2006-05

In the month of May we Bulgarians, united by our Heritage, all over the world celebrate the two Great Bulgarian Scholars and Philosophers Constantine - Cyril and Methody. Their legacy lives in our hearts, in our soul throughout our goals for higher education. We are proud of our Heritage in the same way that our forefathers were. We greet all Bulgarian Engineers in Canada with the Day of the Bulgarian Culture – 24^th of May; day of our History, day of our nonstop search for genuine answer and spark of innovation, day for our future and for the future of the generations to come.

St. St. Cyril and Methodius,

Apostles of the Slavs

The creator of the Slavic alphabet (http://www.omda.bg/ENGL/HISTORY/azbuka.html) and the first translator of liturgical books from Greek into Old-Bulgarian was Constantine, the Philosopher, better known by his name in religion, Cyril, adopted on his death bed. Constantine-Cyril was born in Salonika (now Thessaloniki in Greece).

In 863 Ciryl and his brother Methodius were sent by the Byzantine emperor Michael III to convert the Western Slavs to Christianity and arrange that the divine service in Greater Moravia is performed in their native tongue.

This was done at the request of Rostislav, the prince of Greater Moravia, whose possessions comprised the lands of now the Czech Republic, Slovakia, part of Slovenia and part of Hungary, at that time inhabited by Slav population.

Before that the two brothers worked with the Khazars northeast of the Black Sea in the Dnieper-Volga region of what was later Russia. They learned the Khazar language and made many converts, and discovered what were believed to be relics of Clement, an early Bishop of Rome

Undoubtedly, the two Slav apostles knew the Old-Bulgarian language to perfection - this was demonstrated both in the alphabet and in their translations from Greek. “You are Salonikians - addressed them Emperor Michael, - and all Salonikians speak pure Slavonic.”

It is known that their father Leo, a man of noble origin, was a dignitary in service of the Salonika Greek strategus. It is known also that in the Constantinople imperial court Constantine-Cyril (about 827-869) excelled in his learning and was often sent on important missions to the Saracens and the Hasars. His brother Methodius (815-885) was Father Superior of the monastery of Polychron in Vitinia, Asia Minor, where, when the Slavonic script was conceived by Cyril, the two brothers made the first translations of the major liturgical books from Greek into Slavonic.

Both the motives and the exact year in which Constantine-Cyril composed the alphabet (855 or 862-863) lie in obscurity. Some sources evidence that before their departure to Greater Moravia the two brothers taught the Bulgarians, inhabiting the area by the river of Bregalnitza in Macedonia, the Slavonic script, but this fact is not quite certain either. In any case, it is difficult to deny that their letters fully coincided with the sound system of the Old Bulgarian language, which - irrespective of all resemblances - already differed, in one way or another, from the rest of the Slavonic dialects.

So, Constantine-Cyril and Methodius, accompanied by their disciples, started their mission to Moravia towards 863. Welcomed with open arms by the local prince and his subjects, they were actively engaged in propagating divine worship in the Slavonic language. Naturally, this rivalry, was not admired by the Western clergymen, predominantly of German origin. This first mission failed and the two brothers arrived back to Constantinople. From here they set out on a new journey, through Venezia, to Rome, carrying with them the holy relics of St. Clement I, Pope of Rome. There, Constantine-Cyril succeeded in persuading Pope Adrian II, that, as a church language, Slavonic is as adequate as Greek, Latin, or Jewish - a step more than revolutionary in the context of the then Europe, and an argument already discussed in Venezia.

Unfortunately, during their stay in the Holy City Constantine-Cyril fell ill and died (869). His tomb in the “San Clemente” basilica has been conserved till the present day and is a place of veneration for many Bulgarians, as well as for other people of Slav origin. Methodius, consecrated archbishop by the Pope, returned with some of his disciples to his flock in Greater Moravia. Outliving his brother by 16 years, he continued his work in increasingly difficult circumstances, produced by the unabating intrigues of the German clergy.

Immediately after his death in Moravia in 885, his followers were put to persecution, arrests, and tortures, and were finally driven away from the country. In Greater Moravia the Slavonic script and liturgy were gradually ousted by the Latin.

Having received his blessing and support in the capital city of Preslav, as well as in Bulgaria’s south-western parts, in Macedonia and Ohrid, the adherents of the two brothers from Salonika founded two great literary and spiritual schools. Thus, for example, St. Clement (about 838-916) who was sent to Macedonia, and who is known to have been Bulgarian in origin, for only 7 years educated ... 3500 pupils!

In this way, after the failed mission of Methodius and his disciples in Greater Moravia, the Slavonic script, as well as the Old Bulgarian language and liturgy developed freely and in full force in Bulgaria. It was from here that in the following centuries they spread to Serbia, Croatia, Kievan Russia, Lithuania, Wallachia, Moldavia, etc.

The creation of a new alphabet, designed for a particular language, would generally engage the efforts of many generations. If the other European alphabets were the result of a long evolution, Constantine-Cyril devised his script by one single act.

The apostle of Slavs was not only creator of their script. Together with his brother Methodius and his disciples he was the man who made the first translations into the new written language, elevating it to the sacral level of Jewish, Latin and Greek.

In this sense, the work of Constantine-Cyril, the Philosopher, left a lasting imprint on the Christian fate of Eastern Europe. It became part of the conflicts between the Eastern and the Western churches for their diocese, and delineated the zones of religious confessions, which have marked the cultural boundaries of the continent for centuries, until the present day.

In Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, 05 July is Cyril and Metodius Day - the Slavic Christianity Prophets

Mail

Skills for Change (SfC) is a non-profit agency based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Our mandate is to provide learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees so that they can participate in the workplace and wider community.

Sector Specific Information Sessions are held monthly. Participants receive information about their sector - an overview of their profession, the licensing required, where to get language and upgrading programs, how to research and apply for jobs, and get labour market information.

Schools of the coop-education:

York Dale Adult Center

Media Release

Toronto – (May 1, 2006) Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the licensing body for professional engineers in the province, installed Partick J. Quinn, P.Eng., as its 87th President during its annual general meeting on April 29, 2006, at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre. Mr. Quinn succeeds Robert A. Goodings, P.Eng., and will lead PEO’s 68,000 members and interns and chair its Council in 2006-2007.

Mr. Quinn is only the third engineer to be twice elected President, having served previously as President during the 1999-2000 term.

He is co-founder of Quinn Dressel Associates, one of Canada’s foremost structural engineering firms, responsible for many award-winning landmark buildings throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including the CBC Broadcast Centre, Toronto; the Royal Bank Plaza, Toronto; the Calgary City Hall; the Elf Aquitaine Tower, Paris; and the Stock Exchange Centre, Shanghai.

A Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland, he has been honoured as a Life Member of PEO and of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and as an Honorary Life Member of Women in Science and Engineering, for distinguished service and professional achievement. He was made a Member of PEO’s Order of Honour in 2003 to recognize his contributions to the association to that time.

As part of the events of the AGM weekend, PEO also inducted the following six individuals into its Order of Honour for their outstanding volunteer contributions to the profession and the association:

Kenneth C. McMartin, P.Eng., Manager, Civil and Environmental Engineering Laboratories, Carleton University

Captain Corneliu E. E. Chisu, CD, M.Eng., PMSC, C.E.T., P.Eng., Construction Engineering Officer, Department of National Defence, Land Forces Central Area Training Centre, Meaford

Sean P. McCann, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Senior Manager, Research and Development Tax, Deloitte & Touche LLP

PEO is the regulatory body that administers the Professional Engineers Act, by licensing professional engineers, and setting standards for and regulating engineering practice in Ontario, so that the public interest is served and protected. Rigorously educated, experienced, and committed to a Code of Ethics that puts the public interest first, licensed professional engineers can be identified by the P.Eng. after their names.

Technology association paves the way for international technology professionals

TORONTO, Ontario, May 2, 2006 - Through its unique programs and services, the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) lends a hand to newcomers to Canada who have an engineering technology background.

Many internationally trained professionals join OACETT, the professional association of engineering technicians and technologists, to help them establish their credentials and get started in their Canadian careers.

Through the association's bridging program and certification process, many reach their goal to become a certified engineering technologist ( C.E.T.), applied science technologist (A.Sc.T) or certified technician (C.Tech.).

The Options bridging program has been an excellent example of collaboration between OACETT, employers and the provincial government to integrate internationally trained professionals into the workforce quickly, says Gene Stodolak, C.E.T., OACETT's president.

Wayne Russell, C.E.T., earned his certification in the past year after getting a good start through the Options program. He's one of many of the participants who are now working in their field

Russell is a field technician for consulting engineering firm Golder Associates, carrying out quality assurance tests on engineering foundations.

Originally from Guyana, South America, Russell lived in Trinidad and Tobago where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, and worked for one year as a trainee engineer. He moved to Canada in 2004.

"The Options program helped me to understand the engineering industry and the working culture in Canada as a whole," Russell says. "With this knowledge I was better able to set goals and try to achieve them with OACETT's guidance.'

Certification through OACETT "means that I have met the requirements to be recognized according to Canadian standards," says Russell.

The Options program and OACETT have been an excellent source of highly skilled candidates for Bartech Technical Services, says Michelle Elliott, operations manager of the technical and IT staffing agency. "The service gave us confidence that the candidates are the high-calibre talent that our Fortune 500 automotive, engineering and manufacturing clients are looking for," she says. This is because OACETT screened participants and verified their English skills, their technical skills and their references.

Now at an end after two years, the Options program has been a very beneficial experience, says Sharon Leonard, director professional affairs and services at the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists. "Although the Options program is over now, OACETT continues its commitment to certifying ITPs and to provide networking opportunities and employment outreach activities to bridge the gap between employers and our many members who are internationally trained," Leonard says.

For more information contact Sharon Leonard, Director Professional Affairs and Services at OACETT. Tel: 416-621-9621, ext. 242, sleonard@oacett.org.

Be among the first to see Autodesk's 2007 portfolio of products, up close and personal in Canada.

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News

PORTLAND, Ore., May 3 (UPI) -- A large fin has developed in the mile-wide Mount St. Helens crater, the result of lava upsurges, the Cascades Volcano Observatory reported.

Scientists say they expect the 300-foot-tall spire -- the size of a tilted-up football field -- to collapse into the crater's expanding dome, as others have since the volcano began erupting again 18 months ago, The Oregonian reported Wednesday.

The tip of the fin is about 7,698 feet above sea level, boosted by the volcano's rising lava dome. Scientists told the newspaper lava has been emerging from a crater vent at a rate of 3 to 6 feet a day.

The volcano -- which erupted May 18, 1980, in the most deadly and destructive volcano eruption in U.S. history -- is located about 100 miles south of Seattle, and about 53 miles northeast of Portland, Ore.

Flames shoot from the liquid methane-liquid oxygen engine during the 103-second test firing (Image: NASA/MSFC/T Leibold)

NASA has test-fired a rocket engine fuelled by liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane for a record 103 seconds. A fully functioning engine is probably years away, but its efficiency means it could one day be used to take people to Mars.

The LOX-liquid methane combination is about 20% more efficient than traditional "hypergolic" fuels, which ignite on contact. It also leaves behind less residue than fuels such as kerosene, helping prevent blockages in engines.

No spacecraft have ever used LOX-methane engines, and only a few countries – notably Russia and the US - have tested the engines in laboratories. But now, NASA, the US Air Force and KT Engineering Corporation in Huntsville, Alabama, US, have achieved the new US record for a LOX-methane engine test firing.

But developing a LOX-methane engine that could launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit is probably three to four years away, says David Stephenson, manager of the Radial Segmented Launch Vehicle project at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, where the test took place. "We're at the stage of trying to prove these things are feasible," he told New Scientist. "We're not there yet."

This relative lack of experience with LOX-methane engines recently led NASA to postpone its plans to use the fuel on the space shuttle's successor, the Crew Exploration Vehicle. The CEV was designed to return people to the Moon around 2018 and eventually send them on to Mars.

Quantum Paint-on Laser Could Rescue Computer Chip Industry

Researchers at the University of Toronto have created a laser that could help save the $200-billion dollar computer chip industry from a looming crisis dubbed the "interconnect bottleneck."

But this isn't a laser in the stereotypical sense -- no corded, clunky boxes projecting different coloured lights. In fact, Professor Ted Sargent, of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, carries a small vial of the paint used to make this laser in his briefcase -- it looks like diluted ink.

Lasers that can produce coherent infrared light in the one to two nanometre wavelength range are essential in telecommunications, biomedical diagnosis and optical sensing. The speed and density of computer chips has risen exponentially over the years, and within 15 to 20 years the industry is expected to reach a point where components can't get any faster. But the interconnect bottleneck -- the point where microchips reach their capacity -- is expected sometime around 2010.

To tackle this problem, Sargent, a Canada Research Chair in Nanotechnology, created the new laser using colloidal quantum dots -- nanometre-sized particles of semiconductor that are suspended in a solvent like the particles in paint. "We've made a laser that can be smeared onto another material," says Sargent. "This is the first paint-on semiconductor laser to produce the invisible colours of light needed to carry information through fiber-optics. The infrared light could, in the future, be used to connect microprocessors on a silicon computer chip." A study describing the laser was published in the April 17 issue of the journal Optics Express.

According to Sjoerd Hoogland, a post-doctoral fellow and the first author of the paper, "this laser could help us to keep feeding the information-hungry Internet generation." The laser's most remarkable feature was its simplicity. "I made the laser by dipping a miniature glass tube in the paint and then drying it with a hairdryer," he said. "Once the right nanoparticles are made, the procedure takes about five minutes."

The microchip industry is looking for components that exist on the scale of transistors and are made of semiconductors, which would produce light when exposed to electrical current. With this development, it could be possible to use the electronics already found on microchips to power a laser that communicates within the chip itself.

"We crystallized precisely the size of the nanoparticles that would tune the colour of light coming from the laser. We chose nanoparticle size, and thus colour, the way a guitarist chooses frets to select the pitch of the instrument," Hoogland said. "Optical data transfer relies on light in the infrared--beams of light 1.5 micrometers in wavelength travel farthest in glass. We made our particles just the right size to generate laser light at exactly this wavelength."

Lionel C. Kimerling, Thomas Lord Professor of Materials Science and director of the Microphotonics Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reviewed the work. "The wavelength and the thermal budget of the Toronto laser are very appealing for applications in optical interconnects," Kimerling says. "The performance is excellent, particularly the temperature insensitivity of the output wavelength."

The research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) under its NanoIP (Nano Innovation Platform) Initiative, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Province of Ontario and the Canada Research Chairs program.

ABEC’s News

Tonia Bijkova made review of the Bank statements, transactions and the ABEC Account Balance for the year 2005.

It was voted change of the ABEC’s Bylaws – ARTICLE VIII – Section 2. All Council Members shall serve terms by election.

The election of new Council was postponed to be done in a Meeting, when more Members will be present.

ABEC, part of the four Engineering Association as a Coalition “European Engineers”, signed an Insurance Agreement with Meloche Monnex. The Group Insurance Affinity Agreement provided to “European Engineers” by Meloche Monnex allows the Members to participate at preferred group rates to obtain home, automobile, travel and small business insurance coverage for the members, spouses and children living at home. ABEC, AREC, HCEA and APEC completed the signing on May 1^st 2006.

Please note that we are preparing an “Eligibility List” for Meloch Monnex. Only Members in good standing, who possess a Diploma from Technical Engineering Universities with paid membership, will have their name activated into the group of the “European Engineer”. More details we will have on the next Meeting.

Hungarian Canadian Engineers’ Association - HCEA

Bus service to the Central Library is provided through the York Transit system on Richmond Hill Routes 4 (on Major Mackenzie)

Membership fee, due for 2006 year is $50 per year. Please send your cheque (making it payable to ABEC) to our Treasurer at the address:

Description:
The Alaska Highway was an attempt to address the looming threat of a Japanese invasion through Alaska. Its construction was considered an engineering marvel. In 1941 the National Gallery of Canada commissioned H.G. Glyde and A.Y. Jackson to document the Alaska Highway's construction. This exhibition includes significant works by both of these artists as well as numerous works by other Canadian and American artists who witnessed and recorded the construction of the Highway and its effect. The exhibition will also examine the Highway's impact on the First Nations communities whose traditional lands were bisected by The Road.

Historical Background

On February 11, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized construction of the Alaska Highway as a land transport route in the event that the Japanese seized shipping lines in the Pacific. On March 8, 1942, construction of the Alaska Highway officially began. The U.S. Army Engineers primarily completed Trailblazing, while civilian contractors (via the Public Roads Administration or PRA) followed them to widen and straighten the road.

On September 24, 1942, highway crews from the north and south met at Contact Creek, and the highway was officially dedicated in November 1942. Through most of 1943, the PRA developed the pioneer road into a standard highway; workers rebuilt bridges, shored up roads, and cut 200 miles from the highway's total length in the process. In October 1943, the PRA released the final contractors and sent workers home.

Still traveled today, the Alaska Highway measures 1,520 miles in length; 298 of its miles are in the United States, and 1,190 are in Canada.

May 2006

Dear Colleagues