Jan 30, 2007

Norway: Master of Science in Offshore Technology 2007

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Stavanger is the undisputed oil capital of Norway. The University of Stavanger's excellent reputation for petroleum education and research has attracted students both from Norway and all over the globe. The University of Stavanger is proud to announce the commencement of the Master of Science in Offshore Technology in autumn 2007. We are targetting English-speaking engineering students from all over the world, and particularly from countries with an offshore petroleum industry or related industrial areas.

Make Your Choice - Seize Your Future!
Candidates with a Master's degree in Offshore Technology will be qualified to participate in developing and implementing new technology, methods and principles for the offshore petroleum industry above sea bottom. The study programme gives the candidates a basic background in mathematical science and basic engineering subjects, which will be applied within one of four different specialisations:
-Asset Management
-Environmental Engineering
-Risk Management
-Subsea Technology


The programme also covers general principles and methods, which will give students the tools to meet and solve challenges at an advanced engineering level, also outside the area of specialisation and in cooperation with experts from other fields.


Career opportunities
Upon completion of a Master of Science in Offshore Technology, candidates are well qualified for positions in offshore petroleum industry as well as for many attractive positions in the traditional onshore industry.
Candidates who have successfully completed the Master of Science in Offshore Technology can qualify for doctoral study (PhD) within the same area at the University of Stavanger.

Should you have further questions after reading carefully this website, please feel free to send a mail to offshoremaster@uis.no

None of the public universities or university colleges in Norway have tuition fees as they are state funded organizations. However, there is a yearly fee of about NOK 1200 ($170 US). Our programme is fortunate to have external funding that covers some scholarships for living expenses.


Financing your studies
Although the university does not charge tuition fees, is it important to bear in mind that the The Directorate of Immigration requires that applicants for a Norwegian resident permit (student visa) must be ensured subsistence for the period to which the application relates. Since only a limited number of scholarships are available, applicants should be prepared to apply as self-financing students. All applicants should be able to document financial means equivalent to full funding by the State Educational Loan Fund at the current rate. For the academic year 2005-06 this amounts to NOK 80,000 that is intended to cover living expenses. This does not include your airfare to and from Norway but should include all costs once you arrive here (food, housing, books, entertainment, excursions, etc.). With good budgetting skills, this amount should be more than sufficient.


The Quota Scheme
The number of scholarships available under this scheme are very limited, and are addressed exclusively to candidates from institutions with formal collaboration agreements with the University of Stavanger. Please contact your home institution to find out if there is such an agreement in place. More information on the Quota Scheme can be found here

Visas and residence permits
Once you have received your Letter of Acceptance, you may start the procedure of applying for the student visa. This process should not be initiated until you have your admission letter from the University of Stavanger in hand. The letter will be issued in due time for the visa processing.
Students from the EU/EEA countries staying for more than three months are required to apply for a residence permit from the Police Authorities. Students from the Nordic countries, do not need a residence permit.

Students from other countries need a visa and/or residence permit before departure. Students are advised to contact the nearest Norwegian Embassy or Consulate for application forms and information on visa procedures. More information regarding visas/residence permits can be found on the website of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

Cost of living
Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world and it is difficult to know how much a student is likely to spend during a year. However, as a student you can access discounts and significantly reduce your expenses. Manage your budget well and you can enjoy a wide range of activities. Student housing starts from ca NOK 2000/month (approxUSD300/EUR250).

None of the public universities or university colleges in Norway have tuition fees as they are state funded organizations. However, there is a yearly fee of about NOK 1200 ($170 US). Our programme is fortunate to have external funding that covers some scholarships for living expenses.




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Jan 27, 2007

At 114, U.S. woman becomes world's oldest person

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BOSTON (Reuters) - A Connecticut woman born to former slaves in the decades following the U.S. Civil War has become the world's oldest person, at 114, according to Guinness World Records.

Emma Faust Tillman, born near Greensboro, North Carolina, on November 22, 1892, became the world's oldest person on Wednesday, following the death of Emiliano Mercado del Toro, of Puerto Rico, Guinness said on its Web site.

Longevity is common in Tillman's family. Though none of her 23 siblings have matched her 114 years, three sisters and a brother lived past 100, her great-nephew John Stewart Jr., said on Thursday.

"At 114, she's lived a good, honorable, straight life," said Stewart, who is 76. "Her comment is always, 'If you want to know about longevity and why I lived so long, ask the man upstairs."'

Tillman, who lives in the Hartford, Connecticut, nursing home she moved to at the age of 110, was not available for an interview.

"Sometimes, she doesn't feel like talking," Stewart said. "But when you're 114, you can call your own shots."

Tillman never smoked, drank or wore eyeglasses, Stewart said.

Karen Chadderton, administrator of the Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center, where Tillman lives, said until a few months ago Tillman spent much of her time caring for an ailing roommate more than 20 years her junior, who has since died.

"About a month ago, she started feeling less energetic," said Chadderton. "During the morning she has energy, she's up and about, in a wheelchair, but in the afternoon, once she goes to sleep, she doesn't want to be bothered."

According to the International Committee on Supercentenarians, there are currently 86 people aged 110 or older alive in the world today. Eighty of them are women.

The world's next-oldest resident is Japan's Yone Minagawa, born in 1893, according to the ICS. Guinness World Records said it is still investigating that claim.

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Jan 21, 2007

Terror sites increasing as never before

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The Dutch National Anti-Terrorism Co-ordinator Tjibbe Joustra says the Internet is acting more and more like a virtual training camp for terrorists. He finds it worrying that an increasing number of films giving detailed instructions on how to make bombs or explosive belts are appearing on the web. At the moment, the video clips are in Arabic, but he says it is only a matter of time before they appear in Dutch.

Mr Joustra says there are between 100 and 200 Dutch-language radical Islamic websites. In February 2005, shortly after the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh, parliament ordered a government investigation into radical sites and for them to be blocked. Mr Joustra says little has so far been done to achieve this.

Hard to block
Internet expert Herbert Blankestein believes Mr Joustra has to accept that radical information can be found on the Internet: "The information is out there, it's all over the place and you can't get rid of it". Mr Blankestein says it is possible to block sites but that little is achieved by doing this. The information will just be moved to other sites inside or outside the Netherlands. Many radical Dutch-language sites have already moved to foreign providers for this reason. He says: "Even if the information were removed from the whole civilised world, there would still be uncivilised countries - in South America, Eastern Europe and Asia - where it could not be got rid of.

The report, 'Jihadists and the Internet', by the National Anti-Terrorism Co-ordinator and the Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, indicates that radical Muslims make frequent use of the Internet to form virtual networks, to facilitate training and for propaganda purposes. Such virtual networks provide an informal pool of people willing to further the 'jihad'. Being willing to take part in a terrorist attack is one thing, but such an attack also requires the knowledge, skills and means of carrying it out. And the Internet offers an abundance of training possibilities. Written instruction manuals on how to make bombs were already available on the Internet, but now there are videos showing exactly what materials are needed to make a bomb, the necessary quantities and how to put them together.

Radicalisation

Professor Gabriel Weiman, from Israel's University of Haifa Communications Department, researches terrorist websites and published the book, Terror on the Internet, in April 2006. When he first started work on the project eight years ago, there were only 12 terrorist websites on the Internet. Today, there are more than 5,000 and the number is growing by the day.

A large group of international researchers observe the sites 24 hours a day, seven days a week; they are translated and archived. Locating radical sites is often difficult as some are short-lived, disappearing after a period. It is even more difficult to find out who is behind a particular website because it so easy to publish anonymously.

Professor Weiman says radical websites are becoming more technologically advanced, and are often ahead of, for example, United States government sites. Terrorists were aware of the possibilities of the Internet at a very early stage and they still have this lead. He says radical sites aimed at special target groups, such as women, children or 'the enemy', are a new development designed to reach the broadest possible public.

Propaganda on radical Islamic websites reaches a wide audience (especially among young people) and there are relatively few competing voices to counter the message. The research indicates the propaganda is not just one-way: jihadists also try to make contact with the like-minded. The report also points to the (further) radicalisation of Muslim women. They often cannot move around easily and the Internet can provide them with a limited view of the world.

Tjibbe Joustra hopes his research will lead to more moderate Muslim groups spreading their vision of Islam via the Internet. "We've tried, in the report, to show the size of the problem and to make it clear that there is a huge amount of fundamentalist, Salafist or jihadist interpretations of Islam on the Internet. And we hope that this information will encourage other groups to put their far more moderate vision of Islam on the Internet".

Mr Joustra thinks a 'cyber attack', launched by radical Muslims on the Internet itself, is unlikely. It is true that a terrorist attack on the Internet's infrastructure would be easier to mount than a suicide attack. However, such an attack would also affect the jihadists' virtual network and would not involve martyrdom. Besides, many measures have already been taken to guard against a possible cyber attack.

* RNW Internet translation (mw)





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Jan 11, 2007

Saddam Hussein Hanging/Execution Video

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http://www.MilitaryFix.com - Final moments before Saddam Hussein was hung/hanged/executed, whatever.

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Saddam Hussein verdict

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This is the video of Saddam Hussein verdict sentencing to death by hanging

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