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Saturday, March 21, 2009

Sikorsky S92A helicopters are expected to be grounded until the mounting stud on the main gearbox filter bowl are changed. Following examination of the wreckage from a Canadian helicopter crash, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing an emergency safety directive for operators of similar Sikorsky helicopters to change titanium studs to steel studs before any S-92A helicopters can take to the air again.

Cougar Helicopters Flight 91 crashed into the north Atlantic Ocean last Friday, March 13, killing 17 of the 18 people on board. All bodies were recovered Tuesday and they have been released by the coroner to their families. The voice and flight data recorders have been retrieved and are in good condition. They have been sent to Ottawa for examination by aviation officials.

Mr. Robert Decker was the only survivor and has not recovered enough to speak with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). “Mr. Decker was back in the fuselage and what happened during the occurrence, happened in the cockpit and Mr. Decker wouldn’t be privy to that. But on the issue of survivability, he may be able to help with that,” said Dave Cunningham, of the Transportation Safety Board.

A review of immersion suit standards of the two year old suits worn during this trip is being called for by the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Danny Williams. Williams is also urging for a review of offshore safety procedures, including placement of search and rescue aircraft closer to the capital.

The final report on the crash will take about a year to compile, however Cunningham will speak to the media at the end of next week.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Google News submitted patent applications both in the United States and world-wide in September 2003 for a system of ranking search returns. The patent protection filings seek to control Google’s approach that filters headlines through a complicated algorithm, including the quality of the news organization. How much of this system is currently in use by the search engine giant is unknown.

Primitive search engines are expected to organically evaluate links based on how closely the keywords typed in the search field match an object link, and how many other links are attached to the object. Then a measure of relevance is calculated before returning a reply.

It seems some measure of the work being done at Google is a reaction to search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns which can, if done effectively, skew results to certain domains. A challenge for Google is to develop its technology to nullify efforts on the dark side of SEO and link-spamming.

What also seems to be coming out from this, according to research from the Internet Search Engine Database, is that Google does indeed have a ‘sandbox’ where domains are evaluated first by a human factor before being released into its algorithms.

In its first ever Securities and Exchange Commission filing since the company went public last year, Google indicated that it intends to spend US$500 million on technology development, more than double the $177 million it spent two years ago.

The language used in the lengthy patent application itself is difficult to understand. An excellent article titled “Google United – Google Patent Examined” found below, describes some of the nuts and bolts of Google’s techniques.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

On Saturday the Pentagon confirmed the death of well-known Al Qaeda militant leader Qari Yasin. Yasin’s death was the result of a U.S. counter-terrorism airstrike this month on March 19 in Afghanistan. In 2008 Qari Yasin plotted and executed a bombing on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, killing at least 40 innocent civilians and wounding 250. Later in 2009, the ‘mastermind’ attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team, killing six Pakistani policemen, two civilians and injured six members of the cricket team.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis expressed in a statement, “the death of Qari Yasin is evidence that terrorists who defame Islam and deliberately target innocent people will not escape justice.” According to the Long War Journal, Pakistani Taliban spokesman Mohammad Khurasani characterizes Yasin “as one of the greatest trainers of explosives and electronics in the fields of Jihad.” It has become clear to U.S. military forces that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) tactic of using innocent civilians as “human shields” has increased difficulty and risk in their work.

The Donald Trump administration is currently under fire with the increase of civilian casualties as a result of the increased drone strikes across Iraq and Syria. Airwars is a project for tracking civilian deaths as a result of drone attacks. The non-profit organisation estimates that the U.S. has caused close to 1000 civilian deaths in only one month. Yasin’s death in the Paktika province southeast of Afghanistan shows that the groups have discovered sanctuaries in this area while surrounding states demand that they are shut down.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Calgary city council voted 10 to 3 on Wednesday to stop fluoridating their water supply. This overturns a previous plebiscite from 1989 to add the fluoride in an attempt to reduce tooth decay.

Opponents of water fluoridation claim that there could be unknown health effects of fluoride, and question its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay. They also claim that individuals should be able to decide for themselves whether or not to use fluoride. However, Alberta Health Services maintains that current evidence shows that fluoride is both safe, and beneficial to dental health.

It is estimated that no longer fluoridating the water supply could save Calgary’s city council C$750 thousand (€550 thousand) annually, as well as cutting a C$6 million (€4.3 million) upgrade to the fluoridation system.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

At the Pavilion of Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium during the AutoTronics Taipei 2008, in Taipei Time, the Next Consortium of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) unveiled a brand-new environmental-concept vehicle named “RoboScooter”. It was jointly designed by the Creativity Lab of ITRI, SYM Motors, and the Media Lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This announcement was approved by industrial, governmental, and academical executives, but not just in Taiwan.

The ability for R&D to manufacture the electronic vehicles and bicycles was concerning to several automobile-related industries. There was concern not only from several trade shows, but also international competitions related to the design after winning several prizes back in Taiwan to establish the industrial position and brand image of “Made in Taiwan”. Since several industries like automobile are transformed to high-value industries, “creativity” progressively became a key element before unveiling any new products.

As of this sector, Wen-jean Hsueh (ITRI Creativity Lab General Director) hoped companies could do proper transformations on its R&D nature from “Made in Taiwan” to “Created in Taiwan” for best practice. This not only echoed “OBM” theory discussed at 2007 Taiwan Brands’ Trend Forum but also blended with a key element of production – “creativity”.

On the other side of SYM Motors, to solve the transportation problem for TWTC Nangang, SYM Motors Taiwan imported manufacturing technology from Kinglong Bus Co., Ltd. to manufacture several 4th-cycle low floor buses and sell them to Chung-hsing Bus Co., Ltd. and Kwang-huang Bus Co., Ltd. In this launch, the SYM Motors Taiwan hope this vehicle is energy-efficiency, easily-parked, and has creative functions which can improve the transportation habits of individuals.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai today signed a power sharing deal in the county’s capital, Harare.

Speaking to crowds of people celebrating the deal, Tsvangirai said that “this unity government will let businesses flourish so our people can work and provide for their families with pride.” He also said that “I’ve signed this agreement because I believe it represents the best opportunity for us to build a peaceful and prosperous democratic Zimbabwe.”

Mugabe also spoke after the deal. “Let us be allies,” he said. “People will want to see if what we promise is indeed what we strive to do … We are committed. I am committed. Let us all be committed.”

Despite the agreement, there was some tension at the protest, with supporters of the two parties throwing stones at each other.

The deal means that Tsvangirai is now the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, acting as the head of the council of ministers. Mugabe remains the president of Zimbabwe, meaning that he is still the chair of the cabinet.

The cabinet contains sixteen seats from Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, while Mugabe’s Zanu-PF has fifteen seats. The MDC also controls the police while Zanu-PF controls the armed forces.

The agreement also requires press freedom in Zimbabwe.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Copenhagen, Denmark – The Danish Integration Minister Rikke Hvilshøj’s car was set ablaze outside her family-home on the morning of Wednesday 8 June. From there, the fire spread to the family’s garage, and further on to the side of the house, damaging the roof above the kitchen and children’s room.

At the same time, an e-mail was sent to several media agencies, where a group calling themselves “Action Group Beate” claimed responsibility, saying it is a “protest against the racist immigrational laws of Denmark”. The police found the computer used for sending the mail within a few hours, and closed down the cybercafé whilst removing the computer.

Throughout the Danish political system politicians from both the ruling party and the opposition have expressed their outrage over the terrorism.

The insurance company is currently assessing the amount of damage done to the home, but so far they have made an estimate of £27.000, just for the house damages.

Sunday, January 1, 2006 It looks like baseball stars Manny Ramirez and Miguel Tejada might be traded after all. Several New York Daily News sources claim that Ramirez could go to the New York Mets as part of a four-team deal. However, budget constraints may complicate the trade. According to the Daily News, if this blockbuster deal is successful, the following trades could take place:

Mets would get:

• Manny Ramirez
• Danys Biaz

Red Sox would get:

• Miguel Tejada
• Joey Gathright

Orioles would get:

• Matt Clement
• Julio Lugo
• Kris Benson

Devil Rays would get:

• Andy Marte
• Jae Seo
• Kaz Matsui

Thursday, December 25, 2008

At least 27 people, including three children, have been killed and about twenty are still missing after a Wednesday gas explosion in an apartment building in the Ukrainian town of Yevpatoria, Crimea. Five injured are treated in local hospitals, one of them in a serious condition.

According to Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry, the blast occurred at about 9:45 p.m local time on Wednesday, destroying 35 apartments of a five-storey post-Soviet block. The rescuers, in the number of 565, managed to pull out alive 21 residents of the building; about twenty people are still unaccounted for, the Ministry spokesmen said. The search was regularly suspended so the rescuers could hear voices of victims still trapped under the rubble, the AFP reports.

Olexander Mazilin, head of the regional branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry, said that 26 out of 27 bodies have been identified so far. He told the journalists that entire families, including one family of five, were among the dead. Eduard Grivkovsky, the Crimea’s deputy prime minister, told the reporters that there are likely more casualties, as the rescuers were working through the rubble of the third floor to get to the lower floors and basement.

According to the outcome of the government experts, the blast was caused by a leak of oxygen; the gas is reported to have been stored in cylinders in the building’s basement. Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian Prime Minister, however, told the journalists that a certain information about the content of the cylinders, which is to be oxygen or acetylene, will be revealed only when rescuers get to the basement. “”According to preliminary expert conclusions, there was a workshop in the building’s basement where explosive materials have been used without any kind of permission,” she said. The Ukrainian government has allocated UAH 70 million (about US$ 13.865 million) for work against the effects of the blast. According to the official website of the Prime Minister, the funds will be used to pay peculiarly compensations for lost properties and purchase temporary accommodations for the victims of the blast.

Gas explosions are not rare in the post-Soviet and poorly maintained areas of Ukraine. In 2003 and 2007, such blasts happened in Dnipropetrovsk in the south-central region of the country. In 2003, ten buildings, including a nine-story apartment building, were destroyed after a series of gas blasts; the occurrence resulted in 23 victims. One year ago, a nine-story building was partially destroyed with 15 people dead.