A lot has been said about the rental power since 2008, when I first heard it from ther HORSE's mouth (the person who had come to give the SALES PITCH), when the Petroleum Miinister visited Houston. It is really very stupid to let not only the people of Pakistan suffer everyday due to lack of electricity (8 to 14 hours), but also it has DECREASED the productivity (in all respects) of the nation. Being a Physicist I can tell you that all other options, like Hydel Power, Coal, etc. will not cure the problems TOMORROW, but it will take at least ten hours plus MILLIONS of DOLLARS of INVESTMENT (mostly borrowed money) when the people will start receiving ELECTRONS (Electricity) through the GRID (which cannot serve the entire geogrphical areas). THe only viable Solution is to use Renewable Energy Sources (such as SOLAR, WIND, and SMALL HYDRO), that can serve the needs of people (from POOR to RICH) in the nation, without further placing the country under ADDITIONAL DEBT.
I was in Shanghai, China during the first week of May, 2010, to attend the world's largest Solar Conference/Exhibition with 1300 exhibition booths), where the Chinese proved that not only CHINA will lead the world in Solar Technology, but they also shattered the myth of SOLAR being "too - EXPENSIVE." Compared to prices, two or three years ago, when the cost of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules was about $ 5 (dollars) per Watt, which has dropped down to $1.2 Dollars per Watt in 2010. By adding the cost of Charge Controllers/Inverters, plus hardware, the cost has come down to about $ 3.5 Dollars per Watt (installed system). There is no COST of SUNLIGHT, coming directly to each one of us everyday FREE as a gift from our Creator, and the life of these (Crystalline Silicon PV Technology) PV Modules is more than 20 Years, and since there are no moving parts, Solar Systems require least amount of maintenance. Throughout the developed world, a policy of Connecting this Electrical source to the GRID (first formulatred by Pres. Jimmy Carter in 1978) has been adopted, whereby, the Electric Utility companies are required by law to buy Electricity produced through Solar Energy by the consumer is bought back (through Grid-Tie systems). This makes everyone a winner, the Consumers earn money by sending Solar Electricity to the Grid (through their existing meter, which reads the diffference of energy to be billed), and it helps the society by decreasing the need for building more Power Generating Stations. This in turn helps the Environment to reduce the Air Pollution, which effects the changes in the Climate by reduced Earth Warming (a realty not fiction). Solar Systems are avaialble from 15-Watts to Several Kilo-Watts, and now Solar PV Farms approaching 500 Mega-Watts (largest to be built by Chinese in Arizona by the Chinese). These solar systems are within the affordable limits of all users, and do not require further burden on the nation for further indebtedness, and bribes associated with them (ref. book by John Perkins," Confessions of an Economic Hit Man."). Grid-Tie Solar PV Systems are being used as attractive facdes for Sky Scrappers in New York City and other places. More poweful systems can be utilzed that use Heat of the Sunlight to operate a Sterling Engine- operated Generators and can produce from 1 kilo-Watt to 20 kilo-Watt of Energy.
For 24-hour usage, Storage Batteries can be used to store energy like we do in automobiles. Such battery backed systems are being used in rural areas and cities as sources of Alternate power needed in places like Polic Stations, Hospitals, and Disaster Relief situations, and many more. A company in America produces flexible(transparent) Plastic (Conducting Polymer) sheets which can be hung like attractive drapes in windows , to catch any amount of light and convert it to electricity. Such plastic shheets are combined with canvass material used infabricating tents (for military and disaster relief needs, eliminating the need for heavy and noisy generators, and bulky battery packs). Such plastic is now being incorporated in Ski Jackets, ladies hand-bags, men's brief cases to serve as emergency Cell-phone chargers and other tasks. SOLAR ENERGY IS THE ULTIMATE and VIABLE SOLUTION FOR PAKISTAN and the REST OF THE WORLD, (but not the FOSSIL FUELS, which won't last more than 200 hundred year, but the SUN will keep on shining till the LAST DAY.
You install the system today, and next day it starts converting LIGHT (any amount from any source, SUN or lamps-indoors, etc) into ELECTRICITY. This is the advantage of SOLAR PV Technology (as yiou don't have to wait for ten years). In Europe, people propel boats in the rivers and seaside with Solar Power. Recently (2010), a Solar PV Powered Plane in Swizerland, piloted by a HUMAN-being, set a record of 48 hours of flight in the air without any Petrol or Gasoline fuel.
Bashir A. Syed
Retired Aerospace Physicist
Member: Amer. Phys. Soc., IEEE, Union of Concerned Scientists, Amer. Solar Energy Soc., and Sr. Member International Solar Energy Society.
REFERENCES (Eye-Opening!)
(1) Map of World Oil Reserves, data provided by British Petroleum (BP) and posted on the Web at:
http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_fullscale.php?mapID=505&theme=6
(2) PETROLISTAN: Oil & War. a 30 page PDF File posted on the web at www.environmentaldirectory.info ; Edited and Produced by Paul Robins , (as part of "The Houston Environmental Directory,") P.O. Box 1374, Austin, TX 78767 in 2007.
Friday, December 17, 2010
War radiation
Radiation Environment, Whole Body X-Ray Scanners & Cancers
by
Bashir A. Syed
There are two kinds of Natural Radiation Sources:
(1) Ionizing Radiation: Charged Particles, e.g. electrons, protons, and atoms that have lost
or gained, and naturally occurring radioactive substances (like Radium, Thorium, and Uranium,
etc. present in the earth. High energy Solar Protons, and galactic Cosmic Rays.
Non-ionizing Radiation: neutrons, and Electromagnetic Waves covering a broad spectrum
of wavelengths or frequencies, whose energy according to Quantum Theory is proportional to
frequency (f); “E=h x f” or inversely proportional wavelength “l”, (hc/l), where h is Plank’s constant and “c” is speed of light.
* It is estimated that we receive 87 % of radiation from Natural Sources in
following proportion:
1. Radon gas: 32 %
2. Gamma rays : 19%
3. Internal: 17%
4. Cosmic Rays: 14%
(2) The Second kind is Artificially created or man-made Radiation
Environment for Medical diagnostics, Airport Security screenings by TSA, and DU weapons,
etc.: examples artificially produced radio-isotopes, Medical X-rays, fallout from open air
nuclear tests conducted since 1945, radi0, TV, radar, and now cell-phones
* It is estimated that we receive ~ 13% of radiation from man-made or
artificial Sources as follows:
1. Medical diagnostic ~ 11.5 %
2. Fallout: ~ 0.5%
3. Miscellaneous ~ 0.5% - includes Cell phones, and Lasers
4. Nuclear discharge from Power Reactors ~0.1%
Classified Work done at Los Alamos National Labs (LANL) during the Manhattan Project, the
scientists wanted to learn the effects of radioactive materials inside human body, and all this
research was wrapped under the cover of secrecy labeled as “Classified.” During Clinton’s
administration, old classified documents dating back to mid forties, were declassified by Hazel
O’Leary, Secretary of Energy, which divulged very significant information regarding un-ethical radiation experiments conducted by “scientists without conscience” at LANL by injecting Uranium and Plutonium in the bodies of terminally ill patients, without their explicit consent. And they also knew that since the Density of Uranium was larger than that of Lead, such a material could be utilized to make explosive shells that could penetrate thick layers of sheet metal of which some of the armor, like tanks, were made from thick sheets of steel as “tank buster,” weapons. .
Unfortunately, the Defense department decided to use Depleted Uranium in the war theatre as “Tank Busters,” and to continue the collateral damage for millennia to come, as the half life
of DU is about 4.2 Billion years. Thus as a scientist with years of experience in Radiation safety
matters, I can say that in this case Genetics has very little to do in causing cancer.
Under international law, Uranium being a heavy element is considered extremely toxic, and its
deliberate use as a weapon is not only inhuman, but also considered as a crime against
humanity.
Projectiles are made from Uranium –238 (akaU-238), radioactive waste, where the Radioactivity of U-238 is ~ 3.4 Mbq (mega-becquerel or nuclear disintegrations per second), and total emissions of alpha-particles from surface is 1,198/second, and for beta-particles it is 35,914 per second. When Depleted Uranium is mixed with radioactive waste it becomes a radiological weapon. Any skin contact with such projectiles containing radioactive waste produces necrosis and ulceration of the skin. Under Internal Laws, Uranium is classified as heavy-element resulting in high toxicity, and use of such toxic substances is not only inhuman, but also a crime against humanity.
Moreover, the debris of Uranium will remain radioactive for more than 12 Billion years, and any interaction with human beings it will pose a serious health hazards for billions of years to
innocent people (especially children who play in the dirt).
* Deformed Iraqi Babies caused by Radiation due to USA use of Depleted Uranium: Look at the horrible pictures: (1) Google search keywords: [Deformed Fetuses, Effected by Depleted Uranium, Pictures], and (2) Specific Website: http://www.aztlan.net/du_deformed_iraqi_babies.htm
It not only affected the IRAQIS, Bosnians, and Arabs, but LIFE Magazine in a 1990’s Issue on its Cover had a picture of a Gulf War Veteran with his Deformed Child, to let the world know what Horrible effects were caused by Radiation from Depleted Uranium Munitions.
* Isotopic contents of Depleted Uranium or DU: [(99.75 % U-238) + (0.25 % U-235) +
(0.006% U-234), where half lives of each isotope are: (4.5 Billion Years for U-238), (0.71
Billion Years for U-235) and (0.25 Million years for U-234).
U.S. used A-10 Warthog fighter planes firing 4,000 rounds of DU fortified 30-mm shells in the
Iraq-Saudi-Kuwait, 1990 - Gulf War theatre, and a total of 940,000 shells were fired making
the entire area contaminated with radioactive debris. Later NATO forces used similar DU
munitions, causing more contamination in Bosnia-Serbia theatre of war, leaving behind
radioactive debris all over the place in these two regions, where the DU contaminated soil will
continue killing the people through cancer and brain tumors for millennia to come. God only
knows how much more DU contamination was deliberately produced during operation “IRAQI-
Freedom,” in 2003, and in Afghanistan/Pakistan region as part of continuing “War on Terror.”
Summary of the Impact of DU weapons on the health as Cancer/Tumor producer, after the Gulf
War and in Bosnian Conflict:
The observations revealed that the incidence of Cancer had increased manifold when after
busting the tanks was scattered as debris over 845,000 tons of edible wild plants (consumed by
humans as well as cattle (e.g. cows, and sheep, etc) contaminating with DU dust or discarded as junk, entering the food chain would enter human bodies and ultimately lead to causing
cancers/rumors of various kinds (from the ionizing radiation emitted by Uranium).
The frequency of incidence and distribution of different types of cancers from observed
data obtained between 1984 and 1990, and between 1997 and & 1998, comparison for
Cancer cases (among male & female population) showed a 5-fold in (prevalent --> lung,
leukemia, breast, skin lymphoma and liver), and solid tumors were more frequent (see
references). In the region of Al-Muthana and Thee Qar, where Republican Guards were
concentrated, these areas were bombed using explosives containing DU, causing extensive
contamination with radio-active Uranium.
Following is a list of Cancers prevalent in the population and War Veterans of Gulf War where
Depleted Uranium or DU weapons were used extensively, and later by NATO forces in Bosnian conflict.
Types of Cancers Detected (and reported in the literature):
Bones; Brain, Breast, Colon, Gastro-intestinal, Leukemia, Liver, Lymphoma, Lyranx, Myeloma, Nephroma, Ovaries, Pancreas, Peri-anal Tumors, Salivary Glands, Testicular, and Uterus.
Before the Gulf War, the only cancers observed in the decreasing order of frequency were:
Lung, Lymphoma, Larynx, Leukemia and Breast.
But the observations on people during 1997-98 disclosed changes as follows (where X means
“times”): Lung (5X); Lymphoma (4X); Breast (6X); Larynx (4X); Skin (11X).
And among less prevalent diseases, the increase is even sharper: Uterus (~ 10X); Colon (~6X);
hyper-nephroma (~7X); malignant-myeloma (~16X); Liver (~11X); Ovaries (~16X); and peri-
anal tumors (~20X).
Effect on Iraq War Veterans (sample of 1425, exposed during 1991-97), and age ( ranging
between 19 years to 50 years), the overall increase cancer was as follows:
Lymphoma (~ 30%); Leukemia ( ~ 23%); Lung (~15%); Brain (~ 11% ); Gastro-intestinal &
Bone (each ~ 4%); Pancreatic ( ~3%); and Liver & Salivary glands (~ each ~ 2%).
War Veterans not directly exposed: Lung (~25%); gastro-intestinal ~20%); Leukemia (~15%);
Liver (~10%)’ Bone (~9%); and Brain )~7%).
After-effects to Children born to War Veterans: Percent of Still Births (~ 1.9%); Congenital
anomalies (~ 5.2%); and secondary infertility (~5.7%).
NATO Forces used DU weapons during 1995 Bosnian conflict/ having similar results.
The worst part is that because of long half-life of Depleted Uranium (~ 4.2 Billion years) this
silent killer will go on killing many innocent people without ever knowing for billions of years to come (5 times the half-life), no match with the propaganda about possibility of damage caused by a hypothetical dirty bomb drum-beat over the media and Frankenstein movies produced by Hollywood, and in one such movie Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) participated as an actress to enhance the fear of people might have the guns but do not possess an Air Force (as defined by William Blum, Ref. #6). .
Deformed Iraqi Babies caused by USA use of Depleted Uranium during the Gulf War: Look at the horrible pictures: (1) Google search keywords: [Deformed Fetuses, Effected by Depleted Uranium, Pictures], and (2) Specific Website: http://www.aztlan.net/du_deformed_iraqi_babies.htm
It not only affected the IRAQIS, Bosnians, and Arabs, but LIFE Magazine in a 1990’s Issue on its Cover had a picture of a Gulf War Veteran with his Deformed Child, to let the world know what Horrible effects were caused by Radiation from Depleted Uranium Munitions
REFERENCES:
1. Frank Close, Michael Martin, and Christine Sutton, ”The Particle Explosion,” Oxford
University Press, New York, 1987 and 1994. ISBN 0-19-853999-2 (pbk).
2. Eileen Welsome, “Plutonium Files,” Dial Press, Random House, New York 1999. Note: After declassification of documents pertaining to Los Alamos National Labs by Hazel O’
Leary, Secretary U.S. Dept. of Energy (1993-97), during Clinton Administration, the
author sifted through these documents and found some astonishing things (described on
pages 253-263) about inhalation hazards of radioactive dust caused by detonation of
nuclear devices, which were not disclosed to the military personnel. Another surprise was
about the scientists who experimented on terminal patients by injecting Plutonium and
Uranium in their bodies with their explicit permission and knowledge about the hazards
of radio-activity from these elements.
Learn more from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/unethical_human_experimentation_in_the_United_States about unethical Radiation experiments (never talked about) radiation experiments and much more conducted by U.S. Scientists under Government Contracts, which will blow your mind. The same or worse has been repeated by Israeli scientists, including recently revealed sale of human organs obtained from dead or killed Palestinians by Jewish Rabbis, arrested in New Jersey in 2010.
3. Ramsey Clark (former U.S. Attorney General) et al. “Depleted Uranium – METAL of
DISHONOR: How the Pentagon RADIATES Soldiers & Civilians with DU Weapons,”
2nd Edition, International Action Center, New York 1999. ISBN 0-9656916-0-8.
Special Section – Second Edition:
(I) Baghdad – International Scientific Symposium in December, 2-3, 1998– S1: Reported by Ashraf El_Bayoumi
(II) DU Used in Bosnia by NATO in 1995 – S7: Report from the Experts Group, by Prof. Dr. Dragoljub Ristie.
(III) Medical Consequences of Internal Contamination with DU , by Dr. Asaf
Durakovic, MD, DVM, MSc, PhD, and FACP.
4. G. C. Messenger and M.S. Ash, “The Effects of Radiation on Electronic Systems,” Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. 1986. ISBN 0-442-25417-2.
5. Ronald Kitchen, “RF and Microwave Radiation Safety, 2nd Edition, Newnes, Oxford UK. 1993, 95, 2000, and 2001. ISBN 0-7506-43552.
6. “Electric and Magnetic Fields from 60 Hertz Electric Power: What do we know about possible health risks,” Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon
University, PA 15213, 3rd Printing, 1989.
7. Major General Bengt Anderberg and Dr. Myron L. Wolbarsht,” LASER WEAPONS:
The Dawn of a New Military Age,” [Chapter II – Military Applications, pages 43-63]
Plenum Press, New York & London 1992. ISBN 0-306-44329-5. Lasers have been used to blind pilots, and Laser Designators as a Military tool for precision guidance of munitions or guiding a plane to land at designated location.
8. Ernest Sternglass, “SECRET FALLOUT – Low-Level Radiation from Hiroshima to Three-Mile Island,” [Introduction by George Wald, Noble Laureate in Physiology and Medicine], McGraw-Hill Book Co, New York 1972 & 1981 (pbk). ISBN 0-07-061242-0.
[This is a very important and revealing book showing various cover-ups of Radiation fallout accidents that produced cancers cluster’s erroneous dose calculation based on wrong assumptions, as discussed in Chapter 3. Related to May and June fallouts in Albany-Trot area during 1952, and St. George Utah area on May 19, 1953. To add insult to injury, The New York State Health Department never kept updated records of children suffering from Leukemia, but the records were manipulated. Same thing happened to the studies of Strontium 90, in the milk which also caused genetic defects leading to childhood cancer. But the “classified” measurements made by the AEC’s New York Lab had shown that the entire upstate New York area received heavy fallout on April 26, 1953.
Wikipedia article on Backscatter_X-rays http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backscatter_X-ray under a paragraph titled “Technical Countermeasures (against Whole Body scanners),” has suggestions for those who want to prevent either the loss of privacy or possibility of health problems or genetic damage that might be associated with being subjected to a back scatter X-Ray scan. One company sells “X-ray absorbing underwear” which is said to have X-ray absorption equivalent to 0.5 mm of lead. Another product, Flying Pasties “are designed to obscure the most private parts of the human body when entering full-body airport scanners,” but their description does not seem to claim any protection from the X-ray beam penetrating the body of the person being scanned. (another absurd scam like all items confiscated from airlines passengers are sold in a store in Atlanta, GA, by the TSA). Millimeter wave scanners can cause serious burns on the skin, as shown on CBS-News 60-Minute Program causing excruciating pain, if exposure exceeds the designated time.
Similar lies are posted on the official TSA website in the paragraph titled Passenger Acceptance (www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/index.shtm> claiming that over 99 % of passengers choose to be screened by this technology, is another blatant lie. And it also quotes a new CBS poll which says, “4 out of 5 Americans support” the use of this technology (reducing 99% figure to 80% in the same paragraph).
9. Daniel Ford, “MELT DOWN: The Secret Papers of the Atomic Energy Commission-Three-Mile Island , Chernobyl, . . . Where Next?” Touchstone Books, Simon and Schuster, New York 1982, 84 & 86. ISBN 0-671-63449-6 (Pbk).
10. John J. Berger, “NUCLEAR POWER: The Unviable Option,” [Foreword by Senator Mike Gravel, and introduction by Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of two Noble Prize Winner (Chemistry & Peace), Dell Publishing Co., New York 1977. ISBN 0-440-355994-5. (pbk).
11. Andrew and Leslie Cockburn,” DANGEROUS LIAISON: The Inside Story of the U.S.-Israeli Covert Relationship,” Harper Collins Publishers, New York 1990. ISBN 0-06-016444-1.
{ This book describes how two serious nuclear blackmails occurred in U.S. (1) at Kerr-Mcgee’s Cimarron Plutonium Plant in Oklahoma City during 70’s and led to un-wanten death of a Nuclear Technician, Karen Silkwood, who was on her way to hand over a folder containing information about sixty pounds of missing Plutonium ( known as Material Un-accounted For or MUF, which was sent o Israel) to a New York Times Reporter waiting for her at a Motel across town on Nov. 13, 1974, and (2) How Dr. Mordechai Zalman Shapiro, CEO of NUMEC Corporation, shipped an estimated 572 lbs of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) of MUF to Israel from an Apollo, PA Uranium plant. After a lengthy inquiry by AEC and FBI, he was fined $989,000, and the whole case was quashed. The third case was the hijacking of a cargo ship during 1968 in Mediterranean, containing several-thousand tons of Uranium ore, that was transferred to an Israeli vessel and taken to Haifa, Israel. No one in U.S. ever mentioned about it except its mention in the next reference # 12 mentioned below.
12. Ian Black & Benny Morris, “ISRAEL’S SECRET WARS: A History of Israel’s Secret Services,” Grove Weidenfeld, New York 1990. ISBN 0-8021-3286-3.
[The most important incident in Zionist History was known a as Lavon Affair in July 1954, when Zionist Terrorists infiltrated Alexandria and Cairo Egypt and planted bombs at American institutions to conduct Terror against U.S. interests in Egypt, in order to blame them on Arabs, but were discovered and the perpetrators were brought to justice
13. Richard Deacon, THE ISRAELI SECRET SERVICE,” Taplinger Publishing Co., New York 1980. ISBN 0-8008-4267-7 (pbk) [Chapter 9: pages 118-131, “Yuval Ne’eman’s Technological Revolution,” provides a glimpse of how Israel used technology on captured Arab soldiers during the 6-Day War, and thousands of prisoners in Eshkelon Jail, and other detention centers, where humans have been used as guinea-pigs to test radiation and torture technology, and medical experiments. Recent revelation through arrested Jewish Rabbis in New Jersey, unearthed a world-wide body parts sale business scam related to organs of Palestinians men, women and children, sold for transplants.
14. Nixon, Israel and the Bomb – an article by Avner Cohen & William Burr, “ISRAEL CROSSES THE THRESHOLD: When President Richard Nixon took office he was confronted with evidence that Israel would soon have the Bomb Newly “declassified”
documents divulge what happened next.”, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, pages 22-30,
May/June 2006. (Photographic evidence collected during Eisenhower administration
through U-2 Spy Plane flights over Negev Desert, and confirmed by an Israeli nuclear
technician, Mordechai Vanunu, who delivered a roll of film containing photographs taken
inside the Dimona bomb factory, which were published after verification by Sunday
Times on October 5, 1986). The authors disclose the dirty role played by Henry
Kissinger before Golda Meir’s visit to Washington, DC on September 9, 1969. Kissinger
produced a top secret agreement known as National Security Study Memorandum
(“NSSM 40”) aka “Don’t Ask, Don/t Test Treaty with Israel, which gave the Green Light
to Israel to go on building more nukes (estimated as more than 300 in the arsenal) while
U.S. will look the other way as long as these weapons are not tested. Nut lo and behold,
Israelis tested their first device with the help of South Africa’s Apartheid Government, in
South Atlantic whose light flashes were recorded by a VELA Satellite over the South
Atlantic on September 22, 1979. The Executive Office of the President, Office of Science
and Technology Policy after learning this detection appointed an Ad Hoc Panel, which
produced its Report on July 15, 1980. It was a white-wash to declare that it was false
alarm caused by faulty instruments aboard the VELA satellites meant to detect any nuclear
tests around the globe, and that was the end of the story placed in the cold storage. See
reference below.
July 7, 1981 Iraq’s Osirak Nuclear Reactor under construction by the French, was bombed and blown out on July 7, 1981, by Israelis killing the French engineers. I had watched a 16-mm film during February, 1981 at General Electric Co, showing how the newly developed Infra-Red Technology could be used for this purpose. The Israeli F-16 fighters for long duration flights, were outfitted with special large size fuel tanks by Grumman, another U.S. Defense contractor.
15. Mark Gaffney, “DIMONA THE THIRD TEMPLE? The Story Behind the Vanunu
Revelation,” Amana Books, Brattleboro, VT 1989. ISBN 0-915597-77-2. (pbk).
[This book discloses the first Israeli Nuclear Test in South Atlantic with the help of South Africa which was detected by instruments placed in the VELA satellite. But a Presidential Ad-Hoc Committee a year later in their report washed it away by declaring a false alarm due to faulty instruments in that satellite, and nothing was ever mentioned later. Mark Griffin provided all details in this book].
16. William Blum, “ROGUE STATE: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower,”
3rd Edition, Common Courage Press, Monroe, Maine 2005. ISBN 1-56751-374-3.
[This is a book that everyone ought to read to learn about the hypo-critic standards used by U.S. and test of CB-Weapons not only at home on their own citizens but also to destroy crops and vegetation in other countries using CB warfare (to destroy crops), even reported by Scientific American magazine by Prof Malcolm Dando, of Bradford University, in UK.
[A must read book – Part II- United States’ Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction, pages 121 –
160, reveals things never heard before.]
17. Danny Schechter, “WHEN NEWS LIES – Media Complicity and the Iraq War,” [Including a DVD – “Weapons of Mass Deception” or WMD], Select Books, Inc., New York 2006.
ISBN 1-56584-740-7. (pbk). [This is a bombshell for MEDIA).
18. Dr. Helen Caldicott, “NEW NUCLEAR DANGER: George H.W. Bush’s Military-Industrial Complex,” The New Press, New York 2002. ISBN 1-56584-740-7. (pbk)..
19. “Grace Halsell, “ Prophecy And Politics: The Secret Alliance Between Israel and the U.S. Christian Right,” Lawrence-Hill Books, Chicago, IL 1986. ISBN 1-55652-054-9. [Late Grace Halsell, who served as speech writer for President Lyndon B. Johnson, revealed in this book how the Zionists collaborated with the Evangelists to legitimize the occupation of Palestine by brainwashing through their sermons that God gave this land to Israelis as mentioned in the Bible, and used late Jerry Falwell to give him a private plane to propagate hatred against Islam. (as seen on CBS 60-Minutes Program, which was his last TV appearance before his death.)
20. The National Insecurity Council, ”IT’S A CONSPIRACY: The Shocking Truth About America’s Favorite Theories!” Earth Works Press, Berkeley, California 1992. ISBN 1-879682-10-9. [ pages 115 & 116, “Little Nayirah’s Tale – Disinforming the World by George H. W. Bush for waging the war against Iraq – “Operation Desert Storm” for OIL]
21. 103d Congress, 2d Session, SENATE Report: “U.S. CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE-RELATED DUAL USE EXPORTS TO IRAQ AND THEIR POSSIBLE IMPACT ON THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF THE PERSIAN GULF WAR,” A Report of Chairman Donald W. Reigle, Jr. and Ranking Member Alfonse M. D’Amato of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, with respect to Export Administration, United States Senate, May 25, 1994. This 198 page report reveals the Names of CB Agents, Dates of Shipments to Iraqi Laboratories as Destinations, Legitimately Exported to Iraq, from February 25,1985 to November 28, 1989. These facts were totally distorted not only by the Bush administration but blown out of proportion “as Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD’s,” to brain-wash people around the globe about a horrible Monster Saddam Hussein living like a Jolly Green Giant, on a Green Bean-Stalk known as IRAQ. NOTHING BUT LIES!
22 Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Explosive Detection Technology, November 13-15, 1991. Document No. DOT/FAA/CT-92/11, FAA Technical center, Atlantic City International airport, New Jersey 08405. Edited by Dr. Siraj M. Khan.U.S. Dept. of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration.
This was a very important pre-planned Symposium, long time prior to WTC events on September 9, 2001, in which more than 100 technical papers were presented by scientists employed by Defense Contractors (to enhance their business opportunities exploiting the Fear tactics . A total of fifteen foreign governments including France, Germany, Israel, UK, and a large number of U.S. government agencies such as FBI, DoD, and Doe were represented.
Here is the brief summary based on different categories, describing Number of papers, and Companies/Labs involved:
1. General: 8.
2. Nuclear Technology:11. SAIC, Westinghouse, Harwell Instruments, ORNL, BDM, Spec. tech. Labs, and UC-SB
3. Accelerators: 3. Grumman Space Systems, LBNL, Triumph-Can.
4. X-Rays & Gamma-Rays: 9. MIT, Notingham Polytechnic, TITAN Spectron, LLNL, Amer. Sc Tech Engg., Fort Washington, Microwave Associates, SAIC, Vivid Tech., Immatron Federal Systems, and IRT Corp.(which won the final contract).
5. Hybrid – X-rays + Nuclear + Others: 4. SAIC, Thermedics, Arthur D. Little, US-DoT, and NRL.
6. Testing & Field Experience: 9. Gamma Metrics, Thermedics, Spatial Dynamics, Quantum Magnetics, Sach Freeman Associates, and UK Police Sc. & Devel.
7. Electromagnetic Technology: General: 7. SW Research Inst., SRI In. Univ., US Army Lab. Ford Motors, NJ
8. Vapor Detection Technology – General: 10. Theemedics, FAA, SNL, Amerasia Technology, and Ion-tracking Instruments
9. Mass/Ion Mobility Spectrometery: 9. BY Univ., ScienTech Inc., , ORNL, Science & BA Security Systems, and Barringer Industries.
10. Gas Chromatography: 2. Texas A&M, FBI Acad, Thermedics, Scientron Ltd., and FAA
11. Tagging: 5. US Army Lab., Piscataway Arsenal,
12. Bio-Sensors: 6. Diametrix Corp. Western Connecticut State Univ., Neuro-Communication Research Lab (NCRL) , NRL & GeoCenters, Inc., and Def. Res. Agency.
13. Signal Processing & Simulation: 7. SAIC, UC Berkeley
14. System Integration: 5. Robotics Lab CM Univ., SAIC< Phil., VA, and VPI
15. Fast Neutron Technology Spectroscopy: SAIC, FAA, SNL, NCA&T
Number 27 Paper: Detection of Objects Concealed Under Person’s Clothing Using the Sub-ambient Exposure, Computer Utilized Reflected Energy or“SECURE” 1000 System,” by Steve W. Smith, PhD, IRT Corporation. [These systems were finally selected by Dept. of Homeland Security for Transport Security Agency (TSA) which are being installed at many airports listed at www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/home/2010/06/airports-with-body-scanners.html . Google search for key words [Deepak Chopra, CEO- OSI Systems, Whole Body X-ray Scanners] reveals an interesting network of bedfellows. Deepak Chopra (American of Indian origin), CEO of Rapiscan Systems manufactures SECURE 1000 Whole Body X-ray scanners, and Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security, now a lobbyist for this company helped this company to expand under Obama’s Economic Stimulus program, to expand installation of these systems as far they could, but in reality India will benefit as the systems will be manufactured in India to exploit cheap labor. To further assist in this effort Deepak Chopra accompanied Obama during his recent trip to India. Recently the media revealed that Michael Chertoff has own vested interest in this technology.
CAUTION: TSA information regarding Exposure Dose is totally misleading, as it assumes “only one pass” for a person, disregarding the frequent fliers who have to undergo such scans at every transient air-port or while connecting flights. The Government is in collusion with the manufacturers of the equipment, and is deceiving the tax-payers like it did many years ago regarding the Hazardous Effects of Tobacco.
REALITY: A person is exposed to radiation (ionizing as well as non-ionizing) all the time from the time of birth till death. The Dose depends on his/her location on earth, latitude, and height above the surface of earth (while flying in an aircraft). Thus no two persons receive the same dose in their lifetimes, which brings us to the concept of Threshold Dose, above which DNA is damaged or onset of Cancer might be triggered. Thus the so-called “ Estimated Safe Dose,” is a concoction of a lot of assumptions and “Statistical Risk Analysis.”
And one ought to know what a former Prime Minister of Britain said about Statistics: ” Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics,” as statistics can be manipulated to get the desired results.
Radiation Hazards while Travelling by Air: A person, receives more radiation dose that depends on two factors: (1) Flight Altitude, (2) Time Duration of Flight. The other thing one has to remember is that Radiation effects are “CUMULATIVE.”
Because of advances in Space Radiation Research, Radiation Experts became alarmed when Aircraft Crew Members (Pilots and Stewards/Stewardesses) started having health problems, and were found to have Tumors, and increased instance of Leukemia. Having served on the Radiation Safety Committee for NASA at JSC, the author learnt that three Astronauts died of Leukemia, and fourth (at young age) with Brain Cancer (Tumor). Learning these problems, FAA put out a directive for the Air Crews to cut down their flying hours, lest it might lead to frivolous litigation problems amongst the aircraft- crew-members. About 12 years ago, the author learnt in one of the IEEE (Nuclear & Space Radiation Conference Short Course a startling observation. Previously, Computer Models had been used to scan the radiation levels in the aircrafts and space shuttle (and International Space Station) which only provided rough estimates. But when radiation detectors, specially neutron detectors were placed inside these space vehicle, it really alarmed the community. The scientists found that the amount of neutrons/unit area (a secondary nuclear effect when high energy solar/cosmic ray protons hit air molecules or the metallic body of the spacecraft/aircraft) or neutron flux) increased with flight attitude, exponentially reaching a peak at about 60,000 feet.(by the way, neutrons can cause more damage (it is displacement damage) as though a person is sitting close to a nuclear reactor)The normal flight altitude is about 30,000 to 35,000 feet, and for Concord Aircraft it was about 50,000 feet (and at that altitude the neutron flux was almost at the peak). During recent times the cost of Aircraft fuel has increased, many aircrafts have begun to fly between 40,000 and 45,000 feet altitude (to reduce air friction), but at a cost of more radiation exposure to people inside the aircraft. Another hazard posed is when aircraft taking off from Dubai trying to avoid bad weather in Europe change their course towards Iceland, and encounter more radiation due to the shape of earth’s magnet field that traps charged particles (electrons and protons) (part of the Van Allen Radiation Belts (Doughnut shaped zone around the globe following the shape of geomagnetic lines of force). As the planes get closer to North Pole, the amount of radiation inside the aircraft increases many fold.
The moral of the story is that Government organizations like TSA, are in cahoots with the Corporations manufacturing and selling these scanners by scaring people that they are making them safe, but on the contrary, they are playing a Russian Roulette with their Health due to increased doses of radiation during flights, and adding more radiation dose by means of these Body Scanners, calling them Absolutely Safe like the Cigarette Industry a few years ago. Radiation Effects on the body are not reversible, and since there is no fixed Threshold for different people, the information provided by the government agencies is totally DECEPTIVE. Safety for people is also Deceptive, and it cannot be achieved till proper JUSTICE is Meted or INJUSTICE is removed. In my opinion, the folks driving automobiles with really dark tinted glasses and without 2nd license plate (either in Front or rear) pose the greatest security risk than folks being scanned by Whole Body X-ray scanners.
My personal Experience: (1) Personally, I have been dealing with ”radiation” for more than twenty years, but in 1981, due to a freak accident I inhaled Beryllium particles in a machine shop, which hospitalized me to undergo lung surgery and biopsy. The Surgeon did not find any serious problem at that time and advised me to undergo Chest X-Rays every three months to check the progress. After 3rd X-Ray, my Radiologist advised me to stop Chest X-Rays, stating that the Beryllium did not seem to kill me but more X-Rays would.
(2) In 2002, I had gone to a local hospital in Clearlake City in Houston, TX for a chest X-ray. I asked the X-ray Technician about the Radiation Dose, I will be receiving for my professional safeguards. He asked me why? My response was because I have been working with Radiation related projects for about twenty years. He went to the Radiologist in the adjoining room to ask him about this question, and the radiologist asked “where does he work?” The technician said, “at NASA” The radiologist told him to give me the voltage applied to the X-Ray tube, and let me calculate the Dose. What a response! The Hospitals and Dentists neither provide such information to the patients, and dentists seldom protect the eyes of the patients while taking dental X-ray pictures.
The Moral of the Story is that Radiation, is a silent killer, for which no one knows the safe limit, and anyone who claims it safe, ought to change his profession to become a Snake Oil Salesman. Department of Home Land Security (TSA), is setting up another WEAPONS empire (through corporations such as IRT Technology or Rapiscan systems by scaring the public, which as we know started in 1991 officially), like the Military-Industrial Complex created by Department of Defense.
Thus we MUST keep up the pressure on our Government Representatives to Stop Fooling the PUBLIC by Deceptive methods to ruin their Health.
NOTE: The first victims of these Whole Body and Personal Luggage X-ray Scanner will be the Operators of such equipment, who stand close to the equipment and receive “scattered- radiation,” and where Exposure Dose is CUMULATIVE and depends on Total exposure time (days and moths). The effect of Radiation does not diminish during the time they are not operating the machines. Thus the folks bluffing the PUBLIC are wrong in DECEIVING them by concocted LIES, which have no scientific basis, and their Public Acceptance survey results of 99% as mentioned on TSA’s website are ABSOLUTELY Deceptive and WRONG.
The Surgeon General of United States, Dr. Regina Benjamin, on News-Hour, PBS, Thursday, December 9, 2010 revealed that recent scientific studies have proven without a doubt that even the non-smokers inhaling air contaminated with Cigarette Smoke are found to suffer serious health effects.
Bashir A. Syed
Retired Aerospace Physicist
Member: APS, IEEE (NSRE & NPPS), UCS, ASES, and ISES
by
Bashir A. Syed
There are two kinds of Natural Radiation Sources:
(1) Ionizing Radiation: Charged Particles, e.g. electrons, protons, and atoms that have lost
or gained, and naturally occurring radioactive substances (like Radium, Thorium, and Uranium,
etc. present in the earth. High energy Solar Protons, and galactic Cosmic Rays.
Non-ionizing Radiation: neutrons, and Electromagnetic Waves covering a broad spectrum
of wavelengths or frequencies, whose energy according to Quantum Theory is proportional to
frequency (f); “E=h x f” or inversely proportional wavelength “l”, (hc/l), where h is Plank’s constant and “c” is speed of light.
* It is estimated that we receive 87 % of radiation from Natural Sources in
following proportion:
1. Radon gas: 32 %
2. Gamma rays : 19%
3. Internal: 17%
4. Cosmic Rays: 14%
(2) The Second kind is Artificially created or man-made Radiation
Environment for Medical diagnostics, Airport Security screenings by TSA, and DU weapons,
etc.: examples artificially produced radio-isotopes, Medical X-rays, fallout from open air
nuclear tests conducted since 1945, radi0, TV, radar, and now cell-phones
* It is estimated that we receive ~ 13% of radiation from man-made or
artificial Sources as follows:
1. Medical diagnostic ~ 11.5 %
2. Fallout: ~ 0.5%
3. Miscellaneous ~ 0.5% - includes Cell phones, and Lasers
4. Nuclear discharge from Power Reactors ~0.1%
Classified Work done at Los Alamos National Labs (LANL) during the Manhattan Project, the
scientists wanted to learn the effects of radioactive materials inside human body, and all this
research was wrapped under the cover of secrecy labeled as “Classified.” During Clinton’s
administration, old classified documents dating back to mid forties, were declassified by Hazel
O’Leary, Secretary of Energy, which divulged very significant information regarding un-ethical radiation experiments conducted by “scientists without conscience” at LANL by injecting Uranium and Plutonium in the bodies of terminally ill patients, without their explicit consent. And they also knew that since the Density of Uranium was larger than that of Lead, such a material could be utilized to make explosive shells that could penetrate thick layers of sheet metal of which some of the armor, like tanks, were made from thick sheets of steel as “tank buster,” weapons. .
Unfortunately, the Defense department decided to use Depleted Uranium in the war theatre as “Tank Busters,” and to continue the collateral damage for millennia to come, as the half life
of DU is about 4.2 Billion years. Thus as a scientist with years of experience in Radiation safety
matters, I can say that in this case Genetics has very little to do in causing cancer.
Under international law, Uranium being a heavy element is considered extremely toxic, and its
deliberate use as a weapon is not only inhuman, but also considered as a crime against
humanity.
Projectiles are made from Uranium –238 (akaU-238), radioactive waste, where the Radioactivity of U-238 is ~ 3.4 Mbq (mega-becquerel or nuclear disintegrations per second), and total emissions of alpha-particles from surface is 1,198/second, and for beta-particles it is 35,914 per second. When Depleted Uranium is mixed with radioactive waste it becomes a radiological weapon. Any skin contact with such projectiles containing radioactive waste produces necrosis and ulceration of the skin. Under Internal Laws, Uranium is classified as heavy-element resulting in high toxicity, and use of such toxic substances is not only inhuman, but also a crime against humanity.
Moreover, the debris of Uranium will remain radioactive for more than 12 Billion years, and any interaction with human beings it will pose a serious health hazards for billions of years to
innocent people (especially children who play in the dirt).
* Deformed Iraqi Babies caused by Radiation due to USA use of Depleted Uranium: Look at the horrible pictures: (1) Google search keywords: [Deformed Fetuses, Effected by Depleted Uranium, Pictures], and (2) Specific Website: http://www.aztlan.net/du_deformed_iraqi_babies.htm
It not only affected the IRAQIS, Bosnians, and Arabs, but LIFE Magazine in a 1990’s Issue on its Cover had a picture of a Gulf War Veteran with his Deformed Child, to let the world know what Horrible effects were caused by Radiation from Depleted Uranium Munitions.
* Isotopic contents of Depleted Uranium or DU: [(99.75 % U-238) + (0.25 % U-235) +
(0.006% U-234), where half lives of each isotope are: (4.5 Billion Years for U-238), (0.71
Billion Years for U-235) and (0.25 Million years for U-234).
U.S. used A-10 Warthog fighter planes firing 4,000 rounds of DU fortified 30-mm shells in the
Iraq-Saudi-Kuwait, 1990 - Gulf War theatre, and a total of 940,000 shells were fired making
the entire area contaminated with radioactive debris. Later NATO forces used similar DU
munitions, causing more contamination in Bosnia-Serbia theatre of war, leaving behind
radioactive debris all over the place in these two regions, where the DU contaminated soil will
continue killing the people through cancer and brain tumors for millennia to come. God only
knows how much more DU contamination was deliberately produced during operation “IRAQI-
Freedom,” in 2003, and in Afghanistan/Pakistan region as part of continuing “War on Terror.”
Summary of the Impact of DU weapons on the health as Cancer/Tumor producer, after the Gulf
War and in Bosnian Conflict:
The observations revealed that the incidence of Cancer had increased manifold when after
busting the tanks was scattered as debris over 845,000 tons of edible wild plants (consumed by
humans as well as cattle (e.g. cows, and sheep, etc) contaminating with DU dust or discarded as junk, entering the food chain would enter human bodies and ultimately lead to causing
cancers/rumors of various kinds (from the ionizing radiation emitted by Uranium).
The frequency of incidence and distribution of different types of cancers from observed
data obtained between 1984 and 1990, and between 1997 and & 1998, comparison for
Cancer cases (among male & female population) showed a 5-fold in (prevalent --> lung,
leukemia, breast, skin lymphoma and liver), and solid tumors were more frequent (see
references). In the region of Al-Muthana and Thee Qar, where Republican Guards were
concentrated, these areas were bombed using explosives containing DU, causing extensive
contamination with radio-active Uranium.
Following is a list of Cancers prevalent in the population and War Veterans of Gulf War where
Depleted Uranium or DU weapons were used extensively, and later by NATO forces in Bosnian conflict.
Types of Cancers Detected (and reported in the literature):
Bones; Brain, Breast, Colon, Gastro-intestinal, Leukemia, Liver, Lymphoma, Lyranx, Myeloma, Nephroma, Ovaries, Pancreas, Peri-anal Tumors, Salivary Glands, Testicular, and Uterus.
Before the Gulf War, the only cancers observed in the decreasing order of frequency were:
Lung, Lymphoma, Larynx, Leukemia and Breast.
But the observations on people during 1997-98 disclosed changes as follows (where X means
“times”): Lung (5X); Lymphoma (4X); Breast (6X); Larynx (4X); Skin (11X).
And among less prevalent diseases, the increase is even sharper: Uterus (~ 10X); Colon (~6X);
hyper-nephroma (~7X); malignant-myeloma (~16X); Liver (~11X); Ovaries (~16X); and peri-
anal tumors (~20X).
Effect on Iraq War Veterans (sample of 1425, exposed during 1991-97), and age ( ranging
between 19 years to 50 years), the overall increase cancer was as follows:
Lymphoma (~ 30%); Leukemia ( ~ 23%); Lung (~15%); Brain (~ 11% ); Gastro-intestinal &
Bone (each ~ 4%); Pancreatic ( ~3%); and Liver & Salivary glands (~ each ~ 2%).
War Veterans not directly exposed: Lung (~25%); gastro-intestinal ~20%); Leukemia (~15%);
Liver (~10%)’ Bone (~9%); and Brain )~7%).
After-effects to Children born to War Veterans: Percent of Still Births (~ 1.9%); Congenital
anomalies (~ 5.2%); and secondary infertility (~5.7%).
NATO Forces used DU weapons during 1995 Bosnian conflict/ having similar results.
The worst part is that because of long half-life of Depleted Uranium (~ 4.2 Billion years) this
silent killer will go on killing many innocent people without ever knowing for billions of years to come (5 times the half-life), no match with the propaganda about possibility of damage caused by a hypothetical dirty bomb drum-beat over the media and Frankenstein movies produced by Hollywood, and in one such movie Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) participated as an actress to enhance the fear of people might have the guns but do not possess an Air Force (as defined by William Blum, Ref. #6). .
Deformed Iraqi Babies caused by USA use of Depleted Uranium during the Gulf War: Look at the horrible pictures: (1) Google search keywords: [Deformed Fetuses, Effected by Depleted Uranium, Pictures], and (2) Specific Website: http://www.aztlan.net/du_deformed_iraqi_babies.htm
It not only affected the IRAQIS, Bosnians, and Arabs, but LIFE Magazine in a 1990’s Issue on its Cover had a picture of a Gulf War Veteran with his Deformed Child, to let the world know what Horrible effects were caused by Radiation from Depleted Uranium Munitions
REFERENCES:
1. Frank Close, Michael Martin, and Christine Sutton, ”The Particle Explosion,” Oxford
University Press, New York, 1987 and 1994. ISBN 0-19-853999-2 (pbk).
2. Eileen Welsome, “Plutonium Files,” Dial Press, Random House, New York 1999. Note: After declassification of documents pertaining to Los Alamos National Labs by Hazel O’
Leary, Secretary U.S. Dept. of Energy (1993-97), during Clinton Administration, the
author sifted through these documents and found some astonishing things (described on
pages 253-263) about inhalation hazards of radioactive dust caused by detonation of
nuclear devices, which were not disclosed to the military personnel. Another surprise was
about the scientists who experimented on terminal patients by injecting Plutonium and
Uranium in their bodies with their explicit permission and knowledge about the hazards
of radio-activity from these elements.
Learn more from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/unethical_human_experimentation_in_the_United_States about unethical Radiation experiments (never talked about) radiation experiments and much more conducted by U.S. Scientists under Government Contracts, which will blow your mind. The same or worse has been repeated by Israeli scientists, including recently revealed sale of human organs obtained from dead or killed Palestinians by Jewish Rabbis, arrested in New Jersey in 2010.
3. Ramsey Clark (former U.S. Attorney General) et al. “Depleted Uranium – METAL of
DISHONOR: How the Pentagon RADIATES Soldiers & Civilians with DU Weapons,”
2nd Edition, International Action Center, New York 1999. ISBN 0-9656916-0-8.
Special Section – Second Edition:
(I) Baghdad – International Scientific Symposium in December, 2-3, 1998– S1: Reported by Ashraf El_Bayoumi
(II) DU Used in Bosnia by NATO in 1995 – S7: Report from the Experts Group, by Prof. Dr. Dragoljub Ristie.
(III) Medical Consequences of Internal Contamination with DU , by Dr. Asaf
Durakovic, MD, DVM, MSc, PhD, and FACP.
4. G. C. Messenger and M.S. Ash, “The Effects of Radiation on Electronic Systems,” Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. 1986. ISBN 0-442-25417-2.
5. Ronald Kitchen, “RF and Microwave Radiation Safety, 2nd Edition, Newnes, Oxford UK. 1993, 95, 2000, and 2001. ISBN 0-7506-43552.
6. “Electric and Magnetic Fields from 60 Hertz Electric Power: What do we know about possible health risks,” Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon
University, PA 15213, 3rd Printing, 1989.
7. Major General Bengt Anderberg and Dr. Myron L. Wolbarsht,” LASER WEAPONS:
The Dawn of a New Military Age,” [Chapter II – Military Applications, pages 43-63]
Plenum Press, New York & London 1992. ISBN 0-306-44329-5. Lasers have been used to blind pilots, and Laser Designators as a Military tool for precision guidance of munitions or guiding a plane to land at designated location.
8. Ernest Sternglass, “SECRET FALLOUT – Low-Level Radiation from Hiroshima to Three-Mile Island,” [Introduction by George Wald, Noble Laureate in Physiology and Medicine], McGraw-Hill Book Co, New York 1972 & 1981 (pbk). ISBN 0-07-061242-0.
[This is a very important and revealing book showing various cover-ups of Radiation fallout accidents that produced cancers cluster’s erroneous dose calculation based on wrong assumptions, as discussed in Chapter 3. Related to May and June fallouts in Albany-Trot area during 1952, and St. George Utah area on May 19, 1953. To add insult to injury, The New York State Health Department never kept updated records of children suffering from Leukemia, but the records were manipulated. Same thing happened to the studies of Strontium 90, in the milk which also caused genetic defects leading to childhood cancer. But the “classified” measurements made by the AEC’s New York Lab had shown that the entire upstate New York area received heavy fallout on April 26, 1953.
Wikipedia article on Backscatter_X-rays http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backscatter_X-ray under a paragraph titled “Technical Countermeasures (against Whole Body scanners),” has suggestions for those who want to prevent either the loss of privacy or possibility of health problems or genetic damage that might be associated with being subjected to a back scatter X-Ray scan. One company sells “X-ray absorbing underwear” which is said to have X-ray absorption equivalent to 0.5 mm of lead. Another product, Flying Pasties “are designed to obscure the most private parts of the human body when entering full-body airport scanners,” but their description does not seem to claim any protection from the X-ray beam penetrating the body of the person being scanned. (another absurd scam like all items confiscated from airlines passengers are sold in a store in Atlanta, GA, by the TSA). Millimeter wave scanners can cause serious burns on the skin, as shown on CBS-News 60-Minute Program causing excruciating pain, if exposure exceeds the designated time.
Similar lies are posted on the official TSA website in the paragraph titled Passenger Acceptance (www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/index.shtm> claiming that over 99 % of passengers choose to be screened by this technology, is another blatant lie. And it also quotes a new CBS poll which says, “4 out of 5 Americans support” the use of this technology (reducing 99% figure to 80% in the same paragraph).
9. Daniel Ford, “MELT DOWN: The Secret Papers of the Atomic Energy Commission-Three-Mile Island , Chernobyl, . . . Where Next?” Touchstone Books, Simon and Schuster, New York 1982, 84 & 86. ISBN 0-671-63449-6 (Pbk).
10. John J. Berger, “NUCLEAR POWER: The Unviable Option,” [Foreword by Senator Mike Gravel, and introduction by Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of two Noble Prize Winner (Chemistry & Peace), Dell Publishing Co., New York 1977. ISBN 0-440-355994-5. (pbk).
11. Andrew and Leslie Cockburn,” DANGEROUS LIAISON: The Inside Story of the U.S.-Israeli Covert Relationship,” Harper Collins Publishers, New York 1990. ISBN 0-06-016444-1.
{ This book describes how two serious nuclear blackmails occurred in U.S. (1) at Kerr-Mcgee’s Cimarron Plutonium Plant in Oklahoma City during 70’s and led to un-wanten death of a Nuclear Technician, Karen Silkwood, who was on her way to hand over a folder containing information about sixty pounds of missing Plutonium ( known as Material Un-accounted For or MUF, which was sent o Israel) to a New York Times Reporter waiting for her at a Motel across town on Nov. 13, 1974, and (2) How Dr. Mordechai Zalman Shapiro, CEO of NUMEC Corporation, shipped an estimated 572 lbs of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) of MUF to Israel from an Apollo, PA Uranium plant. After a lengthy inquiry by AEC and FBI, he was fined $989,000, and the whole case was quashed. The third case was the hijacking of a cargo ship during 1968 in Mediterranean, containing several-thousand tons of Uranium ore, that was transferred to an Israeli vessel and taken to Haifa, Israel. No one in U.S. ever mentioned about it except its mention in the next reference # 12 mentioned below.
12. Ian Black & Benny Morris, “ISRAEL’S SECRET WARS: A History of Israel’s Secret Services,” Grove Weidenfeld, New York 1990. ISBN 0-8021-3286-3.
[The most important incident in Zionist History was known a as Lavon Affair in July 1954, when Zionist Terrorists infiltrated Alexandria and Cairo Egypt and planted bombs at American institutions to conduct Terror against U.S. interests in Egypt, in order to blame them on Arabs, but were discovered and the perpetrators were brought to justice
13. Richard Deacon, THE ISRAELI SECRET SERVICE,” Taplinger Publishing Co., New York 1980. ISBN 0-8008-4267-7 (pbk) [Chapter 9: pages 118-131, “Yuval Ne’eman’s Technological Revolution,” provides a glimpse of how Israel used technology on captured Arab soldiers during the 6-Day War, and thousands of prisoners in Eshkelon Jail, and other detention centers, where humans have been used as guinea-pigs to test radiation and torture technology, and medical experiments. Recent revelation through arrested Jewish Rabbis in New Jersey, unearthed a world-wide body parts sale business scam related to organs of Palestinians men, women and children, sold for transplants.
14. Nixon, Israel and the Bomb – an article by Avner Cohen & William Burr, “ISRAEL CROSSES THE THRESHOLD: When President Richard Nixon took office he was confronted with evidence that Israel would soon have the Bomb Newly “declassified”
documents divulge what happened next.”, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, pages 22-30,
May/June 2006. (Photographic evidence collected during Eisenhower administration
through U-2 Spy Plane flights over Negev Desert, and confirmed by an Israeli nuclear
technician, Mordechai Vanunu, who delivered a roll of film containing photographs taken
inside the Dimona bomb factory, which were published after verification by Sunday
Times on October 5, 1986). The authors disclose the dirty role played by Henry
Kissinger before Golda Meir’s visit to Washington, DC on September 9, 1969. Kissinger
produced a top secret agreement known as National Security Study Memorandum
(“NSSM 40”) aka “Don’t Ask, Don/t Test Treaty with Israel, which gave the Green Light
to Israel to go on building more nukes (estimated as more than 300 in the arsenal) while
U.S. will look the other way as long as these weapons are not tested. Nut lo and behold,
Israelis tested their first device with the help of South Africa’s Apartheid Government, in
South Atlantic whose light flashes were recorded by a VELA Satellite over the South
Atlantic on September 22, 1979. The Executive Office of the President, Office of Science
and Technology Policy after learning this detection appointed an Ad Hoc Panel, which
produced its Report on July 15, 1980. It was a white-wash to declare that it was false
alarm caused by faulty instruments aboard the VELA satellites meant to detect any nuclear
tests around the globe, and that was the end of the story placed in the cold storage. See
reference below.
July 7, 1981 Iraq’s Osirak Nuclear Reactor under construction by the French, was bombed and blown out on July 7, 1981, by Israelis killing the French engineers. I had watched a 16-mm film during February, 1981 at General Electric Co, showing how the newly developed Infra-Red Technology could be used for this purpose. The Israeli F-16 fighters for long duration flights, were outfitted with special large size fuel tanks by Grumman, another U.S. Defense contractor.
15. Mark Gaffney, “DIMONA THE THIRD TEMPLE? The Story Behind the Vanunu
Revelation,” Amana Books, Brattleboro, VT 1989. ISBN 0-915597-77-2. (pbk).
[This book discloses the first Israeli Nuclear Test in South Atlantic with the help of South Africa which was detected by instruments placed in the VELA satellite. But a Presidential Ad-Hoc Committee a year later in their report washed it away by declaring a false alarm due to faulty instruments in that satellite, and nothing was ever mentioned later. Mark Griffin provided all details in this book].
16. William Blum, “ROGUE STATE: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower,”
3rd Edition, Common Courage Press, Monroe, Maine 2005. ISBN 1-56751-374-3.
[This is a book that everyone ought to read to learn about the hypo-critic standards used by U.S. and test of CB-Weapons not only at home on their own citizens but also to destroy crops and vegetation in other countries using CB warfare (to destroy crops), even reported by Scientific American magazine by Prof Malcolm Dando, of Bradford University, in UK.
[A must read book – Part II- United States’ Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction, pages 121 –
160, reveals things never heard before.]
17. Danny Schechter, “WHEN NEWS LIES – Media Complicity and the Iraq War,” [Including a DVD – “Weapons of Mass Deception” or WMD], Select Books, Inc., New York 2006.
ISBN 1-56584-740-7. (pbk). [This is a bombshell for MEDIA).
18. Dr. Helen Caldicott, “NEW NUCLEAR DANGER: George H.W. Bush’s Military-Industrial Complex,” The New Press, New York 2002. ISBN 1-56584-740-7. (pbk)..
19. “Grace Halsell, “ Prophecy And Politics: The Secret Alliance Between Israel and the U.S. Christian Right,” Lawrence-Hill Books, Chicago, IL 1986. ISBN 1-55652-054-9. [Late Grace Halsell, who served as speech writer for President Lyndon B. Johnson, revealed in this book how the Zionists collaborated with the Evangelists to legitimize the occupation of Palestine by brainwashing through their sermons that God gave this land to Israelis as mentioned in the Bible, and used late Jerry Falwell to give him a private plane to propagate hatred against Islam. (as seen on CBS 60-Minutes Program, which was his last TV appearance before his death.)
20. The National Insecurity Council, ”IT’S A CONSPIRACY: The Shocking Truth About America’s Favorite Theories!” Earth Works Press, Berkeley, California 1992. ISBN 1-879682-10-9. [ pages 115 & 116, “Little Nayirah’s Tale – Disinforming the World by George H. W. Bush for waging the war against Iraq – “Operation Desert Storm” for OIL]
21. 103d Congress, 2d Session, SENATE Report: “U.S. CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE-RELATED DUAL USE EXPORTS TO IRAQ AND THEIR POSSIBLE IMPACT ON THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF THE PERSIAN GULF WAR,” A Report of Chairman Donald W. Reigle, Jr. and Ranking Member Alfonse M. D’Amato of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, with respect to Export Administration, United States Senate, May 25, 1994. This 198 page report reveals the Names of CB Agents, Dates of Shipments to Iraqi Laboratories as Destinations, Legitimately Exported to Iraq, from February 25,1985 to November 28, 1989. These facts were totally distorted not only by the Bush administration but blown out of proportion “as Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD’s,” to brain-wash people around the globe about a horrible Monster Saddam Hussein living like a Jolly Green Giant, on a Green Bean-Stalk known as IRAQ. NOTHING BUT LIES!
22 Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Explosive Detection Technology, November 13-15, 1991. Document No. DOT/FAA/CT-92/11, FAA Technical center, Atlantic City International airport, New Jersey 08405. Edited by Dr. Siraj M. Khan.U.S. Dept. of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration.
This was a very important pre-planned Symposium, long time prior to WTC events on September 9, 2001, in which more than 100 technical papers were presented by scientists employed by Defense Contractors (to enhance their business opportunities exploiting the Fear tactics . A total of fifteen foreign governments including France, Germany, Israel, UK, and a large number of U.S. government agencies such as FBI, DoD, and Doe were represented.
Here is the brief summary based on different categories, describing Number of papers, and Companies/Labs involved:
1. General: 8.
2. Nuclear Technology:11. SAIC, Westinghouse, Harwell Instruments, ORNL, BDM, Spec. tech. Labs, and UC-SB
3. Accelerators: 3. Grumman Space Systems, LBNL, Triumph-Can.
4. X-Rays & Gamma-Rays: 9. MIT, Notingham Polytechnic, TITAN Spectron, LLNL, Amer. Sc Tech Engg., Fort Washington, Microwave Associates, SAIC, Vivid Tech., Immatron Federal Systems, and IRT Corp.(which won the final contract).
5. Hybrid – X-rays + Nuclear + Others: 4. SAIC, Thermedics, Arthur D. Little, US-DoT, and NRL.
6. Testing & Field Experience: 9. Gamma Metrics, Thermedics, Spatial Dynamics, Quantum Magnetics, Sach Freeman Associates, and UK Police Sc. & Devel.
7. Electromagnetic Technology: General: 7. SW Research Inst., SRI In. Univ., US Army Lab. Ford Motors, NJ
8. Vapor Detection Technology – General: 10. Theemedics, FAA, SNL, Amerasia Technology, and Ion-tracking Instruments
9. Mass/Ion Mobility Spectrometery: 9. BY Univ., ScienTech Inc., , ORNL, Science & BA Security Systems, and Barringer Industries.
10. Gas Chromatography: 2. Texas A&M, FBI Acad, Thermedics, Scientron Ltd., and FAA
11. Tagging: 5. US Army Lab., Piscataway Arsenal,
12. Bio-Sensors: 6. Diametrix Corp. Western Connecticut State Univ., Neuro-Communication Research Lab (NCRL) , NRL & GeoCenters, Inc., and Def. Res. Agency.
13. Signal Processing & Simulation: 7. SAIC, UC Berkeley
14. System Integration: 5. Robotics Lab CM Univ., SAIC< Phil., VA, and VPI
15. Fast Neutron Technology Spectroscopy: SAIC, FAA, SNL, NCA&T
Number 27 Paper: Detection of Objects Concealed Under Person’s Clothing Using the Sub-ambient Exposure, Computer Utilized Reflected Energy or“SECURE” 1000 System,” by Steve W. Smith, PhD, IRT Corporation. [These systems were finally selected by Dept. of Homeland Security for Transport Security Agency (TSA) which are being installed at many airports listed at www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/home/2010/06/airports-with-body-scanners.html . Google search for key words [Deepak Chopra, CEO- OSI Systems, Whole Body X-ray Scanners] reveals an interesting network of bedfellows. Deepak Chopra (American of Indian origin), CEO of Rapiscan Systems manufactures SECURE 1000 Whole Body X-ray scanners, and Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security, now a lobbyist for this company helped this company to expand under Obama’s Economic Stimulus program, to expand installation of these systems as far they could, but in reality India will benefit as the systems will be manufactured in India to exploit cheap labor. To further assist in this effort Deepak Chopra accompanied Obama during his recent trip to India. Recently the media revealed that Michael Chertoff has own vested interest in this technology.
CAUTION: TSA information regarding Exposure Dose is totally misleading, as it assumes “only one pass” for a person, disregarding the frequent fliers who have to undergo such scans at every transient air-port or while connecting flights. The Government is in collusion with the manufacturers of the equipment, and is deceiving the tax-payers like it did many years ago regarding the Hazardous Effects of Tobacco.
REALITY: A person is exposed to radiation (ionizing as well as non-ionizing) all the time from the time of birth till death. The Dose depends on his/her location on earth, latitude, and height above the surface of earth (while flying in an aircraft). Thus no two persons receive the same dose in their lifetimes, which brings us to the concept of Threshold Dose, above which DNA is damaged or onset of Cancer might be triggered. Thus the so-called “ Estimated Safe Dose,” is a concoction of a lot of assumptions and “Statistical Risk Analysis.”
And one ought to know what a former Prime Minister of Britain said about Statistics: ” Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics,” as statistics can be manipulated to get the desired results.
Radiation Hazards while Travelling by Air: A person, receives more radiation dose that depends on two factors: (1) Flight Altitude, (2) Time Duration of Flight. The other thing one has to remember is that Radiation effects are “CUMULATIVE.”
Because of advances in Space Radiation Research, Radiation Experts became alarmed when Aircraft Crew Members (Pilots and Stewards/Stewardesses) started having health problems, and were found to have Tumors, and increased instance of Leukemia. Having served on the Radiation Safety Committee for NASA at JSC, the author learnt that three Astronauts died of Leukemia, and fourth (at young age) with Brain Cancer (Tumor). Learning these problems, FAA put out a directive for the Air Crews to cut down their flying hours, lest it might lead to frivolous litigation problems amongst the aircraft- crew-members. About 12 years ago, the author learnt in one of the IEEE (Nuclear & Space Radiation Conference Short Course a startling observation. Previously, Computer Models had been used to scan the radiation levels in the aircrafts and space shuttle (and International Space Station) which only provided rough estimates. But when radiation detectors, specially neutron detectors were placed inside these space vehicle, it really alarmed the community. The scientists found that the amount of neutrons/unit area (a secondary nuclear effect when high energy solar/cosmic ray protons hit air molecules or the metallic body of the spacecraft/aircraft) or neutron flux) increased with flight attitude, exponentially reaching a peak at about 60,000 feet.(by the way, neutrons can cause more damage (it is displacement damage) as though a person is sitting close to a nuclear reactor)The normal flight altitude is about 30,000 to 35,000 feet, and for Concord Aircraft it was about 50,000 feet (and at that altitude the neutron flux was almost at the peak). During recent times the cost of Aircraft fuel has increased, many aircrafts have begun to fly between 40,000 and 45,000 feet altitude (to reduce air friction), but at a cost of more radiation exposure to people inside the aircraft. Another hazard posed is when aircraft taking off from Dubai trying to avoid bad weather in Europe change their course towards Iceland, and encounter more radiation due to the shape of earth’s magnet field that traps charged particles (electrons and protons) (part of the Van Allen Radiation Belts (Doughnut shaped zone around the globe following the shape of geomagnetic lines of force). As the planes get closer to North Pole, the amount of radiation inside the aircraft increases many fold.
The moral of the story is that Government organizations like TSA, are in cahoots with the Corporations manufacturing and selling these scanners by scaring people that they are making them safe, but on the contrary, they are playing a Russian Roulette with their Health due to increased doses of radiation during flights, and adding more radiation dose by means of these Body Scanners, calling them Absolutely Safe like the Cigarette Industry a few years ago. Radiation Effects on the body are not reversible, and since there is no fixed Threshold for different people, the information provided by the government agencies is totally DECEPTIVE. Safety for people is also Deceptive, and it cannot be achieved till proper JUSTICE is Meted or INJUSTICE is removed. In my opinion, the folks driving automobiles with really dark tinted glasses and without 2nd license plate (either in Front or rear) pose the greatest security risk than folks being scanned by Whole Body X-ray scanners.
My personal Experience: (1) Personally, I have been dealing with ”radiation” for more than twenty years, but in 1981, due to a freak accident I inhaled Beryllium particles in a machine shop, which hospitalized me to undergo lung surgery and biopsy. The Surgeon did not find any serious problem at that time and advised me to undergo Chest X-Rays every three months to check the progress. After 3rd X-Ray, my Radiologist advised me to stop Chest X-Rays, stating that the Beryllium did not seem to kill me but more X-Rays would.
(2) In 2002, I had gone to a local hospital in Clearlake City in Houston, TX for a chest X-ray. I asked the X-ray Technician about the Radiation Dose, I will be receiving for my professional safeguards. He asked me why? My response was because I have been working with Radiation related projects for about twenty years. He went to the Radiologist in the adjoining room to ask him about this question, and the radiologist asked “where does he work?” The technician said, “at NASA” The radiologist told him to give me the voltage applied to the X-Ray tube, and let me calculate the Dose. What a response! The Hospitals and Dentists neither provide such information to the patients, and dentists seldom protect the eyes of the patients while taking dental X-ray pictures.
The Moral of the Story is that Radiation, is a silent killer, for which no one knows the safe limit, and anyone who claims it safe, ought to change his profession to become a Snake Oil Salesman. Department of Home Land Security (TSA), is setting up another WEAPONS empire (through corporations such as IRT Technology or Rapiscan systems by scaring the public, which as we know started in 1991 officially), like the Military-Industrial Complex created by Department of Defense.
Thus we MUST keep up the pressure on our Government Representatives to Stop Fooling the PUBLIC by Deceptive methods to ruin their Health.
NOTE: The first victims of these Whole Body and Personal Luggage X-ray Scanner will be the Operators of such equipment, who stand close to the equipment and receive “scattered- radiation,” and where Exposure Dose is CUMULATIVE and depends on Total exposure time (days and moths). The effect of Radiation does not diminish during the time they are not operating the machines. Thus the folks bluffing the PUBLIC are wrong in DECEIVING them by concocted LIES, which have no scientific basis, and their Public Acceptance survey results of 99% as mentioned on TSA’s website are ABSOLUTELY Deceptive and WRONG.
The Surgeon General of United States, Dr. Regina Benjamin, on News-Hour, PBS, Thursday, December 9, 2010 revealed that recent scientific studies have proven without a doubt that even the non-smokers inhaling air contaminated with Cigarette Smoke are found to suffer serious health effects.
Bashir A. Syed
Retired Aerospace Physicist
Member: APS, IEEE (NSRE & NPPS), UCS, ASES, and ISES
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Communications Decency Act of 1996
The Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) was the first notable attempt by the United States Congress to regulate pornographic material on the Internet. In 1997, in the landmark cyberlaw case of Reno v. ACLU, the U.S. Supreme Court partially overturned the law.
The Act was Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was introduced to the Senate Committee of Commerce, Science, and Transportation by Senators James Exon (D-NE) and Slade Gorton (R-WA) in 1995. The amendment that became the CDA was added to the Telecommunications Act in the Senate by an 84–16 vote on June 14, 1995.
As eventually passed by Congress, Title V affected the Internet (and online communications) in two significant ways. First, it attempted to regulate both indecency (when available to children) and obscenity in cyberspace. Second, Section 230 of the Act has been interpreted to say that operators of Internet services are not to be construed as publishers (and thus not legally liable for the words of third parties who use their services).
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Anti-indecency and Anti-obscenity provisions
o 1.1 Legal challenges
* 2 Section 230
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links
[edit] Anti-indecency and Anti-obscenity provisions
The most controversial portions of the Act were those relating to indecency on the Internet. The relevant sections of the Act were introduced in response to fears that Internet pornography was on the rise. Indecency in TV and radio broadcasting had already been regulated by the Federal Communications Commission—broadcasting of offensive speech was restricted to certain hours of the day, when minors were supposedly least likely to be exposed. Violators could be fined and potentially lose their licenses. The Internet, however, had only recently been opened to commercial interests by the 1992 amendment to the National Science Foundation Act and thus had not been taken into consideration by previous laws. The CDA, which affected the Internet and cable television, marked the first attempt to expand regulation to these new media.
Passed by Congress on February 1, 1996, and signed by President Bill Clinton on February 8, 1996, the CDA imposed criminal sanctions on anyone who
knowingly (A) uses an interactive computer service to send to a specific person or persons under 18 years of age, or (B) uses any interactive computer service to display in a manner available to a person under 18 years of age, any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image, or other communication that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs.
It further criminalized the transmission of materials that were "obscene or indecent" to persons known to be under 18.
Free speech advocates, however, worked diligently and successfully to overturn the portion relating to indecent, but not obscene, speech. They argued that speech protected under the First Amendment, such as printed novels or the use of the seven dirty words, would suddenly become unlawful when posted to the Internet. Critics also claimed the bill would have a chilling effect on the availability of medical information. Online civil liberties organizations arranged protests against the bill, for example the Black World Wide Web protest which encouraged webmasters to make their sites' backgrounds black for 48 hours after its passage, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign.
[edit] Legal challenges
In Philadelphia on June 12, 1996 a panel of federal judges blocked part of the CDA, saying it would infringe upon the free speech rights of adults. The next month, another US federal court in New York struck down the portion of the CDA intended to protect children from indecent speech as too broad. On June 26, 1997, the Supreme Court upheld the Philadelphia court's decision in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, stating that the indecency provisions were an unconstitutional abridgement of the First Amendment right to free speech because they did not permit parents to decide for themselves what material was acceptable for their children, extended to non-commercial speech, and did not define "patently offensive," a term with no prior legal meaning. (The New York case, Reno v. Shea, was affirmed by the Supreme Court the next day, without a published opinion.)
In 2003, Congress amended the CDA to remove the indecency provisions struck down in Reno v. ACLU. A separate challenge to the provisions governing obscenity, known as Nitke v. Gonzales, was rejected by a federal court in New York in 2005. The Supreme Court summarily affirmed that decision in 2006.
Congress has made two narrower attempts to regulate children's exposure to Internet indecency since the Supreme Court overturned the CDA. Court injunction blocked enforcement of the first, the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), almost immediately after its passage in 1998; the law was later overturned. While legal challenges also dogged COPA's successor, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2000, the Supreme Court upheld it as constitutional in 2004.
[edit] Section 230
Main article: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was not part of the original Senate legislation, but was added in conference with the House, where it had been separately introduced by Representatives Chris Cox (R-CA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) as the Internet Freedom and Family Empowerment Act and passed by a near-unanimous vote on the floor. It added protection for online service providers and users from actions against them based on the content of third parties, stating in part that "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider". Effectively, this section immunizes both ISPs and Internet users from liability for torts committed by others using their website or online forum, even if the provider fails to take action after receiving actual notice of the harmful or offensive content.[1]. As a result of the Seigenthaler incident, and other incidents where individuals have been allegedly libeled by anonymous or judgment-proof parties, this section of the Act has come under fire, with numerous calls for revisions to the Act to restore service provider liability in some cases.[citation needed]
Through the so-called Good Samaritan provision, this section also protects ISPs from liability for restricting access to certain material or giving others the technical means to restrict access to that material.
[edit] See also
* Electronic Frontier Foundation
* OCILLA portion of the DMCA, which contingently protects online service providers from liability for copyright infringement
* Right to pornography
[edit] References
1. ^ Myers, Ken S. (Fall 2006), "Wikimmunity: Fitting the Communications Decency Act to Wikipedia", Harvard Journal of Law & Technology 20: 163, http://ssrn.com/abstract=916529
[edit] External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Communications Decency Act
* FCC text of the full act.
* Section 230
* Internet Library of Law and Court Decisions Court Decisions applying Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
* Center for Democracy and Technology Overview of CDA. This refers only to the portion of the act which was struck down.
* Cybertelecom :: The Communications Decency Act and Sec. 230 Good Samaritan Defense
* EFF.org, bloggers on Section 230
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Decency_Act"
Categories: 1996 in law | Censorship in the United States | Computer law | Obscenity law | Pornography law
The Act was Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was introduced to the Senate Committee of Commerce, Science, and Transportation by Senators James Exon (D-NE) and Slade Gorton (R-WA) in 1995. The amendment that became the CDA was added to the Telecommunications Act in the Senate by an 84–16 vote on June 14, 1995.
As eventually passed by Congress, Title V affected the Internet (and online communications) in two significant ways. First, it attempted to regulate both indecency (when available to children) and obscenity in cyberspace. Second, Section 230 of the Act has been interpreted to say that operators of Internet services are not to be construed as publishers (and thus not legally liable for the words of third parties who use their services).
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Anti-indecency and Anti-obscenity provisions
o 1.1 Legal challenges
* 2 Section 230
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links
[edit] Anti-indecency and Anti-obscenity provisions
The most controversial portions of the Act were those relating to indecency on the Internet. The relevant sections of the Act were introduced in response to fears that Internet pornography was on the rise. Indecency in TV and radio broadcasting had already been regulated by the Federal Communications Commission—broadcasting of offensive speech was restricted to certain hours of the day, when minors were supposedly least likely to be exposed. Violators could be fined and potentially lose their licenses. The Internet, however, had only recently been opened to commercial interests by the 1992 amendment to the National Science Foundation Act and thus had not been taken into consideration by previous laws. The CDA, which affected the Internet and cable television, marked the first attempt to expand regulation to these new media.
Passed by Congress on February 1, 1996, and signed by President Bill Clinton on February 8, 1996, the CDA imposed criminal sanctions on anyone who
knowingly (A) uses an interactive computer service to send to a specific person or persons under 18 years of age, or (B) uses any interactive computer service to display in a manner available to a person under 18 years of age, any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image, or other communication that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs.
It further criminalized the transmission of materials that were "obscene or indecent" to persons known to be under 18.
Free speech advocates, however, worked diligently and successfully to overturn the portion relating to indecent, but not obscene, speech. They argued that speech protected under the First Amendment, such as printed novels or the use of the seven dirty words, would suddenly become unlawful when posted to the Internet. Critics also claimed the bill would have a chilling effect on the availability of medical information. Online civil liberties organizations arranged protests against the bill, for example the Black World Wide Web protest which encouraged webmasters to make their sites' backgrounds black for 48 hours after its passage, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign.
[edit] Legal challenges
In Philadelphia on June 12, 1996 a panel of federal judges blocked part of the CDA, saying it would infringe upon the free speech rights of adults. The next month, another US federal court in New York struck down the portion of the CDA intended to protect children from indecent speech as too broad. On June 26, 1997, the Supreme Court upheld the Philadelphia court's decision in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, stating that the indecency provisions were an unconstitutional abridgement of the First Amendment right to free speech because they did not permit parents to decide for themselves what material was acceptable for their children, extended to non-commercial speech, and did not define "patently offensive," a term with no prior legal meaning. (The New York case, Reno v. Shea, was affirmed by the Supreme Court the next day, without a published opinion.)
In 2003, Congress amended the CDA to remove the indecency provisions struck down in Reno v. ACLU. A separate challenge to the provisions governing obscenity, known as Nitke v. Gonzales, was rejected by a federal court in New York in 2005. The Supreme Court summarily affirmed that decision in 2006.
Congress has made two narrower attempts to regulate children's exposure to Internet indecency since the Supreme Court overturned the CDA. Court injunction blocked enforcement of the first, the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), almost immediately after its passage in 1998; the law was later overturned. While legal challenges also dogged COPA's successor, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2000, the Supreme Court upheld it as constitutional in 2004.
[edit] Section 230
Main article: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was not part of the original Senate legislation, but was added in conference with the House, where it had been separately introduced by Representatives Chris Cox (R-CA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) as the Internet Freedom and Family Empowerment Act and passed by a near-unanimous vote on the floor. It added protection for online service providers and users from actions against them based on the content of third parties, stating in part that "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider". Effectively, this section immunizes both ISPs and Internet users from liability for torts committed by others using their website or online forum, even if the provider fails to take action after receiving actual notice of the harmful or offensive content.[1]. As a result of the Seigenthaler incident, and other incidents where individuals have been allegedly libeled by anonymous or judgment-proof parties, this section of the Act has come under fire, with numerous calls for revisions to the Act to restore service provider liability in some cases.[citation needed]
Through the so-called Good Samaritan provision, this section also protects ISPs from liability for restricting access to certain material or giving others the technical means to restrict access to that material.
[edit] See also
* Electronic Frontier Foundation
* OCILLA portion of the DMCA, which contingently protects online service providers from liability for copyright infringement
* Right to pornography
[edit] References
1. ^ Myers, Ken S. (Fall 2006), "Wikimmunity: Fitting the Communications Decency Act to Wikipedia", Harvard Journal of Law & Technology 20: 163, http://ssrn.com/abstract=916529
[edit] External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Communications Decency Act
* FCC text of the full act.
* Section 230
* Internet Library of Law and Court Decisions Court Decisions applying Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
* Center for Democracy and Technology Overview of CDA. This refers only to the portion of the act which was struck down.
* Cybertelecom :: The Communications Decency Act and Sec. 230 Good Samaritan Defense
* EFF.org, bloggers on Section 230
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Decency_Act"
Categories: 1996 in law | Censorship in the United States | Computer law | Obscenity law | Pornography law
Red Hat Expands Messaging, Real-Time and Grid Features on Cloud Platform
By: Fahmida Y. Rashid
2010-10-15
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The Red Hat Enterprise MRG platform includes a new Linux kernel, expanded RHEL support and improved performance.
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Red Hat updated and expanded its Red Hat Enterprise Messaging, Realtime and Grid Linux platform, a critical set of tools for building and managing a private cloud, the company said on Oct. 14.
The enhancements in Red Hat Enterprise MRG 1.3 include adding support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.8 and 5.5, improving Messaging APIs, optimizing performance and scalability, and expanding new management features.
Red Hat Enterprise MRG is a collection of three different subscriptions - advanced messaging, real-time computing and grid computing - for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. The distributed computing platform features high-speed interoperable and open standards messaging tools, a deterministic low-latency real-time kernel based on Linux 2.6.33 kernel and high-performance and throughput computing grid scheduler for distributed workloads and cloud computing.
The Grid functionality had the most extensive updates in this release. A key enhancement allows IT managers to build out complex infrastructures that consist of multiple cloud environments, both public and private.
Along with integrated support for virtualization and public clouds, the Grid module can also aggregate multiple cloud resources into one common computing pool. These changes provide IT managers with flexible computing across private, public, and hybrid clouds and streamlined operations across remote grids with servers, Red Hat said.
The release includes new user tools, Windows Execute Node support, enhanced workflow management, resource restriction capabilities, update configuration management and new administration tool. With these updates, customers will gain the ability to scale to tens of thousands of devices, be able to provision virtual machines, centralize configuration and management and utilize cloud spill-over capabilities.
Based on the University of Wisconsin, Madison-hosted Condor Project, the Grid module introduces flexible deployment to various applications and workloads. With the Red Hat Grid component, IT managers can scale out applications with real-time or high-performance needs or take advantage of better asset utilization for applications.
In Enterprise 1.3, the Messaging component features updated clients with improve performance, and enhancements that optimize performance and increase stability in clustered environments. New protocol version independent C++ and Python clients, Windows C++ client and additional QMF APIs are also available.
The new MRG Messaging can now be used on JBoss Enterprise SOA Platform and has a number of security improvements, such as Kerberos support. The messaging component is built on the Advanced Messaging Queuing Protocol, which can handle multiple kinds of messaging functions at the same time.
Enterprise MRG’s updated Realtime kernel includes the new Performance Counter subsystem and the associated perf performance tool to enable greater performance capabilities. As real-time still has trade-offs in performance levels, low-latency is the preferred option over real-time to ensure mission-critical systems remain up and running. With the Realtime kernel, IT managers can make the necessary adjustments for each application.
Red Hat will be introducing a new MRG Realtime hardware self-certification program soon, the company said in its statement. The new hardware enablement and certifications in the module are designed to work with the program, according to Red Hat.
Rival Novell has a similar real-time product, called SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time.
Red Hat Enterprise MRG, first released in 2008, is part of Red Hat Cloud Foundations suite. Red Hat uses the same set of compilers for both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Enterprise MRG so applications certified for RHEL will be supported without the need to recertify on Enterprise MRG. The platform is available only for x86 and x64 hardware at this time.
Customers with an Enterprise MRG subscription will automatically receive the 1.3 update via the Red Hat Network. Under Enterprise MRG 1.3, Grid is fully supported for everyone, even customers without a technical account manager, Red Hat said.
2010-10-15
Article Rating:starstarstarstarstar / 0
Share This Article
There are 0 user comments on this Cloud Computing story.
The Red Hat Enterprise MRG platform includes a new Linux kernel, expanded RHEL support and improved performance.
Rate This Article:
Poor Best
PDF Version
Red Hat updated and expanded its Red Hat Enterprise Messaging, Realtime and Grid Linux platform, a critical set of tools for building and managing a private cloud, the company said on Oct. 14.
The enhancements in Red Hat Enterprise MRG 1.3 include adding support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.8 and 5.5, improving Messaging APIs, optimizing performance and scalability, and expanding new management features.
Red Hat Enterprise MRG is a collection of three different subscriptions - advanced messaging, real-time computing and grid computing - for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. The distributed computing platform features high-speed interoperable and open standards messaging tools, a deterministic low-latency real-time kernel based on Linux 2.6.33 kernel and high-performance and throughput computing grid scheduler for distributed workloads and cloud computing.
The Grid functionality had the most extensive updates in this release. A key enhancement allows IT managers to build out complex infrastructures that consist of multiple cloud environments, both public and private.
Along with integrated support for virtualization and public clouds, the Grid module can also aggregate multiple cloud resources into one common computing pool. These changes provide IT managers with flexible computing across private, public, and hybrid clouds and streamlined operations across remote grids with servers, Red Hat said.
The release includes new user tools, Windows Execute Node support, enhanced workflow management, resource restriction capabilities, update configuration management and new administration tool. With these updates, customers will gain the ability to scale to tens of thousands of devices, be able to provision virtual machines, centralize configuration and management and utilize cloud spill-over capabilities.
Based on the University of Wisconsin, Madison-hosted Condor Project, the Grid module introduces flexible deployment to various applications and workloads. With the Red Hat Grid component, IT managers can scale out applications with real-time or high-performance needs or take advantage of better asset utilization for applications.
In Enterprise 1.3, the Messaging component features updated clients with improve performance, and enhancements that optimize performance and increase stability in clustered environments. New protocol version independent C++ and Python clients, Windows C++ client and additional QMF APIs are also available.
The new MRG Messaging can now be used on JBoss Enterprise SOA Platform and has a number of security improvements, such as Kerberos support. The messaging component is built on the Advanced Messaging Queuing Protocol, which can handle multiple kinds of messaging functions at the same time.
Enterprise MRG’s updated Realtime kernel includes the new Performance Counter subsystem and the associated perf performance tool to enable greater performance capabilities. As real-time still has trade-offs in performance levels, low-latency is the preferred option over real-time to ensure mission-critical systems remain up and running. With the Realtime kernel, IT managers can make the necessary adjustments for each application.
Red Hat will be introducing a new MRG Realtime hardware self-certification program soon, the company said in its statement. The new hardware enablement and certifications in the module are designed to work with the program, according to Red Hat.
Rival Novell has a similar real-time product, called SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time.
Red Hat Enterprise MRG, first released in 2008, is part of Red Hat Cloud Foundations suite. Red Hat uses the same set of compilers for both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Enterprise MRG so applications certified for RHEL will be supported without the need to recertify on Enterprise MRG. The platform is available only for x86 and x64 hardware at this time.
Customers with an Enterprise MRG subscription will automatically receive the 1.3 update via the Red Hat Network. Under Enterprise MRG 1.3, Grid is fully supported for everyone, even customers without a technical account manager, Red Hat said.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Advantages and Disadvantages of SAP
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Advantages and disadvantages of SAP ERP
Advantages:- ERP allows easier global integration (Barriers of currency exchange rates, language, and culture can be bridged automatically)
- Updates only need to be done once to be implemented company wide
- Provides real-time information, reducing the possibility of redundancy errors
- Vendors have past knowledge and expertise on how to best build and implement a system
- Locked into relationship by contract and manageability with vendor - a contract can hold a company to the vendor until it expires and it can be unprofitable to switch vendors if switching costs are too high
- Inflexibility- vendor packages may not fit a company's business model exactly and customization can be very expensive
- Return on Investment may take too long to be profitable
- SAP ERP implementations have a risk of project failure [1]
Advantages of Using SAP R/3 in comparison with other Similar Tools
Comments (1)
ERP system takes a lead role because of some of the following reasons:
Many large corporations use several different and separate information systems, often because they have merged with and/or acquired other companies with varied systems. An ERP system integrates these separate information systems and results in improved data reliability and processing efficiency. ERP systems are not only used by large corporations but becoming popular with small to mid-sized companies also.Simplify business transaction processing and thus work load is reduced.
Some of the main advantages of using SAP R/3 are listed below:
SAP's R/3, introduced in 1992, is the most used ERP system in the world.The R/3 software package is designed to allow businesses to effectively and efficiently operate a variety of business processes within a single integrated information system.
The software is customizable using SAP's proprietary programming language, ABAP/4. R/3 is scalable and highly suited for many types and sizes of organizations and runs on six different platforms.
SAP’s R/3 has been designed to be the best ERP system in the four areas of human resources, financial, supply chain management, and marketing. R/3 is also an international product, and meets the local fiscal, language, and tax requirements of most countries.
SAP’s R/3 is very versatile, as it will operate on six different platforms, including the recently added Microsoft NT.
The R/3 package includes several very attractive features like it has a three-tier client/server system. Providing three tiers offers scalability and easier adaptation to the specific needs of large companies and fast-growing companies.
SAP’s R/3 is available in 14 different languages (German, English, Spanish, etc.) and also incorporates multiple currency features that provide essential information processing capabilities for multinational corporations.
R/3’s modules are organized by the functional areas of financial, human resources, supply chain management, and marketing. While information is entered separately for each specific module, the modules are fully-integrated and provide real-time applications. This means that data entered into one module is immediately and automatically updated and reflected in all oft the functional areas.
R/3 is composed of a single, virtual file structure with no subsystems.
In addition, SAP has released “MySAP.com” which is software that provides for data interaction and processing connections with the Web.
Financial and managerial accounting tools in SAP R/3 are contained in the financial accounting (FI) and the controlling (CO) modules. The General Ledger function in the FI module provides a comprehensive record of all information needed for external financial reporting. The accounting data is complete and accurate because the SAP system fully integrates all business transactions that were entered from all the operational areas of a company. In addition to the FI and CO modules, the SAP system includes the Investment Management (IM), Sales and Distribution (SD), Materials Management (MM), and Human Resources (HR) modules.
Management accounting tools in SAP R/3 are cost center accounting, internal orders, product costing, and activity based costing, profitability analysis and profit center accounting.
SAP R/3’s accounting features are modeled on German approaches to accounting, and thus they are well-organized and very efficient in processing accounting information and providing accounting statements and financial reports.
As stated previously, R/3 offers multiple currency features and a three-tier system that is capable of meeting very high demands from the accounting system for eithertransaction processing or financial reporting.
SAP was the first to implement integrated treasury capabilities. This attractive feature allows a corporate treasury department to function as an in-house bank by automating the control of cash flow, investment trades, and portfolio management.
R/3 provides check writing capability in its Accounts Receivable component which very few other programs offer.
Additionally, there is equal access to all data in the system. This means that personnel can access financial data directly from a computer screen rather than physically meet with the treasurer, controller, or some other similar person. In other words, R/3 offers real-time, immediately updated reporting.
R/3 also provides for a "single data entry point" where the data entered from any location is instantly sent to all other appropriate modules in theERP system.
The accounts payable component of SAP R/3 contains four types of transaction blocks namely:
● The audit block
● The receiving block
● The vendor block
● A manual block
These blocks make it much less likely that improper payments will occur.
SAP R/3 is organized with the concept that a business operates as a series of processes, which means that the company implementing R/3 may have to change and reorganize itself to properly fit with R/3 and use it effectively.
Thus SAP R/3 on the whole as stated above gives:
Significant cost and time savings.
Minimum operating costs: no retention of redundant data in the back office.High level of stability and performance: response times are consistently under one second.
Good user interface available which makes system user friendly and requires no training for the end user.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Advantages and Disadvantages of SAP
Advantages and Disadvantages of SAP SAP Advantages: 1. Integration Integration can be the highest benefit of them all. The only real project aim for implementing ERP is reducing data redudancy and redudant data entry. If this is set as a goal, to automate inventory posting to G/L, then it might be a successful project. Those companies where integration is not so important or even dangerous, tend to have a hard time with ERP. ERP does not improve the individual efficiency of users, so if they expect it, it will be a big disappointment. ERP improves the cooperation of users. 2. EfficiencyGenerally, ERP software focuses on integration and tend to not care about the daily needs of people. I think individual efficiency can suffer by implementing ERP. the big question with ERP is whether the benefit of integration and cooperation can make up for the loss in personal efficiency or not. 3. Cost reductionIt reduces cost only if the company took accounting and reporting seriously even before implementation and had put a lot of manual effort in it. If they didn't care about it, if they just did some simple accounting to fill mandatory statements and if internal reporting did not exists of has not been fincancially-oriented, then no cost is reduced. 4. Less personnel Same as above. Less reporting or accounting personnel, but more sales assistants etc. 5. Accuracy No. People are accurate, not software. What ERP does is makes the lives of inaccurate people or organization a complete hell and maybe forces them to be accurate (which means hiring more people or distributing work better), or it falls. Disadvantages: 1. ExpensiveThis entails software, hardware, implementation, consultants, training, etc. Or you can hire a programmer or two as an employee and only buy business consulting from an outside source, do all customization and end-user training inside. That can be cost-effective. 2. Not very flexibleIt depends. SAP can be configured to almost anything. In Navision one can develop almost anything in days. Other software may not be flexible.ERP Implementation Advantages/Disadvantages
1/19/2006 By ITtoolbox Popular Q&A Team for ITtoolbox as adapted from ERP-Select discussion group
Summary:
What are the benefits and disadvantages of implementing ERP software?
What are the benefits and disadvantages of implementing ERP software?
Full Article:
Disclaimer: Contents are not reviewed for correctness and are not endorsed or recommended by ITtoolbox or any vendor. Popular Q&A contents include summarized information from ERP-Select discussion unless otherwise noted.
Adapted from a response by miklos.hollender on 1/11/2006
Advantages:
Integration
Integration can be the highest benefit of them all. The only real project aim for implementing ERP is reducing data redudancy and redudant data entry. If this is set as a goal, to automate inventory posting to G/L, then it might be a successful project. Those companies where integration is not so important or even dangerous, tend to have a hard time with ERP. ERP does not improve the individual efficiency of users, so if they expect it, it will be a big disappointment. ERP improves the cooperation of users.
Efficiency
Generally, ERP software focuses on integration and tend to not care about the daily needs of people. I think individual efficiency can suffer by implementing ERP. the big question with ERP is whether the benefit of integration and cooperation can make up for the loss in personal efficiency or not.
Cost reduction
It reduces cost only if the company took accounting and reporting seriously even before implementation and had put a lot of manual effort in it. If they didn't care about it, if they just did some simple accounting to fill mandatory statements and if internal reporting did not exists of has not been fincancially-oriented, then no cost is reduced.
Less personnel
Same as above. Less reporting or accounting personnel, but more sales assistants etc.
Accuracy
No. People are accurate, not software. What ERP does is makes the lives of inaccurate people or organization a complete hell and maybe forces them to be accurate (which means hiring more people or distributing work better), or it falls.
Disadvantages:
Expensive
This entails software, hardware, implementation, consultants, training, etc. Or you can hire a programmer or two as an employee and only buy business consulting from an outside source, do all customization and end-user training inside. That can be cost-effective.
Not very flexible
It depends. SAP can be configured to almost anything. In Navision one can develop almost anything in days. Other software may not be flexible.
Adapted from a response by miklos.hollender on 1/11/2006
Advantages:
Integration
Integration can be the highest benefit of them all. The only real project aim for implementing ERP is reducing data redudancy and redudant data entry. If this is set as a goal, to automate inventory posting to G/L, then it might be a successful project. Those companies where integration is not so important or even dangerous, tend to have a hard time with ERP. ERP does not improve the individual efficiency of users, so if they expect it, it will be a big disappointment. ERP improves the cooperation of users.
Efficiency
Generally, ERP software focuses on integration and tend to not care about the daily needs of people. I think individual efficiency can suffer by implementing ERP. the big question with ERP is whether the benefit of integration and cooperation can make up for the loss in personal efficiency or not.
Cost reduction
It reduces cost only if the company took accounting and reporting seriously even before implementation and had put a lot of manual effort in it. If they didn't care about it, if they just did some simple accounting to fill mandatory statements and if internal reporting did not exists of has not been fincancially-oriented, then no cost is reduced.
Less personnel
Same as above. Less reporting or accounting personnel, but more sales assistants etc.
Accuracy
No. People are accurate, not software. What ERP does is makes the lives of inaccurate people or organization a complete hell and maybe forces them to be accurate (which means hiring more people or distributing work better), or it falls.
Disadvantages:
Expensive
This entails software, hardware, implementation, consultants, training, etc. Or you can hire a programmer or two as an employee and only buy business consulting from an outside source, do all customization and end-user training inside. That can be cost-effective.
Not very flexible
It depends. SAP can be configured to almost anything. In Navision one can develop almost anything in days. Other software may not be flexible.
Disclaimer: Contents are not reviewed for correctness and are not endorsed or recommended by Toolbox.com or any vendor. Popular Q&A contents include summarized information from erp-select discussion unless otherwise noted.
Advantages and Disadvantages of SAP
SAP Advantages:
1. Integration
Integration can be the highest benefit of them all. The only real project aim for implementing ERP is reducing data redudancy and redudant data entry. If this is set as a goal, to automate inventory posting to G/L, then it might be a successful project. Those companies where integration is not so important or even dangerous, tend to have a hard time with ERP. ERP does not improve the individual efficiency of users, so if they expect it, it will be a big disappointment. ERP improves the cooperation of users.
2. Efficiency
Generally, ERP software focuses on integration and tend to not care about the daily needs of people. I think individual efficiency can suffer by implementing ERP. the big question with ERP is whether the benefit of integration and cooperation can make up for the loss in personal efficiency or not.
3. Cost reduction
It reduces cost only if the company took accounting and reporting seriously even before implementation and had put a lot of manual effort in it. If they didn't care about it, if they just did some simple accounting to fill mandatory statements and if internal reporting did not exists of has not been fincancially-oriented, then no cost is reduced.
4. Less personnel
Same as above. Less reporting or accounting personnel, but more sales assistants etc.
5. Accuracy
No. People are accurate, not software. What ERP does is makes the lives of inaccurate people or organization a complete hell and maybe forces them to be accurate (which means hiring more people or distributing work better), or it falls.
Disadvantages:
1. Expensive
This entails software, hardware, implementation, consultants, training, etc. Or you can hire a programmer or two as an employee and only buy business consulting from an outside source, do all customization and end-user training inside. That can be cost-effective.
2. Not very flexible
It depends. SAP can be configured to almost anything. In Navision one can develop almost anything in days. Other software may not be flexible.
SAP Advantages:
1. Integration
Integration can be the highest benefit of them all. The only real project aim for implementing ERP is reducing data redudancy and redudant data entry. If this is set as a goal, to automate inventory posting to G/L, then it might be a successful project. Those companies where integration is not so important or even dangerous, tend to have a hard time with ERP. ERP does not improve the individual efficiency of users, so if they expect it, it will be a big disappointment. ERP improves the cooperation of users.
2. Efficiency
Generally, ERP software focuses on integration and tend to not care about the daily needs of people. I think individual efficiency can suffer by implementing ERP. the big question with ERP is whether the benefit of integration and cooperation can make up for the loss in personal efficiency or not.
3. Cost reduction
It reduces cost only if the company took accounting and reporting seriously even before implementation and had put a lot of manual effort in it. If they didn't care about it, if they just did some simple accounting to fill mandatory statements and if internal reporting did not exists of has not been fincancially-oriented, then no cost is reduced.
4. Less personnel
Same as above. Less reporting or accounting personnel, but more sales assistants etc.
5. Accuracy
No. People are accurate, not software. What ERP does is makes the lives of inaccurate people or organization a complete hell and maybe forces them to be accurate (which means hiring more people or distributing work better), or it falls.
Disadvantages:
1. Expensive
This entails software, hardware, implementation, consultants, training, etc. Or you can hire a programmer or two as an employee and only buy business consulting from an outside source, do all customization and end-user training inside. That can be cost-effective.
2. Not very flexible
It depends. SAP can be configured to almost anything. In Navision one can develop almost anything in days. Other software may not be flexible.
Some of the main advantages of using SAP R/3 are listed below:
SAP's R/3, introduced in 1992, is the most used ERP system in the world.The R/3 software package is designed to allow businesses to effectively and efficiently operate a variety of business processes within a single integrated information system.
The software is customizable using SAP's proprietary programming language, ABAP/4. R/3 is scalable and highly suited for many types and sizes of organizations and runs on six different platforms.
SAP's R/3 has been designed to be the best ERP system in the four areas of human resources, financial, supply chain management, and marketing. R/3 is also an international product, and meets the local fiscal, language, and tax requirements of most countries.
SAP's R/3 is very versatile, as it will operate on six different platforms, including the recently added Microsoft NT.
The R/3 package includes several very attractive features like it has a three-tier client/server system. Providing three tiers offers scalability and easier adaptation to the specific needs of large companies and fast-growing companies.
SAP's R/3 is available in 14 different languages (German, English, Spanish, etc.) and also incorporates multiple currency features that provide essential information processing capabilities for multinational corporations.
R/3's modules are organized by the functional areas of financial, human resources, supply chain management, and marketing. While information is entered separately for each specific module, the modules are fully-integrated and provide real-time applications. This means that data entered into one module is immediately and automatically updated and reflected in all oft the functional areas.
R/3 is composed of a single, virtual file structure with no subsystems.
In addition, SAP has released "MySAP.com" which is software that provides for data interaction and processing connections with the Web.
Financial and managerial accounting tools in SAP R/3 are contained in the financial accounting (FI) and the controlling (CO) modules. The General Ledger function in the FI module provides a comprehensive record of all information needed for external financial reporting. The accounting data is complete and accurate because the SAP system fully integrates all business transactions that were entered from all the operational areas of a company. In addition to the FI and CO modules, the SAP system includes the Investment Management (IM), Sales and Distribution (SD), Materials Management (MM), and Human Resources (HR) modules.
Management accounting tools in SAP R/3 are cost center accounting, internal orders, product costing, and activity based costing, profitability analysis and profit center accounting.
SAP R/3's accounting features are modeled on German approaches to accounting, and thus they are well-organized and very efficient in processing accounting information and providing accounting statements and financial reports.
As stated previously, R/3 offers multiple currency features and a three-tier system that is capable of meeting very high demands from the accounting system for either transaction processing or financial reporting.
SAP was the first to implement integrated treasury capabilities. This attractive feature allows a corporate treasury department to function as an in-house bank by automating the control of cash flow, investment trades, and portfolio management.
R/3 provides check writing capability in its Accounts Receivable component which very few other programs offer.
Additionally, there is equal access to all data in the system. This means that personnel can access financial data directly from a computer screen rather than physically meet with the treasurer, controller, or some other similar person. In other words, R/3 offers real-time, immediately updated reporting.
R/3 also provides for a "single data entry point" where the data entered from any location is instantly sent to all other appropriate modules in the ERP system.
The accounts payable component of SAP R/3 contains four types of transaction blocks namely:
● The audit block● The receiving block● The vendor block● A manual block
These blocks make it much less likely that improper payments will occur.
SAP R/3 is organized with the concept that a business operates as a series of processes, which means that the company implementing R/3 may have to change and reorganize itself to properly fit with R/3 and use it effectively.Thus SAP R/3 on the whole as stated above gives:
Sponsored Links
Significant cost and time savings.
Minimum operating costs: no retention of redundant data in the back office.High level of stability and performance: response times are consistently under one second.
Good user interface available which makes system user friendly and requires no training for the end user.
If you compare with other ERP's (like PeopleSoft);
SAP Advantages:
SAP can provide many Functions to business like HR, Finance, Suppy Chain, CRM etc. so Integration can be the highest benefit of them all;
And under each Functions, there are lot of features and covers many countries; so if you have business that is multinational, it really helps them;
it is very reliable;
Disadvantages:
IT is very very expensive;
It is Not very flexible; Not that User-Friendly;
Implemetation takes lot of time, resources;
Source(s):
http://www.sapcert.info for Free SAP Certification Tutorials
Companies warned over custom SAP costs
By Cath Everett, ZDNet.co.uk, 13 February, 2008 17:12Around 90 percent of European SAP customers could save six- or seven-figure sums each year by avoiding the creation of bespoke code on top of the ERP platform, an IT consultant has claimed. According to a study undertaken by IT consultancy West Trax, released last week, companies could see their SAP development, support and maintenance costs fall by using standard software more efficiently and upgrading more often. West Trax, which specialises in SAP deployments for large companies, said the study was based on the logs of 245 SAP systems operating in 13 different industries in the UK and Germany.
The study showed that 45 percent of the SAP deployments of the financial services firms thast were surveyed contained bespoke code created by the end-customer. Energy companies were next, with 40 percent, followed by telcos and services-based organisations, at 38 and 37 percent respectively.
"There are two elements here — people often do a lot of customisation and don't use a large proportion but still maintain it anyway, while others use customised code where they could use standard code," said David Long, chief executive at West Trax.
Companies have also failed to introduce effective business process re-engineering or change-management strategies when implementing their original SAP systems, West Trax claims. This means that they either had to customise applications to conform with existing ways of working or they found that staff used workarounds, which they were subsequently forced to support, said West Trax's Long.
The study found that the majority of those surveyed use only about 25 percent of the sections of the SAP deployments they have created in-house on a regular basis, while more than a third of such applications were never accessed at all. "In every case, 50 percent of customised code only ran about 20 times in a quarter, which is once a working day, if that. But if you break it down, you find that 90 percent of that 50 percent is accessed zero times per quarter. Therefore, our recommendation is that companies see if it's possible replace these programs with standard code," Long said.
Winfried Rapp, SAP's chief financial officer for the UK and Ireland, agreed that organisations would benefit from reducing current levels of custom code usage. He said that the introduction and use of bespoke applications is most closely linked to inefficient or broken business processes but admitted it is necessary in some situations.
"It's always a balance to understand your own processes, fit them around a standardised product and see how they best come together. Matching business processes with IT products is a complex task and you can do it in quite different ways depending on the situation," he said. "This is why people often purchase and build on the expertise we've gained in implementing software with similar customers."
As well as spending money on creating bespoke code, West Trax has warned that companies are not fully utilising all the functionality in the core SAP packages. The IT consultant cites comments made by SAP's UK managing director Steve Rogers at an SAP user conference last year. "I find it frustrating that the majority of you only seem to be using a modest slice of the software you have acquired," Rogers is reported to have told the audience of SAP users.
While the functionality of particular applications such as goods management and sales and distribution is used heavily, the same is not true of areas such as personnel administration and development, West Trax said.
SAP costs too much – customers
Posted in Hardware, 31st March 2003 23:02 GMTFree whitepaper – Taking control of your data demons: Dealing with unstructured content
Every now and then, an analyst firm gathers up its collective courage and issues an ROI study which contradicts everything a vendor's marketing department would have you believe.
So hats off to Nucleus Research for firing a salvo at SAP for causing customers to shell out millions on software with little more than added worker productivity in return.
The force of the criticism is weakened somewhat by the small data sample from which Nucleus draws its conclusions: the US analyst firm interviewed 21 customers only. But they are reference sites, so, small as the sample may be, it seems safe to say that many SAP users are a tad concerned about mounting bills and questionable ROI.
Most customers surveyed had used SAP software for close to three years and 57 per cent of them said they've paid more for the code than it's worth.
The average cost for a three-year SAP deployment is $10m, with consulting accounting for $3.6m, personnel soaking up $2.5m, software licenses another $2m, and related hardware and training costs picking up the rest of the tab.
Companies surveyed saw some benefits from workers being able to manipulate data more quickly with SAP products and better company-wide access to information. "However, a positive return on the SAP investment was achieved only when there was both a sufficient number of users and sufficient frequency of use (breadth and repeatability) to reap significant productivity based gains from the solution," Nucleus writes.
Beyond these few cases of positive return, SAP users feel let down by their romp in the world of customer relationship management, business automation and the like. ®
So hats off to Nucleus Research for firing a salvo at SAP for causing customers to shell out millions on software with little more than added worker productivity in return.
The force of the criticism is weakened somewhat by the small data sample from which Nucleus draws its conclusions: the US analyst firm interviewed 21 customers only. But they are reference sites, so, small as the sample may be, it seems safe to say that many SAP users are a tad concerned about mounting bills and questionable ROI.
Most customers surveyed had used SAP software for close to three years and 57 per cent of them said they've paid more for the code than it's worth.
The average cost for a three-year SAP deployment is $10m, with consulting accounting for $3.6m, personnel soaking up $2.5m, software licenses another $2m, and related hardware and training costs picking up the rest of the tab.
Companies surveyed saw some benefits from workers being able to manipulate data more quickly with SAP products and better company-wide access to information. "However, a positive return on the SAP investment was achieved only when there was both a sufficient number of users and sufficient frequency of use (breadth and repeatability) to reap significant productivity based gains from the solution," Nucleus writes.
Beyond these few cases of positive return, SAP users feel let down by their romp in the world of customer relationship management, business automation and the like. ®
| Nucleus Research finds 57 percent of SAP Reference Customers have not Achieved a Positive ROI |
| Monday, 31 March 2003 |
Customers will see benefits after lengthy implementations, but many deployments anchored down by excessive consulting costs
Nucleus Research (NucleusResearch.com), the leading provider of bottom-line focused technology research, today announced the results of an independent study of SAP AG (NYSE: SAP). According to the results, 57 percent of SAP reference customers interviewed believed they had not achieved a positive return on investment (ROI) from their SAP deployment. However, customers with less customization and consulting requirements were more likely to receive enough returns to drive a positive ROI.
Despite having used the SAP applications for nearly three years and having spent, on average, more than $5.4 million on license fees and deployment consulting costs, more than half of these SAP reference customers did not realize a positive ROI. Most of these customers were hampered by excessive customization of the solutions and its interfaces, and extensive consulting costs, which averaged more than $3.6 million per implementation. For deployments in which consulting amounts to more than twice the cost of software, a positive ROI is unlikely. Where customers did derive benefits, they came from increased productivity, reduced headcount, improved operations management, and improved information organization and access for decision making.
The full report is available from Nucleus Research at: NucleusResearch.com
SAP: From Incredible Bulk to Discrete Modules
While the press has taken the entire ERP market to task as hulking behemoths that plagued customers with lengthy, costly deployments, SAP has continued to grow at a tremendous pace and, more recently, diversified its monolithic ERP offerings into more discrete bundles of business applications. Now, companies license and use SAP applications either as separate modules or as part of the overall mySAP.com suite of e-business solutions. These solutions include product data management (mySAP PLM), supply chain management (mySAP SCM and mySAP SRM), customer relationship management (mySAP CRM), business information (mySAP BW) and corporate financials. Nucleus interviewed customers representing a cross-section of SAP's ERP systems and individual modules.
"Among the 'Real ROI' research we've done, SAP emerges as an anomaly for those technologies with unimpressive ROI trends. More than half of the reference customers aren't recognizing a positive ROI, yet the prognosis isn't as bleak as it is for other vendors' enterprise software," said Rebecca Wettemann, Nucleus Research's vice president of research. "Most of SAP's customers expected a lengthy implementation. Companies that can manage this process without purchasing software that is beyond their business and functional needs, and without excessive customization of the solution and its interfaces, will be poised for significant benefits."
The report is the latest in Nucleus Research's "Real ROI" series, which most recently has included reports on Manugistics (MANU), i2 (ITWO), Siebel (SEBL) and Cognos (COGN). The "Real ROI" reports provide Nucleus' research subscription customers with fair, unbiased data about the costs, benefits and financial best-practices associated with deploying a specific vendor's enterprise technology deployment. Nucleus' analysts use a standard methodology built around a series of in-depth interviews with independently researched customers who have implemented a specific technology. Nucleus analysts independently contact these vendors' reference customers—without the vendor's knowledge—in order to take a broad look at the returns and costs associated with various technology deployments.
Key ROI Challenges
Fifty-seven percent of SAP customers—who had been using SAP for 2.8 years—interviewed did not believe that they had achieved a positive ROI from their deployments. During the last decade, SAP emerged as a "simple" solution to Y2K issues, as companies looked to replace obsolete legacy solutions with new systems for the sake of business continuity. However, many of these companies bought more SAP than they needed: they purchased large SAP licenses without explicitly examining costs and benefits, considering payback period or developing a clear roadmap to fully exploit SAP's capability.
And the costs were hefty: among those companies surveyed, the average license investment was more than $1.8 million, with SAP maintenance fees running at a standard 17 percent. However, when consulting, hardware, personnel and training were added, the figure ballooned to a three-year median cost of more than $5.2 million. Most companies had evolved significantly during the implementation period, and evolving market conditions prevented IT departments from extending SAP functionality to enough users and departments to offset the high deployment costs of SAP.
Additional factors included:
Potential for ROI Benefits
Nucleus found companies achieving benefits from SAP in three areas:
Study Methodology
Nucleus reviewed the SAP Web site for companies that were listed as reference users of SAP. From queries put out to a pool of 93 reference customers, Nucleus received responses from 41, 21 that agreed to participate in the interviews, 20 that declined to participate for various reasons.
Nucleus included data from all customer interviews in this report, with the majority of participants agreeing to participate on condition of anonymity.
Nucleus asked companies about various aspects of their SAP deployments that would impact ROI, including the following:
The full report is available at NucleusResearch.com. Nucleus Research clients who are interested in more detailed information concerning the costs and returns of specific SAP applications should contact Nucleus Research client services.
About Nucleus ResearchNucleus Research is an independent global research and advisory firm that provides CFOs and CIOs with the financial and technology insight they need to make clear, accurate assessments of the returns from their technology investment. The company is the first firm of its kind to blend financial analysis with comprehensive technology expertise to deliver 100% impartial return-on-investment (ROI) information to organizations worldwide. Nucleus Research uses an uncompromising set of processes and tools to evaluate the financial return on IT assets throughout a technology's life cycle, from selection and deployment to upgrade and retirement. Nucleus Research's ROI assessment methodology can be applied to virtually any technology investment. |
How much does SAP costs me?
There is a defining moment in the journey of all companies on the road to SAP nirvana. This moment comes just after the company has concluded that it want’s SAP, it needs SAP, it’s gotta have SAP … then comes the question ‘so what does it take to implement it’?This is the question which separates those who are ready from the wannabees. At the heart of every good business decision lies a cost benefit analysis. If this cannot be complete with a positive outcome, the initiative (whatever it is) should probably not be launched. Same goes for a SAP implementation.
Implementing SAP is an expensive business. No doubt about it. But the potential rewards can dwarf the costs and the list of organisations that have realised this is growing every day . One customer reportedly made enough savings on the procurement of a single raw material to pay for the entire enterprise-wide SAP implementation! Of course these are hard to substantiate, but visit SAP’s website and take a look at the customer testimonials.
SAP sells it’s R/3 product on a ‘price per user basis’. The actual price is negotiated between SAP and the customer and therefore depends on numerous factors which include number of users and modules (and other hundreds of factors which are present in any negotiation). You should check with SAP, but for an initial planning number you could do worse than starting with $4000 per user. There is also an annual support cost of about 10% which includes periodic upgrades. Again, check with SAP for further details.
Then there is the implementation cost. What? It is about now that you need to get the business case out again and remind yourself why you need to do this. The major drivers of the total implementation cost are the Timeframe, Resource Requirements and Hardware.
Timeframe - The absolute quickest implementation we have ever heard of is 45 days … but this was for a tiny company with very few users and no changes to the delivered SAP processes. At the other end of the scale you get the multi-nationals who are implementing SAP over 5 to 10 years. These are not necessarily failures … many of them are planned as successive global deployments (which seem to roll around the globe forever). Of course the really expensive ones are those we don’t hear about! For the most part, you should be able to get your (single instance) project completed in a 9 to 18 month period.
People – The smallest of SAP implementations can get done on a part-time basis without outside help. The largest swallow up hundreds of people (sometimes over a thousand) and include whole armies of consultants. This adds up fast. Again, get that business case out. The types of people you will need run the range from heavy duty techies to project managers.
Hardware – The smallest of SAP implementations probably use only three instances (boxes) … one for the production system, one for test, and one for development. The largest implementations have well over 100 instances, especially if they involve multiple parallel projects (otherwise known as a program).
Adding all this up, your SAP project can run anywhere from $400,000 to hundreds of millions of $$$’s. As you can see, SAP can be all things to all companies … so it’s best to talk to them (or your consulting firm) about your specific requirements.
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