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NASA: Series of errors led to loss of Mars Global Surveyor

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NASA: Series of errors led to loss of Mars Global Surveyor

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Saturday, April 14, 2007

A complex series of events, including a five month-old computer error, was responsible for the battery failure that led to the loss of NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor last year, an internal review board says. Findings from a preliminary report released on Friday say that while NASA controllers followed procedures while operating the craft, the procedures did not cover the types of errors that occurred.

According to NASA, on November 2, 2006, the Global Surveyor was ordered to perform a routine adjustment of its solar panels. However, the Global Surveyor reoriented to an angle that exposed one of its two batteries to direct sunlight. The battery overheated, which led to the depletion of both batteries. An incorrect setting in antenna orientation prevented Global Surveyor from relaying its status to NASA controllers. Its preprogrammed systems did not take into account the need to maintain a thermally safe orientation.

That was the last communication that NASA controllers had with the spacecraft.

The Global Surveyor was the first US mission to Mars in twenty years, For ten years, the craft returned detailed information to NASA scientists providing new insights, including evidence that appeared to show the presence of water on Mars and identification of deposits of water-related minerals, which led to selection of a Mars rover landing site.

“The loss of the spacecraft was the result of a series of events linked to a computer error made five months before the likely battery failure,” said Dolly Perkins, board chairperson and deputy director-technical of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The board concluded that NASA controllers had followed procedures, but that the procedures did not adequately cover the type of errors that occurred. In its final report, the board will offer recommendations applicable to future missions.

“We are making an end-to-end review of all our missions to be sure that we apply the lessons learned from Mars Global Surveyor to all our ongoing missions,” said Fuk Li, Mars Exploration Program manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The Global Surveyor was the longest operating spacecraft at Mars and had lasted four times longer than expected.

Uber London to lose operator licence after September

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Uber London to lose operator licence after September

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Monday, September 25, 2017

On Friday, Transport for London (TfL) announced US-based taxi booking application Uber would not get a renewed private hire operator license after their current permit expires at the end of the month. The regulatory body released an official statement on their website and stated Uber London Limited was “not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator license”.

TfL said Uber London “demonstrate[d] a lack of corporate responsibility” for reporting serious criminal offences, and for obtaining background of the drivers and medical certificates. In August, police said Uber allowed a driver despite allegations of sexually assaulting a passenger. The company has been accused of sexism and bullying. TfL in its statement also complained about possible use of “greyball” software to prevent officials from accessing the application for law enforcement duties.

According to Uber’s statistics, about 3.5 million people in London use Uber. There are some 40 thousand drivers tied with Uber within the British capital. Per the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, Uber can appeal against TfL’s decision within three weeks. Uber received an interim renewal for four months in May, and it is set to expire at the end of the month. To this announcement, Uber London’s General Manager Tom Elvidge said, “By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport. To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts.” He also added, “This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.”

TfL said Uber’s irresponsibility could compromise the safety and security of the public. In contrast, Uber’s response said their service enhances safety. London mayor Sadiq Khan, on Facebook, said, “[…]all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect — particularly when it comes to the safety of customers. Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security. I fully support TfL’s decision — it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security. Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules.”

Uber has received criticism from traditional taxi drivers as well as government officials. Uber was banned from Bulgaria and Denmark, and faces regulatory issues in France, Italy, Hungary, and Spain. It also faced legal inquiry for use of greyball in the US to resist government regulation of the application. Regarding the complaint about improper use of use of Greyball, Elvidge cited an independent review and said it “found that ‘greyball’ has never been used or considered in the UK for the purposes cited by TfL”. Uber operates in over 40 cities and towns in the UK.

Category:Featured article

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Category:Featured article

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Shortcut:WN:FA

Featured articles are selected by the community to represent the best of Wikinews. See the Featured Article Candidates page for nominations and discussions of candidate articles for this page. Or, subscribe to the RSS feed!

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Quick Interior Design Suggestions}

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Here’s An Opinion On:

Quick Interior Design Suggestions

FastSubmitArticles.com

All interior designers have their own concepts on designing the interiors of a house depending on the choice and taste of the people residing in that house.

With all the criteria that they have to consider, they can never complete a design for a house without wooden furniture. Such is the charm of wooden furniture. Here are some ideas for you on how to use wooden furniture in your house for a distinct and unique design.

Firstly, you should know your own personal taste. For example, some people prefer the royal antique look, whereas some prefer the classic look that only modern lightweight wooden furniture can achieve. Knowing your personal tastes will help you narrow down your choices.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZuWg1G8yS4[/youtube]

If you have a taste for a royal look, you can look for aged cabinets that can be placed on either side of your room. If that is not possible, you can simply buy an antique chest and place in your room.

Alternatively, you can simply look for furniture that are made from parts of a tree. These parts, with finishing and polishing, are used as bases for large center tables. Often, there is a glass on top of the table. Your center table will become the center of attraction. A huge piece of furniture in the middle of the room brings a balanced feel to the design.

In order to create a design for your house that looks more artistic, you can use a carved wooden frame with some painting in it. Or for a more personal look, you can also put your picture or your family picture in the frame.

When considering the design for the master bedroom, a good Queen sized bed with drawers on both sides looks amazing. And you can match them with a wardrobe and a dressing table. A cheaper option is to buy an old bed from a second-hand shop, do some refurbishing work on it and use it as new. Even if you have a bed with a more modern look, you can still have a wooden wardrobe or a wooden cabinet for your television and other stuff.

To further enhance the modern look, you can create a sitting space in your bedroom with a wooden couch. This will attract the attention of anyone coming into the room as it looks very distinct. The guest room can be furnished with a sleek and simple wooden bed.

In addition to all the basic furniture, you can add wooden magazine racks, stylish wooden side tables or other wooden accessories available in the market to add a little bit of class here and there.

You can also use a good wooden frame to cover the exposed electrical casings in your home.

As you can see, there are many uses of wooden furniture. You can use them as base furniture, which are necessary in every home, or you can use them for aesthetic purposes.

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wood furniture

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wood furniture

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Article Source:

Quick Interior Design Suggestions

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Former Texas nurse charged with murder for allegedly injecting bleach into patients

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Former Texas nurse charged with murder for allegedly injecting bleach into patients

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Thursday, April 2, 2009

A former nurse from Texas is in jail after a grand jury in Angelina County indicted her over allegations she murdered patients by injecting bleach into them. Kimberly Saenz is suspected of killing five people at the DaVita Dialysis Center in Lufkin.

A sudden string of deaths caused the center to close on April 28, 2008. The center reopened that July. Saenz was fired in April, and arrested last May under suspicion of having caused harm to two patients. It is now believed by authorities she injected ten people with bleach, killing five.

	Our patients and the caregivers have been outraged at how the alleged actions of one person have caused so much pain and trauma to so many

She is accused of killing Clara Strange, Thelma Metcalf, Garlin Kelley, Cora Bryant and Opal Few and of harming Marva Rhone, Carolyn Risinger, Debra Oates, Graciela Castenada and Marie Bradley. The 35-year-old is being held without bond after turning herself in.

DaVita’s regional vice president Larry Crisp said of the developments “The grand jury has issued an indictment for capital murder for the death of five patients and further, five additional indictments for aggravated assault. Our patients and the caregivers have been outraged at how the alleged actions of one person have caused so much pain and trauma to so many.”

US, five Asian nations announce climate change partnership

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US, five Asian nations announce climate change partnership

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Thursday, July 28, 2005

The United States, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia have formed a partnership aiming to cut the emissions of gasses that lead to global warming. The deal was signed after nearly a year of secret negotiations. The “Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate” deal does not – as yet – contain targets for reducing emissions.

Environmental groups have condemned the deal, claiming that, as it is not legally binding, it is no substitute for the Kyoto Protocol, which the US and Australia refuse to sign. China and India – along with some 140 other countries – have already ratified the Kyoto agreement, but did not have to set a target for reducing gas emissions due to their status as developing countries. The Kyoto Protocol has the firm target of reducing emissions by 5.2% on 1990 levels before 2010.

Answering critics, the Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said, “We are not trying to detract from Kyoto and the commitments that a number of countries have made under the Kyoto Protocol. This partnership will complement and not replace the Kyoto Protocol.”

The Australian Prime Minister John Howard also said that his country should not pursue renewable technologies, but should instead concentrate in reducing emissions from the use of coal. Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal, and Howard said that “Australia [should not be] unreasonably penalising herself by saying, in effect, we’re going to try to move away from the use of fuels in which Australia has a natural advantage.”

However part of the deal includes setting up a fund to further research cleaner energy technologies, including more efficient use of fossil fuels as well as renewable technologies, and also methods of trapping and storing greenhouse gasses rather than releasing them to the atmosphere. It is hoped that this will aid China, India and other developing countries to adopt cleaner energy solutions.

The details will be worked out at a meeting between the six countries in November, shortly before the next UN summit on climate change.

The countries believe the deal is fairer and more effective than the Kyoto Protocol. However, a Greenpeace spokesperson said, “The suggested scheme is, unlike Kyoto, a voluntary scheme, and all evidence shows that voluntary schemes do not work. Skulking around making secretive, selective deals will not accomplish a reduction in emissions .”

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that global temperatures could rise by 1.4C to as much as 5.8C by 2100. The US and China are the two biggest producers of carbon dioxide (a major greenhouse gas) in the world.

Interview with Reggie Bibbs on his life with neurofibromatosis

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Interview with Reggie Bibbs on his life with neurofibromatosis

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Friday, December 14, 2007

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic condition causing benign tumors (neurofibromas) to grow along certain types of nerves and, in addition, it can affect the development of bones or skin. There are several variants of the disease but type 1 and type 2 NF account for the vast majority of cases.

The disease manifestations can vary from very mild to severe. Major symptoms include growths on and under the skin; skin pigmentations called café au lait spots in type 1; acoustic nerve tumors and consequent hearing loss in type 2. Growths can affect nearly all parts of the body, and pressure on nearby structures can cause a wide variety of complications. There is a small risk that the tumors transform into malignant cancerous lesions.

NF is one of the most common single-gene human diseases; around 1 in 2,500-4,000 live births are affected by NF-1, whereas NF-2 occurs in about 1 in 50,000-120,000. Both type 1 and 2 are autosomal dominant conditions, meaning that only one copy of the mutated gene need be inherited to pass the disorder. A child of a parent with neurofibromatosis and an unaffected parent will have a 50% chance of inheriting the disorder. The gene responsible for NF-1 and possibly NF-2 is thought to function as a tumor suppressor gene.

In most cases of neurofibromatosis 1, patients can live normal and productive lives. In about 25-40% of patients there is an associated learning disability with or without ADHD. In some cases of neurofibromatosis 2, the damage to nearby vital structures, such as the cranial nerves and the brainstem, can be life-threatening. When tumors are causing pain or disfiguration, surgery is thus far the only proven beneficial treatment option.

Reggie Bibbs is a 43-year-old-man living in Houston, Texas. Mr Bibbs was born with a genetic disease called neurofibromatosis (NF), which causes him to develop tumors on his body (see infobox on the right). NF can be a subtle disease, but in Bibbs’ case it has left him with a disfigured face and deformed leg. But he is happy with the way he looks, and doesn’t want to change his appearance to please other people. He has launched a successful campaign entitled “Just Ask”, and that’s just what Wikinews did in a video-interview.

The interview was prepared by Wikinews reporter Michaël Laurent with the help of Bertalan Meskó (who has a popular genetics and web 2.0 blog). Their questions were sent to a close friend of Mr. Bibbs, Lou Congelio, who kindly conducted the interview.

1 Infobox: What is neurofibromatosis?
2 The interview
- 2.1 On neurofibromatosis
- 2.2 Growing up
- 2.3 A head to toe body tour
- 2.4 The daily life of Reggie Bibbs
- 2.5 Raising awareness and his campaign
3 Sources
4 External links

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

US Congresswoman Jackie Speier comments about Obamacare, Paralympics

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US Congresswoman Jackie Speier comments about Obamacare, Paralympics

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by

Saturday, November 9, 2013

With the 2014 Winter Paralympics set for March, Wikinews sought comment from U.S. Representative Jackie Speier, who serves California’s 14th congressional district about the event and how current U.S. policies impact people with disabilities. Elected to the U.S. House in 2008, she serves on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Armed Services Committee. For the first time ever, the Paralympics will be broadcast live in the U.S. on network television.

((Wikinews)) : Will “Obamacare” have a positive or negative impact on the lives of people with disabilities?

Jackie Speier: By-and-large the Affordable Care Act will have a significant and lasting beneficial impact on persons with disabilities […] Most importantly, pre-existing conditions will no longer prevent persons with disabilities from obtaining health insurance. Lifetime limits on medical expenses will be removed and preventive services will be free. All of these provisions of the law create health insurance that is highly supportive of good health outcomes for everyone, but in particular for those who have a disability.

((WN)) : Are there any Paralympic athletes or elite athletes with disabilities from your district that people should know more about?

Jackie Speier: There are currently two Paralympic athletes who train or live in my district that people will definitely hear more about in the coming years. One is a young woman named Allie Hyatt who trains in Judo with Willy Cahill, [whom] I have also trained with. Allie, who is visually impaired and just 15, has already won numerous awards and will participate in the Youth Olympic Games next year. She is sure to be a force in the Judo world for many, many years. Hyatt lives in San Francisco and Cahill is the founder and CEO of the Blind Judo Foundation.

Another great athlete is Mohamend Lahna who is training for the Rio Olympics in 2016 for the paratriathlon,” Speier continued. “He is from Morocco originally but lives now in San Mateo and trains daily at the College of San Mateo. He runs marathons with a prosthetic leg and has his sights set on winning several medals atworld and Olympic events in the future. Lahna has proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), a birth defect that affects the hip and pelvis. He is married and has a 1-year-old child.

Wikinews also sought comment from other members of Congress, including John K. Delaney, Mike Honda, Kyrsten Sinema, Eric Swalwell, Raúl M. Grijalva and Ann Kirkpatrick but at publication time, had received no response.

McCain ad questions Obama’s benefit to families

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McCain ad questions Obama’s benefit to families

Posted on October 24, 2017October 24, 2017 by

Thursday, August 7, 2008

The latest advertisement for United States Republican presidential candidate John McCain is questioning Democrat Barack Obama’s benefit to families.

Last week the BBC reported that the McCain campaign had released an advertisement comparing Obama to American celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, calling him “the biggest celebrity in the world.”

McCain’s newest advertisement, released early this week, continues along those same lines.

“Is the biggest celebrity in the world ready to help your family?” the narrator asks, according to The Boston Globe and a video of the ad displayed on its website. “The real Obama promises higher taxes, more government spending. So, fewer jobs.” With images of wind turbines in the background, the narrator says, “Renewable energy to transform our economy, create jobs and energy independence, that’s John McCain.”

The Boston Globe reports that McCain’s latest ad does not acknowledge that Obama’s economic policy, especially the proposed rollback of current president George W. Bush’s capital gains tax cuts, would largely affect the wealthiest of America, not the middle class.

Obama, the BBC reports, is quoted as calling McCain “cynical,” “desperate” and “in the pocket of Big Oil.”

The latest Obama video, shown on the USA Today website, touts McCain as “just more of the same” politics employed by George W. Bush. The ad cites a May 22, 2003 Fox News Channel interview where McCain says “the President and I agree on most issues. There was a recent study that showed I voted with the President over 90 percent of the time.” The ad then criticizes McCain’s policies on tax cuts, money for oil companies, and “tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.”

USA Today does note that “[w]hile the ad shows McCain touting the fact that he had voted “with” President Bush more than 90% of the time, the Arizona senator did criticize the administration’s conduct of the war in Iraq — calling early on for more troops to be sent there. He also voted against the president’s original tax cut plan — though McCain now says he supports extending those tax cuts. And, he proposes cuts in all kinds of corporate taxes, not just those on oil companies.”

McCain is set to appear at an Ohio furniture plant Wednesday to reinforce the messages in his latest advertisement.

“America has the second highest business tax rate in the entire world,” he plans to say, according to prepared remarks issued by his campaign, and released by The Boston Globe. “Is it any wonder that jobs are moving overseas when we are taxing them out of the country? Unfortunately Senator Obama’s plans would raise taxes on businesses even more. He has promised tax increases on income, tax increases on investment, tax increases on small businesses. This is exactly the wrong strategy. Raising taxes in a bad economy is about the worst thing you could do because it will kill even more jobs when what we need are policies that create jobs.”

Obama spokesman Bill Burton responded:

“Is the biggest proponent of George Bush’s tired, failed policies ready to bring about change? Another day brings another dishonest attack from John McCain. While Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama has proposed cutting taxes for 95% of American families, what he’s not telling us is that he wants to give $4 billion in tax breaks to the oil companies, continue giving tax breaks to corporations that ship our job overseas, and provide no direct tax relief for more than 100 million middle-class families. It’s time to retire these old policies and bring new energy to America.”

Britons seized from finance ministry in Iraq

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Britons seized from finance ministry in Iraq

Posted on October 24, 2017October 24, 2017 by

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Five British citizens have been seized in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The group, comprising a finance expert and four bodyguards, were captured from the finance ministry by kidnappers wearing police uniforms and driving police vehicles. The BBC is reporting that over 40 police vehicles were involved in the incident.

In separate incidents, at least 22 people were killed and 55 injured in a bus explosion elsewhere in the city, and at least 15 people were killed in a car bomb which injured a further 36, possibly more.

It is believed the four bodyguards are employed by Canadian GardaWord, a subsidiary of Garda.

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