Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:31:52 -0800
Duration: 218

Demolitions training at Fort Pickett, VA. Soldiers being briefed, preparing doors for explosives and laying wirie on the ground. Video includes multiple explosions with a door, in a field, and against a wall..

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:31:55 -0800
Duration: 130

Afghan National Army Tanks American tank crews mentor Afghans using the equipment left behind by a former adversary, the USSR

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:16:16 -0800
Duration: 154

Representatives from the world-famous Gibson guitar company recently showed off their latest creation at a suburban Maryland music store outside Washington. Gibson's self-tuning guitar comes as sales for the videogame Guitar Hero are increasing. The guitar is modeled after the successful Les Paul guitar, but is much lighter. The bottom of the guitar is carved out to accommodate a small computer that tunes the guitar. Forbes Magazine says Gibson's new guitar may be an attempt to catch the attention of guitar consumers, and take the spotlight away from music-based video games, like the Guitar Hero series. With videogames, players can be rock stars without having any real musical talent. Gibson is making it easier for students to get their musical bearings.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:46:17 -0800
Duration: 101

The U.S. space agency spacecraft Messenger swooped within 199-kilometers of the planet Mercury, in preparation for a permanent orbit, beginning in 2011. Messenger, which is operated by remote control from Earth, will soon begin beaming data back which scientists hope will answer questions about the planet closest to the Sun. The unmanned spacecraft was launched by NASA in August, 2004. Messenger, stands for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging. Planetary scientists hope the $450 million mission will help them answer key questions about Mercury, a tiny planet with temperatures that swing between 315 degrees in the daytime to minus 180 degrees at night. Astronomers say the planet is heavily cratered and has a large iron core. Messenger is about halfway through its journey to put it in permanent orbit around Mercury in 2011. But, until then, there will be another flyby this October and again in September 2009.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:46:18 -0800
Duration: 109

The Air Assault Expeditionary Force (AAEF) experiment is the Army s principal live, prototype, discovery experiment that began in 2004 at the direction of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and is in the third year (Spiral C) of a four-year campaign designed to evaluate emerging technologies and operational concepts in order to inform development efforts related to both current and future forces and enhance risk reduction for the Future Combat System Program of Record.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:06:38 -0800
Duration: 236

Long Form Video WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Three U.S. Navy vessels took evasive actions after five Iranian boats buzzed the ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz Jan. 6, The fast Iranian boats approached at "distances and speed that showed reckless, dangerous and potentially hostile intent," he said. The incident lasted about 15 to 20 minutes, he said. The Navy ships were going into the Persian Gulf when the Iranian boats confronted them. The speed of the Iranian boats and their distance from the U.S. Navy vessels demonstrated potentially hostile intent. Bridge-to-bridge radio communications between the Iranian vessels and the U.S. Navy ships reinforced this impression, he said. The U.S. ships were operating in international waters within the Strait of Hormuz and followed all appropriate protocols, U.S. warships will take all the precautions needed to safely transit the open waters of the strait, the Pentagon spokesman said.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:48:12 -0800
Duration: 77

Aerial gun tape vehicle engagement of an Apache helicopter identifying and engaging insurgent vehicles in Iraq with hellfire missiles and 30mm cannon fire.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:06:24 -0800
Duration: 74

US Army weapons team from the 3rd Infantry Division engaging insurgents in a field in Adwaniyah, Iraq, and then destroying a building with the remaining insurgents inside with hellfire missiles.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 09 Dec 2007 21:43:06 -0800
Duration: 117

The Mount Washington observatory in (the northeastern U.S. state of) New Hampshire is a non-profit, scientific and educational institution with a mission to advance understanding of the Earth's climate systems. It also has some of the most extreme weather on the planet. The strongest winds ever recorded, were recorded right here, at the Mt. Washington Weather station in New Hampshire. On 12 April 1934, the station measured a wind gust of more than 371 kilometers per hour. The Mount Washington weather station was the first regular, meteorological observations in the world. It continues to collect climate data, and weather information daily. Three out of every four days a year Mount Washington is hidden in clouds or covered with fog, with hurricane force winds sometimes blowing. Scientists and visitors pass through three distinct ecosystems on the ride to the summit, 1,923 meters above sea level.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:04:05 -0800
Duration: 321

The United States is at war, and The Army serves the Nation by defending the Constitution and our way of life. It is our nonnegotiable contract with the American people -- to fight and win our Nation's wars, decisively. Today, more than 198,000 Soldiers remain deployed and forward stationed in 120 countries around the globe, conducting operations and training with our friends and allies. The transforming Army is enriching as a profession and nurturing to families whose sacrifice has borne the readiness of the force for the past 10 years.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:04:07 -0800
Duration: 233

These extraordinary and dangerous times in the history of America demand an Army capable of dominating any adversary, anywhere, anytime. To meet this demand, the U.S. Army is changing—transforming while at war. It is changing to meet both current threats and future needs—becoming a campaign-quality Army with joint and expeditionary capabilities. The Army modular force initiative—the major transformational effort—involves the total redesign of the operational Army into a larger, more powerful, more flexible and more rapidly deployable force while moving the Army from a division-centric structure to one built around a brigade combat team (BCT). BCTs are a stand-alone, self-sufficient and standardized tactical force of between 3,500 and 4,000 Soldiers that are organized by the way they fight. .

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:43:06 -0800
Duration: 67

Former President George H.W. Bush celebrated his 80th birthday with a 13,000-foot parachute jump over his presidential library Sunday, November 14, 2007, and said he felt the same thrill of prior jumps even though his hopes of skydiving solo were dashed. He made a tandem jump -- harnessed to a member of an Army's Golden Knights parachute team -- after officials decided the wind conditions and low clouds made it too dangerous for the 41st president to jump alone, which he did when he turned 75. Bush made his first parachute jump as a 20-year-old Navy pilot shot down over the Pacific during World War II. In 1992, he bailed out over Yuma, Ariz., fulfilling a wartime promise he made to himself that some day he'd jump from a plane for fun. Bush said he hoped his stunt sent a message to people that "at 80 years old, you've still got a life."

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:01:05 -0800
Duration: 123

After a visit to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., Jini Ryan wondered what happened to all of the objects left behind by those who wish to honor fallen comrades. It turns out that the Department of the Interior has just opened a museum exhibit that showcases many of these strange and often personal items to help the public understand the impact of war.

Author: earbot
Added: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:19:06 -0800
Duration: 84

The New Frontier casino-hotel was imploded early Tuesday, giving a violent end to the second property to open on the Las Vegas Strip. The 16-story hotel tower was felled with over 1,000 pounds of explosives before a group of reporters and bystanders to make way for a multibillion-dollar resort bearing The Plaza brand, which is set to open in 2011. The New Frontier earned historical notations by becoming the Strip's first theme casino and hosting Elvis Presley's debut in the city. The low-key gambling hall, which opened as the Last Frontier in 1942 with a cowboy village theme and later embraced the space age before returning to its Wild West roots, had become known for bikini bull riding, cheap hotel rooms and $5 craps before it closed its doors for good in July. The destruction of the New Frontier was the latest step in a dramatic, and expensive, facelift for the northern Strip. The Stardust hotel-casino was imploded in March.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:19:06 -0800
Duration: 228

Like most capital cities, Washington, D.C., has its share of monuments and memorials. November 13, one of those monuments, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, marks its 25th anniversary. The once controversial memorial has become a powerful symbol and a place of healing for many Americans. For the fourth time in 25 years, the names of more than 58,000 Americans who were killed during the Vietnam War were read aloud. Long after the events surrounding the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Memorial are over, the names will remain; etched in stone, on two 75-meter long, black granite walls along with the year the war began, 1959, and the year it ended, 1975. Many Americans visit the wall not only to honor loved ones, but the memorial itself. Today, many visitors are too young to remember the Vietnam War, but the current war in Iraq has raised their interest.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:04:06 -0800
Duration: 483

This award winning video demonstrates how consumers can quickly and easily use the food label to meet their personal nutritional needs. The viewer is shown how to use the Nutrition Facts panel to make informed food choices, how to compare nutrient content claims without memorizing definitions, how to relate serving size to portion control, and how to use the Percent Daily Value as a reference tool without doing math. The video concludes with a one-minute quiz.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:04:06 -0800
Duration: 39

The "Fight BAC" campaign, developed by the Partnership for Food Safety, includes a colorful, 30-second, television public service announcement (PSA) featuring a frustrated "BAC" trying unsuccessfully to spread contamination throughout the kitchen. The PSA highlights the four basic safe food handling steps. Safe Handling of Fresh Produce The proportion of foodborne illness associated with fresh fruits and vegetables has increased over the last several years. As health and nutrition experts continue to recommend we add more fruits and vegetables to a healthy daily diet, it becomes increasingly important that consumers know how to handle them properly. Make food safety a priority!

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 21:43:05 -0800
Duration: 108

The Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team (JFIIT)is testing new night time identification system at the Army's National Training Center (NTC). At night in Iraq, there are combat identification issues when a friendly convoy from one unit meets a friendly convoy from another unit on a road. A light filtering scheme that enables the drivers of these convoys wearing night vision goggles can help identify a friendly convoy so they don't inadvertently fire on them.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:55:13 -0800
Duration: 194

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle observes insurgents in Iraq planting a roadside IED bomb on a dirt road. The insurgents are then attacked and eliminated by a Apache helicopter from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:04:05 -0800
Duration: 198

Turkey accuses Iraq of sheltering separatist Kurdish rebels and allowing them to carry out cross-border attacks against Turkey.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 22:55:12 -0800
Duration: 517

Dramatic scenes of US military personnel including Marines and National Guard fighting wildfires in southern California, many near Camp Pandleton. "Heavy Haulers" carrying water to fight wild fires. Helicopters and crews fill buckets of water in a lakes and then the water is dropped on wild fires. Also, helicopters fighting fires at the stables on Camp Pendleton. Fire fighters on foot and in fire trucks burning fires in the path of the wild fires to stop the spread of fire.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 22:55:12 -0800
Duration: 42

Missile test for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Scenes include a close-up of the missile launching from a mobile vehicle, a long shot of the missile launch and a color infrared shot of the missile intercepting a SCUD-type target. The THAAD (Theatre High Altitude Area Defense) missile system is an easily transportable defensive weapon system to protect against hostile incoming threats such as tactical and theatre ballistic missiles at ranges of 200km and at altitudes up to 150km. The THAAD system provides the upper tier of a 'layered defensive shield' to protect high value strategic or tactical sites such as airfields or populations centres. The THAAD missile intercepts exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric threats. The sites would also be protected with lower- and medium-tier defensive shield systems such as the Patriot PAC-3 which intercepts hostile incoming missiles at 20 to 100 times lower altitudes.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 02:40:20 -0800
Duration: 128

The Defense Department lends a helping hand as wildfires burn in California. Army National Guard has been activated and pulled from border security to help fight the fires. UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters were dispatched from the border duty to the firefighting mission in support of the California Department of Forestry.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:40:13 -0800
Duration: 118

American news media are reporting that a survey of pilots by the U.S. government found that safety problems involving air carriers happen more frequently than previously known. The reports say the space agency, NASA, conducted the survey, but did not publish the results over fears they could affect public confidence in air travel. Some lawmakers are accusing the government of trying to suppress the results because they might hurt airline profits -- a charge NASA firmly denies. The reports say NASA spent three years developing the questionnaire and three years interviewing 24,000 pilots. But after completing the $8.5 million survey last year, the space agency allegedly refused to publish its results and asked everyone associated with the project to delete their files. The survey reportedly uncovered numerous safety problems from near misses, runway interference, to engine failures. A NASA document obtained by Associated Press says, "The release of the data could affect public confidence and hurt the commercial welfare of air carriers." But Democratic Party Congressman Brad Miller says that is not for the space agency to decide. "It is part of NASA's job to make sure aviation is safe. It is not NASA's job to make airline travelers think that everything is fine or to protect airline profits." Congress has launched a formal investigation. Democratic Congressman Bart Gordon says NASA has been ordered to keep all of its data. "This is a matter of safety," he said. "We need to know that information, the American public needs to know that information." The Federal Aviation Administration says it played no role in trying to suppress the information. FAA acting administrator Robert Sturgell stated, "We are always interested in safety data and the analysis and mining of aviation safety data." NASA administrators have assured Congress the data will not be destroyed, but the agency says it will determine what information, if any, can be released.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:40:13 -0800
Duration: 202

STS-120 is the 23rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station, and will launch an Italian-built U.S. multi-port module for the station. Retired Air Force Col. Pamela A. Melroy will command the STS-120 mission to take the Node 2 connecting module to the station. Melroy, a veteran shuttle pilot, is the second woman to command a shuttle. Marine Corps Col. George D. Zamka will serve as pilot. The flight's mission specialists will be Scott E. Parazynski, Army Col. Douglas H. Wheelock, Stephanie D. Wilson and Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy. Zamka, Wheelock and Nespoli will be making their first spaceflight. Expedition 15/16 Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson will return to Earth from the space station aboard shuttle mission STS-120. That flight will carry his replacement, Daniel Tani, to the station. Tani will return on shuttle mission STS-122.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:40:13 -0800
Duration: 122

Taking multitasking to new heights, NASA launched the five THEMIS satellites aboard a single Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:01 p.m. EST. Racing into space on the flaming power of three rocket stages and nine solid rocket motors, the THEMIS satellites will soon disperse around Earth to monitor auroras like the Northern Lights. NASA is undertaking the mission to investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to change in appearance and dissipate. Discovering why the light of auroras can fluctuate and fade will provide scientists with important details on how the planet's protective magnetosphere works and on the sun-Earth connection. The Mission THEMIS is a mission to investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of color. Discovering what causes auroras to change will provide scientists with important details on how the planet's magnetosphere works and the important Sun-Earth connection.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:43:05 -0800
Duration: 102

Wildfires in California are clarly visible from space as as seen from the International Space Station (ISS) on Oct. 23, 2007.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:25:08 -0800
Duration: 64

Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo's ``Tres Personajes,'' a 1970 painting vibrating with reds, yellows and purples, may fetch as much as $1 million at a Sotheby's auction on Nov. 20, the work's first public viewing since Elizabeth Gibson spied it in a mound of garbage on a Manhattan sidewalk. Gibson, a tall, blond 53-year-old resident of the Upper West Side, went out for a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning in 2003. She spotted a large painting poking out from among the garbage bags left on the sidewalk on West 72nd Street. In her pre-caffeinated haze, she kept walking. Gibson, who works in radio and as a writer, said her apartment, which she shared with a roommate, was neither sleek nor large. Also, the chipped silver frame looked cheap. Despite these reservations, she lugged the 4-foot-wide painting back to her apartment and hung it on the living room wall. Thus began a lengthy and at times anguished journey to discover the Tamayo's history. Gibson said she contacted lawyers, art dealers and friends in an effort to determine whether the painting was anything special. Once she learned that Tamayo was among the most important and valuable Mexican artists -- and that her colorful painting with three abstract figures had illustrated the cover of a 1974 Tamayo monograph by journalist Emily Genauer -- she hid the painting in her closet, creating a false wall using plywood and a shower curtain. In 2005, Gibson watched a PBS television program about missing artworks, part of the ``Antiques Roadshow'' series, that featured the Tamayo. Sotheby's expert August Uribe, who hosted the segment, explained that ``Tres Personajes'' had been stolen in 1987 and missing for almost 20 years. The painting's owners, a Houston couple whom Sotheby's declined to identify, had purchased the painting at the auction house in 1977 for $50,000. It later went missing from a storage facility in Texas. The FBI and Houston police had investigated, according to Sotheby's, but the painting vanished until Gibson's discovery. Gibson contacted Uribe, initially identifying herself as ``Mystery Woman.'' She visited him at Sotheby's with her minister and the next day took him to her apartment, where she pulled out piles of clothing from her closet and revealed the Tamayo. Uribe immediately recognized the painting, with its rich palette and Tamayo's signature rough surface, made with sand and ground marble dust mixed into the paint. Uribe wrapped the painting in cardboard, gingerly placed it in a taxi van and returned to Sotheby's headquarters. Sotheby's contacted the FBI, Uribe said, and soon called the owner, who was stunned and decided to sell the following day. The painting had been a gift from her now dead husband. The theft ``was such an emotional trauma,'' Uribe said. ``She had emotionally divorced herself.'' Tamayo, who died in 1991, remains one of the most sought- after Latin American artists. His 1955 ``America (Mural)'' fetched a record $2.59 million at Christie's International in New York in 1993. Christie's also has a major Tamayo for sale next month, the 1945 ``Trovador,'' a jaunty guitarist estimated to go for as much as $3 million. After finding a million-dollar painting in the trash, Gibson has reaped some gain herself. She collected a $15,000 reward from the owner as well as an undisclosed fee from Sotheby's. Her experiences have inspired her to begin writing a book. Uribe, meanwhile, is focused on the sale in November.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:13:06 -0800
Duration: 345

The Army Campaign Plan provides direction for detailed planning, preparation and execution of the full range of tasks necessary to provide relevant and ready landpower to the Nation while maintaining the quality of the all-volunteer force. The Army is pursuing the most comprehensive transformation of its forces since the early years of World War II, but the Soldier remains the centerpiece of our combat systems and formations. Support for Soldiers, civilians and their families is a critical part of the Army's ability to defend our Nation.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 22:34:05 -0800
Duration: 599

Framed against the background of the 21st century security environment, this video highlights why Soldiers, their Families, and Army Civilians are indeed the strength of the Nation.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:13:05 -0800
Duration: 160

The International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. has become one the city's most popular tourist attractions. Three and a half million visitors have passed through its doors since it opened in 2002. Exhibits here feature poison pens, umbrella guns, high tech surveillance gear, and other tools of the spy trade. VOA's George Dwyer reports on one of the world's most intriguing museums - an institution that cautions visitors: "All is not as it seems." It is no secret - Washington, D.C.'s International Spy Museum has become one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. "We are, as far as we know, the only International Spy Museum in the world," says Peter Earnest, the founding executive director of the Museum and a 35-year veteran of the CIA. [U.S. Central Intelligence Agency]. "We have actually exceeded our own expectations. And I think you can attribute that to a couple of things. One, people inherently like to learn secrets, things that have been secrets and now are uncovered." The Museum features the largest collection of espionage artifacts ever publicly displayed, including miniaturized surveillance devices, or "bugs," designed to avoid detection. "So this is a museum about secrets. It is very story-driven. We tell the stories of people who have been in espionage, what they did, what they sacrificed; try and give a sense of what they gained. Was it worth what they did? " The historic roots of the spy trade are traced back as far as a copy of "The Art of War," a Chinese military text written 2,500 years ago. Items that were once top secret are now available for public inspection. And while none of today's top secrets are shared here, the museum does still strive to remain contemporary. "And so this is what this experience really is all about. You know you walk through here and you pick up bits and pieces of intelligence," says museum historian Thomas Boghardt. He describes the challenges posed to visitors in an interactive exhibit called 'Operation Spy,' where they will a track a stolen nuclear device at a model CIA 'front' operation. Boghardt adds, "And the better you are the more information you will get and, as I said, that is really what 'Operation Spy' is all about. You gather information as you go and then you determine, 'What action can I take?'" Of course, then there is also the issue of counter-espionage. Earnest says, "As you know one person's patriot may be another person's traitor, but what really was the motivation, what was the ideology? And so trying to find out secrets and the stories behind them is part of what drives people here." Searching for secrets through espionage continues today. And according to the Spy Museum, more spies are now at work in Washington, D.C. than in any other city in the world.

Author: earbot
Added: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:25:08 -0800
Duration: 120

Successful joint operations are a direct correlation of a joint task force's ability to effectively deploy and begin operations immediately. The real benchmark of American warfighting is combined arms warfare, said Byrnes. "Our services excel at combining a wide array of technologies and tools in each dimension - land, air, sea, and space - to generate the effects that create overwhelming dilemmas for our opponents. In order to adapt to these conditions, both USJFCOM and TRADOC affect change through a process of examining the doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leader development, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) to support the movement toward a joint expeditionary force. The soldier has always been at the centerpiece of the Army. With the focus on the soldier, today's Army has redesigned the basic combat training to better prepare for the rigors of deployment. The Army is being organized to effectively adapt to changing conditions across the range of military operations. The modular brigades make it easier for joint force commanders to focus on capabilities that can be rapidly transformed across the full range of military operations. These modular organizations are inherently joint at the brigade level and below.

Author: earbot
Added: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:25:08 -0800
Duration: 298

Camp Liberty's explosive ordinance discovery team responding to a discovery of weapon caches. Scenes include Soldiers retrieving weapon caches, preparing the detonation site and destruction of explosives.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:46:05 -0800
Duration: 51

Maybe you've heard of the Great Pumpkin, but odds are it had nothing on the winning entry at a weigh-off in Oregon which literally smashed the old record for the world's biggest gourd. The massive pumpkin weighed in at close to 1,000 pounds, and was hoisted up into the air in front of captivated townsfolk before being dropped on an empty school bus, which like the pumpkin, shattered on contact. The event was part of a community tradition in Aurora to celebrate fall, and what a fall to celebrate. Apparently locals chose to smash the pumpkin, rather than trying to carve it which would have almost certainly required multiple chainsaws.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:07:07 -0800
Duration: 137

American test pilot Chuck Yeager flew a plane through the sound barrier on October 14th, 1947. Some say only the Wright brothers -- Orville and Wilbur -- can claim a more significant achievement in the history of flight. At the time, Britain and Germany also were trying to develop a plane that could break the sound barrier, but the United States soon won out with its X-1. It was more rocket than plane, developed specifically to fly through the shock waves of the sound barrier, with Yeager as pilot. "About half of the engineers gave us no chance at all of ever successfully flying beyond the speed of sound. They said it's a so-called barrier and the airplane would go out of control or disintegrate, but I didn't look at it that way." Yeager said he had confidence in the craft. He named it "Glamorous Glennis" for his wife, and described its bullet-shaped body as cozy. "Your knees were just about equal with your shoulders so you could pull a lot of Gs [extreme pull of gravity] without blacking out. It didn't have a prop on it. It didn't have a jet engine. It was just strictly a rocket and it was real slick to fly.". To save fuel the X-1 was lifted by a modified B-29 bomber, then dropped and powered by four liquid oxygen rockets. As Yeager's X-1 approached aviation history and Mach 1 [the speed of sound], the plane began buffeting violently. Continuing to accelerate it smoothed out, and for the first time a sonic boom filled the atmosphere. The success was quickly followed by an entire series of aircraft flying faster and higher than ever before. There were disasters and near disasters. The X-15 eventually flew to the edge of space at four, five and six times the speed of sound. Yeager went on to direct the Space School at Edward's Air Force Base. And ten years ago, the man who first broke the sound barrier did it once again for his last time. Yeager made one last flight faster than the speed of sound in 1997 on the 50th anniversary of his historic flight

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:03:45 -0800
Duration: 116

The Army's 3rd Infantry Division operating near Bagdad, Iraq destroyed a building housing a cache of homemade explosives with air to ground missiles.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:03:45 -0800
Duration: 206

October 4th 2007 marks 50 years since the former Soviet Union hurled humanity's first object into Earth orbit. It was a small round device known as Sputnik -- Russian for "satellite" -- with four antennas and a transmitter. The launch was a stunning scientific advance, but, surprisingly, those who achieved it did not set out to conquer outer space. Sputnik was an afterthought of a troubled Soviet military project. On October 4th, 1957, a rocket launched from Tyuratam, today's Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, boosted into space a highly polished aluminum ball 58 centimeters in diameter, weighing 83 kilograms. Ground receivers recorded its famous beeping signal as it passed overhead in an elliptical orbit above the Earth. Clearly proud of the launch, Soviet media proclaimed the triumph of Soviet science and technology. Banner headlines around the world reflected international surprise over news of the first artificial satellite to circle the planet. The current director of the Russian space agency, Anatoly Perminov, was a ninth grader at the time. He says the event influenced his decision to become a rocket scientist. Ninety-six-year-old Boris Chertok is one of the last living participants of the Sputnik launch. He was a deputy to chief Soviet rocket designer Sergei Korolev. In an exclusive interview with the VOA, Chertok said those involved in the launch were equally surprised by the world reaction. Chertok says the Soviet Union was actually counting on development of an intercontinental ballistic missile to counter a perceived American nuclear threat. But, Chertok says test launches exploded or the nosecone disintegrated upon descent into dense layers of the atmosphere. He says his boss, Sergei Korolev, was one of the few dreamers on the missile program who were interested in space exploration, not militarism. Korolev argued that the Sputnik's nosecone would not encounter the density problem because it would not return to Earth. Korolev's dream coincided with Soviet political needs. Chertok says the Sputnik launch was a team effort involving about 1,000 people working in secret half a century ago. Their artificial satellite remained in space for 21 days. So, it seems humanity's first orbiting device resulted from a military project developed by scientists, driven by politics, and steered by a handful of dreamers.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 07 Oct 2007 11:42:45 -0800
Duration: 116

Footage of an Apache AH-64 helicopter from the Army's 3rd Infantry division operating near Bagdad, Iraq, Baghdad engaging five armed individuals while U.S. Soldiers conduct an air assault raid on a possible al-Qaida safe house.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:54:40 -0800
Duration: 185

Mars is a cold desert planet with no liquid water on its surface. But in the Martian arctic, water ice lurks just below ground level. Discoveries made by the Mars Odyssey Orbiter in 2002 show large amounts of subsurface water ice in the northern arctic plain. The Phoenix lander targets this circumpolar region using a robotic arm to dig through the protective top soil layer to the water ice below and ultimately, to bring both soil and water ice to the lander platform for sophisticated scientific analysis. The complement of the Phoenix spacecraft and its scientific instruments are ideally suited to uncover clues to the geologic history and biological potential of the Martian arctic. Phoenix will be the first mission to return data from either polar region providing an important contribution to the overall Mars science strategy "Follow the Water" and will be instrumental in achieving the four science goals of NASA's long-term Mars Exploration Program. --Determine whether Life ever arose on Mars --Characterize the Climate of Mars --Characterize the Geology of Mars --Prepare for Human Exploration The Phoenix Mission has two bold objectives to support these goals, which are to (1) study the history of water in the Martian arctic and (2) search for evidence of a habitable zone and assess the biological potential of the ice-soil boundary. Set to the music: She Blinded Me Wtih Science

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:33:31 -0800
Duration: 194

The US Army's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division operating in Iraq use the Aerostat Surveillance System as part of Operation Marne Torch II. Four insurgents are eliminated after the plant an IED near a major route.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:54:33 -0800
Duration: 261

U.S. Soldiers from the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division battle anti-Iraqi forces in Buhriz Station Iraq. Soldiers arrive at Buhriz Station, find a defensive position and return fire on the anti-Iraqi forces.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:06:22 -0800
Duration: 42

Soldiers of the 797th Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team, working with 3/69th Armor, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division operating in Iraq examine suspected areas for land mines, mortars and improvised explosive devices (IED). Soldiers climb to the roof of an abandoned building, build a perimeter and detonate a mortar round. Video from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:15:16 -0800
Duration: 202

Amazing video of the launch and crash landing of an unmanned BalloonSat research balloon taken from the balloon. The balloon was launched from Sandusky County Regional Airport - S24, Fremont/Clyde OH. The Balloon ascended more slowly than we expected, but reached an altitude of 98,780 ft, over 30 km. It landed about 13:12 in the Mohican State Forest. Analysis of the altitude data suggests that the burst was just before the maximum observed altitude. Extrapolation suggests the burst altitude was 30189 m, 99,045 ft.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:24:17 -0800
Duration: 113

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is on its way to study a pair of asteroids after lifting off Thursday, September 27, 2007 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:34 a.m. EDT (4:34 a.m. PDT). Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., received telemetry on schedule at 9:44 a.m. EDT (6:44 a.m. PDT) indicating Dawn had achieved proper orientation in space and its massive solar array was generating power from the sun. During the next 80 days, spacecraft controllers will test and calibrate the myriad of spacecraft systems and subsystems, ensuring Dawn is ready for the long journey ahead. Dawn's 4.8-billion-kilometer (3-billion-mile) odyssey includes exploration of asteroid Vesta in 2011 and the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015. These two icons of the asteroid belt have been witness to much of our solar system's history. By using Dawn's instruments to study both asteroids, scientists more accurately can compare and contrast the two. Dawn's science instrument suite will measure elemental and mineral composition, shape, surface topography, and tectonic history, and will also seek water-bearing minerals. In addition, the Dawn spacecraft and how it orbits Vesta and Ceres will be used to measure the celestial bodies' masses and gravity fields. The spacecraft's engines use a unique, hyper-efficient system called ion propulsion, which uses electricity to ionize xenon to generate thrust. The 30-centimeter-wide (12-inch) ion thrusters provide less power than conventional engines but can maintain thrust for months at a time. The management of the Dawn launch was the responsibility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The Delta 2 launch vehicle was provided by United Launch Alliance, Denver. The Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The University of California, Los Angeles, is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Other scientific partners include Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M.; Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg, Germany; DLR Institute for Planetary Research, Berlin; Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome; and the Italian Space Agency. Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., designed and built the Dawn spacecraft.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:18:14 -0800
Duration: 285

Fifty years ago, this Septermber 25, 2007, a high school in the U.S. southern city of Little Rock, Arkansas became a crucial battleground in the struggle for civil rights. Despite prejudice and hostility from a mob of white demonstrators, nine black students attended their first full day of classes at previously all-white Central High School on September 25, 1957. Three years earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. In Little Rock, high schools were to integrate by September 1957. Several weeks before school started, Arkansas's governor ordered the state militia to block the nine black students from entering the school. The U.S. president stepped in and sent the army to escort them. Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, had not expected such stiff resistance, especially since some school districts in Arkansas had already admitted blacks. He says about 50 of the 2,000 white students began a reign of terror in the school hallways. "In the beginning we had the military soldiers that served as our individual guards and went from class to class with us. After they left the inside of the school mid-year sometime, was when the hostility, violence and intimidation really increased. They began to intimidate those (white) students who tried to befriend us." The Little Rock Nine had volunteered to transfer from a local black school to one of the best high schools in the country. They were good students who were hoping for a better education and a chance to go to college. Ernest Green attended Central during his last year of high school. He remembers graduation day. "The silence was kind of eerie. The only people clapping were my family. As I walked across that stage and got that diploma, I really didn't need anybody to clap. The silence made the statement and I felt that I had accomplished what I'd come there for." The following school term the Arkansas governor shut down Central High School for a year. When it re-opened only two of the remaining Little Rock Nine returned.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:57:14 -0800
Duration: 151

Thousands of video game fans waited in long lines across the United States earlier this week [Monday night] to be the first to own a copy of "Halo 3". The first-person shooter video game is Microsoft Corporation's best selling title for its Xbox 360 game console. Industry experts say Microsoft is pinning its hopes on the sequel to the popular "Halo" video game franchise to widen its lead on the lucrative video game market. Hype and fanfare greeted the U.S. launch of Microsoft's newest game. At a store in New York City, the line stretched around the block, as game characters kept fans entertained. Uchendu Nwachukwu was a bit bleary-eyed, but happy to be first in line. "I got here 6 p.m. yesterday (Sunday/September 23rd). Been waiting here ever since. Looking forward to getting "Halo 3" and going home and playing it and looking forward to getting some sleep." "Halo 3" resumes the game hero, Master Chief's, epic adventures as the masked soldier from the future returns to earth to battle alien forces that threaten humanity's survival. Game developer Frank O'Connor at Bungie Studios predicts game fans will not be disappointed. "It's the last part of our "Halo" trilogy. It is confidently the best game we ever made as a studio. We're really happy with it. Our review scores came in yesterday, we're really happy with those, but most importantly we're looking forward to actually playing with real people." And game fans, some dressed in Master Chief T-shirts could not wait. Two rushed to join the queue after school. One young excited fan says, "I got out and I rushed here as soon as I could." Another said, "Going back to school tomorrow, I was at school today, I mean I hope I get sick, but..." Looking for a reason to be sick, young boy said, "If I get diagnosed with the flu, that would be pretty lucky." Microsoft says more than a million copies of the game had been pre-ordered prior to the midnight launch. Although official sales projections were not available, Microsoft Game Studio chief Shane Kim predicts Halo 3 will outdo sales of the Spider-Man 3 game, which grossed more than $150 million in its opening weekend. "Well, Halo 3 is going to be the biggest entertainment launch in history so our expectations are it'll exceed anything for a video game. It'll really be the biggest event of the year." Industry experts say the significance of the Halo franchise cannot be underestimated for Microsoft. The software company was a newcomer to the $30 billion a year video game industry when it launched the Xbox game console in 2001. The Xbox 360 came out in 2005. It has enjoyed stronger sales this year than the pricier Sony Playstation 3.

Author: earbot
Added: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:36:14 -0800
Duration: 281

On September 24, 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10730. The order federalized the Arkansas National Guard and ordered the Secretary of Defense to employ the Arkansas soldiers as well as federal troops to enforce a federal district court order in Little Rock, Arkansas. Within hours 1,000 soldiers of the 327th Airborne Battle Group of the 101st Airborne Division deployed to Little Rock from their base in Kentucky. The following morning, troops from the 327th surrounded Little Rock Central High School while a small detachment went to pick up nine neatly dressed black teenagers. After a short drive, the soldiers and their charges reached the school. Staring straight ahead the youngsters formed a single file and, surrounded by some of America's best soldiers carrying rifles with bayonets fixed, they marched through a jeering crowd into the school to begin the fall term after two previous failed attempts. As the nation and much of the world watched, Central High School became desegregated. The 14th amendment to the United States Constitution, which mandates that no American will be deprived of the equal protection of the laws, had been upheld. This video is An interview with Mr. Ernest Green, of the original Little Rock 9.

Author: earbot
Added: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 21:45:17 -0800
Duration: 174

A new documentary focuses on 10 surviving Apollo astronauts, as they share their memories and their feelings about their missions to the moon. "We [human beings] are the creatures on this planet that are self conscious, that understand our own situation," says the filmmaker. "But," he continues, "I don't think that understanding was complete until these few handful, these 24 guys left the earth and we were able to see it in its entirety for the first time." Decades later, 10 of these astronauts describe how it felt to venture to the moon. One of them said: "I felt that I was literally standing on God's front porch." "I remember thinking. My God! That little thing is so fragile up there!" Says another. Then, another adds: "That jewel of Earth just hung up in the blackness of space." Director David Sington says most of the high definition footage in his documentary has never been seen before. "NASA had kept the majority of it in cold storage to preserve it literally, under liquid nitrogen, which made it very, very difficult for filmmakers to access,"He notes. "We knew, from talking to the people at NASA that they were in the process of taking this footage out from under cold storage and transferring it into this new High Definition video format. So," continues the director, "that video would be available to us and easy to use. We we were just the first people to be able to exploit it." The astronauts' intimate accounts add depth to the film and enhance the stunning visuals. They describe their early days of training, their excitement, their sense of awe and uncertainty. And then, there was the flight home, a hero's homecoming. Astronaut Tom Collins, of the Apollo 11 mission remembers. "Wherever we went people instead of saying 'Well, you Americans did it,' everywhere they said, 'We did it. We humankind. We the human race. We people did it.' From Europeans, Asians, Africans, wherever we went, it was 'We finally did it.' And I thought that was a wonderful thing." Ephemeral, but wonderful." The documentary "In the Shadow of the Moon" recaptures that feeling and renews that pride. Three billion people watched as Apollo 11, the first manned mission to the moon, blasted into space in 1968. In his new documentary, "In The Shadow of the Moon," director David Sington recaptures that moment. He also revisits the rest of the manned Apollo missions.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:07:16 -0800
Duration: 565

Worldwide Army Transformation begins at Fort Lewis, Wash., and in Seattle District. At at the top of priorities this year is the district's and Northwestern Division's support to the transformation initiative. Seattle District moved aggressively last year to coordinate project designs with the Fort Lewis Directorate of Public Works team and Initial Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) program proponents. Design charrettes and the value engineering process were used to fast-track design development on this important program. Both architect-engineer and in-house project development teams were part of the effort. "We're honored to be together with Fort Lewis at the leading edge of Army Transformation," said Col. Ralph Graves, Seattle District commander. "It's a challenge to deliver these projects on time and ensure that they prove the best support to the new formation. It's also good news that the Army recognizes that force modernization also requires facilities modernization." Seattle has elected to advertise more than half of the program as design-build construction projects early in the fourth quarter, subject to availability of funds since congressional approval of funding takes place later in the year. Program manager Jim Clark emphasizes the critical need to turn over this infrastructure work, which will sustain the Army's new brigade conversion, quickly. "Hopefully, this will enable us to award in October, three to four months early," said Clark. In Oct. 1999 Gen. Eric Shinseki, Army Chief of Staff announced the Army Transformation initiative, and selected two brigades at Fort Lewis for transition to IBCTs. "Brigade conversion is a milestone on the road to transforming the entire Army into a force that is strategically responsive and dominant at every point on the spectrum of operations," Shinseki said. "The transformation of these two brigades at Fort Lewis, using current off-the-shelf technology, will give us an interim capability as we move toward our long-term goal of the objective force." (The objective force is the Army envisioned for 2032.) An IBCT will have 3,500 soldiers organized in six battalions equipped with the light armored vehicle. The plans are for the Army to be able to send the force or any portion of it anywhere in the world within 96 hours, ready to fight on arrival. The bulk of new Fort Lewis facilities' requirements fall into three types, said Clark: Stationing -- Housing and maintenance facilities to support the new force structure. Training -- Ranges and training facilities to prepare and support the combat teams. Deployment -- Improvements in facilities needed to satisfy the power projection mission by inspecting and processing vehicles, munitions, cargo, and supplies to support sustained operations. Eight IBCT projects are programmed for fiscal year 2002. They are two vehicle maintenance facilities, barracks, a combat vehicle trail, ammunition supply point expansion, deployment facilities, transportation inspection point, and container/pallet storage facilities. Construction to support the IBCTs as already begun. Seattle District recently turned over a 48,000-square-foot Mission Support Training Facility to I Corps and Fort Lewis commander Lt. Gen. James Hill. The building will house the latest in Army tactical training technology, and was built in support of transformation training and objectives. More than 300 computers will provide simulators to a unit battle command system.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:19:20 -0800
Duration: 167

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, facing growing calls to chart a return to Democracy, indicated Wednesday he will quit as army chief if he is re-elected. Eight years after seizing power in a military coup, Mr. Musharaff is due to face re-election before his term ends in mid-November. His opponents want him to shed his uniform now. But as the president's popularity plummets, the key to the country's future might again lie with the military. For more than half of its 60 years, Pakistan has been under military rule. General Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999 -- the latest in a series of military officers who replaced civilian leaders. But after failing to deliver on a promise to reinstate democratic rule, Mr. Musharaff has grown increasingly unpopular. His approval rating hovers around 35 percent. Opposition lawmaker Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan says the military has always seen itself as guardian of Pakistan's national interests. "And this is one area where the military now feels that they are fast losing grip, they are losing credibility, they are losing respect. And there is only one person who is responsible for that, and that is Pervez Musharraf." Opposition groups have petitioned Pakistan's Supreme Court, disputing the legality of Mr. Musharraf's plan to run for another five-year term while still army chief. A government lawyer told the court Mr. Musharaff will abandon his uniform and govern as a civilian before taking office for a second term. The Pakistani leader historically relied on support from within military ranks for his Presidency. Masood says most Pakistani officers he knows favor free elections and many do not want Mr. Musharraf to run. But as the Pakistani leader continues to chart his own political future, military and civilian opponents may end up disappointed.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:36:06 -0800
Duration: 426

U.S. Airmen from the 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron (Nellis Air Force Base, NV, US)demonstrating how they defend a base during an attack. Scenes include Airmen communicating and planning immediate defensive maneuvers, various aerial shots of the area under attack, and mobile units firing on the target.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:10:17 -0800
Duration: 147

Apache helicopter pilots engaging a boat of insurgents. The boat is destroyed by the helicopter's 30mm cannon.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 15:49:08 -0800
Duration: 210

The United States marked the sixth anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks with ceremonies and tributes across the country. Families of the dead, visitors and officials gathered in New York City to mourn victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center. A bell sounded at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time to mark the instant the first hijacked airplane hit the twin towers six years ago. At the White House, President Bush paused for a moment of silence. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the crowd. "On that day, we felt isolated, but not for long, and not from each other. New Yorkers rushed to the site, not knowing which place was safe or if there was more danger ahead. They weren't sure of anything except that they had to be here. Six years have passed, and our place is still by your side." New York rescue workers who responded to the attacks read the names of more than 2,750 killed that day. This year's anniversary services were moved from Ground Zero because of construction at the site of the former World Trade Center. In a Pennsylvania field, mourners remembered the 40 passengers and crew members killed when one of the hijacked planes crashed. And at the Pentagon, where 184 people died in the crash of a fourth hijacked plane, Defense Secretary Robert Gates vowed to strike back against terrorists. The key planner of the attacks, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, released a videotape praising one of the 19 suicide hijackers. This anniversary was the first that fell on a Tuesday, the same day hijackers crashed planes into buildings six years ago. In all, the September 11th attacks claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:51:03 -0800
Duration: 240

The U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is surrounded by controversy. Suspects in America's war on terrorism are held there, and not only do human rights groups criticize the detentions, but criticism also is coming from within the Pentagon. When cameras are allowed into Guantanamo, the military is keen to stress that things have changed from the months just after September 11th, 2001. Camp X-Ray is now abandoned and replaced with modern facilities that house state-of-the-art hospitals, classrooms and new cells. Opposition now is not so much focused on the conditions at Guantanamo Bay, but on the legal process that terrorist suspects face. Following U.S. Supreme Court rulings that rejected the White House's claim that detainees are beyond the reach of U.S. and international law, Bush administration officials put in place a military commission system that allows detainees to challenge the charges against them. And part of the the plan -- Pentagon lawyers to represent the detainees. The Bush administration defends the use of military commissions -- saying all those charged were involved in terrorism. The Bush administration says it is working towards shutting down the detention center at Guantanamo, but that may not be easy. "The Geneva Convention says we are allowed to detain enemy combatants through the hostilities and the requirement is that when the hostilities are over you must release or repatriate them. However, in this war, there is no end in sight," said Haben. Former Secretary of State General Colin Powell is among those who contend U.S. civilian courts should handle terrorist suspects. And military attorney Bill Keubler argues that just closing Guantanamo is not enough. He says the whole system of military commissions needs to be scrapped. Critics of the military commissions point to civilian trials of terror suspects like those who were convicted of the 1998 embassy bombings in East Africa as evidence that the U.S. federal courts can handle justice when it comes to terrorism. But some in the Bush administration continue to maintain that this new kind of war that the U.S. is fighting in the wake of the September 11th attacks needs a new approach.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:12:03 -0800
Duration: 61

Mountain biker Markus Stoeckl set a new world speed record in the series downhill mountain bike class this past week when he blazed down a 6,500-foot, 45-degree snow track at the La Parva ski resort in the Central Andes of Chile and hit a max speed of 130.7 mph. The 33-year-old shattered the eight-year-old world record by 14 mph despite poor weather conditions, and the fact that his protective visor was so fogged, he was forced to hold his breath for the entire 40-second run. "I knew that this would be my only chance," he said, in a news release. But here at Outside, we know the entire time he was thinking, "please God, don't let this end like him."

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:28:07 -0800
Duration: 167

Watch the US Army's 725th Explosive Ordinance Disposal Company at work using a robot to detonate several roadside bombs in Baqubah, Iraq.

Author: earbot
Added: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:34:06 -0800
Duration: 317

The Central Intelligence Agency marks its 60th birthday this month. The CIA has had a colorful and often controversial history. Some historians say various sectors of the government had enough information to warn of the impending Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. But no one -- as spies say -- connected the dots. That led President Franklin Roosevelt to create the Office of Strategic Services to carry out espionage and sabotage in German and Japanese-occupied territories. Sixty years after Pearl Harbor and billions of dollars spent on intelligence, the United States was the target of another surprise attack on September 11th, 2001. The debate over the failure to intercept that attack continues. With the end of the war the old OSS faded into history -- replaced by the CIA on September 18, 1947. The man known as "Wild Bill" -- OSS chief William Donovan -- lobbied vigorously for a post war intelligence agency to ensure that America's leaders would not make policy in ignorance. "America cannot afford to resume its prewar indifference," he said, "and here's a fact we must face: today there is not a single permanent agency to take over in peace time certain of the functions which OSS has performed in war time." But the CIA has often come under fire for intelligence lapses such as the failure to foresee the collapse of the Soviet Union and the mistaken assertion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Most controversial were the CIA's covert actions, such the 1953 coup in Iran that installed the Shah, or the overthrow of the Salvador Allende government in Chile in 1973 -- both by presidential order. Many CIA veterans concede that the U.S. officials came to favor spy technology in place of the spies themselves -- or what professionals call "HUMINT," human intelligence. Almost half of the CIA's current workforce was hired after September 11th, 2001. This new computer-literate generation of analysts and field officers are now on watch -- snooping with technology the old Cold War spies never envisioned.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:05:41 -0800
Duration: 94

The very popular iPhone must be used with the not so popular cellular network AT&T. People using other networks must break their contracts to switch to AT&T. That can cost up to $250. But a teenager has modified the computer code in an iPhone, freeing it from its corporate master and letting it work with other carriers. Apple advertisements read: "There's never been an iPod that can do this. No there certainly has not. The iPhone, the most hyped mobile phone ever, has been hacked by this guy: 17-year-old-George Hotz, making the phone potentially usable on networks all over the world. "It's very technical, and it requires opening up your phone, soldering a wire, the two points, and then running some software that I wrote, putting your iPhone back together. Inserting any sim card that you want, and then just using it." It can cost over $200 to get out of a contract with a cell phone company and switch to another. So people pining for an iPhone but stuck with, say, a T-Mobile contract, are out of luck unless they pay the penalty fee. In this case, Hotz placed a T-Mobile SIM card, a small chip that identifies a phone to a network, in an iPhone. Voila...This was a high tech feat using some low-tech tools. The trick to opening the iPhone case -- there's an official Apple case opener tool -- guitar picks. "Some guy told me," explained Hotz, "that when we first started, when I first got the iPhone, 'Hey dude, to open it up, just slide a guitar pick right in there.' Sure enough, pops right open." A mobile phone repair company in Kentucky gave Hotz a car, a Nissan 350z, for his hacked phone. CertiCell says they bought the phone as a piece of cell phone history and has no plans to commercially market the phone or its reworked software.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:05:41 -0800
Duration: 341

.S. Senator Hillary Clinton continues to lead the field of candidates seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for president. Stressing her background and experience, she is determined to become the first woman elected to the White House. A former first lady, twice elected senator from New York, she is now determined win her campaign for the White House. She proclaims, "I'm in it to win it". But despite her frontrunner status, some, including those in her own party, question whether she can win in a general election. Senators historically have not succeeded in their bids for the presidency. Senator Clinton has a reputation as a very polarizing figure. Polls show she has the highest negatives of any presidential candidate of either party. Such high negative ratings stem in large part from her years in the White House. She headed a White House task force to reform the U.S. health care system. "Something is wrong with our health care system and it needs to be fixed," she said at the time. But the plan failed to win congressional support amid criticism that it was too complex and bureaucratic. Hillary Clinton, as first lady, was called to testify before a federal grand jury Clinton also came under fire for her role in the controversial Whitewater land deal. She became the first first lady to be subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury as a result of the scandal. Later, she weathered the controversy surrounding President Clinton's highly publicized affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and his subsequent impeachment for lying to Congress. She received both criticism and sympathy for her decision to stand by her husband. But her somewhat rocky years as first lady stand in stark contrast to her years in the Senate, which have been marked by a steady, centrist voting record. Her vote to authorize military intervention in Iraq has angered the Democratic Party's liberal base, but she says she takes responsibility for her decision. Political analysts say Clinton's experience on the Senate Armed Services Committee and her willingness to cross the political aisle on national security issues could help boost her appeal.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:35:37 -0800
Duration: 185

At the tip of a tiny peninsula near San Francisco, California's Golden Gate Bridge stands the Wave Organ, a work of art that allows people to listen to music created by waves rolling ashore. "The Wave Organ is both a place and, I guess you can say, a phenomenon," says artist Peter Richards. "This place is on the edge between the city and the wilderness of the San Francisco Bay. As a phenomenon, it's a series of 25 pipes that extend down into the water. Richards is a senior artist at San Francisco's Exploratorium science museum. He and stonemason George Gonzales were behind the project. "They create music when waves move in and out of them," explains the artist. But Richards says the inspiration came from the sound of water. "At one point I heard a recording that was made by an artist in Australia. He recorded a floating concrete dock, put his (microphone) into a floating chamber and water moving in and out of that chamber made a beautiful sound. That inspired me to investigate where that sound came from." Using a series of pipes, the sculpture captures the surf hitting the tubes creating a symphony of waves. One visitor explains what he heard. "It sounds kind of like a humming and some of them have a higher pitch and some of them have a lower pitch; some of them are 'ooooo,' some of them are 'eeeeee.' I think some of the tubes are longer, they go out into the bay more." Another young visitor provides her explains what she heard. "I think the organ sounds like the waves in the ocean and it's just really fun to put your ear to the organ." Richards believes the true beauty of the Wave Organ is the way nature's many sounds mix together. "If I just sit here and listen, I will hear the sounds of the wave organs but hear other sounds as well. Blended together, it becomes this sort of environmental symphony. That's what I encourage people to do, to really listen, not just come out here to hear the wave organ but listen to the landscape." A local resident remarked, "It's a place I have come out to many many times. This is one of my favorite places in the whole city. It's always quiet out here, there is always very few people and you can kind of get away from the whole city." Despite being off the beaten path, Richards says it is well worth the trip to enjoy nature's symphony.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 05 Sep 2007 21:05:18 -0800
Duration: 47

A man known as the "French Spiderman" has been detained by authorities after he climbed the outside of a Moscow skyscraper. Police say they detained Alain Robert briefly after he finished a bare-handed climb to the top of Moscow's Federation Tower (the tallest in Europe), which is 242 meters high. Russia's Itar-Tass news agency says Robert will be charged with breaching safety rules in an area under construction. This is not Robert's first brush with the law. He has climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York, and many other buildings, often without permission.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:56:18 -0800
Duration: 183

At a security prison in Irbil, capital of the largely autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, many detainees say they have not been charged, have not seen a laywer or had a judge review their case. The Irbil security prison looks more like a school gymnasium than a jail. In the center of the facility, which was built in 2005, is an open air arena. Officials say inmates often play football (soccer) here during their daily exercise periods. But for most of the day, the 200 inmates are confined to their cells, with more than 20 prisoners in each cell. In a holding facility, recently charged detainees await trial. Many say they have not seen a lawyer or had a judge review their case. In a recent report, Human Rights Watch detailed human rights abuses in Kurdish prisons, alleging that prisoners were being held in poor and overcrowded conditions, were denied basic rights, and were being mistreated and even tortured. The group visited prisons in Irbil, Sulaymaniyah and other areas of the Kurdish region and interviewed 150 detainees. Human Rights Watch researcher Ayub Nuri says a number of prisoners said they were tortured. "They hold detainees for long periods of time in solitary confinement," said Nuri. "Plus they hang some of the detainees. Most of them said they were hanged from ceiling fans, their hands tied very tightly behind their backs and they were beaten. They were kicked. They were abused." According to the report, abuse included beatings with cables, wooden sticks and metal rods. Human Rights Watch said some detainees had been held for as long as five years without facing trial. The Kurdish regional government says it takes the allegations seriously. Yousif Aziz, the Kurdish human rights minister, says the report by Human Rights Watch overstates the severity of conditions in Kurdish prisons. He agrees that torture is not an acceptable practice. The autonomous region, in northern Iraq, has stayed mostly violence-free although suicide bombers have occasionally managed to detonate thier explosives in Kurdish towns.

Author: earbot
Added: Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:56:17 -0800
Duration: 339

On September 3, 2007, President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to an Iraqi air base. Scenes include the president exiting Air Force One, greeting the staff of the air base, saluting Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, and posing for the media with Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker.

Author: earbot
Added: Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:26:17 -0800
Duration: 164

U.S. troops from the 3rd Infantry Division in Bagdad, Iraq air assaulting a building where a car bomb is located as part of Operation Marne Husky. Aerial scenes include an Apache helicopter destroying the car bomb, a U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt jet firing a hellfire missile leveling the house the car bomb was attached to, and Soldiers leaving the scene in a Chinook helicopter.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:06:34 -0800
Duration: 241

The International Atomic Energy Agency's next progress report on Iran's disputed nuclear program could very well determine whether the U.N. Security Council imposes a third set of sanctions against Tehran. The IAEA report is expected in early September. But in Washington a debate is raging now over whether diplomacy has run its course and if bolder action is needed to block Iran's nuclear and regional ambitions. IAEA officials met in Tehran in an effort to resolve issues surrounding Iran's uranium enrichment program. Iran has ignored U.N. demands to stop the program, insisting it is geared only to produce electricity. The United States and other western countries strongly suspect Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons. The IAEA's conclusions on whether Iran is being more transparent may determine support for U.S. efforts to impose additional sanctions on Iran. IAEA officials met in Tehran in an effort to resolve issues surrounding Iran's uranium enrichment program. Iran has ignored U.N. demands to stop the program, insisting it is geared only to produce electricity. The United States and other western countries strongly suspect Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons. The IAEA's conclusions on whether Iran is being more transparent may determine support for U.S. efforts to impose additional sanctions on Iran. But some say even this will not be enough to stop Iran's nuclear ambitions -- and a debate is underway at various Washington think tanks over whether stronger action, including the use of force, is needed to deter Iran. The hawks point out that despite U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's offer more than a year ago to talk to Iran, little progress has been made on the nuclear issue or in stopping Iran's Revolutionary Guards from supplying weapons to Iraqi insurgents. The former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, is among those advocating a much tougher stance. For now, imposing tougher U.N. sanctions on Iran appears to be the Bush administration's priority. In March, the Security Council voted to freeze the overseas assets of certain individuals and organizations involved in Iran's nuclear program. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says the administration continues to view such measures as a valuable tool. "They have the force of international law. And more and more, you have seen a cloud gathering over Iran and its dealings with the international financial community and the international business community." But Iranian leaders may decide they have nothing to lose by waiting out the remaining 17 months of the Bush administration -- a move John Calabrese believes could be risky. "The administration's own time in office and its own difficulties politically may send a signal to the Iranians that they can stall, and they can buy time, and they can just wait us out. And the wild card here is the degree of patience or sense of urgency that the administration has, or doesn't have, and the point at which they may feel compelled to take more coercive steps." And the Bush administration has made clear it will not "tolerate" a nuclear armed Iran.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 20 Aug 2007 23:04:07 -0800
Duration: 159

Twenty young students gathered at the Challenger Space Center outside Washington DC last week for a firsthand lesson in space science, all the way from the orbiting Shuttle Endeavour. The Center was founded by families of the astronauts killed in the 1986 Challenger disaster. Elementary school teacher Christa McAuliffe was among those killed. Barbara Morgan is the first American teacher to return to space since the tragic accident -- and this was on the minds of many at Challenger Center. The young people wanted to know all about life on the shuttle: sleeping, dreaming, eating and more.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:34:07 -0800
Duration: 137

On March 14, 1990, the F/V Alaskan Monarch was enroute to the St. Paul harbor to deliver 100,000 pounds of crab to Pribilof Island Processors (PIP). The Alaskan Monarch continued toward the harbor; it encountered an ice floe about one and one-half miles from the harbor entrance. The Alaska Mist, a 300-foot processing vessel, was exiting the harbor, and in doing so cleared a path to the harbor entrance. In an attempt to reach the harbor, the Captain piloted the Alaskan Monarch into the wake of the Alaska Mist. The Alaskan Monarch, however, traveled only another quarter of a mile before becoming caught in the ice. After the ice trapped the vessel, the ship radioed a call for help to other vessels and learned that a number were also stuck or unable to come to their assistance. Throughout the rest of that day and the next, the crew tried to free the vessel from the ice and fix the damage already done by the jagged ice. The ship radioed a Mayday signal when weather conditions worsened on March 15. The Alaskan Monarch was then getting very close to shore. A U.S. Coast Guard cutter attempting to help was unable to secure a towline to the vessel. A Coast Guard helicopter lifted four crew members off the vessel, leaving only two crew members aboard for a final attempt to save the ship. Soon after, the vessel went aground on a jetty near the harbor entrance and was holed in its bow. The Coast Guard eventually pulled both men from the water.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:10:06 -0800
Duration: 32

Coalition forces from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division engage seven insurgents staging an attack on a combat outpost in southeastern Baghdad. Scenes include footage of an AH-64 Apache engaging the insurgents and their machine gun mounted on a truck with a 30mm gun and two Hellfire missiles.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 03:43:06 -0800
Duration: 105

The fishing boat Gambler's crew is rescued by a Coast Guard cutter just before the boat sinks off the coast of Massachusetts in 1994.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:55:13 -0800
Duration: 135

The US Army's 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade destroys a cement truck and an IED factory with hellfire missiles as part of Operation Marne Husky. Scenes include aerial footage of the targets exploding.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:43:07 -0800
Duration: 134

American cities are filled with fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Subway. As a result, modern restaurant entrepreneurs have to think creatively to separate themselves from the pack. Bamn!, a new restaurant in New York City, has found a way to stand out, by reverting back to the past. new hot spot has emerged in New York -- Bamn! -- a restaurant without tables or chairs. Instead, this 55 square meter restaurant features a wall of coin-operated window boxes full of all sorts of tasty treats, from grilled cheese sandwiches to corn dogs. Tucked in between Japanese restaurants and tattoo parlors, Bamn! is a modern twist on the popular 20th century automat. David Leong and Nobu Nguyen, the founders of Bamn!, say that they want a new generation of New Yorkers to experience the historic automat. But Bamn! is no relic from the past. With hot pink walls, neon signs and Asian and American cuisine, Bamn! is every bit a new establishment. Bamn!'s contemporary decorations and finger-friendly menu make the restaurant unique, even in a city as colorful as New York. The entrepreneurs place great value on efficiency, by shortening the amount of time it takes for customers to purchase a meal. The founders of Bamn! have ensured that the dishes they sell in the coin operated compartments will not taste like they come from a vending machine. Leong and Nobu hired Kevin Reilly, the executive chef at the Water Club in New York, as their consulting chef. Reilly says it was their commitment to use restaurant-quality ingredients that convinced him to join the Bamn! team. As consumer demands evolve in the 21st century, it is difficult to predict the direction of the restaurant industry. However, Bamn!'s success and the returning popularity of the automat suggests that the "fast food" industry may need to look to the past in order to remain competitive.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:40:18 -0800
Duration: 213

Not far from the hustle and bustle of city life live the Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. These deeply religious people shun the conveniences of modern society to live a simpler life where transportation is a horse and buggy and horsepower really means horsepower. The Amish are very devout and take seriously the biblical commands to separate themselves from the things of the world including electricity. Power comes from propane, kerosene, wood, coal, or natural gas. As the world around the peaceful farmland changes, so have some of the traditions of the Amish. Transportation is no longer limited to horse-drawn buggies. "There is a division among the Amish over the automobile. One group got automobiles, another group kept the horse and buggy. we just simply name them old order -- drive the horse and buggy, and the new order -- drive the automobiles. They have electric, they have meeting houses and they don't have green shades." But many traditions remain. Amish children attend one-room schoolhouses through grade eight and farming is the mainstay of Amish life. There are normally two horses on a farm for buggies. Several mules are kept for farming. Milking is one of the most important sources of income on the farm. Many Amish leaders believe their separation from the outside world strengthens their community. And that community is thriving. Despite what many on the outside would describe as a backwards lifestyle, the Amish population in Lancaster County has almost tripled over the past half century.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:25:15 -0800
Duration: 57

An unmanned aerial vehicle tracking insurgents and then observeing a missle attack on an insurgent vehicle near Bagdad, Iraq.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:13:06 -0800
Duration: 53

Alappuzha is famous for its annual boat race, held on the second Saturday of August every year. The long elegant snake boats, with crews of over hundred men vying to win the coveted trophy, attract spectators from all over. This was started in 1952 when India's first Prime Minister, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Alappuzha, and inaugurated the function in which the gigantic snake boats with over 100 rowers in each raced one another. It is called a Snake Boat Race as its 135 feet length has since been overtaken by Vellankulangara snake boat, which is 140 feet long. In the year 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin. On his way to Alappuzha district from Kottayam he was given a roaring reception by the people of Alappuzha, escorted by the huge snake-boats. Having gone through the tremendous excitement of sailing in a snake boat popularly known as Chundan he donated a rolling trophy to be awarded to the winner of the Snake Boat Races to be held every year. The trophy is a replica of a snake boat in silver, placed on wooden abacus on which the following words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first prime minister of India are inscribed above his signature. "To the winner of the boat-race, which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore-Cochin". This was later christened, 'Nehru Trophy'. From then onwards, year after year, the boat race has grown into Alappuzha`s most important event.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:13:07 -0800
Duration: 96

An air strike by F-16's from the US Army's 3rd Infantry on an insurgent safe house and rocket launch site. Recorded on August 11, 2007

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:13:07 -0800
Duration: 337

For many people it is hard to believe that it has been 30 years [August 16th] since the death of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley. Every year, 600,000 people from around the world visit his home, Graceland, in the U.S. southern city of Memphis, Tennessee. In the mid-1950s, Elvis Presley played a new kind of music, fusing country and rhythm-and-blues with a new rock-and-roll style. He swiveled his hips on stage, mimicking the moves of black entertainers. At first, many people did not know what to think about him. But it was not long before young people went crazy over his music and flocked to his concerts. Elvis became known as the king of rock and roll. Bernard Lansky met Elvis when he was in high school. Lansky owned a clothing shop in an African-American neighborhood with clubs where black singers performed. Elvis would stop to admire the clothes in the window. One day Lansky asked him to come in. Elvis wanted clothes that would make him stand out. Lansky gave the young man some clothes on credit. Soon after, Elvis sang on national television and became a star. Elvis became a life-long customer. Lanksy made a coat to match Elvis' pink Cadillac and designed shirts for him in unusual color combinations -- shirts Lansky still sells today. As rock music changed over the decades, Elvis adapted and had at least one top 40 hit on the music charts every year. Despite his many hit songs, Elvis won only three American Grammy music awards -- all for gospel albums. At a young age Elvis began singing gospel music at church. Elvis showcased his music in more from 30 films. Klein says although Elvis had a lucrative movie career, he hungered for better roles. "Halfway through Elvis's career he became disenchanted with his movies. And I'd ask him, 'What's the new movie about?' He'd say, 'Same story, different location. I beat up the guy, get the girl and sing 12 songs.' " On August 16, 1977 Elvis Presley died at Graceland at the age of 42. He was buried in a white suit -- designed by Bernard Lansky. "And he was a gentlemen," said Lansky. "A real gentlemen." About half the visitors to Graceland are under the age of 35 and were not even born when Elvis Presley died. His music is still immensely popular worldwide. If Elvis were alive today, he would be 72 years old, but to his fans he is forever young

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 03:34:07 -0800
Duration: 276

Sixty years ago this month, India and Pakistan became two separate independent nations, shedding British colonial rule. But independence brought violence and tragedy, because Pakistan was carved out of what had once been a single country, to create a Muslim homeland. Ten million people in the subcontinent were uprooted from their homes and hundreds of thousands died in the upheaval. But there are still lingering problems resulting from Partition. Sixty years on that work is not over. Hundreds of millions in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are impoverished. And the memories of the violence that accompanied independence remain painful. Many leaders hoped that all could live peacefully together in the new nations -- one predominately Hindu and the other largely Muslim. The father of Pakistan, Muhammed Ali Jinnah, believed there was no choice but to partition the subcontinent, otherwise, the Muslim minority would have been marginalized. "We must remember that we have to take momentous decisions and handle grave issues facing us in the solution of the complex political problems of this great subcontinent inhabited by 400 million people." Partition led to Hindus and Sikhs streaming out of West and East Pakistan while millions of Muslims sought haven in Pakistan. In sectarian fighting, hundreds of thousands of people died. That bloody history has haunted relations. India and Pakistan have fought three times and the territory that prompted two wars, Kashmir, remains disputed. The third war, in 1971, saw East Pakistan become independent Bangladesh. The two nuclear powers came close to war again in 2002. There have been signs of reconciliation. In the past three years, the two governments have taken steps to improve relations. While many historians think partition was inevitable, they acknowledge it did not become the envisioned path to peace and prosperity. Both India and Pakistan still suffer from domestic sectarian conflict, and they have struggled to end poverty. But both countries have seen strong economic gains in the past several years and they have taken larger roles in world affairs. Citizens of the two countries still hope that means their governments will continue to move closer to the ideals of those who led the drive toward independence.

Author: earbot
Added: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 03:34:07 -0800
Duration: 41

This animation shows how the juvenile plesiosaur, discovered in Antarctica by an American-Argentine research team, might have appeared. Amid 70-mile-an-hour winds and freezing Antarctic conditions, an American-Argentine research team has recovered the well-preserved fossil skeleton of a juvenile plesiosaur--a marine reptile that swam the waters of the Southern Ocean roughly 70 million years ago. The fossil remains represent one of the most-complete plesiosaur skeletons ever found and is thought to be the best-articulated fossil skeleton ever recovered from Antarctica. The creature would have inhabited Antarctic waters during a period when the Earth and oceans were far warmer than they are today. The long-necked, diamond-finned plesiosaurs are probably most familiar as the legendary inhabitants of Scotland's Loch Ness, although scientific evidence indicates the marine carnivores have been extinct for millions of years. But when the creatures were alive, their paddle-like fins would have allowed them to "fly through the water" in a motion very similar to modern-day penguins. After it was prepared in the United States, Martin said, the specimen was discovered tobe the 5-foot-long (1.5 meters) skeleton of a long-necked (elasmosaurid) plesiosaur. An adult specimen could reach over 32 feet (10 meters) in length. Most of the bones of the baby plesiosaur had not developed distinct ends due to the youth of the specimen, he said. But the animal's stomach area was spectacularly preserved. Stomach ribs (gastralia) span the abdomen, and rather than being long, straight bones like those of most plesiosaurs, these are forked, sometimes into three prongs. Moreover, numerous small, rounded stomach stones (gastroliths) are concentrated within the abdominal cavity, indicating stomach stones were ingested even by juvenile plesiosaurs to help maintain buoyancy or to aid digestion. The skeleton is nearly perfectly articulated as it would have been in life, but the skull has eroded away from the body. Extreme weather at the excavation site on Vega Island off the Antarctic Peninsula and lack of field time prevented further exploration for the eroded skull. Credit: Trent Schindler, National Science Foundation

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:04:06 -0800
Duration: 304

The Interstate 35W Mississippi River eight-lane bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota has collapsed on both sides of the highway over the Mississippi River during rush hour. The entire length of the bridge over the river collapsed at 6:05 p.m. CDT (UTC-5). The bridge, built in 1967, cleared the water level by 64 feet; the deck surface and pavement were considerably higher. In 2001 a stress inspection was done and Minnesota Department of Transportation stated that the bridge "should not have any problems with fatigue cracking in the foreseeable future." Typically an eight-lane bridge, the bridge was reduced to four lanes (two in each direction) during the current construction. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) had just announced overnight lane reductions on the bridge to one lane in each direction for the late evening hours of July 31 and August 1.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:55:08 -0800
Duration: 281

During the Cold War, Greenland was a strategic location for the United States military to track and detect Soviet aircraft and ballistic missiles. The military established radar and tracking sites throughout Greenland's ice sheet. The only way in and out of the remote facilities was by specially equipped aircraft. Since 1975, that mission has belonged to an Air Force unit based in New York state -- the 109th Airlift Wing. A unit that began a now obsolete military mission has found new life in Greenland in the pursuit of science. The C-130 is a robust military cargo airplane first used by the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. It is now used by many different militaries around the world, but only the 109th has the distinction of flying to both polar regions. VECO Polar Resources is contracted by the National Science Foundation to coordinate travel and cargo for the scientists conducting the research. For the most part, everything does work. The 109th prides itself on its safety record -- it has never lost an aircraft -- and its maintenance record. Ice and snow can easily ground the C-130s. But decades of operating in the difficult conditions have enabled the unit to quickly return the aircraft to service. While the weather frequently wreaks havoc on tight schedules up on the ice sheet, there is no alternate way to get in and out of the remote camps. The 109th is currently the only organization capable of transporting the large amounts of cargo and people needed to conduct the scientific research. The 109th Airlift Wing is made up of Air National Guard personnel. Most typically have other full-time jobs, and serve in uniform part-time -- usually about three weeks a year. The 109th's ongoing support of the National Science Foundation's efforts in Greenland and Antarctica comes at a time of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the current strain that combat operations have placed on members of the National Guard, it has so far not affected peacetime operations of the 109th in the polar regions. In 1999, the 109th made international headlines when Dr. Jerri Nielsen, a physician at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, discovered a cancerous lump in her breast. A ski-equipped C-130 with the 109th attempted a dangerous landing in Antarctica's winter. Despite battling poor visibility and temperatures reaching negative 50 degrees Celsius, the mission was a success. The 109th airlifted Dr. Nielsen to the United States for treatment.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 22:25:06 -0800
Duration: 599

Pillar Point Boat Fire -- Swimmer Recovery San Mateo, Calif. (May 06, 2007) -- A civilian motor vessel was engulfed in flames near Pillar Point, San Mateo, California. A Rigid Hull Inflatable (RHI) boat was dispatched and assisted in the rescue of a survivor who was returned to shore safely by a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter. A Coast Guard rescue swimmer was lowered to the RHI and assisted in the rescue.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:34:07 -0800
Duration: 193

Multi-national forces confiscated insurgent video showing 49 rockets used against American forces in Nahrawan. Scenes include the rockets lined up on launchers, being prepped and fired in the desert.

Author: earbot
Added: Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:43:07 -0800
Duration: 178

Engineers with the U.S. space agency NASA are fixing a cabin leak discovered earlier this week in the space shuttle Endeavour. Officials are saying the problem will not delay the scheduled August 7 launch to the International Space Station. The historic mission will be the first for a teacher since the disastrous Challenger accident 21 years ago. Barbara Morgan, 55, is patient. In 1985, the schoolteacher was selected as the backup to teacher astronaut Christa McAuliffe, who later died with six others in the Challenger explosion. Morgan remembers being selected. "We were all really excited and really thrilled to be doing what we were doing," she said, "and Christa was, she was, is and always will be our teacher in space, and our first teacher to fly." After the accident, plans for a teacher in space were shelved. Morgan went on with her life, raising two sons, and teaching young people. In 1998 she rejoined NASA as a full-fledged astronaut. She was to fly on a 2004 shuttle mission. That was later scrubbed as the shuttle program reorganized following the Columbia accident in 2003. Next Tuesday Astronaut Morgan is trying again, part of a seven person shuttle Endeavour crew making NASA's 22nd flight to the international space station. .S. Navy commander Scott Kelly is commanding the seven person crew that has been training for months. Charles Hobaugh is Endeavor's pilot. Astronauts Rich Mastracchio and Dr. Dave Williams of the Canadian space agency are returning to space for their second missions. First timers in space, NASA astronauts Alvin Drew, Tracy Galdwell and Barbara Morgan round out the crew as mission specialists. Like all shuttle missions, STS-118 is about the future, bringing the International Space Station a step closer to completion and gathering experience that will help humankind return to the moon someday, eventually go to Mars, and, perhaps, beyond.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:34:05 -0800
Duration: 236

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will hold talks on Thursday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to revive the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians and bolster the moderate government of Mr. Abbas. Mr. Abbas's Fatah forces lost control of the Gaza Strip in June, after Islamic militants of Hamas seized power in the territory. Fatah now controls only the West Bank. Since then, Gaza's economy has been virtually shut down because Israel, citing security concerns, has closed the borders to the strip. Life is hard and getting harder in the Gaza Strip. Some street vendors are protesting that Hamas Islamic militants put them out of business as part of a crackdown on illegal activities in Gaza. Hamas seized power in June. Since then order has prevailed on Gaza's once chaotic streets. But many residents complain that the cost of security is too high. In addition, Israel closed its borders with Gaza because Israel, like much of the international community, considers Hamas a terrorist organization. Gaza's borders with Israel have been closed to everything except humanitarian assistance. Since the Hamas takeover, economic life has ground to a halt in much of Gaza. More than 70 percent of Gaza's factories have closed since Hamas took over. Nasser el Helu is one of Gaza's most prominent businessmen. He says soon Gaza's private sector will be gone - and with it, a rare pillar of stability in the volatile strip. Just a few weeks ago, Hamas fighters and gunmen belonging to the Palestinian faction Fatah, battled it out across Gaza. Now Fatah has retreated to the West Bank. With Hamas in control of Gaza and the factional fighting over, people there can once again venture out. But few have any money to spend. More than 68,000 people have lost their jobs, and unemployment is reaching record levels. Eighty percent of Gaza's residents now receive emergency food aid from the United Nations. Ahmed Yousef is a senior Hamas leader in Gaza. He warns there will only be more instability if Gaza's borders are not reopened. He says, for now, Hamas will not recognize Israel or renounce violence which the international community is demanding as a pre-condition for opening relations with the group. The Palestinian business community is not alone in complaining about Gaza's borders being closed. A number of Israeli businesspeople who import large quantities of agricultural commodities from the Gaza Strip have called on their government to reopen the main cargo crossing point known as Karni. Non-governmental organizations like the Israeli human rights group, Gisha, have also called on Israel to reopen Karni. Sari Bashi, Gisha's executive director, says reopening Karni would be easy. "Israel has legitimate security interests in protecting its personnel at Karni crossing, but those security interests are being used as a pretext to keep Karni closed. Karni can be opened; people in the private sector have offered to secure the crossings to coordinate re-opening the crossings but they need Israeli cooperation in order to do so," said Bashi. "Israel needs to make a declaration that it intends to open Karni and once it does that there will be plenty of people to cooperate." But Israeli officials disagree. Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, says Israel is making sure that plenty of humanitarian assistance is reaching Gaza, but he says it is unrealistic to think that Israel will reopen the crossings to commercial activity at the present time. "We would like to have all the crossings up and running. We've got no interest in seeing any economic hardship in Gaza. Unfortunately, one day we woke up in the morning and we didn't see Palestinian security on their side of the crossing," said Regev. "We saw armed Hamas gunmen, a lot of them in ski masks. And the idea that a terrorist group [Hamas] that holds an Israeli soldier hostage, a group that shoots rockets into Israel, that sends suicide bombers into Israel would be in charge of security is something that is totally unworkable. " Regev says Israel is looking for solutions to the problem, such as getting a third party involved in managing some the crossings, including Karni. But he says that as long as Hamas remains in control of Gaza, Israel will not change its policy of keeping the crossings closed to all but humanitarian traffic.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:34:05 -0800
Duration: 231

President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown just completed two days of talks at the Camp David presidential retreat. This isolated mountain retreat, named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's grandson, is located 100 kilometers north of Washington, DC. 81 hectares in area, it is reserved for the private use of the President of the United States. Press access to the resort is tightly restricted, except for the occasional photo opportunity. VOA's George Dwyer was able to speak with some area residents who live in the shadow of Camp David to discuss its effect on their communities. Camp David has served U.S. presidents and their families as a summer hideaway since 1942 -- offering a cool mountain respite from the sometimes-stifling summer heat of Washington, D.C. But Camp David is also used at other times of the year, as a uniquely private place for both business and relaxation. "Camp David is an isolated area. Tourists cannot get close to it, it is fenced off (and) there is a large amount of government property there," says Presidential historian Michael Barrone. He says the camp's isolation also makes it an ideal location for hosting foreign leaders and staging, sometimes, intensive negotiations as well. "President George W. Bush has hosted foreign leaders there --P rime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, who's just recently retired as Prime Minister, and several others have gone up there. And President Jimmy Carter conducted negotiations at Camp David with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, and they reached an agreement known as the Camp David Accords in 1978, I believe it was." Cozy is a resort complex just 10 kilometers from Camp David. Less exclusive than its more famous neighbor, it is still about as close as most people will ever get to experience Camp David itself. There is even a Camp David Museum. News clippings and photographs of American Presidents going back to Franklin Roosevelt in 1942 are a reminder of Thurmont's special status in the shadow of history. Sometimes stories of what happens up on the mountain retreat known as Camp David find their way into headlines and history books. But much of what is known about Camp David comes from the local people here who are its neighbors.

Author: earbot
Added: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:22:18 -0800
Duration: 241

General elections in Turkey on July 22nd returned an Islamist party to power, but the vote may have been less a turn away from secular rule than a desire for economic stability. The ruling Justice and Development Party, the AKP, won nearly 47 percent of the vote and at least 340 seats in the 550-member parliament. But that is short of the two-thirds majority needed to elect a president without opposition support and the presidential balloting could re-ignite political divisions in the weeks ahead. Turkey sees itself as a bridge between Europe and Asia. Here at the straits of the Bosporus, people move easily from one continent to the other. Political transitions are often not so smooth. Elections went off without a hitch, but the campaign was heated and often bitter -- and showed rifts within the society --divisions between religious and secular, traditional and modern. On the surface a major issue is the symbolism shown by the Islamic headscarf. But at the core is Turkey's identity and its very foundation as a modern, secular state. With the election results, voters showed little fear that the AKP would impose the religious beliefs of its leaders. Instead, voters chose the AKP's promise of economic stability, more foreign investment and continued talks with the European Union. Despite assurances by the AKP's leaders that they have no intention to turn Turkey into an Islamic state, deep political differences remain and could re-surface in the coming weeks. Choosing a president will be the first test of the new parliament, says political scientist, Ali Carkoglu. "If the parliamentary elites fail to cooperate on that first issue, it's likely that we're going to have to have another election, but it's a very small likelihood. " It is doubtful any of the parties want to go through another election and risk alienating those voters looking for stability. Despite their solid victory, the AKP does not have the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament to push through its presidential choice. And so it will have to cooperate and compromise. That seems to be just what Turkish voters wanted.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:22:06 -0800
Duration: 45

Touch Bionics, developer of the world's first commercially available bionic hand, today announced that its i-LIMB Hand and ProDigits partial hand prostheses are now generally available and have been successfully fitted to a significant number of patients across the United States and in Europe. Touch Bionics' i-LIMB Hand looks and acts like a real human hand and is the world's first widely available prosthetic device with five individually powered digits. In another industry first, Touch Bionics' ProDigits product is adapted for patients who have a partial hand, due either to congenitally missing fingers or fingers lost through an accident. Partial hand is an area of prosthetics that has been without suitable powered products in the past. The i-LIMB Hand and ProDigits will be formally unveiled later this month at the 12th World Congress of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics in Vancouver, Canada. But Touch Bionics' technology is already changing the lives of patients with its prosthetic products, working with leading U.S. clinical partners including Advanced Arm Dynamics, Benchmark Orthotics and Prosthetics, Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, LIVINGSKIN and Scott Sabolich Prosthetics and Research. Sergeant U.S. Army (ret'd.) Juan Arredondo of Universal City, TX, who lost his hand in Iraq in 2004 after his patrol vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device, is one patient who today is living a different life after being fitted with the i-LIMB Hand. The technology behind the i-LIMB Hand has come of age after many years of research and development at Touch Bionics. The i-LIMB Hand offers a unique, highly intuitive control system that uses a traditional myoelectric signal input to open and close the hand's life-like fingers. Myoelectric controls utilize the electrical signal generated by muscles in the remaining portion of a patient's limb. This signal is picked up by electrodes that sit on the surface of the skin. Users of existing, basic myoelectric prosthetic hands are able to quickly adapt to the system and can master the device's new functionality within minutes. For new patients, the i-LIMB Hand offers a multi-function prosthetic solution that has never before been available. Touch Bionics has developed a custom cosmesis, or covering, for its products. i-LIMB Skin is a thin layer of semi-transparent material that has been computer-modeled to accurately wrap to every contour of the hand. For those patients who desire a more life-like appearance for the hand, Touch Bionics has partnered with some leading companies in the development of cosmesis for its products. ARTech Laboratories and LIVINGSKIN work at the forefront of high-definition cosmesis -- these companies are collaborating with Touch Bionics to offer patients a life-like solution to compliment the life-like motions and performance of the hand. The i-LIMB Hand and ProDigits products are being shipped today and patients are being fitted at all of the clinics mentioned above in addition to other US clinics, as well as at Touch Bionics' new state-of-the-art facility in Livingston, Scotland.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:04:07 -0800
Duration: 154

Flying into space is an adventure only a select few will ever experience. But the U.S. space agency, NASA, is now offering visitors to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida the excitement of spaceflight without ever leaving the ground. For the first time, ordinary people can experience the sensations of soaring into space on board the Shuttle Launch Experience. This 4,000 square meter attraction opened in May and has attracted thrill-seekers from all over the world. But this is no ordinary amusement park ride. Shuttle astronauts and ride engineers spent three years designing the attraction to ensure that it accurately simulates the reality of a space shuttle launch, within the limitations of Earth's gravity. As the seat belt harnesses click into place, the passengers are no longer ordinary civilians; they are temporarily NASA astronauts. These lucky cadets are able to experience the thrill of a shuttle launch without years of astronaut training. This $60 million attraction provides riders with the closest thing to actually flying on a shuttle. As the mission comes to a close and the passengers return to Earth, they have a better idea of what blasting into space is like. In the past 25 years, NASA has flown over a hundred shuttle launches. The Shuttle Launch Experience is its first attempt to offer ordinary people the chance to experience lifting off into space.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:13:06 -0800
Duration: 122

The 60th anniversary of the United States Air Force was celebrated at an airshow in Britain over the weekend. All kinds of aircraft were featured at the show, from antique B-52s to the agile Thunderbirds aerobatics team. Organizers wanted to celebrate the close relationship between the U.K. and U.S. military forces. F-15 fighter jets, stealth bombers and an aerobatic display to boot. For American Air Force fans, this was a rare treat. The Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest annual military airshow, featuring more than 320 aircraft from 24 countries. This year the United States Air Force was being honored -- celebrating it's 60th anniversary and the close relationship between Britain and America's Air Forces. The star attraction for many was the Thunderbirds aerobatics display. It was the team's first time to the airshow but for pilot Ed Casey it felt familiar. Enthusiasts of all ages enjoyed the range of rarely-seen aircraft. But it seemed no one could agree on a favourite plane. The pilots were stars for the day, signing autographs and posing with fans. There was no doubt "red, white and blue" was the theme for the day. But beyond celebrating the anniversary, the event also seemed to inspire a future generations of flyers.

Author: earbot
Added: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:43:07 -0800
Duration: 42

Adrian Rodriguez Bio Artistic Photographer, was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1965. He became interested in photography at an early age. He was graduated from Herbert H. Lehman High School in 1985. He moved to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in 1987, where he studied photography at Montgomery County Community College. Using his natural talent and creativity, Adrian has developed a body of unique abstract images which clearly unites art and photography. He has also captured fascinating photographs of landscape, nature, wildlife, and a variety of candid moments. His work has been published in Best of Photography Annual. Exhibitions include juried shows at Chester County Art Association; Chestnut Hill Business Association; Peddler's Village Art Faire; Turntable at the Junction in Flemington, NJ; and a solo show at the Congregation Beth Or Art Gallery in Spring House, PA. He currently lives in Glenside, PA with his wife of 15 years and his seven-year old daughter, Julia. A photographer is flushing his talent away -- literally. For 10 years, Adrian Rodriguez has been photographing colorful dyes as they drip in his toilet bowl to make what he calls "toilygraphs. In the process, Rodriguez has turned his bathroom into a photography studio and spends hours getting the dye to drip precisely as he wants. So far, he hasn't suffered for his art. Rodriguez hasn't been plagued by plumbing problems and he gets $300 per photo. But while this Pablo Picasso of the potty is flushed with excitement about his "toilygraphs," he has only photographed during a flush once. That's because "all the colors blend together into turquoise."

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:52:16 -0800
Duration: 147

Fans of the Harry Potter book series are anxiously awaiting the release on Saturday of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book will be the seventh and final in the popular series from author J.K. Rowling about a boy wizard. The release cannot come soon enough for some Harry Potter fans. Andreas Haayak is one of them. "It is very exciting. [There is] much drama." The popular book series has sold more than 325 million copies in more than 60 languages since the release of the first Harry Potter book in 1997. The stories take place in a magical world of wizards and witches where young Harry battles an evil wizard who killed his parents. The release of the final book comes little more than a week after the international release of the movie version of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth book in the series. The anticipation has led book retailers to increase their security measures to avoid leaks before Saturday's official release date. has been reported in recent days that the entire book has been leaked online to file-sharing sites throughout the Internet. But that is unlikely to dampen the enthusiasm of fans to find out how the book -- and the series -- ends.

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:52:16 -0800
Duration: 135

NASA scientists have unveiled details of the space agency's plans to pierce the icy surface of Mars, near its north pole. The mission is designed to find evidence of water or life on the red planet. At a Washington news conference this week NASA scientists discussed the upcoming Phoenix mission to Mars. The probe is scheduled for launch in the predawn hours of August third and will take 10 months to reach its target. Project Manager Barry Goldstein explains what happens next. "On May 25th, 2008 the fun begins. We separate from the crew stage. We're traveling at about 12,600 miles an hour. We take up most of that energy with the heat shield, which is at the bottom the entry vehicle. We take up about 94 percent of the energy as we come in. We drop a parachute." Unlike previous Mars probes that bounced to the surface, this one has thrusters that ignite, and cushion the landing. Goldstein further explains, "Basically what we are dealing with is, we're dealing with a system that is coming into the planet at 12,600 miles an hour, screaming into the planet and slowing down to basically zero inside seven minutes." Once the dust settles the solar arrays on the Phoenix deploy. The camera springs up into place, followed by instruments used to collect atmospheric data. The robotic arm on Phoenix scoops up soil samples and drops them into a sort of oven for analysis. That is done by remote by Peter Smith's team at the University of Arizona. I see this mission as a stepping stone towards the search for life on other planets. We're hoping to find a place that we consider really a habitable zone on Mars. And to me if we can find that out, it will be a tremendous success on this mission."

Author: earbot
Added: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:52:16 -0800
Duration: 187

New York's Coney Island is one of the Big Apple's most visited attractions. Its beach, boardwalk and amusement park have been attracting visitors for more than a century. But its largest theme park -- Astroland -- is set to close at the end of the summer season to make way for a $250 million re-development project. All the fun of the fair: Coney Island's Astroland is about as far from the glitz and glamour of the modern day theme park as you can get. The Cyclone roller coaster first opened back in 1926. Like it, Coney Island and much of the surrounding area has been in decline for many years. This corner of Brooklyn was America's first resort attraction, bringing in millions of New Yorkers right through the 1960s. Then fires, bankruptcies and urban decay set in. But now there are plans to restore that lustre. Drwaings show artists' impressions of a Coney Island for the 21st century. It is part of a $2 billion makeover that will turn Coney Island into a world-class theme park. But the plans also envisage big hotels, condominiums, and apartments, far from what Coney Island feels like today. Carol Albert and her family have owned Astroland for the past 45 years, but they recently sold it to real estate developer Thor Equities. And so, reluctantly, they will close the park at the end of this summer. "We thought as we can't develop it and since he has now bought up everything but two blocks we were going to be surrounded by demolition and construction," says Albert. "We really thought we would lose most of our business." Many who have grown up in this section of Brooklyn want to preserve the family feel of Coney Island. It is easily accessible by subway. The rides are cheap and there is no entrance fee to the park. Stan Fox is a Brooklyn resident and local historian. "You can spend a dollar, a hundred dollars or nothing if you just want to walk the boardwalk, just bring a bottle of water with you and you can have a great time," says Fox. The five kilometer-long beach, just a subway ride from Manhattan, is still a magnet for tourists in the summer, but in the winter less so. Municipal authorities want a year-round attraction. Vendor Paul Georgoulakos has worked here since emigrating from Greece, and he says the time is right to restore glory to this faded icon. "Coney Island, you know it was the dream of the whole world in those days, and now," he says shrugging, "it got smaller and they try to build it back again." Currently Thor Equities is in negotiations with the city and neighborhood groups to reduce the number of apartments and condominiums the developer wants to build. But those, like Carole Albert, who have spent their lives here want New Yorkers to have a Coney Island they still recognize as their own. "This is New York after all. New Yorkers are tough. They can hang on to what they like. They want this boardwalk, they want this beach and they want it to be a democratic event and we all hope it will continue to be so."