مصنع قواذف قنابل أردني في روسيا العام المقبل

15/12/2011

خبرني - قال مدير عام شركة "بازالت" الروسية الكسندر ريباس إنه من المخطط افتتاح مصنع قواذف القنابل "هاشم ار بي جي - 32" الأردني في أيار القادم.

ونقلت فضائية "روسيا اليوم" عن ريباس قوله الخميس إن مصنعاً لإنتاج قواذف القنابل سيفتتح في أيار المقبل، بقدرة إنتاجية نبلغ 60 ألف قاذف كل سنة.

يذكر ان شركة "روس اوبورون أكسبورت" وقعت في نيسان الماضي مع الجانب الاردني اتفاقية تقديم المساعدة التقنية في تجميع قواذف القنابل "هاشم" في الاردن.

المصدر: خبرني.
الرابط: http://www.khaberni.com/more.asp?ThisID=66285&ThisCat=1.

Britain to have 13,500 troops on duty for Olympics

December 15, 2011 — LONDON (AP) — Britain will have up to 13,500 troops deployed on land, at sea and in the skies to help protect next summer's Olympics — twice as many as had been expected.

Typhoon fighter jets, helicopters, two warships and bomb disposal experts will all be on duty to guard against security threats to the 2012 Games, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement Thursday to lawmakers.

The size of the deployment is far higher than the 6,000 troops previously expected and follows a decision last month to raise the security budget for the Olympics to more than 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion).

Hammond's announcement follows concerns that original plans to use 10,000 security guards and about 12,000 police officers would not be sufficient to guard against possible security threats. The troops will be in addition to the police and guards.

Britain's government has said it expects the terror threat level to be set at "severe" during the July 27-Aug.12 Olympics, meaning an attempted attack is considered highly likely. Troops will be on duty in several cities, including key venues in London, aboard boats along the River Thames, which winds through the capital and part of southern England, and in the coastal city of Weymouth where sailing events will take place.

Hammond indicated soldiers would take a key role in tackling possible threats from car bombs or other attempted terrorist attacks, with units offering "ordnance disposal, military working dogs and the capability to search vehicles and buildings."

HMS Ocean, the largest ship in the Royal Navy's fleet, will be berthed in Greenwich, in east London, to act as a helicopter landing site and a logistics center, while the HMS Bulwark warship will act as a maritime command post in Weymouth.

Typhoon fighter jets will be moved to the Royal Air Force's Northolt base in north London, with Puma and Lynx helicopters also being made available. Air force chiefs have also worked with police and Olympic organizers on an "appropriate and scalable air security plan," Hammond said.

Hammond said during the 17-days of the Olympics about 7,500 troops would work directly on guarding venues. "I have no doubt that they will do a fantastic job — and I look forward to their professionalism and agility being on show on the world stage once again," he said.

Britain's defense ministry said funding for the armed forces' Olympic role would come from the overall security budget already allocated to the 2012 Games — not from the military. Last month, Olympic officials doubled their budget for security operations at venues, hotels and other sites.

National Olympic Security Coordinator Chris Allison, an assistant commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, said troops would help safeguard the event. He has previously dismissed reports that the United States had planned to send 1,000 security officials to the Olympics — including 500 FBI agents — over concerns about Britain's security planning.

Helen Ghosh, the top civil servant in Britain's interior ministry, told lawmakers the usual arrangements would apply for the Olympics, meaning countries are likely to send small numbers of liaison officers.

Black widows hitch ride to shipyard

BATH, Maine, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A spokesman for a Maine shipyard said about two dozen venomous black widow spiders stowed away in a shipment of equipment from California.

James DeMartini, a spokesman for Bath Iron Works, said the spiders arrived in a shipment of vertical launch system parts from a California supplier. He said a professional pest exterminator was brought in to eradicate the spiders and fumigate some compartments of the future USS Michael Murphy, an Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer being constructed at the shipyard, the Bangor (Maine) Daily News reported Wednesday.

"There was some excitement when the spiders were found, but the more we looked into it, the more we're confident that what we did was all we needed to do," DeMartini said.

DeMartini said there were workers in some of the areas where the spiders were found, but no bites were reported.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/12/15/Black-widows-hitch-ride-to-shipyard/UPI-97031323939600/.

Asian elephant arrives in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- An Oklahoma zoo said its elephant herd has grown to four animals with the arrival of a male Asian elephant named Rex.

The Oklahoma City Zoo said Rex arrived Tuesday from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, and will spend 30 days in quarantine before joining the rest of the pachyderms on display, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, reported Wednesday.

"We've made a real commitment to elephant conservation and breeding," Oklahoma City Zoo Executive Director Dwight Scott said. "These are magnificent, beautiful and intelligent animals. They need to be preserved."

Scott said the zoo welcomed a new elephant to its herd this year with the April 15 birth of calf Malee.

Zoo officials said they are hoping Rex will breed with the female adult elephants, Asha and Chandra.

"This is a critical step in our breeding program," Scott said. "We've been working for years to pull all of this together."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/12/15/Asian-elephant-arrives-in-Oklahoma/UPI-88071323937800/.

Polish lawmakers debate nation's EU future

December 15, 2011 — WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's prime minister defended his government's support for greater integration in the European Union during a lively parliamentary debate Thursday on the country's relationship with the crisis-ridden bloc.

The heated exchanges reflected how deeply attempts to solve the eurozone debt crisis are shaping public debate even in EU states not using the common currency. Hungary and Czech Republic, two other non-eurozone countries, raised the stakes Thursday by declaring that they would not join any new treaty if that means giving up their countries' independent tax policies.

In Poland, the crisis has sparked a debate on whether to cede more power to Brussels to prevent future financial cataclysm, causing fears the nation could lose some of its cherished sovereignty. It's a highly emotional issue in a country that lost its independence to Germany and Russia at several points in past centuries, regaining it only with the fall of communism in 1989.

The debate in Poland's parliament came ahead of a confidence vote on Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who outraged Polish nationalists by calling in Berlin last month for deeper political integration in Europe as a way of preventing future debt crises.

Sikorski is expected to easily survive the vote, which was called for by the opposition Law and Justice party of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which can't muster a majority. Kaczynski has sharply criticized Sikorski and the government for wanting to give EU institutions greater administrative control over member's finances, arguing that such a move would erode Poland's sovereignty and national interests.

Kaczynski and his supporters believe the EU demands too much uniformity, and they remain suspicious of Germany, which is playing an increasingly dominant role in guiding Europe through the financial crisis. Kaczynski and some party members wore small Polish flags pinned to their lapels.

Tusk's pro-EU government, however, believes that Poland's future depends on the EU, which has spurred massive investment and economic growth in Poland since it joined the bloc in 2004. "We definitely need a strong Europe," Tusk told lawmakers. "And that calls for our constant presence, also at a time when the eurozone is thinking about mending itself."

Tusk argued that his nation would face a bleak future outside the union. "The future of the European Union is in practice synonymous with Poland's future," Tusk said. Another party leader, the left-wing Janusz Palikot, challenged Kaczynski and his nationalistic followers. Wearing a prominent EU flag on his jacket, he said he would prefer to live among the Germans or French than them — prompting several of them to leave the chamber in protest.

Poland has a long and troubled history of warfare with its western neighbor Germany, but today the two nations are strong allies and important trade partners.

Youth unemployment challenges new Tunisian government

With the number of unemployed Tunisians on the rise, the spark that ignited the revolution continues to test the nation's government.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 15/12/11

Despite measures taken by Tunisia's interim government and promises by political parties, unemployment continues to rise, exacerbated by continued strikes, sit-ins and declining investments and tourism.

A recent report from the National Institute of Statistics revealed that 18.3% of Tunisians were jobless as of this May, jumping from 13% the year before. The study, released November 9th, estimated the number of unemployed at more than 700,000, compared to just less than half a million the year prior.

Unemployment among degree holders also worsened, rising from 157,000 people in May 2010 to 217,000 this May.

The report indicated that unemployment rates varied in different regions in Tunisia, which were led by the mid-west with a rate as high as 28.6%, followed by the south-west (26.9%), the south-east (24.8%), while the lowest unemployment rates were reported in the northern region where it ranged between 17.3% and 17.8%.

The rise is largely attributable to the loss of 137,000 agricultural and tourism jobs over the last year, according to Habib Fourati, Central Director of Demographic and Social Statistics.

The tourism sector, which provides 6% of GDP, was severely impacted by post-revolution turmoil, marking an unprecedented fall of 33.3% during the last ten months, according to the Tunisian National Tourism Office. Foreign investments nosedived by 27% during the past nine months, according to the Tunisia Foreign Investment Promotion Agency.

In a report published last September on employment in Tunisia, the International Labor Organization (ILO) attributed the higher rate to lowered economic growth that in turn led to job losses as well as structural deficiencies in the labor market. The report cited difficulties in creating highly skilled jobs, in addition to those requiring average competencies.

Notably, the economy has seen an onset of some feeble growth during the third quarter of the year, estimated at 1.5%, following a period of recession in the beginning of the year. That could be seen in the form of a sharp decline in GDP by 7.9% during the first three months of this year.

Central Bank Governor Mustapha Nabil told AFP that the Tunisian economy needs to achieve a growth rate that exceeds 7% in order to be able to absorb unemployment and create enough jobs to accommodate new entrants to the labor market.

Given the current economic crisis, that may require a long time, especially since the economic growth rate in Tunisia will hit zero or below, based on estimates announced by Nabil late last month. He pointed to lower yields from important sectors in the Tunisian economy, such as tourism and phosphate mining in addition to the high volume of imports and declining exports.

The ILO believes that reducing unemployment requires adopting a new development model, and laying down a national policy based on liberating the full potential in investment, improving transparency, fighting corruption, further developing the financial market and giving greater flexibility to the restrictions imposed on investment.

"In spite of the problems and crises experienced by the economy in Tunisia, the current situation allows it to develop and promote the creation of jobs, especially for young people," the ILO report stated.

But for now, high rates of unemployment continue to impact many university graduates, including Ahlem Ouerghmi, who graduated with an accounting degree in 2007.

"Since my graduation, I tried to rely on myself in finding work away from the rosy promises of the government and political parties. However, the decreasing number of jobs versus the increasing number of job-seekers complicates things for me even more," Ouerghmi said.

Social psychology specialist Wassilla Naouali warned against the problems that can result from the persistent unemployment, noting that the continued lack of work for young people will drive many of them toward extremist religious violence, possibly even terrorism, to offset their disappointment and help them achieve their goals and aspirations.

Naouali called for urgent solutions and plans to contain the problems of unemployment or at least mitigate the impact.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/12/15/feature-04.

Companies pair for UAV business

Rome (UPI)
Dec 15, 2011

Two European companies are exploring possible cooperation to become leaders in the design and manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Cassidian, on behalf of EADS Deutschland GmbH, and Alenia Aeronautica S.p.A. of Italy, said their new Memorandum of Understanding is for medium-altitude, long -endurance unmanned aerial systems and unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

"The signing of this agreement is important for Alenia Aeronautica because it allows us to collaborate with a capable player in the sector of UAS, favoring the growth of our ability to design, build, integrate and support a complex system for the global market, both civil and military," said Giuseppe Giordo, chief executive officer of Alenia Aeronautica and Alenia Aermacchi.

"The UAS sector has a strategic importance for the future of Alenia Aeronautica's programs and we are convinced that this agreement will allow us to become even more competitive in this quickly expanding market."

Giordo is also responsible for the aeronautics sector of Finmeccanica, the two Italian companies' parent organization.

Cassidian and Alenia Aeronautica, in a joint statement, said they will analyze the UAS and UCAV requirements of the Italian and German governments to "create a strategic partnership" and expand their global UAS market share.

"We look forward to investigate further collaboration with Alenia Aeronautica around a next-generation MALE UAS, like for instance, the Talarion which is of outmost importance for Europe's military aviation industry," said Cassidian Chief Operating Officer Bernhard Gerwert.

"It will fulfill government security missions and commercial applications which cannot be implemented with current solutions and their derivatives."

Talarion is the European program for a next-generation, medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS and calculated to meet the requirements of France, Germany and Spain for future MALE aircraft. The first prototype aircraft is scheduled for 2015.

Deliveries of the first aircraft are to begin three years later.

Cassidian, a subsidiary of EADS, which has headquarters in the Netherlands and which provides air systems; land, naval and joint systems; intelligence and surveillance, cybersecurity, secure communications solutions, among others.

In other UAS-related news from Europe, Indra of Spain this month demonstrated its Pelican and Mantis aircraft.

The Pelican is a rotary unmanned system designed for maritime use. It is can fly six hours, is fully autonomous and can carry a payload of about 120 pounds.

The Mantis is a small UAV for land use and has a range of about 18 miles. The system, which can be carried by one or two people, is autonomous in flight along a pre-established route.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Companies_pair_for_UAV_business_999.html.

Iranian to start using own nuclear fuel plates

Tehran (AFP)
Dec 15, 2011

Iran is to insert its first domestically produced uranium fuel into its Tehran reactor by mid-February, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said in comments published by the IRNA state news agency on Thursday.

"Within the next two months the first fuel plate which is produced with the 20 percent enriched uranium will be placed in Tehran's research reactor," Salehi, who previously headed Iran's nuclear organization, was quoted as saying.

His statement was an excerpt from a longer interview to be released "soon," IRNA said.

The West -- which fears Iran's nuclear program masks a push to build atomic weapons despite repeated denials from Tehran -- is skeptical that the Islamic republic has the technology to make fuel plates.

Four sets of UN sanctions and additional Western sanctions have been imposed to pressure Iran to halt its nuclear program.

Iran has been working to enrich its stock of 3.5 percent low-enriched uranium to 20 percent, which it says it needs for research and medical purposes.

Currently, the research reactor runs on fuel imported from Argentina in 1993, but that is nearly depleted. Iran's other nuclear plant, an energy reactor at Bushehr, runs on fuel bought from Russia.

Iran was to produce its first lot of 20 percent-enriched uranium plates for the Tehran reactor in September this year, but that date passed with no result.

Salehi was quoted by IRNA as saying in mid-October that Iran would produce the plates within months.

The International Atomic Energy Agency in November released its most damning report yet on Iran's nuclear activities, saying it had evidence suggesting research into atomic warheads had been carried out.

Iran rejected the report as "baseless" and biased...

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iranian_to_start_using_own_nuclear_fuel_plates_999.html.

Thailand signs up for drone mine-hunters

Bangkok (UPI)
Dec 15, 2011

The Thai navy has signed a deal with Atlas Elektronik in Germany for the company's SeaFox mine neutralization submersible drone systems.

The SeaFox systems will comprise a number of SeaFox I units for training and reconnaissance purposes and a small number of SeaFox C combat units for actual mine disposal, Atlas said.

More SeaFox C units will be supplied "over the next few years."

This fiber-optic guided "one-shot" SeaFox C is the vehicle used for destroying mines once the SeaFox I vehicle has identified the target.

SeaFox C automatically relocates previously identified targets and other underwater ordnance within minutes of programming. Once the target is found, further identification and confirmation of target is done using the vehicle's CCTV system.

The target is destroyed with the on-board explosive charges, which also eliminates the vehicle.

SeaFox I is a reusable vehicle specifically for identification of mines. It's based on the SeaFox C vehicle but with the warhead replaced by ballast weight.

SeaFox I is a completely independent system needing no external support, on-board ship facilities or other specialist equipment. This means it's deployable from a wide range of carrier platforms, including dedicated mine-destroyer ships, rubber boats and helicopters, Atlas said. It's also easily integrated in ship upgrades.

Atlas said 10 navies will, or are, using the SeaFox system -- the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Germany.

Atlas Elektronik a specialist electronics joint venture company between ThyssenKrupp and EADS. It has headquarters in Bremen, Germany, and has a workforce of around 1,900.

Products include sonars and sensors, command and control systems for submarines and surface combatants, mine countermeasure systems, unmanned underwater vehicles, radio and communications equipment.

In October 2009, Atlas bought the underwater systems business of QinetiQ, based in the United Kingdom. The deal needed the approval of the U.K. government and was "in line with QinetiQ's strategy to dispose of certain non-core assets within its EMEA business and reallocate capital into higher growth investments," QinetiQ said at the time.

The underwater systems business, in Winfrith, England, has around 220 employees. It operates in the areas of hydro-acoustics, sonar, open architecture sonar and combat management systems, acoustic counter measures, submarine signatures, maritime security and control of unmanned maritime vehicles.

The business is a supplier to the U.K. Ministry of Defense and other defense departments and corporate customers internationally.

In September, Volker Paltzo was appointed as managing director of Atlas Elektronic in Bremen. Paltzo, 46, was the chief operating officer of Eurofighter, which has headquarters in Germany.

He took over at Atlas from Kai Horten, who left after five years to become chief executive officer of and president of aircraft manufacturing supplier Premium Aerotec in Augsburg, Germany. Aerotec makes fuselage parts for aircraft including for the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Airbus A400M and the Boeing 737.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Thailand_signs_up_for_drone_mine-hunters_999.html.

Japan set to declare Fukushima plant shutdown

Tokyo (AFP)
Dec 16, 2011

Japan on Friday looked set to announce it had finally tamed leaking atomic reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power station, nine months after one of the world's worst nuclear crises began.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was expected to tell a disaster-weary public that all reactors at the plant were in a state of cold shutdown.

The government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) have long targeted the year's end for the milestone.

The announcement will be followed by fresh steps towards decommissioning the reactors, a process that is expected to take more than three decades.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was severely damaged by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that smashed into Japan on March 11.

Waves up to 14 meters (46 feet) high swamped the reactors' cooling systems, sparking meltdowns, explosions and the release of huge amounts of radioactive materials -- the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

TEPCO was caught short by the disaster, with its tsunami defense systems overwhelmed and back-up power generators knocked offline, leaving a small band of men -- dubbed the Fukushima 50 -- to try a series of jerry-rigged solutions, including the use of seawater to cool the melted fuel rods.

Water used in the cooling process subsequently became a major headache for TEPCO, which had to release tonnes of the contaminated liquid into the Pacific, provoking the ire of local fishermen.

Farmers in the area also suffered, with produce shunned by consumers or banned by the government because of radioactive contamination.

An exclusion zone around the plant was established with tens of thousands of people evacuated to avoid them being exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation.

Swathes of this zone remain polluted, with the clean-up plodding along amid warnings that some towns could remain uninhabitable for decades.

The hoped-for end to the disaster looked like it had suffered a set-back earlier this month, when TEPCO said its latest calculations showed the fuel inside the No. 1 reactor could have melted entirely, dropping through its inner casing and eroding a concrete base.

In the worst-case scenario, the molten fuel could have reached as far as 65 centimeters (2 feet) into the concrete, leaving it only 37 centimeters short of the outer steel casing.

TEPCO has also said that it believed 150 liters (40 US gallons) of waste water including highly harmful strontium, a substance linked to bone cancers, has found its way into the open ocean.

While the natural disaster claimed 20,000 lives, the nuclear emergency has recorded no direct casualties, but it has badly dented the reputation of a technology on which Japan previously depended for a third of its electricity.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Japan_set_to_declare_Fukushima_plant_shutdown_999.html.

MARSIS Completes Measurement Campaign Over Martian North Pole

Paris, France (ESA)
Dec 16, 2011

The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on board Mars Express has recently completed a subsurface sounding campaign over the planet's North Pole. The campaign was interrupted by the suspension of science observations several times between August and October due to safe modes and to anomalies in the operation of the spacecraft's Solid-State Mass Memory (SSMM) system.

As MARSIS best observes in the dark, which for the North Pole only occurs every few years, it was among the first instruments to resume observations once a partial work-around for the problems had been implemented.

The primary objective of MARSIS is to map the distribution of water and ice in the upper layers of the Martian subsurface. Using techniques similar to oil prospecting on Earth, the instrument analyses the reflection of radio waves down to a few kilometers in the subsurface; it is able to distinguish between dry, frozen and wet soil.

The polar regions of Mars are of particular interest because climate variations affect the quantities of water ice and dust found in the polar deposits.

The North Pole measurement campaign lasted from June to November 2011, taking place during orbits 9500 to 10 100. The observations extended from the pole out to just beyond 45Â degrees N. Data acquisition was affected by solar events, as well as the technical problems with the spacecraft. During the main part of the campaign, around 40 per cent of the available orbits were lost, with roughly a quarter of the losses being attributable to solar activity and three quarters to the suspension of observations.

The velocity of Mars Express at pericenter is extremely high and the fly-overs of the north polar cap lasted only between three and seven minutes per orbit. The accumulated observing time over ~ 600 orbits was about 3000 minutes. Mars Express therefore spent a total of about two days over the north polar cap in the whole observing season. About 25 hours were spent acquiring data while the pole was in darkness, and another 25 hours observing the pole while it was in sunlight.

MARSIS can observe the subsurface with maximum sensitivity only when the pole is not illuminated, so the best observations were made between June and September. The pole was still observable until late November, but by then it was partially illuminated, so the measurements were of lower quality.

The presence of an ionosphere also impacts the MARSIS measurements with MARSIS signals being disturbed or even completely attenuated when free electrons are present in the Martian atmosphere. There is always an ionosphere on the dayside of the planet, created by solar ultraviolet photons and energetic particles interacting with the thin atmosphere.

It is, therefore, greatly preferably to observe on the nightside, where, in principle, there is no ionosphere. In practice, during periods of high solar activity an active ionosphere can be present on the nightside as well.

The careful scheduling of MARSIS measurement campaigns for polar observations is crucial to their success. Mars Express has an elliptical polar orbit, so it passes over the polar caps during every orbit; however, the altitude of the spacecraft over the poles varies as the orbit pericenter drifts with time.

In the period from June to November, the spacecraft flew over the North Pole at very low altitudes a euros " less than 1000 kilometers. Having the spacecraft in a low orbit over the target area is a requirement for operating the radar; no signal would be received at higher altitudes.

"This campaign to investigate the subsurface of Mars's North Pole is one of the highlights of the extended Mars Express mission," notes Olivier Witasse, Mars Express Project Scientist at ESA. "Despite the temporary suspension of operations during the campaign we have been able, with the excellent support of our colleagues in spacecraft operations, to complete this campaign as expected. The data that were acquired are now being analyzed by the MARSIS team and we are eagerly anticipating the results."

Source: Mars Daily.
Link: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/MARSIS_Completes_Measurement_Campaign_Over_Martian_North_Pole_999.html.

NASA Announces: Dragon To The Space Station

Hawthorne, CA (SPX)
Dec 16, 2011

December 8 2011, marked the one year anniversary of Dragon's first Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration flight. The flight made history as SpaceX became the only commercial company to successfully return a spacecraft from orbit. This feat had previously been accomplished only by five nations and the European Space Agency.

We are now preparing the Dragon spacecraft for yet another historic flight - becoming the first commercial vehicle in history to visit the International Space Station (ISS)!

NASA recently announced February 7, 2012, as our new target launch date for the upcoming mission. In addition, NASA officially confirmed that SpaceX will be allowed to complete the objectives of COTS 2 and COTS 3 in a single mission.

This means Dragon will perform all of the COTS 2 mission objectives which include numerous operations in the vicinity of the ISS, and will then perform the COTS 3 objectives.

These include approach, berthing with the ISS, astronauts opening Dragon and unloading cargo, and finally, astronauts closing the spacecraft and sending it back to Earth for recovery from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

This mission marks a major milestone in American spaceflight. While our first missions to the ISS will be to transport cargo, both Falcon 9 and Dragon were designed to ultimately transport astronauts.

Every trip we make to the ISS from this point forward gets us closer to that goal. SpaceX is incredibly excited for what the future holds and as always, we greatly appreciate NASA's continued support and partnership in this process.

The Cots 2/3 Demonstration Mission
Just as Dragon's first mission to orbit and back involved a level of effort equal to launching the first Falcon 9, preparing Dragon for two weeks of operation in space and for approach and berthing with the ISS poses new challenges. Meeting them requires a large amount of detailed planning and careful execution.

Each launch day will have just one narrow liftoff window-no more than a few minutes-in order to synchronize Dragon's flight with the orbit of the ISS. Catching up to the ISS will take from one to three days. Once there, Dragon will begin the COTS 2 demonstrations to show proper performance and control in the vicinity of the ISS, while remaining outside the Station's safe zone.

During the entire time Dragon is in the vicinity of the ISS, Station astronauts will be in direct communication with Dragon and will be able to monitor the spacecraft as well as issue spacecraft commands.

After successfully completing the COTS 2 requirements, Dragon will receive approval to begin the COTS 3 activities, gradually approaching the ISS from the radial direction (toward the Earth), while under constant observation.

Dragon will approach to within a few meters of the ISS, allowing astronauts to reach out and grapple Dragon with the Station's robotic arm and then maneuver it carefully into place. The entire process will take a few hours.

Once in place, Station astronauts will equalize the pressure between the ISS and Dragon, open the hatches, enter the vehicle and begin unloading Dragon's cargo.

After Dragon spends about a week berthed at the ISS, astronauts will reverse the process, loading Dragon with cargo for return to Earth, sealing the hatches, and un-berthing Dragon using the robotic arm.

Dragon will then depart from the ISS and return to Earth within a day or so, and the SpaceX recovery crew will meet it at splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

Preparing For Launch At The Cape
As previously reported, both the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and the Dragon spacecraft that will fly in the COTS Demo 2/3 mission have been delivered to our launch complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Falcon 9's first stage, second stage, and interstage were integrated and rolled out for two separate wet dress rehearsals in which SpaceX engineers performed the entire countdown sequence up until the moment the engines would be fired.

The Dragon COTS Demo 2/3 spacecraft and trunk have also been delivered to our launch pad and are undergoing final processing for flight...

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/NASA_Announces_Dragon_To_The_Space_Station_999.html.

Lawrence Livermore ramps up wind energy research

by Anne M Stark for LLNL News
Livermore, CA (SPX)
Dec 16, 2011

As the percentage of wind energy contributing to the power grid continues to increase, the variable nature of wind can make it difficult to keep the generation and the load balanced. But recent work by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in conjunction with AWS Truepower, may help this balance through a project that alerts control room operators of wind conditions and energy forecasts so they can make well-informed scheduling decisions.

This is especially important during extreme events, such as ramps, when there is a sharp increase or decrease in the wind speed over a short period of time, which leads to a large rise or fall in the amount of power generated.

"We're trying to forecast wind energy at any given time," said Chandrika Kamath, the LLNL lead on the project. "One of our goals is to help the people in the control room at the utilities determine when ramp events may occur and how that will affect the power generation from a particular wind farm."

The project, dubbed WindSENSE, is funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

To understand ramp events better, Kamath used data-mining techniques to determine if weather conditions in wind farm regions can be effective indicators of days when ramp events are likely to occur.

She used wind energy and weather data from two regions - the Tehachapi Pass in Southern California and the Columbia Basin region on the Oregon-Washington border.

"Our work identified important weather variables associated with ramp events," Kamath said. "This information could be used by the schedulers to reduce the number of data streams they need to monitor when they schedule wind energy on the power grid."

With wind farms predicted to provide more energy for the grid, Kamath said it is necessary to get the wind speed predictions on target.

Wind farms in the Tehachapi Pass currently produce 700 megawatts (MW) of power, but soon will be producing 3,000 MW. In the Columbia Basin, the farms were producing 700 MW of power in 2007, but by 2009, they were producing 3,000 MW. So it is important that the wind forecasts are accurate, especially during ramp events, when the energy can change by over 1,000 MW in an hour.

"The observation targeting research conducted as part of the WindSENSE project resulted in the development and testing of algorithms to provide guidance on where to gather data to improve wind forecast performance," said John Zack, director of forecasting of AWS Truepower.

"These new software tools have the potential to help forecast providers and users make informed decisions and maximize their weather sensor deployment investment."

The wind generation forecasts used by utilities are based on computer simulations, driven by observations assimilated into the time progression of the simulation.

Observations of certain variables at certain locations have more value than others in reducing the forecast errors in the extreme events, the location of the event and the look-ahead period.

Part of the WindSENSE effort was to identify the locations and the types of sensors that can most improve short-term and extreme-event forecasts. The team used an Ensemble Sensitivity Analysis approach to identify these locations and variables.

"We're trying to reduce the barriers to integrating wind energy on the grid by analyzing historical data and identifying the new data we should collect so we can improve the decision making by the control room operators," Chandrika said.

"Our work is leading to a better understanding of the characteristics and the predictability of the variability associated with wind generation resources."

Source: Wind Daily.
Link: http://www.winddaily.com/reports/Lawrence_Livermore_ramps_up_wind_energy_research_999.html.

City Apartheid Built Turns Green

By Lee Middleton

ATLANTIS, South Africa, Dec 14, 2011 (IPS) - Something unusual is happening in Atlantis. Created in the 1970s to fulfill the apartheid government's agenda to evict "colored" South Africans from Cape Town, Atlantis has always been best known as the city that apartheid built.

But in this new era of climate change concern, the creation here of South Africa's first eco-friendly and energy efficient low-income housing development may finally overwrite that dark legacy.

Initiated by the City of Cape Town, the project aims to build "eco houses" for 2,400 families in Witsands, Atlantis's poorest neighborhood, and home to the majority of Atlantis's Xhosa-speaking minority. The city hopes the project will set a national benchmark for sustainable living in low-cost housing developments.

A part of the national Reconstruction and Development Program (RDB) that has promised housing for every South African, the project, a collaboration with the engineering firm PEER Africa, the Universities of Cape Town and Johannesburg, Eskom, and several NGOS, has handed over some 800 eco-houses since it began in 2005.

Laid out on a north-facing grid, the energy-efficient homes make use of the "Energy and Environmentally Cost Optimized (EECO™) Human Settlement Development Model™," elaborated by PEER Africa.

According to this design, all units feature large north-facing windows (allowing winter's lower sun to heat), a roof overhang that protects against summer's higher sun, and insulation, especially in the ceilings, that retains the warmer or cooler temperatures inside.

Put back what you take away

"In the beginning it was very hard to get the people to understand," recalled 34 year-old Fundiswa Makeleni, a member of the community hired by PEER Africa to educate her neighbors about the new concept. "But when I'd take them to the show houses to feel it… everyone loves it now."

Community buy-in was vital to success, as plans went beyond north-south orientation and large windows. Additional "greening" like the provision of a tree, shrubs, and ground-cover would also be part of the package, but would require continued maintenance.

"We have to put back what we take away," said Beth Basset of Green Communities, the NGO providing the landscaping for the houses, as well as food gardens and other green spaces like parks and playgrounds.

Like many Western Cape housing developments, Witsands is built on sand dunes. Strong winds and extreme temperatures -- exacerbated in a denuded environment -- are the norm.

"They'd take away a whole ecosystem, put the houses there, and go away. There was no compacting apron around the houses. The winds would come take all the sand and leave exposed foundations of up to a meter," Basset observed of other RDP developments.

With a national backlog of over two million RDB houses, the impact of creating an energy-efficient model that promotes sustainable livelihoods could be tremendous.

"From the climate change perspective it's about replacing the ecosystems. Soil stabilization, water conservation, recycling. We needed to build a model to deliver greening immediately," said Basset.

Councillor Ernest Sonnenberg from Cape Town's Mayoral committee on Human Settlements, agreed. "In Cape Town we're in a very windy area with loose sand, so structures become unstable. The greening around the houses was a mechanism to bind the ground and prevent erosion. It was also an opportunity to experiment and see how to create a more sustainable livelihood."

Sustainable living, sustaining lives

"We are the poorest of the poor here. But we use the nature to cool and warm our house. We have solar panels and solar geysers, so we're saving energy. Each household does not use more than 50 Rand (about six dollars) a month on electricity now," said Makeleni.

The project's second phase, which began in 2010 and will build 1,835 units (350 have already been handed over), has added solar geysers, photovoltaic modules for lighting and cell phone charging, and roofwater and stormwater recovery systems.

Makeleni belongs to a women's group that arose from the savings they were seeing from energy and fuel. "Each month we come together and we all put our savings on the table and put it in the bank. Then after one year we divide that money and can buy things that we need."

For her own part, Makeleni plans to invest her share in seeds for the food tunnel that Green Communities helped establish.

"Our forefathers used to plant food to eat, never go each and every day to the shop and buy food. My wish is to go back. We have food gardens, electricity from the sun. We can succeed in this way of life with or without money. Even if you have money you can live like this. Even if you're a single mother you can afford to live."

Building houses, building communities

Though the financial advantages are obvious, the perks that the eco-homes provide extend into other areas of life as well. Several mothers cited the greater safety of the homes. Obviating kerosene heaters, paraffin lamps, and open fires, the clean energy helps prevent accidental fires, electrocutions from shoddy illegal wiring, and health problems that come with burning other sources of heating and fuel.

"In the shacks they are using paraffin and heaters. It's dangerous and makes the house dirty, and they can spend more than 200 Rand a month," commented 31 year-old Vuyokazi Damane.

Finally, there is the sense of community that flowers in places with parks and green public spaces. "It's not just building houses, it's building community," Beth Basset said. "We made a park and playground. It's the first time some of those kids have walked on grass. This whole greening gives such an impetus to people's health and well being. All the kids can be found at the park. Old people come and sit on the benches. It's making neighborhoods."

Councillor Sonnenberg explained that the pride that people take in their neighborhoods also translates into savings for the city.

"The fact that we were able to get communities to participate and take pride in their area alleviates a lot of cost for us. For example, if the area is sandy and sand is blowing in the street, we need additional cleaning to prevent stormwater rain blockage."

So far the cost to the city has been minimal. A "normal" RDB house costs about 12,000 dollars to build. Making a unit into an eco-house including adding solar panels adds approximately 3,000 dollars to that bill -- not an insignificant number with a housing backlog of 400,000 in the Western Cape alone. However, for now South Africa's public utility Eskom, has been picking up the tab.

"We obviously want to move to a situation where as a city we can reduce our carbon footprint, and therefore we need to look at innovative ways of building more cost effective and energy efficient houses," said Councillor Sonnenberg.

"We still have to learn lessons from phase two of Witsands, that will inform our future projects, but we are delighted with the results yielded, and therefore one can only say that the city must invest in future projects of this nature."

Source: Inter-Press Service.
Link: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106214.

'High Glaciers Safe From Warming'

By Christopher Pala

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Dec 15, 2011 (IPS) - Global warming will melt far less of the glaciers of Central Asia than of those in other mountain ranges, shielding the people who depend on them for water from the effects of climate change for several decades at least, scientists say.

The mountains in and around the Himalayas are so high, unlike in the Andes, the Alps or the Rockies, that even in summer, temperatures remain below freezing point and most of the glaciers don’t melt away at all, Richard Armstrong, a geographer at Colorado University’s National Snow and Ice Center, tells IPS.

"It doesn’t make much difference if it gets a little warmer up there because it’s still far below zero."

Glaciers are rivers of ice fed by snowfall at the top. As they flow downhill to warmer temperatures, they eventually melt, providing water in summer, when rainfall is usually lowest.

Since the end of the two-centuries-long Little Ice Age in 1850, the terminus point of most glaciers has been slowly retreating uphill. That retreat accelerated since gases like carbon dioxide emitted by coal burning and cars have been accumulating in the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that has raised global temperatures on average by half a degree Celsius in the past 30 years.

How much water a glacier produces each year is mostly determined by how much snow falls on their upper part, not at what point they end. So far there is no evidence that less snow is falling on their higher parts or that they produce more or less melt water, according to Armstrong and other scientists.

In the first comprehensive study of a part of what is called High Asia, the scientists found that 96 percent of the water that flows down the mountains of Nepal into nine local river basins comes from snow and rain, and only 4 percent from summer glacier melt. Of that 4 percent, says Armstrong, the lead author, only a minuscule proportion comes from the melting away of the end points of the glaciers due to global warming.

Armstrong said there is a lot of misinformation in the public arena regarding glaciers, including reports that glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than anywhere else in the world and that if this rapid melting continues, rivers are on track to first flood and then dry up. "Those reports simply are not true," says Armstrong.

"There is a lot of international interest in accurate water resource data from the High Asia region and what the water security consequences are, since water conflicts between countries can escalate rapidly," adds Mark Williams of the same university’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.

Glaciers in other, lower parts of the world melt in summer over their entire course, so if temperature increases, they melt faster. If temperatures keep rising and that loss is not compensated by increased snowfall in winter – and in some of those glaciers it is – the entire glacier will eventually disappear, Armstrong explains. With it, the summer melt water prized by irrigation farmers, households and users of electricity produced by dams could also disappear.

"But High Asia is different because it’s so much higher," he says, referring to the Himalaya, Pamir, Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Tian Shan ranges that straddle parts of China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

"About half of the surface of the glaciers there is above 5,500 meters," he says, the point at which glaciers never melt. These glaciers include the longest in the world outside of the polar regions, the Fedchenko, which is 77 km long (the longest, the Lambert in Antarctica, is over 400 km long).

While melting ice from glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland is responsible for about two-thirds of the recent rise in ocean levels (the last third is because water takes up more volume when it gets warmer), the runoff from the melting of the lower glaciers of High Asia should not have much effect on ocean levels because little ends up in the oceans, the scientists say.

What does affect the third of the world’s population that depends on water from High Asia is where their water comes from – how much from rain, snow and glacier melting. "At this point we simply don’t know," says Armstrong.

This month, he traveled to Almaty to meet with other scientists and launch a four-year, 5.4 million dollar program funded by USAID to provide answers to those questions.

The program will use 10 years’ worth of satellite and weather data, augmented with local measurements, to determine with unprecedented exactitude across the whole region how much of the water that feeds the great irrigating rivers (the Amu and Syr Darya, the Ganga, Bramaputra and Indus) comes from snowmelt, how much from rain and how much from glaciers.

"This study should provide answers as to what is real and what is false," says Williams.

Such knowledge is commonly available in the U.S. and Europe. It helps people to plan the allocation of water: for instance, after a winter of light snowfall, knowing a river gets 25 percent of its water from glaciers melting in summer, you can figure out how much water you'll get that summer. Given that these rivers are major sources of irrigation, this knowledge will be very helpful.

While the retreat of the glaciers is too slow to be discernible with great precision with only ten years worth of data, Armstrong says that knowing how much water comes from summer glacier melt will allow planning for the effects of climate change, such as variations in snowfall and rain and the melting of the low-lying glaciers.

"Once we have a picture of recent and current conditions, we can go forward and run computer ‘melt models’ based on the temperatures at various elevations, giving us trends in snowmelt and glacier melt by region and time," says Armstrong. "That’s when we start to come up with water volumes for individual rivers and streams from both melting snow and ice."

Source: Inter-Press Service.
Link: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106227.

Conflict strains aid for South Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Refugees are streaming across the border into South Sudan to escape violence in Sudan's state of Blue Nile, aid agencies say.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir is in the United States for an investment conference, his first U.S. visit since his country gained independence in July.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said during the conference that while gaining independence was a sign of Kiir's commitment to peace, the region has known war and suffering for far too long.

"Although they are now two independent countries, Sudan and South Sudan remain interdependent," he said. "They need to find a path of peace and security, growth and opportunity, together and connected."

South Sudan's independence was secured through a process outlined in a peace deal reached with Washington's help in 2005. Disputes over oil and border conflicts, however, threaten to unravel the peace agreement.

The U.N. refugee agency warned that at least 1,000 people were fleeing violence in Sudan to South Sudan's Blue Nile state.

Sudanese refugees told aid officials it took a month to walk to safety.

Michelle Iseminger, deputy director for the World Food Program's operations in South Sudan, told the United Nations' humanitarian news agency IRIN that supplies were running out.

"We're moving food in as fast as possible," said Iseminger. "It's very difficult because the local places where we get food have been muddy and blocked (and air freight is limited due to several emergencies in South Sudan)."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/12/15/Conflict-strains-aid-for-South-Sudan/UPI-56551323971213/.

Ouattara backers winning in assembly race

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Political candidates loyal to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara emerged with a lead in the first legislative election in years, election figures indicate.

With final tallies trickling in Thursday, Outtara's Rally of Republicans party is close to winning a majority of the 225 seats on the country's legislative assembly. Independent candidates secured around a dozen seats, leaving the rest to the opposition Ivory Coast Democratic Party, Bloomberg News reports.

Ivorians voted for members of the legislative assembly last weekend, about a year after rival claims to the presidency pushed the country to the brink of civil war. Turnout for the election was low compared with 2010 presidential elections, African Union officials said.

Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down as president after the international community recognized Alassane Ouattara as the winner of an election meant to unite an Ivory Coast divided by civil war in 2003. Thousands of people were killed and many more were displaced in the conflict, which ended with Gbagbo's arrest in April.

Gbagbo is awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity committed since the election. Both sides are accused by human rights groups of committing atrocities, however.

Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, managing director at African capital consulting company DaMina Advisers, told Bloomberg that Gbagbo's sympathizers might "conspire to form a critical swing block" in the assembly.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/12/15/Ouattara-backers-winning-in-assembly-race/UPI-66681323965273/.

Benghazi protests spur NTC promise

2011-12-13

Hundreds of Libyans demonstrated Monday (December 12th) in Benghazi to express dissatisfaction with the National Transitional Council (NTC), AFP reported. NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil was singled out by the protesters for his willingness to forgive fighters of the slain dictator. At the Libya reconciliation conference in Tripoli on Saturday, Abdel Jalil voiced his willingness to "absorb" Kadhafi loyalists.

Faced with angry calls by protestors, the NTC late Monday announced that Benghazi would be the future "economic capital" of the North African country. NTC member Abdelrazzak al-Aradi said that ministries related to the economy would also be located in the eastern city.

Libya will set up a working army and police force within the next 100 days, AP quoted Abdel Jalil as saying on Monday. Major General Khalifa Belgasim Haftar, commander-in-chief of the army, said, however, that it would take at least three years for Libya to rebuild an army capable of protecting the country's vast desert borders.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/12/13/newsbrief-02.

Pacific state to rely on renewable energy

DURBAN, South Africa, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The tiny South Pacific island nation of Tokelau plans to switch entirely to renewable energy, an official said.

"If all goes to plan, the three islands of Tokelau will formally lead the world in percentage reduction in the use of fossil fuels, will be No. 1 leader in carbon emissions savings per person and No. 1 renewable energy country," Foua Toloa, the head of Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand, was quoted by The Guardian newspaper as saying.

"We stand to lose the most of any country in the world due to climate change and the rising sea levels, so leading the way by making the highest per person investment in the world is a message to the world to do something," Toloa said.

The island nation -- with a total land mass of just 4.7 square miles and a population of about 1,500 -- already sufferers from extreme weather storm surges, droughts, coral-bleaching, inundation of land and salination of groundwater.

In October, Tokelau and neighboring Tuvalu, also a small Pacific nation, declared a state of emergency because of a severe drought in which it became necessary to import water.

To reach its renewable energy goal, Tokelau aims to supply 90 percent of its energy via a $7.5 million, 1 megawatt-solar photovoltaic system, with the remainder coming from domestic coconut oil.

Tokelau expects to cut 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the plant. "No more noisy generators will disturb the quiet of the islands. We will be an example to the world," said Toloa.

With a per-capita income of just approximately $1,000 per year, Tokelau must come up with $900,000 for its share of the $7.5 million project. It expects to obtain financing from the Green Climate Fund, an instrument officially launched at the conclusion this weekend of the U.N. climate change conference in Durban, South Africa.

In 2009 Tuvalu, which is comprised of nine islands, announced it aims to generate all its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

For the first phase of its renewable energy mission, Tuvalu installed a 40-watt solar system atop of the largest stadium in Funafuti. During the first 14 months of operation, the solar stadium reduced consumption of generator fuel shipped from New Zealand by 17,000 tons and saved 50 tons of carbon dioxide from being released in the atmosphere.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/12/12/Pacific-state-to-rely-on-renewable-energy/UPI-32911323719192/.

Tunisia swears in post-Ben Ali president

TUNIS, Tunisia, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki vowed to uphold the spirit of the revolution that sparked the Arab Spring during his swearing-in ceremony Tuesday.

A December 2010 protest suicide sparked the country's Jasmine Revolution, which led to the ouster of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali after roughly two decades in office.

That revolution spilled over to encompass much of the region, pushing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak out of office, leaving Moammar Gadhafi dead and Syrian and Yemeni regimes under fire.

Marzouki promised to remain faithful to the martyrs of the revolution while taking the oath of office Tuesday over the Koran.

"Without their sacrifice, I wouldn't be here in this place," he was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying.

He was the leader of the Tunisian League for Defense of Human Rights from 1989 until he was forced into exile in 1994. He's expected to name Ennahda leader Hamadi Jebali as prime minister, leading to criticism the new president is being propped up by the moderate Islamist party, al-Jazeera adds.

He secured the presidency with 153 votes from the 217-member legislative assembly, controlled by Ennahda. Several opposition leaders handed in blank ballots.

His Congress Party for the Republic took second place in the October elections, the first of any of the countries caught up the Arab Spring.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/12/13/Tunisia-swears-in-post-Ben-Ali-president/UPI-15711323799304/.

Dutch no-smoking drive takes a hit

December 14, 2011 — AMSTERDAM (AP) — It's getting surprisingly easy to light up in the Netherlands these days — cigarettes, that is.

Even as the Dutch government hardens its famous tolerance policy on marijuana, it is taking an increasingly relaxed stance toward tobacco, bucking the trend in nearly every other developed country. Last year it exempted some bars from a smoking ban and now it has unveiled plans to reduce spending on anti-smoking advertising campaigns and end funding for health care programs to help people kick the habit. The Netherlands is also planning to cease funding its national center on tobacco control.

Nearly half of the nation's bars and nightclubs flout the 2008 smoking ban but they're rarely punished. "There's no other country that's taking these backward steps," said Lies Van Gennip, director of the national tobacco control center, slated to be closed in 2013. "I'm ashamed of what's happening here."

At a press briefing on Wednesday, several Dutch politicians and experts blasted the government for backtracking on tobacco control policies. Opposition lawmaker Renske Leijten of the Socialist Party said Health Minister Edith Schippers was making the wrong decision to cut back on quit smoking policies.

"You can even wonder if she is minister of health or minister for the tobacco industry," she said. Schippers said she believes in freedom of choice for smokers and that the government has "gone too far in making rules about it."

Inge Freriksen, a health ministry spokeswoman, told the Associated Press the Netherlands had chosen "a different manner of prevention" — one that focuses on educating children on the dangers of smoking.

The Netherlands is home to Europe's biggest tobacco industry and also has Philip Morris' largest factory worldwide. Some experts have suggested possible improper links between the Dutch government and Dutch tobacco that account for the changes.

In a recent documentary on Dutch television, tobacco lobbyist Alexander van Voorst Vader said he knew Schippers when she served in Dutch Parliament and held numerous discussions with her. "She was very open (to) sensible points of view of the industry," he said.

Any communication where the tobacco industry might influence government policies is strictly forbidden by the World Health Organization's international tobacco control treaty, which the Netherlands signed in 2005.

Health ministry spokeswoman Freriksen said any communication government officials had with the tobacco industry was legitimate. "It's not forbidden to have communication with tobacco companies in a normal manner about enforcement," she said. "You do talk with them."

The WHO tobacco control treaty obliges signatory nations to introduce strong tobacco control measures including increased legislation, taxation and education. But like most global treaties, there are no real measures to punish countries that don't comply.

According to the Netherlands' National Organization for Tobacco Trade, Dutch consumers bought more than 4 billion euros ($5 billion) worth of tobacco products last year. About 27 percent of people in the Netherlands smoke, slightly higher than other rich countries including Britain and the U.S.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Netherlands has a lung cancer rate of about 93 people per 100,000, higher than the average in Western Europe, including Austria, France and Germany.

Earlier this year, Dutch researchers predicted that without stronger anti-smoking policies, almost a million people in the Netherlands would die prematurely due to tobacco-related diseases between now and 2040.

By 2020, they estimated smoking-related diseases would kill 600 additional people as a result of the government's decision to stop paying for quit smoking programs and ending mass education campaigns.

Schippers argued in a letter to Parliament that the projection was "partially dependent on assumptions." The government's liberal stance toward tobacco contrasts strongly with its moves to curtail the country's famous tolerance policy toward marijuana: the government is reducing the number of cafes licensed to sell the drug and plans to introduce a pass system next year that would bar tourists from buying it at all.

Critics argue the Dutch population is woefully ignorant of the dangers of tobacco. In a global survey on smokers' awareness, only 61 percent of Dutch smokers agreed second-hand smoke was dangerous to non-smokers — much lower than smokers elsewhere, including Mauritius, China, Brazil and Mexico.

"Dutch smokers are among the least informed about the harms of smoking and second-hand smoke," said Geoff Fong, at the University of Waterloo in Canada, who heads a program that monitors smoking policies worldwide.

"The Dutch are heading into a situation where their tobacco control could be worse than many developing countries," he said. Last year, the government declared that small, owner-operated bars without employees would be exempt from the smoking ban.

Ex-smoker Eddie Moojen quit smoking four months ago on his own and says he isn't worried about second-hand smoke. "We had dinner the other night at a cafe where they smoke, it doesn't make that much difference," said Moojen, 39, founder of Opentracker, a software company in the southern city of Eindhoven. "I'm not uptight about smokers bothering non-smokers."

Cheng reported from London. Associated Press Writer Mike Corder in The Hague contributed to this report.

Libya, Italy to examine 'Friendship Treaty'

2011-12-14

Libya and Italy will hold new talks about their 2008 Friendship, Partnership and Co-Operation Treaty, AFP reported on Tuesday (December 13th). National Transitional Council chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil will meet with Italian authorities in Rome on Thursday to discuss details of the treaty, signed in Benghazi by Moamer Kadhafi and former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi.

Before the Libya-Italy accord was suspended last February with the start of the uprising, Italy had been a close ally and economic partner. More than 180 Italian businesses have taken advantage of the favorable terms for trade links, including Finmeccanica, Impreglio and ENI, which became the biggest foreign energy producer in Libya.

The 2008 Italy-Libya Friendship Treaty includes construction of a 1,700-kilometre coastal motorway in Libya. The deal also allows Italy to send back immigrants reaching its shores from Libya.

In related news, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi and United Nations Envoy to Libya Ian Martin met in Cairo on Tuesday (December 13th), KUNA reported. The talks reportedly focused on opportunities for the two organizations to promote Libyan peace and prosperity.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/12/14/newsbrief-03.

Benghazi protests draw rival factions

2011-12-14

Protests for and against Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) packed squares in Benghazi on Tuesday (December 13th), AFP reported. Chants of "Down with the new regime!" from around 5,000 disgruntled anti-NTC protesters were met in equal voice and strength with slogans such as "The people want Mustafa Abdel Jalil!" from supporters of the NTC and its chief.

Abdel Jalil has been singled out since Monday by protesters in the city over his recent remarks that the NTC was ready to forgive pro-Kadhafi fighters. These protesters say there is a lack of transparency about the NTC's activities.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/12/14/newsbrief-01.

Royal appointment sparks debate in Morocco

Some Moroccans see a new royal appointment as removing an obstacle to reform while others are sharply critical of the decision.

By Hassan Benmehdi in Casablanca and Naoufel Cherkaoui in Rabat for Magharebia – 14/12/11

In an unexpected and controversial move, King Mohammed VI last week appointed his friend and former classmate Fouad Ali El Himma as royal adviser.

The December 7th announcement raised questions among activists and political observers over how much desire there was for real and lasting change within the Moroccan establishment.

El Himma was appointed Secretary of State in the Ministry of the Interior when King Mohammed VI assumed the throne in 1999, before later being named delegate minister. He resigned in 2007 to run for parliament from his own town of Ibn Jarir.

He founded the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) a year later, triggering concerns among activists who claimed the move was aimed at creating a new regime party to counter the growing influence of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD).

But Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane has described El Himma's appointment to the Royal Diwan as a positive move because it will remove El Himma from the political arena. The prime minister added that El Himma's new position does not raise fears concerning the functioning of the next government.

In a statement to the press, Benkirane said there was no question of co-operating with El Himma, and that his party will not hesitate to speak out against him and turn against him should he return to his "dubious practices and political maneuvering".

February 20 Movement member Najib Chawki alleged that appointment was part of completing the formation of a shadow government that will oversee major projects above the supervision of the government and the Parliament.

However, others believe El Himma's appointment to the Royal Diwan is a positive sign for the new government led by the PJD's Benkirane.

Mostafa Moâtassim, the secretary-general of al-Badil al-Hadari, an Islamist party which was dissolved after the Belliraj affair in 2009, sees El Himma's selection as adviser as the best way of removing him from direct involvement in politics and the political scene nationally.

A Casablanca student calling himself Belkhair told Magharebia the appointment simply marked the end of El Himma's political career. "The king had been waiting for a suitable moment to respond to one of the people's main demands, namely El Himma's departure," he said.

Belkhair claimed that the work of the royal adviser had no political connotations. "Kings have always had advisers, in accordance with the traditions of the Moroccan monarchy, so that they can seek their input on the nation's big issues," he said.

The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) issued a statement saying it "accepted El Himma's resignation following his appointment by King Mohammed VI as adviser in the Royal Cabinet".

Others have played down the appointment given recent constitutional reforms that give the head of government additional powers. Political observers noted that Benkirane will have wide-ranging freedom to manage affairs. It is up to Benkirane himself, they say, to defend his rights and prerogatives.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/12/14/feature-03.

Mauritania approves independent electoral body

An independent commission will be responsible for supervising all stages of Mauritania's electoral process.

By Raby Ould Idoumou for Magharebia in Nouakchott – 14/12/11

The Mauritanian authorities gave a green light to creating a monitoring body to ensure the independence and transparency of the country's electoral process.

The interior ministry made the announcement last Wednesday. The National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) will follow up on recommendations made by a national dialogue held between opposition leaders and the government in October. Its members will be appointed by consensus between the ruling majority and opposition parties.

The Mauritanian national dialogue held on October 19th recommended organizing municipal and parliamentary elections before March 2012 based on a fatwa from the Mauritanian constitutional council.

The newly-created institution will monitor all future elections. It will cover the entire process, starting with the preparation of lists up to the announcement of results. The ministry assured that the commission would have full powers and capabilities to guarantee free and fair elections.

But some opposition leaders remain skeptical. Tawassoul party chief Jamil Mansour insisted that electoral changes cannot precede overarching political reforms.

"In the absence of political reforms and given the current regime's monopoly and hijacking of the state, any reform of this type will always have a limited impact," he said.

"The independent electoral commission as a product of a dialogue between the majority and some opposition parties is a committee with incomplete powers," Mansour added. "This is because there is a parallel committee operating alongside in the interior ministry. Therefore, we don't think that it will play its natural role."

The announcement was received with some apathy, said political analyst Abdallah Ould Atfagh Mokhtar. "It didn't fully meet the conditions set by the opposition parties that refused to take part in the political dialogue and considered it to be just a formality," he explained. "In addition, the government's approval of this commission was made in an emergency ministerial meeting; something that would raise doubts that this decision was taken prudently."

He alleged that the interior ministry had been "involved in large-scale rigging of election and use of unreal voters for the benefit of a candidate accepted by the military institution and security departments".

Others believe that the existence of a parallel body in the interior ministry would not affect the neutrality of the new commission.

"The committee in the interior ministry will have technical, organizational and security-related tasks only," Mohammed Lamine Ould al-Sheikh, a member of the executive bureau of the ruling Union for the Republic Party, told Magharebia. "This will help the independent electoral commission do its job competently and ideally."

He argued that CENI would fill the gaps that might have been in the previous committee and organize and supervise elections in a transparent manner.

"No political step is free from criticism, but as far as the idea is concerned, the approval of the commission will boost voters' hopes about the transparency of elections," said political activist al-Salem al-Naji Ould al-Mustafa.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/12/14/feature-02.

Marzouki: Tunisia at a 'turning point'

Nearly a year after the start of the Tunisian revolution, the nation now has its first democratically elected leadership.

By Houda Trabelsi for Magharebia in Tunis – 14/12/11

New Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on Wednesday (December 14th) named Ennahda Secretary-General Hamadi Jebali as prime minister.

The 62-year-old official of the moderate Islamist majority party will have 21 days to present his cabinet to the president. Jebali promised Wednesday to choose a team "in the service of the people".

His comments echo those made by the new president a day earlier. When Marzouki was sworn into office as president, he also vowed to work for "all Tunisians".

"We are all aware that we are experiencing a turning point in the history of Tunisia and Tunisians," Marzouki told a special session of the Constituent Assembly on Tuesday.

He pledged to "spare no effort in on-going consultation with the government, the opposition and civil society representatives, in the defense of the foundations of the republic and the democratic system".

"The government's responsibility is to win people's confidence to embark seriously on the file of the martyrs and the wounded," Marzouki said, adding that the new administration will "expedite reckoning and reconciliation in the context of transitional justice".

He also called on the opposition to "be part of the solution and not part of the problem". The president expressed hope that "all of the Tunisian people will come together, transcend their differences, accept pluralism, hold accountable without revenge and forgive without forgetting".

"The challenges posed in the next phase are, in particular, addressing the problem of unemployment, achieving the goals of the revolution, maintaining stability, accelerating urgent reforms and not rushing structural reforms, as well as creating the largest possible number of jobs without drowning in more debt, encouraging investment without allowing exploitation and protecting the rights of employers and employees," the presidents said.

Towards the end of the address, Marzouki stressed the need to help disadvantaged people without harming others. The president promised to protect women whether they wore the niqab, hijab or went unveiled, adding that he would "maintain security without threatening freedom".

The remarks met mixed reaction from observers, with opposition parliamentarian Samir Tayeb saying it was a "speech on thoughts". He added, "There are no clear future visions; a speech came in the form of signals."

"We, as opposition, will hold him accountable and will hold his government to deeds, not intentions," Tayeb asserted.

Najib Chebbi, of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), told Magharebia that it was time for parties to work together.

"It is true we opposed some of the points during discussions of the Constituent Assembly, and we put forward our repudiations in all honesty," Chebbi said. "But now after election of a new president of the country, dialogue must continue with the new government to remove all challenges."

"What happened today is a gain and a good step toward building the new Tunisia, with our electing the first legitimate president," Ennahda MP Sahbi Atik told Magharebia.

On the Tunisian street, the presidential address also received a varied response. Mona Boughanmi said she was pleased at where the country was.

"Marzouki's speech today was reassuring and close to the Tunisian people and that seemed clear from his appearance, as he did not wear an elegant suit with millions and did not put on a tie, but wore Tunisian [attire] and specifically the dress of the Tunisian south, his birthplace," she said.

But Salwa Batayeb had a more cautious outlook. "I found Marzouki's speech more akin to a speech in front of a mosque than a speech of a president 'elect'," she said. "He began with a lengthy, polished sermon and then sealed it with a supplication, and that's what made me wary of the speech with the Ennahda Movement."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/12/14/feature-01.

Paul Virtually Tied for First Place in Iowa

Written by Raven Clabough
Wednesday, 14 December 2011

With the January 3 Iowa Caucus just around the corner, every tiny fluctuation in the polls seems to matter. Just weeks ago, there was a four-way tie in Iowa among Texas Congressman Ron Paul, former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Those numbers have changed several times since then, particularly with Herman Cain dropping out of the race, and according to the most recent Public Policy Polling, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich are now tied for first.

Just last week, Newt Gingrich held a clear lead in Iowa, but Paul has now closed the gap, polling at 21 percent, virtually matching Gingrich’s 22 percent. Ron Paul reportedly has a great deal of support in Iowa and Romney is now coming in third in the Hawkeye State, with 16 percent.

Paul’s campaign has been extremely successful in reaching Iowa voters, and intends to continue in its efforts. Paul’s campaign has organized a “Christmas Vacation with Ron Paul” program which will feature approximately 500 youth in Iowa knocking on doors and manning the phone bank for their candidate. Additionally, the campaign purchased a $1-million ad buy in Iowa, which includes radio, TV, and mail advertisements, many of which focus on Newt Gingrich, who is currently Paul’s greatest rival.

“Whenever I hear Newt try to sweep his Big Government record under the rug, I can hardly help but shake my head,” Paul said in an email to his supporters Monday. “If you and I are truly serious about defeating President Obama in 2012 and turning our country around, nominating Newt Gingrich is the absolute last thing the Republican Party should do,” he added.

Paul's mention of the facts of Gingrich's track record has proven to be successful, thus far, as Gingrich’s lead has shrunk from nine percentage points to just one point, according to the most recent PPP poll.

“Newt Gingrich’s momentum is fading in Iowa,” commented Public Policy Polling (PPP) President Dean Debnam. “Meanwhile Ron Paul is building an unusual coalition of support for a Republican primary. The big question is: will they really turn out?”

PPP reports:

Gingrich has dropped 5 points in the last week and he's also seen a significant decline in his favorability numbers. Last week he was at +31 (62/31) and he's now dropped 19 points to +12 (52/40). The attacks on him appear to be taking a heavy toll — his support with Tea Party voters has declined from 35% to 24%.

Paul meanwhile has seen a big increase in his popularity from +14 (52/38) to +30 (61/31). There are a lot of parallels between Paul's strength in Iowa and Barack Obama's in 2008 — he's doing well with new voters, young voters, and non-Republican voters.…

That poll reveals that among those who are “new” for the 2012 election, Paul leads Gingrich 25-17, with Romney remaining at 16 percent. PPP writes, “Paul is doing a good job of bringing folks who haven’t done this before.”

Not surprisingly, Paul also maintains a great deal of popularity among young voters. Voters under 45 overwhelmingly choose Paul over Gingrich, 30 percent to 16 percent. Voters over 45, however, choose Gingrich over Paul, 26-15 percent, with Romney earning 17 percent.

Those who identify themselves as Republicans prefer Gingrich over Paul, 25-17 percent, but those who are more closely aligned with the Democratic Party or who consider themselves Independents overwhelmingly prefer Paul, 34 to 14 percent, with Romney coming in at 17 percent.

Noting the unique quality of these figures, PPP reports, “Young voters, independents, and folks who haven’t voted in caucuses before is an unusual coalition for a Republican candidate … the big question is whether these folks will really come out and vote … if they do, we could be in for a big upset.”

Another major observation in the poll is the loyalty and determination of the Paul supporters, who PPP notes are “considerably more committed to him than Gingrich’s are.” That same Public Policy Poll shows that Paul’s supporters are strong, with 77 percent indicating that Paul is their definite choice. Gingrich’s supporters, on the other hand, are not so strong, with only 54 percent who are certain.

Meanwhile, Romney’s support has remained at 16 percent, with no change from last week’s poll. Gingrich’s support is waning in Iowa, and Romney’s has not increased. PPP recalls that Romney has failed to gain support, even as Cain's, Perry's, and Bachmann’s campaigns have collapsed.

Even worse for Romney is that among those who voted for him in 2008, just 44 percent say they would vote for him again.

PPP believes the reason for Romney’s failure to excite voters is the fact that voters are increasingly disoriented by what has been referred to as the Republican establishment. Thirty-one percent of those polled maintain a favorable view of the Republican establishment, while an equal percentage hold an unfavorable view, and 38 percent are unsure. PPP contends, “When Romney rolls out endorsement after endorsement, to a lot of voters, that’s actually coming across as a negative thing.”

For Paul, on the other hand, that lack of support for the Republican establishment bodes well. Those who maintain a negative view of the Republican establishment are particularly enamored with Ron Paul. Among that group, Paul is ahead with 34 percent, while Gingrich sits at 18 percent, Romney at 10 percent, and Santorum at 12 percent.

Where Romney has Gingrich beat, however, is in values. Thirty-nine percent of voters believe Romney to have stronger values than Gingrich, with just 18 percent of voters choosing Gingrich in that area. Perhaps most surprisingly is that 43 percent remain unsure.

Bachmann’s support has fallen from 13 percent to 11 percent, and her favorability rating is now 55/37.

Though Perry’s camp has made an effort to revive his popularity, with ads regarding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the “War on Christmas,” they have failed to stimulate his support. He was at nine percent last week and remains there this week. His favorability is 43 percent, while his unfavorability is 47 percent. The only other candidate with less favorability than Perry is Jon Huntsman.

PPP contends that Perry may be going the wrong route to attract Republicans, particularly by calling for the reinstatement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” since just 41 percent of Republicans are opposed to gays serving in the military. Twenty-eight percent support it, and a whopping 31 percent remain unsure.

Currently, 30 percent of Republican voters believe Gingrich to be the most viable candidate, while 21 percent believe it's Romney, and 14 percent assert it's Paul. No other candidate is in the double digits.

There is one major exception to all of these numbers, however: Tim Tebow. PPP humorously added Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow to the equation. Tebow, in fact, has the greatest favorability amongst all of the Republican contenders, 48 percent compared to just 13 percent unfavorable. Of course, Tebow is too young for the presidential age requirement and has never once voiced an interest in political ambitions, but his wholesome nature and outward faith resonate among voters.

How the January 3 Iowa Caucus will close remains to be seen, but one of the online bloggers for Forbes magazine's "Benzinga Insights," John Thorpe, commented on Paul’s increasing success last week, predicting, “In one month, Paul will shock the world and win the Iowa Caucuses.”

Source: The New American.
Link: http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/10186-paul-virtually-tied-for-first-place-in-iowa.

Orbital Selects Antares as Permanent Name For New Rocket Based On Taurus II Program

Dulles VA (SPX)
Dec 14, 2011

Orbital Sciences has announced that Antares will be the permanent operational name for the medium-class launch vehicle created by its research and development program formerly known as Taurus II. Orbital has been in the development phase of the new rocket program for the past four years.

The operational phase of the program is scheduled to begin in 2012 with three flights on the manifest that will be conducted under the operational name of Antares.

"We are transitioning to the Antares identity primarily because a launch vehicle of this scale and significance deserves its own name, just like Orbital's Pegasus, Taurus and Minotaur rocket programs that have come before it," said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital's President and Chief Executive Officer.

"The successful introduction of the Antares launcher, with its contribution to our COTS and CRS programs along with future sales to other customers, is a linchpin of the company's long-term growth and profitability strategy."

Orbital selected the name in keeping with the company's tradition of using Greek-derived celestial names for launch vehicles. Antares is one of the brightest stars in the sky. Classified as a "supergiant" star, it is located in the constellation Scorpius and has a red hue when observed by the naked eye.

The Antares Launch Vehicle
Orbital is completing the development of the Antares medium-class space launch vehicle that will boost satellites and other payloads into a variety of low Earth and geosynchronous transfer orbits and Earth escape trajectories.

Antares combines a powerful liquid-fuel first stage with proven avionics, propulsion and related technologies from the company's other launch vehicle products and is supported by a "best-in-class" network of suppliers from the U.S. and around the world.

The Antares program currently has a backlog of 10 launches, beginning in early 2012 with a test launch followed by a second demonstration mission later in the year, both conducted under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement with NASA.

COTS is a joint research and development effort to develop a space transportation system capable of safely and reliably supplying the International Space Station (ISS) with essential cargo. Orbital is also under contract with NASA for the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program with an eight-mission, $1.9 billion agreement to deliver cargo to the ISS from 2012 through 2015.

In addition to its work with NASA on the COTS and CRS programs, Orbital is also offering Antares to civil government, military and intelligence, and commercial customers for dedicated launch services for medium-class satellites.

From its launch site at Wallops Island, Virginia, Antares will be capable of supporting mid-inclination and polar orbiting spacecraft weighing up to approximately 13,500 lbs. and 5,500 lbs., respectively. In addition, Orbital intends to establish a West Coast launch site within the next three years to optimize Antares performance to high-inclination orbits, boosting its polar orbit capability to about 9,500 lbs.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Orbital_Selects_Antares_as_Permanent_Name_For_New_Rocket_Based_On_Taurus_II_Program_999.html.

Swarms of bees could unlock secrets to human brains

Sheffield UK (SPX)
Dec 15, 2011

Scientists at the University of Sheffield believe decision making mechanisms in the human brain could mirror how swarms of bees choose new nest sites. Striking similarities have been found in decision making systems between humans and insects in the past but now researchers believe that bees could teach us about how our brains work.

Experts say the insects even appear to have solved indecision, an often paralyzing thought process in humans, with scouts who seek out any honeybees advertising rival nest sites and butt against them with their heads while producing shrill beeping sounds.

Dr James Marshall, of the University of Sheffield's Department of Computer Science, who led the UK involvement in the project and has also previously worked on similarities between how brains and insect colonies make decisions, said: "Up to now we've been asking if honeybee colonies might work in the same way as brains; now the new mathematical modelling we've done makes me think we should be asking whether our brains might work like honeybee colonies.

"Many people know about the waggle dance that honeybees use to direct hive mates to rich flower patches and new nest sites. Our research published in the journal Science, shows that this isn't the only way that honeybees communicate with each other when they are choosing a new nest site; they also disrupt the waggle dances of bees that are advertising alternative sites."

Biologists from Cornell University, New York, University of California Riverside and the University of Bristol set up two nest boxes for a homeless honeybee swarm to choose between and recorded how bees that visited each box interacted with bees from the rival box.

They found that bees that visited one site, which were marked with pink paint, tended to inhibit the dances of bees advertising the other site, which were marked with yellow paint, and vice versa.

Tom Seeley of Cornell University, author of the best-selling book Honeybee Democracy said "We were amazed to discover that the bees from one nest box would seek out bees performing waggle dances for the other nest box and butt against them with their heads while simultaneously producing shrill beeping sounds.

We call this rough treatment the 'stop signal' because most bees that receive this signal will cease dancing a few seconds later."

Dr Patrick Hogan of the University of Sheffield, who constructed the mathematical model of the bees, added: "The bees target their stop signal only at rivals within the colony, preventing the colony as a whole from becoming deadlocked with indecision when choosing a new home. This remarkable behavior emerges naturally from the very simple interactions observed between the individual bees in the colony."

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Swarms_of_bees_could_unlock_secrets_to_human_brains_999.html.

Climate change blamed for dead trees in Africa

Berkeley CA (SPX)
Dec 15, 2011

Trees are dying in the Sahel, a region in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, and human-caused climate change is to blame, according to a new study led by a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. "Rainfall in the Sahel has dropped 20-30 percent in the 20th century, the world's most severe long-term drought since measurements from rainfall gauges began in the mid-1800s," said study lead author Patrick Gonzalez, who conducted the study while he was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's Center for Forestry.

"Previous research already established climate change as the primary cause of the drought, which has overwhelmed the resilience of the trees."

The study, which is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Arid Environments, was based upon climate change records, aerial photos dating back to 1954, recent satellite images and old-fashioned footwork that included counting and measuring over 1,500 trees in the field.

The researchers focused on six countries in the Sahel, from Senegal in West Africa to Chad in Central Africa, at sites where the average temperature warmed up by 0.8 degrees Celsius and rainfall fell as much as 48 percent.

They found that one in six trees died between 1954 and 2002. In addition, one in five tree species disappeared locally, and indigenous fruit and timber trees that require more moisture took the biggest hit.

Hotter, drier conditions dominated population and soil factors in explaining tree mortality, the authors found. Their results indicate that climate change is shifting vegetation zones south toward moister areas.

"In the western U.S., climate change is leading to tree mortality by increasing the vulnerability of trees to bark beetles," said Gonzalez, who is now the climate change scientist for the National Park Service.

"In the Sahel, drying out of the soil directly kills trees. Tree dieback is occurring at the biome level. It's not just one species that is dying; whole groups of species are dying out."

The new findings put solid numbers behind the anecdotal observation of the decline of tree species in the Sahel.

"People in the Sahel depend upon trees for their survival," said Gonzalez.

"Trees provide people with food, firewood, building materials and medicine. We in the U.S. and other industrialized nations have it in our power, with current technologies and practices, to avert more drastic impacts around the world by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Our local actions can have global consequences."

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Climate_change_blamed_for_dead_trees_in_Africa_999.html.