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US Transporation Security Agency - Felonious or Stupid?

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:16:52 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Felonious or just stupid? Time for the TSA to pick one.

I’m not a legal scholar. I didn’t even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. But I am pretty good about spotting what appears to be a felonious act, especially when it jumps off the computer screen and smacks you right in the face. And after reading through the various non-responses from the TSA regarding this leak one bit seems to stand out more than the others. The TSA appears to be playing down the breach in part because:

The version of the document that was posted was neither implemented nor issued to the workforce.

That’s the direct quote from the TSA’s blog entry regarding the matter. The problem with that statement is that the document appears, in fact, to have been issued. At least once.

Either the TSA is lying about the fact that this document was never actually implemented or they issued a false reply to a FOIA request. They’re stupid or felonious. I wonder which one.

Tags: tsa, homeland security, usa, transportation, airports, aviation, airlines, screening, foia

Man wrestles gun from assailant outside Manchester pub

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:00:25 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks
clipper's remarks: CCTV footage is quite striking.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Man wrestles gun from assailant outside Manchester pub

Police have released dramatic CCTV footage of a teenager pointing a gun at the head of a man outside a pub in Manchester.

The 43-year-old came out of the premises to check his wife was OK after hearing a series of gunshots.

Unfazed, the man wrestled the gun away and was unhurt.

The incident happened in May.

Nineteen-year-old James Drewitt from the Longsight area of Manchester was sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison for the crime.

Tags: cctv, pub, guns, crime, gunshots, shooting, manchester

Health doubts as McDonald's provides one in five Olympic meals

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:00:49 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Health doubts as McDonald's provides one in five Olympic meals

Health campaigners have warned that attempts to use the London 2012 Olympics to improve public health may be undermined by today's announcement that one in five meals served to fans at the games will come from McDonald's.

British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the National Obesity Forum (NOF) said the policy undermined claims from Lord Coe, the chairman of the London organising committee, and Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister, that one of the main legacies of hosting the Olympics will be improved health across the nation

Health does not seem to be high on their agenda

The focus on fast food, where the primary products are high in fat, sugar and salt, means we question whether the health legacy which has been promised will be fulfilled

The government is going to have to be very creative in how it promotes this relationship, which aggressively promotes McDonald's and Coca-Cola, as improving the health of the nation

Tags: public health, london olympics, food, mcdonalds, british heart foundation, obesity, sports

The little island and its big, green victory

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:50:45 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

The little island and its big, green victory

The Danish haven of Samso is one of the world's first industrialised places to become energy self-sufficient – a great boost for a country about to host a summit on climate chang

The inhabitants of this Danish isle seized upon wind's potential as a source of energy and money more than a decade ago. Since then the Baltic island has become one of the first industrialised places on the planet to qualify as being totally energy self-sufficient.

The 64-year-old cattle farmer has shares in a wind turbine, solar panels on his roof and runs his tractor on home-grown rape-seed oil. He feeds the mush that's left over to his cows. When all of his alternative energy sources are working, he delights in looking at the electricity meter that offsets his own power against what he has to import. "On a good day the meter runs backwards

The island – 30 miles long and 15 wide – is reputed to be one of the most successful green-energy projects

Tags: samso, green power, denmark, ecology, energy self-sufficient, wind turbines, electricity

Airport's toilets win top award

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:14:05 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Airport's toilets win top award

Passengers wanting first class service at Manchester Airport need go no further than the public lavatories - rated five-star by a "loo watchdog".

Bosses said the toilet attendants are the "unsung heroes" of the airport

It scooped the best airport toilets at the annual Loo of the Year Awards Ceremony.

An army of 300 toilet attendants regularly tackle the 1,015 U-bends, 464 urinals and 1,021 sinks to keep them the some of the cleanest in the UK.

Secret visits were carried out by toilet-checking judges.

The various categories in the competition received more than 1,500 entries, and each toilet was graded against 100 different criteria.

The annual Loo of the Year Awards started in 1987 and focuses on 'away from home' toilets throughout the UK.

Tags: cleaning, public lavatories, toilets, airports, restrooms, loos, awards

'It's 1938, and Iran Is Germany'

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:44:29 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: www.spiegel.de

Israel's Patience with Tehran Wearing Thin

'It's 1938, and Iran Is Germany'

Iran's leaders continue to reject compromises over their nuclear program and are rebuffing the IAEA. The West is likely to respond with tighter sanctions, but that is unlikely to satisfy Israel, which has attack plans already drawn up.

This concern is not limited to the region. In Washington and in the European Union -- and, more recently, in Moscow --, the focus has shifted dramatically toward Iran. After years of maneuvering and deception, and after a long period of missed opportunities, including on the part of the West, the conflict is moving toward a decisive stage.

Tehran played a cat-and-mouse game with the IAEA for a long time

a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has both privileges -- such as technical assistance in the civilian use of nuclear energy -- and clearly defined obligations

he regime has repeatedly failed to live up to these obligations, despite many efforts to build bridges

Tags: iran, israel, nuclear, bombs, weapons, military, missles

Climategate controversy has echoes of Watergate, UN says

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:17:38 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Climategate controversy has echoes of Watergate, UN says

UN officials likened the Climategate controversy to Watergate today, claiming that computer hackers who stole thousands of e-mails sent by a senior climate scientist were probably paid to do it by people intent on undermining the Copenhagen summit.

He said the fact that the e-mails were first uploaded to a sceptic website from a computer in Russia was an indication that the culprit was paid.

"It's very common for hackers in Russia to be paid for their services.

Mr van Ypersele said that publication of the e-mails had undermined efforts by the IPCC to convince the 192 countries at Copenhagen that they needed to act fast on emissions.

"This is not 'climategate' it's 'hackergate'. Let's not forget the word 'gate' refers to a place [Watergate] where data was stolen by people who were paid to do so. So the media should direct its investigations into that."

Tags: hackers, russia, break-in, theft, global warming, climate change, emails, climategate

Can 80 cyclists power a house for a day?

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:15:53 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Can 80 cyclists power a house for a day?

How much electricity does the average British family of four use in a day?

To find out, BBC's Bang Goes the Theory attempts to power a house for an entire day solely through human pedal power, while an unsuspecting family inside go about their normal Sunday routine.

Bang Goes the Theory: Human Power Station will be broadcast on Thursday, 3 December 2009 at 2000 GMT, on BBC One.

Or catch-up afterwards on BBC iPlayer

Tags: cyclists, electricity, generate, power, green, human power station, ecology

Copenhagen climate change talks must fail, says top scientist

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:43:55 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Copenhagen climate change talks must fail, says top scientist

We don’t have a leader who is able to grasp [the issue] and say what is really needed. Instead we are trying to continue business as usual,

The scientist who convinced the world to take notice of the looming danger of global warming says it would be better for the planet and for future generations if next week's Copenhagen climate change summit ended in collapse.

any agreement likely to emerge from the negotiations would be so deeply flawed that it would be better to start again from scratch

That enormous body of scientific evidence has been put under a microscope by climate sceptics after last month's release online of hacked emails sent by respected researchers

All that stuff they are arguing about the data doesn't really change the analysis at all,

Tags: copenhagen, climate change, ecology, green, co2, clean power, global warming, flooding

Bomb experts called to beach

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:11:41 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: www.iwcp.co.uk

Bomb experts called to beach

ROYAL Navy bomb disposal experts were called to Freshwater Bay on Sunday, when part of a mine washed up on the beach.

It was identified as a float, which would have been attached to a sea mine, thought to be from the Second World War.

As the float was not explosive, it was not necessary to carry out a controlled explosion.

It was taken back to the navy base at Horsea Island, Portsmouth, by the two-man disposal team.

The beach was cordoned off shortly after 2pm when members of the public raised the alarm.

Tags: bombs, mines, wwii, sea, ocean, marine, war, military.england

The mystery of Tony Blair's finances

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:56:12 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The mystery of Tony Blair's finances

The former prime minister Tony Blair has received millions of pounds through an unusual mixture of commercial, charitable and religious income streams

Blair has a complex web of structures involving 12 different legal entities handling the unprecedented millions he is receiving since he stepped down from office in 2007.

The structure is so artificial that in one part of it, Blair is, in effect, forming partnerships with himself

The former prime minister refuses to offer any explanation of why he is using the complex structures.

As they stand, they were recently described by the Financial Times as "neither tax efficient nor managerially useful".

The register shows that its sole contribution to the partnership when it was set up in December 2007 was the sum of £19

The limited financial information available under company law shows that more than £6m has been passed through the Windrush partnerships, and on to a company owned personally by Blair

Tags: tony blair, finances, money, partnerships, accounting, banking, secret

[photo] 787 passes crucial "2C" static test

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:23:53 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks
clipper's remarks: Non-aviation individuals: Note the wings of the aircraft in the photo.

Clip Source: www.flightglobal.com

787 passes crucial "2C" static test

The test -- dubbed "2C" -- saw the composite wings of ZY997, Boeing's static test airframe, flexed to a deflection 18 feet without suffering the delamination first seen in previous testing back in May.

Today's 2C test, which exceeded 100% of the loads a 787 would ever encounter in service, is the third and final static test FAA requirement to clear the 787 for its first flight in December.

Sources say Boeing plans to test the 787 wing to ultimate load of 150% in the spring of 2010.

Tags: aviation, boeing, 777, airframe, wings tests, dreamliner, airplanes, aeroplanes

Phone box has new life as library

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:01:20 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Phone box has new life as library

A traditional red phone box has been recycled into one of the country's smallest lending libraries - stocking 100 books.

The traditional phone box was bought from BT for £1

Villagers from Westbury-sub-Mendip in Somerset can use the library around the clock, selecting books, DVDs and CDs.

Users simply stock it with a book they have read, swapping it for one they have not.

It's really taken off. The books are constantly changing,

"It is completely full at the moment with books. Anyone is free to come and take a book and leave one that you have already read.

"This facility has turned a piece of street furniture into a community service in constant use."

A resident dreamed up the idea when the village lost its phone box and mobile library in quick succession.

Westbury-sub-Mendip Parish Council bought the phone box from BT in a national scheme for a token £1.

Tags: british, english, phone box, booth, lendng libraies, books, dvds

The man who smuggled himself into Auschwitz

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:51:32 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The man who smuggled himself into Auschwitz

When millions would have done anything to get out, one remarkable British soldier smuggled himself into Auschwitz to witness the horror so he could tell others the truth.

But his actions while in the camp - which he has never spoken about until now - are truly extraordinary. When millions would have done anything to get out, Mr Avey repeatedly smuggled himself into the camp.

He arranged to swap for one night at a time with a Jewish inmate he had come to trust. He exchanged his uniform for the filthy, stripy garments the man had to wear. For the Auschwitz inmate it meant valuable food and rest in the British camp, while for Denis it was a chance to gather facts on the inside.

FIND OUT MORE...

Listen to Denis Avey's story on BBC News 24 throughout Sunday and on Broadcasting House, BBC Radio 4 at 0900 GMT.

Or listen to it here later

Auschwitz was evil, everything about it was wrong.

Tags: auschwitz, wwii, concentration camps, nazis, british soldier

Breed 'green' sheep that burp less

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:36:10 GMT

clipped by: gppixelworks

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Australian aims to breed 'green' sheep that burp less

Australian scientists have said they are hoping to breed sheep that burp less as part of efforts to tackle climate change.

Burping is a far greater cause of emissions in sheep than flatulence, they say.

About 16% of Australia's greenhouse emissions come from agriculture, says the department of climate change.

"Ninety per cent of the methane that sheep and cattle and goats produce comes from the rumen, and that's burped out," John Goopy from the New South Wales Department of Industry and Investment told ABC.

Tags: sheep, greenhouse gasses, burps, australian, co2, global warming, ecology, breeding, livestock