Free Republic

New York Criminal Defense Law Firm, Tilem & Campbell, scored another major victory in a New York gun case when it won a complete dismissal of all charges in a Bronx County case yesterday. The original charges included Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree. The Defendant faced a minimum sentence of 3 and 1/2 years in prison on the Second Degree charge which is a class "C" violent felony. The case was won using a little known Federal Defense that provides a defense to gun charges in...

A quantitative assessment of future net oil exports by the top five net oil exporters By Jeffrey J. Brown and Samuel Foucher There is increasing concern worldwide about global oil supplies, especially in the context of a global oil production peak. However, what really matters to oil importing countries is world net oil export capacity, and we are deeply concerned that the top five net oil exporting countries, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Norway, Iran and the UAE (United Arab Emirates), collectively accounting for about half of current world net oil exports, in aggregate are going to show an ongoing decline in...

Floating A Big Idea: Ancient Use Of Rafts To Transport Goods DemonstratedMIT students built a small-scale replica of an ancient oceangoing sailing raft to study its seaworthiness and handling. (Credit: Donna Coveney/MIT) ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2008) — Oceangoing sailing rafts plied the waters of the equatorial Pacific long before Europeans arrived in the Americas, and carried tradegoods for thousands of miles all the way from modern-day Chile to western Mexico, according to new findings by MIT researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Details of how the ancient trading system worked more than 1,000 years ago were reconstructed...

A conspicuous shortage of truck drivers is creating a Catch-22 of sorts for the trucking industry, according to recent comments by carrier executives. On the one hand, a lack of drivers is restricting the ability of trucking companies to expand and meet current freight volumes. Yet that same lack of drivers results in tight capacity, which is allowing fleets in many cases to get higher rates from customers and reject unprofitable business. "Our results for the quarter were assisted by a favorable relationship between freight demand and truckload capacity," said Steve Russell, chairman & CEO of Indianapolis-based truckload carrier Celadon...

A multi-billion euro showcase project aimed at getting Europe’s trains to run seamlessly from one country to another is unnecessarily complex and has been poorly managed, prompting a series of costly delays, according to leading figures in the sector. The European Rail Traffic Management System has been hampered by the need to accommodate widely differing operating practices from across the Continent into a single system, according to industry figures who now question whether it was wise for Brussels to press ahead with the venture without first integrating rules. The project is the latest in a long line of ambitious, pan-European...

The train Nevsky Express on the route Moscow-St. Petersburg will appear the first in Russia to have wireless Internet. It is planned that Wi-Fi technology will be available to passengers by the end of August.

Dexter air taxi starts flying to southern cities of Russia at the beginning of 2008. Particularly for this purpose Air Management Group (organizer of the air taxi project) buys several Swiss planes Pilatus PC-12.

The German company Siemens starts to produce high-speed trains Velaro Rus for exploitation in Russia. An official ceremony marking the beginning of the first train production is held in the city Krefeld, today, July 20.

Switzerland has opened the world's longest rail tunnel on land - the 34-kilometre (21-mile) Loetschberg tunnel under the Alps. It will cut the journey time between Germany and Italy by at least a third.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol will join its counterpart agencies and federal officials across the nation during the next 2-1/2 days to check to be sure tractor trailer drivers are operating safely. Patrol trooper Betsy Randolph said troopers from the patrol's size and weights unit will stop and check trucks to make sure their equipment is operating correctly and that the vehicles are not overloaded. Troopers also will check drivers to make sure they are properly licensed and are properly maintaining log books showing the hours they have driven. The checks are scheduled to start at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and authorities...

Delta Air Lines is exiting bankruptcy and re-entering an increasingly competitive market in which its success depends on operating with a lean labor force and expanding its international flights. The newly restructured airline was under Chapter 11 protection for almost two years and cut 6,000 jobs and $3 billion in annual costs. On Wednesday, it received approval from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Adlai Hardin to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent company. Delta, the nation's third-largest airline, estimates it will be worth $9.4 billion to $12 billion. More than 95 percent of creditors voted to endorse the plan for Delta to...

4/24/2007 - MOFFETT AIR FIELD, Calif. (AFNEWS) -- Air National Guardsmen here worked with an aircraft that was vastly different from the MC-130P Combat Shadow tankers, HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and other Air Force aircraft they are accustomed to. Airmen from the 129th Rescue Wing were deploying to Afghanistan and needed aircraft to transport HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters. Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have kept C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy aircraft extremely busy, and the high operations tempo of these aircraft led to the scheduling of contracted cargo airlift, said Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Przymus, the...

The number of people trying to use the metro has almost doubled Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has sacked four ministers, as polls suggest falling support for her government. The last few months have seen protests in the capital, Santiago, over the introduction of a new transport system. In a national TV address, Ms Bachelet said her government owed an apology to Santiago's residents, especially the poor, for the chaos they have faced. It is the second big cabinet reshuffle since she took office in 2006. The first one followed student protests. Increased strain Speaking on Monday evening, Ms Bachelet...

Germany’s Automobilewoche reports that with the change in Volkswagen’s top management is coming a change in strategy for hybrids. Martin Winterkorn, who formerly headed the company’s Audi AG unit, became CEO after Bernd Pischetsrieder resigned at the end of 2006. Pischetsrieder had brought in Wolfgang Bernhard from DaimlerChrysler to run the Volkswagen unit. Berhard has now left (as of today), and Winterkorn will personally oversee the VW brand for the time being. Now, rather than target a mild hybrid Jetta for sale into the California market in 2008 as described by Pischetsrieder, Volkswagen will focus first on a full hybrid...

Across the country, state highway officials are almost giddy about the prospects of selling the right to build toll roads to private investors. Financial wizards have learned how to amass gigantic pools of capital to pay the states for the privilege. Prestigious financial institutions are promoting the new method of financing infrastructure as the greatest development since sliced bread. Left out of the equation is the consumer – the poor working stiff who has paid exorbitant local, state and federal taxes on every gallon of gasoline he ever purchased so that highway officials would have the funds necessary to construct...

January 15, 2007 Now here’s an opportunity for a bright young lad. The Thrustpac pushes you along on the device of your choice, and can be used for motive power on skates, canoes and other water craft, scooters, wheelchairs, skis and bicycles and we’re sure there are lots of ways to use it. It comes in three different power specifications, from a 12 pound four-stroke pack offering 10 pounds of thrust through to a 20 pound (weight) pack offering 20 pounds of thrust from a two-stroke motor. Each ThrustPac is tailor-made for you, with prices starting at US$900 and running...

12/4/2006 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) -- Airmen from the 36th Medical Group and 734th Air Mobility Squadron played an integral role in treating and transporting six critically injured Sailors Dec. 2 from Andersen AFB to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The Sailors were transported via a C-17 Globemaster III to Hickam AFB, then onto the Army's Burn Center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where they will receive specialized care. The Sailors sustained injuries as a result of an accident aboard a Navy submarine tender, according to a Naval Base Guam press release. The Sailors...

10/10/2006 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) -- Normally they move people, humanitarian supplies, troop rations and equipment, but Airmen with the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron's Detachment 1 here were tasked Oct. 7 to move different equipment -- several 30-foot, 100,000 pound Canadian tanks. The C-17 Globemaster III "Spirit of McChord" and its crew made two trips to Kandahar AB, Afghanistan, in one day to transport the equipment for Canadian ground forces supporting the NATO mission. Col. Michael McLean, Canadian Defense Attaché, said the Leopard tanks will support Canadian troops by providing greater mobility on the ground and more flexible...

Air passengers travelling from European Union countries are to be restricted on how much liquid they can take on board. The European Commission has proposed limiting liquids to 100ml containers which must fit into a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag. The rules are likely to be agreed next week and adopted in November. Earlier, the Department for Transport said a hand-luggage liquids ban will remain on UK flights to the US despite the Americans easing restrictions. The US has announced liquids bought from secure airport sites would now be allowed on planes. But the DfT said liquids would still not be...

An Iraqi Soldier raises the national flag during a pass and review ceremony held yesterday at Camp Taji. The Iraqi Army's 6th Motor Transport Regiment conducted a transfer of authority ceremony that released control by the 4th Sustainment Brigade. Story and photo by Sgt. Trevor Snyder 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Army 6th Motor Transport Regiment took control of its own operations in a ceremony July 3 at Camp Taji, a sprawling joint Iraqi-Coalition facility just a few miles north of Baghdad. The regiment has been working closely with the 4th Sustainment Brigade since October 2005....

7/19/2006 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- Three Air Force MH-53 Pave Low helicopters are part of the forces helping transport American citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus. The aircraft, from the 352nd Special Operations Group at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, are operating out of Akrotiri, Cyprus. They have been doing this for several days, U.S. European Command spokesperson Maj. Pam Cook said. The helicopters were in the region when tasked to provide support to the ongoing movement of Americans, the major said. The Airmen join other U.S. military forces also helping in the operation. Other U.S. military units involved are...

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy will christen the newest San Antonio-class Amphibious Transport Docking ship Green Bay at 10 a.m. CDT July 15, during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems – Avondale Operations, Avondale, La. The ship is named Green Bay to honor the nation's Midwest "city by the bay." The city of about 100,000 residents was founded in 1634 by French explorer, Jean Nicolet, and is the oldest community in Wisconsin. Rose Magnus, wife of the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Magnus, is serving as the ship’s sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will...

CHARLOTTE, VT. — Dave Matthews Band announced today that it has arranged for NativeEnergy and Clean Air-Cool Planet to offset 100 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from all of its touring activities since 1991. By offsetting the CO2 pollution that touring activities, such as transporting gear, powering stages and air travel generate, Dave Matthews Band is taking a proactive role in fighting global warming and helping Native America begin to restore sustainable homeland economies in balance with the Earth. This announcement comes at the beginning of Dave Matthews Band 2006 summer tour, which kicked off on May 30th...

50 years ago President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the 1956 National Federal-Aid Highway Act and since 1990 referred to as the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways. He authorized the connectivity of 41, 000 miles of high quality highways across the United States. It would be financed by a combination of the Highway Trust Fund, federally imposed user fees on motor fuels and state user fees. Eisenhower was prompted to persuade the nation’s people to build the interstate highway system, as a matter of national security. Although not at war at the time, he believed...

Britain was named yesterday as one of 14 European nations that allegedly helped the Central Intelligence Agency abduct and secretly transport terrorist suspects to countries where they faced torture.The accusations came in a report by a former Swiss prosecutor for the Council of Europe, which monitors human rights in 46 European nations. Tony Blair denied the collusion allegations and said the report, by the Swiss senator Dick Marty, contained no fresh evidence. Mr Blair told MPs during Prime Minister's Questions: "I have to say the Council of Europe report has absolutely nothing new in it." In Washington, a spokesman for...

Dust clouds transport bacteria from Africa around the world Ian Sample Thursday May 25, 2006 Giant clouds of dust whipped up by desert storms in Africa can carry infectious organisms to other continents, scientists claim today. Despite being blown more than three miles high and exposed to radiation from the sun, strains of bacteria and fungi survived and were able to grow when they returned to Earth, researchers found. Among 40 tests of air samples taken in the mid-Atlantic, 24 revealed living microbes, including 26 colonies of bacteria and 83 fungi. They included strains capable of causing disease in humans,...

USA Citizens Day - July 1st Immigration Control Rally Nationwide Rally on Saturday, July 1st, at noon, at your City HallMay 1st - Million of Illegal Aliens Marched in our StreetsTwelve million illegal aliens demonstrated their political power, and declared May 1st to be A Day Without Undocumented Workers ( illegal aliens ). They boycotted the USA, all US businesses and institutions. Millions of them marched in our streets, carried Mexican flags, shouted "Si se puede!", and demanded new laws from our Congress. July 1st - U.S. Citizens Nationwide Rally for Immigration ControlRally to stop our continuous invasion by...

PERSIAN GULF (NNS) -- USS Ogden (LPD 5), the Navy’s oldest active amphibious ship, is currently serving as the Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) for the multinational maritime coalition operating in the North Persian Gulf. As the AFSB for Commander, Task Group (CTG) 158.1, the 41-year-old amphibious transport dock is providing logistical support for the various forces that are protecting Iraq’s territorial waters and oil platforms, as well as serving as a training platform for Iraqi sailors and marines. “The crew is having a wonderful time,” said Cmdr. James Hruska, Ogden’s commanding officer. “Everyone understands the importance of keeping these...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Family and friends greeted the arrival of the Navy’s newest ship, the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17), as it arrived to its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Jan. 25. San Antonio was commissioned Jan. 14 at Naval Station Ingleside, Texas, and will be permanently homeported in Norfolk. “After a magnificent commissioning in Ingleside (Texas), it will feel good for the Sailors on San Antonio to get home,” said San Antonio’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Bradley Lee. The San Antonio-class will functionally replace more than 41 ships (LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113, and LST...

The U.S. Navy will commission the USS San Antonio, lead ship of the latest class of amphibious ships, at 11 a.m. CDT, Jan. 14, 2006, at Naval Station Ingleside, Texas. Former President George H. W. Bush will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will serve as the ship’s sponsor and will give the first order to "Man our ship and bring her to life!" Capt. Jonathan M. Padfield of Salt Lake City, Utah, is the ship’s first commanding officer and will lead a crew of 360 officers and enlisted personnel. The ship is capable of embarking a...

ABOARD USS CLEVELAND, Arabian Sea (NNS) -- Members of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 are currently leading a group of six coalition ships conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. The strike group’s flagship, USS Tarawa (LHA 1) and the amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland (LPD 7) are joined by the guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79). The French ships Var (FS 608) and Lafayette (FS 710), and the Pakistani frigate Badr (PNS 181) round out the coalition task group. MSO are part of ESG-1’s regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th...

CHICAGO - A former Chicago transportation foreman was sentenced to a year in prison for taking $15,000 in bribes to divert city-owned asphalt to private construction projects. "I really do understand how wrong this all was," Patrick Stillo, 51, told U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo during his sentencing Tuesday. Stillo is the 18th person sentenced and one of 24 who have pleaded guilty to charges in the federal investigation into Chicago's scandal-plagued Hired Truck Program. The program spent millions to outsource hauling jobs to private truckers. Stillo, who had pleaded guilty to mail fraud and bribery, was one of five...

The global oil market environment of very strong demand and very little spare capacity offers a huge opportunity to the radical jihadists. The terrorists believe that the best way to hurt the global Western economy is to go after oil. Since the end of the major hostilities in Iraq, there have been close to 300 attacks on pipelines, refineries, and other facilities, and there have been attacks on oil installations in many other parts of the world, including Chechnya, Pakistan, India, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria. The cumulative impact of those attacks amounts to about 1 million barrels a day that...

Today President George W. Bush signs the Transportation Equity Act, at the Caterpillar facility in Montgomery, Ill. Former first lady Barbra Bush throws the first pitch before the start of a game between the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

KSL News) – A tanker truck carrying some sort of explosive material overturned and exploded this afternoon on Highway 6, up Spanish Fork Canyon. It caught fire and exploded. Highway 6 is shut down in both directions and is expected to remain so for up to eight hours. The accident was reported about 1:30. It's about 10 miles up Spanish Fork Canyon, just east of the Thistle Fork Junction. Doug McCleve of the Utah Department of Public Safety confirmed there was an explosion and there were some injuries, including two burn victims. There's apparently a crater now in the middle...

HALIFAX -- Canada will create its own version of a no-fly list as part of a security program critics say is coming far too late and will do little to shield it from terrorist attacks like those last month in London. Federal Transport Minister Jean Lapierre said Friday that officials will begin devising criteria that would identify people who pose "an immediate threat to aviation security," and will work with airlines to stop those people from flying. Lapierre insisted the new program, called Passenger Protect, will not violate the Charter of Rights or the Constitution. But he wouldn't spell out...

According to Transport Ministry of Ukraine, introduction of 20% VAT for transport cervices and for cargo-handling works has led to sharp decrease of Ukrainian ports competitiveness on the international freight market. According to the estimate of Pavel Ryabikin, Deputy Minister of Transport, since the moment of VAT introduction (Apr.1, 2005) vessel costs in ports of Ukraine increase those of Baltic Sea ports by 18-20%. According to Minister of Transport, Yevgeniy Chervonenko, this is the most urgent problem of Ukrainian transport sector. The dramatic situation is intensified by the problem of VAT non-refund to non-residents. Taking into account these issues, Ministry...

Washington Post intelligence reporter Dana Priest will be online Wednesday, Jan. 5, at Noon ET to discuss reports that the administration has long-range plans for indefinitely imprisoning suspected terrorists plus the CIA's secret plane allegedly used to transport terrorists for detention and interrogation.

S. Korea: Iri Station Explosion in '77 The Aftermath of Iri Explosion, which occurred on Nov.11, 1977 Around 9:15pm on Nov. 11, 1977, 30 tons of dynamite(1,214 boxes) and 280kg of detonators(36 boxes) went off in a huge explosion, which were in the 11th box car of the freight train No. 1,011. It was parked at the 4th track in Iri Train Station located at 2nd St., Chang-in Dong, Iri City, N. Cholla Province(, S. Korea) (my note: the train was a munition transport train for the military.) As of afternoon of Nov. 12, 51 were killed and 1,215 were...

The Air-Maneuver and Transport Concept: Can it Transform the Nature of Rapid Contingency Operations? January 2004 By Lt. Gen. H. Thomas Fields Jr., U.S. Army retired In the year 2020 a Middle East dictator attacked and occupied an oil-rich neighboring state. Other neighboring states were intimidated and reluctant to provide basing or overflight rights to a U.S.-led coalition. The United States initially responded with long-range strike and naval aviation to achieve air superiority and destroy the enemy's integrated air defense system. The enemy countered by dispersing ground forces, including mobile gun-missile air defense artillery (ADA) systems, into urban areas. The...

Inter-world life transport argued By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Life could quickly spread throughout the galaxy Astronomers may have shown how microbes from Earth could be spread throughout the galaxy taking life to other worlds. Scientists at Armagh Observatory and Cardiff University say bacteria could get into space on rocks blasted off the planet by an asteroid or comet impact. Their calculations then indicate the microbes would eventually leak out of our Solar System to seed other regions. The work is reported in two independent papers published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society....

TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) - Sgt. John Davies' face was soaked with sweat as he climbed aboard a truck Monday and poked the cargo of hay with a wooden stick. Iraqi women in full-length veils watched from atop the truck as he listened for the thunk of wood against a missile tube or the rattle of hidden assault rifles. Davies and his fellow soldiers from the 720th Military Police Battalion were searching for contraband weapons that could be used by guerrillas, a routine operation that has taken on added urgency since insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter with a missile, killing...

Anyone else see the barge sinking in the Hudson river? CNBC had a quick clip of it, doesn't look like there's any action in terms of tugs nearby. Can't find a URL for it yet.

It has been confirmed that one of the largest carriers of US troops through Shannon airport is to cut back its flights severely. World Airways is to cut back on its flights following the latest security breaches. It is known that the civilian carriers used by the US military have been dismayed by the spotlight recent events have thrown on their operations. World Airways is the second largest US charter carrier using Shannon for military transports flights. The company has a $175 million contract with the Pentagon to move troops and equipment. Shannon peace camp to be dismantled Meanwhile a...

V-44 The Pentagon’s next transport flies like a plane, lands like a helicopterand unloads enough firepower to start—or stop—a war. BY SCOTT R. GOURLEY Illustrations by Mark McCandlish and John Batchelor (cutaway) Some planes are so beautiful they could hang in art museums even if they couldn't fly. Others--the Wart Hog tank-killer comes to mind--are as homely as their names. And then there is the Pentagon's next wonder-plane, the V-44. It's ugly, coyote ugly, with wings. Four wings to be exact. Each is tipped with a tilting nacelle that converts the V-44 from a helicopter that can land or...

Drivers face road charge by satellite Monthly bills for motorists in transport revolution Joanna Walters, transport editor Sunday February 24, 2002 The Observer All cars will be fitted with a 'big brother' satellite tracking meter to charge drivers up to 45p a mile for every journey taken under radical plans to slash congestion on British roads. The scheme, proposed by the Government's independent transport advisers, would see drivers handed monthly bills charging them for every single journey. In a landmark report to be given to Ministers tomorrow, the Commission for Integrated Transport will recommend using existing Global Positioning System satellites...