EDUCATION: Penn State offers online minor in homeland security

Published 25 August 2011

Penn State is the latest to join the handful of educational institutes offering a minor in homeland security; the degree is available online and is designed to provide students with the skills needed to enter the homeland security field

An increasing number of colleges across the United States have recognized the critical importance of training the next generation of leaders in homeland security and are now offering specialized degree programs in the field.

Penn State is the latest to join the handful of educational institutes offering a minor in homeland security. The degree is available online and is designed to provide students with the skills needed to enter the homeland security field.

Courses will focus on homeland security and defense, terrorism, national security policy, security administration, border security, emergency management and critical infrastructure.  Read more

EAST COAST QUAKE: Virginia Quake Highlights Overlooked Danger: Decrepit Dams

Published 25 August 2011

Tuesday's Virginia earthquake raised fears that a Fukushima scenario would unfold somewhere on the East Coast, but experts say that earthquake pose a much greater threat: breaching decrepit dams; of the 85,000 dams in the United States, 4,000 are seriously unsafe or deficient -- and of those, 1,800 are located in areas where a breach would cause grave damage to life and property

Concerns about dam failures come to the fore // Source: qwiki.com

Tuesday’s Virginia-centered earthquake, which shook the East Coast of the United States, caused a nuclear power plant in Virginia to be immediately taken off line, and for its cooling system to be powered by back-up generators.

Many may have feared the tremor may bring about a Fukushima-like disaster, but Scientific Americannotes that Americans should be more worried about a quieter danger: tens of thousands of dams, many built before seismic engineering came of age, have the potential to release tsunami-like flash floods in the event of a seismic breach.  Read more

THE 9/10/11 PROJECT- ARE WE READY FOR THE DAY BEFORE TOMORROW?: A Monograph on CBRNE

[This is a very good read, albeit, longer than I normally post; it is 6 pgs in length.  I have followed this group/project from its inception: they have done a great many works since 9/11.  Their axiom is somewhat of the proverbial "if a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound" battle cry; possibly heard by only those others call 'survivalists'...I believe I heard the tree...SDF Blogger]

To read full paper go to this website.

WATER TO EMERGING ECONOMIES: Towing Icebergs to Provide Fresh Water for Parched Regions

Published 10 August 2011

A third of the world's population -- more than two billion people -- lives without access to clean drinking water, and studies show that the situation will only get worse; a French innovator has an idea: towing icebergs from the Greenland and Antarctica to regions most in need of fresh water; a computer simulation shows this solution to be viable and affordable

An idea that first surfaced in the 1970's may be right for today // Source: icetrim.org

A third of the world’s population — more than two billion people — lives without access to clean drinking water, and recent droughts in Africa have left twelve million people without water. To aid them, French eco-entrepreneurGeorges Mougin plans to harvest icebergs across the world to solve the water shortage.

For the last forty years – Mougin, 86, first came up with his iceberg scheme in the early 1970s – he  has tried to figure out a way to tow freshwater icebergs across the Arctic. Experts have argued it would be too expensive and difficult to carry out his plan, but now it appears this his dream is about to come true.  Read more

China's big surveillance push

Published 10 August 2011

In China’s latest push to keep tabs on its citizens, police in Beijing have ordered supermarkets and shopping malls throughout the city to install high-definition security cameras; the recent order comes as part of a broader expansion in monitoring technology which includes the addition of millions of surveillance cameras over the past five years and large increases in domestic security spending

In China’s latest push to keep tabs on its citizens, police in Beijing have orderedsupermarkets and shopping malls throughout the city to install high-definition security cameras.

The recent order comes as part of a broader expansion in monitoring technology which includes the addition of millions of surveillance cameras over the past five years and large increases in domestic security spending.

Bo Zhang, a senior research analyst at IMS Research, an electronics-focused consulting firm, estimates that more than ten million cameras were installed in China in 2010 alone at a cost of $680 million. This year total internal security spending is set to reach nearly $97 billion, more than the country’s official military budget. Security spending includes Internet censorship as well as projects like individual identity cards and neighborhood communities that monitor the activity of fellow residents.

Other countries like Britain and the United States have embraced surveillance cameras, but China’s camera network is set to far outpace other countries growing more than 20 percent annually from 2010 to 2014, more than double the rate of others, according to IMS Research.  Read more

INVISIBLE CLOAK PERFECTED: Undergraduate Student Overcomes Major Hurdle to Invisibility Cloak

[Sorry, no image or photo...I mean really now, how do you photograph something that just isn't there...]

Published 10 August 2011

An undergraduate student has overcome a major hurdle in the development of invisibility cloaks by adding an optical device into their design which not only remains invisible itself, but also has the ability to slow down light; the innovation open up the possibility for a potential invisibility cloak wearer to move around amongst ever-changing backgrounds of a variety of colors

An undergraduate student has overcome a major hurdle in the development of invisibility cloaks by adding an optical device into their design which not only remains invisible itself, but also has the ability to slow down light.

The optical device, known as an “invisible sphere,” would slow down all of the light that approaches a potential cloak, meaning that the light rays would not need to be accelerated around the cloaked objects at great speeds — a requirement that has limited invisibility cloaks to work only in a specified region of the visible spectrum.

This new research, published 9 August in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society’s New Journal of Physics, could open up the possibility for a potential invisibility cloak wearer to move around amongst ever-changing backgrounds of a variety of colors.

Institute of Physics release reports that Hungarian-born Janos Perczel, who is studying Logic, Philosophy of Science, and Physics at the University of St Andrews and who works under the guidance of Professor Ulf Leonhardt, acknowledged the huge potential of the invisible sphere and was able to fine-tune it so that it was a suitable background for cloaking.

RIOTING: London Police Use Smartphones, Social Network to Identify Rioters

Published 10 August 2011

The rioters in London -- and now, in other British cities -- have been using Blackberries to outmaneuver the police; communicating via BlackBerry instant-message technology, as well as by social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, the rioters repeatedly signaled fresh target areas to those caught up in the mayhem; RIM has now agreed to cooperate with Scotland Yard to turn over protestors using the service to coordinate their assaults; the police is also releasing CCTV images of the rioters to a group using face recognition technology to identify and condemn rioters; the police is also using Flickr, Tublr, and Twitter to spot and identify participants in the riots

London police have been using the same social media // Source: sodahead.com

Smartphones, especially Blackberries, have been a helpful information transmission and coordination tool for anti-government activists in a score of Arab countries – and they have played a major role in helping the rioters in London and other British cities coordinate their assaults and evade the police.

Here is how the New York Times saw it:

Despite an additional build-up in the number of riot police officers, many of them rushed to London from areas around the country, gangs of hooded young people appeared to be outmaneuvering the police for the third successive night. Communicating via BlackBerry instant-message technology that the police have struggled to monitor, as well as by social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, they repeatedly signaled fresh target areas to those caught up in the mayhem.  Read more

Iran to Deploy Higher-Orbiting Satellite

Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011

A planned Iranian-built satellite would circle the earth at an altitude of more than 22,000 miles, far higher than orbiters previously deployed by the Middle Eastern nation, the Iranian Students' News Agency reported on Monday (see GSN, July 13).

Students at Iran's Sharif University of Technology would build the craft, "the last student satellite series which is to be fired into space," university president Reza Rosta-Azad told the news agency.

The lower orbits of Iran's previously launched satellites have limited the amount of time they could remain in space, he said (Iranian Students' News Agency, Aug. 9). Tehran last month indicated it had deployed its Rasad 1 satellite at an orbit of roughly 160 miles, the Xinhua News Agency reported (Xinhua News Agency, Aug. 9).

"Satellites should be sent into space when the launch power is raised, so that they would remain in space for a long time to work more effectively," Rosta-Azad told ISNA. "The first Iranian satellite launched into space managed to remain for two months (see GSN, Feb. 3, 2009). The second one which is able to take photos was placed at a higher altitude and has a more lifespan."

Iran would formally announce the new orbiter at a later date, he said (Iranian Students' News Agency).

The United States and other countries closely monitor Iranian space developments, as the same ballistic missile technology that is used to launch satellites can also be used to fire warheads, according to Xinhua. Iran's continuing nuclear development is suspected by Washington and other governments of being secretly aimed at attaining a weapons capability, a charge Tehran strongly denies (Xinhua News Agency)
.

CBRNE: Public Would Participate in Anthrax Countermeasure Release: Report

Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011

A new study suggests U.S. residents would generally take part in a large-scale public health campaign to counter a deliberate release of anthrax into the air, despite concerns over potential threats to large gatherings of people and uncertainty about the government's ability to handle such an emergency, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported on Monday (seeGSN, Aug. 4).

Most respondents to a telephone questionnaire expressed openness to retrieving antibiotic tablets from distribution locations as part of a public effort to supply countermeasures to all inhabitants of an urban jurisdiction within two days, according to the abstract for the Harvard University report. Willingness to participate in a preventive campaign was largely consistent between groups of roughly 500 people surveyed in three areas affected by the 2001 anthrax mailings -- New York City, Washington and Mercer County, N.J. -- and a more widely dispersed population of 1,092 individuals.

Inaccurate beliefs regarding anthrax as well as assumptions about the availability of countermeasures from alternative sources would pose additional difficulties for a response effort, the report states. Respondents noted reservations about the government's public health response capabilities amid setbacks in distributing the H1N1 flu vaccine in 2009, the study's authors said.

The journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism published the report (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy release, Aug. 8)
.

THE GREAT EASTERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE 11MAR2011: Japan Failed to Release Radiation Threat Data

Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011

Japan's government initially failed to make public computer data on the anticipated movement of radioactive contaminants from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March, resulting in evacuees congregating in some areas threatened by radiation, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 8).

(Aug. 9) - Evacuees occupy a shelter in Minamisoma, Japan, one day after an earthquake and tsunami severely damaged a nuclear power plant in the region. The Japanese government failed early in the crisis to release computer calculations forecasting the spread of radioactive contaminants from the plant to Minamisoma and other inhabited areas (Kazuhiro Nogi/Getty Images).

Authorities have battled to prevent radioactive contaminants from escaping the six-reactor facility following a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan.

Tokyo failed to take full advantage of radiation threat information early in the crisis, due partly to lapses in coordination between government entities and a poor understanding among senior officials of the nation's radioactive plume modeling system, dubbed the System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information, according to discussions with critical officials and an examination of records and documented exchanges within the Japanese legislature.

Lower-level Japanese officials ordered 18 or more reports from the 25-year-old, $140 million modeling system within the first day of the crisis, as Tokyo urged the plant's operator to vent radiation-tainted vapor from the site in an attempt to prevent an explosion. The assessments included a warning that radioactive materials would spread to multiple local communities, but Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency did not pass the information to the nation's leaders
.

USNavy SEALS COME HOME: Obama, Military Leaders Pay Respects at Dover Air Force Base

Written on AUGUST 9, 2011 AT 2:46 PM by JTOZER

Obama, Military Leaders Pay Respects at Dover Air Force Base

Filed under DOD NEWS{0}

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By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
From www.defense.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barack Obama and military leaders paid their respects today at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware during the dignified transfer of remains of service members killed in an Aug. 6 helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Two Air Force C-17 transport aircraft carrying the remains arrived at Dover this morning.

An investigation is under way to determine the facts surrounding the deaths of 30 U.S. service members and eight Afghans when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter went down in Afghanistan’s Wardak province.

Five of the U.S. casualties were aircrew members, and 25 were members of the U.S. Special Operations Command.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta was in attendance at Dover today, along with Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Deborah; and Michael G. Vickers, undersecretary of defense for intelligence.

Representing the services were Navy Secretary Ray E. Mabus, Navy Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick D. West; Army Secretary John M. McHugh and Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff; and Air Force Undersecretary Erin C. Conaton, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, Air Force vice chief of staff, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy.

Tip of the Day: CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response Website

Hurricanes
Plus Cyclones, Typhoons, & Other Tropical Storms

 Hurricane Health and Safety Tip   8AUG2011 Be Prepared During a Power Outage  In case of power outage, keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and frezzer to help determine the safety of food.Prepare for the Storm

• Get Supplies
  You should stock your home with supplies that may be needed during the emergency period.
• Make a Plan
  There are many steps you can take in advance to increase your safety during a storm.
  

EFSA Evaluates the Public Health Risk of Bacterial Strains Resistant to Certain Antimicrobials in Food and Food-producing Animals

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an assessment on the potential contribution of food and food-producing animals to the public health risks posed by bacteria that produce enzymes that makes them resistant to treatments with broad spectrum beta-lactams[1]. EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ Panel) concludes that the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals is a risk factor for the spread of these bacterial strains. The experts recommend that decreasing the overall use of antimicrobials in food- producing animals in the European Union (EU) should be a priority in terms of limiting the risk to public health arising from resistance in the food chain and that an effective option would be to restrict or stop the use of cephalosporins in the treatment of food-producing animals.

AFGHANISTAN: Special Operations Mission Targeted Taliban Leader in Tangi Valley

ISAF - International Security Assistance ForceISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan

UPDATE: 2011-08-C-017
For Immediate Release

KABUL, Afghanistan (Aug. 8, 2011) – Thirty eight coalition members were killed on August 6th when a coalition CH-47 crashed while on a mission that targeted a Taliban leader in the Tangi Valley, Sayyidabad district, Wardak province.

The helicopter was reportedly fired on by an insurgent rocket-propelled grenade while transporting the U.S. service members and commandos to the scene of an on-going engagement between ISAF and insurgents forces.

The U.S. service members on board included five aircrew and 25 personnel from the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The operation began as a security search for a Taliban leader responsible for insurgent operations in the nearby Tangi Valley. After commencing the search, the initial security force on the ground observed several insurgents, armed with rocket propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 assault rifles, moving through the area.

The security force and insurgents exchanged small arms fire, resulting in several enemies killed.

As the insurgents continued to fire, the combined force on the ground requested additional forces to assist the operation. Those additional personnel were in-bound to the scene when the CH-47 carrying them crashed, killing all on board.

Immediately following the crash, the forces already on the ground broke contact with the insurgents and moved to the crash site to secure the scene and search for survivors. Additional security elements deployed from a nearby forward operating base to augment the search and security efforts.

An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.  Read more

TECHNOLOGY: Beachball-like Observation UAV Developed

Published 8 August 2011

A beach ball-size drone can fly down narrow alleys, hover on the spot, take off vertically, bounce along the ground like a soccer ball -- all the time transmitting live images from a video camera; it can travel above traffic or spy on a target through a window -- and can also be used in search and rescue in disaster zones, where it could fly through buildings and even up and down stairways

Fumiyuki Sato with his beachball UAV // Source: xatakaciencia.com

A Japanese researcher working for Japan’s Ministry of Defense has developed a spherical observation UAV that can fly down narrow alleys, hover on the spot, take off vertically, bounce along the ground like a soccer ball – all the time transmitting live images from a video camera.

The drone – or Spherical Air Vehicle (SAF) — is the size of a beach ball, and it is controlled by an operator with a remote control. It is powered by a propeller protected by a spherical shield with large openings for airflow, allowing it to hit a wall or a tumble to the ground without damaging the propeller. Tech.blorge reports that the device’s designer is continuing to work to improve it. The designer says that in the future the SAF could be used as a formidable pursuit vehicle that can travel above traffic or spy on a target through a window.

Its inventor says it could also help in such as search and rescue in disaster zones, where it could fly through buildings and even up and down stairways.

The developer, Fumiyuki Sato, a research engineer at the Technical Research and Development Institute Ministry of Defense, said that “This is the world’s first spherical air vehicle.”  Read more

Types of Government, Explained...

[This is a great 10 minute video on different forms of government.  It may very well be the best 10 minutes spent in your day...-SDF Blogger]

LIBYA: Khamis Gaddafi Killed In NATO Airstrike

BENGHAZI, Libya — Libya's rebels said Friday they have reports that Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son, who commands one of the regime's strongest military brigades, was killed in a NATO airstrike in the western town of Zlitan.

courtesy of dailyrecord.co.uk

NATO said in a statement that it was aware of the reports that Khamis Gadhafi had been killed, but it did not confirm his death. It said alliance strikes on Thursday night hit an ammunition depot and military police facility in Zlitan, which is the main front of fighting between rebels and Gadhafi's troops, 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.

Mohammed al-Rajali, a spokesman for the rebel leadership in the eastern stronghold of Benghazi said there were unconfirmed reports Khamis was among 32 troops killed when NATO hit a government operations center early Friday.

"We want to capture all of these criminals and try them and bring them to justice but if killing them this way will stop the bloodshed I think it is another option," al-Rajali told The Associated Press.

Libyan government officials could also not be reached for comment.  Read more