KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - An unmarked ballot wafts in the breeze. Congolese election workers doze. Pieces of concrete weigh down stacks of vote tally sheets, keeping them from blowing away. A week after Congo's presidential elections unfolded in relative peace, experts say the disorder and chaos that has long hobbled the Central African country is creeping into the tallying - raising questions about the fairness of the outcome.
Remember this next time someone rails about how evil US elections are, when people can't tell the difference between Al Gore from Pat Buchanan in West Palm Beach.
"There was widespread chaos at counting centers," said Human Rights Watch's Anneke Van Woudenberg, one of nearly 2,000 international observers in Congo for the election and vote count. "There's a possibility for significant tampering."
Thanks Anneke, now go to lunch and make yourself more useless.
Suspect results could be used as an excuse for war - particularly as several candidates are former rebels with personal militias. Some candidates already are alleging fraud, and the seeming disorder at ballot-collecting centers could give their accusations momentum among Congo's 58 million people.
Oh, ya think? Former rebels might go back into the field if they don't get the results they want?
The July 30 elections were meant to let Y'urp-peon NGOs feel good about themselves end a transitional government led by President Joseph Kabila, who arranged the national unity administration in 2002 to halt six years of near-constant war. Turnout was 80 percent of the 25 million registered voters.
Riots have broken out in some places since the vote because the election commission has had trouble paying its workers. Observers also have complained about limits on voting monitors, poor security at counting centers and a lack of oversight. "There are some difficulties. We're missing materials. We have no transportation. It's hard and the conditions are terrible," said Guy Mukadi Nkongolo, a worker at one of dozens of centers where votes are being tallied, cross-checked and baled for storage. "But we're patient. Even if we have some small imperfections, for me it's OK," the 30-year-old Nkongolo said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2006 00:00 ||
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The Congo's been a mess for over a hundred years, ever since the Belgian King Leopold came stomping in and trashed the place. It's almost enough to make you want to root for Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1914.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/08/2006 7:13 Comments ||
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Afrikan disorder? How can this be? They must be talking about Indiana.
(SomaliNet) In the fourth hand grenade in just a week, four people were killed and 20 others severely wounded in the Burundian capital, authorities said on Monday, Reuters reported. The catastrophic incident left two people dead on the spot and two others died in the hospital. According to a local official, the attacks were carried out by unknown assailants on Sunday night in the northern Bujumbura suburb of Ngagara. "Those criminals threw five grenades and shot at customers who were drinking beer," local government official Aime Desire Ndibanje said.
But no arrests were made so far and police had no immediate suspects. Meanwhile, some 300,000 illegal guns are thought by the Burundian government to be in the hands of civilians and armed groups.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2006 00:00 ||
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Leftist intellectuals and human rights activists from around the world pleaded with the United States on Monday not to interfere with Cuba while Fidel Castro recovers from intestinal surgery.
The usual suspects...
Many of the 400 signers of the open letter are from Latin America, and numerous Nobel Peace laureates are listed, such as former Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and activist Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala.
Oh, yasss. She, Rigoberta Menchu.
Announcing the letter at a news conference, leading Cuban writer Roberto Fernandez Retamar said Cubans are convinced that Castro's handover of power to his younger brother and defense minister, Raul Castro, is only temporary. "In a few months, we'll have him back with us," Retamar said.
"He'll be dead, stuffed and mounted, but we'll have him back. He'll last another 80 years that way."
They'll make pilgrimages to his glass case in the mausoleum, forgetting -- if they ever knew -- what kind of man he was.
That optimistic assessment has been reinforced by statements from Fidel Castro's inner circle and Latin American allies, who say the Cuban leader is recovering well from surgery for internal bleeding. Cubans were told most details of his health would be kept "a state secret" to prevent enemies from taking advantage of his condition. Indeed, officials haven't said precisely what ails Castro or what surgical procedure he underwent.
The usual cancer rumors have surfaced. I'm hoping he's got pancreatic cancer, myself ...
President Bush said the United States remains in the dark about the illness, but he didn't miss the chance to motivate anti-Castro activists to push for change.
I'll bet he's not, really...
"The only thing I know is what has been speculated, and this is that, on the one hand, he is very ill and, on the other hand, he is going to be coming out of hospital," Bush said at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. "Our desire is for the Cuban people to choose their own form of government."
Actually, our desire is for the Cuban people to string up the Castro brothers, but we're much too polite to say that...
... that happens the day after they choose their own form of government ...
On Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied the United States is contemplating an invasion of the island in the wake of Castro's illness but said the U.S. wants to help Cubans prepare for democracy. "The notion that somehow the United States is going to invade Cuba, because there are troubles in Cuba, is simply far-fetched," Rice told NBC.
Why would we bother, when the place is going to collapse on its own?
'Far-fetched' and 'detached from reality' might describe the 400 letter-signers ...
"The United States wants to be a partner and a friend to the Cuban people as they move through this period of difficulty and as they move ahead. But what Cuba should not have is the replacement of one dictator by another."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Let's hope those 400 all join Fidel in a few months. Hell has lots of room.
#5
These type rants make me often wonder how bad it is at home. You know, when things are goin' south quickly at home, you have to have a handy-dandy "outside threat" (usually the U.S.) to blame to keep the heat off yourself. From Kim Jong Il to Hugo Chavez to Ahmadinijad and now, Castro, everyone's "afraid" of the US invading when they know full well we won't (well, maybe with the exception of Tehran). Why? Internal pressures must be noticing how crappy it is to live in "dreamworld" under a communist/totalitarian regime. But, what the hey, at least the trains run on time and there's always "free" health care.
Posted by: BA ||
08/08/2006 9:05 Comments ||
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Leftist intellectuals and human rights activists from around the world pleaded with the United States on Monday not to interfere with Cuba while Fidel Castro recovers from intestinal surgery.
Another example of the 'intellect' of the left. Hey Bozos, that's what an embargo is all about - having nothing to do with Cuba. You were bitchin' about the embargo before today, not you insist that we in fact continue it. Look in the dictionary for Wanker and youll find 1.(n) leftist.
Good luck, pops. Bin Laden will send in a absentee ballot for you...
CANBERRA (Reuters) - The father of Australian Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks has been nominated for the country's "Father of the Year" award, angering the Australian government which said it was being used to score political points. Nahhhh.Ya think?
Hicks was detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in late 2001 and has been in custody in Guantanamo Bay since 2002, where he is awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.
His father Terry Hicks has led a four-year campaign to have his son either face trial or be set free, but Australia, a close ally of the United States and with forces still fighting in Afghanistan, has refused to seek his release.
Jon Stanhope, head of the local Australian Capital Territory government -- which has authority over the national capital Canberra -- said Terry Hicks was an inspiration to all parents. "To show the enduring and unconditional love and the grace that Terry Hicks has shown in supporting his son, I think is wonderful," Stanhope told Australian radio on Saturday. And a right fine terrorist ya raised there, Terry! Good on ya!
But Australia's Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, who has long campaigned against allowing David Hicks to return home, hit back at Stanhope and said the nomination was not appropriate.
"I don't think politicization of the program of nominating outstanding fathers of the year is a good way to go," Ruddock said on Saturday.
The Father of the Year award, to be announced on September 1, is an annual award to recognize a high-profile person who is seen as a good role model for fathers, either through support for their family or the community. It is run a by the Shepherd Center charity, which raises money to help deaf children, and is administered by a council made up of prominent Australians and community leaders. This should do wonders for fund raising...
Previous winners include sportsmen and military leaders, as well as Prime Minister John Howard and former conservative Australian prime ministers Malcolm Fraser, William McMahon and Robert Menzies.
Connecticut // U.S. Senate - - Dem Primary
724 of 748 Precincts Reporting - 96.79%
Lamont, Ned 141,623 51.85% **Winner
Lieberman, Joe (i) 131,491 48.15%
Georgia, U.S. House Democratic District 4
Precincts Reporting: 153 of 167 (92%)
Hank Johnson (winner) 36853 59%
Cynthia McKinney (I) 25683 41%
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2006 23:11 ||
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said on Monday that a desktop computer with personal data on as many as 38,000 U.S. military veterans had disappeared from Unisys Corp., a subcontractor.
Disclosure of the breach comes three days after authorities arrested two teenagers in the theft of a laptop and hard drive containing sensitive data on as many as 26.5 million veterans and military personnel. The equipment in that case, turned in to authorities on June 28, was stolen May 3 during a burglary of a VA employee's home, authorities said.
In the latest case, Unisys told the VA on August 3 that the computer was missing from the company's offices in Reston, Virginia, the VA said. The VA and Unisys said the data may include names, addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. The data do not contain personal financial information, Unisys said in a statement, but the VA said it may include patients' insurance carriers and billing information, dates of military service and claims information that may include some medical information.
Nope, no personal financial information, just all the ID you need to get the personal financial information.
The VA's inspector general, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement agencies "are conducting a thorough investigation of this matter," Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson said in a statement.
Jim, it's time for you to go ...
The agency said it believes the records concern about 5,000 patients treated at the VA medical center in Philadelphia and about 11,000 seen at a VA facility in Pittsburgh over the past four years, as well as about 2,000 deceased veterans. The agency said it is also investigating whether the computer contained information on about another 20,000 people who were treated at the Pittsburgh medical center.
Unisys said it had launched a "comprehensive search and investigation" and was working with the VA and law enforcement agencies investigating the incident.
... and it's time for a new contractor ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Steve, I would like to politley correct your in-line: "Jim, it's PAST time for you to go."
Or to put it another way that may be more familiar to the regulars: " You're Dead (professionally), Jim."
#4
This is really getting disgusting. Someone's head needs to go
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/08/2006 21:07 Comments ||
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What has to go is the automatic linking of SSNs to names in the military. Given the amount of data and the number of people involved, it would be almost impossible to keep this stuff from getting stolen unless we want to make names and SSNs classified.
Last year, my reserve center sent out a list of everyone eligible for some gedunk War on Terror/Poverty/Obesity ribbon. 150 personnel: full names, ranks and SSNs. Unclassified, these papers could be seen floating around everywhere in the building. Makes me want to...write a strongly worded letter to SECDEF.
The peace process in the Himalayan state of Nepal between Maoist guerrillas and Nepalese politicians is on the verge of collapse over the future of the monarchy and disarmament, a senior communist leader said yesterday.
The comments, by deputy rebel chief Baburam Bhattarai, were the first signs of a split in the alliance between the seven political parties and the Maoists that effectively removed the king from power in April. "The talks are very close to collapse," Mr Bhattarai told business leaders in Kathmandu. "The dialogue process is stuck at a very sensitive stage. The government is trying to force us to war again."
"They're twisting our arms! We got no choice but to go kill people!"
The rebel leader ruled out an immediate return to battle, saying that if the talks failed the Maoists would "launch a new peaceful, popular movement in the cities, and not go back to the jungles".
"I had a bad case of crotch rot last time in the jungle, and believe you me I don't want to go back."
Despite previous Maoist statements that they would accept a ceremonial monarchy if the people wanted one, Mr Bhattarai criticised the interim prime minister's recent statement in favour of a ceremonial monarchy. "We caution and warn the prime minister that we may have to leave him if he continues to protect the monarchy - and that protest will not only finish the king, it will also finish all those who are siding with the monarchy," Mr Bhattarai said.
The negotiations appear to have stalled because the Maoists are unwilling to give up their guns unless the Nepalese army is disarmed. The UN had proposed that armouries could be built in barracks for the rebels where weapons could be kept under two sets of locks. One set of keys would be held by the Maoists, the other by the UN. However, the Maoists would not accept the plan unless the country's military was similarly constrained. "What was being proposed was dissolving the [Maoist] People's Liberation army. It is not acceptable to us," Maoist chief negotiator, Krishna Bahadur Mahara told the Guardian. "We are not for the status quo. How can we accept demilitarisation only for us, and not for them?"
Because they're the lawful government?
Analysts say that the Maoists were attempting to strengthen their hand in the negotiations by talking tough. "The international community has been quite firm. India, the US, the EU have all told the Maoists they cannot join the interim government with guns in hand," said Kanak Mani Dixit of Himal magazine. "What they need is a face-saving measure (for the Maoists), because Nepal does not want to return to war."
Which means you have to cave-in to the Maoists, since that's the only 'face-saving' measure that they'll accept.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2006 00:00 ||
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Last Thursday, three children were killed in a wedding celebration during which gunshots were fired in celebration. PCHR's preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 21:15 on Thursday, 3 August 2006, three children were killed in a wedding ceremony when a gunman lost control of his assault rifle as he was shooting in the air in celebration. The killed children are Naser Salim El-Asmar (13), Ahmad Samir Abu Jilda 915), and Ala Adel Faris Hardan (17). The wedding ceremony was in El-Marah Quarter in the eastern part of Jenin. Several gunmen were firing in the air during the wedding.
PCHR is extremely concerned over the continued falling of victims, mostly children, by gunshots fired during celebrations and weddings. The Centre calls upon the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), represented by the Attorney-General, to seriously investigate these incidents and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Centre calls upon the PNA and all Palestinians to work towards stopping the phenomena of firing guns during celebrations as they constitute a direct threat to the lives of civilians.
#4
The killed children are... Ahmad Samir Abu Jilda 915
That kid should have been on Ripley's Believe it or not! You don't see 915 years old kid very often nowadays... Well, nothing anyone can do anything about it now.
#5
Ahmad Samir Abu Jilda lived 900 years.
Ahmad Samir Abu Jilda lived 900 years.
But who call that livin
When no gal will give in
To no guy who's 900 years?
Posted by: Sporting Life ||
08/08/2006 7:42 Comments ||
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Porgy and Bess -- my favourite! But they went painfree to glorious sexual martyrdom in the sky, so that's ok... and besides they were part of the great breeding war to push the Jews off the land, so they were excess anyway. Or at least so Mahmoud Abbas would say, he of the Womb War doctoral dissertation. It does great damage to children to know they were already unloved the moment they were born, and these people do so as a matter of policy.
August 7, 2006: In recent exercises over Alaska, the F-22 has been put to the test. The results have been staggering. F-22s notched an impressive 108 to 0 "kill ratio" often when outnumbered by as much as 8 to 1 by simulated Su-27/30 aircraft. In a very real sense, this is a preview of what is to come for forces facing the F-22. The F-15 and F-18 scored a 2:1 kill ratio against the simulated Flankers. This is not the only time that F-22s have shown their capabilities. Eight F-22s faced off against 33 F-15Cs earlier this year, and "shot down" all of the F-15Cs with no loss to itself.
Why does the F-22 dominate? The answer lies in the two biggest rules of air combat. The first rule is, "Speed is life." The F-22 has speed reaching nearly 2,600 kilometers per hour, and having the ability go faster (up to 1,830 kilometers per hour) than the speed of sound without using its afterburners. It is faster than a Eurofighter, Flanker, or Rafale. It can catch its target, or get out of a situation, should that rare occasion arise.
The second rule is, "Lose the sight, lose the fight." The F-22 is very capable of making an opponent "lose sight" of it often through its stealth features that cause enemy radars to perform poorly when looking for an F-22. This means the F-22 will "see" its opponent far sooner than it will be seen itself. In aerial combat, 80 percent of those planes killed in air-to-air combat never knew the opponent that killed them was there.
In a very real sense, the F-22 is the superfighter of the 21st Century. The F-22 is emerging as a long-range fighter (with a range of over 3200 kilometers), capable of fighting when outnumbered 4 to 1 (or more), and it also has significant edges in the areas of speed and stealth. The F-22 is proving to be a very reliable plane (with less than 7 percent of sorties being aborted). Some problems have emerged as the F-22 joins the operational force, most notably with a titanium boom on the first 80 planes, but these problems are being fixed. The F-22's high speed and performance also gives weapons like the AMRAAM and JDAM much more range than from the F-15E or F-16.
The F-22's biggest weakness seems to be its price tag ($361 million per plane). But it is quickly proving it is capable of clearing the skies against as many as eight opponents per F-22. When you consider that the Eurofighter costs $58 million per plane, and the Rafale pushes $66 million, while the F-35C pushes $61 million, the F-22 isn't that bad, particularly when two F-22s at $274 million can easily wipe out eight Eurofighters at $464 million.
While the U.S. Air Force may be engaging in some puffery when it comes to describing the F-22, the track record of new American combat aircraft over the last few decades, indicates that the F-22 is, indeed, an impressive combat aircraft. But, as with any warplane, it won't be until the aircraft actually experiences combat, that it's reputation can be established as more than just potential.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/08/2006 14:05 ||
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Hear that China? Wanna continue to piss and moan over Tiawan? You have been put on notice.
#5
Unit cost is a big deal. Note the price on the initial buy is $360 million because it absorbs NRE, R&D, etc. Next buy is $137 million. At volume could go to $115-120 M per unit. I hope they can keep the line open long enough to find out if the UCAVs are good enough to fully replace manned aircraft.
#7
NS, you in the industry, kind of sounds like it.
Note, the first buy is usually SRIP, short range initial production (not range in the plane, but range in terms of length of mgf activities).
Then there will be LRIP, long range, which indeed drops production cost significantly.
A second or even third round of NRE will be included for LRIP as well as design and ME refinements.
Finally spares and repair will enter into the picture and much of the cost will be recouped.
Too bad most don't understand this as it makes unit cost much cheaper and even generative to the companies involved due to the long term maint and spares required.
We can build many, many of the plane and should!
But SRIP to LRIP gap allows the decision you point to, do UCAVs give us enough.
#8
"fraid the end is nigh for flyboys. Do (heart) F-22s though.
2020 fly force is bots in space...sorry flyboys
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/08/2006 21:06 Comments ||
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My father was. I'm in consumer electronics. It's not that much different, just faster cycles and less BS.
I doubt the AF will let go of manned aircraft until UCAVs are proven in combat. One reason is that the cost differential is not that great yet. Remember that the Army still had a horse cavalry unit in 1943 and in 1944 was planning on how to use horse cavalry in the invasion of Japan. The B-52 is now 54 years old and the last one was built 44 years ago. Given procurement cycles I should not be surprised to see the F-22 still flying in 2030 or 2040.
FORT BELVOIR, Va. - The Army is considering a proposal to allow a private developer to build a military theme park that would include 4D rides and bars including a 1st Division Lounge.
Military officials said a massive entertainment and hotel complex built next to a national Army museum could draw more than 1 million people a year. But authorities in Fairfax County are objecting because of already traffic-clogged roads surrounding the proposed site.
Universal City Property Management III, of Orlando, Fla., submitted the unsolicited proposal for the theme park last year.
You can command the latest M-1 tank, feel the rush of a paratrooper freefall, fly a Cobra Gunship or defend your B-17 as a waist gunner, according to the proposal, which was obtained by The Washington Post.
County officials have no authority over the Armys decision because the site is federal property. County Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman said he thought the entertainment concept died last year and said he had no interest in turning a military museum into Disney on Rolling Road.
But the Army notified the county last week it is planning to move the military museum from Fort Belvoir to a site a few miles away that would be large enough for the entertainment complex. This will only work if they hire a professional theme park designer *and* go for Disney-quality standards. Their security will also have to be air tight, given the nuts, fruits and terrorists out there.
#3
This might be a recruiting move aimed at pre-teens and young teens. I'm pretty sure it's NOT being proposed because the military leadership doesn't have enough to do each day.
And if it is an indirect PR/recruiting move, then the location is important -- attracts those visiting Washington.
Sorry about the traffic. Have lived in the area twice, commuted way too many hours for too few miles for bunch of years, feel your pain.
#5
Another big target will be MOM. I'll bet plenty of clean cut GIs will be available to demonstrate and explain all the benefits to a young person of enlisting in the Army. And showing how the Army has protected our families in the past.
But dump the B-17 snd add an AC-130 H/U. Better yet, a Commanche.
As for traffic, at least they build more roads in DC/VA/MD when traffic gets worse.
#7
Nimble, if you thought the Mixing Bowl [the I-95/395/495 interchange] was bad enough now, just see it when this shows up. People will be able to rollerskate to work faster than they can driving.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
08/08/2006 16:30 Comments ||
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#8
Keep the B-17, it's cool. Add some other historical weapons and ideas to it. Why not have some part of it devoted to the Civil War? That might well be popular.
If it can't be in Washington, put it in Orlando next to Disney and MGM. You want the Disney folks to have the management contract anyway, so put it next to the most popular tourist destination in the country.
A week in Orlando: a day in the Magic Kingdom, a day at MGM, a day at Seaworld, five minutes at EPCOT, and three days at the Military Theme Park. I'm sold.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2006 17:33 Comments ||
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#9
If they do something in the DC area, they really should provide a connection with the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum Annex, near Dulles Airport. Everyone here should visit it; they have a Blackbird, the Enola Gay, an AEC Uranium-survey plane, the Enterprise prototype, and many more planes of history.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
08/08/2006 17:53 Comments ||
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#10
Theme Park, eh? An Arcade sounds like fun. 'Whack-a-Jihadi' and 'Sand-monkey Shooting Gallery' would be sure to please.
The Vecna BEAR robot (Battlefield Extraction and Retrieval Robot) is being developed as an adjunct to other rescue technologies for extracting combat casualties. I always love the military's acronyms for these weapons systems...gotta sound tough, even when doing gentle activities.
The BEAR bot has three main elements; hydraulic upper body, mobile platform and dynamic balancing behavior. The robot should be able to fully stand up by straightening the tracked units. According to Gary Gilbert, Ph.D., Program Manager, U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRCpart of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command):
"Robotic extraction of combat casualties from under fire or from hostile or contaminated environments is the 'holy grail' of the TATRC mobile robotics program. The BEAR prototype as envisioned in the VECNA proposal and current research contract is the most promising approach I have seen to safely extracting casualties from urban and wooded terrain or from other areas with numerous obstacles that would impede entrance by other vehicular or aerial robots. The versatility and flexibility of the BEAR that would enable it to do multiple combat support taskssuch as loading vehicles or carrying heavy equipmentmake it more attractive than other robots that can only support a limited set of specialized tasks."
A multi-functional BEAR? Who'da thunk it?
A variety of remarkable new technologies have appeared in just the past year to provide for social care and rescue; some are in prototype and some are already in the field:
ROBHAZ-DT3 Rescue Robot In Iraq This variation on an awardwinning robot design will be used to support Korean troops in Iraq. Why do the Koreans get to have all the fun? Robot Nannies - The Fact, The Fiction SF writers have been thinking about robot nannies (and other forms of automated child care) since at least WWII. This fall, Korea will have some in the home. Great, just what Hollywood needs...more mechanized nannies. TerminatorBot CRAWLER Gives Danger Two-Fingered Salute A rescue robot modeled on the movie Terminator. No comment.
Just don't connect them to Skynet. Nothing good comes from that.
Posted by: BA ||
08/08/2006 11:49 ||
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This will save many heroic soldier/Marine and Corpsman/Medics lives..although probally on most ops units won't be able to haul them around but they still should help nontheless..
~~~~
Reminds me of the drug robots that UCSF has used for the last few years. They look abit like R2D2.
When delivering they leave the main pharmacy in the basement all by their lonesome and take the elevators and roll throughout 14 floors of UC, Moffitt and Long hospitals [same group of huge buildings all connected] and deliver almost all of the controlled meds. very tough and tamper resistant and avoid people and all obstacles.
~~~
[..]...The biggest challenge for the wireless implementation was to deploy the Access Points to successfully operate the wirelessly-enabled robots all over the hospital. These robots, affectionately named Elvis and Lisa Marie, operate through Wi-Fi enabled controls to travel up and down hallways to whatever location their medicines need to be dispensed. This in itself is a challenge; but, these robots also must summon the elevator, ride the elevator to its required floor, and let the elevator know when it needs to get off.
The communication between the base station and the robots, and between the robots and the elevators, is done via Wi-Fi connection. According to Richard Van Derworp, The challenge with elevators is two-fold. Not only do the robots need to maintain a connection to the wireless network running 60+ miles per hour, but, we also need to maintain that connection while roaming between and authenticating to different Access Points outside the elevator shafts. Elevators are federally regulated, and we cannot mount any wireless devices inside the elevator shaft without a permit.
The solution? Van Derworp and his team designed a special network of Access Points using custom antennas directly outside the doors of certain elevators. This not only kept the robots in constant communications with the wireless network, but also allowed the implementation of Ciscos Fast Secure Roaming to enable the robots to maintain their Cisco LEAP authentication during their ride in the elevator. Fast Secure Roaming was developed because some applications running on client devices require fast reassociation when they roam to a different access point. Voice or robot communication applications, for example, require seamless roaming to prevent delays and gaps in conversation or connectivity.
During normal operation, LEAP-enabled client devices mutually authenticate with a new access point by performing a complete LEAP authentication, including communication with the main RADIUS server. When a wireless LAN is configured for fast, secure roaming, however, LEAP-enabled client devices roam from one access point to another without involving the main server. Using Cisco Centralized Key Management (CCKM), an Access Point configured to provide Wireless Domain Services (WDS) takes the place of the RADIUS server and authenticates the client so quickly that there is no perceptible delay in voice or other time-sensitive applications.
The first phase of the wireless installation is being used internally by the robots, doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff. In the next phase of the WLAN rollout, the Medical Center staff intends to offer patients service via hot spots for wireless access.[..]
The Philippine authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 35,000 people living near a volcano, saying an eruption could take place soon.
The alert was raised to four - the second highest level - following increased activity at Mount Mayon, in the centre of the country. It has been rumbling since February and started emitting lava in mid-July. Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines, having erupted about 50 times in the past 400 years.
People living in the region watched with alarm early on Monday as six successive volcanic blasts within 40 minutes sent ash up to 800m into the air. By mid-morning, Mayon's peak was covered in a dark cloud of volcanic material rising high above the crater. "This morning we recorded at least six small explosions and this signifies that Mayon is almost ready to burst," said Ernesto Corpus, chief of eruption prediction at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Officials took the decision to raise the alert level to four, which means that an eruption could happen within days. Level five represents an ongoing eruption.
The army has sent 80 trucks to take villagers living within 8km (five miles) of the crater to 34 evacuation centres. The governor of Albay province, Fernando Gonzalez, said 29 villages around the volcano would be evacuated. But provincial officials said some residents were reluctant to leave their land, fearing looters.
Defence Secretary Avelino Cruz said the evacuation was going well, but warned that police would remove those who refused to leave. "If we have to carry them out bodily into the truck and get them out of the zone, the Task Force Mayon will do that," he told a press conference.
Officials said about 50,000 residents would be evacuated if a major eruption occurred, and a Phivolcs advisory urged people living in nearby areas to prepare to leave.
Mayon is one of 22 active volcanoes in the Philippines. Its most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people. Another 75 people died during an eruption in 1993.
#1
"Bailiff, please bring Mr. Spock to the Lord High Grand Inquisitor for Environment. Mr. Spock is to be charged for vulcanogenic disruptions to Mother Gaia (peace be upon her). Tell him to bring his checkbook."
#2
My volcanologist friend said that Mt. Augustine here in Alaska emits 500 tons/day of sulfur dioxide on a normal steaming day. During an eruption, it is estimated to put out 6000 tons/dayh. I would imagine that this volcano would be similar. So where is Al Gore, Kyoto signatories, and enviro-crats when this volcano stuff happens? Huh? Huh????
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/08/2006 0:24 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Global Warming To Take A Hit
Posted by: Al Gore ||
08/08/2006 0:34 Comments ||
Top||
The Year Without a Summer, also known as the Poverty Year and Eighteen hundred and froze to death, was 1816, in which severe summer climate abnormalities destroyed crops in Northern Europe, the American Northeast and eastern Canada[1][2]. Historian John D. Post has called this "the last great subsistence crisis in the western world".
It is now generally thought that the aberrations occurred because of the 5 April 15 April 1815 volcanic eruptions of Mount Tambora on the island of Sumbawa in the Dutch East Indies (in today's Indonesia) which ejected immense amounts of volcanic dust into the upper atmosphere. La Soufrière in Saint Vincent in the Caribbean in 1812, and Mayon in the Philippines in 1814, had already built up atmospheric dust in major eruptions. As is common following a massive volcanic eruption, temperatures fell worldwide owing to less sunlight passing through the atmosphere.
#6
Can we dispatch Al on an emergency flight ASAP ? He should be stationed at the rim to see if he can plug the damn thing before it spits out all the global warming juice. And Al, if it starts shaking, run like your ass is on fire. Don't look back, cause it probably will be.
#8
I consider it particularly unfair to Philippinos. There should be a big motha volcano in Soddy in Hejaz region. Exploding often. And one at Qom, although there is some, yet insufficient, seismic activity.
#9
The largest volcano in the middle East is only 50 Kilometers from Teheran. It hasn't erupted in historical times, but you never know (fingers crossed). Link
#12
In the grand order of karma in the universe, I propose as recognition to multi-culturalism that the society adopt the old pacific islander tradition of appeasing the volcano gods [cause we know the wackos will never accept old style Christian traditions]. Lets sacrifice the old fashion way by tossing a rube first earther, cause you just got to use a true believer, mother nature will not accept apostates or non-believers.
#14
You know? Acid rain really has been getting short shrift in the last half-decade or so. It's been "greenhouse" this and "climate change" that and "ozone hole" the other thing.
What with all the SO2 talk, can we get a moment of silence to remember the dreaded Acid Rain?
.
And thank you.
The Libyan government took 25 years to repair diplomatic ties with the United States to be able to reopen an embassy in the District, but it can't because the District's utilities authority refuses to turn on water service.
At issue is more than $27,000 in outstanding water and sewer bills for the property where the Libyan government is trying to reopen its embassy on U.S. soil for the first time since 1981.
The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) has filed liens and shut off sewer and water service for the property, located at 2201 Wyoming Ave. NW. The dispute prompted Libya last week to file a lawsuit against WASA in federal court in the District. The suit demands that water and sewer service be turned on and that WASA pay $1 million in damages. Not quite Lockerbie bucks but its a start.
This isn't the first time WASA has tangled with a foreign government. The utility has filed property liens against more than a dozen foreign countries in recent years, though several embassies eventually settled the debts, records show.
In its lawsuit, Libya says it hasn't occupied the Wyoming Avenue property since 1981, when the United States cut diplomatic ties with the country and shut its embassy.
The Libyan government wants to reopen the embassy because Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice upgraded relations with Libya in May.
During the years Libya had no embassy in the District, the United Arab Emirates took control of the property. For several years, "squatters" stayed there without permission from Libya or the United Arab Emirates, the suit says.
The United Arab Emirates evicted the squatters in 2003 and ordered water and sewer service to be shut off, the suit says. Squatters without water or sewage ewww that sounds messy.
WASA won't provide water or sewer service until the outstanding bill is paid.
WASA records show water and sewer accounts at the property in the name of the "United Kingdom of Libya," and the authority has filed a lien demanding payment.
The Libyan government, however, says it shouldn't have to pay because it didn't authorize the service. Try that oldie but goody with your local utility company and see how far you get.
A WASA spokeswoman yesterday said she could not comment on the dispute because the authority's policy is not to discuss pending lawsuits.
In general, WASA spokeswoman Michele Quander-Collins said, the agency doesn't treat foreign embassies any differently than any other ratepaying customers.
"Basically, if they're in arrears, we pursue the customer, no matter who they are," she said. "Most of the time, once we file a lien, the customer will make arrangements to pay."
But collecting debts from foreign governments can pose different challenges.
"We've seen situations where the embassies have claimed they weren't there when the service was rendered, or else their country is no longer in existence," Miss Quander-Collins said. "And then they want to pay with dinars, I mean really does anybody even know the exchange rate?"
WASA has filed liens against several foreign countries for debts ranging from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, according to city records.
The Republic of Yugoslavia fell apart in the 1990s, becoming the independent states of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Yet Yugoslavia still owes more than $14,000 to WASA, according to a lien filed last year.
The former Zaire -- now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo -- has had more than $20,000 in outstanding bills owed to WASA, according to a property lien the utility filed at the D.C. Office of the Recorder of the Deeds in April.
An official at the Congolese Embassy yesterday said officials would not discuss the matter.
Other countries facing WASA liens for outstanding bills in recent years include the Ivory Coast, which owes $6,151, and the Republic of Guinea, which owes $10,796, city records show. Just wait till the Palestinian embassy opens.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - An unmarked ballot wafts in the breeze. Congolese election workers doze. Pieces of concrete weigh down stacks of vote tally sheets, keeping them from blowing away. A week after Congo's presidential elections unfolded in relative peace, experts say the disorder and chaos that has long hobbled the Central African country is creeping into the tallying - raising questions about the fairness of the outcome.
(SomaliNet) In the fourth hand grenade in just a week, four people were killed and 20 others severely wounded in the Burundian capital, authorities said on Monday, Reuters reported. The catastrophic incident left two people dead on the spot and two others died in the hospital. According to a local official, the attacks were carried out by unknown assailants on Sunday night in the northern Bujumbura suburb of Ngagara. "Those criminals threw five grenades and shot at customers who were drinking beer," local government official Aime Desire Ndibanje said. 
Leftist intellectuals and human rights activists from around the world pleaded with the United States on Monday not to interfere with Cuba while Fidel Castro recovers from intestinal surgery.
The peace process in the Himalayan state of Nepal between Maoist guerrillas and Nepalese politicians is on the verge of collapse over the future of the monarchy and disarmament, a senior communist leader said yesterday.
The Philippine authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 35,000 people living near a volcano, saying an eruption could take place soon.
The Libyan government took 25 years to repair diplomatic ties with the United States to be able to reopen an embassy in the District, but it can't because the District's utilities authority refuses to turn on water service. 
