$5.1B Proposed in Sales, Upgrades, Weapons for Pakistan's F-16s (tags)
On June 28/06, the US DSCA notified Congress via a series of releases of its intention to provide Pakistan with a $5.1 billion Foreign Military Sales package to upgrade the F-16s that serve as the PAF's top of the line fighters. Some of these items had been put on hold following the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan & Kashmir, but the request for 36 new F-16 Block 50/52s is now going ahead following the required 30-day review period, along with new weapons, engine modifications, 60 F-16 upgrade kits that would cover Pakistan's older F-16 A/Bs plus other aircraft it might buy second-hand, and related equipment.
A 21st-century head count (tags)
The Census Bureau prepares to conduct a decennial census like no other it has performed in its 220-year history
The High Price of Cell Phones (tags)
Cell Phone technology has gone mainstream recently. Almost everyone, it seems, has a cell phone or similar device. The advantages of having this technology are readily available and promoted in the advertising for these products, but what about the drawbacks and dangers? This paper will shine some light on the dark side of widespread cell phone use, including possible radiation exposure and brain injury risk, increased risks of vehicle accidents, the disruptions caused by ringing phones and those who talk on them in inappropriate places, the financial costs of monthly fees and surcharges for services, the high turnover rate of phones resulting in large amounts of e-waste, hand muscle strains from using tiny keyboards, and the reduction of face-to-face personal contact.
UN Peacekeeping Paramilitarism (tags)
How UN peacekeepers are used as thuggish paramilitaries for empire.
Mt. Hood Tragedy - Is Bourgeois Press Causing Belief in Rescue Miracles? (tags)
Little has been said about the wisdom of their decision to attempt to scale one of the tallest mountains in the Cascade Range during the worst time of the year for such an adventure. I realize that the families of the victims are holding out hope that their loved ones will be found to have survived the hellish conditions they encountered this week; I do not wish to add to their suffering by publishing this article. It is in the interest of preventing the loss of lives in the future that I present this piece, as my research into this tragedy has turned up some very interesting information regarding the quality of information available to the public regarding weather conditions in the region, and the facilities available to those who attempt to scale these very dangerous peaks.
Activists Discover GPS Trackers Hidden in Their Cars (tags)
When Nicosia brought his device to GPS Solutions, a Boulder-based software developer of high-accuracy GPS technology, chief engineer Jim Johnson confirmed their suspicion. "This is definitely a GPS board," says Johnson, referring to one of the components of the device.
Liberia in the Bush administration’s crosshairs (tags)
This week, U.S. President George Bush embarked on his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. His five-day itinerary included Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria. Ironically, media attention has largely focused on another African country this week: Liberia.