The Daily Show reported on the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell last night with its customary level of sobriety and dignity. Which is to say, Jason Jones was wearing short-shorts and rubbing his belly under a too-small camouflage T-shirt. “The nightmare is real!” Jones declared, waving a martini glass…
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Doctors bemoan lack of medicine for peace camp protesters as explosions herald return to violence Outside the gates of one of the main hospitals in Yemen’s capital, tens of thousands of men, women and children stood in silence. The crowd had gathered to mourn the deaths of 83 protesters, shot dead by Yemeni security services over the past three days. It was the worst bout of violence in the eight-month uprising. One by one, the bodies emerged from the morgue, wrapped in yellow blankets and carried out on the shoulders of grieving relatives and friends. A group of veiled women wailed in grief as placards showing the pale, bloody face of a baby boy shot in the head on Tuesday bobbed above the crowd. As the mourners bowed down to pray, the loud thud of explosions suddenly began echoing off the surrounding mountains. A shaky ceasefire, negotiated on Tuesday by the vice-president and acting head of state, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, had been broken. The Republican Guard, who are loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s son, and a division of renegade soldiers were once again battling for Sana’a. The crowd looked on as white smoke rose from the city. “Allahu akbar,” they roared as sorrow quickly turned to anger. By the time the crowd had reached Change Square, the three-mile stretch of road in the heart of Sana’a where protesters have been camped since February, doctors were saying a further five protesters had been killed. Dr Tariq Noman, a surgeon who has been working in the field hospital in Change Square since March, had seen four of the dead: “One killed by a falling shell, two by stray bullets and one by sniper fire.” It was the second day in a row that missiles were fired into the protest camp. “We heard two heavy explosions, after that the missiles fell on us like rain,” said a man pointing to blood on the floor of his tent. “My brother was hit in the leg, another man was hit in the head, he died instantly.” Protesters claim the Republican Guard are firing anti-aircraft missiles into the camp. As the afternoon wore on, violence spread to other parts of the capital. A missile thudded into the 11th floor of a building hosting the al-Jazeera bureau. The military have already ordered people in some parts of the city to evacuate. Other residents have fled for the safety of surrounding mountain villages. Hospitals are struggling to make space, let alone provide care, for the hundreds suffering from bullet wounds and gas inhalation. One doctor working in a field hospital told al-Jazeera that people were dying through a shortage of medical supplies and a “lack of response from international organisations”. The headquarters of the renegade 1st Armoured Division – one of Yemen’s most experienced military outfits which defected in March to join the opposition – also came under heavy shelling. Both the division and the guards claim about 25,000 fighters, although the latter are better armed. Opinion is divided among protesters as to whether or not the renegade troops are aiding their cause. A spokesman for Ali Mohsin, the division’s leader, said on Wednesday the troops were “acting in self-defence and would respect any proposed ceasefire”. However, others believe their presence justifies a stronger crackdown. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, general secretary of the Gulf Co-operation Council, abruptly left Yemen on Wednesday after meeting the Yemeni vice-president. The rapid departure of the Kuwaiti amir ends hopes of a peaceful end to the violence. For months Zayani and other Gulf monarchies have tried in vain to get Saleh to sign a transitional deal would allow him to resign in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Saleh has committed to signing several times, only to pull back at the last minute. Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia, where he went for treatment after suffering severe chest wounds in a booby-trap bombing of his compound in early June. Last week, Saleh granted his vice-president the authority to negotiate and sign the GCC plan. But the opposition has rejected the move as a stalling tactic. Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Protest Tom Finn guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …College admissions officials say goal is to recruit students who pay more
September 21, 2011 No CommentAdmissions officers say one of their main goals for the next few years is to recruit students who pay more in tuition, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education survey of 462 top admissions officials at nonprofit universities. Survey respondents said they placed a higher priority on recruiting out-of-state students–who would pay higher tuitions than
Continue reading …As expected, the Federal Reserve has announced a new program designed to prod the faltering economy into life. The central bank will buy $400 billion worth of longer-term Treasury bills by the end of June 2012, and will sell an equal amount of shorter-term Treasuries. The goal is to encourage borrowing by pushing down longer-term
Continue reading …Troy Davis is hours from death, but he’s not giving up. The Georgia death row inmate, who claims he was wrongly convicted of killing a police officer in 1989, wants to take a polygraph test. “Mr. Davis believes he is innocent and he wants to show it,” his lawyer said…
Continue reading …A powerful typhoon made landfall in Japan today, bringing winds of up to 100 miles per hour and causing floods that have killed at least five people . Typhoon Roke is on course to hit Japan’s tsunami-ravaged northeastern coast, and flooding there may cause radioactive water from the Fukushima plant to…
Continue reading …After more than two years in an Iranian prison, American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal could be freed at any moment. Their lawyer said this morning they would be released within hours, after a vacationing judge returned and the second signature needed to free them on $1 million bail…
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Nasa estimates the odds of someone being struck by a falling part of the spacecraft at one in 3,200 The world’s major space agencies, armed forces and security officials have come together to monitor the heavens for a bus-sized spacecraft that will fall to Earth this week. In an event prompted by the rule that what goes up must come down, the defunct satellite will plummet through the atmosphere, burn and break apart, and scatter hunks of steel, aluminium and titanium over a distance of hundreds of miles. Much of Nasa’s nearly six-tonne Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) will disintegrate as it hurtles through the atmosphere, but the space agency anticipates that 26 potentially hazardous parts, weighing a total of 532kg, could remain intact and impact on the surface. The debris will spread over an estimated 500 miles. Among the parts expected to survive the fiery re-entry are four titanium fuel tanks, four steel flywheel rims and an aluminium structure that alone weighs 158kg. Depending on their size and shape, the components will strike at speeds of between 55mph (90kph) and 240mph (385kph). Radar stations around the world, including RAF Fylingdales in north Yorkshire, are tracking the object and expect it to re-enter the atmosphere between Thursday and Saturday, but there is little chance of predicting with any accuracy where the debris will fall. An update from Nasa on Wednesday said the satellite was 120 miles above the Earth and due to impact on Friday US time. The agency will issue further updates 24 hours before re-entry, then at 12, six and two hours before re-entry . The spacecraft’s orbit puts a great swathe of the planet in its path between the latitudes of 57 degrees north and south. Mainland Britain lies between 50 and 60 degrees North. The satellite spends more time at higher latitudes, so there is a slightly higher risk in those regions. Most likely by far is that the remains of the satellite will drop into the ocean, or be strewn across one of the planet’s most desolate regions, such as Siberia, the Australian outback or the Canadian tundra. Noting that safety was its top priority, Nasa declared the odds of someone being struck by a falling part of the spacecraft at one in 3,200. There are no confirmed injuries from man-made space debris and no record of significant property damage from a falling satellite. “Most of the Earth’s surface is covered by water or is uninhabited, so nobody tends to even see this kind of debris when it does land,” Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert at Southampton University , told the Guardian. “Those pieces that do survive re-entry have slowed down a lot, but they are still travelling quite fast. Because of their size, they would do significant damage if they hit a structure or a person, but the chances of that happening are remote,” he added. When Nasa’s Skylab fell to Earth in 1979, the space agency put the risk of personal injury at 1 in 152, with the odds of the defunct space station striking a city much higher. The partially-controlled Skylab missed its expected impact site in South Africa and crash-landed in Australia. An organisation of major space agencies known as the Inter-agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) takes a lead role in monitoring threats from falling space junk and is running back-to-back simulations to work out when, and roughly where, the spacecraft’s remains will impact. If the IADC or the Ministry of Defence, via RAF Fylingdales, found that the UK was at risk, they would inform the Cabinet Office civil contingencies committee , which is responsible for alerting the emergency services. “There is a limit to what you can do in response, because you cannot give categorical information on where something is going to land. It would be irresponsible to order an evacuation, because you would put more people at risk than would ever be in danger from falling space debris,” said Richard Crowther, a space surveillance expert at the UK Space Agency . “Fortunately, we are a small target compared with other landmasses.” Predicting where the debris will land is difficult for two main reasons. Unpredictable rises in the sun’s activity warm the atmosphere and make it expand, which causes the spacecraft to experience more drag and re-enter more quickly. Another problem comes from uncertainties in the tracking of how the spacecraft disintegrates, which means that even just a few hours before impact, the region at risk will cover several thousand kilometres. Under an international treaty, governments are obliged to return any parts of the satellite that are found to the owner, in this case Nasa. The space agency urged anyone who suspected they had found debris from the spacecraft not to touch it and inform the local police. The satellite was launched in 1991 aboard the space shuttle Discovery and decommissioned in 2005. Wherever the spacecraft lands, it will give the relevant authorities valuable experience ahead of a potentially more dangerous event in early November, when the German Rosat satellite re-enters at 28,000kph . The German space agency, DLR, said up to 30 pieces of the spacecraft might survive re-entry, with a combined mass of more than one-and-a-half tonnes. Satellites Space Nasa Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Nasa estimates the odds of someone being struck by a falling part of the spacecraft at one in 3,200 The world’s major space agencies, armed forces and security officials have come together to monitor the heavens for a bus-sized spacecraft that will fall to Earth this week. In an event prompted by the rule that what goes up must come down, the defunct satellite will plummet through the atmosphere, burn and break apart, and scatter hunks of steel, aluminium and titanium over a distance of hundreds of miles. Much of Nasa’s nearly six-tonne Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) will disintegrate as it hurtles through the atmosphere, but the space agency anticipates that 26 potentially hazardous parts, weighing a total of 532kg, could remain intact and impact on the surface. The debris will spread over an estimated 500 miles. Among the parts expected to survive the fiery re-entry are four titanium fuel tanks, four steel flywheel rims and an aluminium structure that alone weighs 158kg. Depending on their size and shape, the components will strike at speeds of between 55mph (90kph) and 240mph (385kph). Radar stations around the world, including RAF Fylingdales in north Yorkshire, are tracking the object and expect it to re-enter the atmosphere between Thursday and Saturday, but there is little chance of predicting with any accuracy where the debris will fall. An update from Nasa on Wednesday said the satellite was 120 miles above the Earth and due to impact on Friday US time. The agency will issue further updates 24 hours before re-entry, then at 12, six and two hours before re-entry . The spacecraft’s orbit puts a great swathe of the planet in its path between the latitudes of 57 degrees north and south. Mainland Britain lies between 50 and 60 degrees North. The satellite spends more time at higher latitudes, so there is a slightly higher risk in those regions. Most likely by far is that the remains of the satellite will drop into the ocean, or be strewn across one of the planet’s most desolate regions, such as Siberia, the Australian outback or the Canadian tundra. Noting that safety was its top priority, Nasa declared the odds of someone being struck by a falling part of the spacecraft at one in 3,200. There are no confirmed injuries from man-made space debris and no record of significant property damage from a falling satellite. “Most of the Earth’s surface is covered by water or is uninhabited, so nobody tends to even see this kind of debris when it does land,” Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert at Southampton University , told the Guardian. “Those pieces that do survive re-entry have slowed down a lot, but they are still travelling quite fast. Because of their size, they would do significant damage if they hit a structure or a person, but the chances of that happening are remote,” he added. When Nasa’s Skylab fell to Earth in 1979, the space agency put the risk of personal injury at 1 in 152, with the odds of the defunct space station striking a city much higher. The partially-controlled Skylab missed its expected impact site in South Africa and crash-landed in Australia. An organisation of major space agencies known as the Inter-agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) takes a lead role in monitoring threats from falling space junk and is running back-to-back simulations to work out when, and roughly where, the spacecraft’s remains will impact. If the IADC or the Ministry of Defence, via RAF Fylingdales, found that the UK was at risk, they would inform the Cabinet Office civil contingencies committee , which is responsible for alerting the emergency services. “There is a limit to what you can do in response, because you cannot give categorical information on where something is going to land. It would be irresponsible to order an evacuation, because you would put more people at risk than would ever be in danger from falling space debris,” said Richard Crowther, a space surveillance expert at the UK Space Agency . “Fortunately, we are a small target compared with other landmasses.” Predicting where the debris will land is difficult for two main reasons. Unpredictable rises in the sun’s activity warm the atmosphere and make it expand, which causes the spacecraft to experience more drag and re-enter more quickly. Another problem comes from uncertainties in the tracking of how the spacecraft disintegrates, which means that even just a few hours before impact, the region at risk will cover several thousand kilometres. Under an international treaty, governments are obliged to return any parts of the satellite that are found to the owner, in this case Nasa. The space agency urged anyone who suspected they had found debris from the spacecraft not to touch it and inform the local police. The satellite was launched in 1991 aboard the space shuttle Discovery and decommissioned in 2005. Wherever the spacecraft lands, it will give the relevant authorities valuable experience ahead of a potentially more dangerous event in early November, when the German Rosat satellite re-enters at 28,000kph . The German space agency, DLR, said up to 30 pieces of the spacecraft might survive re-entry, with a combined mass of more than one-and-a-half tonnes. Satellites Space Nasa Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Nasa estimates the odds of someone being struck by a falling part of the spacecraft at one in 3,200 The world’s major space agencies, armed forces and security officials have come together to monitor the heavens for a bus-sized spacecraft that will fall to Earth this week. In an event prompted by the rule that what goes up must come down, the defunct satellite will plummet through the atmosphere, burn and break apart, and scatter hunks of steel, aluminium and titanium over a distance of hundreds of miles. Much of Nasa’s nearly six-tonne Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) will disintegrate as it hurtles through the atmosphere, but the space agency anticipates that 26 potentially hazardous parts, weighing a total of 532kg, could remain intact and impact on the surface. The debris will spread over an estimated 500 miles. Among the parts expected to survive the fiery re-entry are four titanium fuel tanks, four steel flywheel rims and an aluminium structure that alone weighs 158kg. Depending on their size and shape, the components will strike at speeds of between 55mph (90kph) and 240mph (385kph). Radar stations around the world, including RAF Fylingdales in north Yorkshire, are tracking the object and expect it to re-enter the atmosphere between Thursday and Saturday, but there is little chance of predicting with any accuracy where the debris will fall. An update from Nasa on Wednesday said the satellite was 120 miles above the Earth and due to impact on Friday US time. The agency will issue further updates 24 hours before re-entry, then at 12, six and two hours before re-entry . The spacecraft’s orbit puts a great swathe of the planet in its path between the latitudes of 57 degrees north and south. Mainland Britain lies between 50 and 60 degrees North. The satellite spends more time at higher latitudes, so there is a slightly higher risk in those regions. Most likely by far is that the remains of the satellite will drop into the ocean, or be strewn across one of the planet’s most desolate regions, such as Siberia, the Australian outback or the Canadian tundra. Noting that safety was its top priority, Nasa declared the odds of someone being struck by a falling part of the spacecraft at one in 3,200. There are no confirmed injuries from man-made space debris and no record of significant property damage from a falling satellite. “Most of the Earth’s surface is covered by water or is uninhabited, so nobody tends to even see this kind of debris when it does land,” Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert at Southampton University , told the Guardian. “Those pieces that do survive re-entry have slowed down a lot, but they are still travelling quite fast. Because of their size, they would do significant damage if they hit a structure or a person, but the chances of that happening are remote,” he added. When Nasa’s Skylab fell to Earth in 1979, the space agency put the risk of personal injury at 1 in 152, with the odds of the defunct space station striking a city much higher. The partially-controlled Skylab missed its expected impact site in South Africa and crash-landed in Australia. An organisation of major space agencies known as the Inter-agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) takes a lead role in monitoring threats from falling space junk and is running back-to-back simulations to work out when, and roughly where, the spacecraft’s remains will impact. If the IADC or the Ministry of Defence, via RAF Fylingdales, found that the UK was at risk, they would inform the Cabinet Office civil contingencies committee , which is responsible for alerting the emergency services. “There is a limit to what you can do in response, because you cannot give categorical information on where something is going to land. It would be irresponsible to order an evacuation, because you would put more people at risk than would ever be in danger from falling space debris,” said Richard Crowther, a space surveillance expert at the UK Space Agency . “Fortunately, we are a small target compared with other landmasses.” Predicting where the debris will land is difficult for two main reasons. Unpredictable rises in the sun’s activity warm the atmosphere and make it expand, which causes the spacecraft to experience more drag and re-enter more quickly. Another problem comes from uncertainties in the tracking of how the spacecraft disintegrates, which means that even just a few hours before impact, the region at risk will cover several thousand kilometres. Under an international treaty, governments are obliged to return any parts of the satellite that are found to the owner, in this case Nasa. The space agency urged anyone who suspected they had found debris from the spacecraft not to touch it and inform the local police. The satellite was launched in 1991 aboard the space shuttle Discovery and decommissioned in 2005. Wherever the spacecraft lands, it will give the relevant authorities valuable experience ahead of a potentially more dangerous event in early November, when the German Rosat satellite re-enters at 28,000kph . The German space agency, DLR, said up to 30 pieces of the spacecraft might survive re-entry, with a combined mass of more than one-and-a-half tonnes. Satellites Space Nasa Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
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