The original ASCII Art Six Line Challenge is back.
New submissions are being accepted and will be posted to the top of the ASCII Art Hall of Fame.
Submission Rules:
Please enjoy this fine collection of early-style computer art.
The medium Eva Carrière with a light manifestation between her hands and a materialization on her head. Carrière also performed under the names Eva C. and Marthe Béraud. Photograph taken in 1912 by German photographer.
Most literature on paranormal phenomena is produced by "true believers" and is aimed at a somewhat credulous audience. Opinion regarding the occurrence of paranormal phenomena tends to be polarized into uncritical acceptance or total rejection.
Prepared in response to requests by the Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects agency (DARPA,) this briefing on paranormal phenomena is based on a net assessment study of the field that took into account Soviet and U.S. literature, institutions, personnel and technology, and it includes a comparative analysis of both U.S. and USSR efforts.
Chapters include:
Paranormal Phenomena -- Briefing on a Net Assessment Study (1.24 Mb PDF)
The Wounded Angel, Hugo Simberg (1873 - 1917)
An interruption of the skin's integrity characterizes wounds. These wounds could be open wounds, skin diseases, frostbite, trench foot, and burns.
Open Wounds
Open wounds are serious in a survival situation, not only because of tissue damage and blood loss, but also because they may become infected. Bacteria on the object that made the wound, on the individual's skin and clothing, or on other foreign material or dirt that touches the wound may cause infection. By taking proper care of the wound you can reduce further contamination and promote healing. Clean the wound as soon as possible after it occurs by--
The "open treatment" method is the safest way to manage wounds in survival situations. Do not try to close any wound by suturing or similar procedures. Leave the wound open to allow the drainage of any pus resulting from infection. As long as the wound can drain, it generally will not become life-threatening, regardless of how unpleasant it looks or smells.
Cover the wound with a clean dressing. Place a bandage on the dressing to hold it in place. Change the dressing daily to check for infection.
If a wound is gaping, you can bring the edges together with adhesive tape cut in the form of a "butterfly" or "dumbbell" (Figure 4-7).
In a survival situation, some degree of wound infection is almost inevitable. Pain, swelling, and redness around the wound, increased temperature, and pus in the wound or on the dressing indicate infection is present.
To treat an infected wound--
Continue this treatment daily until all signs of infection have disappeared.
If you do not have antibiotics and the wound has become severely infected, does not heal, and ordinary debridement is impossible, consider maggot therapy, despite its hazards:
Jesus Healing the Leper, Jean-Marie Melchior Doze, 1864
Skin Diseases and Ailments
Although boils, fungal infections, and rashes rarely develop into a serious health problem, they cause discomfort and you should treat them.
Boils
Apply warm compresses to bring the boil to a head. Then open the boil using a sterile knife, wire, needle, or similar item. Thoroughly clean out the pus using soap and water. Cover the boil site, checking it periodically to ensure no further infection develops.
Fungal Infections
Keep the skin clean and dry, and expose the infected area to as much sunlight as possible. Do not scratch the affected area. During the Southeast Asian conflict, soldiers used antifungal powders, lye soap, chlorine bleach, alcohol, vinegar, concentrated salt water, and iodine to treat fungal infections with varying degrees of success.
As with any "unorthodox" method of treatment, use it with caution.
Rashes
To treat a skin rash effectively, first determine what is causing it. This determination may be difficult even in the best of situations. Observe the following rules to treat rashes:
Use a compress of vinegar or tannic acid derived from tea or from boiling acorns or the bark of a hardwood tree to dry weeping rashes. Keep dry rashes moist by rubbing a small amount of rendered animal fat or grease on the affected area.
Remember, treat rashes as open wounds and clean and dress them daily. There are many substances available to survivors in the wild or in captivity for use as antiseptics to treat wounds:
Sphagnum moss. Found in boggy areas worldwide, it is a natural source of iodine. Use as a dressing.
Again, use noncommercially prepared materials with caution.
1st Century A.D. fresco from Pompeii, showing Iapyx removing an arrowhead from the leg of Aenas, with Aenas's son Iulus Ascanius crying beside his father. At left, Aeneas' mother, goddess Venus.
Frostbite
This injury results from frozen tissues. Light frostbite involves only the skin that takes on a dull, whitish pallor. Deep frostbite extends to a depth below the skin. The tissues become solid and immovable. Your feet, hands, and exposed facial areas are particularly vulnerable to frostbite.
When with others, prevent frostbite by using the buddy system. Check your buddy's face often and make sure that he checks yours. If you are alone, periodically cover your nose and lower part of your face with your mittens.
Do not try to thaw the affected areas by placing them close to an open flame. Gently rub them in lukewarm water. Dry the part and place it next to your skin to warm it at body temperature.
Trench Foot
This condition results from many hours or days of exposure to wet or damp conditions at a temperature just above freezing. The nerves and muscles sustain the main damage, but gangrene can occur. In extreme cases the flesh dies and it may become necessary to have the foot or leg amputated. The best prevention is to keep your feet dry. Carry extra socks with you in a waterproof packet. Dry wet socks against your body. Wash your feet daily and put on dry socks.
Burns
The following field treatment for burns relieves the pain somewhat, seems to help speed healing, and offers some protection against infection:
Excerpt from the U.S. Army Survival Manual
Sniper Training
Pele Kick
Impressing the Ladies
Blending In
Working for Chump Change
Flip That House
Writing found on hoax pipe bomb.
The FBI, in conjunction with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and other law enforcement agencies, is seeking information regarding the placement of four hoax pipe bomb devices at United States Military Recruiting Centers in Oregon since March of 2007.
Most of the devices had the phrase "Die Weisse Rose" printed on them, which is German for "The White Rose." Historically, "Die Weisse Rose" was the name of a small group of anti-Hitler activists who protested against hate during World War II.
The FBI is offering a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for these crimes.
Click to enlarge.
Hollywood is the mother of all invention when it comes to producing today's big ticket action movies.
Two literally shining examples are the custom 1911 pistols created for the box office hit, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005,) starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Angie has the original TJ Stealth-1, built over 15 years ago by TJs Custom Gun Works and one of the smallest functioning 1911 made. The middle of the gun was removed, then welded, then finger rings added. Also note the aluminum grip panels held by four machine screws.
Brad also has a vintage custom 1911, it incorporated S&W sights and a mini-comp, unfortunately the negative was reversed in the photo.
If you are interested in learning more about the 1911 pistol, when it was designed, how it works, who makes it, what accessories are available, how it can be improved or customized etc., visit The M1911 Pistols Organization, an Internet reference, with all you ever wanted to know about the 1911.
Wondering what the covertress carries? A 1911, of course. A Covert II by Kimber.
A couple kisses on the Bridge of Lovers on Valentine's Day, in Kiev, Ukraine. Photo by Konstantin Chernichkin / Reuters.
Snow boots? $250. Parka? $400. Getting stuck to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day? Priceless.
Insects and related pests are hazards in a survival situation. They not only cause irritations, but they are often carriers of diseases that cause severe allergic reactions in some individuals. In many parts of the world you will be exposed to serious, even fatal, diseases not encountered in the United States.
Ticks can carry and transmit diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever common in many parts ofthe United States. Ticks also transmit the Lyme disease.
Mosquitoes may carry malaria, dengue, and many other diseases.
Flies can spread disease from contact with infectious sources. They are causes of sleeping sickness, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.
Fleas can transmit plague.
Lice can transmit typhus and relapsing fever.
The best way to avoid the complications of insect bites and stings is to keep immunizations (including booster shots) up-to-date, avoid insect-infested areas, use netting and insect repellent, and wear all clothing properly.
If you get bitten or stung, do not scratch the bite or sting, it might become infected.
Inspect your body at least once a day to ensure there are no insects attached to you.
If you find ticks attached to your body, cover them with a substance, such as Vaseline, heavy oil, or tree sap, that will cut off their air supply. Without air, the tick releases its hold, and you can remove it. Take care to remove the whole tick. Use tweezers if you have them. Grasp the tick where the mouth parts are attached to the skin. Do not squeeze the tick's body. Wash your hands after touching the tick. Clean the tick wound daily until healed.
Treatment
It is impossible to list the treatment of all the different types of bites and stings. Treat bites and stings as follows:
Bee and Wasp Stings
If stung by a bee, immediately remove the stinger and venom sac, if attached, by scraping with a fingernail or a knife blade. Do not squeeze or grasp the stinger or venom sac, as squeezing will force more venom into the wound. Wash the sting site thoroughly with soap and water to lessen the chance of a secondary infection.
If you know or suspect that you are allergic to insect stings, always carry an insect sting kit with you.
Relieve the itching and discomfort caused by insect bites by applying:
Spider Bites and Scorpion Stings
The black widow spider is identified by a red hourglass on its abdomen. Only the female bites, and it has a neurotoxic venom. The initial pain is not severe, but severe local pain rapidly develops. The pain gradually spreads over the entire body and settles in the abdomen and legs. Abdominal cramps and progressive nausea, vomiting, and a rash may occur. Weakness, tremors, sweating, and salivation may occur. Anaphylactic reactions can occur. Symptoms begin to regress after several hours and are usually gone in a few days. Threat for shock. Be ready to perform CPR. Clean and dress the bite area to reduce the risk of infection. An antivenin is available.
The funnelweb spider is a large brown or gray spider found in Australia. The symptoms and the treatment for its bite are as for the black widow spider.
The brown house spider or brown recluse spider is a small, light brown spider identified by a dark brown violin on its back. There is no pain, or so little pain, that usually a victim is not aware of the bite. Within a few hours a painful red area with a mottled cyanotic center appears. Necrosis does not occur in all bites, but usually in 3 to 4 days, a star-shaped, firm area of deep purple discoloration appears at the bite site. The area turns dark and mummified in a week or two. The margins separate and the scab falls off, leaving an open ulcer. Secondary infection and regional swollen lymph glands usually become visible at this stage. The outstanding characteristic of the brown recluse bite is an ulcer that does not heal but persists for weeks or months. In addition to the ulcer, there is often a systemic reaction that is serious and may lead to death. Reactions (fever, chills, joint pain, vomiting, and a generalized rash) occur chiefly in children or debilitated persons.
Tarantulas are large, hairy spiders found mainly in the tropics. Most do not inject venom, but some South American species do. They have large fangs. If bitten, pain and bleeding are certain, and infection is likely. Treat a tarantula bite as for any open wound, and try to prevent infection. If symptoms of poisoning appear, treat as for the bite of the black widow spider.
Scorpions are all poisonous to a greater or lesser degree. There are two different reactions, depending on the species:
Treat scorpion stings as you would a black widow bite.
Snakebites
The chance of a snakebite in a survival situation is rather small, if you are familiar with the various types of snakes and their habitats. However, it could happen and you should know how to treat a snakebite.
Deaths from snakebites are rare. More than one-half of the snakebite victims have little or no poisoning, and only about one-quarter develop serious systemic poisoning. However, the chance of a snakebite in a survival situation can affect morale, and failure to take preventive measures or failure to treat a snakebite properly can result in needless tragedy.
The primary concern in the treatment of snakebite is to limit the amount of eventual tissue destruction around the bite area.
A bite wound, regardless of the type of animal that inflicted it, can become infected from bacteria in the animal's mouth. With nonpoisonous as well as poisonous snakebites, this local infection is responsible for a large part of the residual damage that results.
Snake venoms not only contain poisons that attack the victim's central nervous system (neurotoxins) and blood circulation (hemotoxins), but also digestive enzymes (cytotoxins) to aid in digesting their prey. These poisons can cause a very large area of tissue death, leaving a large open wound. This condition could lead to the need for eventual amputation if not treated.
Head of Medusa by Rubens (c. 1618)
Shock and panic in a person bitten by a snake can also affect the person's recovery. Excitement, hysteria, and panic can speed up the circulation, causing the body to absorb the toxin quickly. Signs of shock occur within the first 30 minutes after the bite.
Before you start treating a snakebite, determine whether the snake was poisonous or nonpoisonous. Bites from a nonpoisonous snake will show rows of teeth. Bites from a poisonous snake may have rows of teeth showing, but will have one or more distinctive puncture marks caused by fang penetration.
Symptoms of a poisonous bite may be spontaneous bleeding from the nose and anus, blood in the urine, pain at the site of the bite, and swelling at the site of the bite within a few minutes or up to 2 hours later.
Breathing difficulty, paralysis, weakness, twitching, and numbness are also signs of neurotoxic venoms. These signs usually appear 1.5 to 2 hours after the bite.
If you determine that a poisonous snake bit an individual, take the following steps:
Do not--
Note: If medical treatment is over one hour away, make an incision (no longer than 6 millimeters and no deeper than 3 millimeter) over each puncture, cutting just deep enough to enlarge the fang opening, but only through the first or second layer of skin. Place a suction cup over the bite so that you have a good vacuum seal. Suction the bite site 3 to 4 times. Use mouth suction only as a last resort and only if you do not have open sores in your mouth. Spit the envenomed blood out and rinse your mouth with water. This method will draw out 25 to 30 percent of the venom.
Do not (continued)--
After caring for the victim as described above, take the following actions to minimize local effects:
Excerpt from the U.S. Army Survival Manual
“Action without thought is like shooting without aim.” - proverb
Hunting Targets - Links Collection by Lynden Huggins
Targets for Airgun Practice - Links Collection by Uncreative Separatists
... and for you pros ...
Paper Targets for Competition, Practice, and Training - Created by Sniper's Paradise 
Who says the government doesn't have any fun?
Entertain your kids with this collection of coloring books from Uncle Sam.
Agriculture, U.S. Department (USDA)
A to Z: A California Alphabet & Coloring Book -- Farm Service Agency
Beagle Brigade: Protecting American Agriculture -- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Celebrating Wildflowers Coloring Book -- U.S. Forest Service
Farm Service Agency for Kids
Farmers Market Coloring Books -- Agriculture Marketing Service
Food Safety Mobile Coloring Book, USDA
FSA Coloring Pages -- Farm Service Agency
George Washington Carver Coloring and Activity Book
Having Fun at Your Local Farmers Market -- Agriculture Marketing Service
Libro para Colorear y de Actividades -- Farm Service Agency
NASS Kids: On-line Coloring Book -- National Agricultural Statistics Service
Nature Watch Coloring Books -- U.S. Forest Service
NRCS Coloring Book -- Natural Resources Conservation Service
Smokey Kids: Color It! -- SmokeyBear.com
Smokey's Coloring Book -- U.S. Forest Service
Web of Life Activity Booklet, The -- U.S. Forest Service
Won't You Join Us Under Our Great Family Tree? -- U.S. Forest Service
Woodsy Owl's Coloring Book -- U.S. Forest Service
Commerce, U.S. Department
Billy and Maria: Weather Coloring Books for Children -- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Kid's Coloring Page -- National Marine Fisheries Service
Pacific Coral Reef Coloring Book (English, Samoan, Hawaiian) -- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Sea Turtle Activity Book and Coloring Book -- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Sea Turtles/No No Honu Kai: A Coloring Book in English and Hawaiian (International Year of the Ocean) -- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Shrimply Fun!: The Shrimp Fishery in the Gulf of Mexico Activity and Coloring Book -- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Tommy Tsunami and Ernie Earthquake Coloring Book -- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
A World Fit for Chipmunks and Other Living Things
Endangered Species Picture Book: Save Our Species
Happy Earth Day Activities Book
Planet Protectors on-line coloring book .pdf version
Thirstin's Wacky Water Adventures
Superfund for Kids Coloring Book
Health and Human Services, Department of (HHS)
Clinical Center Pediatric Coloring Book, The -- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Coloring Books!: Color Our World Bright and Beautiful -- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Girl Power! Coloring Book
Milk Matters
ABC's of Good Health
El Abecedario de la Buena Salud
Interior, Department of the (DOI)
A Salmon Tale: A Coloring Book About the Natural Adventure of the Atlantic Salmon -- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
NIEHS Kids' Pages Interactive and Printable Online Coloring Books
Mining and Reclamation Coloring Book -- Office of Surface Mining
Yellowstone Coloring Book -- National Park Service
Saving Energy with Zippie, Splash, and Sam N. Coloring Book
Local/State Governments
Hawaiian Endangered Animals Coloring Book!
Kids Colr Connecticut: Coloring Book Images Featuring Places in Connecticut -- Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
The Air We Breathe: A Coloring & Activity Book
El Aire Que Respiramos: Un Libro de Actividades
Louisiana Coloring Book
North Carolina Coloring Book
Ohio State Symbol Coloring Book
Maine Symbols Coloring Book
Wildlife of Pennsylvania Coloring Book
Marine Resources
Coastal North Carolina: Activity book
Chesapeake Bay Activity Book
Salish Sea Activity Book
Mobile Bay Activity Book
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The Space Place: Coloring Books
Mission to Planet Earth Coloring Book
NASA Observatorium
The Federal Aviation Administration Kid Korner
Washington State
Activity Book from the Washington State Office of the Secretary of State
The Noxious Weed Coloring Book - Noxious Weeds are Everybody's Problem!
Washington State Coloring Book -- Washington State Legislature
Jive Man #2: Mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Stewardess: Can I get you something?
Jive Man #2: S'mo fo butter layin' to the bone. Jackin' me up. Tightly.
Stewardess: I'm sorry I don't understand.
Jive Man #1: Cutty say he cant hang.
Jive Talkin' Grandma: Oh stewardess! I speak jive.
Stewardess: Ohhhh, good.
Jive Talkin' Grandma: He said that he's in great pain and he wants to know if you can help him.
Stewardess: Would you tell him to just relax and I'll be back as soon as I can with some medicine.
Jive Talkin' Grandma: Jus' hang loose blooood. She goonna catch up on the`rebound a de medcide.
Jive Man #2: What it is big mamma, my mamma didn't raise no dummy, I dug her rap.
Jive Talkin' Grandma: Cut me som' slac' jak! Chump don wan no help, chump don git no help. Jive ass dude don got no brains anyhow. Hmph!
Ah! That infamous jive scene from the 1980 movie Airplane!
Back then, those who felt out of it probably rushed off to learn jive talkin'.
Today, if you don't know hacker, be prepared to feel behind the times. It's no jive, baby.
You've probably already seen it while surfing the Internet. It's not a spoken language, but a written one. If you ask a teenager, they'll tell you they've known how to write it since birth (but, they'd be lying.)
Here's a crash course -- The paragraph above looks like this in hacker:
y0u'v3 pr08481y 41r34dy 533n !7 wh!13 5urf!n9 7h3 !n73rn37. !7'5 n07 4 5p0k3n 14n9u493, 8u7 4 wr!773n 0n3. !f y0u 45k 4 733n493r, 7h3y'11 7311 y0u 7h3y'v3 kn0wn h0w 70 wr!73 !7 5!n(3 8!r7h (8u7, 7h3y'd 83 1y!n9.)
Do you see where 4 is the new a, ( is the new c, and 3 is the new e?
These are just a few of the letter substitutions that make hacker fun for simply confusing the uninformed.
Need a little help writing in hacker? Name Funk is one of the many websites that will translate ASCII (English) into hacker.
Try it out on an unsuspecting friend. You just might discover they're a h4(k3r!
Three female spies -- a brunette, a red-head, and a blonde -- had been captured and were awaiting execution.
The enemy dictator was nostalgic and had ordered an old-fashioned execution: death by firing squad.
Needless to say, the three spies wanted to survive... but they needed a plan. The red-head spoke up. "I have an idea," she said. "Follow my lead." As it happened, the red-head was first up against the wall.
"Do you have any last words?" the dictator asked.
"No," she replied.
"Very well," said the dictator as he turned to his soldiers.
"Ready.... Aim...."
"TORNADO!" yelled the red-head, pointing behind the troops.
The gunmen all turned around, and she escaped!
The brunette and blonde saw this and got the idea. Next it was the brunette's turn. The dictator marched her up to the wall in front of his soldiers.
"Do you have any last words?" he asked.
"No," she replied.
"Very well," said the dictator as he turned to his soldiers.
"Ready.... Aim...."
"TIDAL WAVE!" the brunette yelled out, pointing.
The gunmen all turned around, and she escaped, too!
The dictator was becoming frustrated, but now it was the blonde's turn. He marched her to the wall in front of his troops.
"Do you have any last words?" he asked, suspiciously.
"No," she replied.
"Very well," said the dictator as he turned to his soldiers.
"Ready.... Aim...."
"FIRE!" said the Blonde.
Cartoon by Bob Lang.
USA PATRIOT Act Summary:
The law is split into ten titles. Provided by THOMAS. Take a look at the full-text of the law.
Title I: Enhancing Domestic Security Against Terrorism
Title II: Enhanced Surveillance Procedures
Title III: International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001
Title IV: Protecting the Border - Subtitle A: Protecting the Northern Border
Title V: Removing Obstacles to Investigating Terrorism
Title VI: Providing for Victims of Terrorism, Public Safety Officers, and Their Families
Title VII: Increased Information Sharing for Critical Infrastructure Protection
Title VIII: Strengthening the Criminal Laws Against Terrorism
Title IX: Improved Intelligence
Title X: Miscellaneous
11:30 a.m. - Guam Fire Department Spokesman Angel Llagas said a 911 call at about 10:45 a.m. reported a explosion on Andersen Air Force Base, which Llagas said was later reported as a possible downed military aircraft.
1:45 p.m. - The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that a B-2 bomber crashed on Andersen air Force Base at about 10:45 a.m. today.
Two pilots from the 509th Bomb Wing were on board and ejected, according to a press release from Pacific Air Command public affairs at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.
The Air Force, without identifying the pilots, said one was medically evaluated and released, and the other was in stable condition at Guam Naval Hospital.
A board of officers will investigate why the plane crashed since, according to the Government Accountability Office, each B-2 Spirit Bomber costs $1.2 billion to build.
All 21 stealth bombers are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, but the Air Force has been rotating several of them through Guam since 2004, along with B-1 and B-52 bombers in support of the USAF Pacific Command. The rotations are designed to boost the U.S. security presence in the Asia-Pacific region while other U.S. forces diverted to fight in the Middle East.
The accident occurred 11 days after a Navy plane crashed into the ocean about 20 miles northeast of Guam's Ritidian Point. Four aircrew members ejected from the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft and were rescued by helicopter.
Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The B-2 is a low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defence shields. It is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000ft, with a range of more than 6,000nm unrefuelled and over 10,000nm with one refuelling, giving it the ability to fly to any point in the world within hours.
Its distinctive profile comes from the unique 'flying wing' construction. The leading edges of the wings are angled at 33° and the trailing edge has a double-W shape. It is manufactured at the Northrop Grumman facilities in Pico Rivera and Palmdale in California.
21 B-2s have been delivered to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the first in December 1993. In the first three years of service, the operational B-2s achieved a sortie reliability rate of 90%. An assessment published by the USAF showed that two B-2s armed with precision weaponry can do the job of 75 conventional aircraft.
A new transportable hangar system has been developed which allows the B-2 to be deployed to forward locations overseas. The hangars are 126ft long, 250ft wide and 55ft high. The first of these hangars has been erected on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Prior to this development, B-2s had to return to Whiteman AFB after missions, for maintenance of the aircraft's stealth features. The B-2 was thus deployed for the first time during Operation Iraqi Freedom in March / April 2003.
Watch the B-2 in action: U.S. Air Force video of B-2
Bone and joint injuries include fractures, dislocations, and sprains.
Fractures
There are basically two types of fractures: open and closed. With an open (or compound) fracture, the bone protrudes through the skin and complicates the actual fracture with an open wound. After setting the fracture, treat the wound as any other open wound. The closed fracture has no open wounds. Follow the guidelines for immobilization, and set and splint the fracture.
The signs and symptoms of a fracture are pain, tenderness, discoloration, swelling deformity, loss of function, and grating (a sound or feeling that occurs when broken bone ends rub together).
The dangers with a fracture are the severing or the compression of a nerve or blood vessel at the site of fracture. For this reason minimum manipulation should be done, and only very cautiously. If you notice the area below the break becoming numb, swollen, cool to the touch, or turning pale, and the victim shows signs of shock, a major vessel may have been severed. You must control this internal bleeding. Rest the victim for shock, and replace lost fluids.
Often you must maintain traction during the splinting and healing process. You can effectively pull smaller bones such as the arm or lower leg by hand. You can create traction by wedging a hand or foot in the V-notch of a tree and pushing against the tree with the other extremity. You can then splint the break.
Very strong muscles hold a broken thighbone (femur) in place making it difficult to maintain traction during healing. You can make an improvised traction splint using natural material (Figure 4-6) as follows:
Using available material (vines, cloth, rawhide), tie the splint around the upper portion of the body and down the length of the broken leg. Follow the splinting guidelines.
Note: Over time you may lose traction because the material weakened. Check the traction periodically. If you must change or repair the splint, maintain the traction manually for a short time.
Dislocations
Dislocations are the separations of bone joints causing the bones to go out of proper alignment. These misalignments can be extremely painful and can cause an impairment of nerve or circulatory function below the area affected. You must place these joints back into alignment as quickly as possible.
Signs and symptoms of dislocations are joint pain, tenderness, swelling, discoloration, limited range of motion, and deformity of the joint.
You treat dislocations by reduction, immobilization, and rehabilitation. Reduction or "setting" is placing the bones back into their proper alignment. You can use several methods, but manual traction or the use of weights to pull the bones are the safest and easiest.
Once performed, reduction decreases the victim's pain and allows for normal function and circulation. Without an X ray, you can judge proper alignment by the look and feel of the joint and by comparing it to the joint on the opposite side.
Immobilization is nothing more than splinting the dislocation after reduction. You can use any fieldexpedient material for a splint or you can splint an extremity to the body. The basic guidelines for splinting are--
To rehabilitate the dislocation, remove the splints after 7 to 14 days. Gradually use the injured joint until fully healed.
Sprains
The accidental overstretching of a tendon or ligament causes sprains. The signs and symptoms are pain, swelling, tenderness, and discoloration (black and blue).
When treating sprains, think RICE--
Excerpt from the U.S. Army Survival Manual
Nowadays counterintelligence is no longer a government problem. It’s a problem for any firm that has valuable secrets to keep, regardless of whether those secrets may be classified. And it’s a problem for any business that uses electronic communications devices – which means every business, all the time.
We now live in a world in which the United States can no longer assume it has a qualitative technological advantage over friends and adversaries. The world has gotten flatter – a lot flatter. Moreover, the dirty world of stolen information has become increasingly economically rational. Thieves who were incapable of exploiting information they knew how to steal have now figured out how to sell it. There’s a robust market for your secrets, and the sellers in that market include amateur hackers, criminal syndicates, and foreign intelligence services.
Entities from a record number of countries—108—were involved in collection efforts against sensitive and protected US technologies in FY 2005, according to evidence amassed by the Counterintelligence (CI) Community. A relatively small number of countries, though—including China and Russia —were the most aggressive and accounted for much of the targeting, just as they have since the CI Community first began systematically tracking foreign technology collection efforts in 1997.
Examples of Foreign Technology Acquisition Efforts—Listed By Suspected End-User Country Selected technology acquisition efforts in FY 2005:
• In October 2004, a naturalized US citizen and a Chinese citizen were sentenced to three years probation for false statements in connection with illegally exporting to China 25 low-noise amplifier chips that have applications in the US Hellfire missile. According to the indictment, the defendants falsely labeled the amplifier chips in export documents as “transistors” worth some $20. One of the individuals was a former employee of a major US defense contractor, and the other worked at a US research institute that designed software for military and warfare simulations.
• In November 2004, a New Jersey company was charged with attempted violation of the Iranian embargo in connection with an effort to export oil-burner nozzles to Germany, knowing that the devices would subsequently be illegally diverted to Iran.
• In November 2004, a federal judged fined a US aircraft parts supplier for illegally exporting components for the HAWK missile, the F-4 Phantom fighter jet, and the F-5 Phantom/Tiger fighter jet to China. The conviction was the 11th to result from a 5-year undercover US Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation that targeted aircraft parts suppliers that sold defense articles over the Internet to foreign buyers without obtaining the required US export licenses or complying with the arms embargoes.
• In December 2004, a US citizen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act after purchasing from US vendors sensitive US military items, including components for HAWK missiles, military radars, and F-4 Phantom fighter jet aircraft for export to Israel. The individual knowingly failed to obtain the required export license. The individual has previously exported items via Israel to Iran. Israeli authorities that cooperated in the investigation do not believe the final destination of the shipments was Israel.
• In early 2005, a Singapore company on multiple occasions shipped US export-controlled items, including GPS components and radiofrequency power meters, to Iran Electronics Industries, according to press.
• In early 2005, the FBI arrested two employees of a US auto parts manufacturer on charges that they leaked trade secrets to a Chinese firm, according to press reporting. The Chinese company, Chongqing Huafa Industry Co., used the information to manufacture metal connecting rods and undercut the US manufacturer’s prices.
• In January 2005, a Japanese national pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act after attempting to purchase and illegally export military laser sights for M-16 and M-5 rifles.
• In February 2005, a UK citizen was indicted for violating the US embargo on Iran after allegedly attempting to illegally export an experimental, single-engine aircraft from the United States to Iran via the United Kingdom. The aircraft was intercepted in the United Kingdom. The individual, who also allegedly exported electrical components from the United States to Iran via Austria on four occasions between 2000 and 2004, was arrested in Warsaw, Poland, by Polish authorities acting on a US arrest warrant.
• In February 2005, a US citizen pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive night-vision lenses to Iran.
• In February 2005, managers of two United Arab Emirates (UAE)–based companies were charged with conspiring to illegally export goods to Iran via the UAE. The indictment alleges that the defendants shipped computer goods from a Texas company to an entity in Iran affiliated with that nation’s ballistic missile program. It also alleges that they illegally exported a satellite communication system and other goods to Iran.
• In March 2005, a federal grand jury indicted the sales director of a US company with attempting to illegally export sensitive US technology to Iran in violation of the US embargo. According to the indictment, the individual attempted to export a machine that measures the tensile strength of steel and related software technologies.
• In March 2005, a US company pleaded guilty to exporting digital oscilloscopes to Israel without a license. The items were capable of being utilized in development of weapons of mass destruction and in missile delivery fields.
• In October 2005, an engineer working for a cleared defense contractor attempted to transfer US Navy Quiet Electric Drive (QED) technology to China, according to press reports. The engineer transferred QED information to a compact disk with the assistance of his wife and then delivered the disk to his brother. The brother encrypted the QED information and was arrested at the airport as he prepared to leave the United States for China with the data.
Sources: NCIX speech — Counterintelligence in the 21st Century: Not Just a Government Problem and Annual Report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage--2005 (PDF Download 6 Mb)
Free computers for spouses or parents of deployed soldier in ranks E1 – E5.
Free mail/gifts sent to children of deployed soldiers.
Free phone cards.
To sign up for sponsoring soldier care packages for theater.
Free shoebox care package.
Free cookies.
Lowest airfare available.
Free care packages.
Free air travel for Emergency Leave, and for the family members of injured soldiers to travel to a medical facility.
Airline discounts for R & R.
Free books, DVD’s, CD’s.
Free care packages.
Free gifts and care packages.
Free shipping/packing materials for shipping to troops.
O.K., it's not our beloved man-eating shark back in Jaws V -- but this "C-5" is still really cool.
Airmen load a semi truck onto a C-5 Galaxy with the help of Army contractors.
The semi is transporting an Army helicopter training simulator, the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer. Airmen from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron built a ramp specially designed to load the trainer on the transport. Before the ramp's creation, the only way to move the trainer was by ship, which took six to eight weeks to get to soldiers in the field.
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Wilkinson
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year. 100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage.
Track them here:
Subscribe to the USGS Earthquake Notification Service to receive email alerts or have messages sent directly to your cell phone.
Earthquake Notification Service
A year ago, it was a tomato-sorting shed on the north side of this sprawling base. Today, Marines are using its 30,000 square feet to learn how to survive in Iraq.
The trainer puts squads and fire teams through as realistic a scenario as is possible without live rounds. The purpose is to inoculate Marines with the sights, sounds, smells and chaos of close combat, said Tom Buscemi, the director of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force’s Battle Simulation Center.
“These young men have got to make the right choices in combat, but how do you practice that?” Buscemi said. “How do you rehearse making split-second moral and ethical decisions?”
The trainer is one answer, and it is a multimedia experience. Squads meet both holograms and actors playing Iraqis. As they enter the building, they hear the sounds of the Muslim call to prayer from the local mosque. As the squad enters a market, the sounds change and they need to look for warning signs. They go past the local sheikh’s house and down narrow alleys. The Marines have even managed to duplicate the open sewage smell of a bad neighborhood in Baghdad.
In one scenario, a rocket-propelled grenade wounds an Iraqi woman and kills a Marine. The squad members attempt to deal with the wounded Iraqi woman, who is covered in blood and screaming. At the same time, other members attempt to assess the Marine’s condition and evacuate him to medical care. As all this is going on, insurgents begin firing on the squad’s leaders. A Marine ducks into a room – there are women and children there. Then a hologram pops up of an insurgent with an AK-47. Fire or not? The scenarios present many choices, all intensified by the chaos.
“We want to ensure that Marines are exposed to this chaos here, that they have seen it before, and maybe this will prevent another Haditha,” said Marine Col. Robert Coates, assistant chief of staff for the training and experimentation group. U.S. Marines were accused of over-reacting to a roadside bomb attack in the Anbar province city and killing a number of noncombatants. 
Marine Sgt. William Jones, noncommissioned officer in charge of the trainer, has served a tour in Afghanistan and three tours in Iraq. He said the trainer comes very close to duplicating the chaos of combat, and presents a learning experience for the Marines. In one recent case, he played one of the insurgents. He shot at a Marine and was shot himself. He fell, and the Marine came in and shot him in the chest. “I stopped the exercise immediately,” Jones said. Had that been a real situation, he explained, the Marine would have committed murder.
The trainer has cameras around everywhere, so Jones was able to dissect the performance and hammer home the lesson to the squad. “And tapes don’t lie,” Jones said.
The Marines are talking with Hollywood studios to get more realistic effects for the trainer. Ultimately, they would like to build a far bigger facility that would allow vehicles, taller buildings and better holograms. They also want a technology that allows them to dispense with the paint-ball masks the Marines wear for protection.
“Reading facial expressions is key,” Buscemi said. “And you can’t do that with these masks.”
The facility is the only one of its kind in the Marine Corps, and the people at Camp Pendleton put it together on a shoestring budget, using Office of Naval Research technology, the tomato shed and $2.4 million they diverted from other projects. The Pendleton team also worked with Marine Training and Education Command, the Marine Warfighting Lab and the deployed forces.
The Marines here believe far more can be done in infantry simulation. Coates said that “only one-tenth of 1 percent of simulation funding is spent on infantry simulation. The technology works and is improving all the time.” The Marines want this training to become an integral part of the pre-deployment training program prior to the Mojave Viper battalion-level training exercise at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
“For all the services there is a great deal to be learned by simulation,” Mullen said. “This is important, breakthrough stuff, and we need cross-talk (among the services) to come out with best practices.”
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
The FBI, San Diego Police Department, and La Mesa Police Department are seeking the public's assistance in identifying the "Ugly Plaid Bandit" believed to be responsible for at least five bank robberies in the month of December, 2007.
He is described as a white male in his late 30's or early 40's, approximately 6'2" tall, with a thin build. He has brown hair and has worn plaid clothing during a number of the robberies.
He typically enters the bank and asserts a verbal demand for cash. No weapon has been displayed. The "Ugly Plaid Bandit" bank robbery series is believed to have started on Friday, December 7, 2007.
The following list gives the dates and locations of the robberies:
1. December 7, 2007 California Bank & Trust, 3737 5th Ave., San Diego
2. December 10, 2007 North Island Credit Union, 3950 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego
3. December 14, 2007 San Diego National Bank, 4270 Executive Square, San Diego
4. December 14, 2007 Wells Fargo, 3820 Valley Centre Dr., San Diego
5. December 15, 2007 California Bank & Trust, 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa
Anyone with information regarding the identity of this individual is asked to call the FBI at (858) 565-1255, the San Diego Police Department Robbery Unit at (619) 531-2299, the La Mesa Police Department at (619) 667-1400, or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS (8477). By calling Crime Stoppers anonymous, toll-free tip line, you can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1000 if your information leads to an arrest in this case.
Tip the FBI Online - FBI Tips and Public Leads
Tonight, at 10:30 EST, Navy gunners aboard the cruiser USS Lake Erie will fire a $10 million SM3 interceptor missile that will destroy the faltering spy satellite before it can tumble to Earth and -- possibly -- release a cloud of toxic gas.
Malfunctioning immediately after it was launched in December 2006, the satellite has a full tank -- about 1,000 pounds -- of frozen, toxic hydrazine propellant.
Authorities said, without intervention, the fuel tank likely would survive re-entry and could disperse harmful or even potentially deadly fumes over an area the size of two football fields. Hydrazine is similar to chlorine or ammonia in that it affects the lungs and breathing tissue.
The goal is to strike the satellite in a low orbit, just before it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of about 150 miles. The idea is to blast the satellite apart on impact so that the hydrazine tank explodes.
If the satellite is not destroyed, it is expected to make an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere on or about March 6.
Not to be upstaged, nature will present a total lunar eclipse, at 10:01 EST, in a different portion of tonight's sky.
Total Lunar Eclipse Details
UPDATE: Spy Satellite Shootout Succeeds - Ongoing Story
"We have a hit!" was the radio message transmitted to the Pentagon three minutes after the missile was launched.
Several cameras trained on the satellite known as USA 193 saw it immediately reduced to a cloud of shards.
On March 13, Federal Reserve banks will begin distributing redesigned $5 bills to customer banks, which will then distribute currency to businesses and consumers. The new bills will first begin circulating in the U.S. and gradually in other countries as international banks place orders for $5 bills from the Federal Reserve. Older-design $5 bills will maintain their full face value. Therefore, it will not be necessary to trade in old $5 bills for new ones.
The newly redesigned U.S. $5 bill, will continue to feature the portrait of President Abraham Lincoln who understood that maintaining the integrity of U.S. currency was critical to the stability of our economy. In fact, President Lincoln established the United States Secret Service and made it the agency's primary mission to safeguard the nation's currency from counterfeiters.
To read more about the redesigned U.S. paper money, visit the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Interactive Bills
Explore interactive Flash presentations about the new $5, $10, $20, and $50 bills.
On July 26, 2008, the FBI will celebrate its 100th anniversary as a crime-fighting and national security agency. To help commemorate their centennial, they’re launching an “FBI 100” history series that they’ll run over the course of the coming year to highlight some of their memorable and major cases. Their first story centers on two of the most hunted bank robbers in Bureau history…
The days of the big-name bank robbers—John Dillinger, “Baby Face” Nelson, “Pretty Boy” Floyd, and the like—were long gone when a pair of enterprising, dangerous, and slightly offbeat crooks arrived on the scene in the early 1960s. But within a few years, they’d be as wanted as any of the gun-slinging bank robbers of the gangster era.
Their names were Albert Nussbaum (pictured standing) and Bobby Wilcoxson, and before they were locked away for good, they’d robbed eight banks, accumulated a massive arsenal of weapons, murdered a bank guard, and set off several bombs in the nation’s capital.
Read more of this story: An Odd Couple of Crime
Entire series: FBI 100
Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.
NON-NUCLEAR PRODUCTION AND PROCUREMENT
Kansas City Plant (Kansas City, Missouri)
KCP manufactures and procures non-nuclear weapons components, and evaluates and tests these weapons components. KCP has no special nuclear material (SNM).
NUCLEAR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AND HIGH EXPLOSIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, California)
LLNL conducts research, design, and development of nuclear weapons; designs and tests advanced technology concepts; provides safety, security, and reliability assessments and certification of stockpile weapons; conducts plutonium and tritium research and development (R&D); hydrotesting; high-explosives (HE) R&D; and environmental testing. LLNL also currently maintains Category I/II quantities of SNM (special nuclear materials that require the highest level of security).
NUCLEAR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AND PLUTONIUM
Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, New Mexico)
LANL conducts research, design, and development of nuclear weapons; designs and tests advanced technology concepts; provides safety, security, and reliability assessments and certification of stockpile weapons; maintains production capabilities for limited quantities of plutonium components (i.e., pits) for delivery to the stockpile; manufactures nuclear weapon detonators for the stockpile; conducts tritium research and development (R&D), hydrotesting, high explosives (HE) R&D, and environmental testing; and currently maintains Category I/II quantities of SNM (special nuclear materials that require the highest level of security).
HIGH-HAZARD TESTING AND EXPERIMENTATION
Nevada TestSite (65 miles northwestof Las Vegas, Nevada)
NTS continues to maintain the capability to resume underground nuclear testing while conducting hydrotests and high-hazard experiments involving both nuclear material and high explosives. NTS also conducts non-nuclear experiments; performs research and development activities; safeguards Category I/II quantities of SNM (special nuclear materials that require the highest level of security); provides training on nuclear safeguards, criticality safety, and emergency response; and affords the Nation the capability to disposition a damaged nuclear weapon or improvised nuclear device.
ASSEMBLY/DISASSEMBLY AND HIGH EXPLOSIVES (HE)
PRODUCTION & MACHINING
Pantex Plant (Amarillo, Texas)
Pantex dismantles retired weapons; fabricates high-explosive (HE) components and performs HE research and development (R&D); assembles HE, nuclear, and non-nuclear components into nuclear weapons; repairs and modifies weapons; performs non-intrusive pit modification; and evaluates and performs surveillance of weapons. Pantex maintains Category I/II quantities of SNM (special nuclear materials that require the highest level of security) for the weapons program and stores SNM in the form of surplus plutonium pits pending transfer to Savannah River Site for disposition.
NON-NUCLEAR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AND MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING
Sandia National Laboratories(Albuquerque, New Mexico; Livermore, California; and other locations)
SNL conducts systems engineering of nuclear weapons; conducts research, design, and development of non-nuclear components; manufactures non-nuclear weapons components including neutron generators for the stockpile; provides safety, security, and reliability assessments of stockpile weapons; and conducts high-explosives (HE) research and development (R&D) and environmental testing. SNL/New Mexico is currently removing its Category I/II quantities of SNM (special nuclear materials that require the highest level of security) and by the end of 2008 should no longer need Category I/II SNM quantities on a permanent basis. The principal laboratory is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico; a division of the laboratory is located in Livermore, California. Sandia also operates TTR near Tonopah, Nevada, for flight. No Category I/II quantities of SNM are permanently maintained at the TTR, although some test operations have involved SNM.
OPERATIONS INVOLVING LARGE QUANTITIES OF TRITIUM
Savannah RiverSite (Aiken, South Carolina)
SRS extracts tritium and performs loading, unloading, and surveillance of tritium reservoirs. SRS does not maintain Category I/II quantities of SNM (special nuclear materials that require the highest level of security) associated with NNSA weapons activities, but does maintain Category I/II quantities of SNM associated with other Department of Energy activities, such as the Environmental Management program.
URANIUM AND CANNED SUBASSEMBLIES
Y-12 (OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE)
Y-12 manufactures uranium components for nuclear weapons, cases, and nuclear components comprising canned subassemblies; performs quality evaluation and surveillance activities on subassemblies and components; maintains Category I/II quantities of SNM (special nuclear materials that require the highest level of security); conducts component dismantlement, storage, and disposition of their nuclear materials; and supplies highly enriched uranium for use in naval reactors.
The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) is intended as a source of general industrial hygiene information on several hundred chemicals/classes for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals. The NPG does not contain an analysis of all pertinent data, rather it presents key information and data in abbreviated or tabular form for chemicals or substance groupings (e.g. cyanides, fluorides, manganese compounds) that are found in the work environment. The information found in the NPG should help users recognize and control occupational chemical hazards.
The monitoring and analysis of the geomagnetic field is important for practical applications, some of which have been made for centuries. The magnetic field can be used for orientation, navigation, and mineral and oil exploration. Of more recent interest, the infrastructure and the activities of our modern, technologically-based society can be adversely affected by rapid magnetic-field variations driven by the dynamic processes in the near-Earth space environment. This is particularly true during so-called ‘magnetic storms’, when radio communication can be difficult or impossible, global-positioning systems (GPS) can be degraded, satellite electronics can be damaged, satellite drag can be enhanced, astronaut and high-altitude pilots can be subjected to increased levels of radiation, pipe-line corrosion can be enhanced, and electric-power grids can experience voltage surges which cause blackouts. The most beautiful manifestations of geomagnetic activity are aurorae, seen prominently at high latitudes near the geomagnetic poles. Given the plurality of geomagnetic phenomena, it is not surprising that the communities concerned with magnetic data are numerous and diverse.
Is Earth's magnetic field going to reverse?
While we now appear to be in a period of declining magnetic field strength, we cannot state for certain if or when a magnetic reversal will occur. Based on measurements of the Earth's magnetic field taken since about 1850 some paleomagnetists estimate that the dipole moment will decay in about 1,300 years. However, the present dipole moment (a measure of how strong the magnetic field is) is actually higher than it has been for most of the last 50,000 years and the current decline could reverse at any time. Even if Earth's magnetic field is beginning a reversal, it would still take several thousand years to complete a reversal. We expect Earth would still have a magnetic field during a reversal, but it would be weaker than normal with multiple magnetic poles. Radio communication would deteriorate, navigation by magnetic compass would be difficult and migratory animals might have problems.
If you can, imagine a vehicle that runs on air, achieves over 100 gas-equivalent mpg and over 90 mph, has zero to low C02 emissions, seats six, has plenty of space for luggage, cuts no safety corners, and costs no more than an average economy to mid-size vehicle.
This is the expected performance of the revolutionary “Air Car” that Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) is introducing to North America. The vehicle runs on the Compressed Air Technology (C.A.T.) developed by Motor Development International (MDI), a 15-year old company based in Nice, France, and headed by inventor and Formula One race car engineer, Guy Negre. ZPM is the exclusive representative for MDI in the United States.
Click image to enlarge.
Almost half of the world's oceans have been badly damaged by humans and no region has been left untouched, the first global map of humanity's impact on marine ecosystems has revealed.
New research reveals the extent of the damage caused by human activity. The ambitious project to chart the changing ocean environment shows that humans have exacted a much heavier toll on the seas through fishing, pollution and climate change than had been thought.
The world map, which was created by dividing the oceans into kilometre squares, shows that 41 per cent have been affected strongly by 17 human activities, a much higher proportion than expected.
Some of the worst-affected marine areas are found around the British Isles. Parts of the North Sea, the Channel and the North Atlantic off the Irish and Scottish coasts have all been assessed as suffering very high ecological damage.
The map is the first to combine information on how different human influences are affecting the oceans. It examined indicators of environmental health, including coral reefs, fisheries, kelp forests and water quality.
Ben Halpern, of the US National Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), who led the study, said: “This project allows us to finally start to see the big picture of how humans are affecting the oceans. Our results show that when these and other individual impacts are summed up, the big picture looks much worse than I imagine most people expected. It was certainly a surprise to me.”
David Garrison, the biological oceanography program director at the US National Science Foundation, which funded the initiative, said: “This research is a critically needed synthesis of the impact of human activity on ocean ecosystems. The effort is likely to be a model for assessing these impacts at local and regional scales.”
The map, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston February 14, was produced by drawing up human impact scores for each marine square. A paper describing the map has been published in the journal Science.
Each type of human influence fits one of four categories: climate change, pollution, fishing and shipping. Climate change has had the greatest impact, particularly though rising sea temperatures and its effect of acidifying the oceans.
The effect of fishing is the next most important, especially the damage that has been caused to coral reefs from trawling and stock depletions from overfishing.
In many regions the effects of these are combined with pollution, particularly run-off of fertilisers from agricultural land and invasive alien species that are often introduced in the ballast tanks of ships.
“Clearly we can no longer just focus on fishing or coastal wetland loss or pollution as if they are separate effects,” said Andrew Rosenberg, a professor of natural resources at the University of New Hampshire, an indepedent scientist who was not involved with the study.
“These human impacts overlap in space and time and, in far too many cases, the magnitude is frighteningly high. The message for policymakers seems clear to me: conservation action that cuts across the whole set of human impacts is needed now.”
Beyond British waters the regions that are most affected are in the South and East China seas, the Caribbean, the East Coast of North America, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Gulf, the Bering Sea and several parts of the western Pacific. The areas near the poles have been affected the least but these regions are at risk of damage through global warming.
“Unfortunately as polar ice sheets disappear with a warming global climate and human activities spread into these areas there is a great risk of rapid degradation of these relatively pristine ecosystems,” said Carrie Kappel, of NCEAS, a principal investigator on the project.
Dr Halpern said that while the picture was grim, it could be reversed by urgent action. “There is definitely room for hope,” he said. “With efforts to protect the chunks of the ocean that remain relatively pristine we have a good chance of preserving them.
“My hope is that our results serve as a wake-up call to better manage and protect our oceans. Humans will always use the oceans for recreation, extraction of resources and commercial activity such as shipping. This is a good thing. Our goal is to do this in a sustainable way so that our oceans remain in a healthy state and continue to provide us with the resources we need and want.”
British scientists welcomed the study but said that the poor scores for British waters could reflect better recording of environmental problems.
Emma Jackson, of the Marine Biological Association, said: “The unsustainable way in which we exploit the goods and services that marine eco-systems provide are shown in this paper and, as a nation, we should be concerned.
“But we should consider that the UK human impact hotspot, which Halpern and colleagues have highlighted, is partly due to the fact that we are fairly good at recording our human activities. It is also down to a legacy of historical pressures, which we are now beginning to do something about by protecting our marine areas.”
John Shepherd, of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, said: “This is a bold attempt to make a global map of human impacts on the ocean. The high impact shown for UK waters is probably due to heavy fishing, intensive exploitation of oil and gas resources, shipping and tourism. Not all of these lead directly to ecosystem damage but there is no doubt that mankind’s impact is significant.”
Chris Frid, of the University of Liverpool, said: “As the management of human impacts on the environment seeks to be more holistic and ecosystem-based it is critical that we have means of assessing the sites of human impacts.
“Spatial mapping of the ‘footprint’ of human impacts is a useful way of doing this as different impacts — fishing, oil exploration, aggregate dredging — can then be superimposed. The results confirm the fact that coastal seas close to populous and industrialised areas are most impacted.
“The major limitation of this approach is the pseudo-precision of the maps. The original scientists did not score the impact of each activity in each square but their responses were transferred by the authors to these grids and then aggregated.
“The resulting broad patterns will be correct but the detail in terms of footprint and intensity will be approximate and must not be used as the basis for management decisions, for example on where to allow development.”
Source: The Austrailian
People worldwide are rediscovering the benefits of buying local food. It is fresher than anything in the supermarket and that means it is tastier and more nutritious. It is also good for your local economy--buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business.
Local Harvest tracks these fresh food resources across America:
Firearms safety rule #1: All guns are always loaded.
Don't be a douche. Never point a gun at a person you don't intend to shoot.
Here's a shot of beleaguered New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, looking gleeful and appearing to point an AR15-type rifle directly at Police Superintendent Warren Riley while Riley holds a similar firearm. The picture was taken while the two were on the floor of the Superdome viewing a collection of new equipment to be used largely for the city's SWAT team.
The maps on this site are digital versions of those maps found in the official brochures provided to National Park visitors.
Here you will find maps and data in three formats:
The flu season is getting worse, and U.S. health officials say it's partly because the flu vaccine doesn't protect against most of the spreading flu bugs.
The flu shot is a good match for only about 40 percent of this year's flu viruses, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
Full Story
Imad Fayez Mughniyeh, the Hizballah’s supreme commander and plotter of major anti-US and anti-Israel terror operations in the last 25 years died aged 46 in a car bomb explosion in the Damascus district of Tanzim Kafr Susa Tuesday night, Feb. 12.
Hizballah accused Israel of the assassination and vowed to retaliate.
Syrian officials fanned out among Arab broadcasting stations with a warning: Damascus will attack Israel shortly following a decision by Syrian leaders to end its policy of restraint against its territorial violations.
Israeli land, sea, air and homeland defense units were earlier ordered to prepare to defend the country’s northern borders against attacks by Hizballah, including rocket strikes, and Syria. Reinforcements were rushed to the north.
In the U.S., the FBI put its domestic terror squads on alert for any threats against synagogues and other potential Jewish targets in the United States.
The FBI also ordered terrorism task forces in 100 cities across America to reach out to community sources to report any information about stepped-up Hizballah activity. This high-priority order is unusual.
Source: DEBKAfile
Yellowstone National Park is located above one of the most active volcano systems in the world. The largest volcanic basin, located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, measures about 55 kilometers (34 mi) by 72 kilometers (45 mi) and is often called the Yellowstone supervolcano.
Eruptions of the Yellowstone volcanic system have included the two largest volcanic eruptions in North America in the past few million years; the third largest was at Long Valley in California and produced the Bishop ash bed. The biggest of the Yellowstone eruptions occurred 2.1 million years ago, depositing the Huckleberry Ridge ash bed. These eruptions left behind huge volcanic depressions called “calderas” and spread volcanic ash over large parts of North America.
Scientists have revealed that Yellowstone Park has been on a regular eruption cycle of 600,000 years. The last eruption was 640,000 years ago…so the next is overdue. The next eruption could be 2,500 times the size of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Thick ash deposits would bury vast areas of the United States, and injection of huge volumes of volcanic gases into the atmosphere could drastically affect global climate. Learn More About Supervolcanoes
Use this site to monitor Yellowstone's recent earthquake activity:
Tried composting and failed? Wound up with bears instead of garden food? We asked Paul Paddock, a partner in Sonoma Compost, to give us the low-down on some common composting concerns.
Full Story
Marines wounded during the landing on Tarawa are towed out on rubber boats by their buddies to larger vessels that will take them to base hospitals for better medical care.
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
Medical problems and emergencies you may be faced with include breathing problems, severe bleeding, and shock.
Breathing Problems
Any one of the following can cause airway obstruction, resulting in stopped breathing:
Severe Bleeding
Severe bleeding from any major blood vessel in the body is extremely dangerous. The loss of 1 liter of blood will produce moderate symptoms of shock. The loss of 2 liters will produce a severe state of shock that places the body in extreme danger. The loss of 3 liters is usually fatal.
A standard field dressing holds about 0.25 liter (one-fourth canteen) of blood. A soaked T-shirt holds 0.5 to 0.75 liter.
Shock
Shock (acute stress reaction) is not a disease in itself. It is a clinical condition characterized by symptoms that arise when cardiac output is insufficient to fill the arteries with blood under enough pressure to provide an adequate blood supply to the organs and tissues.
LIFESAVING STEPS
Control panic, both your own and the victim's. Reassure him and try to keep him quiet. Perform a rapid physical exam. Look for the cause of the injury and follow the ABCs of first aid, starting with the airway and breathing, but be discerning. A person may die from arterial bleeding more quickly than from an airway obstruction in some cases.
Open Airway and Maintain
You can open an airway and maintain it by using the following steps:
Step 1. Check if the victim has a partial or complete airway obstruction. If he can cough or speak, allowhim to clear the obstruction naturally. Stand by, reassure the victim, and be ready to clear his airway and perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should he become unconscious. If his airway is completely obstructed, administer abdominal thrusts until the obstruction is cleared.
Step 2. Using a finger, quickly sweep the victim's mouth clear of any foreign objects, broken teeth, dentures, sand.
Step 3. Using the jaw thrust method, grasp the angles of the victim's lower jaw and lift with both hands, one on each side, moving the jaw forward. For stability, rest your elbows on the surface on which the victim is lying. If his lips are closed, gently open the lower lip with your thumb (Figure 4-1).
Step 4. With the victim's airway open, pinch his nose closed with your thumb and forefinger and blow two complete breaths into his lungs. Allow the lungs to deflate after the second inflation and perform the following:
Step 5. If the forced breaths do not stimulate spontaneous breathing, maintain the victim's breathing by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Step 6. There is danger of the victim vomiting during mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Check the victim's mouth periodically for vomit and clear as needed.
Note: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may be necessary after cleaning the airway, but only after major bleeding is under control. See FM 21-20, the American Heart Association manual, the Red Cross manual, or most other first aid books for detailed instructions on CPR.
Control Bleeding
In a survival situation, you must control serious bleeding immediately because replacement fluids normally are not available and the victim can die within a matter of minutes. External bleeding falls into the following classifications (according to its source):
You can control external bleeding by direct pressure, indirect (pressure points) pressure, elevation, digital ligation, or tourniquet.
Direct Pressure
The most effective way to control external bleeding is by applying pressure directly over the wound. This pressure must not only be firm enough to stop the bleeding, but it must also be maintained long enough to "seal off" the damaged surface.
If bleeding continues after having applied direct pressure for 30 minutes, apply a pressure dressing. This dressing consists of a thick dressing of gauze or other suitable material applied directly over the wound and held in place with a tightly wrapped bandage (Figure 4-2). It should be tighter than an ordinary compression bandage but not so tight that it impairs circulation to the rest of the limb.
Once you apply the dressing, do not remove it, even when the dressing becomes blood soaked.
Leave the pressure dressing in place for 1 or 2 days, after which you can remove and replace it with a smaller dressing.
In the long-term survival environment, make fresh, daily dressing changes and inspect for signs of infection.
Elevation
Raising an injured extremity as high as possible above the heart's level slows blood loss by aiding the return of blood to the heart and lowering the blood pressure at the wound. However, elevation alone will not control bleeding entirely; you must also apply direct pressure over the wound.
When treating a snakebite, however, keep the extremity lower than the heart.
Pressure Points
A pressure point is a location where the main artery to the wound lies near the surface of the skin or where the artery passes directly over a bony prominence (Figure 4-3).
You can use digital pressure on a pressure point to slow arterial bleeding until the application of a pressure dressing.
Pressure point control is not as effective for controlling bleeding as direct pressure exerted on the wound. It is rare when a single major compressible artery supplies a damaged vessel.
If you cannot remember the exact location of the pressure points, follow this rule:
Apply pressure at the end of the joint just above the injured area. On hands, feet, and head, this will be the wrist, ankle, and neck, respectively.
WARNING: Use caution when applying pressure to the neck. Too much pressure for too long may cause unconsciousness or death. Never place a tourniquet around the neck.
Maintain pressure points by placing a round stick in the joint, bending the joint over the stick, and then keeping it tightly bent by lashing. By using this method to maintain pressure, it frees your hands to work in other areas.
Digital Ligation
You can stop major bleeding immediately or slow it down by applying pressure with a finger or two on the bleeding end of the vein or artery. Maintain the pressure until the bleeding stops or slows down enough to apply a pressure bandage, elevation, and so forth.
Tourniquet
Use a tourniquet only when direct pressure over the bleeding point and all other methods did not control the bleeding.
If you leave a tourniquet in place too long, the damage to the tissues can progress to gangrene, with a loss of the limb later. An improperly applied tourniquet can also cause permanent damage to nerves and other tissues at the site of the constriction.
If you must use a tourniquet, place it around the extremity, between the wound and the heart, 5 to 10 centimeters above the wound site (Figure 4-4). Never place it directly over the wound or a fracture.
Use a stick as a handle to tighten the tourniquet and tighten it only enough to stop blood flow. When you have tightened the tourniquet, bind the free end of the stick to the limb to prevent unwinding.
After you secure the tourniquet, clean and bandage the wound. A lone survivor does not remove or release an applied tourniquet. In a buddy system, however, the buddy can release the tourniquet pressure every 10 to 15 minutes for 1 or 2 minutes to let blood flow to the rest of the extremity to prevent limb loss.
Prevent and Treat Shock
Anticipate shock in all injured personnel. Treat all injured persons as follows, regardless of what symptoms appear (Figure 4-5):
Excerpt from the U.S. Army Survival Manual
Around the world...around the clock...NOAA proudly stands watch. As an integral part of worldwide search and rescue, NOAA operates the Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) System to detect and locate mariners, aviators, and recreational enthusiasts in distress almost anywhere in the world at anytime and in almost any condition.
The SARSAT system uses NOAA satellites in low-earth and geostationary orbits to detect and locate aviators, mariners, and land-based users in distress. The satellites relay distress signals from emergency beacons to a network of ground stations and ultimately to the U.S. Mission Control Center (USMCC) in Suitland, Maryland. The USMCC processes the distress signal and alerts the appropriate search and rescue authorities to who is in distress and, more importantly, where they are located. Truly, SARSAT takes the "search" out of search and rescue!
NOAA-SARSAT is a part of the international Cospas-Sarsat Program to which 38 nations and two independent SAR organizations belong to.
Have you ever wanted to send e-mail to a cell phone? Here are the addresses for the top six US carriers. Substitute an actual 10-digit phone number, send the e-mail and it will arrive as a text message.
T-Mobile phonenumber@tmomail.net
Virgin Mobile phonenumber@vmobl.com
Cingular phonenumber@cingularme.com
Sprint phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Verizon phonenumber@vtext.com
Nextel phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com
If you're willing to go through a third-party service, rather than direct e-mail, consider using Teleflip. Teleflip automatically sends e-mail to the proper service provider when you enter the 10-digit phone number.
Three armed men in ski masks stole four paintings by Cezanne, Degas, van Gogh and Monet worth $163.2 million from a Zurich museum in one of Europe’s largest ever art heists, police said Monday.
The robbers, who were still at large, stole the paintings Sunday from the E.G. Buehrle Collection, one of Europe’s finest private museums for Impressionist and post-Impressionist art, police said.
It was the largest art robbery in Switzerland’s history and one of the biggest ever in Europe, said Marco Cortesi, spokesman for the Zurich police. He compared it to the theft in 2004 of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” and “Madonna” from the Munch Museum in Norway.
The three masked men wearing dark clothing entered the museum a half-hour before closing Sunday, police said. While one of the men used a pistol to force museum personnel to the floor, the two others went into the exhibition hall and collected the four paintings.
One of the men spoke German with a Slavic accent, police said. They loaded the paintings into a white vehicle parked in front of the museum.
Police, asking for witnesses to come forward, said it was possible that the paintings were partly sticking out of the van as the robbers made their getaway.
A reward of about $90,000 was offered for information leading to the recovery of the paintings — Claude Monet’s “Poppy field at Vetheuil,” Edgar Degas’ “Ludovic Lepic and his Daughter,” Vincent van Gogh’s “Blooming Chestnut Branches,” and Paul Cezanne’s “Boy in the Red Waistcoat.”
Last week, Swiss police reported that two Pablo Picasso paintings, worth $90 million, were stolen from an exhibition near Zurich. The two oil paintings, “Tete de cheval” (“Head of horse”) and Verre et pichet (“Glass and pitcher”), were on loan from the Sprengel Museum in Hannover, Germany.
Zurich police were pursuing the possibility that the Picasso theft was connected with the Buehrle robbery, and are in contact with investigators in that case to see if there are any links, Cortesi said.
BREAKING NEWS: Two stolen paintings recovered for the E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich. Two remain missing.
This high definition webcam displays a near real-time image of Mount St. Helens, taken from the Johnston Ridge Observatory.
The Observatory and VolcanoCam are located at an elevation of approximately 4,500 feet, about five miles from the volcano. You are looking approximately south-southeast across the North Fork Toutle River Valley.
The VolcanoCam image automatically updates approximately every five minutes.
This is a medium size of the actual image (640x480 vs 1024x768). It should fit on an average computer monitor without horizontal scrolling. This web page uses a Java applet to automatically refresh the image itself, instead of the entire web page.
Here is a non-Java version in medium size.
You may also view the image full-size (1024x768), as either a image refreshed by Java, or a web page refresh.
Intelligence Officials See 3-D Online Worlds as Havens for Criminals
By Robert O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post Staff Writer
U.S. intelligence officials are cautioning that popular Internet services that enable computer users to adopt cartoon-like personas in three-dimensional online spaces also are creating security vulnerabilities by opening novel ways for terrorists and criminals to move money, organize and conduct corporate espionage.
Over the last few years, "virtual worlds" such as Second Life and other role-playing games have become home to millions of computer-generated personas known as avatars. By directing their avatars, people can take on alternate personalities, socialize, explore and earn and spend money across uncharted online landscapes.
Nascent economies have sprung to life in these 3-D worlds, complete with currency, banks and shopping malls. Corporations and government agencies have opened animated virtual offices, and a growing number of organizations hold meetings where avatars gather and converse in newly minted conference centers.
Intelligence officials who have examined these systems say they're convinced that the qualities that many computer users find so attractive about virtual worlds -- including anonymity, global access and the expanded ability to make financial transfers outside normal channels -- have turned them into seedbeds for transnational threats.
"The virtual world is the next great frontier and in some respects is still very much a Wild West environment," a recent paper by the government's new Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity said.
"Unfortunately, what started out as a benign environment where people would congregate to share information or explore fantasy worlds is now offering the opportunity for religious/political extremists to recruit, rehearse, transfer money, and ultimately engage in information warfare or worse with impunity."
The government's growing concern seems likely to make virtual worlds the next battlefield in the struggle over the proper limits on the government's quest to improve security through data collection and analysis and the surveillance of commercial computer systems.
Virtual worlds could also become an actual battlefield. The intelligence community has begun contemplating how to use Second Life and other such communities as platforms for cyber weapons that could be used against terrorists or enemies, intelligence officials said. One analyst suggested beginning tests with so-called teams of cyber warfare experts.
The IARPA paper concurred: "What additional things are possible in the virtual world that cannot be done in the real world? The [intelligence community] needs to 'red team' some possible scenarios of use."
The CIA has created a few virtual islands for internal use, such as training and unclassified meetings, government officials said.
Some veterans of privacy debates said they believe that law enforcement and national security authorities are preparing to make a move, through coercion or new laws, to gain access to the giant computer servers where virtual worlds reside.
Jim Dempsey, policy director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonpartisan group that monitors privacy issues, said he heard the same worries from the government when cell phones became popular in the 1980s and again when mainstream American logged on to the Internet in the 1990s.
Dempsey said the national security fears are overblown, in part because the country already has legal and technical mechanisms in place to give the government access to digital records it needs.
"They want to control this technology and make it even easier to tap than it already is," Dempsey said. "When the government is finished, every new technology becomes a more powerful surveillance tool than the technology before it."
Questions about the impact of innovations in communications technology are nothing new. Criminals, terrorists and others have used Web sites for more than a decade to recruit, operate scams and trade pornography. Law enforcement and intelligence authorities responded to new technologies by repeatedly seeking out new surveillance authorities.
Intelligence officials said, however, that the spread of virtual worlds has created additional challenges because commercial services do not keep records of communication among avatars. Because of the nature of the systems, the companies also have almost no way of monitoring the creation and use of virtual buildings and training centers, some of them protected by nearly unbreakable passwords.
"Virtual environments provide many opportunities to exchange messages in the clear without drawing unnecessary attention," the IARPA paper said. "Additionally, there are many private channels that can be employed to exchange secret messages."
And there are the numbers. Some marketers and technology observers are predicting explosive growth in the use of virtual worlds in coming years. As more people create avatars, it will become harder to identify bad guys, intelligence officials said. As in the real world, one of the central difficulties is establishing the identity of individuals.
"The challenge that we face is to be able to distinguish the fanatics from the average person looking for some simple enjoyment," said the IARPA paper.
One intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had no evidence of activity by terrorist cells or widespread organized crime in virtual worlds. There have been numerous instances of fraud, harassment and other virtual crimes. Some computer users have used their avatars to destroy virtual buildings.
Last month, Second Life operators shut down a dozen online banks holding virtual currency worth an undetermined amount of actual dollars, after computer users raised questions about whether the banks were paying promised interest.
National security officials have begun working informally to take stock of virtual worlds. That research likely will take on more urgency this year, as companies in other countries prepare to unveil their own virtual worlds.
One such world, called HiPiHi, is being created in China. HiPiHi founders said they want to create ways for avatars to be able to travel freely between its virtual world, Second Life and other systems -- a development that intelligence officials say make it doubly hard to track down the identity of avatars.
In promotional material, HiPiHi officials said that they believe that virtual worlds "are the next phase of the Internet."
"The residents are the Gods of this virtual world; it is a world of limitless possibilities for creativity and self-expression, within a complex social structure and a full functioning economy," the promotional material says.
"Virtual worlds are ready-made havens," said a senior intelligence official who declined to be identified because of the nature of his work. "There's no way to monitor it."
The popularity of virtual worlds has grown despite the technology being in an early stage of development. The systems don't work well on older computers or those with relatively slow connections to the Internet.
Though Second Life has more than 12 million registered users, only about 10 percent of those accounts are active. About 50,000 people around the world are on the system at a given moment, according to Linden Lab, which operates Second Life.
Officials from Linden Lab have initiated meetings with people in the intelligence community about virtual worlds. They try to stress that systems to monitor avatar activity and identify risky behavior are built into the technology, according to Ken Dreifach, Linden's deputy general counsel.
Dreifach said that all financial transactions are reviewed electronically, and some are reviewed by people. For investigators, there also are also plenty of trails that avatars and users leave behind.
"There are a real range and depth of electronic footprints," Dreifach said. "We don't disclose those fraud tools."
Jeff Jonas, chief scientist of IBM Entity Analytic Solutions, who has been examining developments in virtual worlds, which have attracted some investment from the company, said there's no way to predict how this technology will develop and what kind of capabilities it will provide -- good or bad. But he believes that virtual worlds are about to become far more popular.
"As the virtual worlds create more and more immersive experiences and as global accessibility to computers increases, I can envision a scenario in which hundreds of millions of people become engaged almost overnight," Jonas said.
Jonas said it's almost a certainty that clandestine activity associated with real criminals and terrorists will flourish in these environments because of the ease, reach and obscurity they offer.
"With these actors there will be organized criminal planning and behavior," he said. "The likelihood that somebody is recruiting, strategizing or planning is almost a certainty."
The Rutgers Center for Military Biomaterials Research has designed a bio gel which can be used as a spray on dressing for injuries.
The Program just received FDA approval for the GelSpray meaning we are steps away from seeing this medical technology on the battlefield. This research has great potential as a way to save lives.
The longer a wound stays undressed, the higher fatality rates seen due to combat injuries. Building up a protective layer which prevents infect and blood loss from occur is an important first step for combat medicine.
The next step for research such as this could be integration into combat armor for rapid wound dressing.
GelSpray Details
Along with breaking the Japanese diplomatic cryptosystem, usually referred to as "PURPLE," probably the greatest example of Allied cryptanalytic success in World War II was the breaking of the German Enigma machine.
German Cipher Machines of WWII (PDF Download)
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National Cryptologic Museum - Enigma Exhibit
The attached manual was located by the Manchester (England) Metropolitan Police during a search of an al-Qaeda member’s home. The manual was found in a computer file described as "the military series" related to the "Declaration of Jihad." The manual was translated into English and was introduced at the embassy bombing trial in New York.
The al-Qaeda Manual (PDF Download)
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This World Religion Chart is an attempt to summarize all the complexities of the world's religions and belief systems into tiny little boxes on a single, quick-reference comparison chart.
This CIA report records a country's net trade in goods and services, plus net earnings from rents, interest, profits, and dividends, and net transfer payments (such as pension funds and worker remittances) to and from the rest of the world during the period specified. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power.
National Account Balances
You can learn CPR and First Aid quickly and easily with this interactive online class.
This Estimate focuses on the following key questions:
What are Iran’s intentions toward developing nuclear weapons?
What domestic factors affect Iran’s decisionmaking on whether to develop nuclear weapons?
What external factors affect Iran’s decisionmaking on whether to develop nuclear weapons?
What is the range of potential Iranian actions concerning the development of nuclear weapons, and the decisive factors that would lead Iran to choose one course of action over another?
What is Iran’s current and projected capability to develop nuclear weapons? What are our key assumptions, and Iran’s key chokepoints/vulnerabilities?
Iran's Nuclear Capabilities (PDF Download)
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Foremost among the many problems that can compromise a survivor's ability to return to safety are medical problems resulting from parachute descent and landing, extreme climates, ground combat, evasion, and illnesses contracted in captivity.
Many evaders and survivors have reported difficulty in treating injuries and illness due to the lack of training and medical supplies. For some, this led to capture or surrender.
Survivors have related feeling of apathy and helplessness because they could not treat themselves in this environment. The ability to treat themselves increased their morale and cohesion and aided in their survival and eventual return to friendly forces.
One man with a fair amount of basic medical knowledge can make a difference in the lives of many. Without qualified medical personnel available, it is you who must know what to do to stay alive.
To survive, you need water and food. You must also have and apply high personal hygiene standards.
Water
Your body loses water through normal body processes (sweating, urinating, and defecating). During average daily exertion when the atmospheric temperature is 20 degrees Celsius (C) (68 degrees Fahrenheit), the average adult loses and therefore requires 2 to 3 liters of water daily. Other factors, such as heat exposure, cold exposure, intense activity, high altitude, burns, or illness, can cause your body to lose more water. You must replace this water.
Dehydration results from inadequate replacement of lost body fluids. It decreases your efficiency and, if injured, increases your susceptibility to severe shock. Consider the following results of body fluid loss:
A 5 percent loss of body fluids results in thirst, irritability, nausea, and weakness.
The most common signs and symptoms of dehydration are--
You replace the water as you lose it. Trying to make up a deficit is difficult in a survival situation, and thirst is not a sign of how much water you need.
Most people cannot comfortably drink more than 1 liter of water at a time. So, even when not thirsty, drink small amounts of water at regular intervals each hour to prevent dehydration.
If you are under physical and mental stress or subject to severe conditions, increase your water intake.
Drink enough liquids to maintain a urine output of at least 0.5 liter every 24 hours.
In any situation where food intake is low, drink 6 to 8 liters of water per day. In an extreme climate, especially an arid one, the average person can lose 2.5 to 3.5 liters of water per hour. In this type of climate, you should drink 14 to 30 liters of water per day.
You can estimate fluid loss by several means. A standard field dressing holds about 0.25 liter (one-fourth canteen) of blood. A soaked T-shirt holds 0.5 to 0.75 liter. You can also use the pulse and breathing rate to estimate fluid loss. Use the following as a guide:
Food
Although you can live several weeks without food, you need an adequate amount to stay healthy. Without food your mental and physical capabilities will deteriorate rapidly, and you will become weak. Food replenishes the substances that your body burns and provides energy. It provides vitamins, minerals, salts, and other elements essential to good health. Possibly more important, it helps morale.
The two basic sources of food are plants and animals (including fish). In varying degrees both provide the calories, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins needed for normal daily body functions.
Calories are a measure of heat and potential energy. The average person needs 2,000 calories per day to function at a minimum level. An adequate amount of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins without an adequate caloric intake will lead to starvation and cannibalism of the body's own tissue for energy.
Plant Foods
These foods provide carbohydrates--the main source of energy. Many plants provide enough protein to keep the body at normal efficiency. Although plants may not provide a balanced diet, they will sustain you even in the arctic, where meat's heat-producing qualities are normally essential. Many plant foods such as nuts and seeds will give you enough protein and oils for normal efficiency. Roots, green vegetables, and plant food containing natural sugar will provide calories and carbohydrates that give the body natural energy.
The food value of plants becomes more and more important if you are eluding the enemy or if you are in an area where wildlife is scarce. For instance--
Animal Foods
Meat is more nourishing than plant food. In fact, it may even be more readily available in some places. However, to get meat, you need to know the habits of, and how to capture, the various wildlife.
To satisfy your immediate food needs, first seek the more abundant and more easily obtained wildlife, such as insects, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and reptiles. These can satisfy your immediate hunger while you are preparing traps and snares for larger game.
Personal Hygiene
In any situation, cleanliness is an important factor in preventing infection and disease. It becomes even more important in a survival situation. Poor hygiene can reduce your chances of survival. A daily shower with hot water and soap is ideal, but you can stay clean without this luxury. Use a cloth and soapy water to wash yourself. Pay special attention to the feet, armpits, crotch, hands, and hair as these are prime areas for infestation and infection.
If water is scarce, take an "air" bath. Remove as much of your clothing as practical and expose your body to the sun and air for at least 1 hour. Be careful not to sunburn.
If you don't have soap, use ashes or sand, or make soap from animal fat and wood ashes, if your situation allows. To make soap--
After the mixture--the soap--cools, you can use it in the semiliquid state directly from the pot. You can also pour it into a pan, allow it to harden, and cut it into bars for later use.
Keep Your Hands Clean
Germs on your hands can infect food and wounds. Wash your hands after handling any material that is likely to carry germs, after visiting the latrine, after caring for the sick, and before handling any food, food utensils, or drinking water. Keep your fingernails closely trimmed and clean, and keep your fingers out of your mouth.
Keep Your Hair Clean
Your hair can become a haven for bacteria or fleas, lice, and other parasites. Keeping your hair clean, combed, and trimmed helps you avoid this danger.
Keep Your Clothing Clean
Keep your clothing and bedding as clean as possible to reduce the chance of skin infection as well as to decrease the danger of parasitic infestation. Clean your outer clothing whenever it becomes soiled. Wear clean underclothing and socks each day. If water is scarce, "air" clean your clothing by shaking, airing, and sunning it for 2 hours. If you are using a sleeping bag, turn it inside out after each use, fluff it, and air it.
Keep Your Teeth Clean
Thoroughly clean your mouth and teeth with a toothbrush at least once each day. If you don't have a toothbrush, make a chewing stick. Find a twig about 20 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide. Chew one end of the stick to separate the fibers. Now brush your teeth thoroughly. Another way is to wrap a clean strip of cloth around your fingers and rub your teeth with it to wipe away food particles. You can also brush your teeth with small amounts of sand, baking soda, salt, or soap. Then rinse your mouth with water, salt water, or willow bark tea. Also, flossing your teeth with string or fiber helps oral hygiene.
If you have cavities, you can make temporary fillings by placing candle wax, tobacco, aspirin, hot pepper, tooth paste or powder, or portions of a ginger root into the cavity. Make sure you clean the cavity by rinsing or picking the particles out of the cavity before placing a filling in the cavity.
Take Care of Your Feet
To prevent serious foot problems, break in your shoes before wearing them on any mission. Wash and massage your feet daily. Trim your toenails straight across. Wear an insole and the proper size of dry socks. Powder and check your feet daily for blisters.
If you get a small blister, do not open it. An intact blister is safe from infection. Apply a padding material around the blister to relieve pressure and reduce friction. If the blister bursts, treat it as an open wound. Clean and dress it daily and pad around it. Leave large blisters intact. To avoid having the blister burst or tear under pressure and cause a painful and open sore, do the following:
Get Sufficient Rest
Survival planning is nothing more than realizing something could happen that would put you in a survival situation and, with that in mind, taking steps to increase your chances of survival. Thus, survival planning means preparation.
Preparation means having survival items and knowing how to use them. People who live in snow regions prepare their vehicles for poor road conditions. They put snow tires on their vehicles, add extra weight in the back for traction, and they carry a shovel, salt, and a blanket. Another example of preparation is finding the emergency exits on an aircraft when you board it for a flight. Preparation could also mean knowing your intended route of travel and familiarizing yourself with the area. Finally, emergency planning is essential.
Some examples of these items are--
Include a weapon only if the situation so dictates. Consider your unit's mission and the environment in which your unit will operate. Then prepare your survival kit.
Excerpt from the US Army Survival Manual FM 21-76
Two skiers who disappeared near Lake Tahoe during a winter storm were rescued Monday morning after they burrowed into snow caves and huddled together for warmth, authorities said.
The two men, described as expert skiers, were spotted by the crew of a Placer County Sheriff’s Department helicopter about seven miles from the Alpine Meadows ski resort, just west of Lake Tahoe.
Patrick Frost, 35, and Christopher Gerwig, 32, both of San Francisco, were picked up near Hell Hole Reservoir, department spokeswoman Kelly Hernandez said.
They were taken to Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital, where spokeswoman Janice Davis said they had suffered “really minor, minor” frostbite.
“They just made snow caves and cuddled for warmth,” sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Ausnow said. “They said they kind of got their knowledge of building snow caves from the Discovery channel. They had a couple Power Bars they rationed out and ate. They melted snow in a plastic baggie one of them had in his pocket from a sandwich or something. That was it.”
The two men had only their ski equipment and jackets for the trip, Ausnow said.
You know what is supposed to happen when you grow old. You will slow down, you will grow weak, your steps will become short and mincing, and you will lose your sense of balance. That’s what aging researchers consistently find, and it’s no surprise to most of us.
But it is worth remembering that the people in those studies were sedentary, said Dr. Vonda Wright, a professor of orthopedics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Wright, a 40-year-old runner, decided to study people who kept training as they got older or began competing in middle age. She wanted to know what happens to them and at what age does performance start to decline.
Their results are surprising, even to many of the researchers themselves. The investigators find that while you will slow down as you age, you may be able to stave off more of the deterioration than you thought. Researchers also report that people can start later in life — one man took up running at 62 and ran his first marathon, a year later, in 3 hours 25 minutes.
It’s a testament to how adaptable the human body is, researchers said, that people can start serious training at an older age and become highly competitive. It also is testament to their findings that some physiological factors needed for a good performance are not much affected by age.
Researchers say that you should be able to maintain your muscles as you age, including the muscle enzymes needed for good athletic performance, and you should be able to maintain your ability to exercise for long periods near your so-called lactic threshold, meaning you are near maximum effort.
But you have to know how to train, doing the right sort of exercise, and you must keep it up.
“Train hard and train often,” said Hirofumi Tanaka, a 41-year-old soccer player and exercise physiologist at the University of Texas.
Dr. Tanaka said he means doing things like regular interval training, repeatedly going all out, easing up, then going all out again. These workouts train your body to increase its oxygen consumption by allowing you to maintain an intense effort.
“One of the major determinants of endurance performance is oxygen consumption,” Dr. Tanaka said. “You have to make training as intense as you can.”
When you have to choose between hard and often, choose hard, said Steven Hawkins, an exercise physiologist at the University of Southern California.
“High performance is really determined more by intensity than volume,” he added. “Sometimes, when you’re older, something has to give. You can’t have both so you have to cut back on the volume. You need more rest days.”
Dr. Hawkins, who says he no longer runs competitively, adds that he tries to put his findings into practice. “I run a couple of times a week and I try to make it as fast as I can,” he said. “I’m not plodding along.”
He also has been amazed by some people who seem to defy the rules of aging, people he describes as “those rare birds who get faster.” Some subjects in Dr. Hawkins’s research study, which followed runners for nearly two decades, actually had better times when they were 60 than when they were 50.
“We really don’t know why,” Dr. Hawkins confessed. “Maybe they were training harder.”
Then there are people like the 62-year-old man who suddenly took up running and began running fast marathons. That man’s inspiration to become a runner, said James Hagberg, an exercise physiologist at the University of Maryland, was watching a lakefront marathon in Milwaukee. “He got all fired up,” Dr. Hagberg recalled.
And there are people like Imme Dyson, a 71-year-old runner who lives in Princeton, N.J. She took up running when she was 48 and loved it, she says, from the moment she put on a pair of running shoes. Her daughter, who had been a college triathlete, told her how to train.
“She said, ‘Mom, if your workout didn’t hurt, you didn’t work hard enough,’ ” Ms. Dyson said.
“Working consistently really is the recipe,” she said. And it has made a difference for her, allowing her to run races, from 5K to marathons, so fast that she is consistently among the best in the nation in her age group. She has run a 15K cross-country race in 1:19:08, a pace of 8:29 a mile. And she ran a 10K race in 51 minutes 50 seconds, a pace of 8:20 a mile.
Not every aging athlete does so well. But Dr. Hagberg found that studies of aging athletes sometimes were distorted because they included people who had cut back on or stopped training. That’s understandable; there is no reason, researchers say, to exhort everyone to maintain an intense effort decade after decade.
Athletes would tell Dr. Hagberg that they had just lost their motivation. “Some of them would say: ‘Competition just doesn’t motivate me as much at 75. I’ve been doing it for 50 years,’ ” he said. “Others would say, ‘I just can’t keep it up any more.’ ”
But for those who still have the drive, the news that muscle mass and lactic threshold can be maintained is encouraging.
The reason people become slower, though, is that oxygen consumption declines with age.
In large part that is because, as has long been known, the maximum heart rate steadily falls by about seven to eight beats per minute per decade. It happens with or without training, in sedentary and in active people, Dr. Tanaka said, and no one knows why. But as a result, the heart cannot pump as much blood at maximum effort.
Dr. Michael Joyner, a 49-year-old exercise researcher at the Mayo Clinic who also is a competitive swimmer and a runner, added another factor: the lungs of older athletes cannot take in quite as much air.
With a slower heart rate and less oxygen in the lungs, less oxygen-rich blood gets to the muscles. In one study, Dr. Joyner found that highly trained athletes age 55 to 68 had 10 to 20 percent less blood flow to their legs than athletes in their 20s.
The older athletes in his group, though, were edging toward an age that often is a transition time in athletic performances, researchers are finding. For example, Dr. Wright and her colleague Dr. Brett Perricelli found that the performances of track athletes declined almost imperceptibly from year to year until their mid-60s, when the rate of decline picked up. At age 75, though, the athletes’ times fell, on average, by 7 percent.
The study, the results of which will appear in the March issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, involved track and field athletes age 50 to 85 who were participants in the 2001 Senior Olympics and also examined the times for American record holders in track events.
But older athletes still can have spectacular performances, Dr. Tanaka notes.
For example, the world best marathon time for men 70 or older (2:54:05) was set by a 74-year-old. That is more than four minutes faster than the winning marathon time at the first modern Olympics, the 1896 Games in Athens.
Of course, such statistics are of little comfort to athletes who do not want to slow down at all. Dr. Hawkins said he and Robert A. Wiswell, the senior author on his nearly 20-year study of athletes, used to joke that they needed a sports psychologist rather than a sports physiologist on their study. The athletes, he explained, could not bear to think that they would stop setting personal records.
That’s an issue for Don Truex, a 70-year-old dentist in Santa Barbara, Calif, who can’t understand why he has slowed down in the last year. He just ran a 5K race in 23:45. It was an average pace of 7:38 a mile, 90 seconds slower than he wanted to run.
“I’ve consulted with my doctor and we think I may be overtraining,” Dr. Truex said. He’s going to continue running five days a week but cut back on his five days a week of cycling.
Slower times are even more of a concern for Dr. Truex’s friend Barry Erbsen, a 67-year-old dentist in Los Angeles.
Dr. Erbsen started running seriously around 40. His best time in a 10K race was 38 minutes, a pace of 6 minutes a mile. Next he started running marathons, going faster each time until he had completed several, including the Boston Marathon, in 3:07:00.
Then, Dr. Erbsen started to slow down. He ran a marathon a few years ago in 3:45:00. He completed his next one in 3:58:00.
That nearly four-hour marathon was his last, he said. Instead, Dr. Erbsen took up mountain biking. So far so good, he said. He’s having a lot of fun. And, he added, “I’m not getting too much slower.”
A new US law allows warrantless wiretapping whenever one end of the communication is believed to be outside national borders. This creates serious security risks: danger of exploitation of the system by unauthorized users, danger of criminal misuse by trusted insiders, and danger of misuse by government agents.
Russia's most famous female bodyguard Anna Loginova has been killed after failing to prevent her own Porsche being carjacked.
The glamorous 29-year-old died from head injuries after clinging on to the door handle of the Cheyenne and being dragged along the street at high speed as the car screeched away.
"She suffered serious injuries and died at the scene," said a police spokesman.
Police believe that she was killed in a random carjacking and was not the victim of an attack based on her work for wealthy high-profile Russian clients.
Loginova ran an agency for female bodyguards, some trained by the ex-KGB, to give discreet protection to Moscow's billionaires and their wives and mistresses.
In a recent magazine interview, she insisted that she and her team of glamorous bodyguards gave better protection than the more traditional beefy male security men.
Loginova, 29, had recently foiled a thief by using her Jujitsu moves before pulling a gun on him.
"I do think that a girl should be a girl, not a Terminator," she said. She posed semi-naked for a Moscow men's magazine to make it clear that she was feminine as well as good with a gun.
She was highly respected for her bodyguard skills. "A normal man gets sick and tired of male bodyguards around him all the time," she said.
"In addition, many restaurants now do not allow a guard inside. They can come in and check everything but then they are asked to wait in the lobby.
"In contrast, you can take female bodyguards inside, she will sit down at the table and nobody would guess that she's a weapon herself - and can react appropriately in any dangerous situation."
She spoke of a recent carjacking incident in Moscow.
"I got out, locked the car and at that moment a man ran up and squeezed my hand with keys. I reacted immediately with a Jujitsu move, bending back his hand and hitting his face with my elbow.
"He did not expect such a reaction. The next moment, I took out my handgun but a Honda car passed by and he jumped in."
Last year, 50 Porsche cars were stolen in Moscow, including 12 within the last two months. Only three were ever found.
Influenza viruses are always changing. The body's immune system is able to adapt to small, gradual changes, but when the virus changes dramatically, it leaves most people without protection and creates the possibility for a pandemic.
A flu epidemic happens when a virus spreads rapidly through a population. This happens nearly every year. A pandemic occurs when a virus spreads easily across the world.
This negative stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) showed recreated 1918 influenza virions that were collected from the supernatant of a 1918-infected Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell culture 18 hours after infection.
1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
More than 500,000 people died in the United States and up to 50 million worldwide may have died in the 1918-1919 Spanish flu pandemic. An estimated 20 percent to 40 percent of the worlds population fell ill during the worst-ever outbreak, which is thought to have spread through troop movement during World War I. The Spanish flu worked quickly, sometimes infecting and killing a person in the same day. Unlike other flu viruses, the Spanish flu killed healthy adults.
1957 Asian Flu Pandemic
The Asian flu pandemic claimed nearly 70,000 lives in the United States after spreading from China. Experts identify the virus quickly and create a vaccine available in limited quantities. Spread largely through schoolchildren who bring the virus home to their families, the Asian flu virus causes the mast deaths among the elderly population.
Policemen in Seattle wearing masks made by the Red Cross, during the influenza epidemic. December 1918.
1968 Hong Kong Flu Pandemic
The Hong Kong flu pandemic killed approximately 34,000 in the United States, making it the mildest pandemic in the 20th century. Researchers point to the illness peak during school holidays and some immunity from the new strain by an existing similar flu for the lower severity. The elderly population was hardest hit by the virus first detected in Hong Kong in early 1968.
1976 Swine Flu Scare
The swine flu virus -- or "killer virus" as it was first dubbed -- caused a scare when it was identified in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Fortunately, the virus did not spread, but more than 40 million Americans were vaccinated amid warnings that the virus could cause a pandemic.
1977 Russian Flu Scare
In late 1977 and early 1978, a flu virus spread around the world, infecting mostly children and young adults under 23. The virus was similar to the avian flu that circulated in 1957, which experts say might explain why only young people -- who had not developed immunity to the 1957 virus -- were infected with the new virus. Because it primarily affected children, the Russian flu is not considered a true pandemic.
This May 29, 1919 photograph showed rows of tents that had been set up on a lawn at Emery Hill in Lawrence, Massachusetts where victims of the 1918 influenza pandemic were treated.
1997 Avian Flu Scare
An avian flu outbreak hospitalizes 18 in Hong Kong with an infection seen before only in birds. Many chickens in the area were infected with the virus, and officials ordered all chickens slaughtered after six people died.
The Future
Most officials say its only a matter of time before another pandemic strikes. Global health experts are keeping watch on outbreaks of a tenacious flu in birds that have occurred since 1997 in Southeast Asia, resulting in some human cases and deaths. Once a virus starts a global spread, pandemics are considered unstoppable.
Sources: CDC, WHO, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
This interactive map application shows the condition and inspection dates for more than 100,000 bridges in the U.S. that are crossed by at least 10,000 vehicles per day.
The records come from the latest National Bridge Inventory, as analyzed by msnbc.com. Inspections through 2006 are included. Only bridges, on/off ramps and overpasses within .2 miles of your chosen route.
Bridge Tracker
A new crisis is emerging, a global food catastrophe that will reach further and be more crippling than anything the world has ever seen.
The credit crunch and the reverberations of soaring oil prices around the world will pale in comparison to what is about to transpire, Donald Coxe, global portfolio strategist at BMO Financial Group said at the Empire Club's 14th annual investment outlook in Toronto on Thursday.
"It's not a matter of if, but when," he warned investors. "It's going to hit this year hard."
"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." - Lao Tzu
7. Spa Kitty
