Satellite upgrade should let planes slash emissions

A CONSTELLATION of next-generation communications satellites has a surprise in store for the environment. When Iridium Communications begins launching replacement orbiters in 2015, it will do much more than upgrade its satphone services. Piggybacking on the satellites will be a set of transmitters that could revolutionise long-haul flight, save airlines billions of dollars worth of fuel and prevent millions of tonnes of carbon emissions.

For the first time, these devices, known as ADS-B transponders, will enable air traffic controllers to locate aircraft that are far out over oceans, remote deserts or the poles where there is no radar coverage. On top of the greater safety this offers airlines if a plane gets into trouble, say, it will also let controllers pack planes in closer together along optimal flight paths, which will cut carbon emissions.

The ADS-B radio transmitting system is designed to replace expensive, unreliable and low-range radar tracking. It bundles an aircraft's call sign, GPS position, speed and altitude into 112-bit digital packets, which are broadcast continually from the aircraft to the control stations.

But like today's radar, ADS-B radio packets have limited range. "If you're way out in the Pacific or over the North Pole no one's going to pick it up," says Dan Mercer of Iridium Communications. So the transponders piggybacking on the new satellites will pick up those signals and beam them back down to Earth. "For the first time, they'll have total vision of the aircraft at all times," Mercer says.

To avoid potential collisions, planes on long-haul routes out over the oceans currently have to fly quite a long way apart. And only some planes can fly in air lanes with kind tailwinds, while others have to push through less-favourable air currents. "If air traffic control can see where aircraft are precisely, they can fly them all closer together and on the most efficient routes. So they will save fuel and cut emissions," says Mercer.

A study commissioned by Iridium found that between the service's proposed start in 2017 and 2030, the technology should save airlines about $7 billion on fuel and cut carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by 35 million tonnes. Another projection that looked at just North Atlantic flights says orbital ADS-B will save airlines $110 million in fuel and 300,000 tonnes in emissions in 2018 alone.

The system can "improve the efficiency of oceanic air traffic management by reducing aircraft separation distances and allowing greater route optimisation", says Pauline Lamb, operations director of National Air Traffic Services in Prestwick, UK. She adds that her organisation is working to fully understand the benefits it will provide.

Meanwhile, one of the world's largest air traffic management firms, Nav Canada of Ottawa, Ontario, has formed Aireon, a joint venture with Iridium. Aireon will operate and sell the transponder service to airlines and air traffic control providers. In combination with other measures - such as use of lighter carbon fibre planes and more efficient engines - Iridium's move should help aviation fight its environmental corner.

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Two dead, 10 missing after South Korea barge capsizes

SEOUL: Two construction workers were confirmed killed late Friday and 10 others missing after a barge carrying a crane capsized off South Korea's southeast coast, the coastguard said.

The 2,600-ton barge sank off the city of Ulsan after the 80-metre (264-foot) crane collapsed, Yonhap news agency quoted coastguard officials as saying.

Twelve people have so far been rescued with two others confirmed dead, and a search is underway for the 10 missing workers.

The accident happened during construction of a new port.

- AFP/lp

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Get a Sceptre 42-inch HDTV for $299 shipped

It was almost two years ago to the day that I wrote about a 32-inch TV selling for $299 (a Sceptre, in fact), and what a big deal that was.

Now you can get a significantly larger screen for exactly the same price: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Walmart has the Sceptre X425BV-FHD 42-inch LCD HDTV for $299, plus sales tax where applicable. Shipping is free, or you can opt for free in-store pickup. Either way, you're assured of getting it on or before Dec. 24.

(Note: This deal started yesterday, and I don't know when it's scheduled to expire, so I apologize in advance if it suddenly disappears today. It's been known to happen.)

As you might expect given the price point, this is a lower-end TV, with a 60Hz refresh rate and a standard (i.e. non-LED) LCD. The refresh rate doesn't bother me in the slightest; I actually prefer it to most of the 120Hz and 240Hz models I've seen, which invariably produce that hideous soap-opera effect.

As for the rest of the specs, they're about what you'd expect: three HDMI inputs, a 5ms response time, and, um, a remote. So, yeah, pretty basic. If you want to "smarten" this TV, you'll need to plug in a Roku box,
Apple TV, or the like. (Roku deal of the day: the refurbished Roku 2 XS for $59.99 shipped. The same model sells new for $99.99.)

When you're looking at an off-brand TV like this one, it's always a good idea to peruse the user reviews. Fortunately, Walmart has lots of them -- over 400 -- and the vast majority rated the Sceptre four or five stars. The general consensus: this model delivers considerable bang for the buck.

And, hey, it's Walmart, so it's easy enough to return the unit if you're not happy with it. Contrast that with buying from a place that's strictly mail-order, where you're probably on the hook for return shipping. Just saying.

I've had very good luck with off-brand models like this. Your mileage may vary, of course, but if you're looking for a decent-size TV for a crazy-good price, have a look.

Bonus deal: And if you're looking for a decent-size monitor for a crazy-good price, today only, OfficeMax has the AOC E2460SWD 24-inch for $119.99 shipped (plus sales tax where applicable). That's one of the lowest prices I've ever seen for a monitor of this size, meaning it will likely sell out quickly.

Bonus deal No. 2: I continue to be a huge fan of Ebates, which pays you back a percentage of pretty much everything you buy online. And the site is currently offering double cash back from various stores -- including Walmart, which is now at two percent. And you can get 3 percent back on OfficeMax purchases. It may not seem like much, but believe me, it adds up. If you haven't yet signed up for Ebates, you can do so for free right here.

Bonus deal No. 3: Do you own an
iPad and dislike pigs? (I know, the two seem to go hand-in-hand.) For a limited time, all the Angry Birds games for iPad (including Star Wars, Seasons, Rio, and Bad Piggies) are on sale for 99 cents each. They're usually $2.99 each.

Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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Global Checkup: Most People Living Longer, But Sicker

If the world's entire population went in for a collective checkup, would the doctor's prognosis be good or bad? Both, according to new studies published in The Lancet medical journal.

The vast collaborative effort, called the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010, includes papers by nearly 500 authors in 50 countries. Spanning four decades of data, it represents the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of health problems around the world.

It reveals that, globally, we're living longer but coping with more illness as adults. In 1990, "childhood underweight"—a condition associated with malnutrition, measles, malaria, and other infectious diseases—was the world's biggest health problem. Now the top causes of global disease are adult ailments: high blood pressure (associated with 9.4 million deaths in 2010), tobacco smoking (6.2 million), and alcohol use (4.9 million).

First, the good news:

We're living longer. Average life expectancy has risen globally since 1970 and has increased in all but eight of the world's countries within the past decade.

Both men and women are gaining years. From 1970 to 2010, the average lifespan rose from 56.4 years to 67.5 years for men, and from 61.2 years to 73.3 years for women.

Efforts to combat childhood diseases and malnutrition have been very successful. Deaths in children under five years old declined almost 60 percent in the past four decades.

Developing countries have made huge strides in public health. In the Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, and Peru, life expectancy has increased by more than 20 years since 1970. Within the past two decades, gains of 12 to 15 years have occurred in Angola, Ethiopia, Niger, and Rwanda, an indication of successful strategies for curbing HIV, malaria, and nutritional deficiencies.

We're beating many communicable diseases. Thanks to improvements in sanitation and vaccination, the death rate for diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory infections, meningitis, and other common infectious diseases has dropped by 42 percent since 1990.

And the bad:

Non-infectious diseases are on the rise, accounting for two of every three deaths globally in 2010. Heart disease and stroke are the primary culprits.

Young adults aren't doing as well as others. Deaths in the 15 to 49 age bracket have increased globally in the past 20 years. The reasons vary by region, but diabetes, smoking, alcohol, HIV/AIDS, and malaria all play a role.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is taking a toll in sub-Saharan Africa. Life expectancy has declined overall by one to seven years in Zimbabwe and Lesotho, and young adult deaths have surged by more than 500 percent since 1970 in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

We drink too much. Alcohol overconsumption is a growing problem in the developed world, especially in Eastern Europe, where it accounts for almost a quarter of the total disease burden. Worldwide, it has become the top risk factor for people ages 15 to 49.

We eat too much, and not the right things. Deaths attributable to obesity are on the rise, with 3.4 million in 2010 compared to 2 million in 1990. Similarly, deaths attributable to dietary risk factors and physical inactivity have increased by 50 percent (4 million) in the past 20 years. Overall, we're consuming too much sodium, trans fat, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages, and not enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fiber, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Smoking is a lingering problem. Tobacco smoking, including second-hand smoke, is still the top risk factor for disease in North America and Western Europe, just as it was in 1990. Globally, it's risen in rank from the third to second leading cause of disease.

To find out more and see related charts and graphics, see the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which led the collaboration.

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Critics Faulted Rice's Work on Benghazi, Africa

United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice removed herself from possible consideration as secretary of state after becoming yet another player in the divide between the left and right.

Rice, who withdrew her name Thursday, has faced months of criticism over how she characterized the Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. She also has come under fire for her approach to dealing with African strongmen.

Rice became a target for conservatives when she went on Sunday morning current affairs shows such as ABC News' "This Week" following the Benghazi attack and failed to characterize it as a pre-meditated act of terror. Instead, she said it was a spontaneous response to an anti-Islam film produced in the United States and cited in the region as an example of anti-Islamicism in the West.

After it became clear that Rice's assertions were untrue and elements of the Obama administration may have known that to be the case, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Kelly Ayotte said they would do whatever they could to block Rice's possible nomination to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

Susan Rice Withdraws From Consideration for Secretary of State Watch Video

GOP Senators 'Troubled' After Meeting With Ambassador Rice Watch Video

President Obama to Senator McCain: 'Go After Me' Watch Video

"This is about the role she played around four dead Americans when it seems to be that the story coming out of the administration -- and she's the point person -- is so disconnected to reality, I don't trust her," Graham said. "And the reason I don't trust her is because I think she knew better. And if she didn't know better, she shouldn't be the voice of America."

Members of the administration defended Rice. At his testimony before Congress, Gen. David Petraeus, the former CIA director, said Rice was speaking from unclassified talking points given to her by the CIA.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., reiterated what Petraeus said outside his closed-door hearing before the Senate.

"The key is that they were unclassified talking points at a very early stage. And I don't think she should be pilloried for this. She did what I would have done or anyone else would have done that was going on a weekend show," Feinstein said. "To say that she is unqualified to be secretary of state, I think, is a mistake. And the way it keeps going, it's almost as if the intent is to assassinate her character."

Minutes after she announced her withdrawal from the process, Graham tweeted, "I respect Ambassador Rice's decision."

McCain's office released a paper statement saying, "Senator McCain thanks Ambassador Rice for her service to the country and wishes her well. He will continue to seek all the facts surrounding the attack on our consulate in Benghazi that killed four brave Americans."

Over the last few weeks, criticism of Rice had grown beyond her response to Benghazi to include a closer scrutiny of her work in Africa, where she had influence over U.S. policy during the Clinton administration.

Critics of her Africa dealings were not partisan -- but included human rights workers, journalists and some Africans themselves.

Among the most serious critiques was the accusation that she actively protected Rwandan President Paul Kagame and senior members of his government from being sanctioned for funding and supporting the rebels that caused Eastern Congo's recent violence.

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US retail sales rebound in November

WASHINGTON: US retail sales rebounded in November, reversing October's decline as auto sales surged, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.

Retail sales rose 0.3 percent after a 0.3 percent drop the prior month.

Excluding automobile sales, up 1.4 percent after a 1.9 percent tumble in October, retail sales were unchanged from October.

The Commerce Department said that Hurricane Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the Northeast in late October and early November, had both positive and negative effects on the two months' data.

The data, which is not adjusted for price changes, showed a mixed performance across sectors in November.

Sales gains for automobiles, furniture and home furnishings, building materials, electronics and other sectors were offset by a sharp drop in gasoline sales.

Year-over-year growth in retail sales was 3.7 percent, unchanged from October.

The retail sales data, which includes restaurant and bar sales, is a key indicator of consumer spending that accounts for about 70 percent of US economic activity.

The modest rise in the headline number masked the true direction of consumer demand, said Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors.

"Gasoline prices were down sharply over the month and if you exclude them, spending increased sharply," he said.

- AFP/de

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Crazy like a fox? McAfee admits to playing 'the crazy card'

Software founder John McAfee, pictured yesterday, was released from detention in Guatemala and flew to the U.S.

(Credit:
CBS News)

The antics of security software founder John McAfee may have seemed pretty insane, but he now says that at least some of his actions were a ruse.

McAfee, speaking with ABC News after arriving in the U.S., said he faked an illness to avoid being sent back to Belize from Guatemala, and he also thanked the media for closely covering his story.

"It was a deception but who did it hurt? I look pretty healthy, don't I?," he said during an interview with ABC at a Miami Beach hotel.

"What's a better story, millionaire mad man on the run. You [the media] saved my ass. Because you paid attention to the story. As long as you are reporting, it is hard to whack somebody that the world is watching," McAfee added.

The antivirus pioneer, who founded the security company McAfee, was living in Belize, where police sought him for questioning after his neighbor Gregory Faull was discovered shot dead. He illegally crossed the border into Guatemala in an attempt to seek asylum, but the country denied his request.

After McAfee received word he would be sent back to Belize, he complained about chest pains and said he had two mild heart attacks -- an incident he now says was fake.

McAfee has publicly stated his innocence in his blog, which he has been updating frequently while on the run and while detained.

During his interview with ABC, McAfee continued to deny any involvement in his neighbor's death and said that he's now penniless and has no idea what he'll do next.

McAfee says he left all of his possessions in Belize, including $20 million in investments and about 15 properties. He's now focused on getting his 20-year-old and 17-year-old girlfriends out of Belize, he said.

"I have nothing now," McAfee told ABC. "I've got a pair of clothes and shoes, my friend dropped off some cash."

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Hubble Discovers Oldest Known Galaxy

The Hubble space telescope has discovered seven primitive galaxies formed in the earliest days of the cosmos, including one believed to be the oldest ever detected.

The discovery, announced Wednesday, is part of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field campaign to determine how and when galaxies first assembled following the Big Bang.

"This 'cosmic dawn' was not a single, dramatic event," said astrophysicist Richard Ellis with the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Rather, galaxies appear to have been formed over hundreds of millions of years.

Ellis led a team that used Hubble to look at one small section of the sky for a hundred hours. The grainy images of faint galaxies include one researchers determined to be from a period 380 million years after the onset of the universe—the closest in time to the Big Bang ever observed.

The cosmos is about 13.7 billion years old, so the newly discovered galaxy was present when the universe was 4 percent of its current age. The other six galaxies were sending out light from between 380 million and 600 million years after the Big Bang. (See pictures of "Hubble's Top Ten Discoveries.")

Baby Pictures

The images are "like the first ultrasounds of [an] infant," said Abraham Loeb, a specialist in the early cosmos at Harvard University. "These are the building blocks of the galaxies we now have."

These early galaxies were a thousand times denser than galaxies are now and were much closer together as well, Ellis said. But they were also less luminous than later galaxies.

The team used a set of four filters to analyze the near infrared wavelengths captured by Hubble Wide Field Camera 3, and estimated the galaxies' distances from Earth by studying their colors. At a NASA teleconference, team members said they had pushed Hubble's detection capabilities about as far as they could go and would most likely not be able to identify galaxies from further back in time until the James Webb Space Telescope launches toward the end of the decade. (Learn about the Hubble telescope.)

"Although we may have reached back as far as Hubble will see, Hubble has set the stage for Webb," said team member Anton Koekemoer of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. "Our work indicates there is a rich field of even earlier galaxies that Webb will be able to study."

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Mall Shooter Quit Job, Was Hawaii Bound

In the days before he stole a semiautomatic weapon and stormed into an Oregon shopping mall, killing two people in a shooting spree, Jacob Roberts quit his job, sold his belongings and began to seem "numb" to those closest to him.

Roberts' ex-girlfriend, Hannah Patricia Sansburn, 20, told ABC News today that the man who donned a hockey mask and opened fire on Christmas shoppers was typically happy and liked to joke around, but abruptly changed in the week before the shooting.

Roberts unleashed a murderous volley of gunfire on the second floor of the Clackamas Town Center on Tuesday while wearing the mask and black clothing, and carrying an AR-15 semiautomatic weapon and "several" magazines full of ammunition. He ended his barrage by walking down to the first floor of the mall and committing suicide.

READ: Why Mass Shooters Wear Masks

"I don't understand," Sansburn said. "I was just with him. I just talked to him. I didn't believe it was him at all. Not one part of me believed it."

She said that in recent weeks, Roberts quit his job at a gyro shop in downtown Portland and sold all of his belongings, telling her that he was moving to Hawaii. He had even purchased a ticket.

She now wonders if he was really planning to move.

Oregon Mall Shooting: Gunman Identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts Watch Video

Oregon Mall Shooting: Suspect Jacob Tyler Roberts Identified Watch Video

Oregon Mall Shooting: 2 Dead in Clackamas Town Center Watch Video

"He was supposed to catch a flight Saturday and I texted him, and asked how his flight went, and he told me, 'oh, I got drunk and didn't make the flight,'" she said. "And then this happens... It makes me think, was he even planning on going to Hawaii? He quit his job, sold all of his things."

Roberts described himself on his Facebook page as an "adrenaline junkie," and said he is the kind of person who thinks, "I'm going to do what I want."

Roberts, who attended Clackamas Community college, posted a picture of himself on his Facebook page firing a gun at a target. His Facebook photo showed graffiti in which the words "Follow Your Dreams" were painted over with the word "Cancelled."

Sansburn said the pair had dated for nearly a year but had broke up over the summer. Throughout their relationship, she had never seen him act violently or get angry.

"Jake was never the violent type. He didn't go out of his way to try to hurt people or upset people. His main goal was to make you laugh, smile, make you feel comfortable. I never would have guessed him to do anything like this ever," she said.

"You can't reconcile the differences. I hate him for what he did, but I can't hate the person I knew because it was nothing like the person who would go into a mall and go on a rampage. I would never associate the two at all."

The last time she saw him, which was last week, he "seemed numb," and she didn't understand why, she said.

"I just talked to him, stayed the night with him, and he just seemed numb if anything. He's usually very bubbly and happy, and I asked him why, what had changed, and said 'nothing.' He just had so much he had to do before he went to Hawaii that he was trying to distance himself from Portland," Sansburn said.

Sansburn said the last message she sent Roberts was a text, asking him to stay, and saying she didn't want him to leave. He replied "I'm sorry," with a sad face emoticon.

Police are still seeking information about what Roberts was doing in the days leading up to the shooting. They said today they believe Roberts stole the gun he used in the rampage from someone he knew. They have searched his home and his car for other clues into his motive.

Read ABC News' full coverage of the Oregon Mall Shooting

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said earlier today on "Good Morning America" that he believes Roberts went into the mall with the goal of killing as many people as he could.

"I believe, at least from the information that's been provided to me at this point in time, it really was a killing of total strangers. To my knowledge at this point in time he was really trying, I think, to kill as many people as possible."

Sansburn said she has not talked to police.

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