Mississippi River Flood Evacuees Move
Into Katrina Enclave, Canadaville
First Posted: 05/17/11 08:31 AM ET Updated: 05/18/11 11:00 AM ET
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NEW ORLEANS -- The Coast Guard has interrupted shipping along the major artery for moving grain from farms in the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico over fears that the bulging Mississippi River could strain levees that protect hundreds of thousands from flooding. Already, thousands have sought refuge from floodwaters up and down the river.
The Coast Guard said it closed the Mississippi River at the port in Natchez, Miss., because barge traffic could increase pressure on the levees. Heavy flooding from Mississippi tributaries has displaced more than 4,000 in the state, about half of them upstream from Natchez in the Vicksburg area.
Several barges were idled at Natchez at the time of the closure, and many more could back up along the lower Mississippi. It wasn't clear when the river would reopen, but port officials said the interruption could cost the U.S. economy hundreds of millions of dollars per day.
The closure is the latest high-stakes decision made to protect homes and businesses that sit behind levees and floodwalls along the river. To take pressure off levees surrounding heavily populated New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the Army Corps of Engineers opened the key Morganza Spillway, choosing to flood more rural areas with fewer homes. Most residents in the path of the Morganza's floodwaters have heeded the call to leave their homes.
Iris scanning biometric identification comes to consumers, with EyeLock
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Iris recognition technology saves the day when it comes to identity theft, at least for the online identity. In movies like Angels and Demons and Minority Report, iris recognition opens access to top secret locations. A New York-based biometric security company is set to market an iris scanner that will allow users to log into their online banking, social networks and emails - all in the blink of an eye, quite literally.
Hoyos group unveiled the EyeLock, their new security product and claims it to be the first and also the only portable iris-scanning device for consumers, the Daily Mail reports. The device, which is the size of a standard business card and weighs about four ounces, connects to the user's computer by a USB cable.
Hoyos group unveiled the EyeLock, their new security product and claims it to be the first and also the only portable iris-scanning device for consumers, the Daily Mail reports. The device, which is the size of a standard business card and weighs about four ounces, connects to the user's computer by a USB cable.
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Facebook admits using negative PR to sway user opinion on Google's privacy policiesAccording to Hoyos, the security offered by iris scans trumps fingerprints, the already widely available biometric alternative. Fingerprints have around 18 unique points to build an identification profile, while human irises have 2,000. She said that not only will the technology protect your information better, it also eliminates the need for keeping track of multiple screen names and passwords. The EyeLock will cost $99 but no release date has yet been announced.
Stephen Hawking: Heaven Is A Myth
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LONDON -- Famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking finds no room for heaven in his vision of the cosmos.
In an interview published Monday in The Guardian newspaper, the 69-year-old says the human brain is a like a computer that will stop working when its components fail.
He says: "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
In "Grand Design," a book published last year, Hawking had declared that it was "not necessary to invoke God ... to get the universe going."
Hawking is nearly totally paralyzed by motor neurone disease, diagnosed when he was 21.
Hawking says he is not afraid of death, but adds: "I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first."
I add that Stephen Hawking is sure to find differently about heaven once he is on the other side. It makes me wonder how he got to such a decision and why he feels that we as a consciousness are so disposable.
I am grateful that I know otherwise.
