In these dark times the voices of a thousand dead bunnies wake me from my slumber. It has been 276 days since I have last seen daylight. You may not have noticed, but amidst the hysteria of H1N1 (which the CDC promises never to call Swine Flu again) people have been rising from the dead. This is not the first time and this most certainly will not be the last. One week ago there were 800 probably cases of H1N1 in Mexico City, with just under 200 (197) confirmed dead. Now we have only 19 confirmed dead with a couple thousand cases worldwide. You do the math, that means 178 walking dead in Mexico City alone. Do not fear the H1N1 as this is a case of that which kills you might reanimate you. Not what Nietzsche had in mind but good enough for government work. Speaking of government work, I have lost much sleep in recent days and begun an active scouring of new sources. It is my intent to produce a regular FUD segment to track the things DHS want first responders and researchers want to know. I will interject from time to time with my own ramblings on them as I see fit.
Houston area utility to deploy wireless network for smart metering. CenterPoint Energy’s electric transmission and distribution subsidiary has selected GE Digital Energy as its provider of wireless communications to support the electric utility’s advanced metering system (AMS). AMS is designed to give Houston-area electric consumers improved ability to monitor and manage electric use and cost in near real time. GE Digital Energy’s MDS Mercury 3650 radios — along with engineering services, network design, project management, and support services — will support the transmission of electric utility meter data over the AMS network from consumers’ homes and businesses to CenterPoint Energy’s data center. In March 2009, CenterPoint Energy began replacing existing electric meters with smart meters. More than 145,000 smart meters will be installed across the Houston area by the end of 2009. The AMS will be deployed during the next five years to over 2.4 million consumers within a 5,000 square mile service area around metropolitan Houston. Once the AMS, including the communications infrastructure, is installed, retail electric providers will be able to offer new products and services to their consumers, such as giving consumers the ability to monitor their energy usage and energy prices in real time from computer screens in their homes. I find this one particularly entertaining from the perspective of city wide free wifi plus the ability to tinker with SCADA via wireless. Have fun Houston, someone let us know how it goes.
Acid leaks from railcar; no injuries. A pencil-sized hole in the membrane of a railcar caused a leak of about 100 gallons of hydrochloric acid early May 1 at a Union Pacific switchyard on FM 1495, near the Dow Oyster Creek Division in Freeport. Hydrochloric acid can cause eye and skin burns, the Freeport fire chief said. Union Pacific crews at the switchyard discovered the leak about 2 a.m. and called local authorities for assistance. Police officers blocked access to FMs 523 and 1495, and Brazoria County, city and area industrial emergency crews helped railway workers remove the acid. The railcar was destined for Gulf Chemical’s Freeport site from a PVS Chemicals facility in Louisiana, a Gulf Chemical & Metallurgical Corp. spokeswoman said. Gulf Chemical uses hydrochloric acid in the process of creating molybdenum and vanadium metal products, she said. Union Pacific crews had hooked up a hose from the railcar to another, empty one on May 1. Crews were transferring the remainder of the acid into the second railcar.
Pencil sized hole... of the .308 variety? This was clearly an effort by DHS to see how long first responders take to clean up an acid spill. Nothing to see here, move along. Wait, yes there is. Gulf Chemical & Metallurgical is clearly developing alloys in support of SkyNet. Silly rabbits, coltan is already perfect. Maybe it wasn't DHS, maybe it was the Human Resistance.
1,000 pounds of fertilizer stolen; police searching for burglars. Burglars targeted a Tuscumbia business on April 30. The stolen property is potential dangerous material. Approximately 1,000 pounds of high-grade nitrate fertilizer was taken from Greens Keepers on Gann Boulevard in Tuscumbia. The company handles fertilization and weed control for residential and commercial lawns. The owner says he has been in business for twelve years and nothing like this has ever happened. “It appears that 25 to 30 bags of high-grade nitrate fertilizer was taken off the premises,” he explained. The thieves stacked the bags of fertilizer onto one of the company trucks, attached a trailer to the back, and loaded a lawn mower on it. The crooks also rummaged through the office, grabbing two computers, an iPod, and a cordless phone. The stolen property is valued at several thousand dollars. The owner worries that having the large amount of fertilizer in the wrong hands could lead to something very dangerous. “It could potentially be made into a bomb,” he said. Look for terrorists with lovely lawns. 30 bags is several thousand dollars? It must have been some very good stuff.
Oldest U.S. nuclear plant resumes normal operations. Normal operations have resumed at the nation’s oldest nuclear power plant a week after it was shut down because of a failed transformer. Officials at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey had manually stopped its reactor without incident April 25. Crews repaired the transformer and modified its power supply. A plant spokesman says the outage was extended so crews could further prepare the plant for summer operations. The crews also found and stopped two small leaks in underground pipes believed to be the source of a weak radioactive substance recently detected on the plant’s property in Lacey Township, about 60 miles east of Philadelphia and 75 miles south of New York City. They replaced the pipes. Does anyone know what summer operations for a nuke site are?
At the Indian Point Nuclear Plant, a pipe leak raises concerns. The discovery of water flowing across the floor of a building at the Indian Point 2 nuclear plant in Buchanan, New York, traced to a leak in a buried pipe, is stirring concern about the plant’s underground pipes and those of other aging reactors across the country. A one-and-a-half-inch hole caused by corrosion allowed about 100,000 gallons of water to escape from the main system that keeps the reactor cool immediately after any shutdown, according to nuclear experts. The leak was discovered on February 16, according to the plant’s owner, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, a subsidiary of the Entergy Corporation. Entergy and the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission emphasized that the Indian Point reactor could still have been shut down safely with either of two other backup systems, although operators generally avoid using both. They also stressed that the supply pipe was quickly repaired after the leak was found and that the water itself, which is cleaner than tap water, posed no environmental threat. Yet the leak’s discovery has prompted Entergy and the regulatory commission to begin studying how the chief system for cooling during shutdowns, so important that the Indian Point 2 has three pumps in place to do the same job, could be endangered by the failure of a single part. More broadly, it has raised concerns about the monitoring of decades-old buried pipes at the nation’s nuclear plants, many of which are applying for renewal of their operating licenses. Last week, a Representative from Massachusetts, who heads a House subcommittee on energy and the environment, said the leak raised serious questions about Entergy’s and the regulatory commission’s oversight. “This leak may demonstrate a systemic failure of the licensee and the commission to inspect critical buried pipes in a manner sufficient to guarantee the public health and safety,” he wrote to the commission’s chairman in a letter on April 30.
Explosion at Carthage asphalt plant. Police and fire crews were on the scene of an explosion and fire on May 2 at an asphalt plant near the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Carthage. According to police, an explosion was reported at 7:45 a.m. at the plant on Byrneslake Court, which is located across Vine Street from the Fairgrounds. The name and exact address of the plant was unavailable. No one was injured in the incident, according to a police dispatcher. If the name and address were unavailable how do they know no one was injured?
Lawmakers seek openness after Navy closes reports. Amid reports that Navy inspectors found six ships unfit for their missions last year, some members of Congress are pressing the service to reconsider a decision to shroud its most detailed inspection reports. A U.S. Senator from Virginia who is a former Navy secretary said last week that he wants the Senate Armed Services Committee to take a close look at a new policy that essentially blocks public release of reports by the service’s Bureau of Inspection and Survey, known as InSurv. He may seek “additional reporting requirements…when ships are inspected and found to have major readiness deficiencies or other significant material problems.” Across the Capitol, a small but growing chorus of military-minded lawmakers, including two retired naval officers, are voicing reservations about the Navy’s move. In a letter being drafted for mailing to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, members of Congress argue that publicity about ship maintenance and operational problems is key to solving those problems. The Navy faces a $417 million shortfall in funds for its ship repair depots this year, the letter notes. If InSurv reports are classified, “we are unable to communicate these needs to the public,” they wrote. Scathing and well-publicized InSurv reviews last spring found the Norfolk-based destroyer Stout and the cruiser Chosin “unfit for sustained combat operations.” Leaders of the surface fleet responded by ordering an “operational pause,” for commanders to re-examine the condition of ships and equipment. This makes a significant number of our naval vessels offline. Why is this public information?
U.S. Navair grounds new Hueys, one Cobra. U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) has issued a temporary grounding bulletin on six UH-1Y Hueys and one AH-1Z Cobra due to extensive damage to the main rotor gearbox on two of the new Hueys. The problem was identified by pilots mid-flight. “Warning lights indicated chips were present in the gear box of the aircraft,” a Navair spokesman said. The first time the problem occurred was on April 7. The second incident, on April 24, resulted in grounding all of the aircraft. The two affected UH-1Ys, stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, sustained “significant damage” to their gear boxes, which need to be replaced. Navair and manufacturer Bell Helicopter Textron have determined the problem to be faulty lower roller bearing retainers in the high-speed bearing assembly in the gearbox. However, the investigation is still ongoing. “They know what caused it, they have to determine why,” he said. The repairs — which could take up to two months — will be performed at Camp Pendleton. Bell is under contract to supply the Marine Corps with 349 new helicopters —123 are UH-1Ys and 226 are AH-1Z Cobras. Only last month, a Navy Rear Admiral, the program executive officer overseeing the H-1 upgrade program, said he was encouraged by what he considers to be improved performance by Bell on the Huey/Cobra program after a host of management problems prompted the Navy and Marines to evaluate other platforms in 2006. These are the new x blade choppers.
Raytheon missile maintenance brings $9M Army contract. Raytheon Co. reports it has landed $9 million from the U.S. Army for Patriot missile maintenance. Under the contract, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems will perform missile maintenance and facilities in the United States and at overseas locations. The deal is an addition to a $36 million contract from the Army’s Aviation and Missile Command awarded in January 2008. The contract also funds the move of Patriot missile maintenance operations and test equipment to Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, from the Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas. Earlier this week, Raytheon landed $14.8 million from the Army for testing, maintenance and repair services for Patriot missile systems. Under the deal, the Waltham-based defense giant will perform clean-up, repair and maintenance on the missiles, including services required to keep missiles located in the United States, southwest Asia, Germany and Korea operable. This is a good idea. The Red River Army Deport is not particularly well guarded.
Identity Theft USPS Style.USPS probes security breach. CBS News has learned of another data breach potentially compromising the personal information of thousands of people. Companies Lexis Nexis and Investigative Professionals have notified up to 40,000 people whose “sensitive and personally identifiable” information may have been viewed by individuals who should not have had access. The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating a data breach at both companies that resulted in sensitive information being used in a crime. Those individuals have been notified. Sources tell CBS News that the data breach is linked to a Nigerian Scam artist who used the information to incur fraudulent charges on victims’ credit cards. A spokesman for the Postal Inspectors Service said that of the 40,000 individuals whose information was accessed, up to 300 were compromised and used to obtain fraudulent credit cards. In a letter sent to those whose personal information was compromised, Lexis Nexis said that the unauthorized access took place between June 14, 2004 and October 10, 2007 and the private information viewed included names, dates of birth and possibly even social security numbers It also cautions customers to review their credit reports for any inaccuracies, to report any errors or suspicious activity to creditors as soon as possible, and to contact the United States Postal Service if they believe their personal information may have been compromised.
Gunslinging Stews- Airline worker taken into custody over guns. Denver police say a flight attendant accused of trying to take two unloaded handguns through a security screening was taken into custody. Police have not released the name of the woman taken into custody May 2. A police spokesman said they could not confirm which airline employs her. The spokesman said they did not expect federal authorities to pursue charges, but the case remains under investigation. I love that they chose to conceal her identity when it the Denver police blotter is public domain. How many women booked for gun smuggling on May 2, 2009?
Flu scare diverts flight bound to Washington. An aircraft flying from Germany to Washington with 261 people on board was diverted on May 1 to Boston after a female passenger complained of flu-like symptoms, an airport official said. United Airlines flight 903 landed at Boston’s Logan International Airport and a medical team planned to board the aircraft, said a Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman. Planned to board? No further info on this one. I am guessing everyone is dead.
Hazmat: Suspicious letter determined to be safe. Hazmat teams along with the El Paso County Sheriff’s office were called out to a home in Falcon Sunday night to investigate a suspicious letter full of white powder. They have determined it is not a bio-hazard. Authorities reported to the 12000 block of Angelina Drive in Falcon, around 6:40 p.m. Sunday. Deputies say the suspicious letter was opened in a vehicle. Hazmat crews cleaned up the substance, and tested it, determining it was not a bio-hazard. Hazmat crews said they are not sure what the substance is just yet. It is not clear at this point who sent the letter. This is another in an endless chain of stories that they don't know what it is, yet somehow know its not dangerous. What does that test look like?
Richmond police officer receives suspicious letter. Hazmat crews rushed to the home of a Richmond police officer on the night of May 1. Investigators say the letter contained a white, powdery substance. The officer never touched the powder, instead putting the envelope down almost immediately. As a precautionary measure, investigators confiscated the package and sent it to the state lab for further testing. It may take days before the lab results are known. I am starting to see more and more of these suspicious white powder letters. Want to have some fun likely to get you questioned? Next time you are in a hotel put a bunch of baby powder in an envelope, mark it "NOT DANGEROUS, DO NOT OPEN" and leave it on the pillow.
Alberta pig farm under flu quarantine. A central Alberta hog farm is under quarantine after pigs caught the same swine flu strain that has sickened hundreds of people worldwide — news that some hog producers fear will add yet another shock to the already troubled pork industry in this province. The pigs were exposed to the virus after a worker in the family-run farm recently returned from Mexico with flu symptoms, in what is believed to be the first time the new H1N1 influenza A strain has been found in pigs, provincial and federal authorities announced May 2. Officials stressed the outbreak in the herd of 2,200 has been contained, and assured the public that the country’s food supply is safe and that there is no risk of contracting the illness by eating pork. “It is important to remember there is no evidence the virus can be transmitted through eating pork,” said the provincial agriculture minister in a news conference on May 2. “There is no risk to our food supply.” In Ottawa, federal officials said more than 200 infected pigs are recovering and no other farms in the area are showing signs of the outbreak. “The chance these pigs could transfer the virus to a person is remote. Nevertheless, we are following an appropriately measured approach,” said the executive vice-president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Canada’s chief veterinary officer. Damn bio-terrorists after my chorizo AND my canandian bacon!
Subway customers evacuated as hazmat crew inspects building. A Waco Hazmat team is investigating after customers at a Subway restaurant in the Central Texas Marketplace complained of some kind of irritation. When firefighters arrived, customers and employees were cleared out of the building while crews tested the area. No signs of a gas leak were reportedly found, but a hazmat crew was called out to run more precautionary tests. There are no reports on if anyone was taken to the hospital. I frequently get irritated at Subway but I never call for a hazmat crew.
USGS finds ammonia in Wyo. coal-bed methane water. Some coal-bed methane water flowing into the Powder River of northeast Wyoming contains potentially dangerous levels of ammonia, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). But the study also found that vegetation in a drainage channel can absorb dissolved ammonia, and microogranisms can transform it to harmless nitrogen gas. The USGS scientist who led the study said the findings should not warrant halting coal-bed methane operations in northeast Wyoming because the study looked at only one of the many drainage channels flowing into the Powder River. Billions of gallons of water from underground aquifers are pumped to the surface in order to recover the coal-bed methane, or natural gas. Impounding the CBM water in ponds and letting the water runoff into the ground are the two main ways that gas producers dispose of the water byproduct. Some of the discharged water in northeast Wyoming’s Powder River Basin is high in sodium and other salts, which can ruin crops and soils and harm fisheries. Further study is needed to determine what happens to the ammonia after it enters the Powder River and how the practice of impounding the coal-bed water affects ammonia levels. “We didn’t follow [the water] after it went into the Powder River,” he said. “Presumably it would have been diluted as it entered the Powder and probably dissipated in the Powder, but we didn’t actually follow it that far.” The quality and quantity of the water discharged in Wyoming has been an issue with environmentalists and the state of Montana, where the Powder River flows from Wyoming.
How about an ice-cold glass of recycled wastewater? Water for future homes and businesses on the plains east of Colorado Springs might come from flushed toilets because fresh water is running out. Few water rights are available, and well owners have relentlessly mined the water that is there, driving water tables down. Developers are left to hunt for new ways to meet El Paso County’s strict water requirements that demand a 300-year water supply for new subdivisions, the strictest in the state and one county commissioners have rarely waived. “Usually I’m not a cutting edge guy,” said the commissioner from the Fountain Valley. “But that’s the kind of technology we need, and we need it sooner rather than later.” Development out east relies on a finite supply of water stored in underground aquifers. By 2008, farmers, ranchers, cities, and homeowners drilled more wells in El Paso County than anywhere else in the state — 19,919, about two-thirds of which are residential wells, according to the Colorado Division of Water Resources. A state water engineer said studies show the aquifers have been depleted by up to 50 feet in places, while other spots have seen little or no drop. Most if not all deep aquifer water rights were grabbed up long ago. Alluvium water, closer to the surface, also is spoken for but it is considered renewable, because it recharges from rainfall and snow melt, though not as fast as it is being sucked out, state water engineers say. The idea is to recycle wastewater from toilet to tap, reducing water use by 80 percent, said one of the people involved in the project. It is part of a planned 49-acre self-sustaining subdivision to be powered by solar and wind energy. The water component could completely solve El Paso County’s water problems.
Waste water pumped into Jones Falls. An estimated 700,000 gallons of waste water overflowed from a pumping station on Sisson Street into the Jones Falls in Baltimore County on April 20 — and city officials are not sure why. There was no danger to the public, because the waste waterflowed through a special screen that blocked macropollutants from entering the Jones Falls, said a spokesman for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works. However, public notice of the overflow will be posted along the Jones Falls, he said. The rare overflow was the result of a malfunctioning automated switching system that controls electricity to the station’s pumps, he said. Officials are not sure what caused the malfunction but think a design flaw led to water backing up in the station, which was being refurbished, he said. A pumping station pushes waste water through the city’s sewer system and on to a treatment plant. Public works employees opened a valve and allowed the waste water to flow out, so that the station would not be damaged. There was no “visible” polluton of the Jones Falls, he said. He said this type of overflow is uncommon. Heavy rains did not help the situation, but were not a cause of the overflow, he said.
Confirmed cases of H1N1 virus approach 1,000. The World Health Organization cautioned that the swine flu outbreak could gain momentum in the months ahead, despite claims by the health secretary of Mexico that the virus “is in its declining phase.” The number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus continues to multiply. As of early Monday, Mexican health officials reported 568 cases and 22 fatalities linked to the flu. WHO says it has confirmed 506 cases and 19 deaths in Mexico. The world has 985 confirmed cases of the virus, known to scientists H1N1 virus, in a total of 20 countries, WHO said Monday. The United States has reported 226 confirmed cases in 30 states. The U.S. cases include one death. On Sunday, health officials in North Carolina and Pennsylvania announced the first confirmed cases in those states, and Louisiana’s governor said his state had seven confirmed cases. The cases from those three states were not immediately included in the CDC tally.
Avian flu research has swine flu outbreak applications. A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about. As of now, avian flu viruses can infect humans who have contact with birds, but these viruses tend not to transmit easily between humans. However, in research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an associate professor at the University of Maryland showed that after re-assortment with a human influenza virus, a process that usually takes place in intermediary species like pigs, an avian flu virus requires relatively few mutations to spread rapidly between mammals by respiratory droplets.
Bill would restrict information on biodefense research in Texas. Legislation being considered in Texas would classify information on certain disease materials at state biodefense laboratories as confidential, the Dallas Morning News reported on April 29. Existing federal law restricts information on “select agents,” biological materials that pose a significant threat to human, animal and plant health, including the sites where they are stored and the means of transfer between facilities. However, there is no corresponding state law that would apply to facilities such as the biodefense laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The state law is needed to ensure researchers’ privacy and to prevent terrorists from acquiring disease agents such as anthrax or Ebola, according to supporters of the legislation from a state senator. One watchdog said the law is an attempt to prevent anyone from learning about potential mishaps at biological research sites. He said the state proposal is far more expansive than its federal counterpart, which only addresses very specific agent locations.
No contamination nor injuries reported at ‘low level’ event. On-site response personnel initially responded to an “operational emergency” reported at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Building 7920 shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday. Officials with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Office said that the operational emergency — “the lowest level of an emergency” — was due to radiation alarms sounding within Building 7920, also known as the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center or REDC. “Monitoring of the area immediately outside the REDC revealed no indication of a release of radiation from the facility,” a 7:30 a.m. DOE press release stated. Though employees were evacuated from Building 7920, “no employees have been injured or contaminated,” the release added. Personnel working in other facilities in the REDC’s vicinity were “sheltered in place” as a precautionary measure, the DOE reported. The REDC is a laboratory and hot-cell facility where research, production and storage of materials such as isotopes take place. “To recap, there was no material released from the facility nor was there any material released from radiological control areas established within the facility; radiation alarms were successfully reset; no employees were injured or contaminated; (and) there was no off-site impact,” DOE officials reported.
Aventura charter school locked down over letters with suspicious substance. An Aventura city charter school was put on lockdown on April 29 after it received two letters with a suspicious substance on them. The FBI and the Miami Dade Hazmat team were called to City of Excellence School at shortly before noon April 29, said an Aventura police spokesman. He said a teacher at the school had received one of the suspicious envelopes in the mail at home and brought it to a school resource officer. That envelope contained a letter threatening the teacher, along with a powdery, grainy substance, he said. The other envelope was mailed to the school. Two men in chemical protective suits removed the letters in a red plastic bag. The incident happened shortly before noon. The lockdown ended at about 1:30 p.m. No children were in any danger, he said.
Republicans see threat in FBI security work by Safran. Lawmakers asked the director of the FBI to examine the national-security implications of awarding a contract for a fingerprint-search system to Safran SA, a defense and aerospace company partly owned by the French government. Members of Senate and House committees that oversee spy agencies warned that the FBI contract, which may be worth more than $100 million, could give an overseas-based company access to law-enforcement and intelligence data. Lawmakers have previously raised national-security objections to contracts and acquisitions involving non-U.S. firms. In 2006, the Bush Administration’s approval of state- owned DP World of Dubai’s bid to operate six of the nation’s largest seaports sparked an uproar that caused the company to back out. The fingerprint contract, however, is not an acquisition and is not subject to review by the government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The fingerprint work, to be done under a subcontract that would be awarded by Lockheed Martin Corp., probably is worth “hundreds of millions” of dollars, said an analyst with Morgan Keegan & Co. in Nashville. Lockheed is developing the FBI’s “Next Generation Identification” program, which is “bigger, faster and better” and is supposed to include fingerprints, palm prints, iris scans, facial imaging and tattoos, according to the FBI.
State EMA officials to discuss swine flu. Rhode Island emergency management officials convened a special meeting Monday to discuss swine flu. The group was briefed by the state health director on what steps the state is taking to prepare for swine flu. State Health Department officials say a Westerly man has tested positive for the swine flu, the first Rhode Island resident to have a confirmed case of the illness. Officials say he is recovering. Three other people from the state — two students at Johnson & Wales University and a woman from Smithfield — have probable cases of swine flu but are awaiting tests from the CDC.
Suspicious substance shuts down sheriff’s department. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department has reopened after it was shut down for over two hours Saturday night due to a suspicious substance. The department was investigating some documents when a white powdery substance fell out them. As a precaution, the office was placed on lock down, and emergency responders were notified. It was later determined the substance was not a threat, but it will still be tested for identification.
Disable Javascript for safety, Adobe Advises. Adobe Systems Inc. the week of April 27 acknowledged that all versions of its popular PDF software, including editions for Windows, the Mac and Linux, contain at least one, and possibly two, critical vulnerabilities. “All currently supported shipping versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat, [versions] 9.1, 8.1.4, and 7.1.1 and earlier, are vulnerable to this issue,” said the company’s security program manager, in a blog entry on April 28. The manager was referring to a bug in Adobe’s implementation of JavaScript that went public on April 28. “Adobe is also currently investigating the issue posted on SecurityFocus as BID 34740,” he added. That “Bugtraq ID,” or BID number has been assigned to a second JavaScript vulnerability in Adobe’s Reader. Proof-of-concept attack code for both bugs has already been published on the Web. According to the manager, Adobe will patch Reader and Acrobat, though he did not spell out a timetable for the fixes. “We are working on a development schedule for these updates and will post a timeline as soon as possible,” he said. In lieu of a patch, the manager recommended that users disable JavaScript in Reader and Acrobat by selecting Preferences from the Edit menu, choosing “JavaScript,” then unchecking the “Enable Acrobat JavaScript” option. That recommendation is identical to what he offered two months ago when Adobe owned up to a different critical vulnerability, one that was already being used by attackers at the time.
Verizon Wireless fine tunes Florida network for 2009 hurricane season. Verizon Wireless announced May 1 that it has completed its network preparations for the 2009 Hurricane Season. To ensure Floridians have comprehensive, reliable wireless coverage in case of severe weather, the company has invested nearly $190 million since the start of last year’s Hurricane Season to strengthen and enhance its wireless network throughout the state. Highlights of these enhancements include expanding capacity in the company’s regional switching facilities throughout Florida, erecting new digital cell sites with on-site back-up power, and deploying a team of “test men” across the state in high-tech vehicles to fine tune the company’s network. The company has a fleet of Cells on Wheels (COWs), Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs), and Generators on Trailers (GOaTs) that can be rolled into hard-hit locations or areas that need extra network capacity.
Inspectors examine Cowboys’ flattened facility. Government inspectors sorted through the Dallas Cowboys’ flattened practice facility in Irving on Monday, trying to figure out why fierce winds sent the tentlike structure crashing during a rookie workout session. Twelve people were hurt. The most seriously hurt was the team’s 33-year-old scouting assistant who was permanently paralyzed from the waist down after his spine was severed. Inspectors were at the collapse site, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Records obtained by the Associated Press show that the city of Irving granted a request by the Cowboys to replace the fabric roof last year, five years after the structure was built. The team listed itself as the contractor for the roof replacement, but a Cowboys spokesman said the team would not comment about the work. The company that built the $4 million facility — Summit Structures LLC of Allentown, Pennsylvania — said in a statement that proper engineering was used during the original construction and the installation of the new roof. The Summit president said he was in Irving on Monday, working with team and local officials to “fully assess this severe weather event.” The company said it has few answers now on precisely what happened. About 70 people, including 27 players at a rookie minicamp, were inside when the storm hit. Winds were clocked at 64 mph, 1 mph shy of the threshold for a weak tornado. A “microburst” may have pushed the wind beyond 70 mph at the top of the structure, National Weather Service officials said.
Rapid spring breakup causes flooding across Interior Alaska. In Fairbanks, rivers rose and spilled their banks in some spots Sunday, as a rapid breakup likely will lead the Army Corps of Engineers to close the flood gates on the Chena River earlier than in any other year since 1981. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for parts of Fairbanks as packed snow continues to melt, and the state railroad corporation halted trips between Anchorage and Fairbanks because of flooding. After days of record-setting temperatures above 70 degrees, all of Fairbanks — its low-lying points and taller hilltops — is shedding its winter snow at once. That contrasts to the usual slower-changing spring seasons that include colder nighttime temperatures. As of Sunday afternoon, the Corps, which along with the Weather Service monitors river levels across Fairbanks, measured nearly 8,000 cubic feet of water per second moving down the Chena River. That is just below the benchmark for tripping the project’s flood gates. On Sunday afternoon, the Weather Service reported 4 inches of water running across Chena Hot Springs Road at 37 Mile.
Fault confirmed near risky Truckee dam. A previously unknown earthquake fault has been confirmed near Martis Creek Dam in Truckee. Martis Creek Dam, ranked among the riskiest dams in the country by the Army Corps of Engineers, can now add a fault running between the dam and the spillway to a list of problems making it more likely to fail, sending water down the Truckee River Canyon and into Reno. “We uncovered a previously unknown fault by digging two trenches,” said a spokesperson of the Dam Safety Assurance Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This summer the Corps will continue studying the faults and the dam itself, which is built on loose glacial till that allows seepage. Another spokesperson said the Corps have been leaving the flood gates wide open to minimize the risk of water building up behind the dam — and the potential for catastrophic failure. The Corps also have equipment on site to repair the dam if there is any evidence of failure, he said.
