Black Thursday, april 3, 2014
OpiniOns / a5
[Keene-Equinox.com]
STAFF COMMENTARY
STAFF COMMENTARY
Technology limitations on public radar
Westboro Baptist Church scrutiny continues
Losing your cell phone is one thing, but losing an entire plane along with its 239 passengers and crew is a completely different story. Many are asking, “How can we as such a technologically advanced society lose an entire plane for more than three weeks?” I am starting to think our society is not as technologically advanced as many believe it to be. Our world seems to have a long way to go if we are able to go over three weeks without a single reliable source of evidence of Flight 370’s location. This mystery is teaching the public about the limitations of technology. I believe the case of Flight 370 may even result in the reform of
regards to satellite tracking. However, this reform is only possible at a cost. A triggered transmission system would be completely separate from the transponder. Its job would be to notify the people on land monitor-
However, there is always human interaction which has nology and how it is used. under the impression that their plane is being continuously tracked throughout its misconception that is coming to light as a result of Flight 370. Flight 370 took off from Malaysia on its way to Beijing, China on March 8, 2014, when it went missing, according to ABC News. So far, experts have narrowed the search for the plane to a southern stretch of the Indian Ocean the size of Poland, 1,150 miles West of Australia. According to MSN News, Flight 370 automatically sent a satellite signal every hour. Fortunately, this signal was able to continue even after someone on the plane shut off the transponder, which is a device in the cockpit that sends signals to radar sta-
tions below. These signals
include
heading, speed and altitude according to AP Airlines Writer Scott Mayerowitz. The transponder also has the ability to send predetermined signals for emergencies. Flight 370 took off from Malaysia at 12:40 a.m. and the transponder stopped transmitting signals at 1:20 a.m., according to ABC News. Although the transponder was turned off, the plane conAccording to the Washington Post, the transponder
and other communication systems were either intentionally turned off or somehow disabled. The problem with technology is it must be supported by a human being, and if that human being decides to turn off the technology that is protecting and monitoring them, there is not much the technology can do. Radar is another communication system. It involves an antenna on the ground which sends out electromagnetic waves traveling at the speed of light. Radar, however, can only track planes within 200
‘Geopolitical battle’ between Russia and Ukraine remains
Things are changing everyday as western leaders condemn Russia’s actions while Russian President Vladimir Putin indignantly points to what he feels are western hypocrisies in the world of international relations. Ukraine’s future remains largely in doubt as uncertainty surrounds the country’s upcoming May elections and loads of debt threatens to drive Ukraine toward bankruptcy. A massive loan by the International Monetary Fund should stabilize the situation to an extent, but Russia’s threat of raising Ukrainian gas prices could push the country further into dismay. According to the New York Times, Putin has deployed at least 400,000 troops along the RussiaUkraine border, an act of intimiis nowhere near over. Another reason to be concerned about the troops is the decisiveness with which they can act. anything it’s that the Russian government, with Putin calling the shots, is capable of fast, powerful decisions that require responses. Of the many perks that come with being a dictator, as Putin essentially is, the ability to set out unimpeded might be most valuable. Far from the checks and balances of most western systems of say on all decisions, and doesn’t have to worry about political opponents slowing things down. That means he can execute complex actions without having to worry about the political land-
BETSY THOMPSON / EQUINOX STAFF
as high frequency radios and satellite text. All of these communication devices show how essential human interaction with technology is but when a human is unable to operate the technology or refuses to, the technology is extremely limited. The passengers of any plane put their complete trust in the pilots, crew and the other passengers and even the technology and the
no transponder signals and infrequent radar signals was detected at 2:14 a.m March 8. This plane, however, was following a path in the complete opposite direction of Flight 370’s original route, reported by ABC News. A disadvantage of radar is that it does not exist everywhere. When a plane enters an area with low radar, the will be a safe one. It appears pilot usually communicates its location in other ways such ogy will most likely occur in
STAFF COMMENTARY
COMMENTARY
With Crimea transitioning towards joining Russia, tensions along the Russia-Ukraine border mounting and western economic sanctions increasing it is important to understand that this is -
to 250 miles but because of its constant speed, the distance of a plane from the antenna can be determined.
dives too quickly, goes too fast, or goes too slow. This technology costs about $50,000 per aircraft according to Stephen Trimble, bureau chief of U.K. aviation news website, Flightglobal, as found on ABC News. Jon M. Chang of ABC News found that American Airlines has about 900 planes. This means they would have to pay almost $50 million to adopt this technology. As shown in the case of Flight 370, when a plane’s transponder is turned off, it essentially becomes invisible. This is where tracking technology could make a difference. If we had technology like this on every plane, 9/11 might have been a little different, for example. At this point, there is no solid evidence about what happened to Flight 370, but if the airlines had the tracking technology, we might have more answers to this mystery by now, along with more of a clue where to begin the search for Flight 370 and its 293 passengers and crew. As stated by the Washington Post, “There is no evidence of pilot error, pilot suicide, hijacking or any kind of terrorist event, nor is there evidence of a mechanical pression. There is, in essence, no evidence of anything other than that the aircraft did not go to China as planned but ion into the southern Indian Ocean.”
scape changing. From the successful Sochi Olympics to the calculated annex of Crimea, it is clear that Putin has a deliberate plan for Russia. Despite the bewilderment being expressed from western leaders, the events in Crimea are actually logical extensions of a long-standing push for a renewal of Russian nationalism and antiwest sentiments not seen so strongly in the region since the Cold War. Putin’s resentment of the west is not new, he just hasn’t shown his disregard and hatred so blatantly before. Now he is showing his hatred for western-dominated world politics, and he doesn’t need to meet with the Russian Congress, or Duma, to do it. Putin knew economic sanctions would be inevitable, but he also knows that those sanctions can only go so far. Russia’s oil gives it more power than European leaders are willing to admit, and we’ve already seen Germany, the economic powerhouse of the continent, hesitate to severely punish Russia. So now it is a matter of how much the west can really punish Russia for its actions. Doing too little could encourage Russia to take other chunks of land it deems valuable. Doing too much could trigger a Russian response (like, say, shutting off the gas to Ukraine) that would only exacerbate tensions. The bottom line is that no one in the west can be sure of Putin’s intentions, and Obama said as much in a recent interview. When we look back on this may see it as an isolated incident that only temporarily hurt Russia’s relations with the west. Or it might be part of a bigger trend towards the kind of isolationism Zach Winn can be contacted at zwinn@keene-equinox.com
N.H. should take second chance to repeal the death penalty
We all know them: the church that harasses funerals, events and now, the Internet. Westboro Baptist Church is a problematic group, yet it is interesting to wonder what the groups real intentions are. The Westboro Baptist Church pickets funerals and concerts, as well as any cause they feel contributes to America’s tolerance of homosexuality, which in their eyes is what brings tragedy to our country. Their signs often read, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “God Hates Homosexuals” and “America is Doomed.” Their rationality is that God is giving us dead soldiers, AIDS, cancer and all of the world’s problems as a consequence of being accepting of the gay community. They also use social media to spread their message. On their website are parodies of pop songs, rewritten to remind us God is going to burn us. From “Rumor Has it God Don’t Love You Christians No More,” to “Hear Him Roar” (yes, as in Katy Perry’s “Roar”), to even their own version of Frozen’s “Let It Go” Westboro’s efforts feel quite humorous to listen to, even if their message is disconcerting. The church now also has a Vine account. On this Vine are small snippets that are all somehow tied back to the fact that God hates homosexuals or even America. This behavior really makes me wonder how many of them seriously believe in what they are doing, and how many of them are just simply attention-seeking, tasteless trolls who care only about their own group. What is disconcerting about this group is the children being used in their Vine songs. This clearly shows they don’t have the rest of the world or even their own children in mind when perpetuating their beliefs. They are willing and able to convince their children to either believe or act in their “principles” they continue to force on everyone. If the church’s true intentions are to gain attention, they are only held by the founding members of the church. Westboro’s leaders, notably the Phelps family members, have experience in law. That being said, they know abuse their freedom of speech; it is no secret that assaults on the church members at funerals have earned them money in court cases. This means they either manipulate their members for their own entertainment and
AP PHOTO
Wednesday, March 12, 2014, N.H. State Rep. Rennie Cushing speaks on the house floor at the Statehouse in Concord, N.H. in favor of abolishing the death penalty. The house bill now passes to the N.H. Senate.
New Hampshire needs to repeal way to punish criminals, because lethal injection is inhumane and too outdated for today’s society. The bill to repeal the death penalty for the state of New Hampshire needs to pass and there is a fair chance it will. Governor Jeanne Shaheen had the opportunity to repeal the bill in 2000, but it took almost a decadeand-a-half for her and the state of New Hampshire to realize the death penalty is too brutal. There are not enough crimes committed in New Hampshire; or the United States for that matter, that sentence criminals to lethal injection of potassium chloride. The United States has executed 39 criminals in the past year according to CNN. This is the second time in two decades that the number of criminals sentenced to death was below 40. More and more, state representatives are starting to realize the death penalty needs to be repealed. Three long-time supporters of the death penalty for the state of
New Hampshire have changed their minds and voted for the bill to proceed. The bill now has numerous supporters from state representatives and from citizens of New Hampshire. The support for this bill will make it more likely to pass, and then
Michael Addison who is currently on death row for the murder of a
Addison is the only man on Death Row in the state of New Hampshire since 1939. It does not make sense, because why would we keep Addison’s death sentence if New Hampshire decides that the death penalty is not 18 other states who have abolished the right way to go? the death penalty. N.H. is the only state in New to punish criminals for these crimes England that still has the death pen- and not sentence them to death. alty and something should be done It is understandable that these about it. crimes are inhumane and the ones The current crimes that warrant who committed them should be the death sentence in the state of punished severely. But is New New Hampshire include murder of Hampshire doing the right thing by sentencing them to death? for hire, murder during a kidnapIs New Hampshire any better ping, drug sale, home invasion or than the criminals themselves if this rape and murder while serving a life is prohibited? sentence in prison. There are always going to be While these crimes should have evil people in this world and killing a serious consequence, the death them is not always the right way to penalty is not the way to go. go. Surely there are other ways that criminals can be punished for their punish these criminals. crimes. If this bill is passed, it will Jacob Knehr can be contacted at not change the death sentence of jknehr@keene-equinox.com
truly hateful people who lead even more hateful people. Either one is extremely upsetting. Most members of the group will be stuck in that mindset, and will never, ever get out of it. In that respect, I feel sorry for the wasted potential of human beings. In the end, that is what they are. I feel for them regarding Fred Phelp’s death, and even though they deny caring (one member said “We do not worship the dead”), a loss is a loss. I think the hope in this situation, is that most people see this church as an appalling organization. A group called the Freedom Riders, along with many others, often stand in front of the protests to obstruct them from the families of funerals. Members of the church have also left on their own accord, and lead lives of happiness while trying to do good for the world around them in order to make up for their actions; these members also try to convince their families to stop their actions. When Fred Phelps himself Baptist Church members picketed were met with signs reading “Sorry For Your Loss,” an act of both empathy and forgiveness. While the Westboro Baptist Church community may be full of negative human beings, it is safe to say they do not represent even the slightest portion of humanity. Their actions will persist, but in no way will they be taken with more than a grain of salt. Anthony Munoz can be contacted at amunoz@keene-equinox.com
Template 022308 JJP