March 6, 2009

 Bloomberg.com

"Somali-Americans’ Disappearances Raise
 Alarm of Terrorism Ties"  

By Justin Blum

March 6 (Bloomberg)

Story (Linked with permission of Bloomberg & Author)

February 2, 2009

 OrlandoSentinel.com

 EDITORIAL

 "We think: The nation's security needs
 extend well beyond aviation"

December 2, 2008

The odds that terrorists will attack a major city with nuclear or biological weapons are now higher than ever due to threats
from rogue states, nuclear smuggling networks and the spread
of weapons know-how, according to a bipartisan task force created by the US Congress. 

WORLD AT RISK:

The Report of the Commission on the
Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism

COVER LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT

December 2, 2008

The Honorable George W. Bush

President of the United States

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53), we hereby submit the report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

The mandate given to this Commission by Congress was far-reaching. We were given a charter to assess, within 180 days, any and all of the nation’s activities, initiatives, and programs to prevent weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorism. We were also asked to provide concrete recommendations—a road map, if you will—to address these threats.

In response, we brought together a staff of more than two dozen professionals and subject matter experts from across the national security, intelligence, and law enforcement communities. We interviewed more than 250 government officials and nongovernmental experts. We held eight major commission meetings and one public hearing.

Our research encompassed travel from the Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico to London to Vienna. We traveled to Moscow to assess U.S. nuclear cooperation initiatives with Russia. We were en route to Pakistan, a country of particular interest to this Commission and to the United States, only to hear that the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad had occurred. We had been hours from staying in that very hotel.

Ultimately, we opted to center the Commission findings on several areas where the risks to the United States are increasing: the crossroads of terrorism and proliferation in the poorly governed parts of Pakistan, the prevention of biological and nuclear terrorism, and the potential erosion of international nuclear security, treaties, and norms as we enter a nuclear energy renaissance.

The intent of this report is neither to frighten nor to reassure the American people about the current state of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. It is to underscore that the U.S. government has yet to fully adapt to these circumstances, and to convey the sobering reality that the risks are growing faster than our multilayered defenses. Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing.

We thank you for the honor of allowing us to serve our country in this task. Our Commission and staff stand ready to help you in any way possible to explore and weigh the findings and recommendations contained in this report.

Respectfully submitted,

Senator Bob Graham

Senator Jim Talent

Chairman Vice-Chairman

Dr. Graham T. Allison

Ms. Robin Cleveland

Mr. Stephen G. Rademaker

The Honorable Timothy J. Roemer

Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman

Mr. Henry D. Sokolski

Mr. Richard Verma

 Full Report 

From NIDA's National Defense Magazine:

SAFETY Act Participation Grows 

November 2008 

By Matthew Rusling 

 © 2008 National Defense Industrial Association

Read Article

September 23, 2008

Honeywell Develops Safer Ammonium
Nitrate-Based Fertilizer

The Government, including the DHS, have been pushing private industry to develop "IST's".  What are ISTs? - Inherently Safer Technologies.

This press release came from Honeywell - How's that for grabbing the bull by the horns! Not only will their new SAFETY Act liability protection that "flows" to all their suppliers and customers help them sell their product, the very nature of their "fix" will take them to the top.

Job well done!

Honeywell Develops Safer Ammonium Nitrate-Based Fertilizer; Receives SAFETY Act Designation from U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Tuesday September 23, 8:30 am ET

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, New Jersey, September 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON - News) announced today it has developed a patented new technology to produce a highly-effective, safer ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer with significantly lower explosive potential.

The new technology has already received SAFETY Act Designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act, which was created to provide incentives, including liability protections, for the development and deployment of anti-terrorism technologies that can help mitigate security threats.

"The unique composition of this new fertilizer makes it extremely difficult to turn it into a weapon," said Qamar Bhatia, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Resins & Chemicals, which is one of the world's largest producers of ammonium sulfate fertilizer. "Ammonium nitrate has long been an excellent fertilizer, but this technology makes it safer."

Independent tests using guidelines developed with the U.S. government demonstrated that Honeywell's new fertilizer is significantly more difficult to use as an explosive. When mixed with fuel oil -- a common method of using ammonium nitrate as an explosive -- the new ammonium sulfate nitrate fertilizer did not detonate.

The new technology fuses ammonium sulfate with ammonium nitrate, providing both nitrogen and sulfur needed for efficient plant nutrition as well as enhanced safety, quality and storage characteristics.

Honeywell is conducting pilot plant test production of the new fertilizer to finalize scale-up and engineering for manufacturing, and is also in talks with potential manufacturing partners. The company hopes to have limited quantities for sale in certain regions in 2009 and plans to market the material as Sulf-N® 26 fertilizer.

Independent agronomic tests on crops and plants -- ranging from grass to cabbage and tomatoes to strawberry and oranges -- found the new fertilizer to be as effective or more effective compared to alternative fertilizers, including straight mixtures of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate. The tests, conducted over the last two years, were completed by major universities in the U.S., Canada and Brazil.

Also, the new fertilizer is both non-hazardous and non-oxidizing as tested by United Nations and U.S. Department of Transportation standards.

Honeywell worked with the DHS and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to develop testing procedures to evaluate the explosive potential of the new fertilizer. The tests were conducted independently by Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), a division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. As part of those tests, the new fertilizer was mixed with a number of substances, including explosives, sensitizer and fuel oil. In all tests, the new fertilizer significantly reduced or eliminated the explosive power of traditional ammonium nitrate.

Honeywell Resin & Chemicals is a part of Honeywell Specialty Materials and is a global leader in the development and production of ammonium sulfate fertilizers, which it sells under the Sulf-N brand for both crop and turf applications. For more information, go to http://www.sulfn26.com.

Honeywell International is a US$38 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com.

Honeywell Specialty Materials, based in Morristown, N.J., is a US$4.9 billion, global leader in providing customers with high-performance specialty materials, including fluorine products; specialty films and additives; advanced fibers and composites; intermediates; specialty chemicals; electronic materials and chemicals; and technologies and materials for petroleum refining.

This report contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

 

 

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