I have a guilty secret to confess. My plane was preparing for
take-off from London’s Heathrow Airport in March when a flight attendant
made the usual request for passengers to turn their electronic devices
off. Far from complying, I pushed my smartphone deeper into my pocket. I
had important work messages to check, and surely my little handset
wasn’t going to cause the plane to plummet from the sky, was it?
It seems I'm not alone. A recent survey
found around four out of 10 US air passengers admitted they don’t
always turn their gadgets off on flights. One notable occasion saw the
actor Alec Baldwin reacting furiously on Twitter
after being kicked off a Los Angeles-to-New York flight before take off
for refusing to stop playing the online game Words With Friends on his
phone.
According to regulations, which are pretty uniform around
the world, the use of portable electronic devices is not allowed below
around 3,000m (10,000ft), even in "flight mode” which stops the
transmission of signals. Above this height devices like laptops and
music players can be used, but phones must remain off. These rules are
important, we are told, to avoid potentially dangerous interference
between signals from these devices and sensitive onboard electronic
systems. But do these fears have any scientific basis, or is it time to
relax the rules?
The fear of interference comes from the fact that
gadgets connect to the internet or to mobile phone networks using radio
waves. To explain the theoretical dangers, Peter Ladkin, Professor of
Computer Networks and Distributed Systems at Bielefeld University,
Germany, uses the analogy of holding a blowtorch to your household
heating pipes. The central heating system in your house makes changes
based on the readings of thermometers within those pipes, so the
blowtorch will heat the water, change the temperature readings and
trigger the system to make adjustments.
Personal mobile devices
could act in a similar way on aeroplanes, on which hundreds of
electronics-based systems, known as avionics, are used for navigation,
to communicate with the ground and to keep track of the components that
keep them in the air. Some involve sensors that communicate information
to cockpit instruments. It's not just an issue with mobile phones.
Kindles, iPods, laptops, handheld gaming consoles – they all emit radio
waves. If these are at frequencies close to those of the avionics,
signals and readings could be corrupted. This could affect systems such
as radar, communications and collision avoidance technology, and the
problem is potentially magnified if gadgets are damaged and start
emitting stronger radio waves than they should, or if signals from
multiple devices combine.
So much for the theory, but is there any
proof that this is a problem? There are no known recorded incidents of
crashes having been definitely caused by such interference, but that
said the causes of accidents can sometimes remain unknown. A flight
recorder may not identify that a critical system has failed because of
electromagnetic interference from passengers’ devices.
System malfunction
But while definite proof may be lacking, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the risks should be taken seriously. A report summarising 50 cases of safety issues
thought to have been caused by personal electronic devices, was
published in January this year. These were compiled from the US Aviation
Safety Reporting System, a database maintained by Nasa, to which crew
members can anonymously submit reports of safety problems. One such case
was summarised as follows: "First Officer reports compass system
malfunctions during initial climb. When passengers are asked to verify
that all electronic devices are turned off the compass system returns to
normal.”
A 2006 analysis of the database
identified 125 reports of interference from electronic gadgets, of
which 77 were defined as "highly correlated". In one incident a
30-degree error in navigation equipment was immediately corrected when a
passenger turned off a portable DVD player. This problem reoccurred
when the device was switched back on. Fight crew have reported a number
of similar cases in which they have watched readings on navigations
systems change apparently in response to passengers being asked to turn
specific devices on and off. In another report, the International Air
Transport Association (IATA) identified 75 separate incidents of
possible electronic interference that pilots believe were linked to
mobile phones and other electronic devices between 2003 and 2009.
In
the competitive world of aviation, some airlines such as Virgin
Atlantic and Delta Airlines have started advertising the use of
technologies that allow greater use of mobile devices on flights.
In-flight mobile phone systems such as OnAir and AeroMobile use
miniature on-board base stations called picocells which allow devices to
transmit at lower power levels. Transmissions are processed,
transmitted to a satellite and then on to the normal ground networks.
This, says AeroMobile chief executive Kevin Rogers, enables the use of
mobiles “as a roaming service just like when you go to a foreign
country, except that in a foreign country you don’t need a satellite
link.” Some airlines are now starting to fit AeroMobile equipment during
production.
These systems allow you to use your phone while at
cruise altitude, but not during take-off and landing. Rogers thinks that
this might change one day, but at the moment it is still difficult to
“prove categorically that there is indeed no interference – so airlines
tend to err on the side of caution and be conservative.”
But as
Rogers adds: “Many phones are always left on anyway. If there was a real
risk of interference of a mobile phone or an iPad with the aircraft’s
systems, people would not be allowed to take them on the aircraft at
all.”
Some air authorities remain unconvinced, however. In-air
mobile services cannot be used in US airspace, for example. The US
Federal Aviation Administration has come under pressure to relax its
rules and last year set up a group of experts to study the question. A decision is expected by the end of this year.
Richard
Taylor, a spokesman of the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, believes it
is just a matter of time before we see more widespread use of mobile
devices on aircraft, but that calls will remain banned during take-off
or landing for the foreseeable future.
“When regulators like us
are convinced that an aircraft can be used safely even with portable
electronic devices being used in the cabin, that the signal being
emitted from the cabin at any stage of the flight can be safely absorbed
without affecting any of the aircraft systems, of course the rules will
be relaxed,” he says. “But it’s up to the manufacturers, and of course
to the airlines, to prove that they are operating the aircraft safely.”
Perhaps
that day may come soon. However, having learnt how difficult it is to
prove definitively that planes are safe from interference, I'll be
making sure my phone is properly switched off in future. After all, when
I'm en route to my holiday in the sun, I don't want my handset to be
responsible for tricking the pilot into landing in some rainy old place.
Or for something even worse.
Dienstag, 18. März 2014
Why we have to turn electronic devices off on planes
Why we have to turn electronic devices off on planes
Mobile phones and other gadgets could interfere with sensitive electronic systems, some theories suggest. So why is it still so difficult to prove the truth behind the claims?
Gut bacteria turn dark chocolate 'healthy'
Gut bacteria turn dark chocolate 'healthy'
Bacteria in our stomach
ferment chocolate into useful anti-inflammatory compounds that are good
for the heart, scientists have said.
The Louisiana State University team told the American Chemical Society meeting that their lab work had revealed the finding. Gut microbes such as Bifidobacterium feast on the chocolate and release beneficial polyphenolic compounds.
The scientists believe adding fruit to chocolate could boost the fermentation.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Christopher Allen British Heart FoundationThough flavanols are found in dark chocolate, this doesn't mean we can reach for a chocolate bar and think we're helping our hearts”
Dr John Finley and his team
tested cocoa powder, but say solid dark chocolate contains the same
polyphenolic or antioxidant compounds.
Chocolate pill
Meanwhile, the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute plans a big trial of a chocolate pill for heart disease. It's teaming up with chocolate manufacturer Mars, which has patented a way to extract a specific type of these beneficial compounds - flavanols - from cocoa in high concentration and put them in capsules.
Dr JoAnn Mason, who will be leading the trial, said: "You're not going to get these protective flavanols in most of the candy on the market. Cocoa flavanols are often destroyed by the processing."
The idea of the study was to see whether there are health benefits from chocolate's ingredients minus the sugar and fat, she said.
The 18,000 participants that they hope to recruit will get dummy pills or two capsules a day of cocoa flavanols for four years, and neither they nor the study leaders will know who is taking what during the study.
Christopher Allen, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Though flavanols are found in dark chocolate, this doesn't mean we can reach for a chocolate bar and think we're helping our hearts. Flavanols are often destroyed by processing and by the time a chocolate bar lands on the supermarket shelf it will also contain added extras such as sugar and fat."
He said though chocolate could be enjoyed as a treat, it was not good to eat in large quantities.
"Eating lots of sugary and fatty foods can lead to obesity and type-2 diabetes, which are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes," he said.
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables, combined with an active lifestyle, is the best way to keep your heart healthy, the BHF advises.
New Jersey teen drops lawsuit against parents over tuition money
New Jersey teen drops lawsuit against parents over tuition money
By Victoria Cavaliere
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New Jersey teenager who drew international attention when she sued her parents for financial support after leaving home in a dispute on Tuesday dropped the case against them, according to court records.
Rachel Canning, 18, filed papers to dismiss the lawsuit in New Jersey family court, saying the decision was voluntary.
The lawsuit's dismissal ends a public battle between Canning and her parents that raised questions about the obligations of non-divorced parents in New Jersey to continue to financially support adult children after they leave home.
Canning returned to her parents' home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, last week after a four-month estrangement that began when she turned 18, the legal age of adulthood.
She had sued her parents, Sean and Elizabeth Canning, for her private high school tuition, living expenses and access to a college fund, arguing that though she did not reside with them, she was not legally emancipated and therefore was entitled to their financial care.
Her parents said they would continue to pay for their daughter's education and expenses if she returned home to complete high school.
Canning contended in her lawsuit that she was emotionally abused and effectively abandoned. Her parents argued that their daughter had disciplinary problems at home and school and would not conform to house rules that included curfews and chores.
During the estrangement, Rachel Canning had been living with a friend's family, who also funded her lawsuit.
Attorneys for Rachel Canning and her parents did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Leslie Adler)
Ukraine crisis not seen hurting Iran nuclear talks: EU
Ukraine crisis not seen hurting Iran nuclear talks: EU
By Justyna Pawlak and Louis Charbonneau
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers sought on Tuesday to make headway toward resolving their decade-old nuclear dispute, with Western officials expressing hope talks would not be further complicated by the Ukraine crisis.
So far, diplomats said, there is little sign that the worst East-West confrontation since the Cold War would undermine the quest for a deal over Iran's atomic activity and avert the threat of a Middle East war.
The March 18-19 meeting between Iran and the powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - began a day after Washington and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russian officials over events in Crimea.
"I haven't seen any negative effect," Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who coordinates the talks on behalf of the six nations, told reporters. "We continue our work in a unified fashion".
Last week a senior U.S. official expressed the hope that the escalating crisis would not harm attempts to secure a nuclear deal with Tehran.
But that unity among the powers on Iran may still be tested in the meeting of their chief negotiators on the issue in the Austrian capital Vienna, with the four Western states and Russia at loggerheads over the future of Ukraine.
Russia and the West have in the past differed on how best to deal with Iran, with Moscow generally enjoying warmer ties with the Islamic Republic and suggesting Western fears about any nuclear military aims by Tehran are overblown.
The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans on some senior Russian and Ukrainian officials after Crimea applied to join Russia on Monday following a secession referendum.
As in previous meetings, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov represented Russia at the talks which are likely to end late on Wednesday.
Despite a concerted push to end the decade-old nuclear dispute after a relative moderate, Hassan Rouhani, was elected president last year on a platform to end Iran's international isolation, big power divisions have re-emerged.
Russia and China only reluctantly supported four rounds of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program between 2006 and 2010, and condemned subsequent U.S. and European sanctions that targeted the country's lifeline oil exports.
Iranian media said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had cancelled a customary pre-talks dinner with Ashton on Monday evening. The official IRNA news agency said it was because of Ashton's "undiplomatic" behavior, an apparent reference to her meeting Iranian human rights activists during her first visit to Tehran 10 days ago.
U.S. SENATORS OUTLINE 'CORE PRINCIPLES' FOR IRAN DEAL
Iran has long denied accusations from Western powers and Israel that it has sought to develop the capability to produce atomic weapons under the cover of its declared civilian nuclear energy program.
In November, Iran and the six powers struck an interim deal under which Tehran has since shelved higher-grade uranium enrichment - a potential path to atomic bombs - and obtained modest relief from punitive economic sanctions in return.
That six-month pact was designed to buy time for hammering out a final settlement by a July deadline, under which the West wants Iran to significantly scale back its nuclear program to deny it the capability to devise a nuclear weapon any time soon.
Zarif, who leads Tehran's delegation, said he expects a trickier round of talks this week than the previous meeting in mid-February as the two sides try to iron out details such as Iran's Arak heavy water reactor and levels of uranium enrichment.
"Today enrichment was the main subject and tomorrow Arak will be discussed," a member of the Iranian delegation told Reuters.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has granted the Iranian nuclear team "carte blanche" to provide guarantees to the West that the country's nuclear program is peaceful, said a senior Iranian official who asked not to be named.
"But the red line is closure of any nuclear site and stopping enrichment," the official said. "The talks are becoming more and more difficult because hardliners in Iran are watching any outcome very closely."
He was alluding to powerful conservatives in Iran's security and clerical establishments deeply suspicious of Rouhani's diplomatic opening to the West.
In Washington, a bi-partisan group of 83 U.S. Senators - a vast majority of the U.S. legislature's 100-member upper house - wrote to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, outlining necessary "core principles" for a final agreement with Tehran.
The letter says Iran should abandon the Arak reactor and its Fordow enrichment plant, though it does not mention the much larger underground uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
The senators also say Iran should not be allowed to circumvent sanctions during the negotiations and urges the administration to deal with sanctions violators harshly.
"Most importantly, Iran must clearly understand the consequences of failing to reach an acceptable final agreement," the senators told Obama.
"We must signal unequivocally to Iran that rejecting negotiations and continuing its nuclear weapon program will lead to much more dramatic sanctions, including further limitations on Iran's exports of crude oil and petroleum products."
The letter was spearheaded by Democratic senators Robert Menendez, Charles Schumer and Christopher Coons, and Republicans Lindsey Graham, Mark Kirk and Kelly Ayotte. The letter was sent out by the office of Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; editing by Ralph Boulton and Tom Brown)
Mexico drug cartel makes more dealing iron ore
Mexico drug cartel makes more dealing iron ore
LAZARO CARDENAS, Mexico (AP) — Forget crystal meth. The pseudo-religious Knights Templar drug cartel in western Mexico has diversified to the point that drug trafficking doesn't even rank among its top sources of income.
The cartel counts illegal mining, logging and extortion as its biggest moneymakers, said Alfredo Castillo, the Mexican government's special envoy sent to restore the rule of law in Michoacan, the state controlled by the Knights Templar the last several years.
Iron ore "is their principle source of income," Castillo told The Associated Press. "They're charging $15 (a metric ton) for the process, from extraction to transport, processing, storage, permits and finally export." The ore itself doesn't go for that price; the cartel skims $15 for every ton arriving in port. While it's long been known that Mexican cartels engage in other types of criminal activity, including trafficking of people and pirated goods, this is the government's first official acknowledgement that a major organized crime group has moved beyond drugs. The Knights Templar and its predecessor, La Familia, started out as major producers and transporters of methamphetamine.
The implications are enormous that organized crime in general in Mexico stands to diversify and become even more entrenched.
"It's a criminal organization like the mafia," said Antonio Mazzitelli, the Mexico and Central America representative to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. "La Familia, the Knights Templar and, in part, the new, smaller cartels that have developed, like the New Generation Jalisco, are copying this new typology."
Mexican authorities count at least 12 major cartels, but also talk of an untold numbers of smaller splinter groups. Federal prosecutors have not seen similar shifts in other cartels, according to an Attorney General's Office official, who insisted on speaking anonymously because he wasn't authorized to speak about the topic.
But experts disagreed. The Zetas cartel, with its strongholds along the U.S.-Mexico border, was among the first to change the business model from merely production and transport of drugs to migrant smuggling and controlling territory through terror. Though drugs still top their list, the Zetas likely make as much from kidnapping and extortion, said Samuel Logan, director of Southern Pulse security consulting firm.
"I've never looked at them as drug-trafficking organizations," Logan said of Mexico's cartels. "They're multinational corporations that will react to market pressures and do what they have to do to stay in business."
The Knights Templar took the model to another level, exploiting the main industries of the territory they control.
Alonso Ancira, president of the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel, recently told local journalists that he estimated drug cartels earned $1 billion in profits from selling iron ore in 2013. It was unclear if Ancira was referring only to the illegal mining done by the Knights Templar, and he didn't respond to an interview request from the AP.
The federal government has issued 900 concessions in Michoacan to mine iron ore, Castillo said. In 2008, only 1.5 percent of the iron ore exports to China went through the state's port of Lazaro Cardenas, but by 2012 nearly half of the exports to the Asian country were processed there.
As for extortion, Castillo said, information from victims led government experts to estimate that the cartel earned $800,000 to $1.4 million a week just from that crime. Much of its extortion demands were made on Michoacan's lime and avocado producers, and the Knights Templar even controlled the wholesale distribution center where prices were set and growers sell limes to the rest of the world.
Former President Felipe Calderon warned against such a stranglehold when he first sent troops to Michoacan in late 2006 to fight La Familia, the predecessor of the Knights Templar. He said the cartel was trying to infiltrate all levels of society. By the time La Familia morphed into the Knights Templar in 2010, it seemed to control the entire state, including politicians and police who failed to act.
More than seven years of military-style strikes failed to dislodge them. Now the federal government seems to be having more success by going after the cartel's financial resources. It took over the port of Lazaro Cardenas in November and named Castillo in January as a commissioner with special powers to try to clean up Michoacan.
Since then, authorities have seized 119,000 metric tons of iron ore stored at several yards in Lazaro Cardenas and say they have liberated the wholesale lime center by taking over the farming hub of Apatzingan.
The government also has arrested or killed much of the cartel's leadership, but they did the same to La Familia, only to see that cartel remake itself into something even more menacing.
Because of financial hits, the cartel is now struggling to pay informants and assassins, Castillo said, though he didn't explain how that's known.
The Knights Templar hold was so tight that vigilante groups eventually formed and armed themselves to fight back. With fighting escalating between the cartel and the "self-defense" groups, federal security forces finally moved in early this year.
"The Zetas, La Familia Michoacan, the Knights Templar are, for the most part, predators and parasites that become rejected by the communities," the U.N.'s Mazzitelli said.
That contrasts with traditional drug-trafficking cartels, which generate jobs and wealth for local people, buying loyalty and protection. The classic example is the Sinaloa cartel, the only pure drug-trafficking organization left in Mexico, even with the recent capture of its leader, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Hundreds of local residents protested his arrest.
Abonnieren
Posts (Atom)