Record low temperatures as August ends on chilly note
Published: 29th August 2007 12:44 CET
The lowest August temperatures for more than sixty years have been recorded in southern Sweden, as August comes to a chilly conclusion across the country.
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Friday, August 31, 2007
Flawed promise of security at expense of freedom
Scientists sue NASA, Caltech over deep new background checks
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A hearing was set for Sept. 24 on a request for a preliminary injunction in advance of a Sept. 28 deadline by which JPL employees must fill out forms authorizing the background checks. Employees who don't meet the deadline will be barred from JPL and will be "voluntarily terminated" as of Oct. 27.
According to the lawsuit, many of the plaintiffs have been employed at JPL for decades, and none work on classified or national security materials or issues, and none have security clearances.
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In June, JPL workers who consider the background checks unnecessary and intrusive aired their complaints before NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.
Griffin said that it was a "privilege to work within the federal system, not a right" and that he would carry out the order unless it was overturned in court, according to a video of the meeting obtained by The Associated Press.
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A hearing was set for Sept. 24 on a request for a preliminary injunction in advance of a Sept. 28 deadline by which JPL employees must fill out forms authorizing the background checks. Employees who don't meet the deadline will be barred from JPL and will be "voluntarily terminated" as of Oct. 27.
According to the lawsuit, many of the plaintiffs have been employed at JPL for decades, and none work on classified or national security materials or issues, and none have security clearances.
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In June, JPL workers who consider the background checks unnecessary and intrusive aired their complaints before NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.
Griffin said that it was a "privilege to work within the federal system, not a right" and that he would carry out the order unless it was overturned in court, according to a video of the meeting obtained by The Associated Press.
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Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Nuclear Fuel Problems Kept Secret
Tenn. Nuclear Fuel Problems Kept Secret
Monday August 20, 2007 9:01 PM
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A three-year veil of secrecy in the name of national security was used to keep the public in the dark about the handling of highly enriched uranium at a nuclear fuel processing plant - including a leak that could have caused a deadly, uncontrolled nuclear reaction.
The leak turned out to be one of nine violations or test failures since 2005 at privately owned Nuclear Fuel Services Inc., a longtime supplier of fuel to the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet.
The public was never told about the problems when they happened.
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Monday August 20, 2007 9:01 PM
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A three-year veil of secrecy in the name of national security was used to keep the public in the dark about the handling of highly enriched uranium at a nuclear fuel processing plant - including a leak that could have caused a deadly, uncontrolled nuclear reaction.
The leak turned out to be one of nine violations or test failures since 2005 at privately owned Nuclear Fuel Services Inc., a longtime supplier of fuel to the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet.
The public was never told about the problems when they happened.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Mine Your Own Business
Mine Your Own Business, a film produced by New Bera Media in association with the Moving Picture Institute, looks at the dark side of environmentalism.
Monday, August 20, 2007
$13B Write Off
Capital One slashes jobs, mortgage industry swoons
By Dan Wilchins Mon Aug 20, 6:31 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. mortgage industry took another battering on Monday, as Capital One Financial Corp said it will shut a lending unit it bought less than a year ago, while two mortgage companies took steps to bolster liquidity as losses piled up.
Capital One, best known as a credit card issuer, said it will cut 1,900 jobs and take $860 million in charges as it closes its GreenPoint Mortgage unit, which it acquired last December when it paid $13.2 billion for North Fork Bancorp Inc.
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By Dan Wilchins Mon Aug 20, 6:31 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. mortgage industry took another battering on Monday, as Capital One Financial Corp said it will shut a lending unit it bought less than a year ago, while two mortgage companies took steps to bolster liquidity as losses piled up.
Capital One, best known as a credit card issuer, said it will cut 1,900 jobs and take $860 million in charges as it closes its GreenPoint Mortgage unit, which it acquired last December when it paid $13.2 billion for North Fork Bancorp Inc.
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Forced Drug Test
Man arrested for having big muscles
Published: 13th August 2007 08:30 CET
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According to Boduljak, 27, the police officer was pleasant at first, but changed her attitude when he said he worked out. Saying his muscles were 'abnormal', she said he must have used drugs.
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Despite Boduljak's assurances that he didn't use steroids, she forced him to go to the police station and give a urine test. In her report, the officer said he had "unusually large muscles, particularly large arm muscles, which are a sign of steroid use."
The test was negative, and Boduljak made an official complaint against the police officer. Prosecutors looked into the case, but decided not to pursue it.
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Published: 13th August 2007 08:30 CET
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According to Boduljak, 27, the police officer was pleasant at first, but changed her attitude when he said he worked out. Saying his muscles were 'abnormal', she said he must have used drugs.
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Despite Boduljak's assurances that he didn't use steroids, she forced him to go to the police station and give a urine test. In her report, the officer said he had "unusually large muscles, particularly large arm muscles, which are a sign of steroid use."
The test was negative, and Boduljak made an official complaint against the police officer. Prosecutors looked into the case, but decided not to pursue it.
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Saturday, August 11, 2007
Spreading Credit Problems
Fed vows, then pumps massive funds to calm markets
By Glenn Somerville and Tamawa Kadoya Fri Aug 10, 4:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday sought to reassure investors and head off spreading credit problems by vowing to provide liquidity and injecting the most money in the banking system since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The U.S. central bank rarely issues statements about its market operations and the largess of its fund injections reflect the seriousness that it views the current disorder in credit markets.
Much of the disorder stems from problems in U.S. housing markets where defaults on subprime mortgages to less creditworthy borrowers are rising.
With the problems spreading to Europe and affecting financial markets globally, the Fed worked in tandem with other central banks to pump liquidity into the banking system.
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The Fed pumped a total of $38 billion in temporary funds in three separate occasions on Friday, a highly unusual move not seen since July 2000.
The three cash infusions were the largest single day amount since $50.35 billion on September 19, 2001, and more than five times the amount that was injected a week ago on Friday.
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By Glenn Somerville and Tamawa Kadoya Fri Aug 10, 4:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday sought to reassure investors and head off spreading credit problems by vowing to provide liquidity and injecting the most money in the banking system since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The U.S. central bank rarely issues statements about its market operations and the largess of its fund injections reflect the seriousness that it views the current disorder in credit markets.
Much of the disorder stems from problems in U.S. housing markets where defaults on subprime mortgages to less creditworthy borrowers are rising.
With the problems spreading to Europe and affecting financial markets globally, the Fed worked in tandem with other central banks to pump liquidity into the banking system.
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The Fed pumped a total of $38 billion in temporary funds in three separate occasions on Friday, a highly unusual move not seen since July 2000.
The three cash infusions were the largest single day amount since $50.35 billion on September 19, 2001, and more than five times the amount that was injected a week ago on Friday.
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Wednesday, August 08, 2007
China Inflation
China's Inflation May Quicken, Central Bank Says (Update3)
By Zhang Dingmin and Nipa Piboontanasawat
Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- China's central bank said consumer- price gains may accelerate on food and labor costs, fueling speculation that it's five days away from announcing the highest inflation in 10 years.
Price increases aren't solely the result of ``temporary factors,'' the People's Bank of China said in a second-quarter monetary policy report today on its Web site. The risk of the economy overheating has increased, it said.
``This is clearly to prepare the market for the awful inflation number next week,'' said Glenn Maguire, chief Asia economist at Societe Generale SA in Hong Kong.
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By Zhang Dingmin and Nipa Piboontanasawat
Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- China's central bank said consumer- price gains may accelerate on food and labor costs, fueling speculation that it's five days away from announcing the highest inflation in 10 years.
Price increases aren't solely the result of ``temporary factors,'' the People's Bank of China said in a second-quarter monetary policy report today on its Web site. The risk of the economy overheating has increased, it said.
``This is clearly to prepare the market for the awful inflation number next week,'' said Glenn Maguire, chief Asia economist at Societe Generale SA in Hong Kong.
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War on Terror overblown: Microsoft
War on Terror overblown: Microsoft
Steve RileyTECH.ED
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He prefers to tell his own kids that "...most adults are kind and honest and will help you if you need helping. But no adult needs your help to find their dog." Teach them to recognise the attacks, rather than react negatively to an imagined fear.
And this goes all the way up to the US's so-called "War on Terror". According to Steve, are any of us really made safer by taking our shoes off to go through metal detectors? Surely X-ray scanners which can see right through people's clothing is an unacceptable breach of privacy? At the very least, do we want to live in a society where this is the accepted norm?
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These are sobering thoughts, and they do make you take a second look at the vast amounts of money and effort going into security "measures" which do much to remove personal liberty and intrude in our daily existence, yet prove remarkably ineffective at actually stopping anyone determined to succeed.
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Steve RileyTECH.ED
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He prefers to tell his own kids that "...most adults are kind and honest and will help you if you need helping. But no adult needs your help to find their dog." Teach them to recognise the attacks, rather than react negatively to an imagined fear.
And this goes all the way up to the US's so-called "War on Terror". According to Steve, are any of us really made safer by taking our shoes off to go through metal detectors? Surely X-ray scanners which can see right through people's clothing is an unacceptable breach of privacy? At the very least, do we want to live in a society where this is the accepted norm?
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These are sobering thoughts, and they do make you take a second look at the vast amounts of money and effort going into security "measures" which do much to remove personal liberty and intrude in our daily existence, yet prove remarkably ineffective at actually stopping anyone determined to succeed.
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Can You Afford To Retire
PBS Frontline video, streaming on web.
The baby boomer generation is headed for a shock as it hits retirement: many of them will be long on life expectancy but short on savings. The two main strategies for funding retirement -- lifetime pensions and 401(k)-style savings plans -- are in serious trouble. In "Can You Afford to Retire?" FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith ("Is Wal-Mart Good for America?") investigates this looming financial crisis and the outlook for middle-class Americans.
The baby boomer generation is headed for a shock as it hits retirement: many of them will be long on life expectancy but short on savings. The two main strategies for funding retirement -- lifetime pensions and 401(k)-style savings plans -- are in serious trouble. In "Can You Afford to Retire?" FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith ("Is Wal-Mart Good for America?") investigates this looming financial crisis and the outlook for middle-class Americans.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Fat Folks Charged More For Health Insurance
BusinessWeek
Being Unhealthy Could Cost You -- Money
Thursday August 2, 8:08 am ET
By Jena McGregor
For employees at Clarian Health, feeling the burn of trying to lose weight will take on new meaning.
In late June, the Indianapolis-based hospital system announced that starting in 2009, it will fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index (BMI, a ratio of height to weight that measures body fat) is over 30. If their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels are too high, they'll be charged $5 for each standard they don't meet. Ditto if they smoke: Starting next year, they'll be charged another $5 in each check.
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Being Unhealthy Could Cost You -- Money
Thursday August 2, 8:08 am ET
By Jena McGregor
For employees at Clarian Health, feeling the burn of trying to lose weight will take on new meaning.
In late June, the Indianapolis-based hospital system announced that starting in 2009, it will fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index (BMI, a ratio of height to weight that measures body fat) is over 30. If their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels are too high, they'll be charged $5 for each standard they don't meet. Ditto if they smoke: Starting next year, they'll be charged another $5 in each check.
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Old Bacteria Thawed
Eight-million-year-old bug is alive and growing
* 12:12 07 August 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Catherine Brahic
An 8-million-year-old bacterium that was extracted from the oldest known ice on Earth is now growing in a laboratory, claim researchers.
If confirmed, this means ancient bacteria and viruses will come back to life as ice melts due to global warming. This is nothing to worry about, say experts, because the process has been going on for billions of years and the bugs are unlikely to cause human disease.
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* 12:12 07 August 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Catherine Brahic
An 8-million-year-old bacterium that was extracted from the oldest known ice on Earth is now growing in a laboratory, claim researchers.
If confirmed, this means ancient bacteria and viruses will come back to life as ice melts due to global warming. This is nothing to worry about, say experts, because the process has been going on for billions of years and the bugs are unlikely to cause human disease.
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Monday, August 06, 2007
Levitation
Physicists have 'solved' mystery of levitation
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 3:42pm BST 06/08/2007
Levitation has been elevated from being pure science fiction to science fact, according to a study reported today by physicists.
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Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate But they say that, in principle at least, the same effect could be used to levitate bigger objects too, even a person.
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By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 3:42pm BST 06/08/2007
Levitation has been elevated from being pure science fiction to science fact, according to a study reported today by physicists.
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Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate But they say that, in principle at least, the same effect could be used to levitate bigger objects too, even a person.
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Friday, August 03, 2007
Climate Change Land Grab
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Russia wants to extend right up to the North Pole the territory it controls in the Arctic, believed to hold vast reserves of untapped oil and natural gas, which is expected to become more accessible as climate change melts the ice.
President Vladimir Putin congratulated the expedition by telephone on "the outstanding scientific project," local agencies reported.
Boris Gryzlov, who heads the State Duma lower chamber of parliament and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, hailed the expedition as "a new stage of developing Russia's polar riches."
"This is fully in line with Russia's strategic interests," local media quoted him as saying. "I am proud our country remains the leader in conquering the Arctic."
Earlier on Thursday Canada mocked Russia's ambitions and said the expedition was nothing more than a show.
"This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'," Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told CTV television.
Under international law, the five states with territory inside the Arctic Circle -- Canada, Norway, Russia, the United States and Denmark via its control of Greenland -- have a 320 km (200 mile) economic zone around the north of their coastline.
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Russia wants to extend right up to the North Pole the territory it controls in the Arctic, believed to hold vast reserves of untapped oil and natural gas, which is expected to become more accessible as climate change melts the ice.
President Vladimir Putin congratulated the expedition by telephone on "the outstanding scientific project," local agencies reported.
Boris Gryzlov, who heads the State Duma lower chamber of parliament and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, hailed the expedition as "a new stage of developing Russia's polar riches."
"This is fully in line with Russia's strategic interests," local media quoted him as saying. "I am proud our country remains the leader in conquering the Arctic."
Earlier on Thursday Canada mocked Russia's ambitions and said the expedition was nothing more than a show.
"This isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and just plant flags and say 'We're claiming this territory'," Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told CTV television.
Under international law, the five states with territory inside the Arctic Circle -- Canada, Norway, Russia, the United States and Denmark via its control of Greenland -- have a 320 km (200 mile) economic zone around the north of their coastline.
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