More Help Is on the Way From Anheuser-Busch
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire) September 12, 2004 - In response to calls for assistance, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. has donated an additional 84,000 cases of canned drinking water - or more than two million 12-ounce cans - in anticipation of relief needs for Hurricane Ivan.
The shipments are being delivered to various locations in Florida. The water will be distributed by the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and government agencies as needed, with the assistance of local Anheuser-Busch wholesalers.
"After the devastation by Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Frances, we know there is an immediate need for fresh drinking water by those unfortunate enough to be in the path of a hurricane," said Mike Harding, vice president of operations for Anheuser-Busch. "By working closely with organizations like the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army, we will get the water to those in need as soon as possible."
The water was canned at the Anheuser-Busch Cartersville, Ga., brewery and Metal Container Corp. in Rome, Ga., a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos., supplied the cans.
Over the past several weeks, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than four million cans of drinking water in response to requests from the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the Florida government agencies for hurricane relief efforts. The Anheuser-Busch Foundation also donated $100,000 to hurricane relief efforts in the state, giving $50,000 to The Salvation Army and $50,000 to the American Red Cross last month.
Bond Seeks to Bolster Airport Security
WASHINGTON, D.C, (SLFP.com) September 12, 2004 - Senator Kit Bond has announced that he and Senator John Ensign (R-NV) have introduced an amendment to the Homeland Security spending bill that will allow airports more effectively screen luggage for explosives.
The Ensign-Bond amendment, which was introduced Thursday with 20 bipartisan co-sponsors, provides an additional $75 million for airports to make explosion detection systems (EDS) part of their baggage screening process.
"Since 9-11 we have made important progress in providing air passengers with the very best in airline security and restoring the public's confidence when they fly," said Senator Kit Bond. "Congress bears some responsibility to help our airports finance the new regulations that have bolstered passenger safety and security. These funds are critical as we continue our efforts to equip airports with the top-of-the-line technology and equipment needed to protect passengers."
Currently the bulky baggage screening machines sit in crowded terminal buildings where they were temporarily placed in the aftermath of 9-11. This positioning creates safety and security risks in addition to inconvenienceing the traveling public. Also, the machines' current location wastes federal resources by requiring additional screening personnel to operate, transfer bags, etc.
Permanently installing EDS equipment behind the scenes as part of an airport's baggage system is a costly undertaking, requiring extensive construction at airports. Estimated costs for this project in St. Louis, for example, is $90 million, and $34 million at Kansas City.
The funds provided by the Ensign-Bond amendment will provided resources to install permanently EDS equipment behind the scenes as part of an airport's baggage system. Bond said that, while this increase will not fully meet the funding needs, it is a step in the right direction. Also, Bond pointed out that the additional $75 million, bringing the total to $325 million for explosion detection systems this year, is 100 percent offset by a reduction in funds for airport information technology support.
Boeing Wins $54.6 Million U.S. Air Force Contract
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) September 12, 2004 - A Boeing-led team has been awarded a 15-month, $54.6 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop system architectures and initial designs for the next iteration of Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) software-defined radios.
Once operational, the radios will be integrated into more than 150 airborne, shipboard and fixed station platforms, enabling maritime and airborne forces to communicate seamlessly and with greater efficiency in the joint battlespace environment.
The Airborne, Maritime/Fixed Station (AMF) JTRS program is one of several aimed at satisfying emerging needs for secure, multi-band/multi-mode software programmable digital radios for mobile military users in the air, on the ground and on the sea. The program is under joint U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy oversight, with the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. having the initial lead and the Program Executive Office, C4I & Space providing support.
A Boeing-led team was awarded a contract in June 2002 to develop the first procurement of JTRS radios for the Army under the Cluster 1 program, and is on track to begin Early Operational Assessment in December 2004. Knowledge gained from Cluster 1, coupled with the AMF JTRS team's combined platform integration experience and methodology, state-of-the art JTRS radio products and technology, high-rate manufacturing capability, and joint mobile networking expertise, will help pave the way for success on AMF JTRS.
More Than Four in Ten Internet Users Now Have Broadband
ROCHESTER, NY, (PRNewswire) September 9, 2004 - In the past eight months the number of online users has reached 156 million (73%) adults in U.S., a seven percent increase, as a result of increased Internet access at both home and work, according to new Harris Interactive research. In addition, broadband use continues to grow rapidly - over four in 10 adults use broadband at home.
In research among 2,003 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone in June and August 2004, Harris Interactive(R) found that 73 percent of adults are now online, up from 69 percent in late 2003, 67 percent in late 2002, 64 percent in 2001 and 63 percent in 2000. When we first began to track Internet use in 1995, only 9 percent of adults reported they were online.
This growth in Internet penetration is a result of increased Internet access at both home and work. The proportion of adults who are now online at home has risen to 65 percent, up from 61 percent in 2003 and 57 percent in 2002. Those online at work have risen modestly to 34 percent from 31 percent in 2003 and 28 percent in 2002.
By far the most striking change in this new Harris Interactive research is the big increase in those with broadband connections. Two years ago, only 22 percent of adults online had broadband (including ISDN, cable, ADSL/DSL, T1 and T3 lines) connections. By October/December 2003, this had increased to 37 percent. It is now up to 44 percent, or more than four in ten, of all those online.
As Internet penetration rises, the demographic profile of Internet users continues to look more like that of the nation as a whole. It is still true that more young than older people, and more affluent than low-income people, are online. But seven percent (7%) of those online are now over age 65 (compared to 15% of all adults who are over 65), 39 percent of those online (compared to 47% of all adults) did not go to college and 16 percent have incomes of less than $25,000 (compared to 22% of all adults).
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