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US occupation of Iraq fuels the spread of jihadists
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 — Portions of a National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism that the White House released under pressure on Tuesday said that Muslim jihadists were “increasing in both number and geographic dispersion” and that current trends could lead to increasing attacks around the globe.
The report, a comprehensive assessment of terrorism produced in April by American intelligence agencies, said the invasion and occupation of Iraq had become a “cause célèbre” for jihadists. It identified the jihad in Iraq as one of four underlying factors fueling the spread of the Islamic radicalism, along with entrenched grievances, the slow pace of reform and pervasive anti-American sentiment.
Full story, go to The New York Times online
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The case of Nigel Potter and the long arm of US law
The case of Nigel Potter, the chief executive of British gaming company Wembley who briefly considered a plan to pay $US4 million to the law firm of a US politician, should act as a warning to Australian businesses about the long arm of US law, reported The Australian Financial Review (22/9/2006, p.25).
Three years for crooked ideas: Potter discussed the idea with Wembley’s board, lawyers and auditors before deciding not to go ahead. Although no money changed hands, Potter was sentenced to three years in a Pennsylvania jail for trying to bribe a government official.
Cooperation cut no ice: Potter had gone voluntarily to the US saying he was innocent, but if he had stayed in the UK he faced a big risk of extradition by force.
Australians just as vulnerable: Experts warned that Australians doing business with the US were just as exposed to tough US laws because our extradition treaty required a similarly low burden of proof. Extradition was possible for any criminal offences that carry penal sentences of more than a year in both countries.
The Australian Financial Review, 22/9/2006, p. 25
Source: Erisk Net
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New pavers to purify run-off
Professor Beecham says until now, harvesting rainwater from them has proved more difficult than from roofs.
His team is developing a system in which porous concrete pavers allows run-off to seep into underground tanks made of galvanised metal or a flexible plastic lining filled with gravel.
A special bonding material ensures the porous pavers are strong enough to withstand the heavy weight of cars and trucks.
Additives mixed into the pavers, or into the sand and gravel bedding material beneath them, enables the system to trap pollutants.
A paver injected with ferrous hydroxide, for example, traps toxic and persistent heavy metals like lead, zinc and cadmium that come from sources such as car tyres, brake-linings and exhaust.
A layer of microbes on fabric beneath the pavers can trap and degrade hydrocarbons such as oil.
Professor Beecham says a layer of granulated activated carbon traps dissolved organic matter from leaf litter that is responsible for algal blooms in rivers.
Long-term use
He says the pollutants can accumulate in the pavers over 25 to 30 years, allowing usable water to be caught and pumped above ground for reuse.
He says the pavers could also allow trees, which themselves soak up and recycle water, to grow more freely because their roots have access to more water and air.
Problem tree roots could be avoided by using a special concrete device that directs the roots away from the pavers.
The pavers could be seeded with low maintenance native vegetation including sedges.
Professor Beecham says one of his PhD students, Baden Myers, is about to construct a full-scale prototype of the complete water harvesting and reuse system, which he predicts will cost 10 to 30 per cent more than conventional paving.
Part of the research has been submitted to Water Management, a journal of the UK’s Institution of Civil Engineers.
The South Australian Government water authority, SA Water, is a major source of finance for the research.
© 2006 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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