Breaking through the Bubble

Soldiers accused of abusing Iraqi prisoners

BAGHDAD, Iraq – At least six U.S. soldiers have been reprimanded after the release of pictures and reports of abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, according to CNN.

The soldiers are all officers and non-commissioned officers, and were reprimanded as a result of a criminal and administrative investigation. Another investigation into the involvement of military intelligence in the abuse is still under way.

Six other military police officials face criminal charges because of the alleged abuse.

Many military officials have blamed intelligence officials for the abuse, citing the fact that the alleged abuse only occurred at the prison in which Iraqis were being interrogated by these officials. Others have questioned the training received by reserve soldiers, who were involved in the incidents and have said they were not told by their superiors there was anything wrong with their treatment of the prisoners.

According to a report released Tuesday, senior leadership of the Army’s 800th Military Police Brigade and the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade committed breaches of international law and failed to comply with established regulations and policies in preventing detainee abuse.

The pictures supposedly depict naked Iraqis being forced to simulate homosexual acts and form human pyramids under the watchful eyes of American troops. Others show prisoners with wires attached to them, supposedly a tactic used to break suspects before they are interrogated.

Hybrid cars may do more harm than good

PHILADELPHIA – Drivers who purchase hybrid cars in an effort to help the environment may find their new energy-efficient cars are more dangerous than they think.

According to CNN, the growing popularity of these environmentally friendly cars has created a new problem for rescuers working to aid victims of car accidents: a network of high-voltage circuitry that can electrify both rescuer and passenger if not cut correctly.

Most hybrid models draw their power from two sources, a gas or diesel engine and an electric motor. The battery that powers the electric motor often carries up to 500 volts of electricity, which is more than 40 times the strength of an average automobile battery. This electricity can keep rescuers from using traditional rescue methods such as hydraulic tools. This can slow the rescue time and can be the difference between life and death for a badly injured driver or passenger.

Rescuers are taught to disconnect the battery and turn off the key immediately before cutting into the car, but in a real-life scenario are not always able to do so and cannot be sure that following that procedure will cut all electricity in the car. Emergency response teams are also trained to peel off the car’s roof instead of trying to cut through the doors. Many rescuers often now respond to all calls wearing rubber gloves and boots to ground them in case the car is energized.

Hybrid cars have seen an increase in popularity recently, with sales rising at an annual rate of 88.6 percent since 2000. The selection of hybrids available has also increased, with Ford, Honda and Lexus offering sedan and sports utility vehicles in hybrid form.

Computers helpless against ‘Sasser worm’

LONDON – The “Sasser worm” that hit personal and corporate computers at a rapid pace over the weekend may already have infected more than 1 million PCs across the globe, according to CNN reports.

The worm, which has targeted banks, travel-booking systems, European Commission offices and Britain’s 19 Coast Guard stations, infects vulnerable computers without the unsuspecting user having to open attachments, which allows it to spread very quickly. People with infected computers may notice their machines rebooting randomly or their Internet connection slowing dramatically.

Experts have advised users to update their PCs with the latest Microsoft patches and install a firewall to keep out infections. Some are predicting the worm will still be wreaking havoc on machines for years. Within days, four versions of the worm have appeared, attacking computers running on Microsoft’s Windows operating systems XP, NT and 2000.

The worm is believed to have been released by a Russia-based group calling itself the “Skynet anti-virus group.”

Compiled by Ellis Harman