Old barge Astute.

Old barge Astute. Well, now is the rats theme again. What I expact if the dream was about the mousses. This night was dreaming with some store full of computer mousses. The all different shapes, sizes and prices. Which tell me exactly what is in the tin. (i.e. Graphic jump)And in the tin is my connection to work and the virtual world. Because the real world is simple – I’m in prison. Because I’m terribly constrained by the Co which as you knows, consisted of ongoing… Who have some true, insisting that this (situation) become “like the Company I keep”. Well, there is a lot of truth in this statement but, if it’s relevant to me (like for the Prisoner of Zenda, Andy knows what I talk about) it must also apply to those in my social circle. Read the 39crt, D colour stone. As much as certain characters are having an influence on me, I am having an influence on them. Over time, this symbiotic process has created a situation in which it is now impossible to tell who is leading (and who is following) whom. Its strategically speaking. To speak tactically, I need to mention the “encounter” in the place of future Grater (any one understood what this mean) the cocaine ex-President of Portuguese Republic Jorge Sampaio crying and cleaning his nose. Important though, is that this place for several occasions make me this ‘bumps into’? I recall the long scene of leading “Working Lunch” programme. Philosophically seeing this ex, I can say: “Every one deserves equal rights, but a certain someone is looking to tip the scales in theirs favor”. It’s like people say: “The democracy is for all, but more for ones than for others…” And I’m talking here about Sampaio and his money from my pocket. The EXPO 98. Hell, as much as I’d like to spotlight the common ground (i.e. c’mon, we all here to defend our interests, our children, our money, our future, etc.) but “others” seems to be more focused on the differences. How for example, are untouchable my status (of Sampaio) are. “My and of my trans-isomer the Illarionov (or Kuchma for this matter).” By now is Hotty enough? It’s good, I know this. Not more simple for you to admit that in my prison’s long decades, whatever I’m fine with, you, - the “others” are having a hard time forgiving me for things that came about because I’m copped out. And that “these” my “co-workers” sequently are in ‘minor’ power struggles or upon a subtle ‘competition’ – is my business.

Crocodile attacked and killed by angry hippos. A wildlife photographer has captured the moment a crocodile was killed after getting trapped in a maze of angry hippos. Published: 10:21AM GMT 16 Nov 2009. 'Mutual respect between these animals means fights occur very rarely,' said Mr Vaclav.Photo: BARCROFT. Vaclav Silha, the Czech photographer, had set up his camera on the banks of the Nile in the Serengeti national park, Tanzania, to take snaps of 50 hippos bathing in the river. But the peaceful scene was broken when the bathers were interrupted by a crocodile. "Mutual respect between these animals means fights occur very rarely," said Mr Vaclav, 45. "One of the only reasons you might see a conflict is if the hippos have young and they think the little ones are under threat. That's exactly what happened here. "The incautious croc got too close to a female who had calves and the whole group gathered into a defensive circle around them. It was a strong message for the crook to clear off. "I have absolutely no idea why, but the crocodile suddenly raced across the backs of the hippos. I think it might have panicked and thought it was a possible escape route. I couldn't believe my eyes. "It was the worst choice the reptile could ever have made and it was definitely its last. "The island of hippos suddenly erupted with teeth and all I could see was the crocodile being repeatedly crushed in their huge mouths." Crocodiles have armour-plated bodies made up of tough skin and "scuttles" - bony scales on the outside of the body. But the unlucky beast's defences were no match for the raging hippos. Described as one of the most aggressive creatures in the animal kingdom, an adult hippo can apply several tons of pressure in a single bite. "Even the toughest crocodile could not have withstood being repeatedly bitten like that," said Mr Vaclav. "There was no way for him to escape. I few seconds later his lifeless body slipped below the water and I didn't see him again." One of these pictures was published in the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Royal Navy – four years late. Published: 11:33PM GMT 15 Nov 2009. When the Navy gets its hands on the first new class of submarine launched for 17 years, it is sure to be a quiet affair. The handover of the first British submarine to provide every crew member with his own bunk might seem like an excuse for noisy celebration on board HMS Astute, but a nuclear submarine's raison d'être is silence and stealth. So by the time you read this, she may well have slipped silently from her moorings at Barrow-in-Furness and be heading for her new home at the Faslane naval base on the west coast of Scotland. The exact launch date for the start of Astute's sea trials depends on the weather, and is not disclosed for security reasons, but the submarine was being loaded up with fresh food at the end of last week, and her departure seemed imminent. The captain of Astute, Commander Andy Coles, was champing at the bit to see what his new vessel will be capable of on its voyage up the west coast, but he acknowledged the delays which beset the project in its early years and led to the long gap since the Navy took on a new class of submarine. Astute's specifications are heaven for lovers of big numbers – it is 97m long, the equivalent of 10 London buses, and weighs 7,400 tonnes compared with the 5,000 tonnes managed by its predecessor, the Trafalgar class. It has the biggest "ears" of any sonar system in service today, with the processing power of 2,000 laptops. The nuclear reactor which drives the propulsion system is roughly the size of a dustbin but will last the 30-year life of the boat without needing to be replaced. But there are some other big numbers to bear in mind – the first three Astute class submarines (HMS Astute, Ambush and Artful) cost the Government £3.8bn, according to last year's National Audit Office report, compared with an initial contract for £2.58bn. That report also showed the project was 47 months late, with an original in-service date for Astute of May 2005. What caused this four-year delay? The end of the Cold War and the gap between designing the Trafalgar class submarines meant a lot of nuclear submarine-building experience had disappeared, and contractor BAE Systems struggled with Astute's computer-aided design. Eventually, in 2003, the Ministry of Defence had to promise more money and help was enlisted from US submarine builder Electric Boat, owned by General Dynamics. So finally in November 2009, Astute is starting 18 months of sea trials. Rear Admiral Simon Lister, the Navy's director general of submarines, insists Astute will be an "asset" before the end of that period. The Astute class submarines are being built at BAE Systems' huge yard at Barrow, which employs 5,000 people in the Cumbrian town. The company and the Navy have an order from the Ministry of Defence for a fourth boat, HMS Audacious, and are in negotiations over numbers five and six. Seven Trafalgar class submarines are due to be withdrawn over the coming years, and seven Astute vessels were planned to replace them. "It's our intention to purchase seven Astute class submarines," said Rear-Adml Lister. Like all large defence projects, the Astute boats not yet under contract could be at risk from the outcome of the Government's planned strategic defence review. "They will be a huge improvement in capability," said Rear-Adml Lister. "The issue in the strategic defence review will be which capability this country wishes to fund." With the Army at full stretch fighting insurgents in landlocked Afghanistan and the Ministry of Defence's coffers distinctly empty, what would be the justification for spending billions on nuclear submarines? "The surveillance capability is very important in carrying out anti-piracy and anti-terrorism at sea," said John Hudson, managing director of BAE's submarine business. "The key thing is stealth. A submarine can go in, do something, then leave, and you never know it's been there." During the Cold War, submarines were used to tap telephone cables, and at present, there is a British submarine somewhere "east of Suez" every day of the year. HMS Astute has the capacity to send out a launch and recover personnel, although for security reasons neither BAE or the Navy would go into detail. There is also an access hatch for special forces troops. The "quantum leap" in Astute's capability also has a more human side. One of the benefits of the submarine being so much bigger than its predecessors is that her crew of 98 men will be the first in the Navy to have their own beds. Submariners at present work round the clock and have to "hot bunk", or share a bed with someone on the opposite shift pattern, one sleeping while the other one works. But conditions are still hardly luxurious. The captain is the only man who has his own room and wash-hand basin. The bunks for everyone else are stacked three high, with the middle bed the favoured choice – the top one is harder to get in to and the bottom one means being close to people's feet, which after 90 days without fresh air is not a desirable place to be. Each submariner has one small locker to keep all his worldly goods in during the three-month tours. The invention of the Sony Reader electronic book has transformed the life of one bibliophile submariner, who previously filled his tiny locker with novels and kept his clothes under his mattress. There are five showers and five toilets for the sailors. Astute is a huge improvement, but it will still be a special kind of person who can live on a submarine. A final piece of information that might disappoint devotees of Second World War films – the Astute is the first British submarine not to use an optical periscope. Instead of using what one of Astute's submariners described as a pair of glasses on the end of a pole, fibre-optic cables will stream footage down to TV screens.

Chinese quiz Obama on internet freedom. November 16 2009 11:11. Beijing TV ran a lengthy item on Monday about Barack Obama’s declining domestic popularity in the US. Simultaneously in Shanghai Mr Obama was doing his best to boost his popularity with the Chinese in a US-style “townhall” event. “I’m a big supporter of non-censorship,” Mr Obama said in response to an online question about what he thought of the great Chinese internet “firewall”. “I think the more freely information flows, the stronger society becomes.” Only a very small number of Chinese were able to hear his answer. In contrast to the last two US presidential visits to China, George W. Bush in 2002 and Bill Clinton in 1998, both of whose words were broadcast live and widely to the Chinese general public, Mr Obama’s 60-minute question and answer session in Shanghai was heavily restricted. Only the citizens of Shanghai were able to watch it live on local TV. Elsewhere Chinese citizens were theoretically able to view the event on the White House website, which provided live streaming coverage – although many reported huge difficulties in accessing either images or sound from the site. The irony was hard to miss if FT writes after I put these themes in my blog.