Brush fires hit Camarillo, Walnut, Camp Pendleton
Posted in News on July 14th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off
Brush fires burned across parched hillsides in three Southern California counties Tuesday, briefly threatening homes in Walnut and Camarillo and scorching at least 2,700 acres at Camp Pendleton.
The wildfires came as the region basked under sunny skies and warm weather after experiencing gloomy conditions and lower-than-normal temperatures for much of July.
“This was our first warm day,” said Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Ron Oatman.
Italy arrests 300 in crackdown on crime organization
Posted in Crime, News on July 13th, 2010 by admin – Comments OffItalian police launched one of their biggest operations ever against the powerful ‘ndrangheta crime syndicate on Tuesday, arresting 300 people including top bosses and seizing millions worth of property in pre-dawn raids.
The man believed to be the ‘ndrangheta’s top boss, Domenico Oppedisano, was picked up in Rosarno, a small coastal town in Calabria, the southern region where the organization is based, police said.
Also arrested was the man in charge of the gang’s businesses in Milan, where the ‘ndrangheta has been making major inroads.
War zone drone crashes add up
Posted in Education, News, Tech, Video on July 6th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off
The U.S. military often portrays its drone aircraft as high-tech marvels that can be operated seamlessly from thousands of miles away. But Pentagon accident reports reveal that the pilotless aircraft suffer from frequent system failures, computer glitches and human error.
Design and system problems were never fully addressed in the haste to push the fragile plane into combat over Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks more than eight years ago. Air Force investigators continue to cite pilot mistakes, coordination snafus, software failures, outdated technology and inadequate flight manuals.
Thirty-eight Predator and Reaper drones have crashed during combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and nine more during training on bases in the U.S. — with each crash costing between $3.7 million and $5 million. Altogether, the Air Force says there have been 79 drone accidents costing at least $1 million each.
Gulf oil spill likely to reach Florida Keys, Miami, report says
Posted in News on July 3rd, 2010 by admin – Comments OffHundreds of skimming boats prepared Friday to return to calmer gulf waters in the wake of Hurricane Alex and resume cleanup of the massive BP oil spill, which scientists now predict is likely to reach the Florida Keys and Miami in the months ahead.
Using computer simulations based on 15 years of wind and ocean current data, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a report Friday showing a 61% to 80% chance of the oil spill reaching within 20 miles of the coasts of the Florida Keys, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, mostly likely in the form of weathered tar balls.
Shorelines with the greatest chance of being soiled by oil — 81% to 100% — stretch from the Mississippi River Delta to the western Florida Panhandle, NOAA scientists said in a statement on its projections for the next four months.
Afghanistan violence is soaring, U.N. says
Posted in News on June 20th, 2010 by admin – Comments OffAfghanistan has become a far more dangerous place for Western troops and Afghan civilians alike, with an increase in suicide attacks, roadside bombings and political assassinations in the first four months of 2010, the United Nations said in a report released Saturday.
The gloomy assessment comes on the heels of congressional testimony last week by senior U.S. military officials who acknowledged that efforts to stabilize Afghanistan’s volatile south are proving more complex and time-consuming than anticipated.
