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Post by Tulameen on Aug 9, 2005 10:21:55 GMT -5
A False Sense of Security...
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Post by Tulameen on Aug 9, 2005 10:09:34 GMT -5
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- When the Enola Gay took off en route to Hiroshima, Japan, 60 years ago, Col. Paul Tibbets sat at the controls carrying a few cigars and his favorite pipe. He also brought a small cardboard box holding a dozen cyanide pills, in case his crew had to bail out over enemy territory. Hours later, the crew released 8,900-pound "Little Boy," the first atomic weapon used in war, and the stripped-down B-29 lurched upward from losing so much weight in an instant. On the ground, tens of thousands were killed in an instant, and many more died from lingering effects. "I knew when I got the assignment it was going to be an emotional thing," Tibbets, now 90, told The Columbus Dispatch for a story on August 6, the 60th anniversary of the bomb. "We had feelings, but we had to put them in the background. We knew it was going to kill people right and left. But my one driving interest was to do the best job I could so that we could end the killing as quickly as possible." Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, ending World War II. After the war, Tibbets said, he was dogged by rumors claiming he was in prison or had committed suicide. "They said I was crazy, said I was a drunkard, in and out of institutions," he said. "At the time, I was running the National Crisis Center at the Pentagon." Tibbets left the Air Force as a brigadier general in 1966. In the 1970s, he and his wife moved to Columbus, where Tibbets became president of an executive jet-taxi service. He retired in 1985, and has faced declining health, including two fractured vertebrae in the past few months. Acknowledging his mortality, he says he wants his ashes scattered over the English Channel, where he loved to fly during the war. In late 2003, a fully restored Enola Gay went on display in a companion building to the air and space museum in Virginia. "I wanted to climb in and fly it," Tibbets said. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Find this article at: www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/09/enolagay.pilot.ap/index.html
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Post by Tulameen on Aug 6, 2005 10:57:50 GMT -5
The Japanese city of Hiroshima has marked the anniversary of its destruction by the world's first atomic bomb 60 years ago. About 140,000 people were killed by the bomb and its aftermath. Nuclear survivors, known as Hibakusha, joined dignitaries at the annual commemoration in the Peace Park, built at the epicentre of the blast. The head of the UN has said the world has made little progress in tackling the spread of nuclear weapons. Burning memories "Today, we are all Hibakusha," Kofi Annan said in a statement read out on his behalf at the Hiroshima ceremony. He called for concerted action to prevent "a cascade of nuclear proliferation". Some 55,000 people thronged into the peace park to remember the moment the bomb was dropped by a US plane, at 0815 on the morning of 6 August, 1945. Nicknamed "Little Boy", it generated a wave of heat which reached 4,000C (7,200F) and expanded across a radius of 4.5km (2.8 miles), obliterating the city. Besides those who were killed instantly, many died later from severe burns or radiation. Many commentators believe the US attack helped bring an early end to World War II in the Pacific. During the ceremony, children dressed in black and white, the colours of mourning, laid wreathes of flowers at a simple, arch-shaped memorial. Ladles of water were also offered for those who suffered the atomic heat. As dusk fell, paper lanterns were floated down a river by the park to represent the souls of the dead. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said that, after the bomb, the city had relentlessly pursued peace. "The citizens of Hiroshima are the witnesses of global peace, we hope that Hiroshima will continue to be the symbol of global peace," he said. 'Never again' Hiroshima's mayor, Tadatoshi Akiba, led the crowd in a minute of silence, 60 years on from the instant the blast struck the city. A huge metal bell tolled in memory of the victims. Mr Akiba warned nuclear powers that they were "jeopardising human survival" by clinging on to their arsenals. "We have to pay due tribute to all the souls claimed by the atomic bomb," he said. "We will not make the same mistake again." The speaker of Japan's parliament, Yohei Kono, said militarism had led Japan to disaster in World War II. Fumie Yoshida, who survived the Hiroshima blast aged 16 but lost her father, brother and sister, said she had paid her respects privately. She said: "Those of us who went through this all know that we must never repeat this tragedy. But I think many Japanese today are forgetting." THE ATTACK ON HIROSHIMA 0812 local time, 6 August 1945: 1. American B-29 bomber 'Enola Gay' approaches Hiroshima at an altitude of about 9,357 metres, and begins its bombing run 2. At 0815 it releases the atomic bomb 'Little Boy' 3. The aircraft then performs a sharp, 155 degree right turn and dives an estimated 518 metres 4. The bomb explodes with a force of 13 kilotons at a height of approximately 576 metres above the city 5. About a minute later the first shock wave, travelling at about 335 metres per second, hits the aircraft Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/4748027.stmPublished: 2005/08/06 12:13:07 GMT © BBC MMV
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Post by Tulameen on Aug 4, 2005 17:29:48 GMT -5
European Union officials have called for an emergency meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog to discuss the stand-off over Iran's programme. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors is due to take place next week but the date has not been set, a spokesman said. Britain, France, Germany and the EU have warned Iran against re-starting the enrichment of uranium. They said this would end two years of talks on Iran's nuclear activities. Earlier on Thursday, Iran's top nuclear negotiator accused EU foreign ministers of making factual errors and unacceptable threats over Iran's nuclear programme. Hassan Rowhani said that since Iran's suspension of some of its nuclear activities was voluntary, there would be nothing illegal about resuming them. Behind the European letter is the threat to refer the whole issue to the United Nations Security Council, which might lead to sanctions against Iran. The United States, which accuses Iran of wanting to develop nuclear weapons, has been seeking this course of action for some time. 'Unacceptable threats' Mr Rowhani said uranium enrichment activities would remain suspended for the time being. He accused the Europeans of failing to respond to Iran's proposal to give objective guarantees which would allow it to continue developing nuclear technology. "The three European ministers have said that if we restart [nuclear activities] this would mean the end of negotiations. This is a threat, this is unacceptable," said Mr Rowhani. "There is no judicial or political logic to send the issue to the UN Security Council, this would mean that the Europeans have given in to US pressure and they must assume the consequences," he said. "Once the Isfahan plant restarts, we want to continue the negotiations with the Europeans." In their letter, the Europeans had questioned why Iran was in such a rush to produce its own nuclear fuel, when it currently had no operational nuclear power plants. Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4746791.stmPublished: 2005/08/04 18:22:19 GMT © BBC MMV
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Post by Tulameen on Jul 27, 2005 20:25:35 GMT -5
Jul 27, 9:14 PM EDT
NASA: No Flights Until Foam Issue Fixed
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) -- The shuttle Discovery, like Columbia, lost a large chunk of foam debris during liftoff that could have threatened the return of the seven astronauts, NASA said Wednesday.
While there are no signs the piece of insulation damaged the spacecraft, NASA is grounding future shuttle flights until the hazard can be fixed.
"Call it luck or whatever, it didn't harm the orbiter," said shuttle program manager Bill Parsons. If the foam had broken away earlier in flight - when the atmosphere is thicker, increasing the acceleration and likelihood of impact - it could have caused catastrophic damage to Discovery.
"We think that would have been really bad, so it's not acceptable," said Parsons' deputy, Wayne Hale. He said every indication so far is that Discovery is safe for its return home. The chunk of foam flew off Discovery's redesigned external fuel tank just two minutes after what initially looked like a perfect liftoff Tuesday morning. But in less than an hour NASA had spotted images of a mysterious object whirling away from the tank.
Mission managers did not realize what the object was - or how much havoc it would cause to the shuttle program - until Wednesday after reviewing video and images taken by just a few of the 100-plus cameras in place to watch for such dangers.
Officials do not believe the foam hit the shuttle, but they plan a closer inspection of the spacecraft in the next few days to be sure.
Discovery's astronauts were told of the foam loss before going to sleep Wednesday. "You have to admit when you're wrong. We were wrong," Parsons said. "We need to do some work here, and so we're telling you right now that the ... foam should not have come off. It came off. We've got to go do something about that."
The loss of a chunk of debris, a vexing problem NASA thought had been fixed, represents a tremendous setback to a space program that has spent 2 1/2 years and over $1 billion trying to make the 20-year-old shuttles safe to fly.
"Until we're ready, we won't go fly again. I don't know when that might be," Parsons told reporters in a briefing Wednesday evening.
Engineers believe the foam was 24 to 33 inches long, 10 to 14 inches wide, and between 2 and 8 inches thick - only somewhat smaller than the chunk that smashed into Columbia's left wing during liftoff in 2003. The plate-sized hole let in superheated gases that caused the shuttle to break up on its return to Earth.
On Discovery, the foam broke away from a different part of the tank than the piece that mortally wounded Columbia. The tank redesigned for Discovery to reduce the risk of foam insulation falling off.
Parsons stressed that the current 12-day mission was a test flight designed to check the safety of future flights. He refused to give up on the spacecraft that was designed in the 1970s.
"We think we can make this vehicle safe for the next flight," he said, declining to judge the long-term impact on the manned space program. "We will determine if it's safe to fly."
Atlantis was supposed to lift off in September, but that mission is now on indefinite hold. Parsons refused to speculate when a shuttle might fly again, but did not rule out the possibility that Discovery's current mission may be the only one for 2005.
He said it was unlikely that Atlantis would be needed for a rescue mission, in the event Discovery could not return safely to Earth and its astronauts had to move into the international space station. Discovery, fortunately, appears to be in good shape for re-entry, he said.
In addition to the big chunk of foam, several smaller pieces broke off, including at least one from an area of the fuel tank that had been modified after Columbia. Thermal tile was also damaged on Discovery's belly; one tile lost a 1 1/2-inch piece right next to the set of doors for the nose landing gear, a particularly vulnerable spot.
Hale said none of the tile damage looked particularly serious, and likely would not require repairs in orbit.
Imagery experts and engineers expect to know by Thursday afternoon whether the gouge left by the missing piece of tile needs a second look. The astronauts have a 100-foot, laser-tipped crane on board that could determine precisely how deep the gouge is.
The tile fragment broke off less than two minutes after liftoff Tuesday and was spotted by a camera mounted on the external fuel tank.
If NASA decides to use its new inspection tool to get a 3-D view of the tile damage, the astronauts will examine the spot on Friday, a day after docking with the international space station. The inspection of Discovery's wings and nose by the inspection boom on Wednesday turned up nothing alarming, but analysis is ongoing, Hale said.
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Post by Tulameen on Jul 2, 2005 14:21:58 GMT -5
This is such a tragic story, and much too close to home for me... makes me very uncomfortable. While our attention is on extremist terrorists and Osama Bin Laden, we have these creeps in our own backyard - sometimes literally...
------------- Idaho Girl Found; Brother Feared Dead
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 10 minutes ago
An 8-year-old girl who disappeared with her brother six weeks ago from a home where family members were bludgeoned to death was found early Saturday at a Denny's restaurant with a registered sex offender, officials said.
The girl's 9-year-old brother, Dylan Groene, remained missing and was feared dead, Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said.
"Our initial information is that he may be deceased," Wolfinger said, adding that officials were continuing the search for him. He would not elaborate on what kind of information investigators had.
Joseph Edward Duncan III, of Fargo, N.D., was charged with kidnapping and was being held without bond, Wolfinger said. He said more charges could be added.
Shasta Groene was spotted in her hometown by a waitress who apparently recognized her from photographs in the media.
Shasta seemed well, and was being interviewed by investigators at a medical center. Her father was on his way to Coeur d'Alene to be reunited with her, a relative said.
"She was sitting in a restaurant eating a meal. She's obviously well enough to do that," Wolfinger said.
Duncan had an outstanding warrant for failing to register as a high-risk sex offender and had a history of rape, Wolfinger said. He was facing charges of molesting a 6-year-old boy in Minnesota last year but was released on bail in April.
It was not known whether Duncan had a connection with the victims.
"We don't have any idea who Duncan is, other than a very, very sick individual. Sick and stupid to go to a Denny's at 2 a.m. with a child," Bob Price, Shasta Groene's paternal uncle, said by telephone from Tacoma, Wash.
Price said the children's father, Steve Groene, had just arrived at Price's home early Saturday for the Fourth of July weekend when he received a call saying Shasta had been found.
Wolfinger said he had no information on where Shasta had been held or where her brother may be.
"All we know is that he was not with Shasta and Duncan" at the restaurant, he said.
Dylan and Shasta Groene had been missing since at least May 16, when sheriff's deputies responded to their rural home after a neighbor reported that dogs were barking and the door of one vehicle was open but no one was in sight.
The deputies found the bound bodies of Brenda Groene, 40, Slade Groene, 13, and Mark McKenzie, 37. The victims were bound and then bludgeoned to death.
FBI agents and local officers interviewed hundreds of people, searched through 800 tons of animal carcasses and other trash and devoted thousands of hours to the search.
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Post by Tulameen on Jun 19, 2005 16:05:03 GMT -5
CIA has 'excellent' idea where bin Laden is -Time Sun Jun 19, 2005 01:28 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA Director Porter Goss said he has an "excellent" idea where Osama bin Laden is hiding, but the al Qaeda leader will not be brought to justice until weak links in counterterrorism efforts are strengthened, Time magazine reported on Sunday. In his first interview since becoming head of the CIA last year, Goss also told the magazine the insurgency in Iraq was not quite in its last throes, but close to it. Goss did not say where he believed bin Laden was hiding, but intelligence experts have said the al Qaeda leader who has evaded an extensive U.S.-led manhunt is probably in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan. "I have an excellent idea of where he is. What's the next question?" Goss said in the interview. "In the chain that you need to successfully wrap up the war on terror, we have some weak links. And I find that until we strengthen all the links, we're probably not going to be able to bring Mr. bin Laden to justice," Goss said. "We are making very good progress on it." He cited some of the difficulties as "dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you're dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play." Goss added, "We have to find a way to work in a conventional world in unconventional ways that are acceptable to the international community." Al Qaeda could strike the United States again, he said. "Certainly the intent is very high. And we are trying to stay ahead of their capability. And so far, I think we have done pretty well carrying the war to them, as it were," Goss said. Bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, sporadically release taped messages that have been broadcast on Arab television or on the Internet since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Intelligence experts say the messages are partly to reassure followers that the leaders are still alive. www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8831261&src=rss/topNews
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Post by Tulameen on Feb 25, 2005 11:05:42 GMT -5
Vietnam has reported its first case of bird flu to affect a human in more than three weeks. Doctors say a 21-year-old man was admitted to hospital in Hanoi suffering from fever, respiratory problems, and liver failure. Thirteen people have died of bird flu in Vietnam since the start of this year. Vietnam has promised an international conference it will overhaul its poultry industry to try to stamp out bird flu. The UN-sponsored meeting heard an appeal for extra money from the Food and Agriculture Organization. Only $18m was given last year, when the FAO estimated $100m was required. H5N1 BIRD FLU VIRUS
- Principally an avian disease, first seen in humans in Hong Kong, 1997
- Almost all human cases thought to be contracted from birds
- Isolated cases of human-to-human transmission in Hong
- Kong and Vietnam, but none confirmed
[/li][/ul] "There have been a few donors, but again given the size of the problem it is just glaringly insufficient," said the FAO's Samuel Jutzi. The World Health Organization wants animals to be raised separately, and for birds to be kept in pens so that they cannot mix with wildfowl, who are believed to be the main carriers of the disease. There is particular concern about ducks, who can carry the disease with no apparent symptoms. Thailand is to slaughter about 2.7m free-range ducks. Sibling sickness The latest Vietnamese victim, from Thai Binh province in the north of the country is in a serious state. "His condition is worsening and he is expected to be hooked to a respirator later today," said Nguyen Thi Tuong Van of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. The victim's 14-year-old sister is also in hospital with a high fever, and is being tested for bird flu. The two had both eaten poultry during Lunar New Year celebrations earlier this month. Vietnam has seen bird flu outbreaks in 35 of its 64 provinces. A man died of the disease in Thai Binh in January after drinking raw duck's blood. Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/4296495.stmPublished: 2005/02/25 04:06:35 GMT
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Post by Tulameen on Feb 18, 2005 11:37:51 GMT -5
Plague outbreak kills 60 in CongoAt least 60 people are thought to have died in an outbreak of plague in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization has said. It is thought to be the worst outbreak of pneumonic plague, which affects victims' lungs, for 50 years. The people who have died are all diamond miners. Another 350 miners have been infected. The WHO is to send an emergency team to the area, in the former Zaire, in a bid to stem the outbreak. An advance team has already visited the area to confirm that people are infected with the plague. The WHO said the mine was near Zobin, in Oriental province, north of the country's biggest city, Kisangani, a major trading centre on the Congo River. The outbreak began in late December, but the WHO were only alerted to it last week. Around 7,000 people worked at the mine. The WHO team will focus on trying to trace the 2,000 who have left since the start of the outbreak. 'Unstable area' Bubonic plague is endemic in parts of Africa, including the DRC, but pneumonic plague, which occurs when the bacteria infects the lung, has a very high fatality rate and is "invariably" deadly when left untreated, the WHO said. Humans are generally infected with plague by rodents and fleas, but the pneumonic form of the disease can also be transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets. WHO spokeswoman Christine McNab said: "Normally it can be easily controlled with antibiotics. "In this case, because it is in an area which is relatively unstable, there hasn't been any opportunity to initiate plague control activities, so the outbreak has grown relatively large." Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/4276627.stm
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Post by Tulameen on Feb 17, 2005 11:12:29 GMT -5
Tension mounts between U.S., Syria
Thursday, February 17, 2005 Posted: 10:10 AM EST (1510 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Relations between the U.S. and Syria are coming under increasing pressure after the U.S. admitted it has "an increasing list of problems" with the country.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refused to say how long the U.S. ambassador to Syria will stay away from her post following the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Hariri, killed in a huge bomb blast in Beirut on Monday, had objected to Syrian domination of political and military affairs in his country.
Tens of thousands of Lebanese used Hariri's funeral on Wednesday to vent their fury against Syria, whom many blame for Hariri's assassination. (Full story)
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Post by Tulameen on Feb 4, 2005 18:57:25 GMT -5
US 'ties N Korea to nuclear deal' Core of Libya's Tajura nuclear reactor, east of Tripoli Libya surrendered its nuclear material a year ago More evidence has emerged suggesting North Korea exported nuclear material to Libya, according to US newspapers. Scientists testing enriched uranium surrendered by Libya to the US last year concluded it came from North Korea, the New York Times reported. The IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, has said Libya received nuclear material from Pakistan, but has not confirmed a link with North Korea. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4228713.stmTEXT
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Post by Tulameen on Sept 19, 2005 21:04:24 GMT -5
The problem with rights is that they extend to everyone... or so the Constitution says. Problem is that the "disposable people" tend to not have rights..... No, it's not a perfect system, but I wouldn't trade it for Iran's or Afghanistan's, not for anything.
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Post by Tulameen on Oct 20, 2003 16:36:54 GMT -5
Farting candy ! ! That sounds like something my brother and I would have done to our grandmother when we were kids! We were SO cheeky!!! I wondered when someone would get around to asking about the name "Tulameen." I found it in a seed and plant catalog. It's a variety of raspberry. I just saw on MSNBC that Bush is attacking freedom of the press in Iraq, too. www.msnbc.com/news/982193.asp?cp1=1
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Post by Tulameen on Oct 14, 2003 21:25:31 GMT -5
One of the first steps to destruction of the consitution is to render the public incapable of knowing their rights are being removed. Check this out, from Alternet (http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16925):
The Subpoenas are Coming!
By Mark Rasch, SecurityFocus October 8, 2003
<edited for brevity> The Bureau [FBI] recently sent letters to a handful of reporters who have written stories about the Lamo case – whether or not they have actually interviewed Lamo. The letters warn them to expect subpoenas for all documents relating to the hacker, including, apparently, their own notes, e-mails, impressions, interviews with third parties, independent investigations, privileged conversations and communications, off the record statements, and expense and travel reports related to stories about Lamo.
In short, everything.
The notices make no mention of the protections of the First Amendment, Department of Justice regulations that restrict the authority to subpoena information from journalists, or the New York law that creates a "newsman's shield" against disclosure of certain confidential information by reporters.
Instead, the FBI has threatened to put these reporters in jail unless they agree to preserve all of these records while they obtain a subpoena for them under provisions amended by the USA-PATRIOT Act.
The government also officiously informed the reporters that this is an "official criminal investigation" and asks that they not disclose the request to preserve documents, or the contents of the letter, to anyone – presumably including their editors, directors, or lawyers – under the implied threat of prosecution for obstruction of justice.
That's why you're reading about the letters for the first time here.
They do this despite the fact that, had they actually obtained and issued a subpoena for these documents, the federal criminal procedure rules would have prohibited the imposition of any obligation of secrecy unless the Justice Department obtained a "gag" order on the press – a rare event indeed.
All of this began the day after the Attorney General advised all United States Attorney's Offices to prosecute each and every criminal offense with the harshest possible penalties, instead of the previous policy of prosecuting cases with the penalties that most accurately reflect the seriousness of the offense. Thus, journalists be forewarned – your government may be seeking to throw the book at you!
Believe it or not, this isn't even the worst of it. (read the rest at the above link.)
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Post by Tulameen on Feb 15, 2005 18:52:21 GMT -5
It would make sense to give the impression that we are going to Iran next, then turn and drop a bomb on Syria. Decoy.
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