SITUATIONAL AWARENESS: Test for Classifying Force Used in Bottle Stabbings Developed

[Another form of weaponry, in an asymmetric way.  Be aware of those yielding beer and wine bottles!  Article is courtesy of HSNW and single slide is courtesy of University of Leicester.]

Published 22 July 2011 (Britain)

Stabbing is the most common method of committing murder in the United Kingdom; in approximately 10 percent of all assaults resulting in treatment in the U.K. emergency units, glasses and bottles are used as weapons; official UK estimates suggest that a form of glass is used as a weapon in between 3,400 and 5,400 offenses per year; engineers at the University of Leicester have for the first time created a way of measuring how much force is used during a stabbing using a broken bottle

'Glassings' and Stabbings - Bottles as Weapons: The Engineering Story

Engineers at the University of Leicester have for the first time created a way of measuring how much force is used during a stabbing using a broken bottle. The advance is expected to have significant implications for legal forensics.

A team from the University has conducted a systematic study of the force applied during a stabbing and come up with the first set of penetration force data for broken glass bottles. This work has been published in the International Journal of Legal Medicine.

A university of Leicester release reports that stabbing is the most common method of committing murder in the United Kingdom. Injuries and assaults related to alcohol consumption are also a growing concern in many countries. In such cases the impulsive use of weapons such as a glass bottle is not uncommon.

In approximately 10 percent of all assaults resulting in treatment in the U.K. emergency units, glasses and bottles are used as weapons.

RARE EARTH ELEMENTS > Japanese discovery could undermine China's rare earth dominance

Published 7 July 2011 [5mins read]

Undersea clusters of rare earths off the coast of Okinawa // Source: so-net.ne.jp

A new discovery by Japanese researchers could break China’s stranglehold over rare Earth metals.

Japanese geologists say they have found large deposits of rare Earth minerals on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It is estimated that the mud of the Pacific Ocean contains 100 billion tons of rare Earth elements.

If geologists are able to mine for the minerals in a cost effective way, analysts believe this discovery could undermine China’s dominance. Currently, 97 percent of rare Earth metals are produced in China, but in recent years the country has imposed strict quotas and limited exports disrupting the global supply chain.

Yasuhiro Kato, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Tokyo and the leader of the team thatdiscovered the rare earth stores, said, “The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometer (0.4 square mile) of deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption.”  Read full article

TECHNOLOGY > New Android facial biometric app available

New Android facial biometric app available
Published 5 July 2011

A new app for Android smartphones allows users to secure their phones using facial biometrics; the Visidon Applock application, which is currently available for free, locks a user’s apps until their identity is verified using facial biometrics

A new app for Android smartphones allows users to secure their phones using facial biometrics.

The Visidon Applock application, which is currently available for free,locks a user’s apps until their identity is verified using facial biometrics.

The app requires phones or tablets to have the Android 2.3 operating system or higher as well as a front-facing camera. Visidon is currently working on a version that can be used for phones without front-facing cameras.

In the event that the facial recognition does not function properly or results in a false negative, users have the ability to punch in a password to override the system.

The TalkAndroid newswire says that the app is something users should keep an eye on as it will continue to be refined.  For more

DISASTER OFFICIALS > Use Disaster Assistance Grants Wisely

WORDS OF ADVICE FROM DISASTER OFFICIALS: USE DISASTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS WISELY

courtesy runningtree.net

ATLANTA — Disaster survivors who receive state and federal assistance payments are advised by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Be cautious, use funds wisely and only for their intended purpose. Misuse could result in loss of funds.  Full article

L.L.Bean > Emergency Weather Radio with Tone Alert

Stay informed during storms, power outages or trips to remote locations

Stay informed and be prepared during a power outage or an emergency with this portable FR-360 radio, made for L.L.Bean by Eton. Updated with a digital readout and an easier-to-use handcrank, the internal NIMH battery can also charge on solar power. Receives AM, FM and all seven NOAA weather stations (US and Canada only) to help you dial into news and follow storm conditions. NOAA Weather Alert feature can be set to automatically turn the radio on when an alert is broadcast. Features an earphone jack, a built-in LED with emergency flash, and electronic and cellphone charging ports. Can also run on three AAA batteries, not included. Imported.

Dimensions  6½"H x 6¼"W x 2"D.

Weight  1 lb. 5 oz.

Batteries  Three AAA (optional; not included).

Security for Artisans: A reflective practitioner’s view of today’s security professional and the protection business

Great article, 2 mins read.  KATE HALE (Hurricane Andrew:  “Where the hell is the cavalry on this one?”) wherever you are (Jamestown),  I think the writer must know you and wrote this with you in mind!

Security is receptive to scientific advance, but is no field for scientists to dominate. The exigencies of protection are too fluid and the stakes too high for submitting one's livelihood, assets, or life to rigid metrics and laboratory-grade theories that fall apart on first contact with mortal hazard. On the other hand, security is no long-term home for artists, either. Not that the protective world need be  inhospitable to creativity or innovation – particularly if these produce desired protection on time and within ambient resource constraints. However, the artist's highest aspiration to be and do something unique will find a better home elsewhere. In the protection business, it is not only useful but necessary to be able to replicate and commoditize one's highest achievement, to spread it widely and often without taking credit for it. In this context, die-hard artists will surely look to greener pastures more befitting their egos and temperaments. Where does that leave us, then, if security is neither art nor science and if security welcomes visitors from both camps but offers a home to neither?
Security professionals are as frustrated or stymied as anyone else. They learn to make peace with an imperfect world and navigate the uncertain waters that raise them high one day, only to submerge them the next day. Over time, security professionals learn to take vicissitudes in graceful stride. They learn to anticipate adverse consequences, and this knowledge carries over into organizational life. They see it coming. Ideally, they dodge the blow. When dodging is no option, at least they brace for the punch.  Read more...

Technology > New insect repellant may be thousands of times stronger than DEET

Excellent,  good to know info.  Two pg article; first page is for laymen to read, second page for scientists!


The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been supporting a major interdisciplinary research project to develop new ways to control the spread of malaria by disrupting a mosquito's sense of smell; as part of the project, Vanderbilt University researchers developed an insect repellant which is not only thousands of times more effective than DEET -- the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellants -- but also works against all types of insects, including flies, moths, and ants

Tornadoes > South's 'super tornado' outbreak may be worst ever in US history

Makes one curious as to Gaia's intentions...
"Storm forensics experts have begun to put into historical perspective the massive twister outbreak that hit Alabama and six other Southern states. The Tuscaloosa twister alone may register as the most powerful long-track tornado in US history."-csmonitor.com

Brooke Carbo helps a friend pack up what's left of her Alberta City, Alabama, apartment which stood right in the path of the deadly storm which hit the southern region of the United States. A string of powerful tornadoes caused massive devastation, killing at least 350 people.

Newscom

Self Reliance > 10 ways to make money off/on your land

Great article on making money from your farm/land.  It's about a 10 min read.