The late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s former press secretary, Jim Manley, had an inside view on how the attacks immediately diminished the importance of politics on the Hill. Then-first lady Laura Bush was scheduled to testify in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that morning. It was one of her first policy-related appearances, and preparation for the event had consumed her in recent weeks.
“I spent most of the morning going over the briefing I was supposed to give,” she said in a Smithsonian Channel documentary. “It was about nine months into George being president, and I was really just hitting my stride as first lady.”
An equal amount of preparation went into the event on the Democratic side.
“We had an ongoing skirmish with the White House about what to call it,” Manley said. “They didn’t want us to call it a hearing, so there was a lot of back-and-forth before we agreed to call it a roundtable discussion. Regardless, it was going to be a high-profile thing.”
The second plane struck the World Trade Center just before the first lady arrived, and she was escorted into Kennedy’s inner office as the chaos around them unfolded.
“It was just me, Sen. Kennedy, the first lady and Kennedy’s Portuguese water dog, Splash,” Manley said. “It was this calm space in contrast to what was going on with the staff in the conference room next door. Outside the office there were televisions blaring, the chief of staff was trying to get everyone on the phone, people were shouting and running around. But in there it was quiet. I will never forget it.”
The emotional intensity of that day, and sharing it in such a personal setting, created an unlikely but lasting connection between the first lady and the Senator.
“She was in there with Sen. Kennedy, amidst all of the Senator’s stuff — his dog tags, his personal memorabilia, the pictures on the wall,” Manley said. “She later praised the Senator for his calm demeanor and level head. It probably bonded them for the rest of their lives.”
Jeff Donahue
“The news reported that there had been explosions down at the Mall.”
There have been so many changes in disaster response on the Hill in the 10 years since the attacks that the pre-9/11 Capitol would scarcely be recognizable to an incoming Member today. Jeff Donahue was an electrician working for the Architect of the Capitol, and he remembered how quaint the response systems were back then.
“When news came that the Pentagon had been hit, there was a big rush to evacuate,” he said. “But the fire alarm system wasn’t set to go off for something like that, and the emergency broadcast system wasn’t prepared for something of that scale either — all of that came later. We just knew that we had to get out of the building, so that’s what we did.”
The confusion surrounding the evacuation continued on the streets outside.
“The news reported that there had been explosions down at the Mall,” Donahue said. “As soon as I hit the parking lot I heard it, too — there was this loud boom, and I saw the Capitol Hill police hit the deck, that’s how loud it was. Turns out it was just a sonic boom from the jets overhead.”
Despite the panic and uncertainty, Donahue said the masses of people evacuating the District acted selflessly throughout.
“I live in Maryland about 30 miles south of the Potomac, and I remember thinking about what a long drive it was going to be,” he said. “I thought for sure it would be every man for himself on the roads — at the time we thought Washington was under attack. But I’ll never forget how people were letting others into the traffic; all the way out of town people were letting people in or letting them across lanes so they could exit. People had their windows open and everyone had the news on, and even though everyone wanted out of the city as quickly as possible, everyone was calm and there was this feeling that we were all in it together.”
This is perhaps even more remarkable considering that the devastation at the Pentagon was visible from the Capitol.
“I was going down [Interstate] 295 south of Washington,” Donahue said. “When you cross over the hill you can see the Pentagon off in the distance. There was smoke coming across, and it was really low, going from the west to the east. You had to drive through that smoke, smelling the debris from the plane crash and knowing in your mind that people had died in it.”
2011年9月6日星期二
2011年6月29日星期三
Department of Homeland Security lays down security suggestions
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in collaboration with The MITRE Corporation, recently released the Common Weakness Enumeration version 2.0, a best-practice guide for mitigating weaknesses in software based on the advice of experts from the government, software industry and academic thought leaders.
The MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit agency that assists the government and other agencies with private sector issues, also released a list of the top 25 most dangerous software errors in order to point out areas developers need to be more aware of in future development projects.
MITRE cites missing authorization, use of hard-coded credentials and downloading code without integrity checks as among the most dangerous errors.
The DHS, in a blog post on June 27, said the project was completed under its National Cybersecurity Division under the Software Assurance Program, which works with the private sector “to spearhead the development of practical guidance and tools while promoting research and development of secure software engineering.”
The guidelines are meant to give software development teams a best-practice development guide in order to reduce the amount of vulnerabilities in their software. Some of the best practices include examples of known vulnerabilities, platforms that are most susceptible to them, and other examples of known malware threats, as well as a checklist for developing secure code with those weaknesses in mind.
Idappcom, an independent data traffic analytics and security firm, believed that these weaknesses can be attributed to the human element in software development, which was confirmed by the DHS in a recent survey.
DHS staff, according to Ray Bryant, Idappcom’s CEO, dropped data disks and USB sticks in the parking lots of government agencies in order to see who might find them and access the information. The DHS found, according to Idappcom’s release, that 60% of these data disks and USB sticks were inserted into government-owned computers.
“This observation—the proof of anecdotal evidence if you will—has ramifications in all aspects of IT security, and especially, I believe, when it comes to network security, as it also shows you cannot rely on staff installing IT security systems properly,” Bryant said.
He added that this is an indication that, in his opinion, the best way to combat these errors is to use “automated and effective auditing of the security appliance and allied systems, which then assists the IT security management about which areas of network/IT system security needs tightening up.”
The MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit agency that assists the government and other agencies with private sector issues, also released a list of the top 25 most dangerous software errors in order to point out areas developers need to be more aware of in future development projects.
MITRE cites missing authorization, use of hard-coded credentials and downloading code without integrity checks as among the most dangerous errors.
The DHS, in a blog post on June 27, said the project was completed under its National Cybersecurity Division under the Software Assurance Program, which works with the private sector “to spearhead the development of practical guidance and tools while promoting research and development of secure software engineering.”
The guidelines are meant to give software development teams a best-practice development guide in order to reduce the amount of vulnerabilities in their software. Some of the best practices include examples of known vulnerabilities, platforms that are most susceptible to them, and other examples of known malware threats, as well as a checklist for developing secure code with those weaknesses in mind.
Idappcom, an independent data traffic analytics and security firm, believed that these weaknesses can be attributed to the human element in software development, which was confirmed by the DHS in a recent survey.
DHS staff, according to Ray Bryant, Idappcom’s CEO, dropped data disks and USB sticks in the parking lots of government agencies in order to see who might find them and access the information. The DHS found, according to Idappcom’s release, that 60% of these data disks and USB sticks were inserted into government-owned computers.
“This observation—the proof of anecdotal evidence if you will—has ramifications in all aspects of IT security, and especially, I believe, when it comes to network security, as it also shows you cannot rely on staff installing IT security systems properly,” Bryant said.
He added that this is an indication that, in his opinion, the best way to combat these errors is to use “automated and effective auditing of the security appliance and allied systems, which then assists the IT security management about which areas of network/IT system security needs tightening up.”
2011年6月22日星期三
Intelligent and automated models drive car park management systems line
China suppliers of car park management systems are focusing development efforts on intelligent, automated versions to improve product efficiency. Toward this end, new technologies such as automatic vehicle identification and parking guidance, and advanced toll collection are introduced in current setups.
To enable these functions, recent models adopt
32-bit Arm 7 processors to accelerate the processing speed and integrate complex applications. The system bus is also upgraded, with makers employing CAN or TCP/IP instead of
EIA-485. These advanced variants are designed for large-scale car park management networks for their expandability, higher bandwidth and faster response time.
Upscale releases support vehicle plate recognition, vacant parking space guidance and auto-balance. Customized units or additional functions can be added on request. Shenzhen Fujica Intelligentized System Co. Ltd has developed an automatic parking guidance setup that comprises a parking space detector, lane and area controller, guidance screen and PC terminal. It can analyze parking space status in different areas and match this with vehicle entering/exiting information, and then send the data to the PC terminal and guidance screen.
Another product development trend points to electronic toll collection. Based on RFID technology, the application is offered as an optional function by most vendors. The CA-ZC0110 model from Shenzhen Carsafe Technology Development Co. Ltd, for instance, is a self-service toll station that works with different paper and coin currencies. The system supports changing and note printing functions and recharges monthly, yearly or temporary cards. It has a 17in LCD screen and runs on TCP/IP for remote management.
To enhance system reliability and stability, suppliers are optimizing hardware structure and software capability. Most initiatives in the latter aspect involve enabling user-friendly operation and highly flexible configurations to allow expansion and integration.
Under efforts to complement these improvements, aesthetics and user interface are likewise upgraded. Companies are incorporating LED or LCD screens to display data. Other releases have voice and text prompts, and intercom functions.
To enable these functions, recent models adopt
32-bit Arm 7 processors to accelerate the processing speed and integrate complex applications. The system bus is also upgraded, with makers employing CAN or TCP/IP instead of
EIA-485. These advanced variants are designed for large-scale car park management networks for their expandability, higher bandwidth and faster response time.
Upscale releases support vehicle plate recognition, vacant parking space guidance and auto-balance. Customized units or additional functions can be added on request. Shenzhen Fujica Intelligentized System Co. Ltd has developed an automatic parking guidance setup that comprises a parking space detector, lane and area controller, guidance screen and PC terminal. It can analyze parking space status in different areas and match this with vehicle entering/exiting information, and then send the data to the PC terminal and guidance screen.
Another product development trend points to electronic toll collection. Based on RFID technology, the application is offered as an optional function by most vendors. The CA-ZC0110 model from Shenzhen Carsafe Technology Development Co. Ltd, for instance, is a self-service toll station that works with different paper and coin currencies. The system supports changing and note printing functions and recharges monthly, yearly or temporary cards. It has a 17in LCD screen and runs on TCP/IP for remote management.
To enhance system reliability and stability, suppliers are optimizing hardware structure and software capability. Most initiatives in the latter aspect involve enabling user-friendly operation and highly flexible configurations to allow expansion and integration.
Under efforts to complement these improvements, aesthetics and user interface are likewise upgraded. Companies are incorporating LED or LCD screens to display data. Other releases have voice and text prompts, and intercom functions.
2011年6月8日星期三
Award Confirms SITA As Leading Airport IT Solutions Provider In Asia Pacific
SITA, the air transport IT specialist, was today named Airport IT Solutions Provider of the Year at the 2011 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace & Defense Awards ceremony in Singapore. It is the second time in three years that SITA has received a Frost & Sullivan Aerospace & Defense Award, highlighting the strength of SITA’s position as the preferred IT solutions provider for airports in the Asia Pacific region which handle over 1.2 billion passengers and are experiencing 4.9% annual growth.
The focus of the award is the use of integrated IT solutions, which play a crucial role in the optimisation of airport processes, in particular recognising the development of SITA’s ‘Intelligent Airport’ concept. Over the past year, SITA has secured a number of major contracts for integrated solutions with airports in the growing Asia Pacific region, including in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Thailand.
Damian Hickey, SITA Regional Vice President South Asia and India, said: “Improving the passenger journey is central to the SITA Intelligent Airport vision. By tracking, managing and sharing real-time information, we can help airports be proactive and predictive. It means passengers have access to better information, both through information display systems and their own smartphones. It also means the airport and airlines can manage staff more efficiently, to ensure they have the right resources in the right place, at the right time, which in turn means shorter queues, for example at check-in and security.”
The Intelligent Airport also involves a number of other elements, including further use of common-use self-service for check-in, bag drop and baggage tracing; the increased use of passengers’ mobile devices for a wide range of services, from car parking to special offer promotions in the retail areas, and guidance through the airport; and more sophisticated workforce mobility technology to ensure the entire workforce is used as efficiently as possible.
Frost & Sullivan examined a wide range of criteria, including SITA’s product suite and innovation, the suitability of the products for the market, as well as SITA’s position in the market. Its wide product portfolios have enhanced its position at the forefront of providing cutting-edge technology solutions to its growing global customers. Community initiatives by SITA have also resulted in products and processes widely used by various air transport communities, such as WorldTracer, iBorders Gateway Services, Cargo Community System and AirportHub.
Cheong Chern Wai, Senior Consultant with Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defense practice, Asia Pacific, said: “As Asia Pacific’s leading technology solutions provider in the airport industry, SITA has assisted many of its customers to improve their business efficiency through the use of cost-effective technologies. Their industry experience and strategic know how makes them one of the most highly sought after IT partners.”
SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In Asia Pacific, SITA employs over 760 employees in 27 countries to provide services to the air transport industry.
The focus of the award is the use of integrated IT solutions, which play a crucial role in the optimisation of airport processes, in particular recognising the development of SITA’s ‘Intelligent Airport’ concept. Over the past year, SITA has secured a number of major contracts for integrated solutions with airports in the growing Asia Pacific region, including in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Thailand.
Damian Hickey, SITA Regional Vice President South Asia and India, said: “Improving the passenger journey is central to the SITA Intelligent Airport vision. By tracking, managing and sharing real-time information, we can help airports be proactive and predictive. It means passengers have access to better information, both through information display systems and their own smartphones. It also means the airport and airlines can manage staff more efficiently, to ensure they have the right resources in the right place, at the right time, which in turn means shorter queues, for example at check-in and security.”
The Intelligent Airport also involves a number of other elements, including further use of common-use self-service for check-in, bag drop and baggage tracing; the increased use of passengers’ mobile devices for a wide range of services, from car parking to special offer promotions in the retail areas, and guidance through the airport; and more sophisticated workforce mobility technology to ensure the entire workforce is used as efficiently as possible.
Frost & Sullivan examined a wide range of criteria, including SITA’s product suite and innovation, the suitability of the products for the market, as well as SITA’s position in the market. Its wide product portfolios have enhanced its position at the forefront of providing cutting-edge technology solutions to its growing global customers. Community initiatives by SITA have also resulted in products and processes widely used by various air transport communities, such as WorldTracer, iBorders Gateway Services, Cargo Community System and AirportHub.
Cheong Chern Wai, Senior Consultant with Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defense practice, Asia Pacific, said: “As Asia Pacific’s leading technology solutions provider in the airport industry, SITA has assisted many of its customers to improve their business efficiency through the use of cost-effective technologies. Their industry experience and strategic know how makes them one of the most highly sought after IT partners.”
SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In Asia Pacific, SITA employs over 760 employees in 27 countries to provide services to the air transport industry.
2011年6月6日星期一
SITA was named Airport IT Solutions Provider of the Year
SITA, the air transport IT specialist, was named Airport IT Solutions Provider of the Year at the 2011 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace & Defense Awards ceremony in Singapore. It is the second time in three years that SITA has received a Frost & Sullivan Aerospace & Defense Award, highlighting the strength of SITA’s position as the preferred IT solutions provider for airports in the Asia Pacific region which handle over 1.2 billion passengers and are experiencing 4.9% annual growth.
The focus of the award is the use of integrated IT solutions, which play a crucial role in the optimisation of airport processes, in particular recognising the development of SITA’s ‘Intelligent Airport’ concept. Over the past year, SITA has secured a number of major contracts for integrated solutions with airports in the growing Asia Pacific region, including in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Thailand.
Damian Hickey, SITA Regional Vice President South Asia and India, said: “Improving the passenger journey is central to the SITA Intelligent Airport vision. By tracking, managing and sharing real-time information, we can help airports be proactive and predictive. It means passengers have access to better information, both through information display systems and their own smartphones. It also means the airport and airlines can manage staff more efficiently, to ensure they have the right resources in the right place, at the right time, which in turn means shorter queues, for example at check-in and security.”
The Intelligent Airport also involves a number of other elements, including further use of common-use self-service for check-in, bag drop and baggage tracing; the increased use of passengers’ mobile devices for a wide range of services, from car parking to special offer promotions in the retail areas, and guidance through the airport; and more sophisticated workforce mobility technology to ensure the entire workforce is used as efficiently as possible.
Frost & Sullivan examined a wide range of criteria, including SITA’s product suite and innovation, the suitability of the products for the market, as well as SITA’s position in the market. Its wide product portfolios have enhanced its position at the forefront of providing cutting-edge technology solutions to its growing global customers. Community initiatives by SITA have also resulted in products and processes widely used by various air transport communities, such as WorldTracer, iBorders Gateway Services, Cargo Community System and AirportHub.
Cheong Chern Wai, Senior Consultant with Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defense practice, Asia Pacific, said: “As Asia Pacific’s leading technology solutions provider in the airport industry, SITA has assisted many of its customers to improve their business efficiency through the use of cost-effective technologies. Their industry experience and strategic know how makes them one of the most highly sought after IT partners.”
SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In Asia Pacific, SITA employs over 760 employees in 27 countries to provide services to the air transport industry.
The focus of the award is the use of integrated IT solutions, which play a crucial role in the optimisation of airport processes, in particular recognising the development of SITA’s ‘Intelligent Airport’ concept. Over the past year, SITA has secured a number of major contracts for integrated solutions with airports in the growing Asia Pacific region, including in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Thailand.
Damian Hickey, SITA Regional Vice President South Asia and India, said: “Improving the passenger journey is central to the SITA Intelligent Airport vision. By tracking, managing and sharing real-time information, we can help airports be proactive and predictive. It means passengers have access to better information, both through information display systems and their own smartphones. It also means the airport and airlines can manage staff more efficiently, to ensure they have the right resources in the right place, at the right time, which in turn means shorter queues, for example at check-in and security.”
The Intelligent Airport also involves a number of other elements, including further use of common-use self-service for check-in, bag drop and baggage tracing; the increased use of passengers’ mobile devices for a wide range of services, from car parking to special offer promotions in the retail areas, and guidance through the airport; and more sophisticated workforce mobility technology to ensure the entire workforce is used as efficiently as possible.
Frost & Sullivan examined a wide range of criteria, including SITA’s product suite and innovation, the suitability of the products for the market, as well as SITA’s position in the market. Its wide product portfolios have enhanced its position at the forefront of providing cutting-edge technology solutions to its growing global customers. Community initiatives by SITA have also resulted in products and processes widely used by various air transport communities, such as WorldTracer, iBorders Gateway Services, Cargo Community System and AirportHub.
Cheong Chern Wai, Senior Consultant with Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defense practice, Asia Pacific, said: “As Asia Pacific’s leading technology solutions provider in the airport industry, SITA has assisted many of its customers to improve their business efficiency through the use of cost-effective technologies. Their industry experience and strategic know how makes them one of the most highly sought after IT partners.”
SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In Asia Pacific, SITA employs over 760 employees in 27 countries to provide services to the air transport industry.
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