Quality Industrial Machinery

Industrial machinery is absolutely necessary for many businesses to grow and while industrial machinery can cost tens of thousands of dollars and up, purchasing it from suppliers or manufacturers that are affordable and competent usually means a company can be competitive back in their home markets. If you are looking for a low cost supplier or manufacturer of industrial machinery from Asia, perhaps one of the best places to connect is by using the services of Made in China.

Find Industrial Machinery Effectively

Industrial machinery is not a product that can be easily found; in fact it can be one of the most difficult orders to fulfill. However, Made in China can give you the resources necessary to connect with top manufacturers and suppliers of industrial machinery ultimately giving your business an advantage to grow and profit. With Made in China, you can search through our B2B E-commerce marketing platform with over 5 million businesses. Once you find potential matches of industrial machinery suppliers, you can further research a business or a product to ensure it fits your needs before making your initial contact with a company. This means that your initial search for industrial machinery can be quick, convenient and affordable.

Purchase Industrial Machinery Overseas with Fewer Complications

While purchasing industrial machinery overseas is an excellent way to gain a competitive advantage, one of the downsides of overseas trade is that for many it can be complicated and expensive. Made in China understands that many of their business members are new to overseas trade and we offer plenty of tools and resources to ensure that buying industrial machinery is efficient and effective.

Besides having instant information available, Made in China also offers comprehensive trade services such as trade consultancy for businesses that need critical and specific information when trading with an overseas industrial machinery supplier. Made in China is committed to providing all businesses quality information and making their trade experience as positive as possible. Whether you are a one person enterprise or a multi national corporation, you will find using our service that you can easily avoid many of the pitfalls and obstacles abound.

Purchase Industrial Machinery Today

With Made in China, you can be on your way to connecting with manufacturers and suppliers of quality industrial machinery. In addition, joining our service is free, so it is easy and affordable to become part of one of the biggest groups of businesses on the internet.

(Article source: http://www.madeinchina.com)

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Boiler And Machinery Insurance

Boiler and machinery insurance refer to the insurance of machines. Boiler insurance is not applicable only to boilers, but any machine that generates electrical power, for example, generators, motors etc. Boiler and machinery insurance include the damage to not just the machine, but also to the surrounding area through explosions, fire etc.

Why Opt for Boiler and Machinery Insurance?

If you have ever tried to settle a simple insurance claim related to breakdown or damage to machine or equipment, you will know how difficult it is to get the company to pay for additional damages like destruction of property, loss of business etc. Boiler and Machinery Insurance covers not just the damage to the machine, but also other damages caused by the malfunctioning machine. These damages may include business loss and property damage. In fact, some types of Boiler and Machinery Insurance also cover damages to neighboring properties, and pay for setting up of temporary arrangements for running the business.

Who Needs Boiler and Machinery Insurance?

Anyone who runs any kind of business that uses electrical or mechanical devices of some sort should buy a Boiler and Machinery Insurance policy. Many people have the misconception that Boiler and Machinery Insurance is only for large factories and manufacturing units. As a small business owner, you probably do not use heavy machines, but even the smallest of businesses use equipment like air conditioners, refrigerators, ovens, coffee machines etc. Malfunction in any of these equipments could cause an explosion or fire, damage to neighboring as well as your own property and business loss. Boiler and Machinery Insurance will cover all these damages.

What Does Boiler and Machinery Insurance Cover?

Boiler and machinery insurance are of different types. Some kinds of boiler and machinery insurance cover a specific boiler that is recognized by year of manufacturing or number. Other Boiler and Machinery Insurance cover electrical motors. The more extensive Boiler and Machinery Insurance cover all kinds of machinery and equipment, as well as damage caused by equipment malfunction.

How to Choose Boiler and Machinery Insurance:

Most small business owners opt for boiler and machinery insurance to cover the items that are not covered by other kinds of insurance policies, like property or vehicle insurance. Choose a policy that not just pays you for the damaged machine, but also helps you recover from business losses caused by the accident. This means that you should look for a boiler and machinery insurance policies that will help you set up a temporary business unit after an accident, pay for damages to the property and compensate for business losses.

If you are a small business owner who is unsure of which boiler and machinery insurance policy to opt for, you can approach a small business consultant for help. Insuring your machine is the best way to safeguard yourself from not just damage to your equipment, but also business losses.

Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com - The Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at $24.95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.

Business Owners all across the country are joining "The Community of Small Business Owners” to receive and provide strategies, insight, tips, support and more on starting, managing, growing, and selling their businesses. As a member, you will have access to true Millionaire Business Owners who will provide strategies and tips from their real-life experiences.

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Heavy Machinery Material Handling

Handling of heavy machinery is a task that requires specially designed equipment. Heavy machinery like pneumatic conveyors, milling machines and drill jigs are used in places like farms, docks and construction sites. It is difficult to transport this equipment from one place to another. This is when the powerful material handling machines like tractors, bulldozers, trucks and trailers are used.

The equipment used for handling heavy machinery varies, depending upon the location. Industrial trucks and tractors are used to handle heavy machinery and move material around warehouses, storage yards, factories, or construction sites. A typical industrial truck, often called a forklift, uses a hydraulic lifting mechanism and forks to move large and heavy objects. Industrial tractors are also available to pull trailers loaded with material, goods, or equipment within factories and warehouses or around outdoor storage areas.

Ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors and hoists are used at docks. Specialized material-handling equipment such as shipping tank unloading equipment is also used in docks, to gauge or sample shipping tanks and test them for leaks.

Other heavy machinery handling equipment includes conveyors and mine cars that are widely used in mines.

Prior to taking a decision about the material handling equipment to be used, it is important to take into account the general characteristics of the equipment. One should then attempt to determine which equipment is best suited for the required heavy machinery to be handled.

It is advisable to consult the dealers before purchasing or leasing such expensive equipment. Several companies provide material handling solutions for heavy machinery through their websites. Online Business to Business (B2B) platforms that allow buyers to interact with several manufacturers and equipment leasing companies are an excellent option to find the best prices for the purchase or leasing of heavy machinery material handling equipment.

Material Handling provides detailed information on Material Handling, Material Handling Equipment, Material Handling Systems, Heavy Machinery Material Handling and more. Material Handling is affiliated with Walk Through Metal Detectors .

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West OC Vending Machine Thief Sought

WEST OCEAN CITY – Area police this week are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect who broke into and burglarized vending machines at the Francis Scott Key Family Resort in West Ocean City early last Tuesday morning.

Around 3:45 p.m. last Tuesday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to the Francis Scott Key on Route 50 in West Ocean City for a reported trespassing and theft case. The investigation revealed an unidentified male suspect came on the property and stole from vending machines sometime before 7 a.m. that morning.

A still photograph of the suspect was captured from surveillance tapes and has been submitted to the public through various local media. Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s identity or location is urged to call the MSP Berlin barrack at 410-641-3101, or the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) at 410-352-3476



Sword Wielder Arrested

OCEAN CITY – A local man was arrested on weapons and disorderly conduct charges last weekend after flashing a sword while encountering a group beating another man on a downtown street.

Last Saturday, an OCPD officer was on bicycle patrol in the area of Somerset Street when he observed a fight in progress. As the officer approached the scene, he noticed a group of people surrounding a male subject, who was on the ground in a fetal position. The officer heard the group screaming at the man on the ground.

The OCPD officer then noticed another man, later identified as Andrew James Wendling, 37, of Berlin, wielding a large sword and walking at a fast pace toward the group. The officer noted in his report Wendling was holding the sword high over his head and was also swinging the sword in a malicious way at the group. Wendling was allegedly just a few feet from the large group standing over his friend on the ground when the officer approached.

When Wendling saw the officer, he tried to hide the sword behind a nearby apartment building. According to police reports, Wendling became very loud and uncooperative with the officers on the scene and would not listen to lawful commands. He was also using foul language, according to police reports on the incident.

Wendling was ultimately arrested and charged with wielding a deadly weapon with intent to injure, disorderly conduct and making a false statement to a police officer.



Really Wanted That Beer

OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man was arrested on assault and resisting arrest charges last weekend after fighting with resort police after twice being told to throw away his open container of beer.

Shortly after 1 a.m. last Saturday, an OCPD officer on bicycle patrol in the area of 15th Street saw a man, later identified as Drewbett Hatfield, 19, of Harrisburg, Pa., walking on the Boardwalk with an open can of Coors Light beer. The officer approached Hatfield and told him he was not allowed by local ordinance to carry an open can of beer on the Boardwalk and instructed Hatfield to simply throw it in a trash receptacle just 30 feet away to avoid any more problems.

The officer watched as Hatfield reached his whole hand into the trash can and carefully placed the open beer in it. The officer then thanked Hatfield for complying and started to ride off when he saw the suspect reach back into the trash can and retrieve the beer he apparently placed carefully on top and start to drink out of it again. Hatfield saw the officer watching him and carefully placed the beer back in the trash receptacle.

The officer approached Hatfield again and asked him to sit on a Boardwalk bench to which he agreed. The officer then asked Hatfield for identification, but the suspect replied he did not have any identification on him. When asked what his name was, Hatfield allegedly told the officer his name was John J. Stump and his date of birth was 1886. The officer was confused by the date of birth and asked Hatfield again and the suspect replied his birth date was 8/18/86.

The officer ran a check on the name John J. Stump in Pennsylvania and found there was nobody by that name on file there. The officer then noticed what appeared to be a wallet in Hatfield’s pocket, and when the officer asked to see it in an attempt to get a real name, Hatfield stood up and attempted to flee.

At that point, Hatfield allegedly shoved the officer with two hands, causing him to stumble backward about two feet. The officer was able to grab Hatfield and a wrestling match broke out between the pair. The officer repeatedly told Hatfield to stop resisting, but the suspect continued to fight with the officer.

The officer was able to wrestle Hatfield to the ground, but Hatfield got back on his feet and fled again. The officer caught him and wrestled him to the ground a second time, but the suspect was able to break free again. The officer then caught Hatfield a third time and wrestled him to the ground again.

This time, the officer enlisted the help of a couple of bystanders, who assisted him in getting Hatfield to the ground and keeping him there. The officer attempted to use his radio to call for backup when he realized the radio had been ripped from the front of his shirt.

The officer then located the radio hanging over his left shoulder, but when he attempted to grab it to call for back-up, Hatfield grabbed the officer’s arm in an attempt to prevent him from doing so. The officer applied a forearm to Hatfield’s face and the suspect stopped trying to prevent him from calling for back-up, according to police reports. Throughout the altercation, the officer repeatedly yelled at Hatfield to stop what he was doing and stop resisting, but the suspect would not comply.

It wasn’t until Hatfield allegedly heard sirens and saw lights approaching that he said, “Okay, what do you want me to do?” Backup did arrive and Hatfield was taken into custody and charged with second-degree assault on an officer, resisting arrest and public consumption.



Counterfeiter Nabbed

OCEAN CITY – A Capitol Heights, Md. man was arrested for passing counterfeit $20 bills at a Boardwalk store last week.

Shortly before midnight last Thursday, an OCPD officer responded to the Candy Kitchen store on the Boardwalk for a reported counterfeit $20 bill. Upon arrival, the officer met with a store employee who advised the officer a suspect described as a heavy-set African-American male wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt had just come in the store and passed a counterfeit $20.

The store employee showed the bill to the officer, produced a special marker and explained the pen would leave a black or brown line on the bill if it was fake and a yellow line if it was real. He showed the officer the $20 bill with the black line allegedly passed by the suspect.

The officer called for assistance and broadcast a description of the suspect, but the initial search turned up nothing. The officer also gave dispatch the serial numbers on the phony bill and advised other merchants to be on the lookout. It wasn’t until about 3 p.m. the next day that a call went out for any officer in the area to respond to the Talbot Street area because detectives had a possible suspect in the counterfeit $20 incident in sight. Officers arrived and took the suspect, later identified as Eric Lyndell Searles, 36, of Capitol Heights, Md. into custody.

Police brought the employee from Candy Kitchen to the scene and he identified Searles as the man who had passed the phony $20 bill in his store the night before. Searles was arrested and charged with obtaining goods, money-forgery, and theft less than $100.



Heroin Bust in Berlin

BERLIN – Two Berlin men were arrested on heroin possession charges last week following a joint investigation by multiple local law enforcement agencies.

Last Thursday, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Enforcement Team conducted a joint investigation with the Ocean City Police Department’s Narcotics Unit resulting in a search and seizure warrant on a residence in Berlin. The warrant was served and, as a result, two individuals identified as William Joseph Moore and Eric Gerard Moore, both of Berlin, were arrested for possession of heroin and various other controlled dangerous substances.

The two suspects were charged with possession of controlled dangerous substances with intent to distribute and are being held on bond in the Worcester County Jail pending a court date. The Berlin Police Department and the Ocean Pines Police Department assisted in the service of the search and seizure warrant.



Two Alleged Armed Invaders Cleared

SNOW HILL – Two of the three men arrested in April in connection with an armed home invasion in Snow Hill had the charges against them put on the stet, or inactive, docket last week after separate hearings.

Timothy Lee Ayres, 39, of Snow Hill, appeared in Circuit Court last Wednesday to face a slew of charges including armed robbery, first- and second-degree assault and conspiracy to commit armed robbery along with other serious counts for his alleged part in a home invasion in Snow Hill in April, but had the charges against him placed on the stet, or inactive, docket.

Kevin Collins, 32, of Powellville, appeared for a motions hearing two days later on the same charges and walked out of the courtroom with the same result. The third suspect in the case, Dontay Lashone Washington, 27, of Pocomoke, who police believe wielded the gun in the home invasion, is scheduled to appear for trial on Sept. 4.

Around 5:15 a.m. on April 5, Maryland State Police troopers and investigators from the Worcester County Bureau of Investigations (WCBI) responded to a residence on Shockley Rd. in Snow Hill for a reported armed home invasion that had just taken place. Once on the scene, investigators interviewed several occupants of the residence, who said three suspects had entered the home illegally.

One of the suspects, later identified Washington, allegedly brandished a handgun, pointed it the head of one of the victims and demanded money. According to the police report, Washington told the victim he was going to kill him if he said or did anything he didn’t like. While at gunpoint, roughly $500 in cash was taken from the victim.

The suspects fled the scene prior to the arrival of the police, but one of the suspects, Collins, was identified by the victims and was taken into custody a short time later at his residence in Powellville. Collins’ vehicle, a 2001 Ford Explorer Sportrac, which was allegedly used during the commission of the crime, was seized as evidence.

Meanwhile, Washington and a third suspect, later identified Ayres, were still on the run and considered armed and dangerous in early police reports on the incident. A short time later, with the assistance of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office and MSP troopers from the Salisbury barrack, Washington and Ayres were located in a motel in Salisbury.

Both were placed under arrest and held at the Wicomico County Detention Center on $150,000 bonds. Collins was charged with armed robbery, robbery, two counts each of first- and second-degree assault, theft, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and false imprisonment. Washington and Ayres were each charged with armed robbery, three counts of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault.



Appeal Results In Lower Sentence

SNOW HILL – A Bethany Beach man convicted on disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest charges stemming from an incident at the mid-town bar last December successfully appealed his case in Worcester County Circuit Court last week and got a reduction in his sentence.

Anthony Magarelli, 23, of Bethany Beach, pleaded not guilty to the charges in District Court in Ocean City earlier this year, but was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in jail for the resisting arrest charge, fined $250 for the disorderly conduct charge and fined another $300 for the possession of marijuana charge. However, Magarelli appealed the convictions in Worcester County Circuit Court last week and was able to get the resisting arrest and possession charges dropped.

He was found guilty on the disorderly conduct charge, however, and was fined $500, although he was successful in getting his jail time dropped. An OCPD officer was assisting with crowd control outside a mid-town bar on December 26 when he allegedly saw Magarelli being escorted out of the establishment. Magarelli was reportedly yelling and resisting security, and at one point grabbed the arm of one of the security guards and attempted to push him.

The officer stepped in to assist, taking a hold of Magarelli and informing him that he was a police officer as he attempted to escort Magarelli away from the scene. The officer said in his report Magarelli remained tense and would not come with him. As a result, Magarelli was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct.

After being reluctantly led to the police car, Magarelli reportedly began pushing and kicking himself away from the car, continuing to be un-cooperative with the officer. Magarelli also allegedly issued a slew of profanities and insults at the officers including, “you are all hillbillies, you are puppets of the man.”

A search of Magarelli incident to the arrest revealed a small baggie or marijuana. At the District Court level, Magarelli admitted he was wrong to yell at the police officer, but maintained there was no reason for the arrest in the first place. Magarelli maintained he did nothing wrong and was willfully leaving the establishment and was confused by the security guard’s actions. Magarelli also denied attempting to hit the security guard or the police officer, adding the officer had forced his face against the hood of the police car.

Despite Magarelli’s testimony, a District Court judge found him guilty on all counts. However, Magarelli appealed the verdicts and was able to successfully reduce the sentences against him.



Public Consumption Yields Pot Charges

OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man faced possession of marijuana charges in District Court this week, stemming from drinking alcohol on a public street.

According to police reports, on June 21, Officer Sydney Findley was on uniform bicycle patrol in the area of 7th Street when he observed Francis Schiazza, 18, of Marcus Hook, Pa., stepping onto the street holding a Miller Lite can. Schiazza was seen drinking from the can, prompting the officer to approach. Schiazza attempted to hide the beer and was eventually placed under arrest for public consumption. Matters got worse for Schiazza however when a small bag of marijuana was found in his rear pants pocket.

Schiazza pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana this week, noting that he was in town for Senior Week during the time of his arrest. Schiazza was sentenced to probation before judgment with one year of unsupervised probation and $357.50 in court fines.



‘Stupidity’ Results In Court Fine

OCEAN CITY – Cody N. Griffie, 18, of New Oxford, Pa., appeared in District Court this week, pleading guilty to theft less than $100.

On July 10, a man claiming a white T-shirt had been stolen from his store flagged officers down in the area of Worcester Street. The victim told police that he had since gotten the shirt back, but wished to press charges. Shortly after, Griffie was identified and placed under arrest for the theft.

When asked why he stole the $20 T-shirt this week in District Court, Griffie replied, “stupidity,” pleading guilty to the charge. Griffie was found guilty and given a fine of $557.50.



Boardwalk Burglary Case Moves Forward

OCEAN CITY – Earlier this week, a local man faced a preliminary hearing for his part in a Boardwalk burglary, a case that will move to the Circuit Court level after probable cause was found to forward the case on to Snow Hill.

Gregory N. Roberson, 18, of West Ocean City, faces several charges for his alleged role in the burglary of Boardwalk Joe’s last month, including second-degree burglary, theft more than $500 in value and malicious destruction of property.

Detective Todd Speigel testified that on July 7, at 7:44 a.m., officers responded to Boardwalk Joe’s for a reported burglary. Officers observed forced entry through a window to the kitchen and reported a stolen safe, containing $400, four tickets to an Orioles baseball game, a deposit bag and various other items.

Speigel was contacted and informed by the owner of the establishment that Robertson, a former disgruntled employee, was likely involved in the theft. Detective Speigel testified that later that day, a citizen found a deposit bag in West Ocean City and returned the bag to Taylor Bank, where it was identified as the bag stolen from Boardwalk Joe’s. Detective Spiegel noted that the bag was found in front of Robertson’s residence.

Robertson was eventually brought in for questioning, at which point he told Detective Speigel that he and another man, later identified as Richard L. Huffman, discussed breaking in to Boardwalk Joe’s. Robertson reportedly told Speigel he stood as a lookout for Huffman while he entered the establishment through the window. “I didn’t want to get involved, but I know I am involved,” Robertson reportedly told Detective Speigel.

Robertson’s attorney argued the validity of the burglary charges, pointing out there was no evidence that Robertson entered the establishment.

Judge Mumford found probable cause to forward the case to Circuit Court.



Case to Remain In District Court

OCEAN CITY – Bradley Charles Ruzicka, 19, of Baldwin, Md., faced a variety of charges this week in a preliminary hearing in District Court, after he allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment last month.

Officer Aaron Morgan testified that on July 13, at approximately 1:43 a.m., he responded to a 73rd Street residence for a reported malicious destruction of property. Upon arrival, the victim informed him that her ex-boyfriend, Ruzicka, had punched through her window. She also later told Officer Morgan that Ruzicka came into the residence, uninvited, and stole a 30-pack of beer.

Ruzicka’s attorney painted a different picture however, implying that the victim had since recanted her story. Ruzicka’s attorney also pointed out that the door Ruzicka entered was not locked, adding there was no forced entry.

Ruzicka faces charges of malicious destruction of property, stalking, harassment, first, third and fourth degree burglary and theft less than $500. Judge Mumford dismissed the first and third degree burglary charges. The remaining charges will tried in District Court at a later date.



Drunk-Driving Enforcement Campaign Underway

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Police Department will be joining thousands of law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the country by taking part in the Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest crackdown campaign against impaired driving.

During the campaign, which will be enforced from Aug. 15 until Sept. 1, 2008, Ocean City officers will be out in force conducting saturation patrols and using undercover officers to get more drunk drivers off the road.

The national Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest impaired driving crackdown campaign is a prevention program organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The focal point for the campaign is the combination of high-visibility enforcement and a heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.

Drunk driving is one of the most dangerous crimes in the United States. According to the campaign’s website, in 2006, more than 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

“In Ocean City, we see far too many people who have been driving under the influence of alcohol,” said Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette A. DiPino. “Driving drunk is simply not worth the risks that people take. Not only do violators risk injuring or killing themselves, but also injuring or killing someone else.”

DiPino urged Ocean City residents and visitors who have been drinking to use alternative means of transportation.

“We are actually quite lucky to live in Ocean City,” she said. “We live in a city that offers numerous options for a safe ride home, including the Ocean City buses and several taxicab companies.”

DiPino also recommends that people designate a driver before going out in Ocean City.

“Many establishments offer free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers,” she said. “By choosing to be a designated driver, you are choosing to not only ensure the safety of yourself, but the safety of your friends.”

The effort of Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest is supported by $11 million in paid-national advertising to help put everyone on notice that driving under the influence will not be tolerated, now more then ever.

Crime gangs target chip and pin machines

POLICE are gearing up to tackle a new threat from fraudsters that could leave Welsh consumers’ bank accounts at risk of being plundered.

Officers are to urge shops to tighten security after it was revealed crime gangs are using the chip and pin system to raid bank accounts.

It is believed customers in about 30 shops across the UK have had their card details stolen and although South Wales Police said they have had no reports of it happening here, they are preparing for the possibility.

An officer from the fraud and financial investigation unit has begun speaking to retailers about beefing up their security.

Detective Inspector Dave Lowe said: “We have had no reports of PED (pin entry device) thefts yet. But quite often this type of fraud will migrate down the M4.

“There’s no guarantee it will happen here but equally it’s an issue we need to think about.”

When it was rolled out across the UK in February 2006, chip and pin was hailed as a system that would make bank cards safer and as a direct result, card fraud fell by a quarter in the first six months.

But now officers from the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) – the special police unit that tackles card fraud – have uncovered a scam where thieves substitute chip and pin terminals in shops for ones that have been tampered with.

The compromised machines allow the normal transaction to go through but also record the card details, allowing fraudsters to produce cloned cards which are then used in cash machines abroad to withdraw money from customers’ accounts.

The deception came to light when DCPCU officers raided an alleged counterfeit card factory in Birmingham this week.

Sandra Quinn, of the UK payments association Apacs, said: “Whereas fraudsters used to put pinhole cameras above the chip and pin device to get hold of the pin number, they now manipulate the chip and pin terminal to get that basic data.

“They are getting hold of the pin from inside the reader.

“They steal readers from retailers, cracking them open, and try to recreate one and then put it back in a shop.

“We have been aware that this has been going on because police have been getting reports that terminals are being stolen.”

Detective Inspector Lowe said shops in South Wales will be advised to check their chip and pin devices regularly. Petrol stations are thought to be particularly vulnerable.

But he added that manufacturers and banks have already begun working on improvements to the device, which could stop fraudsters in their tracks.

Chairman of the Cardiff Retail Partnership, David Hughes-Lewis, of Jonathan David Jewellers, said: “This is something we have to be wary of.

“It was almost inevitable fraudsters would find a way around chip and pin but at the same time I think it has cut down fraudulent transactions hugely.”

Both Gwent and North Wales Police said they were unaware of any incidents of chip and pin terminal fraud in their force areas, but urged retailers and customers to be on their guard.

The Western Mail contacted Dyfed-Powys police but no-one was available to comment.

South Wales’ fraud and financial investigation team is also tackling other types of identity fraud, which have been seen across the area.

Detective Inspector Lowe said phishing – where fraudsters sent bogus e-mails to bank customers asking for account details – and card skimming at cash machines were problems, but ID fraud in general was much less of a problem in Wales than in other parts of the UK, such as London and the south-east of England.

He said: “It is an important issue for us and we will keep putting the effort and resources into it to protect people.”

Jane Milne, of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Customers should be assured that UK retailers always take the protection of cardholder data seriously and are continuing to invest millions of pounds to enhance existing security measures.”

TAIPEI PLAS 2008 Leads Printing Machinery to Stand in the New Stage

TAIPEI PLAS 2008, which is regarded as one of the targeted international trade shows for manufacturers featured in printing machinery, showcases various products & business opportunities toward buyers, suppliers, and exporters before September 30th. TAIPEI PLAS 2008 has drawn much attention from worldwide visitors by its effective propaganda on the mass scale. Due to the business events hold by TAIPEI
PLAS, printing machinery manufacturers are able to take this great chance, publicizing the premium products like printing machines, printing parts, full automatic technology etc. toward foreign & domestic buyers during this trade show.

In this August, the organizer of TAIPEI PLAS has collected fields of printing machinery manufacturers & suppliers for this International Plastic & Rubber Trade Show, attempting to present visitors and buyers more impressive products, trading information, marketing projects beyond the expectation. Various plastic & rubber components providers in this trade show offer premium bargaining policies as well as the projects for good-quality sample production.

The full automation turnkey project & total solution for plant-setting are two major points in this business fair. Buyers can search for much information in details about printing machinery, and even the used machines are provided as the items for the new flexible turnkey project. Seeking the suitable partners through this trade show, manufacturers also can offer the new cooperation strategies or the blueprint for the new pilot scheme. Additionally, suppliers in this trade show can also pass down their R&D techniques of making printing machines toward the beginners in the industry.

Hundreds of products and machines are provided in TAIPEI PLAS. The most-inquired machines in this trade show are including One-Side Manual Feeding Printing Machine, 3-5 Color Digital Size Rotary Belt Label Printing Machine, Flexographic Printing Machine, Silk Screen Vacuum Printing Frame and more. These machines are all well-made with its multi functions, which lead them to be used easily for customized production. For example, each printing roller of the One-Side Manual Feeding Machine is equipped with an ink circulation system for saving ink. And by its full automation, the printing speed is almost up to 40pcs/min, making it able to handle mass production as many as possible.

Capable of adjusting printing length automatically, the printing machines provided in the trade show are highly recommendable for applying in the fields like paper-printing, gold-stamping, wrapping, rubber wrapping, narrow fabric needle looming, printing components and so on. These machines can be designed upon customer's request, keeping good quality and high efficiency for long-term use.

As long as suppliers and exporters take part in TAIPEI PLAS 2008, they can find all the wanted components, new innovated machines, used machines, or even plastic & rubber parts which fit their needs all in one. Industry-wide buyers certainly cannot miss TAIPEI PLAS 2008, or will lose the opportunities to meet the business partnership in this new stage.

Taiwan Laminating Coating Machinery Attempts To Warm Up Entire Machinery Economic in August

In this August, Taiwanese laminating coating machinery suppliers gather together in the international Plastic & Rubber Trade Show, displaying the multi-function coating machines & lamination machines for worldwide buyers. For the purpose of warming up entire plastic & rubber machinery economic, this trade show also provides suppliers in Taiwan a great chance to reach every market channel, seeking more opportunities to meet more business partners.

To elevate the reputation, most laminating coating machinery manufacturers had took much time and effort to prepare for presenting the laminating coating machines, plastic products, rubber components and more as many as possible. Such effort has been seen constantly not only in this trade show but in these manufacturers' daily production services. As the statistics shows, the evident growth for exporting these laminating coating machines and plastic & rubber products has raised day by day.

For higher percentage of the entire exports, laminating coating machinery manufacturers in Taiwan try various flexible marketing policies to muscled their way, going through the competitive markets. Additionally, plastics and rubber products are indispensable for the global markets. Combined with casting and electroplating technology, laminating & coating industry impresses clients with the advanced machines which can be applied to fields of industries like auto parts, transportation, delivery devices, paper laminating products and so on.

Before September 30th from now on, TAIPEI PLAS 2008 is one of the targeted international trade shows for manufacturers featured in laminating coating machinery. According to its effectiveness and propaganda on the mass scale, TAIPEI PLAS 2008, hold biennially for decades, has been continuously drawing a great attention from visitors worldwide. Thus, laminating coating machinery manufacturers can take this opportunity to repute themselves with the products like laminating coating machines toward both overseas & domestic buyers during this trade show.

The plastic laminating machine is making used of adhesive property of polypropylene & polyethylene during melting status. This machine is able to adheres and laminates paper, and color-printed woven packaging bags by painting system. It also can be used to laminate on the film and paper directly, or even, laminating color-printed OPP and BOPP film on both sides of these bags production. And with the maximum coating width around 700mm, the machines made from most laminating and coating machinery films are able to provide buyers huge size machine of ordered dimension for common business uses.

Capable of dealing with mass production and customized orders, hundreds of laminating coating machinery providers participated in this trade show have the ability to handle flexible turn key projects for both new-coming visitors and old clients. Buyers in this trade show can obtain more premium information about purchasing the products, and certainly, they can also gain more partnership. This trade show collects categories of manufacturers in the supply chain and inclines to integrate entire laminating coating machinery events, offering visitors discerning choices for extrusion plants.

Electronic Voting Machines At Center Of Ohio Lawsuits

Brunner filed the state's lawsuit in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, in response to one that Premier brought against the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and the secretary of state. Premier's lawsuit had requested a court determination stating it met the obligations outlined in its contracts.

"Based on the objective evidence, we believe that Premier's equipment has failed to perform as required by its contracts and according to state law. We have taken this action to recover taxpayer funds spent for voting systems used in half of the state's 88 counties because Ohioans deserve better," Brunner said in an announcement.

Ohio seeks punitive damages for providing touch-screen voting machines that caused problems in at least 11 of the 44 counties using them. It claims a breach of warranty, breach of contract, failure to conform to Ohio law, and fraud in inducement.

Brunner said that Premier's system dropped votes when memory cards were uploaded to shared servers. Election staff recovered the votes hours later, she said.

Election workers notified Premier of the problems and received a product advisory notice in late May. The notice explained that an antivirus program that operated on the server simultaneously had caused the problems. Premier instructed users to disable the antivirus software on vote tabulation servers when uploading votes from memory cards.

On May 30, Premier sued the Ohio secretary of state and the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and requested the court to state that it had complied with all of its obligations under contracts and warranties for the voting systems. In April, the Butler County Board of Elections notified Brunner of potential equipment malfunctions. Brunner's IT staff and boards of elections staff launched a statewide investigation and concluded that similar problems occurred in 11 Ohio counties that used Premier's machines.

Brunner continues to investigate the malfunctions and test Premier's explanation that the problem was caused by the antivirus software. The state is developing mitigation plans to identify the potential for dropped votes and to fix the problem.

Brunner said the software was certified by the Board of Voting Machine Examiners as part of the Premier system when the system was introduced in Ohio. Finally, she claims that Premier did not document its explanation that the antivirus software caused the problems.

Light goes out on pioneer machine

The pioneering Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS) based at the Daresbury Laboratory in Warrington, UK, will be switched off on Monday.

The machine, which probed the structure of materials down to the molecular and atomic level, developed the technology now used in some 60 centres worldwide.

Its X-ray science has been behind new drugs and electronics, and was used in Nobel-winning research on cell energy.

UK synchrotron studies have now moved to the Diamond centre in Oxfordshire.

Daresbury's future is envisioned as an innovation super-centre, where scientific ideas can better make the leap to business.

"Though the SRS has gone, Daresbury Laboratory is growing," said Professor Colin Whitehouse from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which runs the facility.

"It is part of a burgeoning national Science and Innovation Campus and the home of the Cockcroft Institute, a national centre for Accelerator Science and Technology, amongst other world-class research facilities."

Synchrotrons are essentially giant X-ray machines. Their brilliant, high-energy light is produced by electrons travelling in a ring at near-light-speed.

As the particles turn through a course of magnets, they lose energy in the form of X-rays which are then focused down beamlines to target samples positioned at experimental stations.

The light is so intense, it can probe just about any material, revealing the precise positions of its atoms and the arrangement of its molecules.

Future science

Over the past 28 years, synchrotron light has supported cutting-edge research in physics, chemistry and materials science, opening up many new areas of research in fields such as medicine, geological and environmental studies, structural genomics and archaeology.

Since it was opened, the SRS has helped develop new medicines by studying the atomic structure of proteins; it has enabled the production of new materials for use in electronics and clothing; and it has led to the development of new detergents - to list just a few of its achievements.

Perhaps the SRS's biggest moment came when it was used by Sir John Walker to map the structure of an important enzyme that catalyses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the molecule that carries the chemical energy that operates the body.

The research earned Sir John the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997.

Diamond was built in the South, to the dismay of Daresbury staff

The decision to site the new Diamond Light Source in the south of England rather than at Daresbury led to a huge political row in the late 1990s.

The North West of England felt that the role played by Daresbury in developing synchrotron science meant it should have been given the "third generation" machine.

Instead, the £300m-plus facility was put on the Chilton-Harwell science campus, the home of the ISIS neutron source, another type of machine that can probe matter at the microscopic level.

Daresbury will be involved in developing the technology for so-called "fourth generation" light sources.

These machines will use X-ray lasers to probe matter on time-dependent scales, allowing researchers to see, for example, the moment bonds are broken and made in a chemical reaction.

Europe, as a bloc, is committed to building one such machine at the moment, at the DESY (Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron) centre in Hamburg. It will be called the X-ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL).

Blockbuster, NCR to use DVD vending machines

DALLAS (AP) - Blockbuster and NCR today announced a pilot program to set up about 50 automated kiosks for DVD rentals.

Officials say the program could result in 10,000 kiosks within 18 months.

Dallas-based Blockbuster is the massive video rental chain.

NCR makes ATMs.

No word yet on where the first kiosks will be located.

Several smaller companies, including McDonald's subsidiary Redbox Automated Retail, have automated DVD rental kiosks in grocery stores, drug stores and McDonald's restaurants.

Blockbuster-branded kiosks initially will only do rentals, but could in the future also sell DVDs and video games, or accept downloads of new content.

Blockbuster showed off a downloading kiosk in May that could transfer movies to a portable media-playing device from Archos. The first 2 of those machines are expected to be used in Dallas this summer.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

KLA-Tencor Profit Drops 48%; Fewer Orders Predicted (Update2)

July 31 (Bloomberg) -- KLA-Tencor Corp., the second-largest U.S. maker of semiconductor equipment, posted a 48 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit after orders from memory-chip makers slowed.

Net income fell to $76 million, or 43 cents a share, the company said today in a statement. Sales declined 20 percent to $590.7 million in the period ended June 30, while orders decreased about 15 percent from the previous period.

Orders probably will plunge another 15 percent this quarter, Chief Executive Officer Rick Wallace said on a conference call. Global spending on chip equipment may decline by more than a fifth this year as the U.S. economic slump worsens and excess supply drives prices down, according to researcher Gartner Inc.

``In the final weeks of the quarter, we experienced a further slowdown in orders,'' said Wallace, 48. ``The outlook for near-term recovery is muted.''

The San Jose, California-based company fell 19 cents to $37.40 in extended trading after closing at $37.59 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The shares have declined 22 percent this year.

Fourth-quarter net income last year was $147.3 million, or 75 cents a share. KLA-Tencor forecast that profit would amount to 32 cents to 36 cents this quarter, on sales of $510 million to $525 million. That compared with analysts' average projection of profit of 53 cents on revenue of $559.4 million.

Memory `Weak'

``Memory is weak, and it's going to be weak again in September,'' said Patrick Ho, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in Dallas. ``It could be better in December, but it's hard to tell.'' He recommends buying KLA shares and doesn't own any.

Excluding reorganization costs and other expenses, fourth- quarter profit was 60 cents, beating the 57-cent average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Wallace called the results a ``strong performance'' amid an industrywide decline in orders from makers of memory chips.

KLA-Tencor's machines test whether each stage in the semiconductor-manufacturing process is completed successfully. The company is cutting costs to improve productivity as it faces increasing competition from Applied Materials Inc., the world's largest maker of machinery used to make computer chips. That may prompt further price cuts, Ho said.

``When you have a large, well-capitalized competitor that comes into your marketplace like Applied Materials, it can put a lot more pricing pressure on you,'' Ho said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Whitney Kisling in Washington at wkisling@bloomberg.net

Snow Machines Fight Fire

RED LODGE - The fire is burning so close to Red Lodge Mountain so crews are trying out some unusual fire equipment.

irefighters are borrowing all of the resort's snow making machines to cover structures and land with as much water as they can. Crews say the machines can pump out more than 6,000 gallons of water an hour, which is a big help.

"They're working great. They're putting out a lot of water. There's huge man made lake up at the top of the ski hill that they use those snow machines in the winter anyway," said DNRC's Chris Davis.

Crews have used at least a dozen snow making machines non-stop since the fire started Saturday.

Stock Market Quote - Business News - Financial News

BEAVERTON, OR, Jul 31, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- The R&D group at a developer of wireless metrology devices for wafer processing equipment, CyberOptics Semiconductor, Inc. (CSI), has characterized a new MEMS sensor to improve by 10x and 3x the vertical accuracy and range of the company's latest incarnation of its wafer-like auto-leveling inclinometer for fabs, the WaferSense(TM) Auto Leveling System 2 (ALS2) Vertical, according to Dennis J. Bonciolini, the company's CTO.
Apps engineers at the company, a subsidiary of CyberOptics Corp. (CYBE:
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CYBE 9.95, +0.04, +0.4%) , report that, market-wide, fab engineers continue to employ longstanding manual-alignment techniques to determine the vertical inclination of wafer processing equipment such as ion implants and wet-station robots, according to Bonciolini.
The absence of more precise vertical inclination metrology data and station-to-station controls -- as tolerances continue to shrink -- effectively jeopardizes yield and device performance at ion implant and wet-station processes and causes engineers to take machines offline for prolonged re-calibration and troubleshooting maintenance, Bonciolini said.
"You really need insight into your equipment to rein in what have become significant margins of error in leveling vertical wafer alignments," Bonciolini said. "The data is basically going to improve downtime -- and eliminate any surprises -- and establish a clear relationship between inclination and yield."
Bonciolini added that the company's latest wireless auto-leveling device and software, LevelView(TM) and LevelReview(TM), are largely intended to allow fab engineers to obtain real-time vertical and horizontal inclination measurements. Engineers use the measurements to characterize equipment, conduct statistical analysis via log file data and establish uniform metrology standards for process equipment and preventative maintenance schedules.
The R&D group at CyberOptics Semiconductor worked to improve its wafer-like leveling device to "extend our reach in the fab" and "further automate production" of 300mm and 200mm wafers, Bonciolini said.
The company's WaferSense ALS2 Vertical improves the device's vertical accuracy from +/-0.5 degrees to +/-0.05 degrees and vertical range from +/-15 degrees to +/-50 degrees. The company also reduced the form factor of the device's carbon fiber composite housing to develop a light 300mm version. The light 300mm device weighs 200 grams, down from 240 grams, and is primarily designed to work on flat surfaces.
CyberOptics Semiconductor's WaferSense ALS2 Vertical is used as an alternative to the machinist levels, bubble levels and wired devices used by process engineers to calibrate equipment.
"When you start looking at the cost to shut down your process or damage wafers, eyeballing it just isn't effective," Bonciolini said.
The WaferSense ALS2 Vertical's key specifications and features include form factors of SEMI 200mm notch or flat and 300mm, horizontal accuracy of +/- 0.03 degrees within +/-7 degrees, horizontal resolution of +/-0.002 degrees within +/-14 degrees, operating temperature of 20 to 70 degrees Celsius, height of 6.3mm, weight of 150gm at 200mm, 240gm at 300mm and 200gm at 300mm (CL version), wireless Bluetooth link, four hour run-time per battery charge and use with Windows 2000, XP and Vista.
The WaferSense ALS2 Vertical package includes the leveling wafer, USB-compatible link, LevelView(TM) and LevelReview(TM) graphical software CD, charging case and suitcase.
The WaferSense family of products includes the Auto Leveling System (ALS), Auto Teaching System (ATS), Auto Gapping System (AGS) and Auto Vibration System (AVS). Each device follows the processing life of a wafer.
About CyberOptics Semiconductor, Inc.
CyberOptics Semiconductor develops automated products that seamlessly measure critical parameters in semiconductor fabrication processes and equipment. The company's pioneering WaferSense(TM) line includes wireless metrology devices for vibration, leveling, gapping and teaching semiconductor process equipment. The company is the largest producer of reflective wafer-mapping sensors and a leading provider of frame grabber machine vision boards under its HAMA Sensors(TM) and Imagenation(TM) brands. CyberOptics Semiconductor is a subsidiary of CyberOptics Corp. (CYBE:
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CYBE 9.95, +0.04, +0.4%) , one of the world's leading providers of process yield and throughput improvement solutions for electronic assembly and semiconductor capital equipment companies. For information, visit http://www.cyberopticssemi.com/, e-mail CSsales@cyberoptics.com or call 800-366-9131.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance are forward-looking and therefore involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: market conditions in the global SMT and semiconductor capital equipment industries; increasing price competition and price pressure on our product sales, particularly our SMT systems; the level of orders from our OEM customers; the availability of parts required for meeting customer orders; the effect of world events on our sales, the majority of which are from foreign customers; product introductions and pricing by our competitors; unanticipated costs or delays associated with the transition of engineering and manufacturing for SMT Systems to Singapore and other factors set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note: all trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

New market place for used trucks by MinuteMachine

(PRLEAP.COM) MinuteMachine.com, one of the leading Internet marketplaces for used construction equipment, has just released it new website www.MinuteTruck.com to enlarge their previous offer.

The international market place for used construction machinery www.MinuteMachine.com, where dealers and final customers can publish second hand equipment for sale, is online since 2006 and had an astonishing pace of development during the last two years. Today the Internet Portal receives about 16.000 visitor’s every day and more than 20.000 used machines are advertised.

Because of this huge enthusiasm and demand, the company will open up their market to the transport and commercial vehicle sector.
The CEO Inga Gerstenberg said "During the last two years we put all our effort in the construction machinery. We achieved in a very short period of time being one of the leading market places worldwide. Now it is time to be concerned with a new strategy to expand our repertoire to other branches of the industry sector."

MinuteMachine and MinuteTruck would like to facilitate companies around the world to establish contacts with potential customers, a B2B concept especially for a niche markets like construction machinery business or transport business.

The company already received an important feedback of the new strategy, because yet there are advertised more than 6.000 used trucks and trailers at MinuteTruck within a few weeks.

MinuteTruck is a market place for used trucks, where dealers and final customers can publish their used trucks and contact with a worldwide audience.

Electronic Voting Machines: Are They Safe?

Right since its first trial in 1982 in a bye-election in Kerala, India, doubts have been expressed by stakeholders like contesting candidates and political parties as to whether Electronic Voting Machines are safe and tamper-proof. Even though use of EVMs was made universal from the 2004 Parliamentary General Elections, as recently as on 20 June 2008, on the eve of municipal elections in the state of West Bengal, political rivals clashed over the issue of testing EVMs and a 12-hour strike was called in Burdwan by three political parties. After the 23 February 2008 Assembly Elections in the state of Tripura, the Tripura Congress demanded a National Police probe on suspected EVM manipulations. On 9 June 2008, a delegation of Trinamool Congress urged the Election Commission of India not to use EVMs in the 2009 Parliamentary Elections. In respect of the 2007 Manipur elections, an application was filed under the Right to Information Act to get precise data on the specific EVMs used. Television talk shows and long essays in newspapers have been keeping the debate alive: are EVMs truly safe and immune from high tech rigging?

The concerns expressed through these discussions and debates are varied. One line of argument compares Assembly polls that used EVMs with Panchayat elections conducted with paper ballots and concludes that better results were obtained by opposition parties where EVMs were not used. Another line of argument goes on to state that it is theoretically possible to reprogramme the resident software to favour one particular political party only. Then there are those who refer to introduction of upgraded versions of the machine to hint that the earlier designs were faulty. Yet another class of doubts stem from the controversies over voting technology in America's presidential election in 2000 and alludes to a wide variety of literature available in the public domain doubting the Diebold-based touch-screen voting machines used in the US. The last group bases its objections on the apparently very forceful logic that if indeed India’s EVMs are so good, why aren’t these adopted by the international community? Why do almost all advanced democratic countries still rely on the good old ballot papers?

A basic reason for a large part of the debate surrounding use of EVMs is that insides of an EVM cannot be seen like an empty ballot box. The transparency with EVMs is demonstrated by conducting a mock poll in each polling booth before the voting actually starts. In this mock poll phase, each polling agent of contesting candidates presses few buttons of the EVM after which the votes recorded are counted and tallied. This is repeated if necessary and after satisfying all agents, the contents of the machine are cleared a final time, the cover concealing the ‘clear’ and ‘results’ buttons is closed and the agents are invited to put their seals on the lock.

But isn’t it possible in theory at least, so the argument continues, to so programme the software of the chip inside an EVM that after the first 100 votes or so – to take account of the mock poll - all subsequent votes could be recorded in favour of only one political party? Even without looking at the software technicalities, it is easy to see why this would not be possible by noting that ballot papers are pasted on its balloting unit alongside the buttons while the sequence of names written on the ballot paper is arranged alphabetically in three groups of recognised political parties, registered parties and independents. This sequence is determined after the list of validly nominated candidates is finalized by the Returning Officer, usually only a few days ahead of the poll, and is thus distinctly different in different constituencies. In other words, since it is not possible that candidates of party X appear only at the, say, fifth button everywhere, even a hypothetically rigged set of EVMs cannot ensure party X’s victory everywhere. Besides, the commissioning of the EVMs is done in full view of the agents of the candidates and the whole operation is video-graphed. For added transparency, the EVMs are assigned randomly to different constituencies and the serial numbers of the machines are carefully recorded for reference. After the ‘candidate setting’, the EVMs are placed in a dedicated strong room with 24x7 armed guards under the watchful vigil of polling agents till their deployment in voting booths.

In a much publicized event soon after the General Assembly Elections in West Bengal in 2006, a public demonstration on how EVMs could be manipulated was organised at the massive Science City auditorium in Kolkata by a group of people who alleged that the just concluded elections used rigged EVMs. It turned out to be a damp squib where only a Power-Point presentation projected few dummy EVM models and some hypothetical scenarios of hi-tech rigging of EVMs. “We never said that EVMs had been actually tampered with” remarked one prominent organizer later. “We merely pointed out that there is a theoretical possibility that this could be done.” In a 2005 case in the High Court of Bombay, even a computer expert of the petitioner challenging the use of EVMs admitted to the Court that no one could hack into the EVM system because the hardware and software used in EVMs were not known.

Nobody has been able as yet to prove that EVMs can be doctored or tampered with.

The Election Commission of India goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the secrecy of the hardware and software in the EVM is maintained. The machines are manufactured only by two public sector enterprises, one of which is under the Ministry of Defence and the other with the Department of Electronics, Government of India. The micro-controller chips are non-erasable and are encoded in machine language that cannot be understood by human beings. The encoding and chip manufacturing is done not in India but in a foreign country and its details are a business secret. The memory is non-volatile and even if the battery is removed, no data is lost. If the connecting cable is damaged or cut, the letters “LE” (Link Error) are displayed. If the memory device is removed, the micro controller detects it and declares that the machine is in an error state. The encrypted code and data is unchangeable and indelible by anybody, even by the manufacturer. Little wonder that the Election Commission has been challenging anybody to show them how to rig these EVMs.

It is therefore no surprise that the Supreme Court, High Courts, Government Standing Committees and Expert Technical Groups have over the years subjected the EVMs to the strictest scrutiny and found them to be totally secure and safe. The Goswami Committee on Electoral Reforms that was set up in 1990 included a report of a technical sub-committee consisting of experts from Defence Research and Development Organisation, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and Electronics Research and Development Centre, Trivandrum in which the tamper-proof functioning of the EVMs was fully established. In a Supreme Court case of 2004, the Court examined a scientist who was a co-designer of the EVM as an expert court witness; in its judgment, the Court observed that the EVM was a great invention, a national pride. The same year saw the nationwide roll-out of EVMs during the General Parliamentary Elections 2004 involving 670 million electors.

To understand why the EVMs used in India are quite different from the touch screen voting machines used in other countries like the USA, it is necessary to look at the origins and raison-d’être of the Indian EVMs. The design of the EVM was mandated in India purely by its own needs: to capture and reflect accurately the voters’ intentions, to save money and to make it difficult for miscreants to stuff ballot boxes with bogus unused ballot papers in the dying hours of the poll day. In the paper ballot era, ambiguous or multiple markings on ballots resulted in invalid votes and it was not unusual to find that the number of invalid votes were greater than the margin of victory. Complaints of deliberate counting errors by allegedly biased counting officials were also common and led to frequent recounting pleas and court cases. Reduction in consumption of thousands of tonnes of paper on economical and environmental grounds was also a strong motivation. Because each vote occupied a prescribed predetermined time interval in the EVM, quick loading of false votes were not possible. Above all, the initial design was consciously made to be as close to the system of marking on ballot papers as had been evolved from the third General Elections in 1962 so that the average voter had no difficulty in exercising her franchise.

The Indian EVMs are thus strictly stand-alone devices that record people’s voting intentions accurately and store it in its non-volatile memory till they are counted. The EVMs still have to be physically carried under armed police escort to the counting centres for machine-by-machine result counting in presence of agents of candidates, much like the ballot paper days. In contrast, in all other countries where e-voting is attempted through voting machines, the emphasis is on networking, centralized data transfers through public communication channels and for enabling remote voting by people who are away from their polling areas on the date of poll. In such a scenario, in spite of various levels of security firewalls, there is a larger possibility of hacking from anywhere in the network pipeline. The concerns for using EVMs are thus overwhelmingly different in countries other than India where no networks is attempted, nor any non-resident voting permitted, except for a very few government employees who are entitled to vote by post. Little wonder, therefore, not many advanced countries are keen to adopt the India’s stand-alone EVMs. To extrapolate the controversies over EVMs in other countries to the Indian context would thus be rather fallacious.

Why then do controversies continue? A survey conducted by the Centre for Study of Developing Society in 1999 indicated that 90.6% of the public preferred the EVMs in the 1998 assembly polls spread over two states where EVMs were used. It can be safely presumed that this figure has gone up now. Even so, few skeptics possibly remain. It is necessary to also win them over by publishing white papers and launching a carefully crafted awareness programme. For the just-defeated crest-fallen political candidate, however, the EVM can be a scapegoat to nurse his wounded ego: we think of the legal fight instituted in the Kerala High Court by a contesting candidate challenging the first ever use of EVMs in 1982. He won the election and lost the case. His political rival lost the election and filed an appeal.

It has been said that compared to the shiny touch-screen Diebold-system based US voting machine, the Indian EVM is rather ‘simplistic’. Perhaps. But it is reliable and robust. Born in India, it understands its needs. It can be easily transported in its plain plastic carry-case to the remotest villages through the heat and dust of rural roads. It can be set up by a village school teacher acting as a polling officer on the election day, helping him by displaying messages whenever the cables are incorrectly connected or the batteries run low. It works without electrical power or complex networks of connectivity. It is friendly even to literacy-challenged voter. It can accurately record and count our votes. It can be trusted to keep our votes safe and secret. It may not be much to look at but it is difficult not to be a bit proud of this rather lovable little machine.

LAX to be test site for shoe-scanning machines

Los Angeles International Airport soon will test a pair of machines that let passengers keep their shoes on at security checkpoints.

The machines, made by L-3 Communications, resemble a large turnstile and will scan shoes for explosives as air travelers pass through them.

Dwayne Baird, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, says data collected will help determine whether the scanners could be used at airports nationwide.

Aviation consultant Jack Keady says the results were inconsistent when similar shoe-scanning machines were tested last summer at Orlando International Airport.

Federal authorities have required airline passengers to remove their shoes for inspection since "shoe bomber" Richard Reid failed to detonate a bomb in his sneakers on a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001.

Voting machines ready

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson stopped in Warren County Clerk Dot Owens’ office Thursday to display and demonstrate the optical-scanning voting machines that will be used here this fall.

Grayson’s aide wheeled in a waist-high black plastic case. Most of that is a bin into which paper ballots drop after they’re read. The actual scanner is a laptop-sized device on top. They brought sample ballots, with small rectangular boxes next to names for party straight-ticket and the presidential race.

Deputy clerks and two members of the Warren County Board of Elections - secretary Mary Stahl and new Democratic board member Harold Miller - looked on as Grayson described the machine.

Voters will be asked to completely fill the box next to the candidate of their choice. Pencils or pens can be used.

Miller asked what will happen if a box is only partially filled.

“It looks to me like that would be a problem for some people,” he said.

The machine successfully reads those “99 percent of the time,” Grayson said. If it can’t, clerks can still count the paper ballot by hand, he said.

Owens said the machine will take unmarked ballots or those that it can’t read, marking them as “undervotes.”

“The only way it’ll reject it is if it looks like you’re voting for two or three people in the same race,” she said.

If a ballot is rejected and returned to the voter, that person can get a replacement from poll workers, Owens said.

The machine not only tallies the vote and keeps the paper copy, it scans a double-sided image as a backup, Grayson said. Owens said that since the actual scanning goes so quickly, people can fill out their ballots anywhere in the voting room and feed them all through one machine.

Counties are phasing out old voting systems, but Warren County will still have the handicap-accessible eSlate electronic screen machines available in each precinct, Grayson said. Those and the new scanners, called eScans, are made by the same company. That should simplify and speed clerks’ vote-counting, he said.

“The machines work very well together,” Grayson said.

At a secretary of states’ conference last week, Grayson said, he was told that by 2012 Congress will probably require all elections to leave a paper trail.

Jefferson County has used paper scanners for 20 years, and probably half of all voters in the country will use such machines this fall, he said. Seven Kentucky counties used paper-ballot scanners in this year’s primary, and about 30 are expected to this fall, Grayson said.

“The voters really liked it, the poll workers liked it,” he said. “It really went better than we hoped.”

Owens said the machines have already been used for local absentee ballots, with no problems.

The machines’ cost will be reimbursed by the state, through federal funds from the 2002 Help America Vote Act, Grayson said. The $4,500 price for one machine is available for each precinct, he said. Almost every county has signed a contract to get money for this over the next two years, Grayson said.

Review: Mocha VNC and Mocha VNC Lite for iPhone

As I walk the vast expanses of this Macworld Oregon Branch Office (otherwise known as my home), there are times when it’s useful to see what’s happening on a given machine—did my never-ending iPhone backup process end? Did the backup of the mini generate any errors? Is that file upload to the server done yet? Answering these questions used to require me sitting in front of one of the Macs in the house—using screen sharing, I could then connect to the machine in question and see what it was doing.
Now, with the App Store, though, all I need is a first-generation iPhone with the 2.0 software and MochaSoft’s Mocha VNC (or the free Mocha VNC Lite version). Mocha VNC allows you to connect to machines running OS X, Windows, and Linux using the industry-standard virtual network computing desktop sharing system. There are built-in VNC servers in OS X 10.4 and 10.5, so you can connect to your Macs with a minimal amount of work.

There are some limits with Mocha VNC—it only supports a single monitor on the remote system, and the maximum resolution of that monitor is 1,680-by-1,200. You can, however, zoom in and out on the screen as you would with a web page, and display the remote screen in portrait or landscape mode simply by turning your iPhone or iPod touch. Buttons along the bottom of the screen provide access to features such as the on-screen keyboard, Mocha VNC’s menus, a right mouse button, and a button to control what happens when you drag a finger across the screen—one mode moves the remote mouse pointer, the other just scrolls around on your zoomed-in display.

There aren’t many differences between the free and paid version of Mocha VNC, but the differences that exist are significant. The biggest limitation in the free version is that the only provided keyboard is the standard iPhone virtual keyboard—so no function keys, and no other special keys. (There are onscreen buttons for Control and Command, but not Option.) While this works OK for controlling Macs, you really need Control-Alt-Delete to work with Windows boxes, because otherwise you can’t login.

The full version has a second keyboard that contains all the function keys, the Windows key, page navigation keys, and two special Windows meta-keys: Control-Alt-Delete and Alt-F4. (There’s still no on-screen Option key, however.) With the paid version, you also get a dedicated on-screen right-mouse button, and support for macros (recorded bits of text you can send to the remote host with a couple of taps).

I found the speed of Mocha VNC to be decent on my home’s wireless network. The initial screen draw on a larger screen took some time, but updates were relatively quick, and typing worked at a decent, but not great, speed. However, because there’s no real keyboard or mouse, you won’t want to tackle any complex projects with your iPhone or iPod touch—it’s just too hard to work the buttons for the virtual keyboard and mouse. Instead, Mocha VNC is best used as a monitoring tool, or to do something fast and simple on the networked machine, such as starting a download or running Software Update.

While MochaVNC supports encrypted transmission of the VNC connection’s password, your actual session data is not encrypted—so this is a tool best used within a local network, behind a firewall. The program would be more useful if it supported data encryption for the entire data stream, and not just the initial connection password. On Mocha VNC’s FAQ page, the developer explains the lack of support for encryption by writing, “There is an issue with exporting 128 encryption from the USA, where the App Store server is located. 128 bits is seen as a dangerous weapon.” (Mocha VNC is located in Denmark.)
The biggest issue I have with Mocha VNC (both the full and lite versions) is that it seems to peg the AppleVNCServer process at nearly 100-percent CPU utilization much of the time. I tested this with connections to both my Mac mini and my Mac Pro, and it happened on both machines, not every single time, but quite often. I even reinstalled Mocha VNC, just to be sure something wasn’t wrong with my version of the program, but the high CPU utilization persisted. In practice, today’s CPUs have enough horsepower that you won’t notice this issue unless you ask the remote Mac to do something CPU-intensive, such as encoding a QuickTime video. However, it does mean that you may find the fan on your Mac really running fast the next time you walk past the machine—which is exactly how I discovered this CPU utilization issue.

There’s no apparent reason for the CPU utilization to be so high—connecting from one Mac to another with screen sharing, for instance, doesn’t drive the AppleVNCServer process to anywhere near 100 percent. Connecting to my Mac Pro from my MacBook Pro, as a test, led to the AppleVNCServer process generally using between 5 and 15 percent of the CPU, not 100 percent. (And that’s displaying two monitors at full resolution, versus one at a maximum of 1,680-by-1,200.) Clearly Mocha VNC is doing something different that’s driving the CPU utilization up, and hopefully this can be addressed in a future update.

If you have a lot of Macs and/or other machines in your home, and you want to keep an eye them from your iPhone or iPod touch, then the full version is worth the $6 cost. The added keyboard keys and right-mouse screen key in the full version are both very useful—and the extra keyboard keys are a requirement if you want to work with Windows machines. However, even the free version may be sufficient if you’d simply like the ability to occasionally view the screen of a Mac on your network. You won’t want to use either version for large, complex projects, but for simpler stuff, Mocha VNC can save you a walk down the hallway.