With all the coverage of PRSIM and the NSA's data collection have been getting recently, it's no surprise that the US government is eager to rationalize its actions. The crux of the latest defense seems to be that the government isn't using its treasure trove of data very often: according to recently declassified documents, the NSA used the database to investigate less than 300 phone numbers last year. These efforts reportedly prevented terrorist actions in more than 20 countries.
It's a small assurance, but a vague one, and the NSA knows it -- according to the Associated Press, the organization is trying to get the records of these thwarted plots declassified to demonstrate the program's value to concerned citizens. The reveal of such data might be a convincing argument, but disquieting revelations continue to roll out: members of congress are now reporting that the NSA has acknowledged that it does not need court authorization to listen to domestic phone calls. Either way, we're certainly open to more government transparency.
How flames change the sound of a firefighters' personal safety alarmPublic release date: 31-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Catherine Meyers cmeyers@aip.org 301-209-3088 American Institute of Physics
The PASS, short for "Personal Alert Safety System," has been used by firefighters for thirty years to help track members of their team who might be injured and need assistance to escape a fire. Though the alarm has saved many lives, there are cases in which the device is working correctly but is not heard or not recognized. In one recent incident report from 2010, firefighters inside a burning building either did not hear or heard and then stopped hearing an alarm that was easily audible from outside the building.
Working with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a team of mechanical engineers from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been assessing whether flames might be partially responsible for these occurrences. The researchers will present their findings on how flames affect the sound of the PASS alarm at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013) in Montreal, to be held June 2-7, 2013.
"This study is the first time that the acoustics of the PASS device have been studied in this comprehensive a manner," says Mustafa Abbasi, a UT Austin graduate student who will present the team's work.
One aspect of the UT study involved making recordings of the PASS device in the presence of small, trash can-sized fires in a controlled laboratory setting. The team found that the development of the fire did indeed change the qualities of the alarm: just ten seconds after the fire was lit, the sound became muffled and quieter. And while the normal call of the device sounded like two distinct whistles one after the other, the fiery environment seemed to merge those two sounds into one. "It did not change beyond recognition but it was an audible change," Abbasi says. "We believe the effect will be magnified by larger fires," he adds.
A potential reason for the merging of the calls is that flames can change the direction of a sound. Fire is a very strong scatterer: a noise can bounce off of flames similar to the way it might ricochet off a wall, making it difficult for firefighters to determine from where the noise originated. Fire also creates a temperature gradient in a room, with hotter air at the top and cooler air at the bottom. Since sound travels faster through hot air, the merged sound of the PASS whistles might come from this speed discrepancy an overlap between two or more paths of sound.
Though it is too soon to make specific recommendations for changes to the device, the team believes that increasing the overall volume beyond its current setting of 95 decibels (dB) will be helpful. (95 dB is about as loud as a jack hammer from 50 feet away.) The UT Austin team also plans to test other types of signals that might be less difficult to distinguish in a noisy fire environment that includes the noise from fire alarms, generators, chainsaws, fans, fire hoses, the fire itself, radio chatter, and fire truck engines.
In addition to experimenting with the PASS device, the UT Austin researchers are examining the impact of protective gear (such as helmets) on a firefighter's ability to determine the source of sounds like a personal alarm or a rescue subject's calls for assistance. A second presentation on this subject will be made by UT Austin graduate student Joelle Suits.
###
Presentation 4aEAb4, "Measuring the acoustic response of a compartment fire," is in the morning session on Thursday, June 6. Abstract: http://asa.aip.org/web2/asa/abstracts/search.jun13/asa1074.html
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ICA 2013 MONTREAL
USEFUL LINKS:
Main meeting website: http://www.ica2013montreal.org/
Itinerary planner and technical program: http://acousticalsociety.org/meetings/ica-2013/
WORLD WIDE PRESS ROOM
ASA's World Wide Press Room will be updated with additional tips on dozens of newsworthy stories and with lay-language papers, which are 300-1200 word summaries of presentations written by scientists for a general audience and accompanied by photos, audio, and video.
PRESS REGISTRATION
We will grant free registration to credentialed journalists and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, contact Jason Bardi (jbardi@aip.org, 240-535-4954), who can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.
This news release was prepared for the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).
ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world's leading journal on acoustics), Acoustics Today magazine, ECHOES newsletter, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. For more information about ASA, visit our website at http://www.acousticalsociety.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
How flames change the sound of a firefighters' personal safety alarmPublic release date: 31-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Catherine Meyers cmeyers@aip.org 301-209-3088 American Institute of Physics
The PASS, short for "Personal Alert Safety System," has been used by firefighters for thirty years to help track members of their team who might be injured and need assistance to escape a fire. Though the alarm has saved many lives, there are cases in which the device is working correctly but is not heard or not recognized. In one recent incident report from 2010, firefighters inside a burning building either did not hear or heard and then stopped hearing an alarm that was easily audible from outside the building.
Working with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a team of mechanical engineers from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been assessing whether flames might be partially responsible for these occurrences. The researchers will present their findings on how flames affect the sound of the PASS alarm at the 21st International Congress on Acoustics (ICA 2013) in Montreal, to be held June 2-7, 2013.
"This study is the first time that the acoustics of the PASS device have been studied in this comprehensive a manner," says Mustafa Abbasi, a UT Austin graduate student who will present the team's work.
One aspect of the UT study involved making recordings of the PASS device in the presence of small, trash can-sized fires in a controlled laboratory setting. The team found that the development of the fire did indeed change the qualities of the alarm: just ten seconds after the fire was lit, the sound became muffled and quieter. And while the normal call of the device sounded like two distinct whistles one after the other, the fiery environment seemed to merge those two sounds into one. "It did not change beyond recognition but it was an audible change," Abbasi says. "We believe the effect will be magnified by larger fires," he adds.
A potential reason for the merging of the calls is that flames can change the direction of a sound. Fire is a very strong scatterer: a noise can bounce off of flames similar to the way it might ricochet off a wall, making it difficult for firefighters to determine from where the noise originated. Fire also creates a temperature gradient in a room, with hotter air at the top and cooler air at the bottom. Since sound travels faster through hot air, the merged sound of the PASS whistles might come from this speed discrepancy an overlap between two or more paths of sound.
Though it is too soon to make specific recommendations for changes to the device, the team believes that increasing the overall volume beyond its current setting of 95 decibels (dB) will be helpful. (95 dB is about as loud as a jack hammer from 50 feet away.) The UT Austin team also plans to test other types of signals that might be less difficult to distinguish in a noisy fire environment that includes the noise from fire alarms, generators, chainsaws, fans, fire hoses, the fire itself, radio chatter, and fire truck engines.
In addition to experimenting with the PASS device, the UT Austin researchers are examining the impact of protective gear (such as helmets) on a firefighter's ability to determine the source of sounds like a personal alarm or a rescue subject's calls for assistance. A second presentation on this subject will be made by UT Austin graduate student Joelle Suits.
###
Presentation 4aEAb4, "Measuring the acoustic response of a compartment fire," is in the morning session on Thursday, June 6. Abstract: http://asa.aip.org/web2/asa/abstracts/search.jun13/asa1074.html
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ICA 2013 MONTREAL
USEFUL LINKS:
Main meeting website: http://www.ica2013montreal.org/
Itinerary planner and technical program: http://acousticalsociety.org/meetings/ica-2013/
WORLD WIDE PRESS ROOM
ASA's World Wide Press Room will be updated with additional tips on dozens of newsworthy stories and with lay-language papers, which are 300-1200 word summaries of presentations written by scientists for a general audience and accompanied by photos, audio, and video.
PRESS REGISTRATION
We will grant free registration to credentialed journalists and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, contact Jason Bardi (jbardi@aip.org, 240-535-4954), who can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.
This news release was prepared for the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).
ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world's leading journal on acoustics), Acoustics Today magazine, ECHOES newsletter, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. For more information about ASA, visit our website at http://www.acousticalsociety.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
>>>we want to turn to the
severe weather
very likely across the nation's midsection. roughly 35 million people potentially at risk. the
weather channel
's mike bettis is chasing the storms today. he was on hand saturday when a big twister touched down in
kansas
. he's there live with more. mike, good morning.
>> reporter: lester
, good morning to you. it was quite a scene that unfolded yesterday here in
tornado alley
, as a barrage of twisters touched down. we happened to be chasing yesterday afternoon with the
weather channel
's tornado expert dr.
greg forbes
, and trust me when i tell you our view was up close and in person.
>>oh, it's right over us, but we can still see, it's in contact with the ground farther off to the northeast.
>>this is a one of a kind view. absolutely amazing. we're probably about, i'd say, half a mile or less from it. very close to you. the top of the storm --
>>wow.
>>-- very close to --
>>look right up there --
>>oh, yeah, the top -- the top of the tornado is less than a half mile -- from us. it's almost right overhead.
>> reporter: oh, it was an amazing view. believe it or not, as that tornado dissipated, we literally turned around, and less than 300 yards from us, another tornado racing across the wheat field in
kansas
. that one did very little damage, as most of the tornados did yesterday. three in all, from the same individual supercell thunderstorm. we can report that they did knock down
power lines
, did damage one home, have to report that the okay pant occupants made it out okay. an amazing view in
kansas
. the tornado threat ramp the up again today, and today could be one of the most violent tornado days we've had all day long in the u.s., and major
metropolitan areas
could be impacted.
lester
, we know from the
twin cities
, minneapolis, minnesota, all the way down to dallas, texas, we need to be on alert. of course, we'll be on top of it for you throughout the afternoon.
lester
, back to you.
>>incredible mans you shared with us, mike. i know you guys know what you're doing, but i'm compelled to say be careful out there, all right?
BAGHDAD (AP) ? Bombs ripped through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas Friday, killing at least 76 people in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months. The major spike in sectarian bloodshed heightened fears the country could again be veering toward civil war.
The attacks followed two days of bombings targeting Shiites, including bus stops and outdoor markets, with a total of 130 people killed since Wednesday.
Scenes of bodies sprawled across a street outside a mosque and mourners killed during a funeral procession were reminiscent of some of the worst days of retaliatory warfare between the Islamic sects that peaked in 2006-2007 as U.S. forces battled extremists on both sides.
Tensions have been intensifying since Sunnis began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government, including random detentions and neglect. The protests, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in northern Iraq on April 23.
Majority Shiites control the levers of power in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. Wishing to rebuild the nation rather than revert to open warfare, they have largely restrained their militias in the past five years or so as Sunni extremist groups such as al-Qaida have frequently targeted them with large-scale attacks.
Nobody claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks, but the fact they occurred in mainly Sunni areas raised suspicion that Shiite militants were involved. The bombs also were largely planted in the areas, as opposed to the car bombings and suicide attacks that al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni insurgents are known to use.
Talal al-Zobaie, a Sunni lawmaker, called on politicians across the religious and ethnic spectrum to put aside their differences and focus on protecting the nation.
"The terrorist attacks on Sunni areas today and on Shiite areas in the past two days are an indication that some groups and regional countries are working hard to reignite the sectarian war in Iraq," he said. "The government should admit that it has failed to secure the country and the people, and all security commanders should be replaced by efficient people who can really confront terrorism. Sectarianism that has bred armies of widows and orphans in the past is now trying to make a comeback in this country, and everybody should be aware of this."
The areas hit Friday were all former Sunni insurgent strongholds that saw some of the fiercest fighting of the U.S.-led war as sectarian rivalries nearly tore the country apart.
The deadliest blast struck worshippers as they were leaving the main Sunni mosque in Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. Another explosion went off shortly afterward as people gathered to help the wounded, leaving 41 dead and 56 wounded, according to police and hospital officials.
Grocery store owner Hassan Alwan was among the worshippers who attended Friday prayers in the al-Sariya mosque. He said he was getting ready to leave when he heard the explosion, followed by another a few minutes later.
"We rushed into the street and saw people who were killed and wounded, and other worshippers asking for help," he said. "I do not know where the country is headed amid these attacks against both Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq."
Baqouba was the site of some of the fiercest fighting between U.S. forces and insurgents. Al-Qaida in Iraq essentially controlled the area for years, defying numerous U.S. offensives aimed at restoring control. It also is the capital of Diyala province, a religiously mixed area that saw some of the worst atrocities as Shiite militias battled Sunni insurgents for control.
A roadside bomb exploded later Friday during a Sunni funeral procession in Madain, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad, killing eight mourners and wounding 11, police said. Two medical officials confirmed the casualties.
Another blast struck a cafe in Fallujah, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding nine, according to police and hospital officials.
Ahmed Jassim, a 26-year-old taxi driver, had to take a wounded friend to the Fallujah hospital after the attack.
"We used to meet every Friday to smoke shisha (a water pipe) and we thought we would have a good time today, but things turned into explosions and victims," he said, waiting outside the hospital.
In Baghdad, a bomb exploded near a shopping center during the evening rush hour in the mainly Sunni neighborhood of Amariyah, killing 21 people and wounding 32. That was followed by another bomb in a commercial district in Dora, another Sunni neighborhood, which killed four people and wounded 22, according to officials.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
"It is not a coincidence that the attacks were concentrated in some areas of one sect and then moved the next day into areas of the other sect," said Jawad al-Hasnawi, a lawmaker with the bloc loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
"It is clear that terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and Baathists are trying hard to reignite the sectarian war in Iraq," he added. "But the government bears full responsibility for this security chaos and it has to take quick and serious measures in order to stop the bloodshed, instead of just blaming other political blocs."
Al-Hasnawi added: "Today and yesterday, the Iraqi people paid for the failure of government security forces. Everybody should expect darker days full of even deadlier attacks."
Iraqis have grown used to a cycle of high-profile bombings.
It was the deadliest day since Sept. 9, 2012, when 92 people were killed, according to an Associated Press tally.
The attacks on Sunnis came after two days of car bombs targeting Shiite areas in Baghdad and other attacks that left 33 dead on Wednesday and 21 dead on Thursday.
The violence against a Sunni Muslim house of worship represented a trend that has been on the rise. About 30 Sunni mosques have been attacked from mid-April to mid-May, killing more than 100 worshippers. It also comes against the backdrop of the civil war in neighboring Syria that also has taken on sectarian undertones and frequently spilled across the border.
In the southern city of Basra, hundreds of Iraqis attended the funeral of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Several such funerals have been held in recent months as Iraqi Shiite fighters have trickled into Syria to fight for President Bashar Assad's regime. The Assad government is dominated by the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, which is fighting mostly Sunni rebels.
____
Associated Press writers Kim Gamel in Cairo and Nabil al-Jurani in Basra contributed to this report.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) ? President Barack Obama's trip to Latin America had a decidedly domestic feel, with issues such as immigration, energy and education that are in the forefront of U.S. political debate also dominating his talks with regional leaders.
The shared priorities show how closely entwined the U.S. is with its southern neighbors. These ties stem not only from geography, but also from the growing number of Hispanics living in the United States ? and their rapidly increasing political power.
"The United States recognizes our fates are tied up with your success," Obama said Saturday during an economic forum in San Jose, the Costa Rican capital where he wrapped up his three-day trip.
"If you are doing well, we will do better. And if we are doing well, we think your situation improves," he said.
Obama's stops in Mexico and Costa Rica marked his first visit to Latin America since winning re-election last November. His second-term victory resulted in part from the overwhelming support he received from Hispanic voters.
The election results have led Republicans to reconsider their opposition to overhauling U.S. immigration laws, and a bipartisan bill is now being considered on Capitol Hill.
The immigration debate is under close watch in Latin America, and Obama was asked often about it. He used the opportunity to address the concerns of Republican lawmakers, who argue that the U.S. must secure its 2,000-mile border with Mexico before offering a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million people already in the U.S. illegally.
Appealing to congressional concerns over spending, Obama said he is looking for ways for Mexico to pick up some of the cost of enforcing security at the border.
"When it comes to borders, they're shared," he said. "Are there ways in which we can share some of the costs of continual infrastructure upgrades?"
Obama was greeted warmly in Costa Rica, with crowds gathering along the roads in San Jose to watch his motorcade speed from the economic forum to the airport, where Air Force One waited to take him back to Washington.
Obama's agenda in Costa Rica included meetings with President Laura Chinchilla and talks with several Central American leaders. The president opened his visit Thursday in Mexico, where he held talks with new President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Throughout his trip, Obama tried to play down the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime that has dominated the U.S. relationship with Latin America for years.
He aimed to recast the relationship as one centered on economic issues, arguing that boosting jobs and growth is a central part of resolving the region's security issues.
"It's very hard to create a strong economy when people are personally feeling insecure," he told an audience of business and community leaders at Saturday's economic forum.
During a question-and-answer session, Obama was pressed about clean energy and early childhood education, two issues he has been promoting at the start of his second term.
On education, Obama highlighted a proposal from his State of the Union address to significantly expand prekindergarten education, calling it the single most effective way to boost educational outcomes in the U.S.
But the president said he was unsure whether his plan would pass. Republican lawmakers are reluctant to expand the scope of government, and even more resistant to new taxes, such as the nearly $1-per-pack federal tax on cigarettes Obama proposed in his budget this year to pay for the expanded schooling.
"It's always a struggle to get new revenue for worthy endeavors," Obama said.
He also pressed for energy cooperation between the U.S. and Central America, which has high energy costs but also substantial renewable energy resources. Companies in the region are among those petitioning the U.S. Department of Energy for exports of U.S. stockpiles of liquefied natural gas.
Federal law requires approval of natural gas exports to countries that have a free-trade agreement with the United States, including Mexico. For countries that do not have such an agreement with the U.S., the department is required to grant applications for export authorizations.
Obama said a decision on the permits would be coming soon, and he urged the two regions to enhance cooperation on technology, infrastructure and expertise needed to advance a long-term transition away from oil and gas.
"If any of us find good answers to renewable energy, that will spread like wildfire and everyone will benefit," Obama said.
The president's trip coincided with the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's visit to the region. The influence of Kennedy's visit still loomed large, with Obama and his counterparts frequently citing the themes Kennedy espoused, including expanding economic opportunity for all people and strengthening ties between governments and the private sector.
"For me to be able to visit 50 years later and to see how much progress has been made both in the region and in the ties between the United States and Central America, I think indicates that President Kennedy's vision was sound," Obama said.
This illusion will have you doubting what's real and what's just a piece of paper. Because what you think is a real hand becomes a photograph of a hand and then what you think is a photograph becomes real but then it becomes fake again. Confusing? Yes, my mind has jiggled around after watching this video. Yours will too.
The illusion was created by Willie Witte. Witte writes:
I'm testing an experimental process of printing out still frames from videos and using them to create these transitions.
It's awesome how nothing in the video is computer generated. You're not being fooled by complete digital trickery, you're just getting fooled by really smart right-in-your-face trickery. [Willie Witte via BoingBoing]
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tej0gShYmf-8M41rQLjAYUCD6ZrABVIb2bfmditAU_3WGu2bXduDsJ3I3Gv9Fkhi4aawaihe1Mqxbo0ik55zm6vtFJtuqT_Pz0z8UzNZY=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 31-May-2013
Share ] 
