Report: US Occupation Authority in Iraq Lost Track of Nearly $9B

An audit by a U.S. inspector says the U.S.-led authority that governed Iraq after the 2003 invasion failed to keep track of nearly $9 billion it transferred to Iraqi ministries.

The audit released Sunday by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says the Coalition Provisional Authority failed to establish control systems to verify how the money was spent, which opened it to corruption.

In some instances, money was used to pay what the report calls 'ghost' employees, explaining that out of 8,206 guards on the payroll at one ministry, only 602 could be accounted for.

Former CPA chief Paul Bremer rejected the findings, saying the report assumes western-style accounting procedures could have been quickly set up during wartime.

Mr. Bremer says delaying payment to Iraqi public servants could have created additional security threats."

VOA News - Report: US Occupation Authority in Iraq Lost Track of Nearly $9B: "Report: US Occupation Authority in Iraq Lost Track of Nearly $9B
By VOA News - 31 January 2005

China fears Mount Everest shrinking

SHANGHAI, CHINA - China is sending a team of scientists to re-measure Mount Everest because they fear climate change is causing the world's highest peak to shrink.
The snow-covered mountain top is believed to have declined by 1.3 metres to 8,848 metres, according to state media reports.
Mount Everest straddles the border between China and Nepal, and its height has been controversial.
The country last surveyed the mountain in 1975, China Daily reported.
Geographers will set out on an expedition in March, using radar and global positioning equipment to re-measure the peak, called Mount Qomolangma in Chinese.
Officials are worried the snow and ice at the top are melting because of global climate change. Nepalese Sherpas have reported seeing signs of receding snowlines as temperatures warmed.
In 1999, researchers in the U.S. calculated the height of Mount Everest to be 8,850 metres.
Scientists say glaciers on other mountains around the world are melting, including Alberta's Peyto Glacier."

CBC News: China fears Mount Everest shrinking: "China fears Mount Everest shrinking
Last Updated Tue, 25 Jan 2005 15:58:49 EST
CBC News

Global warming is 'twice as bad as previously thought'

Global warming might be twice as catastrophic as previously thought, flooding settlements on the British coast and turning the interior into an unrecognisable tropical landscape, the world's biggest study of climate change shows.

Researchers from some of Britain's leading universities used computer modelling to predict that under the 'worst-case' scenario, London would be under water and winters banished to history as average temperatures in the UK soar up to 20C higher than at present.

Globally, average temperatures could reach 11C greater than today, double the rise predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international body set up to investigate global warming. Such high temperatures would melt most of the polar icecaps and mountain glaciers, raising sea levels by more than 20ft. A report this week in The Independent predicted a 2C temperature rise would lead to irreversible changes in the climate.

The new study, in the journal Nature, was done using the spare computing time of 95,000 people from 150 countries who downloaded from the internet the global climate model of the Met Office's Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research. The program, run as a screensaver, simulated what would happen if carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were double those of the 18th century, before the Industrial Revolution, the situation predicted by the middle of this century.

David Stainforth of Oxford University, the chief scientist of the latest study, said processing the results showed the Earth's climate is far more sensitive to increases in man-made greenhouse gases than previously realised. The findings indicate a doubling of carbon dioxide from the pre-industrial level of 280 parts per million would increase global average temperatures by between 2C and 11C.

Mr Stainforth said: "An 11C-warmed world would be a dramatically different world... There would be large areas at higher latitudes that could be up to 20C warmer than today. The UK would be at the high end of these changes. It is possible that even present levels of greenhouse gases maintained for long periods may lead to dangerous climate change... When you start to look at these temperatures, I get very worried indeed."

Attempts to control global warming, based on the Kyoto treaty, concentrated on stabilising the emissions of greenhouse gases at 1990 levels, but the scientists warned that this might not be enough. Mr Stainforth added: "We need to accept that while greenhouse gas levels can increase we need to limit them, level them off then bring them back down again."

Professor Bob Spicer, of the Open University, said average global temperature rises of 11C are unprecedented in the long geological record of the Earth. "If we go back to the Cretaceous, which is 100 million years ago, the best estimates of the global mean temperature was about 6C higher than present," Professor Spicer said. "So 11C is quite substantial and if this is right we would be going into a realm that we really don't have much evidence for even in the rock [geological] record."

Myles Allen, of Oxford University, said: "The danger zone is not something we're going to reach in the middle of the century; we're in it now." Each of the hottest 15 years on record have been since 1980.

News
By Steve Connor, Science Editor, 27 January 2005

Survivor winner charged with tax exasion

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Richard Hatch (news), who became a millionaire when he won the first-ever "Survivor" reality show, has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of tax evasion for failing to report income, including the $1.01 million he won on the show.

Federal prosecutors charged that Hatch, 43, filed false 2000 and 2001 tax returns, omitting his income from the CBS show, as well as another $321,000 he was paid by a Boston radio station.

The penalty could be up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge. However, as part of the plea agreement filed Tuesday in federal court, the U.S. Attorney's office said it would recommend a lesser sentence.

The agreement isn't binding, and Hatch could still choose to plead innocent and proceed to trial.

A message left at Hatch's Newport home wasn't immediately returned.

Hatch was scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence on Monday.

The charges were announced Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's office. The details of the plea agreement appeared in court documents, which were signed by Hatch on Jan. 6 and filed Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Survivor Entertainment Group paid Hatch $10,000 in August 2000 for appearing on the final episode of the reality show and $1 million for being declared the show's winner. Prosecutors allege that in November 2002, Hatch filed a false personal income tax return for the 2000 tax year by failing to report the $1.01 million.

Prosecutors also said that Hatch failed to report income he earned working as on-air co-host and on-air personality for "The Wilde Show" on WQSX-FM in Boston between January and December 2001.
-----
Aaaannndd the dildo award goes too..

Tsunami moves North Pole, shortens daytime

Daytime is now 2.68 microseconds shorter because of last month's tsunami.

The massive force unleashed by an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia altered the shape of Earth in a number of minute yet significant ways, NASA scientists have determined.

In data released this week, NASA determined that the Dec. 26 earthquake moved the North Pole, which constantly jiggles slightly, 2.5 centimeters--about an inch--in an eastward shift that is part of a long-term seismic shift.

Earth also became slightly more round, as the planet's oblateness, the quality of being flattish on top and bulging at the equator, decreased by a small amount. Further, daytime decreased by 2.68 microseconds because Earth now spins slightly faster on its axis. The phenomenon is similar to a figure skater in a twirl pulling his or her arms in slightly closer.

All earthquakes affect the shape of the planet, but the force of the recent tsunami-inducing quake--the fourth-largest recorded in 100 years--was particularly strong. Benjamin Chao of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center compared the impact of the quake to the potential impact of the Three Gorges Dam project in China.

If filled, the massive gorge created by the dam would hold 40 cubic kilometers (10 trillion gallons) of water. That shift of mass would increase the length of a day by only 0.06 microseconds and make the Earth only very slightly more round in the middle and flat on the top. It would shift the pole position by about two centimeters (0.8 inches).

'Any worldly event that involves the movement of mass affects the Earth's rotation, from seasonal weather down to driving a car,' Chao said in a statement."

Fwd: NASA/French Satellite Data Reveal New Details of Tsunami

NASA/French Satellite Data Reveal New Details of Tsunami

For the first time, orbiting satellites have observed and measured a
major tsunami event in open ocean, the Indian Ocean tsunami that
resulted from the magnitude 9 earthquake southwest of Sumatra on
December 26. The measurements are of tremendous value to
researchers worldwide and will aid our understanding of these
events.

U.S. and French teams working in parallel with altimetry data from
the joint NASA/French Space Agency Jason and Topex/Poseidon
oceanography satellites have independently confirmed the satellites'
measurements of the height of the tsunami waves as they radiated
from the earthquake's epicenter. The satellites flew over the Bay
of Bengal about 150 kilometers (93 miles) apart approximately two
hours after the quake.

"These two satellites make only about 13 Earth revolutions daily,
with each orbit passing over the Earth approximately 3,000
kilometers (1,864 miles) away from its last," said Dr. Philip
Callahan of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Callahan has been searching for tsunami signals in satellite radar
altimeter data since Topex/Poseidon's launch in 1992. "There is a
very low probability of capturing observations in any given location
within two hours of an event like this. The fact that Jason
captured the tsunami's signals is serendipitous, but is nevertheless
a major boon for oceanographers," he said.

"The observations made by Jason and Topex/Poseidon are unique and of
tremendous value for testing and improving tsunami computer models
and developing future tsunami early warning systems," said JPL's Dr.
Lee-Lueng Fu, Jason and Topex/Poseidon project scientist. "The
satellite altimeter data currently take a minimum of five hours to
process, so they cannot provide early warning of such events," said
Fu. Dr. Callahan received the Jason data the morning of December
27.

The new images are available online at:
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07219

The main figure displays changes in sea surface height from previous
observations made along the same ground track 20 to 30 days before
the earthquake, showing the signals of the tsunami waves. The inset
is a computer model of simulated changes in sea surface height
created by Kenji Satake of the National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology, Japan. It provides a basin-wide
perspective for interpreting the Jason and Topex/Poseidon satellite
observations, which are in good agreement with the model.

The satellites recorded a maximum sea surface elevation gain
(deviation from normal) of 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) on the open
ocean about 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) south of Sri Lanka at the
leading crest of a tsunami wave raging out of the Bay of Bengal. It
was followed by a trough of sea surface depression of 40 centimeters
(1.3 feet) below normal. The distance from one wave crest to the
next was about 800 kilometers (500 miles). The first wave was
followed by a second with a crest height of 40 centimeters (1.3
feet) above normal. Near the northern end of the Bay, two waves
with crest heights of 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) and 20 centimeters
(0.66 feet) above normal were approaching the coasts of Myanmar.
Spreading across the Bay of Bengal from the earthquake zone offshore
from Western Sumatra, these tsunami waves eventually reached shallow
waters along the coasts of Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Southern
India. Their open ocean speeds reduced from that of a jet plane,
800 kilometers (500 miles) per hour, to about 32 kilometers (20
miles) per hour, building the open ocean wave heights of 0.5 meters
(1.6 feet) or less to walls of water up to 10 meters (33 feet) high
with great destructive power.

Jason and Topex/Poseidon are collaborative satellite missions of
NASA and the French Space Agency, Centre National d'Estudes
Spatiales. The primary objectives of the two missions are to make
long-term measurements of the height of the world's sea surface to
better understand ocean circulation and its effects on climate.

"The information on sea surface height from these satellites has
many other applications, and can be used to aid navigation, offshore
operations, hurricane forecasting, fisheries, etcetera," said Dr.
Yves Menard, Jason and Topex/Poseidon project scientist at the
Centre National d'Estudes Spatiales. "The detection of these
tsunami waves provides yet another demonstration of the important
value of satellite radar altimeter observations."

NASA and the French Space Agency are working with the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the European Organization
for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites to develop the
next radar altimeter mission, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission,
targeted for launch in 2008. It will make radar altimeter
measurement a routine operation of those organizations in the
future.

Additional information is available at:
http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ and
http://www.jason.oceanobs.com/html/portail/general/welcome_uk.php3
.

-end-
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 18:48:58 -0800
Subject: NASA/French Satellite Data Reveal New Details of Tsunami
From: "NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory"


MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

Alan Buis (818) 354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Eliane Moreaux (011) 33-5-61-27-33-44
Centre National d'Estudes Spatiales, Toulouse, France

NEWS RELEASE: 2005-013 January 11, 2005

NASA/French Satellite Data Reveal New Details of Tsunami

NASA/French Satellite Data Reveal New Details of Tsunami

For the first time, orbiting satellites have observed and measured a
major tsunami event in open ocean, the Indian Ocean tsunami that
resulted from the magnitude 9 earthquake southwest of Sumatra on
December 26. The measurements are of tremendous value to
researchers worldwide and will aid our understanding of these
events.

U.S. and French teams working in parallel with altimetry data from
the joint NASA/French Space Agency Jason and Topex/Poseidon
oceanography satellites have independently confirmed the satellites'
measurements of the height of the tsunami waves as they radiated
from the earthquake's epicenter. The satellites flew over the Bay
of Bengal about 150 kilometers (93 miles) apart approximately two
hours after the quake.

"These two satellites make only about 13 Earth revolutions daily,
with each orbit passing over the Earth approximately 3,000
kilometers (1,864 miles) away from its last," said Dr. Philip
Callahan of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Callahan has been searching for tsunami signals in satellite radar
altimeter data since Topex/Poseidon's launch in 1992. "There is a
very low probability of capturing observations in any given location
within two hours of an event like this. The fact that Jason
captured the tsunami's signals is serendipitous, but is nevertheless
a major boon for oceanographers," he said.

"The observations made by Jason and Topex/Poseidon are unique and of
tremendous value for testing and improving tsunami computer models
and developing future tsunami early warning systems," said JPL's Dr.
Lee-Lueng Fu, Jason and Topex/Poseidon project scientist. "The
satellite altimeter data currently take a minimum of five hours to
process, so they cannot provide early warning of such events," said
Fu. Dr. Callahan received the Jason data the morning of December
27.

The new images are available online at:
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07219

The main figure displays changes in sea surface height from previous
observations made along the same ground track 20 to 30 days before
the earthquake, showing the signals of the tsunami waves. The inset
is a computer model of simulated changes in sea surface height
created by Kenji Satake of the National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology, Japan. It provides a basin-wide
perspective for interpreting the Jason and Topex/Poseidon satellite
observations, which are in good agreement with the model.

The satellites recorded a maximum sea surface elevation gain
(deviation from normal) of 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) on the open
ocean about 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) south of Sri Lanka at the
leading crest of a tsunami wave raging out of the Bay of Bengal. It
was followed by a trough of sea surface depression of 40 centimeters
(1.3 feet) below normal. The distance from one wave crest to the
next was about 800 kilometers (500 miles). The first wave was
followed by a second with a crest height of 40 centimeters (1.3
feet) above normal. Near the northern end of the Bay, two waves
with crest heights of 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) and 20 centimeters
(0.66 feet) above normal were approaching the coasts of Myanmar.
Spreading across the Bay of Bengal from the earthquake zone offshore
from Western Sumatra, these tsunami waves eventually reached shallow
waters along the coasts of Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Southern
India. Their open ocean speeds reduced from that of a jet plane,
800 kilometers (500 miles) per hour, to about 32 kilometers (20
miles) per hour, building the open ocean wave heights of 0.5 meters
(1.6 feet) or less to walls of water up to 10 meters (33 feet) high
with great destructive power.

Jason and Topex/Poseidon are collaborative satellite missions of
NASA and the French Space Agency, Centre National d'Estudes
Spatiales. The primary objectives of the two missions are to make
long-term measurements of the height of the world's sea surface to
better understand ocean circulation and its effects on climate.

"The information on sea surface height from these satellites has
many other applications, and can be used to aid navigation, offshore
operations, hurricane forecasting, fisheries, etcetera," said Dr.
Yves Menard, Jason and Topex/Poseidon project scientist at the
Centre National d'Estudes Spatiales. "The detection of these
tsunami waves provides yet another demonstration of the important
value of satellite radar altimeter observations."

NASA and the French Space Agency are working with the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the European Organization
for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites to develop the
next radar altimeter mission, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission,
targeted for launch in 2008. It will make radar altimeter
measurement a routine operation of those organizations in the
future.

Additional information is available at:
http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ and
http://www.jason.oceanobs.com/html/portail/general/welcome_uk.php3
.

-end-
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 18:48:58 -0800
Subject: NASA/French Satellite Data Reveal New Details of Tsunami
From: "NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory"


MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

Alan Buis (818) 354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Eliane Moreaux (011) 33-5-61-27-33-44
Centre National d'Estudes Spatiales, Toulouse, France

NEWS RELEASE: 2005-013 January 11, 2005