News: African Water. Losing Internet. Hyper-Miler. Monk Killer. Bounty MutinyMussolini.

News, Some New , Some Old:
Africa Groundwater Maps Could Help Improve Access To Water (VIDEO)
   "Hissaeni Abdoulaye, 46, center, washes his face with water from an animal trough, after using a donkey to pull it up from a well which took twenty men a week to dig by hand, in a wadi near Tchyllah, a desert village in the Sahel belt of Chad, Thursday, April 19, 2012. UNICEF estimates that 127,000 children under 5 in Chad's Sahel belt will require lifesaving treatment for severe acute malnutrition this year. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Access to clean water remains a problem for millions in Africa, but new research suggests that there may be hope. Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London have mapped the quantity and potential yield of groundwater across the entire continent, explained PhysOrg."

"They estimate that Africa's groundwater totals about 0.66 million cubic kilometers, which means the continent has over 100 times more water underground than on the surface. The study's authors calculated the groundwater using a database they compiled of "existing national hydrogeological maps as well as 283 aquifer studies from 152 publications."

The vast quantity of water could mean the potential for relief for the estimated 300 million Africans lacking access to safe drinking water, but it may not be easy. Reuters notes that the groundwater reserves are "no panacea" for Africa, but they could help "to cope with an expected sharp increase in demand for water as the continent's population increases." More at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/africa-groundwater-maps-improvements_n_1441038.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D154018  and http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/groundwater/international/africanGroundwater/maps.html
 
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Over 300,000 worldwide could lose Internet access by July
(AFP) - "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned on Monday that more than 300,000 Internet users worldwide could lose their Web access starting in July following a multimillion-dollar scam.

But users can breathe a sigh of relief as a solution is just a few clicks away at dcwg.org, a website the FBI created so people could check whether they have been infected with malware and remove any malicious software.

Six Estonians were arrested on charges of fraud in November after a two-year FBI sting - Operation Ghost Click - into the group's practice of infecting computers around the world with their DNS Changer malware, which made the machines vulnerable to viruses. A Russian collaborator remains at large.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that up to 568,000 computers were infected with the malware, which redirected users to fraudulent websites.   Now, he said, every time the agency gets near the end of a cyber case, "we get to the point where we say, how are we going to do this, how are we going to clean the system" without creating a bigger mess than before.   To check and clean computers: http://www.dcwg.org/
From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/fbi-internet-july_n_1441260.html and http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/TechandScience/Story/STIStory_792052.html
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These hyper-miler driving tips can substantially increase your fuel mileage.
M"Maybe you’re not a believer that adopting conservative driving habits can actually increase your mileage in a meaningful way, consider this test that Ford recently conducted. They assembled a team consisting of a NASCAR driver, an engineer, and a hyper-mileage record breaker to see how many miles they could wring out of a tank of gas in a stock Ford Fusion Hybrid. Driving on open roads they got 1,445.7 miles out of one tank of gas. One tank! That works out to an astonishing 81.5 mpg.


You won’t get those kinds of extraordinary results driving your 40-foot diesel pusher or pulling your Excel Limited fiver with five slides, but they proved that you can stretch your mileage–no matter what you drive. And you can too, by taking a few tips from the team and applying some version of them to your driving habits.


Slow down and maintain even pressure on the throttle.


Accelerate gradually, both from a stop and when entering a freeway.


Brake smoothly, avoiding fast stops.


Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.


Look ahead and anticipate traffic conditions. Slow down well before you need to.


Coast up to red lights and stop signs to avoid wasting fuel (using your kinetic energy) and wear on the brakes.


Minimize using heater and dash air conditioning to reduce the load on the engine.


Run roof air and close windows at high speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag.


Minimize excessive engine workload by using the vehicle’s kinetic forward motion to climb hills.


Use downhill momentum, rather than applying accelerator, to build speed back up.


More at: http://blog.rv.net/2012/04/these-hyper-miler-driving-tips-can-substantially-increase-your-fuel-mileage/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RvnetBlog+%28RV.net+Blog+Daily+Updates+Feed%29
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Another Hawaiian Monk Seal is Found Dead on Kaua‘i
"The illegal, intentional killing of endangered Hawaiian monk seals unfortunately continues. Another monk seal has been found dead on a northeastern beach on Kaua‘i. Known to researchers as RA16 and nicknamed “Noho,” the seal was born and raised in the waters around Kaua‘i. Hawai‘i state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and NOAA Fisheries has classified it’s death as “suspicious” and are investigating the killing. For those of us trying to save these critically endangered marine mammals, this is distressing news.


Hawaiian monk seal in its native habitat. Vanderlip.

"Since November, three monk seals have died of intentionally inflicted head injuries on the islands of Moloka‘i and Kaua‘i. A fourth killing is still being investigated. The most recent killing brings the toll to five now, but locals suspect more are being killed off shore, never to be discovered. It is a federal crime to kill or harm a federally listed endangered species. Non-governmental organizations, including NWF’s Hawai‘i state affiliate, the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, have offered rewards for information leading to the arrest of the individuals responsible."  From: http://blog.nwf.org/2012/04/another-hawaiian-monk-seal-is-found-dead-on-kauai/
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On This Day:
Mutiny on the HMS Bounty, Apr 28, 1789:
"Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master's mate. Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a small, open boat, and the Bounty set course for Tubuai south of Tahiti.

In December 1787, the Bounty left England for Tahiti in the South Pacific, where it was to collect a cargo of breadfruit saplings to transport to the West Indies. There, the breadfruit would serve as food for slaves. After a 10-month journey, the Bounty arrived in Tahiti in October 1788 and remained there for more than five months. On Tahiti, the crew enjoyed an idyllic life, reveling in the comfortable climate, lush surroundings, and the famous hospitality of the Tahitians. Fletcher Christian fell in love with a Tahitian woman named Mauatua.

On April 4, 1789, the Bounty departed Tahiti with its store of breadfruit saplings. On April 28, near the island of Tonga, Christian and 25 petty officers and seamen seized the ship. Bligh, who eventually would fall prey to a total of three mutinies in his career, was an oppressive commander and insulted those under him. By setting him adrift in an overcrowded 23-foot-long boat in the middle of the Pacific, Christian and his conspirators had apparently handed him a death sentence. By remarkable seamanship, however, Bligh and his men reached Timor in the East Indies on June 14, 1789, after a voyage of about 3,600 miles. Bligh returned to England and soon sailed again to Tahiti, from where he successfully transported breadfruit trees to the West Indies.

Meanwhile, Christian and his men attempted to establish themselves on the island of Tubuai. Unsuccessful in their colonizing effort, the Bounty sailed north to Tahiti, and 16 crewmen decided to stay there, despite the risk of capture by British authorities. Christian and eight others, together with six Tahitian men, a dozen Tahitian women, and a child, decided to search the South Pacific for a safe haven. In January 1790, the Bounty settled on Pitcairn Island, an isolated and uninhabited volcanic island more than 1,000 miles east of Tahiti. The mutineers who remained on Tahiti were captured and taken back to England where three were hanged. A British ship searched for Christian and the others but did not find them.

In 1808, an American whaling vessel was drawn to Pitcairn by smoke from a cooking fire. The Americans discovered a community of children and women led by John Adams, the sole survivor of the original nine mutineers. According to Adams, after settling on Pitcairn the colonists had stripped and burned the Bounty, and internal strife and sickness had led to the death of Fletcher and all the men but him. In 1825, a British ship arrived and formally granted Adams amnesty, and he served as patriarch of the Pitcairn community until his death in 1829.

In 1831, the Pitcairn islanders were resettled on Tahiti, but unsatisfied with life there they soon returned to their native island. In 1838, the Pitcairn Islands, which includes three nearby uninhabited islands, was incorporated into the British Empire. By 1855, Pitcairn's population had grown to nearly 200, and the two-square-mile island could not sustain its residents. In 1856, the islanders were removed to Norfolk Island, a former penal colony nearly 4,000 miles to the west. However, less than two years later, 17 of the islanders returned to Pitcairn, followed by more families in 1864. Today, around 40 people live on Pitcairn Island, and all but a handful are descendants of the Bounty mutineers. About a thousand residents of Norfolk Island (half its population) trace their lineage from Fletcher Christian and the eight other Englishmen."
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Mussolini is executed, Apr 28, 1945:
"On this day in 1945, "Il Duce," Benito Mussolini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci, are shot by Italian partisans who had captured the couple as they attempted to flee to Switzerland.

The 61-year-old deposed former dictator of Italy was established by his German allies as the figurehead of a puppet government in northern Italy during the German occupation toward the close of the war. As the Allies fought their way up the Italian peninsula, defeat of the Axis powers all but certain, Mussolini considered his options. Not wanting to fall into the hands of either the British or the Americans, and knowing that the communist partisans, who had been fighting the remnants of roving Italian fascist soldiers and thugs in the north, would try him as a war criminal, he settled on escape to a neutral country.

He and his mistress made it to the Swiss border, only to discover that the guards had crossed over to the partisan side. Knowing they would not let him pass, he disguised himself in a Luftwaffe coat and helmet, hoping to slip into Austria with some German soldiers. His subterfuge proved incompetent, and he and Petacci were discovered by partisans and shot, their bodies then transported by truck to Milan, where they were hung upside down and displayed publicly for revilement by the masses."
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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay, and after we had walked the dogs, we did a few more jobs around my place.  

One thing we did, was to make some partitions for two PCs in the desk we are making.  

I don't know if I like having all this mess of a work station decorating my living room, but at least I can look through the screen porch, and watch the vehicles and walkers go by.  As long as the weather is nice, I can have the patio door open to the fresh air. That's Prime, my foster cat laying out there on the porch.

Jay washed my van, it needs to look spiffy, as it is going somewhere for the next three days.