K-SEC

Meeting Summary

November 3, 2014

Here is a summary of the materials we read at the K-SEC meeting on November 3, 2014.

A.  Attendees (in ABC order):

Ishiguro, Kotake, Nishimura, Nishiwaki, Okai, Sadayasu, Sekiguchi, Terasaki, Tomozawa, Tsurumoto, Umemura (Total of 11)

B.  Materials read:

1.  Three Denver girls played hooky from school and tried to join ISIS - Terasaki

This is a CNN article dated October 22, 2014 about how ISIS, the extremely bloodthirsty militant group, has beensurprisingly attractive to young recruits from the West, mostly men but some women as well. More than 100 of the foreign fighters have come from the United States and hundreds more from Europe. But most of the foreign fighters joining the ISIS come from the Middle East and African countries, though.

The article quotes a comment by some experts that it's more than just a radical interpretation of Islam that is drawing teens to the extremely bloodthirsty militant group. Many of these teens lack a sense of belonging where they live and that they believe ISIS can give it to them. “The general picture of the lives of foreign fighters in Syria suggests camaraderie, good morale and purposeful activity, all mixed in with a sense of understated heroism. It is designed to attract their friends as well as to boost their own self-esteem," they say.

The article points out that most of these young boys and girls from the West are descendants of Middle Eastern or African countries and could be potential causes in the future for home grown terrorism in the countries they come from.

2.  Look, Ma, no wheels! How maglev trains reach 500kph – Kotake

This article is taken from Nikkei Asia Review dated July 31, 2014. It introduces the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Nagoya which is scheduled to become operational in 2027. The article shows us how the liner train will technically work.

The train will be the fastest in the world, running at up to 500kph. It will reach the speed of airplanes by using a superconducting maglev system that propels it forward on a magnetic field between the track and the carriage. The line will cut the travel time between the Tokyo and Nagoya down to 40 minutes, instead of 90 minutes it takes by present day Shinkansen.

The secret behind is Japan's superconductivity technology. The article has a detail account of the maglev technology used and points out that the most crucial goal moving forward is to develop and produce the superconductivity at room temperature. So far, the highest critical temperature attained is minus 138 C. If the superconductivity at room temperature was achieved, it would benefit other industries as it will reduce power losses in electrical equipment and requires a fewer power plants. This in turn would result in far less carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere which would reduce the risk of further global warming.

3.  Sun and Wind Alter German Landscape, Leaving Utilities Behind – Tomozawa

We read an article from the New York Times dated September 13, 2014. The article tells us that, of all the developed nations, Germany is pushing hardest to find a solution to global warming and achieving striking results as well. It says they will soon be getting 30 percent of their power from renewable energy sources. Environment activists praise Germany as a model and a proof that a transformation of the global energy system is possible.

However, this rapid transition has devastated the country’s utility companies whose profits from power generation have collapsed. Electric utility executives all over the world are also watching nervously as technologies they once dismissed as irrelevant begin to threaten their long-established business plans.

Another critical problem of the renewable power generation is that it is intermittent. Under the current system, when the renewable energy is not generating enough power, German utilities have to dial up their conventional power plants to supply power rapidly to compensate. The plants are not necessarily profitable when operated this way and have been threatening to shut down the facilities that some analysts say the country needs as backup.

As the German experience shows, the difficulties of the transition are likely to be enormous. It is still far from clear whether the system can be transformed fast enough to head off dangerous levels of global warming.

C. Role assignment for November 17, 2014:

Current Topic – Nishimura

Current Topic – Tsurumoto

Special - Sadayasu

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