Umumnya para ibu lebih senang memilih perempuan muda yang berusia 12-15 tahun, atau dibawah 18 tahun. Makin muda makin murah dan tidak mudah tergoda pindah-pindah pekerjaan karena masih 'takut'. Tidak banyak tuntutan dan kalau bisa malah jadi teman main anak-anak dirumah. Sehingga batas antara pekerja dan 'teman' main menjadi tipis. Yang sudah senior, dinilai sering pasang harga dan sulit 'diajari', malah 'keminter' merasa lebih pandai dari majikannya.

Sebenarnya mempekerjakan anak berusia dibawah 18 tahun sebagai PRT sudah melanggar UU No 13 tentang Ketenagakerjaan tahun 2003. Paling tidak kalau saja setiap perempuan juga memahami gunanya UU tersebut dibuat, maka perempuan pun bisa mengurangi kejahatan trafficking atau pun Pekerja Anak dengan tidak mempekerjakan mereka yang berusia dibawah 18 tahun. Sayangnya pemerintah belum memperlakukan PRT sebagai suatu kelompok pekerja atau buruh yang harus dilindungi hak dan kewajibannya. Bila demikian maka profesionalitas PRT perlu diperhatikan selain juga memperjuangkan pendapatannya untuk bisa mengikuti UMR - Upah Minimim Regional.

Sambil menunggu pengakuan status PRT sebagai pekerja atau buruh, kita bisa merefleksikan diri kita sejauh mana kitapun mau memberdayakan para perempuan yang karena kesulitan ekonominya mereka menjadi PRT.Kalau satu perempuan bisa menolong perempuan lain khususnya PRT untuk menjadi dirinya sendiri, rasanya kita tidakperlu sering-sering membuat seminar pemberdayaan perempuan. Do it within our house, lakukan dan mulai lah dengan diri sendiri.

Permasalahan yang dialami PRT umumnya uraian tugas tidak jelas, semua yang tidak dikerjakan majikannya ya itulah pekerjaannya. Jam kerja panjang dan nyaris tanpa hari libur. Nasib mereka tergantung majikannya, bersyukurlah kalau dapat majikan yang memberi kesempatan peningkatan keahlian. Jarang ada standar upah dan fasilitas, termasuk antar tetangga sekalipun. PRT perempuan umumnya rentan terhadap KDRT (Kekerasan Dalam Rumah Tangga) termasuk didalamnya bentakan. hinaan, perintah secara kasar sampai pelecehan seksual. PRT sendiri tidak memiliki kontrol akan dirinya, selain rentan akan tekanan agen penyalur PRT mereka minim pemahaman perlindungan oleh negara. Keluarganyapun tidak mengetahui tempat kerja PRT.

Disisi lain sebagai majikan, kesulitan sering timbul karena umumnya PRT masuk dunia kerja tanpa bekal keahlian apalagi perangkat elektronik RT semakin canggih. Pendidikan PRT yang rata-rata rendah menyulitkan diri mereka untuk menerima hal baru termasuk mempelajari etika kerja yang baik. Saat majikan tidakdi rumah, PRT bisa ngobrol berjam-jam menggunakan telpon atau menerima tamu seenaknya.

Pentingnya dilakukan pendampingan dan pemberdayaan bagi kedua belah pihak, baik bagi majikan (umumnya perempuan sebagai pengambil keputusan) dan buruh/pekerja perempuan. Bagi PRT perlu dilakukan pembelajaran dan pengembangan pola hubungan seimbangantara PRT dan majikan. Hubungan partnership dialogis perlu dicapai agar kedua belah pihak saling membutuhkan dan saling belajar dalam membentuk hubungan kerja. Di satu sisi majikan ingin mendapatkan PRT yang cakapdan terampil, disisi lain PRT juga bisa mendapatkan hak dan perlindungan kerja yang layak.

Di samping itu, kalau kita ingin memberdayakan PRT,tentunya kita berharap setelah sekian lama nantinya sang PRT tidak menjadi PRT lagi, tetapi bisa memilikikehidupan yang lebih layak di kemudian hari. Maka juga dipikirkan bagaimana perempuan muda ini akan menghadapi kehidupan selanjutnya sebagai ibu,yang kemungkinan besar tidaklagi menjadi PRT.

Hubungan partnership dialogis perlu dipelihara dan dimulai. Awalnya sulit memang, tetapi pasti bisa kalau memang kita ingin memberdayakan perempuan PRT sendiri. Mulailah dengan menyepakati jam kerja dan tugasnya, termasuk belajar untuk memberikan hari libur bagi PRT. Bisa dimulai 2 hari sebulan kalau belum bisa sehari seminggu. Kita perlu libatkan juga anggota keluarga lain untuk mengambil bagian nya sendiri. Tidak memerlukan bantuan PRT di atas pk 18. Atau pilihlah PRT yang tidak menginap, hanya datang siang hari sehingga jam kerjanya pun lebih jelas.

Saya sempat mengenal beberapa wanita expat yang sungguh sedih meninggalkan Indonesia. Kenapa? Mereka sudah dimanjakan dengan melimpahnya PRT yang melayani kebutuhannya sehari-hari. Di Indonesia mereka bisa memiliki 3 PRT hanya untuk mengurus 2 orang majikan dan mungkin hewan peliharaan, itupun masih ditambah satpam,supir dan tukang kebun, Begitu mereka kembali ke negaranya, well... baliklah ke bilik apartemen yang terbatas luasnya. Malas juga punya apartemen besar kalau semua pekerjaan rumah harus dikerjakan sendirian.

Gaya hidup perkotaan telah membuat kita terlena dengan adanya jasa PRT sehingga kita lupa bahwa mereka pun manusia yang perlu diperhatikan dan dihargai haknya. Walaupun mungkin para PRT ini hanya sekolah sampai SMP, siapa tahu dengan bimbingan anda mereka bisa menabung dengan membeli kambing di kampung daripada membeli pulsa untuk berhahahihi. Marilah mulai memperlakukan perempuan PRT yang ada di sekitar kita, paling tidak agar para perempuan muda ini memiliki kepercayaan diri untuk berani keluar dari ketidakberdayaannya. Semoga di bulan kemerdekaan ini pun kita tidak mengambil hak dari para perempuan PRT yang menggantungkan kehidupannya pada kita.

PRT asal Indonesia tersebut dituduh memukuli majikannya, nenek berusia 87 tahun. Kejadian itu terungkap dalam bukti video CCTV yang dipasang di rumah kawasan Petailing Jaya tersebut.

Jubir Deplu Teuku Faizasyah mengemukakan, pihaknya mengonfirmasikan kejadian tersebut dan menjalankan prosedur konsuler. Yakni, melakukan pendampingan dan bantuan hukum.

''KBRI kita di Kuala Lumpur akan memberikan jasa-jasa kekonsuleran, termasuk pendampingan dan bantuan hukum,'' ujarnya di Jakarta kemarin (13/8).

Dia belum mendapatkan informasi yang jelas mengenai identitas maupun data WNI tersebut. Sebab, yang bersangkutan masih dalam pemeriksaan aparat kepolisian Malaysia. ''Kami akan cek dulu hal-hal tersebut,'' ungkapnya.

Pelaku yang dirahasiakan identitasnya itu bisa diancam hukuman penjara maksimum 7 tahun dan denda. Pendalaman tentang motif kasus tersebut perlu dilakukan. Sebab, berdasar informasi yang diperoleh Migrant Care, pemukulan yang terjadi merupakan aksi balasan. Sebelumnya, PRT asal Indonesia itu sering dipukuli.

Direktur Migrant Care Anis Hidayah memaparkan, kasus tersebut dilatarbelakangi perlakuan yang tidak baik yang dilakukan majikannya. ''Selama bekerja, dia sering dipukul. Kesalahan sepele membuat marah majikannya,'' lanjutnya.

Migrant Care mendapatkan informasi tentang kasus tersebut dua hari lalu. Mereka lantas menghubungi KBRI untuk meminta keterangan lebih lanjut tentang pembantu RI yang kini ditahan polisi Malaysia itu. Anis mengingatkan agar kasus tersebut diberitakan secara objektif.

Dia berharap, pembantu RI tersebut tidak diposisikan sebagai kriminal. ''KBRI harus membela dan menempatkan kasus tersebut secara proporsional. PRT itu korban, ini akibat buruknya hukum di Malaysia yang tidak pernah adil terhadap WNI kita yang menjadi pembantu,'' tegasnya.

Nenek berusia 87 tahun ditemukan menantu perempuannya yang datang untuk melihat kondisinya. Sejak putranya pergi ke luar negeri, korban tinggal berdua saja dengan pembantu asal Indonesia.

Saat ditemukan, nenek tersebut terbaring di lantai dalam keadaan pingsan dan tubuhnya memar-memar. Korban segera dilarikan ke rumah sakit. Esoknya, menantu korban kembali ke rumah untuk memeriksa rekaman CCTV yang dipasang tersembunyi di rumah itu. Dalam rekaman CCTV terlihat jelas bahwa pelaku pemukulan adalah seorang wanita Indonesia berusia 24 tahun. (Jawa Pos)

Mascaró Cine Americano, tiene el agrado de comunicar que del 7 al 20 de agosto del presente año, realizará en el Complejo Tita Merello (Suipacha 442 – Buenos Aires), el estreno de la tercera y última parte del documental "GAVIOTAS BLINDADAS, HISTORIAS DEL PRT-ERP". Asimismo, se exhibirá una retrospectiva de nuestras películas y las recientemente estrenadas "MALVINAS, 25 AÑOS DE SILENCIO" de Myriam Angueira y "AUNQUE ME CUESTE LA VIDA" de Silvia Maturana y Pablo Espejo.

GAVIOTAS BLINDADAS es un proyecto de investigación documental que nació en el año 2002 y que narra la historia del PRT (Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores) y su brazo armado, el ERP (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo). Debido a la gran cantidad de entrevistas realizadas y archivos recuperados y por otro lado, la intensidad de la trayectoria del PRT-ERP, ligada en forma inevitable con la historia del país, es que decidimos dividir el documental en 3 largometrajes. La primera parte (1961-1973) y la segunda parte (1973-1976) fueron estrenadas en 2006 y 2007 respectivamente en el cine Gaumont, en el marco del Festival de Derechos Humanos.

En esta tercera y última parte, GAVIOTAS BLINDADAS muestra las distintas formas de resistencia a la última dictadura militar en Argentina y la participación internacionalista de los militantes del PRT-ERP (Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores – Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo) en la Revolución Nicaragüense.

Cuando se aborda este período histórico, muchas veces se olvidan las variadas luchas que se libraron después de marzo de 1976: la resistencia armada, que atentó contra Videla y sus ministros; la resistencia y organización obrera en las fábricas; la dignidad de los prisioneros en las cárceles y los campos de concentración; los que salieron del país y denunciaron al mundo el genocidio planificado contra todo el pueblo argentino, acompañando a las Madres de Plaza de Mayo, que hacían lo propio, marchando en sus rondas frente a las puertas mismas del poder.

En esos años, el PRT-ERP también siguió forjando su historia, con la creación de las escuelas de formación política en Europa y la participación internacionalista de un contingente de hombres y mujeres que fueron a luchar a Nicaragua contra la Dictadura de Anastacio Somoza, al mando del Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) y el posterior triunfo de la Revolución Nicaragüense.

GAVIOTAS BLINDADAS constituye un documento histórico que acerca a las generaciones actuales y futuras la más grande experiencia de un partido revolucionario en la Argentina, con la estrategia de luchar para arrebatarle el poder a la burguesía y cambiar las estructuras políticas, sociales, culturales, económicas y morales.

La proyección de Gaviotas Blindadas parte 1,2,3 se dara espacio en el complejo Tita Merello desde el 7 de agosto hasta el 20 de agosto.

MÁS INFORMACIÓN: http://www.mascarocine.org // http://www.gaviotasblindadas.org

Prensa: Laura Lagar 151551239697 // 4862-6579 // mascarocine@gmail.com

Avance de Gaviotas Blindadas 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrhc-LMoOyM

We arrived in Herat today -- the largest city in Western region of Afghanistan, not far from the Iranian border -- where we met with the Regional Command West (RCWest), the regional headquarters for ISAF. RCWest has been trying to use money from the Post-Operations Humanitarian Relief Fund [read our recent press release] to get emergency relief to different areas of the province that are suffering the effects of recent and ongoing operations. We also met with the Italian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), which head up medium- to long-term development and reconstruction projects for the province. It was striking how dedicated and involved these CIMIC (Civil Military Coordinators) were in finding ways for the international forces to bring emergency relief, stabilization and reconstruction support to the Western region.

In complete and tragic contrast, though, I then ended my day by meeting several survivors of the July 17 US bomb strike on the Zerkoh community of Shindand province. The site of the bombing is still too insecure to know the final damage toll – residents I interviewed said that military forces still prevented them from returning to see the damage to their homes and communities. Initial estimates, though, suggest as many as 50 civilians may have been killed. The same community was hit in April 2007 by US air strikes, killing an estimated 59 civilians, injuring 62, and destroying or severely damaging an estimated 110 houses.

Civilian losses like these in one stroke can undo all the good intentions of the CIMIC teams at RCWest or the PRTs. I asked one of the civilian survivors what his impression was of international forces after the recent bombing of his community, "I used to think that [the international forces] would not use force on civilian people. Now I see that it has changed. They are killing all people; they don't care if it is civilians or the bad guys. They think all Afghans are the same. They see it all from the same lens."

JAKARTA, KAMIS-Istri seorang dokter spesialis anak, Renata Tan (49), tega menyiksa Septiana Maulina alias Lina, gadis yang bekerja di rumahnya, secara keji hingga tewas. Renata secara membabi buta memukuli, menjambak, dan membenturkan kepala Lina ke lantai.

Peristiwa tragis itu terjadi di rumah Renata di perumahan elit Kedoya Garden, Kedoya Selatan, Kebonjeruk, Jakarta Barat, Selasa (22/7) pagi. Tanpa alasan yang jelas, ibu tiga anak tersebut menyiksa Septiana Maulina alias Lina (l6), satu dari tiga wanita pembantu rumah tangga (PRT) yang bekerja di rumahnya.

Peristiwa yang menimpa Lina merupakan aksi kedua Renata. Pada tahun 1996, Renata juga menyiksa hingga tewas wanita pembantunya. Renata diajukan ke sidang namun hakim membebaskan wanita itu dari segala tuntutan karena Renata dianggap berkepribadian ganda atau tidak bisa dimintai tanggung jawab atas perbuatannya.
Nahas yang dialami Lina berawal pada Selasa sekitar pukul 05.30. Saat itu, Lina sedang mengepel lantai dua rumah majikannya. Belum diketahui penyebabnya, Renata memukuli gadis asal Purwokerto, Jawa Tengah, itu dengan sebatang rotan. Jeritan minta ampun Lina tak membuat Renata menghentikan perbuatannya.

Dua PRT yang juga bekerja di rumah itu, Satini dan Anisa Dwi Jayanti, segera naik ke lantai dua ketika mendengar Lina menjerit jerit. Keduanya. mendapati Renata menjambak dan membentur-benturkan kepala Lina ke lantai. "Kami tak bisa melakukan apa pun karena kami takut," ujar Satini di Mapolrestro Jakarta Barat, Rabu (23/7).

Apalagi, sehari sebelumnya Satini pun dipukuli oleh Renata, juga tanpa alasan yang jelas. Penganiayaan itu membuat Satini luka parah hingga sempat diobati di rumah sakit.

Air panas

Aksi Renata membuat Lina bersimbah darah dan tak sadarkan diri. Lalu, Renata menyeret Lina ke lantai satu lewat tangga. "Sesampainya di bawah, Renata menyiramkan air panas ke tubuh Lina," kata Satini.

Renata lantas menyuruh Anisa dan Satini membersihkan ceceran darah di lantai dua. Selesai mengerjakan tugas itu, Satini dan Anisa turun ke lantai satu dan menghampiri Lina yang tergeletak di lantai. "Kami mencoba membangunkan Lina, tapi diomeli nyonya," kata Satini.

Menurut Renata, kata Satini, Lina hanya pura-pura tidur. "Sudan diam kalian! Dia pasti kecapean, pura-pura tidur," kata Renata seperti ditirukan Satini.

Satu jam kemudian, Renata menghubungi Ronald yang merupakan guru les anak-anak Renata. Ronald juga merupakan majikan Wartinah, ibunda Lina. Ronald tinggal di Kalideres, Jakarta Barat.

Saat itu, Renata minta Ronald memeriksa Lina yang katanya belum kunjung siuman akibat jatuh dari tangga. Menurut Satini, Ronald tiba di rumah Renata pada Selasa sore. Setelah memeriksa Lina, dia menyarankan Lina dibawa ke RSCM. Renata lantas meminta Marudi, sopir keluarga Renata, mengantar ke RSCM. Renata ikut di mobil itu.

Renata dan Lina tiba di RSCM sekitar pukul 21.00. Dokter yang memeriksa Lina menyatakan gadis tersebut meninggal beberapa jam sebelum dibawa ke RSCM.

Menurut Satini, malam itu juga Renata mengancam agar ia dan Anisa tutup mulut. Dia meminta agar Satini dan Anisa mengatakan Lina meninggal karena jatuh dari loteng. Namun, diam-diam, kedua wanita sedaerah asal dengan Lina tersebut melapor ke polisi. Kapolrestro Jakarta Barat Kombes Iza Fadri mengatakan, pada tahun 1996 Renata ditangkap polisi atas dugaan menganiaya pembantunya hingga tewas. "Di persidangan hakim memutuskan Renata terkena gangguan jiwa dan harus dirawat di rumah sakit jiwa," katanya.

Saat itu, kata Iza, saksi ahli di sidang menyatakan Renata berkepribadian ganda. "Setelah melakukan pembunuhan, Renata mengaku tidak tahu dan lupa," kata Iza. Dengan kata lain, pembunuhan tersebut dilakukan oleh pribadi lain di tubuh Renata.

Menurut Iza, Renata mengaku menyiksa Lina karena gadis itu kerap berkelahi dengan pembantu yang lain. Iza juga mengatakan Renata akan dikirim ke Rutan Wanita Pondokbambu.

Sementara itu, Yani, suami Renata, mengaku tidak tahu perbuatan keji yang dilakukan istrinya. Menurut Yani, selama ini istrinya normal.

Sedangkan Satini dan Anisa mengaku, selama bekerja di rumah Renata mereka kerap dipukul Renata. Bahkan Renata juga membatasi jatah makan mereka. "Kami juga dilarang untuk keluar dan bertemu orang lain," kata Satini. Adapun Lina sudah sembilan bulan bekerja di rumah Renata. (Warta Kota/tos)

Kompas

Captain Brian Erickson, ein A-10-„Thunderbolt-II“-Pilot der US Luftwaffe, kam am 16. Oktober 2006 den Soldaten eines deutschen Provincial Reconstruction Teams zu Hilfe, dass durch Maschinengewehr-, Gewehr- und Granatwerfer-Feuer Aufständischer niedergehalten wurde. Da die Infrarot-Signatur der Granatwerferabschüsse sein Nachtsichtgerät blendete, setzte Cpt. Erickson pyrotechnische Leuchtkörper ein, die eigentlich zur Täuschung von Flugabwehrraketen vorgesehen sind, um die Stellungen der Aufständischen auszuleuchten. Mit Hilfe seines Flügelmannes konnte er nach erfolgreicher Zielaufklärung die Aufständischen mit der GAU-8 Kanone seines „Warzenschweins“ vernichten.

Für den Mut und Einfallsreichtum, mit dem er diesen Einsatz erfolgreich für sich entschied, erhielt Captain Brian Erickson jetzt das Distinguished Flying Cross. Eine angemessene Auszeichnung von deutscher Seite kann er nicht erhalten, weil es keine gibt. Die Debatte beschränkt sich im wesentlichen auf einen Streit ob eine eventuelle Tapferkeitsmedaille der Bundeswehr in der Tradition des Eisernen Kreuzes stehen darf.

via Danger Room

I hate cars. I'll make no bones about it. From as early as I can remember I have hated cars. I hated my parents' VW minibus, rattling and rusting its way through our summer vacations. I hated much more the Pontiac my dad bought after that, and I hated the Toyotas they became addicted to through the 80s. For a brief while I had a soft spot for a 1984 Diesel Rabbit until it overheated and left me stranded on I-95 north of Portland, Maine (and I hear Jackson Browne singing...)

But what I really hate about cars is how they divided up my world as a child. Busy streets are the primary danger and barrier in the daily life of small children. I hated having to wait and worry about traffic on the busy streets in my town. I hated having to get a ride with my parents because there was no other way to get around. I hated speed limits, speeding tickets, gas stations, highway cops, insurance, accidents. I hated pavement, which never stops spreading.

I still hate all those things, and as a parent I hate having to worry about my kids running into the street. If it weren't for cars on the road, it would be just like Little House on the Praire, with children running free everywhere from a young age. Okay, maybe those days weren't perfect, but at least people didn't have to worry all the time about keeing their kids safe from being hit by cars. Most people these days solve this problem by keeping their kids indoors or in their own car at all times. Naturally the kids hate this, and demand to be let out. A constant barrage of video entertainment and addicting snack foods are required to keep the little explorers aenesthetized. (see Last Child in the Woods...)

Actually, when it comes right down to it, we all hate cars. Ever notice that in the World of Warcraft or Second Life people don't have to stop every 2 minutes to wait for cars to go by? A nice world where you'd really want to spend a lot of time is one with no cars. In fact the presence of cars, and especially the dominating presence of them, is almost always used in science fiction to emphasize the dystopian nature of the milieu; a future with lots of cars is a dirty, nasty, cruel future.

Everything I can imagine about a world without cars is good. The main thing is, more space. Over 1/4 of most cities is devoted to roads and parking. Imagine if 90% of that could be turned green. Imagine rabbits and squirrels and deer and songbirds in cities. Imagine walking, biking, or taking public transportation to get around. Imagine instead of cars, cars everywhere, green, green everywhere. We could have it, right now, if we wanted it. It would save us gobs of money. We would actually be wealthier, healthier, and probably a great deal happier without them. So why do we have them?

Mostly, I'd say, inertia. The myth that we can't do public transportation because Americans won't support public subsidy for transportation don't wash. For much less than the cost of building all of our roads, we could build fantastic public transportation networks. So it's not the problem of raising public funds for transportation. Most people who really want to move transportation forward (see Advanced Transit Association, for example) point the finger at the resistance of the government, not of ordinary citizens. When given a choice between 6 lanes of highway and 5 lanes of highway plus a fast, cheap public transportation line, the general public is rather interested in the public transportation. But the public officials are stuck.

They're stuck because they are afraid. They know that if they just build more roads, no matter how much they cost, the public will give them a break. If they build a road that nobody is using, more land is zoned for development along the new empty road, Walmart and Home Depot come in, and whoosh - in comes the traffic. Everyone's happy. No matter how much money was wasted. Most of all, the contractors that build the highways are happy, and their happiness has a funny way of making politicians like them.

So nobody seems to get any flak for wasting $100 million on a useless road. Now look at public transportation. Suppose the city funds a new rail line that costs $100 million, and hardly anybody uses it. Suddenly they're thrown to the wolves - they're out of touch, they're wasting taxpayer money, blah blah. It's humiliations galore. The fad of building downtown Automated People Movers in the 80s (Detroit, Miami, etc.) died out pretty fast when mayors were blamed for building something that ran only in a loop and only moved people between a few downtown buildings, and seemed to be aimed mainly at keeping the rich from sharing sidewalks with panhandlers.

But, my friends (oops, I let that horrible McCainism slip!), we're not really thinking straight about transportation in the first place. I'm going to post my next few entries about different aspects of transportation, and I want to think through the whole transportation problem in our society, and see what kind of solution might really be possible. If we start from the most basic physics and economic priniciples underlying the transportation problem, ideas that we can all agree on, then I believe that we can design a whole variety of transportation systems that would be cheaper, faster, better, cleaner, safer, more convenient, and better for the environment than anything that's been built to date. That's not really a tall order when one considers how incredibly dirty, expensive, slow, nasty, inconvenient and environmentally disastrous our transportation is now!

(Note: If you can't wait for more posts and want to know where I'm going with this, check out this ppt presentation.)

But give me a moment to redeem myself - I'm not a hater, I'm a lover. My hatred of cars is just my love of green, open spaces, forests, meadows, mountains, rivers, bogs, pricker bushes, burrs, mosquitoes, bears, raccoons, everything I remember fondly from my childhood - walking through the dark woods in the moonlight at summer camp or at my parent's cabin on a lake - sitting among the wildflowers on a mountain hillside in the Rocky Mountains somewhere, staring at the clouds and snow fields and seeing a tiny trail winding up the mountainside as the only hint of human habitation. I want for my children a world that is blooming with variety and growth, where pavement is buried in wildflowers and frost heaves and tree roots crumble highways and streets into rubble, where you don't have to go to the zoo to see interesting animals, but only take a walk outside your door.

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (June 30, 2008) – Sixty Afghan men were trained by the Kunar provincial reconstruction team recently to become part of the Afghan national auxiliary police force in Kunar province, Afghanistan. The police training and advisory team program was developed as a training-and-mentoring program for the police force. The three-week course, conducted at Camp Wright, near Asadabad, is the only one of its kind in Kunar province. The trainees come from every district in the province and are housed at the Asadabad police headquarters during their training.

“Many of the police trainees arrive at the ANAP course with poor discipline.” said Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos A. Ramirez, Kunar PRT. “We teach them discipline through repetitive activities and specially-designed physical exercise.” After physical exercise, the trainees attend classroom training led by one of the three Afghan police officer instructors whom are attached to the program. Trainees learn traffic accident investigation, weapons familiarization, domestic violence investigation, vehicle searches, community policing, explosives detection, the penal code, baton training, hand cuffing and a variety other law enforcement skills.

“I think it’s good to have our three Afghan teachers leading the lecture part of the training because they speak the Pashto language and about half of the trainees speak very little English,” said Seaman Brian L. Boyd Jr., Kunar PRT. The military staff of the police training and advisory team, assisted by four interpreters, teaches practical hands-on training in the afternoon. “Initially the trainees are reserved, due to the fact that for many, this is their first interaction with Coalition forces,” said Boyd. “Midway through the class they interact more with us. By graduation many of us are good friends. If we maintain this program, Afghanistan will improve because these trainees want to become ANP and truly want their country to succeed.”

The goal of coalition forces is to have Afghanistan secure and govern itself. A big issue in Kunar province is security and the police play a huge role towards accomplishing that goal. The advisory team contributes to that effort by providing the ANAP and ANP with a steady pool of well-trained police officers who are ready to serve their country. A typical ANAP candidate, 36-year-old Ali hails from the Shigal District. He is married and has seven children. Ali is eager to complete the training and eventually get hired as [an] ANP at the end of his three-year ANAP contract. He has a positive attitude towards the coalition forces and understands they are here to help him rebuild his country.

Another role of the police training advisory team is mentoring police chiefs. “We go to every district and survey the police station, meet with the police chief and ascertain their needs,” said Ramirez. “Whether it be facility improvements, more staff or equipment, the (advisory team) mentors and shows police chiefs how to properly coordinate assistance with other agencies for help [to] run their stations. In some cases (the advisory team) provides assistance with building upgrades and repairs. To date, (the advisory team) has trained 290 ANAP with 90 police candidates currently enrolled.”

An police trainee handcuffs Petty Officer 2nd Class Jovener R. Mironchik while Seaman Brian L. Boyd Jr. watches during a training session with Afghan national auxiliary police students at a training facility near Asadabad.

Source: CENTCOM.

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can.

Working with text

If you're working with text, and a text editing program, allmost all of them has a "autosave" funktion. Try googling it, and you'll find lots of different ways to different programs of activating it.
If you're in the problem now, and don't have time, try the screenshot. The prt sc, or print screen button, automaticly saves the image of your screen, and makes it avaible for later use. You can just open ms paint, press Ctrl+V and there you go, a lot of your items are back, all you need to do is write them back. On many stationary computers prt sc is a seprat button, but on many laptops, it isn't. In many laptops, you have to find the prt sc printed on a button, hold down the "FN" button like so - FN + prt sc. There you go!

Working with images

Well, this is more tricky. I'm assuming that your using a bit of a advanced program, because if it was just in ms paint, you did not want it to be restored that badly. You can try the print screen way, as described above,
or then check if you have a previous backup, if not, i think your pretty screwed.

DEU Ackermann, Josef Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive Committee, Deutsche Bank AG
CAN Adams, John Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the Communications Security Establishment Canada
USA Ajami, Fouad Director, Middle East Studies Program, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University
USA Alexander, Keith B. Director, National Security Agency
INT Almunia, Joaquín Commissioner, European Commission
GRC Alogoskoufis, George Minister of Economy and Finance
USA Altman, Roger C. Chairman, Evercore Partners Inc.

TUR Babacan, Ali Minister of Foreign Affairs
NLD Balkenende, Jan Peter Prime Minister
PRT Balsemão, Francisco Pinto Chairman and CEO, IMPRESA, S.G.P.S.; Former Prime Minister
FRA Baverez, Nicolas Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
ITA Bernabè, Franco CEO, Telecom Italia Spa
USA Bernanke, Ben S. Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System
SWE Bildt, Carl Minister of Foreign Affairs
FIN Blåfield, Antti Senior Editorial Writer, Helsingin Sanomat
DNK Bosse, Stine CEO, TrygVesta
CAN Brodie, Ian Chief of Staff, Prime Minister’s Office
AUT Bronner, Oscar Publisher and Editor, Der Standard

FRA Castries, Henri de Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, AXA
ESP Cebrián, Juan Luis CEO, PRISA
CAN Clark, Edmund President and CEO, TD Bank Financial Group
GBR Clarke, Kenneth Member of Parliament
NOR Clemet, Kristin Managing Director, Civita
USA Collins, Timothy C. Senior Managing Director and CEO, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC
FRA Collomb, Bertrand Honorary Chairman, Lafarge
PRT Costa, António Mayor of Lisbon
USA Crocker, Chester A. James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies

USA Daschle, Thomas A. Former US Senator and Senate Majority Leader
CAN Desmarais, Jr., Paul Chairman and co-CEO, Power Corporation of Canada
GRC Diamantopoulou, Anna Member of Parliament
USA Donilon, Thomas E. Partner, O’Melveny & Myers
ITA Draghi, Mario Governor, Banca d’Italia

AUT Ederer, Brigitte CEO, Siemens AG Österreich
CAN Edwards, N. Murray Vice Chairman, Candian Natural Resources Limited
DNK Eldrup, Anders President, DONG A/S
ITA Elkann, John Vice Chairman, Fiat S.p.A.

USA Farah, Martha J. Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience; Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
USA Feldstein, Martin S. President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research
DEU Fischer, Joschka Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Ford, Jr., Harold E. Vice Chairman, Merill Lynch & Co., Inc.
CHE Forstmoser, Peter Professor for Civil, Corporation and Capital Markets Law, University of Zürich

IRL Gallagher, Paul Attorney General
USA Geithner, Timothy F. President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
USA Gigot, Paul Editorial Page Editor, The Wall Street Journal
IRL Gleeson, Dermot Chairman, AIB Group
NLD Goddijn, Harold CEO, TomTom
TUR Gögüs, Zeynep Journalist; Founder, EurActiv.com.tr
USA Graham, Donald E. Chairman and CEO, The Washington Post Company

NLD Halberstadt, Victor Professor of Economics, Leiden University; Former Honorary Secretary General of Bilderberg Meetings
USA Holbrooke, Richard C. Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC
FIN Honkapohja, Seppo Member of the Board, Bank of Finland
INT Hoop Scheffer, Jaap G. de Secretary General, NATO
USA Hubbard, Allan B. Chairman, E & A Industries, Inc.
BEL Huyghebaert, Jan Chairman of the Board of Directors, KBC Group

DEU Ischinger, Wolfgang Former Ambassador to the UK and US

USA Jacobs, Kenneth Deputy Chairman, Head of Lazard U.S., Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
USA Johnson, James A. Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC (Obama’s man tasked with selecting his running mate)
SWE Johnstone, Tom President and CEO, AB SKF
USA Jordan, Jr., Vernon E. Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
FRA Jouyet, Jean-Pierre Minister of European Affairs

GBR Kerr, John Member, House of Lords; Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc.
USA Kissinger, Henry A. Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.
DEU Klaeden, Eckart von Foreign Policy Spokesman, CDU/CSU
USA Kleinfeld, Klaus President and COO, Alcoa
TUR Koç, Mustafa Chairman, Koç Holding A.S.
FRA Kodmani, Bassma Director, Arab Reform Initiative
USA Kravis, Henry R. Founding Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
USA Kravis, Marie-Josée Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc.
INT Kroes, Neelie Commissioner, European Commission
POL Kwasniewski, Aleksander Former President

AUT Leitner, Wolfgang CEO, Andritz AG
ESP León Gross, Bernardino Secretary General, Office of the Prime Minister

INT Mandelson, Peter Commissioner, European Commission
FRA Margerie, Christophe de CEO, Total
CAN Martin, Roger Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
HUN Martonyi, János Professor of International Trade Law; Partner, Baker & McKenzie; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Mathews, Jessica T. President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
INT McCreevy, Charlie Commissioner, European Commission
USA McDonough, William J. Vice Chairman and Special Advisor to the Chairman, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
CAN McKenna, Frank Deputy Chair, TD Bank Financial Group
GBR McKillop, Tom Chairman, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
FRA Montbrial, Thierry de President, French Institute for International Relations
ITA Monti, Mario President, Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi
USA Mundie, Craig J. Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft Corporation
NOR Myklebust, Egil Former Chairman of the Board of Directors SAS, Norsk Hydro ASA

DEU Nass, Matthias Deputy Editor, Die Zeit
NLD Netherlands, H.M. the Queen of the

FRA Ockrent, Christine CEO, French television and radio world service
FIN Ollila, Jorma Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
SWE Olofsson, Maud Minister of Enterprise and Energy; Deputy Prime Minister
NLD Orange, H.R.H. the Prince of
GBR Osborne, George Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
TUR Öztrak, Faik Member of Parliament

ITA Padoa-Schioppa, Tommaso Former Minister of Finance; President of Notre Europe
GRC Papahelas, Alexis Journalist, Kathimerini
GRC Papalexopoulos, Dimitris CEO, Titan Cement Co. S.A.
USA Paulson, Jr., Henry M. Secretary of the Treasury
USA Pearl, Frank H. Chairman and CEO, Perseus, LLC
USA Perle, Richard N. Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
FRA Pérol, François Deputy General Secretary in charge of Economic Affairs
DEU Perthes, Volker Director, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
BEL Philippe, H.R.H. Prince
CAN Prichard, J. Robert S. President and CEO, Torstar Corporation

CAN Reisman, Heather M. Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc.
USA Rice, Condoleezza Secretary of State
PRT Rio, Rui Mayor of Porto
USA Rockefeller, David Former Chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank
ESP Rodriguez Inciarte, Matias Executive Vice Chairman, Grupo Santander
USA Rose, Charlie Producer, Rose Communications
DNK Rose, Flemming Editor, Jyllands Posten
USA Ross, Dennis B. Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
USA Rubin, Barnett R. Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center for International Cooperation, New York University

TUR Sahenk, Ferit Chairman, Dogus Holding A.S.
USA Sanford, Mark Governor of South Carolina
USA Schmidt, Eric Chairman of the Executive Committee and CEO, Google
AUT Scholten, Rudolf Member of the Board of Executive Directors, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG
DNK Schur, Fritz H. Fritz Schur Gruppen
CZE Schwarzenberg, Karel Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Sebelius, Kathleen Governor of Kansas
USA Shultz, George P. Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
ESP Spain, H.M. the Queen of
CHE Spillmann, Markus Editor-in-Chief and Head Managing Board, Neue Zürcher Zeitung AG
USA Summers, Lawrence H. Charles W. Eliot Professor, Harvard University

GBR Taylor, J. Martin Chairman, Syngenta International AG
USA Thiel, Peter A. President, Clarium Capital Management, LLC
NLD Timmermans, Frans Minister of European Affairs
RUS Trenin, Dmitri V. Deputy Director and Senior Associate, Carnegie Moscow Center
INT Trichet, Jean-Claude President, European Central Bank

USA Vakil, Sanam Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
FRA Valls, Manuel Member of Parliament
GRC Varvitsiotis, Thomas Co-Founder and President, V + O Communication
CHE Vasella, Daniel L. Chairman and CEO, Novartis AG
FIN Väyrynen, Raimo Director, The Finnish Institute of International Affairs
FRA Védrine, Hubert Hubert Védrine Conseil
NOR Vollebaek, Knut High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE

SWE Wallenberg, Jacob Chairman, Investor AB
USA Weber, J. Vin CEO, Clark & Weinstock
USA Wolfensohn, James D. Chairman, Wolfensohn & Company, LLC
USA Wolfowitz, Paul Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

INT Zoellick, Robert B. President, The World Bank Group

Rapporteurs

GBR Bredow, Vendeline von Business Correspondent, The Economist
GBR Wooldridge, Adrian D. Foreign Correspondent, The Economist

AUT Austria HUN Hungary
BEL Belgium INT International
CHE Switzerland IRL Ireland
CAN Canada ITA Italy
CZE Czech Republic NOR Norway
DEU Germany NLD Netherlands
DNK Denmark PRT Portugal
ESP Spain POL Poland
FRA France RUS Russia
FIN Finland SWE Sweden
GBR Great Britain TUR Turkey
GRC Greece USA United States of America

But, in actuality, we don’t HAVE TO have better batteries to build the infrastructure for a livable, sustainable society. Sure it's going to be nice but we should spread out our electricity-driven transport investments and development efforts. Before transport planners and consumers gave themselves over completely to fossil-fueled transport, we used to build electrified rights of way for trains and trolleybuses, which now look all the more attractive in an era of rising petroleum costs. Using electrical energy from the grid to power moving vehicles is an established technology that has received too little notice in our efforts to exactly reproduce the conveniences of the now closing fossil fuel era.

Thus, while better batteries are going to continue to be developed, on-grid and grid-optional vehicles will be a key component of a petroleum-free, carbon-neutral transport system. Grid-powered vehicles are already a mature technology so no breakthroughs are required. Thus, if we are serious about getting off petroleum and cutting our carbon emissions, developing a system of transport attached to a grid increasingly fueled by renewable energy sources can function as a “parachute” until more compact, durable and cheaper systems of mobile electrical energy storage can be developed.

On-Grid Transport and Renewable Energy

Transport of people and goods is now precariously dependent upon the output from oil fields and to a lesser extent natural gas deposits, which contribute to climate change. Building out our existing transport infrastructure with tested and easily modified grid technologies, allows us to use the limitless energy of renewable energy sources to generate electricity and drive land-based transport starting today and extending into the indeterminate future. While there are drawbacks to tying transport to the grid, these disadvantages are dwarfed by the mounting problems and expense associated with oil-based transport fuels.

In addition, predicating our transport future solely on the development of mobile energy storage (batteries/ultracapacitors) is putting all our eggs in one, albeit a promising, basket. The batteries are here, sort of, but we have not yet mass-produced battery electric vehicles in quantities that we will require to address our transport needs. There is no question, on the other hand, that we have the technical capacity to build and use on-grid vehicles to address many of our transport needs with no breakthroughs and no exotic materials. On-grid vehicles are already doing much of the heavy lifting in the area of transport in many industrialized countries. Why for the sake of embracing the “latest” or the “new” should we turn our backs on success?

The more developed and economical battery or ultracapacitor technologies become, the less we would need to depend on on-grid vehicles. On the other hand, I don’t believe we are in a position right now to only choose one “perfect” seeming future solution to the massive climate and energy challenge facing us. The challenge is too great and there are multiple excellent alternatives that will enable us to move beyond fossil fuels.

Already, zero emission vehicle and energy systems are here and functioning, often without much fanfare. The trolleybuses and light rail system of San Francisco's Muni use hydroelectric power to power them. Calgary's C-train system (pictured above) buys wind-generated electricity to power its light rail cars. Other electric train systems may not draw power from such clean sources, but it is only a matter, then of building renewable generators and energy storage systems to power these systems as well.

Who’s Buying?

The publicity that battery developed and battery-dependent vehicles have generated relative to on-grid vehicles has a lot to do with the fact that we live in a society and economy that has been moved in the last 60 years towards individual and familial consumption and away from public infrastructure investment. In absolute terms, battery-based solutions deserve substantially more media attention than they get as, for example, the New York Times, the US “newspaper of record”, has been functioning essentially as a public relations arm for automakers marketing hydrogen vehicles. In the consumer market, powerful interests supporting biofuels and hydrogen fuel cells have overshadowed battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs/EREVs) in the media beauty contest to date. Still, in the world of electric transport, autonomous battery vehicles are the way that people prefer to imagine the future, as a battery electric vehicle, perhaps with quick-charge capability, will mimic what a fossil fueled vehicle would do.

If we rank the amount of media attention that the various electric transport alternatives receive, we put battery electric and PHEVs/EREVs first, then a distant second are new battery electric utility vehicles like trucks and, in last place, are electrified trains and trolleybuses, which, I suppose for the novelty-hungry press are considered “old hat”. This post, I hope will be one attempt to remedy this balance.

One element that reduces publicity for the on-grid alternative is that there are relatively few actual buyers for a massive transport infrastructure in even the best circumstances. Only governments or large private companies will invest in an electrified right of way for obvious monetary reasons as well as possess the legal right to build over or transform a route/road/railway of any length. There are also no giant companies that are yet significantly invested in building the electrical infrastructure, at least enough to suggest to the general public, governments or corporate buyers that this is an important solution for our energy and transport challenges.

While the existing grid-tied alternatives have not been fully brought into public consciousness, a fan-base exists for the sole new monorail-based technology called Personal Rapid Transit or PRT. Because of PRT’s newness and some other potential benefits, there are occasional articles that discuss this technology that will be installed at London’s Heathrow Airport to transport travelers to parking from Terminal 5.

Electrified Rail

The electrification of railways has for a century been the sign of the maturity of a rail route or railway system; the highest traffic routes in the world all tend to be electrified. If given the budget, most designers of rail systems would choose electrification over diesel. The electrification of a rail line costs more initially than simply building a non-electrified line but electric locomotives or "multiple unit" electric motorized trains (with motors in rail cars distributed throughout the train like many commuter trains and subways) are much longer lasting and energy efficient than train propulsion units that rely on internal combustion. Electric motors are simply more durable than internal combustion engines, which must endure millions of internal explosions throughout their lifespan. Electrification also allows for railways to use regenerative braking by returning electrical energy to the grid while braking; one train going down a hill can help power another train going up a hill. Electric locomotives are quieter, can be much more powerful, and, of course, do not emit any pollutants at the point of use.

Beyond the world of strictly electric locomotives there has been an interesting convergence of internal combustion engines and electric motors, that predated the recent convergence of these two types of traction in automobiles. Most fossil fueled locomotives are “diesel electric”, using a diesel generator to make electricity that drives the electric traction motors that turn the wheels. Some locomotives are “dual-mode” allowing the train to operate on either an electrified track or a nonelectrified track. Diesel electrics are the equivalent of a “serial hybrid vehicle,” while less common dual-mode locomotives are the equivalent of plug-in hybrids, using either a liquid energy carrier or electricity for locomotion.

There are two predominant systems for electrifying a railway: overhead wires and a third rail. Overhead wires are usually used for long-distance trains and for higher power applications while commuter and urban rail systems sometimes use the third rail. Other than higher voltages/power, overhead wires have the advantage of putting some distance between the electrical circuits and ground-based challenges including flooding or human interference. Third-rail systems are more compact and avoid the visual effect of overhead wires and towers over the railway. In the future, it may be possible to also use track-embedded linear induction motors that can propel railcars through the use of magnetic fields. An advantage of linear induction motors is that they would not pose the same electrocution danger as a third rail system, as electrical contacts are not exposed.

High speed rail, where trains travel in excess of 120 miles per hour (200 km/h) and as high as 200 miles/hour (320 km/h), can compete in terms of convenience and speed with airplane trips of up to 400 miles when all legs of a journey are considered. Europe and Japan now have fairly extensive high speed rail networks and there is now a proposal in California to build a high speed line from San Diego to San Francisco and Sacramento that at least theoretically could reach a maximum speed of 220 mph. High speed rail requires the building of special rail routes with very slight turns, low grades, smooth railbeds with welded rails. The fastest scheduled rail segment (of the French TGV) averages 173 mph (279 km/h) while the railed speed record also belongs to a specially prepared TGV that achieved 357 mph (574.8 km/h) in 2007 on an ordinary high speed route in France.

In America, where most areas are starting from a deficit of passenger rail options, the cachet of high speed rail projects may distract from building a functioning (electric) regional and commuter rail system where appropriate. With a wider dispersion of population such as in the West or between major business centers like New York and Chicago, high speed rail projects will be a more feasible and practical option. One could imagine, for instance a high speed line that ran from New York to Chicago with stops in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. On the other hand such a route would benefit from coordinated regional lines from surrounding cities, as well as a local train system. Because of the low friction of rails, ordinary express trains can maintain speeds of well over 100 mph on well maintained tracks which are fairly straight.

A systemic approach to rail is preferable to a sole focus on single marquee projects that advertise an intention but may overshadow equally useful regional and local rail projects. California’s High Speed Rail initiative is a good start but it is only the starting point for improving rail infrastructure in the West.

The electrification of trains does not in itself solve the multiple problems associated with transferring more people-moving and freight tasks from the roads onto rails. A railway can typically carry more freight or passengers per unit area than a road system yet a bi-directional dual track corridor is less flexible than a multilane highway, which can carry both passenger and freight vehicles. In the United States, railways are oriented mostly towards freight while in Europe, passenger rail predominates to the detriment of freight. As anyone who has traveled on Amtrak outside the Northeast knows, heavy freight and passenger traffic do not mix well on rails, so a stable solution would be to have separate passenger and freight tracks in most situations. High speed rail adds an additional set of tracks on routes where this is feasible. A high volume of rail traffic can also interfere with road traffic and interfere with surrounding communities unless grade separated and with pedestrian overpasses or underpasses.

Building more sets of rails, reviving existing rails, grade-separating road and rail and then electrifying those rails are all projects that require large public and/or private investment. The extent to which the United States or for that matter other advanced industrialized countries will pursue a strategy of pushing most transport onto rail will depend, in part on both the commitment to rails as well as a cost accounting of the alternatives and the need for immediate action on climate, energy and transport.

Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) Rail

While the land speed record for passenger rail is still held by the TGV, magnetic levitation rail holds out the possibility of trains that can cruise at a higher rate of speed than ordinary rail. While ordinary trains on well-maintained rails encounter very little friction as compared with wheeled transport on roads, magnetic levitation reduces to practically zero the friction of the train with the track by lifting the train up over the surface of a specially prepared track through the force of electromagnets that repel each other. It is not yet clear whether the additional expense and energy requirements of a maglev system have a significant enough advantage over a high speed rail system to warrant those one-time and on-going expenditures. The only maglev train in operation is a shuttle between Shanghai city center and Pudong airport, a 30 km (18 miles) trip that is covered in 7 minutes, 20 seconds, reaching at one point 267 miles per hour (421 km/hr). There is a controversial proposal that a maglev line be built between Disneyland in Anaheim California and Las Vegas, though such a project seems designed more as a tourist attraction than a replacement for either road or high volume air traffic. Maglev is yet another step into the realm of high profile newer technologies that while potentially promising, are even longer-term prospects than building a functioning rail network of any description.

New Electrified Urban and Commuter Rail

Even in the United States during the cheap fossil fuel era, some urban and commuter rail projects were built as a sign of urban revitalization and smart development efforts. While subways were usually built in the pre-1970 era of massive infrastructure projects, surface rail projects, sometimes called light rail have been built more recently in cities like Portland that were modeled on European street rail systems. These rail projects can operate both above and below ground, thereby blurring the distinction between subway and surface rail. Los Angeles’ Metro light rail system with underground and surface segments, which initially was considered by critics to be an expensive feel-good project, may start to become more useful to Angelenos as high oil prices start to take their toll.

While light rail is popular with commuters, there are controversies associated with it, including whether to grade-separate light rail from automobile traffic and pedestrians. While the initial selling point of light rail was its lesser expense than subways, grade separation adds considerable additional expense. A controversy in Los Angeles about a new line to the West Side, now splitting formerly allied transit advocates, illustrates some of the tough issues associated with the degree to which streetcars are integrated or separated from traffic.

The implementation of regional or suburban commuter rail on existing tracks would seem to be less expensive, though coordinating and balancing passenger traffic with freight traffic remains a challenge. The electrification of stretches of rail will require coordination between private freight companies that own the rights of way and the public agencies that now run US passenger rail.

Electrified Roadway Systems

Trolleybuses

Trolleybuses are one of the “sleeper” solutions to our climate and energy concerns in urban, suburban and even medium-sized towns. Almost any bus route can be turned into a trolleybus route with the installation of overhead wiring, making them substantially less expensive per mile to build than rail-based systems. Trolleybus systems were most popular in the middle of the 20^th century and remain particularly widespread in cities of Central and Eastern Europe. The advent of cheaper and more flexible diesel bus systems led to a decline in trolleybuses which of course require the greater initial capital expense. In the US, trolleybus systems are operating in San Francisco, Seattle, Dayton, and Boston. Dayton has used electric public transport for now almost 120 years continuously.

Trolleybuses are ordinary buses with an electric motor instead of a diesel engine and twin trolley poles on top that connect the bus to the electric grid. Because electric motors have greater torque than equivalent diesel engines trolleybuses are well suited for very hilly cities and are equally good at flat stretches with excellent acceleration and high power-to-weight ratio. Negatives for trolleybuses, as for all transport systems using overhead wires, are the visual appearance of wires and designing the system to enable buses to pass each other. Transit riders also prefer riding smoother railed systems and while trolleybuses avoid the smell of diesel buses still share the ride quality of other buses. Also trolley poles can come off the wires requiring manual or automatic pole replacement. As climate and energy concerns rise in importance, the drawbacks of trolleybuses start to seem trivial or mere technical challenges.

Bus-Rapid Transit and Trolleybuses

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a system that segregates bus traffic from other traffic, allowing buses to achieve average speeds closer to 20 mph including stops rather than the more typical 8 mph in regular traffic. BRT can be applied to any buses but if combined with Trolleybuses, BRT allows trolleybuses to achieve faster travel speeds through crowded urban and suburban streets than when intermingled with traffic. The much studied transit system of the Brazilian city of Curitiba makes extensive use of BRT.

Grid-Optional Road Vehicles

A very exciting area of growth despite little attention has been the development of “dual-mode” or hybrid road vehicles that can travel attached to the grid or can use a battery or diesel engine to travel independently of the grid for a few miles or many miles. Newer trolleybuses now have a battery pack that allows these buses to travel a few miles on battery power alone. Currently in operation in Boston is a dual mode diesel and electric trolleybus called the Silver Line, which travels from Logan Airport as a diesel bus then attaching within a minute to overhead wires to traverse a dedicated BRT/subway into the center city. While currently something of a novelty, this type of re-attachable vehicle will have a vast set of applications in a world of diminishing oil and rising climate concern. One can imagine long-distance trucks that take advantage of grid electricity on stretches of highway, detaching from the grid to make deliveries and then returning to use grid electricity on truck routes.

Electrified Highways

With grid-optional road vehicles that can detach and reattach to the grid either in staging areas or on the go comes the possibility for road-going dual mode trucks and buses to use the grid to travel long distances just as do trains but with greater flexibility. An electrified highway with overhead wires allows all-electric or dual-fuel large road-going vehicles to travel long distances without carrying large batteries. A challenge in such a set up would be maintaining voltage levels in such a wire as demand for power would be unscheduled unlike that experienced in a closed train or trolley system. The power management system as well as the attachment and reattachment devices for such vehicles would require some development and testing. Electrified highways could enable the continued usage to something approaching their capacity of existing highway infrastructure in tandem with railways in an era of ever more expensive fossil fuels.

Trolleytrucks

As suggested above, a trolley or pantograph can be mounted on any vehicle with a electric motor as a means to connect the vehicle to the grid for energy. Trolleytrucks have been used in urban delivery and in mining operations. If electric wires can be strung over or next to a field, tractors could use trolleys rather than batteries to do work in the fields. 18-wheelers and other long-distance trucks would be naturals for using a trolley, if catenary wires are strung over highways. An energy storage medium, either a battery or an electric generator using liquid fuel, an electric motor, and a trolley to tap into electric can allow any vehicle with tires to become a grid-optional vehicle.

Personal Rapid Transit

A new system of public transport has been under study for the last 20 years that seeks to combine the best of private vehicle use with public transport. Personal Rapid Transit or PRT uses advances in computer control and satellite navigation to create a system of automated 4-6 person lightweight vehicles or “pods” on an elevated or ground-based track that can be entered by passengers at a number of stations around a network-like system. Passengers then select a destination and the vehicle then takes them to the selected end-station. Personal rapid transit has, at least in theory, the potential to be one of the most energy efficient means of transporting people in suburban or dispersed urban areas, as vehicles are only activated and use energy when there is demand for them. By contrast scheduled mass transit can usually only achieve at best a load factor of 20-30%, meaning that on average 70-80% of seats are empty on buses, trams, and subways. Especially at off hours, mass transit will generally operate at low load factors.

By contrast PRT in theory offers the possibility for higher load factors and lower energy use, especially at off hours, as each “pod” might contain only 2 to 4 seats. PRT also offers the possibility for a variety of sizes of “pod” depending upon the size of the group, though this variety would add to the complexity of PRT stations. Theoretically PRT could approach a load factor of 50% and lower overall system energy use with 24 hour availability.

PRT however is a controversial concept as its advocates have often portrayed mass transit in pejorative terms that confirm the prejudices of individual vehicle owners that riding with strangers is a dangerous and unpleasant affair. In Austin, TX, advocates of a light rail system and those of a PRT system were diametrically opposed and highly critical of each others’ plans. The lack of experience especially with rush hour conditions make PRT plans seem at the moment more theory than practice. The idea that PRT would require a new system of suspended guideways at height of approximately 20 feet over ground might be more intrusive than the ground-level transit options it attempts to replace.

It may be that in a post fossil fuel age that mass transit and PRT might both have a place in an electric transit system. PRT’s strength at off hours may complement mass transit’s strengths at rush hours.

Pulling the Ripcord

Battery electric vehicles are coming and will enable a new age of sustainable automobility. However, it will be a long time before we can store anything close to the amount of energy in diesel fuel in the same weight and volume in a battery. To enable electricity and eventually renewable electricity to power transport as soon as we need it, an electric transport infrastructure that directly powers trains, trolleybuses, streetcars, and perhaps other work vehicles from the grid will enable commerce to continue without a dependence on scarce fossil fuels.

To do this, governments and large companies involved in transport need to start planning for and investing in the post-fossil fuel world. It requires a leap but, given the chaos that fluctuations in oil markets can deliver to our economy, the leap to an electric transport infrastructure is a necessary one. In California, we have an opportunity this fall to the take the first step, but this is only a first step on a long road. Government should take the lead, as building the transmission and distribution infrastructure for electric transport requires the reach and authority of government. On the other hand, supplier firms can help create markets for their products and services by alerting government officials to current and near-future technical possibilities.

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With some reluctance I decided to take others' advice and go to see the PRT medics. I could have gone to the local hospital, which is supported by the PRT, but decided I'd be better off at the army base where someone would speak English. Unfounded thoughts of the desirability of clean needles were also in the back of my mind.

On a couple of occasions in the past, I've acted as escort for our female staff on visits to the PRT clinic, using my innate skills as a non-Afghan to get them past security. I'd been conscious then, as today, of taking liberties and our (nay, my) privileged position in relation to the rest of Chagcharan's residents. But you take the best option open to you, right?

After a quick examination and barrage of questions by an army doctor from Georgia, I was taken into a room and told to sit down on the bed.

‘We give you two injections. One in your arm, one in your moscow.'

‘My Moscow?'

‘Your Moscow,' he confirmed, pointing at his bottom.

I didn't have time to ask about the meaning of this strange expression and its implied opinion of the Russian capital (or strange linguistic coincidence) from someone from a now independent country of the U.S.S.R. before the nurse made me undo my shalwa and lie down.

And concerns about when was the last time I'd washed were quickly replaced by my wondering if soldiers require particularly big and painful needles to be treated.

After several more doctors, disconcerting in their army fatigues rather than white coats, had dropped by to poke me in the eye and ask who the hell I was and what on earth was I doing living in town, I was led unsteadily to a small ward of five beds and told to rest.

A clean, comfortable bed in a cool room with a nurse gently wiping my brow with a damp cloth made me much happier that I'd come. After some qualms about wasting their time I was now glad to do as I was told and get some sleep, dozing off thinking I should have gotten ill before.

Later in the day the nurse returned, taking off her holster and throwing her side arms onto an empty bed. She missed, and they fell on the floor with a bang. She gave me five very large black pills and plugged me into an I.V. drip.

The drip, explained the doctor shortly afterwards by pointing to his genitals, was to help clear my body of toxins.

‘Toilet out there on the right' he added.

By the middle of the afternoon the swelling hadn't really gone down any and I was starting to think of the work I needed to finish and the deadline that had just been moved forwards by a few days, so reluctantly asked permission to be dismissed.

Eventually I was, and on the way out was handed two different sorts of tablets as a souvenir, the details written on them in Estonian or Polish it seems. The doctor told me how many to take of each, but I didn't quite grasp his explanation of what exactly they are, or what other drugs I'd been given during the day.

Inadequately stumbling out my sincerest thanks to the doctor and nurse (Dankershun being the nearest language I could think of that she might know) I made my way back into town.

The swelling has now gone down just enough for me to type this, my face an inch away from the screen. So I must get back to work. But first I'm going to use Google to try and find out what the hell these tablets I've been given might be.

"Pemerintah Filipina yang menentukan sendiri bahwa gaji pembantunya 1.400 ringgit dan pemerintah Vietnam juga begitu. Mereka minta gaji pembantunya 750 ringgit per bulan," kata General Manager Sri Nadin Sdn Bhd Fiona Low, kepada pers Indonesia, di Kuala Lumpur, Kamis.

Ia mengatakan hal itu di sela-sela kunjungan Dubes RI untuk Malaysia Da`i Bachtiar ke Sri Nadin, salah satu pemasok PRT di Malaysia. Pemasok PRT ini memiliki tempat penampungan dan pelatihan yang boleh dikatakan bagus, mewah, dan bersih.

Sri Nadin memasok PRT di Malaysia dari berbagai negara di antaranya Indonesia, Kamboja, Vietnam dan Filipina, tapi PRT asal Indonesia memang paling diminati. Ada sekitar 80 persen permintaan pembantu di Sri Nadin untuk pembantu asal Indonesia.

Menurut dia, agensi di Malaysia tidak bisa apa-apa jika suatu pemerintahan menetapkan gaji minimumnya. "Kami terpaksa mengikutilah," tambah dia.

Pembantu Indonesia ramah, ulet, kuat

"Pembantu Indonesia dikenal orang-orang yang ramah, kerjanya ulet dan kuat serta komunikasi mudah karena bahasanya sama dengan rakyat Malaysia. Oleh sebab itu, permintaannya sangat tinggi di Malaysia," kata Fiona. Pasokan pembantu di Sri Nadin ini sebagian besar dari Jawa Timur, sisanya dari Jawa Tengah, Lampung, dan NTT.

Hal itu yang juga disesalkan oleh Presiden MTUC (Malaysian Trade Union Congress) Syed Shahir atas sikap pemerintah Indonesia. "Pemerintah Filipina pada Desember 2006 menetapkan gaji pembantunya di Malaysia sebesar 1.400 ringgit per bulan. Take it or leave it (mau ambil atau tidak terserah). Seharusnya pemerintah Indonesia juga harus tegas dan berani membela kepentingan pekerjanya," katanya.

MTUC sendiri saat ini terus memperjuangkan gaji minimum di Malaysia sebesar 900 ringgit per bulan. Beberapa kali digelar demontrasi dan unjuk rasa tapi tuntutan itu belum dipenuhi. "Jika kerajaan Malaysia mau menetapkan upah minimum sebesar 900 ringgit maka pekerja asing, termasuk Indonesia, akan ikut menikmatinya," katanya.

Gaji pembantu Indonesia rata-rata berkisar antara 350 hingga 500 ringgit per bulan. Sedangkan menurut data imigrasi Malaysia, tahun 2007, ada 300.621 PRT asing bekerja di Malaysia dan 94,8 persen atau 294.115 orang merupakan PRT asal Indonesia.*(ANTARA News)

A few weeks ago I had the honour of attending the PRT conference at ISAF headquarters. PRTs being Provincial Reconstruction Teams: the controversial military units operating under ISAF (International Security Assistance Force, itself under NATO) to provide security, with the added bonus of a small civilian component thrown in to do the ‘reconstruction' bit.

The conference was a talking shop for PRTs from across Afghanistan aimed to improve their work and, rather sweetly, provide a ‘brief respite from tactical operations'. Non-ISAF folk were allowed in for one day of it, so I popped along to see what was going on.

Sitting in a sweat-stained gym cum conference hall surrounded by lots of burly soldiers for several hours was indeed an honour.

Nothing personal against soldiers, it's just that I don't feel all that comfortable in such a militarised environment, least of all in Afghanistan.

More discomforting was the discussions that took place. Introduction and updates were given about various initiatives such as NSP (too many acronyms in this post: the National Solidarity Programme, a government-run, country-wide community development and governance programme) and various coordination mechanisms.

These were all well and good unto themselves and some, hearing from the UN about preparations for the future parliamentary elections for example, were fascinating.

But here's the rub. PRTs have been used in Afghanistan since 2001, as well as in Iraq. Seven years down the line and still much of the discussion is on how to improve coordination, including civil-military coordination. For sure, coordination mechanisms will be continually evolving but still it was worrying.

There was a brief talk by someone from the UN about humanitarian responses, to the winter cold and food shortages for example, with an almost angry plea for military actors not to use the word ‘humanitarian' to describe what they do.

The key principles of humanitarianism include neutrality - not taking part in hostilities or taking sides in a conflict - and independence - serving no other agenda, political, religious, or military, than the needs of the people affected by war or natural disaster.

Such principles, the very concept of humanitarianism, are thus impossible to uphold by military forces. A man with a gun giving out food to starving orphans is, almost by definition, not being humanitarian. Call it disaster relief or some such if you will, but please avoid the ‘H' word.

At least that is the widely held view of most people within the aid world (and one of the reasons why PRTs have been so controversial). Yet some of the military folks at the conference were not so chuffed with this proscription on their use of the word.

Seven years (in Afghanistan alone, not counting Kosovo or other times) down the line and we still haven't dealt with this? Still there is a fundamental lack of understanding within the military about the fairly simple concept of humanitarian principles? Maybe the divide in approaches and mindsets is too great a gulf to cross.

There was a short but detailed presentation on ‘tribal relations' in the south, highlighting the complexity of the networks and issues. Fantastic, but have the people fighting or ‘reconstructing' these areas not had a much longer briefing on all this already?

The same for the presentation on NSP: all good stuff, but dear gods please don't tell me that these intelligent, highly-trained officers have not come across this, the largest single development initiative in the country, before.

Maybe some, particularly in the less secure provinces, have more pressing things to concern themselves with than NSP. Maybe with personnel being rotated every six or twelve months, there is not time to get to grips with ‘tribal relations' in the south.

Maybe I should just shut up and try and think of a better title.

L'Associazione Radicale Prato invita tutta la cittadinanza sabato 5 aprile in Piazza del Comune presso il Caffè Buonamici via Ricasoli 3/5 Prato alla presentazione del Candidato al Senato nelle prossime Elezioni del 13 e 14 Aprile 2008, Marco Perduca, membro della Direzione di Radicali Italiani e Vicepresidente del 'Partito Radicale Transanzionale Nonviolento' (PRT).

A tutti Marco Perduca offrirà le sue risposte su cosa ha spinto lui ed altri esponenti di Radicali Italiani, in primis il ministro Emma Bonino ad accettare ad essere presenti [alle elezioni in liste non loro].

La cittadinanza e la stampa sono invitati.

Marco Perduca, militante da decenni e adesso vicepresidente del PRT, obiettore di coscienza , laureato a Firenze in Letteratura Americana del Nord, e' membro della Direzione di Radicali Italiani, e profondo conoscitore dell'antiproibizionismo battaglia in cui è stato impegnato come esperto.

Per anni è stato rappresentante del PRT presso l'Onu, ha coordinato la battaglia per la moratoria su la pena di morte. e tuttora e' impegnato per il rispetto dei diritti civili in molti Paesi dove non sempre i diritti civili vengono rispettati.

Su Youtube le immagini del comizio tenuto la scorsa settimana a Dharamsala dove risiede il Dalai Lama.

Schneider begins by providing quantitative and qualitative arguments illustrating the Taliban's resurgence. Among other indicators, he cites the fact that while suicide bombings were up 27% in 2007 over 2006, they were up a massive 400% when compared with 2005. He also points to the increasing emergence of an opium-based shadow economy, whose taxation is empowering a range of sub-state actors, not just the Taliban.

His analysis of how this situation was allowed to develop is worth quoting at length. The criticism of the excessively fragmented implementation of the counterinsurgency campaign is particularly damning, considering that ever since Templar in Malaya, the need for a unified civil-military command structure has been a truism of COIN practice. His criticisms of the role being played by PRTs are also worth considering.

The current state of affairs was not inevitable. It resulted from policy choices early on in the international community; light military and political footprints with the co-opting of local and all too frequently corrupt militia leaders rather than international boots on the ground. There was a failure to get UNSC-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) out into the provinces. In 2002, Crisis Group was arguing for a peacekeeping force of 25,000 to 30,000. Instead, there were 4,500 ISAF troops confined to Kabul. There was no reassessment of strategic alliances in Pakistan to ensure the Taliban sanctuaries across the border were closed down.

Today the lack of strategic coherence within the international community effort is reflected in separate civilian special representatives of the United Nations, of the European Union and of NATO, with no clear authority one over the other; and in a reluctance on the part of the United States and other major country contributors to be coordinated by any one of them.

On the military side there remains the US led Coalition Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) undertaking training of local security forces as well as its own operations, with separate commands, reporting to EUCOM and to NATO, reporting to CENTCOM and at least one reporting to the Special Operations command in Tampa.

The NATO-led ISAF has 40 contributing nations acting under a UNSC mandate and NATO command with five regional commands and 26 national-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT’s) underneath it. Many of the nations involved have national caveats that restrict where the ISAF commander can send his troops and what they can be required to do. This means that the burden of risk and casualties is unevenly borne by the U.S., UK, Canada, the Netherlands and others whose forces are permitted to go to the areas of heavy fighting.

The PRT’s were established with the reasonable purpose of the military being able to provide some direct community benefits where insecurity prevented other, more appropriate, civilian actors from doing so. But there are serious questions about the use of PRT’s as instruments to achieve the wider goal of national development. While one could argue that differing local conditions may require flexibility in defining activities in a province, except for the 12-U.S. run PRT’s, there is little commonality among them and they operate without any transparent or common doctrine or even reporting lines for non-military actions.

The PRT’s may provide some capacity to undertake efforts in insecure provinces; however, many of the areas where the PRT’s operate are no longer high risk security. Reconstruction and development are not the role, responsibility, or comparative advantage of the military. In more stable areas, Afghanistan civilian agencies with their international civilian counterparts should be in the lead. Yet, there are no agreed-upon benchmarks for determining when that transition can take place and when it should take place. Today, the PRT’s often seem a supply-driven phenomenon, a way for nations to fly their flag in Afghanistan, but with little evaluation as to comparative impact or effectiveness.

Such an approach, particularly without strong civilian leadership, has meant a lack of a comprehensive international cooperation strategy. Instead, each country involved often appears to see Afghanistan largely through the lens of where they are based---the UK sees Helmand as Afghanistan; the Dutch, Uruzgan; and Germany, northern Afghanistan.

Schneider's testimony is not consistently bleak, and he cites several causes for optimism, before stressing the vital importance of staying the course in Afghanistan. However, as he comments at one point, 'While effective military action may deny victory to the insurgency—only effective governance will defeat it.'

Read the full testimony here.

British soldiers from 5 SCOTS and the Household Cavalry conduct a 'reassurance patrol' while locals rebuild the main road.

It's an entirely uncritical assessment, but nevertheless provides an insight into life in Musa Qaleh, and into British efforts in the region. The following is an extract:

Supporting Governor Salam, and key to the success of the British Comprehensive Approach, is the location of the PRT's Stabilisation Advisor, Richard Jones, in the District Centre in Musa Qaleh. This is the first time that a member of the PRT has been deployed permanently to such a forward location. By being located in the town, Richard is able to assist and advise the Governor and his team on development and local governance initiatives:

"The Comprehensive Approach is really all about ensuring that all the elements of government necessary to rebuild and stabilise an area like Musa Qaleh fall into place," he explained. "It is really a reflection of the complexity of conflict nowadays that you have to have the involvement of not just the military but also the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development."

When asked about the achievements made in Musa Qaleh since December, Richard pointed to the opening of the town's school as just one example of a success story:

"The school reopened here in the middle of February and has certainly been one of the most successful stories in terms of reconstruction and development."

In contrast to the Taliban's failed efforts to open madrassas in the town, the school project has received the unreserved support of the population and enjoys an attendance of some 850 children between the ages of six to sixteen learning everything from maths to English. Such is the thirst for knowledge that the children and teachers attend the school against the very real threat of intimidation from Taliban elements in outlying areas.

....

Many of the reconstruction projects in Musa Qaleh have created employment for the local population through the PRT supported 'cash-for-work' programme employing up to 150 people on a daily basis:

"One of the most successful projects that we have run is the 'cash-for-work' programme and this has taken some 350 members of the local community and employed them doing the sort of jobs that you would expect a local municipal or civil works department to undertake such as canal clearance, drainage clearance, rubbish collection and street sweeping," Capt Adams added.

Read the full article here.

h/t: Peace Like a River