to live in peace and oblivious to the Wizarding World (sans the immediate families of muggle-born children), but more care should be taken into keeping it that way. The Statue of Secrecy was not perfect, or even close to it and Jacob didn't like that one bit. Also, the Ministry of Magic was horribly corrupt - filled with politicians who did not look out for the best of the people as a whole, but for people themselves. He wanted to do so much more, but those little details could wait until the bigger picture was finalised.

What Jacob wanted to do was...to take the Wizarding World by storm. Destroy every piece of the existing government and rebuild it piece by piece - shape it to become the world that he would want his children to grow up in, so to say. It was his dream, his ambition.

So, so un-Hufflepuff like. Or the general public would believe.

Jacob didn't care. He would do it, one day. Already, he was slowly working towards his goal - together with his partner-in-crime Aisling. The girl was a Ravenclaw and the grand-daughter of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. Jacob believed that Grindelwald - although not perfect by any means - had some good ideas and values that the Hufflepuff took to heart. "For the Greater Good" was a quote etched in his heart that he followed to the letter.

Some would say that Jacob did not belong in the House of Badger, judging from his ambition. But Hufflepuff qualities were trustworthyness and loyalty, not necessarily being good. He was trustworthy just as he was loyal - just to a select few people. His family and friends by most part. It was a good thing that only one person knew of his dream, that person being Aisling. No one else knew and Jacob could continue to blend into the background as 'just another Hufflepuff' while Harry Potter and his Gryffindor friends gathered all the attention to themselves.

What they didn't know that in a few years time, it would be the two people from the two most under-appreciated houses that would rule them all. It was time to knock those Lions and Snakes down a peg.

xxx

It was already mid-September of Jacob's fifth year when he was leaving dinner early to go and meet with Aisling. Both were always busy for the first few weeks of school and had little time to meet, especially with being in different houses. However, today they found some time to meet and speak of their plans.

Jacob made his way to one of the unused classrooms near Charms. It was a convinient space, considering that it wasn't too far from either of their dorms and the classrooms, although unused, were kept neat and clean. When he walked into their usual classroom, he found that Aisling was not there yet, although he saw her leave a bit earlier than himself. Humming, he decided to sit down and wait for her.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/5IWh9dqtPpw/viewtopic.php

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Tables turn as Egypt's Islamist president sworn in

CAIRO (Reuters) - In a day full of memorable images, none on Saturday was more powerful than that of Egypt's first Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, flanked by generals at a military parade where he was formally handed authority to govern the nation.

For six decades, Mursi's seat had been filled by presidents drawn from the ranks of the military. And for half that time, it was occupied by one man, Hosni Mubarak, a former air force chief who hounded and jailed members of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood.

Now the tables are turned, even if the presidential office Mursi holds has been shorn by the generals of many of powers Mubarak and his predecessors enjoyed.

"We have kept the promise that we made before God and the people. Now we have an elected president who takes over the keys for ruling Egypt through a direct and free vote," said Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, addressing his guest as "Mr President".

Before that, state television showed Tantawi, Egypt's top general and Mubarak's loyal defence minister for 20 years, welcoming Mursi as he stepped out of a black sedan at the desert base with a hurried salute before shaking his hand.

It was not just the military ceremony that oozed symbolism.

Mursi addressed the nation from the same stage in Cairo where U.S. President Barack Obama had in 2009 appealed to Arab autocrats to open up. Egypt's new leader was sworn in at a court next to the hospital where imprisoned Mubarak is being treated.

But it was the scene at Heikstep military base that captured Egypt's dramatic transformation most clearly with images unthinkable a year-and-a-half ago before Arab uprisings challenged autocrats who had ruled the region for generations.

"A picture for history: a civilian president in the middle of the military," wrote Dima Khatib on Twitter, one of the social networking sites that was used to galvanise the masses against Mubarak, toppling him on February 11, 2011 after 18 days.

MILITARY HONOURS

Mursi was given a 21-gun salute, helicopters flew past to honour him and troops stood to attention in serried ranks.

Those acts of respect did not however signal generals were retiring to barracks to leave civilians completely in charge.

In a decree issued as this month's run-off presidential elected ended, the military council declared the next president would not command the armed forces and could not declare war alone. It also said the army would have legislative powers until a new parliament is elected to replace one dissolved this month.

But the ceremony showed the military, one of the few state institutions to survive the post-Mubarak turmoil intact, now has to accept that its erstwhile adversary, the Brotherhood, has a popular mandate to help determine Egypt's future.

"The Egyptian people and the ... world are witnessing a unique model, not seen before, of how power is transferred from the Egyptian military forces by the will of the people to an elected, civilian power," Mursi said, hailing the military, but also sending a clear message to the men in uniform.

Tantawi shook Mursi's hand firmly as he handed him a plaque bearing a military shield. Mursi then joined a gaggle of senior officers who lined up around him for a group photo.

Mursi had earlier delivered a speech at Cairo University on the same podium from which Obama addressed the Arab and Muslim world early in his presidency, reaching out to a region angry at U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq over the previous decade.

"America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them," Obama told the audience at the time.

Yet when protests against Mubarak erupted on January 25, 2011, many Egyptians were dismayed by how long it took Obama to ditch the president who had become a linchpin ally in the region and guardian of the U.S.-sponsored peace treaty with Israel.

CHANTS AND COUNTER-CHANTS

Washington, long wary of political Islam, took several more months before opening formal channels to the Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood was itself slow to send supporters onto Cairo's streets in the uprising, anxious to avoid a crushing response from Mubarak's police after being bruised by earlier crackdowns that the group had struggled to survive.

But the Brotherhood has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of a revolt ignited by young, secular liberals.

In his speech Mursi pledged to serve the whole nation and secure rights for the families of those killed in the uprising.

"Free revolutionaries, we will complete our journey," some in the audience chanted as he wrapped up his address.

Tantawi joined guests in the university hall, applauding when Mursi lauded the armed forces, seated alongside Christian priests, Muslim preachers, veiled women and suited men.

"Down with military rule," some had briefly chanted when Tantawi entered, before an official guided those present towards a more respectful: "The army and people, one hand."

Mursi had pulled up in a cavalcade, but unlike in Mubarak's day, the whole capital was not brought to a grinding halt by police blocking every road to clear the president's route.

Cars passed freely along the Nile-side road in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court even as Mursi swore his oath.

The oath is usually held before parliament, but the location was forced on the Brotherhood man after the same constitutional court, stuffed with judges appointed in Mubarak's era, dissolved the Islamist-led parliament, a ruling the army swiftly enforced.

Yet the venue carried its own mordant twist, standing next to Maadi military hospital where Mubarak, jailed for life for failing to stop the killing of protesters, is being treated. He was moved there from a prison medical centre last week.

In that same Maadi hospital set in lush gardens, Mubarak's predecessor Anwar Sadat was pronounced dead after Islamists gunned him down in 1981. The exiled shah of Iran died there after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tables-turn-egypts-islamist-president-sworn-091342373.html

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Rooms with Views: Olympic Village ready to go

Tower blocs of the Athletes' Village soar over Victory Park on Saturday, June 30, 2012. Olympic organizers showed off the village to a select group of visitors as a test run of their services before athletes arrive for the London Olympics, which start July 27 and end Aug. 12. (AP Photo/Danica Kirka)

Tower blocs of the Athletes' Village soar over Victory Park on Saturday, June 30, 2012. Olympic organizers showed off the village to a select group of visitors as a test run of their services before athletes arrive for the London Olympics, which start July 27 and end Aug. 12. (AP Photo/Danica Kirka)

A few trees are lined up and ready for planting on Saturday June 30, 2012 as Olympic organizers put the final touches on preparations for the games. Olympic organizers showed off the village to a select group of visitors as a test run of their services before athletes arrive for the London Olympics, which start July 27 and end Aug. 12.(AP Photo/Danica Kirka)

A runner goes out for a jog on the edge of Victory Park in the Athletes' Village on Saturday June 30, 2012. Olympic organizers showed off the village to a select group of visitors as a test run of their services before athletes arrive for the London Olympics, which start July 27 and end Aug. 12. (AP Photo/Danica Kirka)

LONDON (AP) ? Usain Bolt can thank me anytime for helping ensure that he gets a good night's sleep at this summer's London Olympics.

Organizers held a slumber party this weekend, opening the big glass doors and immense dining halls of the Athletes' Village to several hundred journalists, local officials and assorted others in a trial run - giving games planners a chance to work out the glitches before the Olympians arrive. I was a willing guinea pig.

This wasn't a stress test really. Stress comes in just a few weeks when 16,000 athletes and officials come rolling in, a flag-waving tide of youth and vigor, ready to play. No, no, this was just a little warm up trot - and let's be frank - a big party at a way above average location.

"It's to help us flesh out the glitches," said Nigel Garfitt, the director of the village and games services.

There were a few of those. The chatter at the breakfast table Saturday morning, particularly at the journalist end, was about all the things that went wrong. There was no water in my room for example (whoops!) and a village crew thought that 3:30 a.m. was a good time to dig up paving stones outside my window.

That's why Usain, the word-famous Jamaican sprinter, can thank me, because it gives me a chance to make this suggestion to Sebastian Coe, the head of the organizing committee: Please don't dig up the street in the middle of the night! Olympians are slumbering.

That said, since this is the closest I'll ever come to being an Olympian, these minor mishaps must be taken in stride, particularly as it is clear that the village is within a whisker of being ready. For this village there will be no disasters in landscaping such as occurred in the Athens Olympics, where the outside of many venues were bare. In London, the grass is manicured within an inch of its existence - you weren't even allowed to walk on its lush cushiness unless you ditched your shoes.

Much of the village is that way - it looks as if it were lifted from an architectural drawing and broadcast on a big empty space. It's kind of boxy and utilitarian, but very tidy. Its monochrome-ness will offer a good backdrop for the athletes, who will drape flags from the balconies and transform it with color.

The rooms are spare but designed first and foremost with the athletes in mind. Beds for the tall and small. Mattresses wear-tested by former Olympians. Bedside lamps that work. Blackout curtains to make the room dark should the sun ever decide to shine in this light-deprived nation.

The duvets feature pictograms of the Olympic sports, and the communal areas offer sofas in electric aqua with hot pink cushions.

The televisions will feature an Olympic broadcast channel showing the action but no commentary. There's WiFi and a laundrette in the basement.

There are no kitchens - but who needs to cook? Just a short stroll away, in the shadow of the basketball arena known as "the Meringue," is the massive dining facility, which will operate for 24 hours a day and seat 5,000 at a time.

The size of several American football fields, it features cuisine from each of the continents, and includes a Halal pod - food prepared in compliance with Islamic guidelines. It is the pride and joy of Jan Matthews, the head of catering.

Matthews once ran catering for the British army in Germany and knows a thing or two about serving on a huge scale. That's kind of necessary, as this is a place where having seconds or sixths is just fine. Portion sizes are up to the athletes. No charge.

Non-Olympians won't really get a chance to eat here, unless they have some super special reason to be with a team. Heads of state are known to pull up trays with their squads, but there's no VIP treatment for them here.

"This is about the athletes," she said. "It's not about anyone else."

Besides food, other diversions and services beckon along tidy paths with sporty names such as Champions Walk, Medals Way or Celebration Avenue. There is a post office, a nail bar, a Lloyds Bank, and hairdressers where free styling and shaves are on offer.

Judging by past games, athletes will get the Olympic rings shaved into their hair, according to Emily Brett, the athletes' services manager.

But just to make sure no one gets bored, there's also a recreation zone called The Globe, after the theater most closely associated with William Shakespeare. It has sort of a pub-like feel, though no alcohol will be served, making it unpub-like to anyone who lives in Britain, but never mind.

It features light boxes that say things like "fun fun fun," ''Wow" and "Boogie." There's a bar, a stage, a music studio, pool tables, a computer gaming area and TVs.

"It is going to be the buzziest place in the Athletes' Village," Brett said.

Just over 200 national Olympic committees will be represented, and each will get a little welcoming ceremony all their own that features the playing of national anthems. With so many athletes and committees, it may take as long as four days to run through them all. But there will be one for everyone, as organizers want to make it special for the athletes - the people without whom there wouldn't be any games.

As one might expect at an event about the Athletes' Village, concerns about the competitors' happiness came up a lot. But the slumber party was also about the thousands of people who make up an Olympics - the caterers, the transport workers, the firefighters and so on who have worked - some for many years - on a project whose primary goal is to show Britain at its most welcoming.

"We wanted to use it as a thank you to them," Garfitt said before he gleefully described all the forms he would scoop up with "feedback," on the event.

"It makes it all real," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-06-30-OLY-London-2012-Village-Slumber-Party/id-e432534bd0e84aad97a787f8d72d12c5

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