14.04.2011
Military in space: Less money, more junk to track
"Dependence on space is high, higher than it's ever been, for sure, in the Department of Defense," Gen. William Shelton, head of the Air Force Space Command, said at the National Space Symposium.
Shelton said he expects no increases in his budget, while demands for critical services such as the Global Positioning System, which is run by the Air Force, won't decline.
GPS uses satellite signals to pinpoint the location of receivers on Earth. It has become essential not only to thousands of military weapons, ships and aircraft but for civilian uses in cellphones, cars and aviation, fostering a $110 billion industry, Shelton said.
"Nobody's going to relieve us of that responsibility," he said.
With the military space program facing flat budgets, Shelton told space contractors at the symposium that the Defense Department and industry must find a way to contain costs, especially on launches.
Another concern is "counterspace" threats to satellites from the ground or space, he said. Shelton didn't elaborate, but China has demonstrated the ability to knock out an object in space, destroying one of its own satellites with a missile in 2007.
Gregory Schulte, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said China is developing a range of other space capabilities, including lasers and devices to jam satellite signals.
"We watch the Chinese very carefully," Schulte said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.
"We want to engage the Chinese. We want to talk to them about the responsible use of space, but at the same time we also want to deter them and others from thinking that they would benefit from attacking our space systems."
The United States is also working with the European Union and other nations to develop a space code of conduct to reduce the risk of creating more debris, Schulte said.
The military currently tracks about 21,000 objects in orbit, including active satellites and human-made debris from dead satellites and spent rockets.
That number is expected to triple by 2030, partly because improved sensors will be able to pick up smaller objects that are currently undetectable, but also because of new debris, some created when existing pieces collide and break into more, smaller pieces, Shelton said.
The U.S. is taking steps to reduce the amount of space trash it creates, he said.
"In fact, if the Air Force wants to launch a satellite and it's going to leave some debris in space, they have to come to the deputy secretary of defense and ask for an exemption to do that and explain why they're doing it," Shelton said.
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2 inmates charged in death of SD prison guard
Rodney Berget and Eric Robert made initial appearances Wednesday in state court in Sioux Falls. The judge ordered them held without bond and ordered no contact between them.
The state Department of Corrections says the two inmates tried to escape shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, assaulting and killing officer Ronald Johnson in the process.
Details of the attempted escape and assault have not been released.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
One of the inmates suspected of killing a 63-year-old guard during a failed South Dakota prison break had escaped the state penitentiary two other times during his 27-year criminal history.
The state Department of Corrections says inmates Rodney Berget and Eric Robert, both 48, tried to escape shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, assaulting and killing officer Ronald Johnson in the process. The Corrections Department said the inmates were apprehended on the prison grounds and taken to a jail in Sioux Falls. They have not yet been charged in the guard's killing.
Berget has been in and out of South Dakota's prison system since the mid-1980s and is serving life sentences for attempted murder and kidnapping. He was convicted of escaping from the penitentiary in 1984 while serving time on a possession of stolen property charge. Then, in 1987, he and five other inmates broke out of the same facility on Memorial Day by cutting through bars in an auto shop. Berget was caught in mid-July of that year.
John Fitzgerald, Lawrence County state's attorney, thought Berget would have no more opportunities to commit crimes after he pleaded guilty in Dec. 2003 to attempted first-degree murder for allegedly trying to kill his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.
"It's shocking to me as a prosecuting attorney, but he's a very violent person." Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said that on June 2, 2003, Berget waited outside a house in Lead for the boyfriend to show up. Before the boyfriend could open the front door, Berget shot through the door's glass window, hitting the man in the stomach, then entered the house to try to kill him, Fitzgerald said.
According to Fitzgerald, Berget's ex-girlfriend stopped Berget when she drew a gun from the bed stand.
"When he was captured, he confessed that his intent was to go in there and kill, murder the boyfriend," Fitzgerald said. "And then he also said that his intent was to kidnap and torture the woman.
"Luckily she had a gun ... otherwise, I think, he would have got the job done."
Berget, of Aberdeen, also was convicted in Meade County for kidnapping a convenience store clerk in Sturgis. He was arrested and the clerk escaped after troopers used road spikes to stop the car near Midland.
Robert, the other suspect in Tuesday's killing and attempted escape, is serving an 80-year sentence for a kidnapping conviction. In that case, an 18-year-old woman told police a man posing as a plainclothes police officer pulled over her car near Black Hawk, told her he needed to search it and then forced her into the trunk. She used her cell phone to call for help, and she was found unharmed.
Robert, of Piedmont, pleaded guilty to kidnapping in a 2005 plea bargain.
Johnson, who worked at the penitentiary for more than 23 years, was pronounced dead at a hospital, and a second guard suffered minor injuries in the incident. The department did not release the second guard's name or further details about the escape attempt or attack.
Johnson, a father of two and grandfather of six, died on his birthday, said his son, Jesse Johnson.
"That's kind of the gut-wrenching thing about it," he told the Argus Leader newspaper.
Jesse Johnson said his father, known to friends and family as R.J., had lived through a riot at the penitentiary in 1993 and knew the danger of his job but never dwelled on it.
"He loved to relax and play with his grandkids," the son said. "He never had a bad thing to say about anybody."
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said the state Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating and more information would be released once the initial investigation and charging decisions are complete.
If the inmates are charged and convicted of murdering Johnson while trying to escape, prosecutors could seek the death penalty.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard said the state will act swiftly to bring the accused to justice and ensure the safety of prison staff.
"This incident is a somber reminder that our prison guards put themselves at risk, every day, to protect South Dakota from our worst criminals," Daugaard said in a statement.
Before Tuesday's incident, two corrections officers had been killed by inmates in the 130-year-history of the state penitentiary, the Argus Leader reported. Corrections records show that 72-year-old Warden Eugene Reiley was killed in 1936, and officer Edward Jaworski was killed in 1951.
Johnson is the first law enforcement official killed in the line of duty in South Dakota since the 2009 slaying of Turner County Sheriff's Deputy Chad Mechels by 21-year-old Ethan Johns, who was sentenced to life.
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Associated Press writer Chet Brokaw in Pierre contributed to this story.
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New England Design Community Fills Clarke Showroom for Designer Awards & 20th Anniversary Celebration
Milford, MA (PRWEB) April 8, 2011
More than 300 New England architects and designers recently filled the Clarke showroom in Milford, MA, for Clarke’s Fourth Annual Designer Appreciation Night. While a snowstorm blew through outside on the eve of April Fool’s Day, it was warm and tropical inside the home of New England’s exclusive distributor of Sub-Zero, Wolf and Asko appliances. The steel drums, Tiki bar and rum punch proved the party’s theme, “Beach Party Redefined,” was no joke.
Sub-Zero and Wolf President and CEO Jim Bakke and Vice President of Sales Steve Dunlap sat in the front row as Clarke awarded trophies to six top designers around New England for their innovative use of Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances in kitchens and other rooms in the home. Clarke’s top three specifiers were also distinguished for their leadership in integration of these high-performance ranges, cooktops, wall ovens, refrigerators, wine storage and more into their vision of what a kitchen could be.
Clarke Director of Marketing Jim Raftus introduced the awards by saying that the judges (Len Casey, kitchen industry leader, educator and entrepreneur; Certified Kitchen Designer and past NKBA president Gail Olsen, of Ducci Kitchens in Goshen, CT; Janice Costa, editor of Kitchen and Bath Design News; and architect David Andreozzi of Andreozzi Architects in Barrington, RI) commented on how difficult it was to pick the winners this year.
“The amazing depth of this year’s entries was staggering,” said Raftus. “David Andreozzi, our one returning judge, said that he was truly impressed with the caliber of this year’s entries and had a very difficult time selecting just five projects out of more than five dozen.”
First place in the Contemporary Kitchen category went to Marcus Gleysteen of Gleysteen Design in Cambridge, MA. Second place was awarded to E.J. Krupinsky of Lee Kimball in Winchester, MA. Gerard Ciccarello of Covenant Kitchens & Baths in Westbrook, CT won First Place for his Traditional Kitchen, followed by Amanda LaRose and Michelle Kelly of Venegas & Co. winning Second Place Traditional. Laura Kaehler of Laura Kaehler Architects in Greenwich, CT, was the singular winner in the “Other Room” category for her mahogany wet bar incorporating Sub-Zero wine storage and refrigeration against a stunning glass backsplash. Photos of all winning projects can be found in theon Clarke's website.
Winners of the 2010 Clarke Specifier of the Year Awards went to David Dorrer, Sr. of Scandia Kitchens in Bellingham, MA, as well as Cameron Snyder of RoomScapes Design Center (Home of Kitchen Concepts) in Rockland, MA and David Dorrer, Jr. of Scandia Kitchens in Bellingham, MA.
Clarke General Manager Sean Clarke introduced the next Clarke Design Contest, which will run until a soon-to-be released deadline in 2012. “We’re designing a whole new contest and taking it online,” said Clarke. “There will be a new award, The People’s Choice, for which consumers will be able to vote online at clarkecorp.com.”
Clarke also talked about new kitchens in Clarke’s South Norwalk, CT showroom that are inspiring homeowners in Fairfield County and announced that Clarke plans to remodel all fourteen kitchens in Milford and called for designers who would like to partner on the project.
“The Clarke showrooms are a living portfolio for the design community,” he said. “We look forward to seeing more of your talent coming to life right here. Many hundreds of customers come through here each year to learn about high-performance kitchens. They love it because our job is not sales, it’s education. We are a resource center for homeowners exploring the idea of kitchen remodeling. Our research shows that 40% of our visitors come in the ‘idea stage.’ This is a great place to have your work seen. The designers who are already showcased here tell us all the time about calls they get from people admiring their work at Clarke.”
After a champagne toast, Tom Clarke was presented with a three-foot-high 20th Anniversary cake in the form of a stainless steel Sub-Zero refrigerator while Jim Bakke presented him with a glass trophy designed by Simon Pierce. Representatives from the New England chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) also presented the Clarke CEO with a gift of appreciation for his two decades of support and service.
A surprised Tom Clarke said to the audience of New England designers, “Wow! This night is about you, not us. My family’s DNA is right in this room. We’ve always been about kitchen design and our family has been with Sub-Zero for 50 years, long before I even opened this company. Our goal is to never disappoint a single customer, not even one. I thank you for your support of Clarke and our dealers. You make it all happen.”
Clarke then invited his entire service organization, Clarke Customer Care, to join him on the floor of the amphitheater. “When we found out Sub-Zero service in New England ranked last in the nation, we had to do something about it. So we built our own service organization and I’m proud to say we will never have that problem again. We fix what we sell and our region is now rated number one in the country for Sub-Zero and Wolf service.”
Before, during and after the awards ceremony, the electricity in the showroom was palpable. “This is one of our very favorite events every year,” said Joe Tanguay, Clarke’s Business Development Manager and emcee for the evening. “It is great to gather all of these wonderful designers into one place and honor their talent and creativity.”
For a photo album from the event, visit Clarke's facebook page, which is found on facebook at Clarke Appliance Showrooms. For more information on designer initiatives, visitor call Joe Tanguay at 800-842-5275.
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Kelly McCoyThe McCoy Group508-478-5322Email Information
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