JERUSALEM ? Israeli aircraft struck at Palestinian militants in Gaza on Saturday who responded with a volley of rockets which rained on southern Israeli towns, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. Palestinian officials said nine militants were killed, while on the Israeli side one civilian was killed and four others were wounded.
Exchanges of fire are common between southern Israel and the Gaza strip controlled by the militant Hamas group, but this is the worst in months.
Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Adham Abu Salmia said nine people were killed and 15 wounded in separate attacks on militant targets.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said one Israeli civilian was killed and four others wounded when Palestinian rockets exploded in residential areas in southern Israel.
An Israeli military spokesman confirmed a total of four strikes in Gaza, saying the military hit Palestinian militants from the Islamic Jihad, one of several groups in Gaza which fires rockets into southern Israel. The spokesman said that the first attack specifically targeted a cell responsible for a Wednesday rocket attack that exploded deep inside Israel. That attack had caused no casualties.
The military "will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians," the spokesman said. He spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with military protocols.
The Israeli military released video footage taken from a military drone Saturday afternoon that shows Palestinians unloading rockets from a truck and preparing them for firing at Israel. The strike took place shortly afterward.
Abu Salmia, the Gaza health official, said five people had been killed and 11 wounded in the first attack. Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed confirmed that one of its local field commanders, Ahmed Sheikh Khalil, was among the dead. He said Khalil was one of the group's chief bomb makers. "Today it was a great loss for us in the Islamic Jihad," he said. "The size of our retaliation will equal our loss," it said in a text message sent to reporters.
"Our response shall be in the depths of the Zionist entity," it said in reference to the Israeli heartland.
After the first airstrike, militants in Gaza fired over 20 rockets at southern Israel, Rosenfeld said.
Islamic Jihad took responsibility for firing the rockets in a text message to reporters, and released photos of the rockets being launched from the backs of pickup trucks. The group said this is the first time they are using this system as opposed to firing them from launchers on the ground.
One rocket hit an apartment building in the southern city of Ashkelon and injured a 50 year-old Israeli who later died of his wounds, Rosenfeld said. Another exploded outside an apartment building in nearby Ashdod, injuring one person. Israeli television showed about a dozen cars in flames outside the building.
Another Israeli sustained shrapnel wounds in the nearby town of Gan Yavneh and others in the Ashdod region were treated for shock, the Israeli military spokesman said.
Israel's Channel 2 television reported that one rocket hid a school, causing massive damage. No one was hurt because the school was closed for the Jewish Sabbath, Ashdod Mayor Yehiel Lasri said.
Late Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned the mayors of cities hit by Palestinian rockets. Netanyahu said the military had hit rocket launcher squads responsible for the attacks and said "the military's response will be tougher if needed."
After the rocket barrage, Abu Salmia said that a second Israeli attack killed two people. Islamic Jihad confirmed that they were militants. Israel's military spokesman said that the second air strike had hit "terrorists that fired rockets on Israel in the evening,"
Abu Salmia said another Israeli strike late Saturday killed two more militants bringing the total to nine.
The Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad took responsibility for multiple suicide bombings and shooting attacks against civilians in Israel during the second Palestinian intifadah, or uprising, in the first half of the last decade.
Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, blamed each other for the flare up in violence Saturday.
"The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip," the Israeli military said.
Israel as a matter of policy holds Hamas liable for violence perpetrated by any of the different armed groups in the coastal territory.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum meanwhile said Israel is "fully responsible for all the results of this dangerous escalation."
In the winter of 2008, Israel launched a broad military offensive inside Gaza aimed at stopping almost daily Palestinian rocket fire at Israeli communities.
Since then, violence has continued sporadically along the border and Palestinians continue to launch mortars and rockets at Israel, but to a much lesser degree.
On Wednesday, militants fired a long-range Katyusha rocket that exploded near Ashdod in the south of Israel. Sirens also went off in the central Israeli city of Rehovot, which unlike many southern Israeli cities is not accustomed to rocket fire, causing panic. The Israeli military said the alarm went off because the rocket exploded in an area between the two cities.
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that Israeli diplomats "will protest against the indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israeli civilians to the U.N. Secretary General." He said a similar letter sent after Wednesday's attack has yet to be answered.
___
Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza contributed to this report.
You don't need to have evil motives for wanting to fake your identity or go incognito online; for many people, it's a matter of privacy and avoiding spammers and scammers. Thankfully, there are a great many tools for staying anonymous online. Here are a few of the best. More »
Jonas Brothers' little bro talks about his upcoming role on 'R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series.' By Jocelyn Vena
Frankie Jonas Photo: MTV News
NEW YORK — Frankie Jonas may be the smallest of the Jonas brothers, but he certainly isn't short on personality. Frankie, like his three older brothers before him, is trying his hand at show business and will appear this weekend on "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series."
Being that it is the season for all things creepy, the always swagged-out Frankie decided to bring MTV News along as he searched for the just-right Halloween costume.
"What we're doing here today, we are looking at the costumes and we're going costume shopping," he told MTV News at Abracadabra. "Which I'm really happy about, because I need to get a head-start on my costume."
Jonas picked two costumes — a zombie and Chucky from "Child's Play" — and he explained why, of all the costumes in the store, those made his final cut. "I chose the zombie because I was a zombie for two years in a row ... zombies, they're like the full-on. Everyone loves zombies," he said. "Zombies are the base of Halloween, 'cause you get dead, you get living and you get creepy.
"I like Chucky, 'cause it's really, like, no offense to Chucky, but he's kind of cheesy," the 11-year-old continued. "But that's what I like about him. I love old, cheesy horror movies. I love horror movies. My two favorites are probably 'Sweeney Todd' and the original 'Nightmare on Elm Street.' "
His episode of the series, titled "Pumpkinhead," will air Saturday on the Hub, and like any seasoned pro, Jonas is keeping the details a big secret.
"It's scary funny, but my episode full-on creeps you out. It's like if you mixed together intense with, like, super scary and then a little bit of comedy, and then you get [my episode]," he explained. "My character, I'm not scary, but I do things that make things scary. I don't want to give too much away but everyone's going to love it."
Idle Qantas planes are reflected in a window at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. Qantas Airways grounded all of its aircraft around the world indefinitely Saturday due to ongoing strikes by its workers. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Idle Qantas planes are reflected in a window at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. Qantas Airways grounded all of its aircraft around the world indefinitely Saturday due to ongoing strikes by its workers. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Douglas and Diane Phillips of Dover, Del. say they are trying to book a flight on another airline after their Qantas flight to Melbourne the night before was canceled at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet Saturday, suddenly locking out striking workers after weeks of flight disruptions. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)
Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks to the media after Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet amid a bitter dispute with striking workers, stranding passengers around the world, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/ Theron Kirkman)
A Qantas Airbus A-330 plane sits on the tarmac at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Sunday Oct. 30, 2011 at suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. Tens of thousands of stranded Qantas Airways passengers worldwide scrambled to get to their destinations Sunday after the airline abruptly grounded its global fleet over a dispute with striking workers. Australia's government sought a court order to force the flagship carrier's planes back in the air. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Qantas Airways customer service workers help passengers at Los Angeles International Airport as the airline grounded its global fleet locking out striking workers after weeks of flight disruptions Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Qantas Airways could begin returning its grounded fleet to the skies as early a Monday after an Australian court intervened in a bitter labor dispute by ending strikes and canceling a staff lock out.
The arbitration court ruling Monday is a major victory in the airline's battle with unions whose rolling strikes have forced to cancellation of 600 flights in recent months, disrupted the travel for 70,000 passengers and cost Qantas 70 million Australian dollars ($75 million).
But the surprise grounding of all 108 planes on Saturday, at a cost of $20 million a day, has hurt the Australian flagship's reputation among the tens of thousand of passengers who have been stranded around the world.
"We will be getting our aircraft back up in the air as soon as we possibly can," CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement within an hour of his court victory 2 a.m. Monday.
A limited flight schedule could begin Monday afternoon with the approval of aviation regulators, he said.
The Australian government, angered by a lack of warning of the grounding, called an emergency court hearing on Saturday night to end the work bans for the sake of the national economy.
The arbitration court heard more than 14 hours of testimony from the airline, the government and unions after the government. Workers have held rolling strikes and refused overtime work for weeks out of worry that some of Qantas' 35,000 jobs would be moved overseas in a restructuring plan.
The unions wanted a temporary suspension of the employee lockout, but the airline said the strikes had been too devastating and it needed certainty to continue operating.
Tribunal President Geoffrey Giudice said the panel decided a temporary suspension would still risk Qantas' grounding its fleet in the future and would not protect the tourism and aviation industry from damage.
"We decided that in the particular circumstances of this case which on the evidence include the particular vulnerability of the tourism industry to uncertainty, suspension will not provide sufficient protection against the risk of significant damage to the tourism industry and aviation," Giudice said.
Qantas is the largest of Australia's four national domestic airlines, and the grounding affected 108 planes in 22 countries.
About 70,000 passengers fly Qantas daily, and would-be fliers this weekend were stuck at home, hotels, airports or even had to suddenly deplane when Qantas suspended operations. More than 60 flights were in the air at the time but flew to their destinations, and Qantas was paying for passengers to book other flights.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said before the panel ruled that the airline could be flying again within hours of a decision. He had estimated the grounding would cost the carrier $20 million a day.
German tourist Michael Messmann was trying to find a way home from Singapore on Sunday. He and his wife spent five weeks traveling around Australia but found their connecting flight home to Frankfurt suddenly canceled.
"I don't know the details of the dispute, but it seems like a severe reaction by the airline to shut down all their flights. That seems a bit extreme," said Messmann, 68. "After five weeks of traveling, we just want to go home."
Australian business traveler Graeme Yeatman sided with the airline, even though he was also trying to find a new flight home to Sydney on Sunday after his flight was canceled.
"I think the unions have too much power over Qantas. Even though this is an inconvenience for me, I'm glad the airline is drawing a line in the sand," said Yeatman, 41.
The airline infuriated unions in August when it said it would improve its loss-making overseas business by creating an Asia-based airline with its own name and brand. The five-year restructure plan will cost 1,000 jobs.
Qantas said in August it had more than doubled annual profit to AU$250 million but warned that the business environment was too challenging to forecast earnings for the current fiscal year.
In this week's late-Friday news dump: the White House announces it is checking to see if they issued more dubious loans - as they did in the Solyndra Scandal. ?
White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley is ordering a review of the Department of Energy's loan guarantees in order to discover or prevent more Solyndra style scandals,?according to Chuck Todd of MSNBC.?
The man that Obama has deputized to find bad loan guarantees is Herb Allison, the same Merril Lynch-vet who was made President and CEO of Fannie Mae when the government took that firm into conservatorship in 2008. Allison will be leading a small team to make a sixty-day review of the over two-dozen loans made during the Obama administration.?
CAIRO (AP) -Bob Bradley isn't interested in talking about the man who replaced him as the United States' coach, not now that he has the daunting challenge of reviving the hopes of the "monster" of African football.
Having been let go by the USSF in July after five years in charge - and replaced by Jurgen Klinsmann - the 53-year-old Bradley has re-emerged as head coach of Egypt and is faced with what he calls "the big responsibility."
The task ahead is to lead Africa's most successful team ever and follow in the footsteps of its best ever coach, all at a time of historic change in the North African country on and off the pitch.
"Leaving as coach of the U.S. national team wasn't my decision," Bradley said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. But he made it clear that he has now moved on, and that his mind is set on restoring Egypt's status in the game.
Against the backdrop of the revolution that swept former president Hosni Mubarak from power, the Egyptian national team had one if its worst ever failures this year.
The three-time defending African Cup of Nations champion and record seven-time winner of the continental championship, Egypt didn't even qualify for next year's tournament - for the first time in 34 years.
The respected tactician Hassan Shehata, who led the Pharaohs to those three successive titles, was forced out as coach and Bradley - an American who had never coached outside of the United States - was handed the task of returning Egypt to the top of African football.
After the dismal failure of an aging squad, Bradley also must develop a new generation of players to make Egypt, in his words, "the monster of Africa" again.
"It does not put me under pressure," Bradley told the AP in Cairo. "Hassan Shehata is a very good coach. He had big achievements with the Egyptian national team and we can say he made history. His performance was excellent and it makes me proud to be here with this team."
Bradley's new job is about restoring national pride, such is the unchallenged status of football as the No. 1 sport in Egypt and its link with the country's people.
"As an American I saw on TV and read about the January revolution and I respect what the Egyptians have done for what they believe. And when you are a coach of a national team your team must be connected to the people.
"Players must know when they wear the national team jersey that they are playing for millions of people who love the team of this country."
Bradley doesn't yet know the culture, the language, the league, or many of the players. And his first game as coach is a friendly against five-time world champion Brazil next month, before he begins the work of attempting to qualify Egypt for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
He may not yet know his best midfield combination, or how to shout instructions to his players in Arabic, but he has learnt a little. The fish in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria is "so good," he said, and he already likes falafel sandwiches - an Egyptian favorite.
He said he's also looking forward to visiting the ancient cities of Luxor and Aswan down in the south now that he has settled into a hotel apartment in Cairo. His wife is set to join him this week.
"I try to listen and learn about everything, not only football and sports," he said, "and it's very exciting for me to be part of this life every day."
More than anything, he's learnt that like the famous pyramids, which loom over his new home city, so football dominates the sporting landscape in Egypt in a way it doesn't in the U.S.
"Regarding not qualifying to the World Cup since 1990, everywhere I go, everyone I meet and who talks with me speaks about the World Cup dream. So, it's a big responsibility.
"I'm learning every day. In my situation now I meet different people every day and I listen to them. The situation now is very different to when I took the role as coach of the United States. I was familiar with everything, the players and the league. Now when I'm here in Egypt I must be a good student and learn from the people around me."
Bradley was dismissed having led the U.S. to the 2009 Confederations Cup final - beating European champion Spain on the way - and to the last 16 of the World Cup in 2010. His last match was the 4-2 Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico in June.
He was succeeded by former German international Klinsmann, who has been welcomed as a refreshing change by some who said the squad and the style had become stale under Bradley.
"When you coach a national team, the judgment should be on your input with the team and the record and the results, and I think my results were good," Bradley said.
Three months down the line, and on the other side of the world, Bradley's not bitter about his exit. Just a little sore, maybe. A little tender.
"I'm now the coach of the Egyptian national team," he replied, after being pushed on his thoughts surrounding his dismissal and his successor. "I'm not going to speak about Klinsmann now, give him time. I'm very proud of what we achieved in the last five years when I was the coach of the United States.
"The Gold Cup final was a good match. We worked very hard in the Gold Cup to reach the final and we gave everything against Mexico. They made a few plays and won. This is football."
Football for Bradley is now far away from the United States. And it could stay that way for some time.
Depending on his success with Egypt, in front of some of the most demanding and dedicated fans in the sport, a coaching role in one of the big leagues in Europe was possible for him next, he said.
"But you must first put all your effort into your team to achieve your goals with it, and then leave the next step to your future.
"It's a great honor to be here now. Every day I feel I must do something not only for football here but for people here."
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Can Bradley revive 'monster'?
Ex-U.S. coach Bob Bradley has the daunting challenge of reviving the hopes of the "monster'' of African football ? Egypt.
No saint, but no racist
Cesc Fabregas says he is no saint but he did not direct any racist abuse toward Frederic Kanoute.
The UFC's only official pre-fight show returns when Fight Day comes to you live from the sold-out Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, the home of "UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz."
Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will break down all of the latest news from the UFC, including the stunning cancelation of the main event after an injury to Georges St-Pierre forced him to withdraw from the event.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will join the show to discuss his career and what's next for him, and we'll have a panel of journalists ready to break down the entire card.
Tune in to Fight Day at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
Heavy is also giving away UFC 137 tickets. Your chance at being a part of all the UFC fighting action is only a couple of clicks away. Log on to HeavyMMA's Facebook page.
From there, you must "like" the page and leave a comment about how much you'd love to go to the show. From there, the folks at Heavy conduct a random drawing and the lucky winner will receive two tickets to the big fight card on 10/29/2011. It's that easy! So head over to HeavyMMA's Facebook page now and good luck.
BANGKOK ? Asian stock markets rose Thursday, with investors feeling bold enough to wade into risky assets after European leaders reached an agreement on a plan to reduce Greece's massive debts.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.5 percent higher at 8,795.28. South Korea's Kospi index added 1 percent to 1,913.07 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 1.1 percent at 19,273.66. Benchmarks in Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines also rose.
Early Thursday, European leaders agreed on a plan to provide Greece with more rescue loans to help relieve its crushing debt obligations. European Union President Herman Van Rompuy said the deal will reduce Greece's debt to 120 percent of its GDP in 2020. Under current conditions, it would have grown to 180 percent.
Strong earnings reports also propelled stocks higher.
Shares of Hong Kong-listed Agricultural Bank of China, one of the country's four major state-owned commercial lenders, jumped 3.6 percent after the Beijing-based bank announced its third-quarter profit rose 40 percent on growth in interest and fee income.
Anhui Conch Cement, China's largest cement producer by output, jumped 6.3 percent, a day after announcing its net profit more than doubled in the third quarter of 2011.
Meanwhile, strong economic reports helped send Wall Street higher on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 1.4 percent to 11,869.04. The S&P 500 index rose 1.1 percent to 1,242. The Nasdaq composite added 0.5 percent to 2,650.67.
Reports in the U.S. showed businesses ordered more heavy machinery and other long-lasting manufactured goods last month. That indicates businesses are still spending on equipment despite worries about a weak economy and Europe's debt problems. Sales of new homes rose in September after falling for four straight months.
We suppose it's good news / bad news for Blockbuster. The good news is that after going through bankruptcy and being sold, Warner Bros. has decided it's healthy enough to take on the competition on even ground. The bad news, is that Warner has decided to give Blockbuster the same month long delay the studio loves so much before new movies can be rented out as its competitors, Redbox and Netflix. While Blockbuster has had delays at its kiosks already, being first to get new flicks in stores has been a part of its marketing for a while. The LA Times reports Blockbuster so far is turning to simply buying the copies it needs at retail to rent them out immediately, but we'll see how long that lasts. If you enjoy your discs via kiosk or mail don't think you're out of the woods either, as the paper mentions Warner wants to delay new flicks to those outlets even longer when their deals are renegotiated.
You buy a BlackBerry for BBM and/or email. RIM's PlayBook lacks both. Nobody wants to buy RIM's PlayBooks. So here's a jazzy idea from the Canadian HQ: they're not going to add integrated email or BBM support until February. Eureka. More »
Low-cost paper-based wireless sensor could help detect explosive devicesPublic release date: 26-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Toon jtoon@gatech.edu 404-894-6986 Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a prototype wireless sensor capable of detecting trace amounts of a key ingredient found in many explosives.
The device, which employs carbon nanotubes and is printed on paper or paper-like material using standard inkjet technology, could be deployed in large numbers to alert authorities to the presence of explosives, such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
"This prototype represents a significant step toward producing an integrated wireless system for explosives detection," said Krishna Naishadham, a principal research scientist who is leading the work at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). "It incorporates a sensor and a communications device in a small, low-cost package that could operate almost anywhere."
Other types of hazardous gas sensors are based on expensive semiconductor fabrication and gas chromatography, Naishadham said, and they consume more power, require human intervention, and typically do not operate at ambient temperatures. Furthermore, those sensors have not been integrated with communication devices such as antennas.
The wireless component for communicating the sensor information -- a resonant lightweight antenna was printed on photographic paper using inkjet techniques devised by Professor Manos Tentzeris of Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Tentzeris is collaborating with Naishadham on development of the sensing device.
The sensing component, based on functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs), has been fabricated and tested for detection sensitivity by Xiaojuan (Judy) Song, a GTRI research scientist. The device relies on carbon-nanotube materials optimized by Song.
A presentation on this sensing technology was given in July at the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Symposium (IEEE APS) in Spokane, Wash., by Hoseon Lee, a Ph.D. student in ECE co-advised by Tentzeris and Naishadham. The paper received the Honorable Mention Award in the Best Student Paper competition at the symposium.
This is not the first inkjet-printed ammonia sensor that has been integrated with an antenna on paper, said Tentzeris. His group produced a similar integrated sensor last year in collaboration with the research group of C.P. Wong, who is Regents professor and Smithgall Institute Endowed Chair in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech.
"The fundamental difference is that this newest CNT sensor possesses dramatically improved sensitivity to miniscule ammonia concentrations," Tentzeris said. "That should enable the first practical applications to detect trace amounts of hazardous gases in challenging operational environments using inkjet-printed devices."
Tentzeris explained that the key to printing components, circuits and antennas lies in novel "inks" that contain silver nanoparticles in an emulsion that can be deposited by the printer at low temperatures around 100 degrees Celsius. A process called sonication helps to achieve optimal ink viscosity and homogeneity, enabling uniform material deposition and permitting maximum operating effectiveness for paper-based components.
"Ink-jet printing is low-cost and convenient compared to other technologies such as wet etching," Tentzeris said. "Using the proper inks, a printer can be used almost anywhere to produce custom circuits and components, replacing traditional clean-room approaches."
Low-cost materials such as heavy photographic paper or plastics like polyethylene terephthalate -- can be made water resistant to ensure greater reliability, he added. Inkjet component printing can also use flexible organic materials, such as liquid crystal polymer (LCP), which are known for their robustness and weather resistance. The resulting components are similar in size to conventional components but can conform and adhere to almost any surface.
Naishadham explained that the same inkjet techniques used to produce RF components, circuits and antennas can also be used to deposit the functionalized carbon nanotubes used for sensing. These nanoscale cylindrical structures -- about one-billionth of a meter in diameter, or 1/50,000th the width of a human hair -- are functionalized by coating them with a conductive polymer that attracts ammonia, a major ingredient found in many IEDs.
Sonication of the functionalized carbon nanotubes produces a uniform water-based ink that can be printed side-by-side with RF components and antennas to produce a compact wireless sensor node.
"The optimized carbon nanotubes are applied as a sensing film, with specific functionalization designed for a particular gas or analyte," Song said. "The GTRI sensor detects trace amounts of ammonia usually found near explosive devices, and it can also be designed to detect similar gases in household, healthcare and industrial environments at very low concentration levels."
The sensor has been designed to detect ammonia in trace amounts as low as five parts per million, Naishadham said.
The resulting integrated sensing package can potentially detect the presence of trace explosive materials at a distance, without endangering human lives. This approach, called standoff detection, involves the use of RF technology to identify explosive materials at a relatively safe distance. The GTRI team has designed the device to send an alert to nearby personnel when it detects ammonia.
The wireless sensor nodes require relatively low power, which could come from a number of technologies including thin-film batteries, solar cells or power-scavenging and energy-harvesting techniques. In collaboration with Tentzeris's and Wong's groups, GTRI is investigating ways to make the sensor operate passively, without any power consumption.
"We are focusing on providing standoff detection for those engaged in military or humanitarian missions and other hazardous situations," Naishadham said. "We believe that it will be possible, and cost-effective, to deploy large numbers of these detectors on vehicles or robots throughout a military engagement zone."
###
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?
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Low-cost paper-based wireless sensor could help detect explosive devicesPublic release date: 26-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Toon jtoon@gatech.edu 404-894-6986 Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a prototype wireless sensor capable of detecting trace amounts of a key ingredient found in many explosives.
The device, which employs carbon nanotubes and is printed on paper or paper-like material using standard inkjet technology, could be deployed in large numbers to alert authorities to the presence of explosives, such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
"This prototype represents a significant step toward producing an integrated wireless system for explosives detection," said Krishna Naishadham, a principal research scientist who is leading the work at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). "It incorporates a sensor and a communications device in a small, low-cost package that could operate almost anywhere."
Other types of hazardous gas sensors are based on expensive semiconductor fabrication and gas chromatography, Naishadham said, and they consume more power, require human intervention, and typically do not operate at ambient temperatures. Furthermore, those sensors have not been integrated with communication devices such as antennas.
The wireless component for communicating the sensor information -- a resonant lightweight antenna was printed on photographic paper using inkjet techniques devised by Professor Manos Tentzeris of Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Tentzeris is collaborating with Naishadham on development of the sensing device.
The sensing component, based on functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs), has been fabricated and tested for detection sensitivity by Xiaojuan (Judy) Song, a GTRI research scientist. The device relies on carbon-nanotube materials optimized by Song.
A presentation on this sensing technology was given in July at the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Symposium (IEEE APS) in Spokane, Wash., by Hoseon Lee, a Ph.D. student in ECE co-advised by Tentzeris and Naishadham. The paper received the Honorable Mention Award in the Best Student Paper competition at the symposium.
This is not the first inkjet-printed ammonia sensor that has been integrated with an antenna on paper, said Tentzeris. His group produced a similar integrated sensor last year in collaboration with the research group of C.P. Wong, who is Regents professor and Smithgall Institute Endowed Chair in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech.
"The fundamental difference is that this newest CNT sensor possesses dramatically improved sensitivity to miniscule ammonia concentrations," Tentzeris said. "That should enable the first practical applications to detect trace amounts of hazardous gases in challenging operational environments using inkjet-printed devices."
Tentzeris explained that the key to printing components, circuits and antennas lies in novel "inks" that contain silver nanoparticles in an emulsion that can be deposited by the printer at low temperatures around 100 degrees Celsius. A process called sonication helps to achieve optimal ink viscosity and homogeneity, enabling uniform material deposition and permitting maximum operating effectiveness for paper-based components.
"Ink-jet printing is low-cost and convenient compared to other technologies such as wet etching," Tentzeris said. "Using the proper inks, a printer can be used almost anywhere to produce custom circuits and components, replacing traditional clean-room approaches."
Low-cost materials such as heavy photographic paper or plastics like polyethylene terephthalate -- can be made water resistant to ensure greater reliability, he added. Inkjet component printing can also use flexible organic materials, such as liquid crystal polymer (LCP), which are known for their robustness and weather resistance. The resulting components are similar in size to conventional components but can conform and adhere to almost any surface.
Naishadham explained that the same inkjet techniques used to produce RF components, circuits and antennas can also be used to deposit the functionalized carbon nanotubes used for sensing. These nanoscale cylindrical structures -- about one-billionth of a meter in diameter, or 1/50,000th the width of a human hair -- are functionalized by coating them with a conductive polymer that attracts ammonia, a major ingredient found in many IEDs.
Sonication of the functionalized carbon nanotubes produces a uniform water-based ink that can be printed side-by-side with RF components and antennas to produce a compact wireless sensor node.
"The optimized carbon nanotubes are applied as a sensing film, with specific functionalization designed for a particular gas or analyte," Song said. "The GTRI sensor detects trace amounts of ammonia usually found near explosive devices, and it can also be designed to detect similar gases in household, healthcare and industrial environments at very low concentration levels."
The sensor has been designed to detect ammonia in trace amounts as low as five parts per million, Naishadham said.
The resulting integrated sensing package can potentially detect the presence of trace explosive materials at a distance, without endangering human lives. This approach, called standoff detection, involves the use of RF technology to identify explosive materials at a relatively safe distance. The GTRI team has designed the device to send an alert to nearby personnel when it detects ammonia.
The wireless sensor nodes require relatively low power, which could come from a number of technologies including thin-film batteries, solar cells or power-scavenging and energy-harvesting techniques. In collaboration with Tentzeris's and Wong's groups, GTRI is investigating ways to make the sensor operate passively, without any power consumption.
"We are focusing on providing standoff detection for those engaged in military or humanitarian missions and other hazardous situations," Naishadham said. "We believe that it will be possible, and cost-effective, to deploy large numbers of these detectors on vehicles or robots throughout a military engagement zone."
###
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NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Kelly Clarkson is concerned. She released her new album "Stronger" this week and thinks it is her best work yet, but whenever something like that happens she worries nobody will like it.
The 13-song collection finds Clarkson working with a handful of new songwriters on some tunes and continuing to write her own music, which she has done since winning TV singing contest "American Idol" in 2002 at age 20.
While many past "Idol" winners have failed to rise to the heights of superstardom, Clarkson has enjoyed chart-topping success with pop rock singles such as "Miss Independent" and the smash hit, "Since U Been Gone."
But at age 29, the Texas native now has seen both highs and lows in her career, and she knows that even if she thinks her songs are great, the fans are the ultimate decision makers.
"Whenever you love something so much -- and I think this is my best yet -- I think sometimes when I think like that, it means no one's going to like it," she said of "Stronger."
A majority of the songs on the new album find Clarkson at an emotionally charged state. The sound straddles the line between big dance numbers and arena-rock bombast, which has become her signature calling card.
Clarkson calls the album "very intense" and said she felt she had a lot of energy and "soulfulness" to put into it. She likened each song to its "own little rollercoaster ride. Dynamically, vocally, that's what I love doing."
The energy is evident on the first single, "Mr. Know It All," as well as the up-and-down rock moments of "You Can't Win" and the electro-rock arrangements of "Let Me Down."
SONGS ABOUT REAL LIFE
Lyrically, the songs dwell heavily on relationships and empowerment, two subjects that have been highlights her work through the years.
"I love writing and singing songs about real life situations -- especially about relationships," she said. "Everyone wants to feel like they're not alone in a thought. That's the best feeling I get, when I hear a song and it's like 'you just nailed me.' That's the coolest thing in the world, to write something that can be relatable to other human beings."
Over the years, Clarkson's image has been that of an artist who is willing to speak her mind in regards to her creative output, even if it meant going against her label, as she did surrounding 2007's "My December."
And as she has matured, making music seems to be getting easier for Clarkson, mainly because she has not clung too closely to any one genre. In recent years, she's collaborated with country stars Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts and Martina McBride. She also co-headlined a tour with McEntire in 2008.
"Stronger" continues to reflect her expanded range in musical styles, as evidenced by the dance-pop of "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," charged rock and roll of "Hello" and the power ballad "Standing in Front of You."
Yet, while she may continue to explore different sounds and arrangements throughout her career, her vocals on "Stronger" remain her biggest asset among fans and critics.
In its review for "Stronger," The New York Times described Clarkson as turning into the "Mary J. Blige of pop music," where she's becoming "so good at being wounded that no one wants her to heal."
The Washington Post was less than thrilled, however, calling the album "comforting" but "unchallenging."
LONDON (Reuters) ? "We Need to Talk About Kevin," an unflinching portrayal of a mother's troubled relationship with her son starring Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, won the London film festival's best picture award on Wednesday.
The movie, which impressed critics when it premiered at the Cannes film festival in May, was directed by Scottish film maker Lynne Ramsay and based on Lionel Shriver's award-winning novel of the same name.
"We Need to Talk About Kevin" was one of nine best film nominees at London's annual cinema showcase, and beat Venice winner "Faust" and "The Descendants" starring George Clooney, among others.
"In the end, we were simply bowled over by one film, a sublime, uncompromising tale of the torment that can stand in the place of love," said John Madden, chair of the judging panel. "'We Need to Talk About Kevin' is made with the kind of singular vision that links great directors across all the traditions of cinema."
The British newcomer award went to actress Candese Reid for her work in "Junkhearts," her first professional acting role.
The Sutherland Award, honoring the "most original and imaginative feature debut" at this year's festival, was won by Argentinean director Pablo Giorgelli for "Las Acacias."
And the Grierson Award for best documentary went to Werner Herzog's death-row examination "Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life."
As previously announced, Canadian director David Cronenberg and British actor Ralph Fiennes were awarded the BFI Fellowship, the British Film Institute's highest accolade.
This year's festival closes on Thursday with a gala screening of "The Deep Blue Sea," Terence Davies' adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play starring Rachel Weisz.
EUROPE: Stocks slid after a key meeting between financial ministers scheduled for Wednesday was canceled. The abrupt notice led some investors to believe that a deal to solve Europe's debt crisis may not be as close as originally thought.
EARNINGS: Manufacturing conglomerate 3M cut its 2011 earnings forecast, and U.S. Steel warned that demand for its products could slow. Netflix Inc. plunged 35 percent after the company cut its profit forecast.
RISK OFF: Small company stocks fell far more than the broader market, a sign that investors were shunning assets perceived as being risky. The Russell 2000, an index of small companies, plunged 3 percent, reversing a gain of 3.3 percent Monday.
GRAY COURT, S.C. ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry proposed a sweeping economic plan Tuesday that includes a flat tax proposal, private retirement accounts for Social Security, a lower corporate tax rate and reforms aimed at keeping Medicare solvent.
In a pitch to right-wing conservatives, the Texas governor outlined a proposal he calls "Cut, Balance and Grow" that he says is bolder and more aggressive than what his Republican rivals or President Barack Obama would do.
"America is under a crushing burden of debt, and the president simply offers larger deficits and the politics of class division," Perry said. "Others simply offer microwaved plans with warmed-over reforms based on current ingredients."
In his speech, Perry outlined a broad plan that would make fundamental changes to the tax code and to the nation's entitlement programs.
After weeks of calling Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," he offered five concrete principles for reforming the program. Perry said he wants to keep benefits intact for current retirees, but allow younger workers to choose to put their income into private accounts instead. He wants to allow states and local governments to opt out of the federal program and invest in different funds instead. And he wants to raise the retirement age for younger workers.
Perry also wants to make major changes to Medicare. His plan would allow Americans to receive a payment or a credit for the purchase of health insurance instead of the direct benefits provided through the current program. He would also gradually raise the Medicare eligibility age and pay people benefits based on their income levels.
Perry's plan sets a flat 20 percent income tax rate, but also gives taxpayers the option of sticking with their current rate. He would also maintain popular deductions for families making less than $500,000 a year and end taxes on Social Security benefits. Perry would end corporate loopholes and lower the general corporate tax rate to 20 percent.
Many elements of Perry's plan are controversial ? and others have tried and failed to pass them. President George W. Bush tried to add private accounts to Social Security, but the proposal was widely condemned and did not pass.
"I am not naive. I know this idea will be attacked," Perry said of the proposal. "Opposition to this simple measure is based on a simple supposition: that the people are not smart enough to look out for themselves."
President Barack Obama's campaign immediately criticized Perry's plan as hurtful to middle class Americans. Perry's plan, Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said, "would shift a greater share of taxes away from large corporations and the wealthiest onto the backs of the middle class."
The major policy rollout is a critical part of Perry's efforts to right a struggling campaign. It's an opportunity to demonstrate a heft and seriousness that wasn't on display during recent debates.
Distracting from Perry's speech, however, were new comments he made questioning whether Obama was born in the United States, a debunked controversy that centered on Obama's birth certificate.
In an interview with CNBC, Perry said it was "fun to ? to poke" at the president on the birth certificate issue. "I don't have a clue about where the president ? and what this birth certificate says," Perry said. He was defending an interview he did with Parade magazine, when he said he did not have a "definitive answer" about whether Obama was born in the United States.
Republican strategist Karl Rove ripped Rick Perry for casting doubt on Obama's birth. "You associate yourself with a nutty view like that, and you damage yourself," Rove told Fox News.
But the comments do appeal to a segment of the Republican Party's right wing ? a group Perry is clearly trying to court. Perry's policy speech Tuesday sets him distinctly to the right of chief rival Mitt Romney, who wants to make less sweeping changes to the tax code.
The birth certificate comments and policy rollout comes as Perry prepares to air TV ads in Iowa and has hired a roster of experienced national campaign operatives to help him. Perry's chief adviser on the economic plan is former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, who proposed a 17 percent flat tax when he ran for president in 1996.
It's taken Perry about 2 1/2 months to put together an economic policy package, and he's had to attend the series of debates without his detailed proposal. Romney also has attacked him repeatedly for not having a plan. Romney released a 59-point jobs plan in early September, about three months after officially announcing his bid.
Perry's plan would make more dramatic changes than Romney's. While Perry's plan includes the flat tax, Romney would lower rates on corporations and on savings and investment income for middle-class Americans.
Back in 1996, Romney criticized Forbes' flat tax plan as a "tax cut for fat cats." In the CNBC interview, Perry said if Romney renews that criticism, "he ought to look in the mirror, I guess. I consider him to be a fat cat."
Perry chose South Carolina, where he announced he was running for president, to unveil his economic plan. The first-in-the-South primary state is critical to his path to the nomination, though he has fallen in the polls here just as he has dropped nationally.
He also planned a news conference in the state capital, Columbia, and a fundraiser at the home of former South Carolina GOP chairman Katon Dawson, his top South Carolina adviser.
A Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet is displayed at the Sprint store in Stoneham, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Sprint is reporting its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it's continuing a turnaround and getting better at keeping and attracting customers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet is displayed at the Sprint store in Stoneham, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Sprint is reporting its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it's continuing a turnaround and getting better at keeping and attracting customers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
An HTC Evo Shift smartphone is displayed at the Sprint store in Stoneham, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Sprint is reporting its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it's continuing a turnaround and getting better at keeping and attracting customers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Sprint Nextel Corp. on Wednesday reported its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it continued a turnaround and kept getting better at keeping and attracting customers.
Sprint also provided important updates on the iPhone, its financing needs and planned network upgrades, undoing some of the damage caused by an investor day presentation three weeks ago that had investors fuming and sent its stock plunging.
Its stock edged lower Wednesday as investors continued to focus on finances that look precarious for the next two years.
The country's No. 3 wireless carrier said it added a net 1.3 million subscribers in the July to September period, the best result since 2006. Sprint continued to lose subscribers from its lucrative contract-based plans, but at a relatively low rate: 44,000 in the quarter.
Sprint's total customer count, 53.4 million, is now back at where it was in 2007, before the exodus of Nextel customers turned into a torrent.
The Overland Park, Kan.-based company has made steady gains in the last year and a half. Unfortunately for the company, most of the new customers are low-paying ones. They buy service from Sprint's low-cost Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile or Assurance Wireless brands, or from non-Sprint brands that use the company's network.
The latest subscriber results don't include the effect of the iPhone, which Sprint started selling Oct. 14. The phone is expected to further improve the carrier's ability to keep customers, but at a high price. Apple charges about $600 for a phone that Sprint sells for $200.
Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneuer said each iPhone will cost the company about $200 more than another smartphone. All the same, the company expects its four-year purchasing agreement with Apple to add $7 billion to $8 billion to its own bottom line.
CEO Dan Hesse compared getting the iPhone to signing a star baseball player to the "Sprint team."
"He has an expensive contract, but he's worth every penny," said Hesse, who often draws on sports analogies.
The problem for Sprint is that the cost of selling the iPhone comes up front, while the benefits, like higher service fees and lower service costs, accrue over time. Sprint doesn't expect the iPhone to be a moneymaker until 2014.
The added cost of the iPhone comes as Sprint is also starting to revamp its network for higher speeds. That adds up to financing needs of $5 billion to $7 billion in the next few years, Euteneuer said.
Sprint hopes to cover the gap by refinancing $4 billion debt coming due, Hesse said. The remaining $1 billion to $3 billion could be raised in the form of financing from the companies Sprint buying its new network equipment from: Samsung Electronics Co., Alcatel-Lucent and LM Ericsson AB.
Euteneuer said the terms of the deal with Apple are confidential, but said there's a minimum commitment to buy $15.5 billion in iPhones over four years. That works out to about 25 million phones, a figure in line with a report in The Wall Street Journal early this month that the company had committed to buying 30 million iPhones over four years.
Figures on the effect of the iPhone on Sprint's finances were missing from the presentation on Oct. 7, contributing to investor consternation. On Wednesday, Euteneuer apologized for not providing more information then.
Also Wednesday, Sprint said it had raised the limit on its credit line by $150 million and amended the terms so that an increase in the total amount of phone discounts doesn't affect its creditworthiness. It said it had $1 billion undrawn on the line.
Sprint's net loss was $301 million, or 10 cents per share, for the third quarter. That's down from $911 million, or 28 cents per share, a year ago. It was the best performance by Sprint since it reported a profit of $64 million in the third quarter of 2007.
Revenue rose 2.2 percent to $8.3 billion.
Analysts polled by FactSet expected a loss of 22 cents per share on $8.4 billion in revenue.
Sprint shares slipped 25 cents, or 9.3 percent, to $2.45 in midday trading. Two weeks ago, they hit a three-year low of $2.10.
Hesse also said the company has started discussions with Clearwire Corp. on how to make Sprint phones compatible with Clearwire's planned new wireless data network, and a discussions on commercial arrangements are ongoing. That sent Clearwire shares up 41 cents, or 25 percent, to $2.05 in pre-market trading.
Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire and uses its current data network for "Sprint 4G" service. But it doesn't control Clearwire's board, and the relationship between the two management teams has been cool.
Earlier this month, Sprint said it would stop selling phones compatible with Clearwire's current data network at the end of next year, with no mention of plans to use the planned "LTE" or "Long-Term Evolution" network. That sent Clearwire shares into a dive.
Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said Sprint third-quarter results were "fairly good." If the company can straighten out its network strategy and its Clearwire relationship, investors might start to look past the financing needs of the next two years and toward the benefits that should kick in in 2014, he said.
"For the first time in a year, expectations are appropriately low, and there are now at least a few glimmers of hope," Moffett said.
If Jessica Simpson is trying to hide the fact that she's pregnant, she needs to try harder. She showed off what appears to be a very prominent baby bump Sunday.
Reports that Jessica is pregnant with her fiancé Eric Johnson's child have not been commented on by the former singer/actress, despite lingering for weeks now.
But at the airport, she had her jacket open, bump visible for all to see ...
Jessica Simpson, her future offspring and some girl at LAX.
The 30-year-old is planning to make her public baby announcement any day now and is rumored to be shopping an exclusive interview with a $500,000 asking price.
So far, there are no takers.
We can see why, seeing that Jessica Simpson isn't exactly all the rage these days and everyone already knows she's pregnant anyway. We'll give you $50, Jess. Deal?
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Public release date: 26-Oct-2011
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