Hasta La Gadget!

Farewell Philae, it was a short but wild ride. In February, mission controllers said goodbye to the comet lander, but kept comms open with mother ship Rosetta on the slight chance it might wake up. “It’s cold & dark on #67P … but I won’t give u…

On August 7, 1998, between 10:30 and 10:40 a.m. local time, the U.S. embassies in Nairobi , Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were attacked in coordinated truck bombings. Approximately 212 people were killed and an estimated 4,000 wounded in Nairobi,, while the attack killed 11 individuals and wounded 85 in Dar es Salaam. The bombings were timed to mark the eighth anniversary of the deployment of U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia and were later traced to Saudi exile and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

President Bill Clinton ordered retaliatory military strikes on August 20. In Afghanistan, some 70 American cruise missiles hit three of Osama bin Laden’s training camps. An estimated 24 people were killed, but bin Laden was not present. Thirteen cruise missiles hit a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan where bin Laden allegedly made or distributed chemical weapons.

In November 1998, the United States indicted Osama bin Laden and 21 others, charging them with bombing the two U.S. embassies and conspiring to commit other acts of terrorism against Americans abroad. To date, nine of the al Qaeda members named in the indictments have been captured.

This Moment was compiled from an interview by ADST with Vella G. Mbenna (interviewed beginning in 2016), a Support Communications Officer at Embassy Dar es Salaam. You can read the entire Moment on ADST.org. This Moment was edited Erika Saunders.

MBENNA:I went to my office and opened up and started my morning IT/communications routine. Shortly afterwards, the young lady who had just arrived a day or two before to replace me came in.

I needed to give her a turnover briefing because she was going to work alone until the new chief of communications arrived in about a week or two. I shared a few things with her, but before we got to the heavy and critical turnover known as COMSEC [communications security], she asked if she could in-process with a particular office because the person in charge was leaving for vacation.

So, I was glad for the break because I could run down to get the female guard application. However, about 20 minutes earlier I had asked the operator to place a call to the Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa….

After leaving the center where I worked and passed the area around the corner where the Front Office was located, I heard a faint phone ringing. I stopped in my tracks, turned around and entered the communication center to find out that it was my phone.

I quickly went to the back of the center to my office to get it. It was Pretoria on the line and I was glad. I sat in my chair and said these words to them, “I am Vella from Dar es Salaam and I was wondering why our system’s staff …..”

Before I finished the sentence, the blast occurred because the wall I was facing came back in my face and slammed me into racks of equipment across the room.

I recall getting up, brushing myself off and proceeding to alert Washington via my equipment that something bad had happened and to close our circuits for now. Then I proceeded to check on colleagues in the communications suite and putting communication and IT stuff in a safe.
The security Selectone [alarm] sound was loud and constant and annoying but music to my ear to keep me on my toes quickly securing things.

After I was comfortable that my communication center was OK, I got my purse and my INMARSAT [satellite communication system], secured the communications center, and started walking around the corner to get out of the Embassy.

When I turned the corner, I saw the devastation that had occurred. Furniture, paintings, parts of the building, window glass, paper, pencils, and much more were in the walkway. I had to carefully work my way through it.

When I got to the Executive Suite [where the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission have their offices] door, I looked in and saw no one but I thought I was dreaming. The place was in shambles and the window glasses out. Desks were turned over, couches turned over, office supplies everywhere.

I then thought, “Where are they?” After about a minute of just staring to see if there was life in that suite, I proceeded to walk to towards the narrow catwalk that connected the two parts of the building. In the center of the catwalk was the stairs that led downstairs behind Post One [the Marine Security Guard post at the embassy’s main entrance] and out the front of the Embassy.

I looked down and saw things and ceiling debris on it. Before I attempted to go down it, I wanted to go to the other side of the door I was facing to see how the other Americans and FSNs were doing.

I was afraid and then I realized something else. It was quiet. I did not hear the security Selectone anymore. I had no idea how long it was quiet, but I know I could hear the quiet…It was crazy, but I really could hear the silence.

I walked on and opened the door to the Admin building side of the building….What I saw without even entering deep into the building was complete chaos. It was more of what I saw in the Executive Office, but to a greater extent. It was like a meteorite had hit the Embassy. Even worse was that the entire wall and windows facing the road was gone.

I started having a really bad feeling because most of all I saw or heard no one. Why was everyone gone except me? I backed out of the door and back onto the catwalk and started down the stairs.
As I started down the stairs I realized that something bad had happened, something really, really bad. I thought that maybe that if it wasn’t a meteorite, then a space ship came down and the aliens took up everyone except me.

I wanted to start screaming for help…Then I thought, no one would know exactly what happened to us all. So, I tip-toed down the rest of the stairs.

When I saw more devastation and how I appeared to blocked in, I had to scream. I started screaming for help, first a low scream…and then louder….

After about a minute and a half I heard a familiar voice calling out asking who was there. It was a Marine. I told him it was Vella, the communications officer from the 2nd floor. I wanted to be as clear as possible, even though I knew the voice. Once I told him exactly where I was, he told me to try to climb over the rubble and look for his hands. I told him I was going to throw up the INMARSAT first and I did.
I started carefully climbing until I saw his arm reaching out. I grabbed his hands and he carefully helped me around the mound of rubble. I followed him to a set of emergency stairs to the outside of the building. On the outside is where I found the CDA [chargé d’affaires] John Lange, our security officer, a few Marines, and some other Embassy officials. I quickly ran to the CDA and asked him if he wanted me to set my INMARSAT.

He said no, and that I should leave for the safe haven (the DCM’s house not too far from the Embassy). Someone told me that the van was on the outside of the back wall and we walked quickly to the area. The driver of one of our Embassy vans waved for me to come and get in. I grabbed my INMARSAT and ran into the van.

There were a few other folks on the bus and everyone looked terrified. I then realized that I needed to find the new lady who came to replace me. No one knew but then I heard this cat-like voice from someone sitting a few rows behind me.

I looked at the person and the tip of the nose was ripped almost off. It looked bad. I did not recognize the person so I asked again for the lady who was there to replace me. I heard the cat-like voice again, and again I looked around, and this time the lady waved at me and I heard, “It’s me, Liz.” I had to look closer. It was her and I was relieved.

After a minute or so more, the driver came in and we drove to the safe haven. After just some minutes there and realizing that folks could not talk on the radio, I figured the repeater on the Embassy roof was down.

I ran to find a driver to take me to my house to turn on the backup radio system. I could not find anyone, so I ran onto Toure Drive and tried to wave down a cab, but no one stopped
.
After about a minute, I was determined to stop a taxi, so when I saw one coming from afar, I jumped in the road and started waving my arms for it to stop. He did. I told him that something bad had happened at the Embassy and that I needed to go home down the street….

When I got home, my house girl Sabina saw me and immediately started wiping the blood from me and pulling my shirt off. She asked what happened and I told her something happened at the embassy but did not know what….

I started hearing talk on the radio and it was music to my ears because I knew the embassy folks could communicate now. Over the next few hours and days and weeks, I did quite a bit to get communications back up and running at an alternate location in town. It was a lot of work and people pitched in to help….

The building was destroyed, so yes, that facility was permanently closed. We set up a temporary safe haven at the DCM’s house for a few days. Then, we took over the Public Affairs Office (PAO) house as a semi-temporary location to work from.

I started working closely with the Ops Center and the Information Resource Management Bureau (not called that back then), to secure approval to set up communication with what I had beyond a phone line and fax. The embassy did not have much to work with, but we were able to communicate….

One thing I admired about leadership that day and as long as I remained there is that Ambassador John Lange really cared about us and stopped to ask if we were OK or had everything we needed or told us to take a rest. He also saw the worth in my expertise and had me tag along to several meetings in case he needed to place a call or receive a call.

It made me feel really special that he valued his communications officer. He was a nice and respectful person, even before the attack and he gets in touch with us (those under his regime during that period) every year around that time.

Not many were killed in Tanzania — less than ten. Unfortunately, the female Tanzanian guard at the booth who was waiting for me to get her application was one of those killed that day.

It horrifies me to think that if I had not received that phone call and returned to my office, I could have been right next to her or my car, which coincidentally was destroyed beyond normal recognition, and more than likely killed too. I thank God for that phone call and sparing my life.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

ISTANBUL/ANKARA, July 27 (Reuters) – Turkey ordered another 47 journalists detained on Wednesday, part of a large-scale crackdown on suspected supporters of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of masterminding a failed military coup.

Turkey has suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, judges, teachers, journalists and others suspected of ties to Gulen’s movement since the July 15-16 coup, which was staged by a faction within the military. Turkish interior minister Efkana Ala said Wednesday that authorities have detained more than 15,000 people, including more than 10,000 soldiers, CNN Turk reported.

Turkey’s army General Staff put the number of soldiers belonging to the Gulen network who took part in the coup attempt at 8,651, roughly about 1.5 percent of the armed forces, broadcaster NTV reported.

Gulen has denied any involvement in the failed coup.

Turkey’s capital markets board said on Tuesday it had revoked the license of the head of research at brokerage AK Investment and called for him to face charges over a report he wrote to investors analyzing the July 15 coup.

Western governments and human rights groups, while condemning the abortive coup in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured, have expressed alarm over the extent of the crackdown, suggesting President Tayyip Erdogan may be using it to stifle dissent and tighten his grip on power.

The detention of journalists ordered on Wednesday involved columnists and other staff of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, a government official said. Authorities in March shut down Zaman, widely seen as the Gulen movement’s flagship media organization.

“The prosecutors aren’t interested in what individual columnists wrote or said,” said the official, who requested anonymity. “At this point, the reasoning is that prominent employees of Zaman are likely to have intimate knowledge of the Gulen network and as such could benefit the investigation.”

However, the list includes journalists, such as Sahin Alpay, known for their leftist activism who do not share the religious world view of the Gulenist movement. This has fueled concerns that the investigation may be turning into a witch-hunt of the president’s political opponents.

On Monday, media reported that arrest warrants had been issued for 42 other journalists, 16 of whom have so far been taken into custody.

Alpay is a former official of Turkey’s left-leaning, secularist main opposition CHP party. The Dogan news agency said police raided his home in Istanbul early on Wednesday and detained him after a 2-1/2 hour search of the property.

SPIRIT OF UNITY

Erdogan’s ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party and opposition parties, usually bitterly divided, have demonstrated a rare spirit of unity since the abortive coup and are seeking consensus on constitutional amendments partly aimed at “cleansing” the state apparatus of Gulenist supporters.

A senior AK Party official said on Wednesday they were discussing plans to increase parliamentary control of a key state body that appoints judges and prosecutors.

Also on Wednesday a government official said Turkish special forces were still hunting in hills around the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris for a group of 11 commandos thought to have tried to capture or kill Erdogan on the night of the coup.

Erdogan was holidaying in Marmaris at the time and only narrowly avoided capture before flying to Istanbul where he rallied his supporters who helped to defeat the coup plotters.

Erdogan, a popular but polarizing figure who has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade, will chair an annual meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) on Thursday after vowing to restructure the armed forces following the coup.

The military said 35 planes, including 24 fighter jets, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks and three ships had been used by the coup plotters, NTV reported.

In Greece, authorities on Wednesday postponed hearings for eight Turkish soldiers who sought asylum there after fleeing Turkey. The men – three majors, three captains and two sergeant majors – deny being involved in the coup but Turkey has branded them “traitors” and is demanding their extradition.

Erdogan has signaled Turkey might restore the death penalty in the wake of the failed coup, citing strong public support for such a move, though the European Union has made clear this would scupper Ankara’s decades-old bid to join the bloc.

PIVOT TO MOSCOW

Turkish officials have complained of what they perceive as a lack of support from the EU over the coup, while European leaders have urged Ankara to show restraint and a sense of proportion in bringing those responsible to justice.

The attempted coup has also tested Turkey’s ties with its NATO ally the United States, where Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999. Responding to Turkey’s request for Gulen’s swift extradition, Washington has said Ankara must first provide clear evidence of his involvement in the coup.

The strains with the EU and the United States have coincided with Turkey’s renewed push to repair ties with Russia, badly hurt last November by the Turkish downing of a Russian jet near Syria and Moscow’s subsequent imposition of trade sanctions.

On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said his talks with Russian officials this week on improving bilateral relations had taken place “in a very positive atmosphere.”

Simsek, respected by Western investors as a safe pair of hands in guiding the Turkish economy, also said he saw no reason to downgrade Turkey’s credit rating following the coup. Standard & Poor’s recently downgraded the sovereign debt outlook to negative from stable and Moody’s has said it will review the rating for a possible downgrade.

(Additional reporting by Ercan Gurses in Ankara and Ayla Jean Yackley and Nick Tattersall in Istanbul; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by David Dolan and Peter Millership)

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Image Source
Choosing what path to take in a medical career can be daunting. There are many factors to consider. Many of these choices will have to be made prior to the third year of medical school in order to stay ahead of the curve and maintain a competitive edge. It is important to have a clear vision of your specialty choice so you have no regrets on Residency Match Day. Most importantly, self-reflection and self-understanding are key steps to choosing the right specialty and deciding what to do after medical school. It is never too early to begin this discernment process.

Variety – What kind of variety is best for your personality and stamina? For someone who desires a lot of variety and quick decision making, a position in an Emergency Room might be a good fit. For someone who prefers less variety and more predictable situations and outcomes, employment in a specialty like ophthalmology might be more suitable.

Stress Level – What kind of stress level is right for you? If being responsible for someone’s life or death is too much pressure, a lower-key specialty like dermatology or radiology might be preferable. However, if saving lives is fulfilling and losing lives isn’t too overwhelming, pursuing more high-risk specialties like critical care medicine or trauma surgery might be more appropriate options.

Knowledge – In the medical field, you must be prepared to be a life-long learner. Most physicians who look back on their training feel that they learned more from their peers and superiors during medical school than from textbooks and lectures. In order to choose the best path after graduating medical school, make sure to build meaningful relationships with residents and attending physicians on your clinical rotations. Find out what their lives are like outside of the hospital or clinic. Is your personality a good fit with theirs? Prepare yourself for residency interviews by asking other physicians what type of questions you might be asked to answer. Preparing for interviews can also help narrow down your options and will force you to explore the reasons behind what path you want to take.

Medical Resources – When you are choosing a particular medical field, it is important to have the right resources to keep you up to date with the latest advances in clinical medicine. General resources can be found in a variety of places: The National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health and DoctorCPR are two examples of resources that are very useful for medical professionals. You need to explore not only where medical specialties are headed in terms of research and innovation, but you also need to be aware of where they are headed in terms of opportunities for employment, salary trends, and quality of life factors such as burnout rates for doctors in the field.

Patient Population – Think about what type of patient you would prefer to interact with long term. Are you gifted with the elderly, or are you a natural with children and teens? Is a patient relationship important to you, or would you prefer a medical job with less human interaction? A career as a surgeon, pathologist, or radiologist might be more suitable for someone less concerned with direct patient care. Alternatively, working as an oncologist or psychiatrist might be more fulfilling for someone who treasures the deep, interpersonal connections with patients.

Competition – It is extremely important to be aware of the competition that exists when applying for your internships and first-year residency positions. Be sure you are a competitive candidate before choosing to apply to a particular specialty. Find out where you are ranked within your medical school class and whether your Board scores are strong enough to get you a spot in highly competitive fields such as dermatology, ophthalmology, neurosurgery, or plastic surgery. If settling down in a particular location is important to you, you may have to choose a less competitive specialty. Many residency programs have very strong ties to certain medical schools and certain influential attending physicians at those medical schools. These ties can land you a spot in a competitive specialty despite average academic performance in school. Get recommendations from attending physicians who have strong ties to the residency programs you are considering. Make sure they also make personal phone calls to program directors at your favorite residency programs. Find out how many students from last year’s medical school class matched at programs you are considering.

Support Group – It is essential to have a good support group during and after medical school. Be prepared to work a variety of hours and have an irregular sleeping and eating schedule. You will need to be able to perform well on little sleep and with little time to spare. Friends and family can be sympathetic, but they may not fully understand the rigor of training unless they have also been through medical school. Constantly seek out other medical students and physicians whom you can turn to for guidance and encouragement. Attend networking events, join social media groups exclusively for physicians, and don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. In order to survive and excel in any medical career, it is important to find people who understand and who can help you decompress after a long day.

No matter what medical specialty you choose, make sure you select it for the right reasons. Do your research, explore your options, and reflect on what matters to you the most so you can make an intelligent, sustainable decision.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Bed sweating is not a topic for dinner party conversation, but it’s an issue for many people that can, in some instances, be refreshingly simple to addressed if acknowledged. Body temperature naturally drops during sleep; however, many people perspire at night, and sometimes excessively. It could be due to a lot of things, but the culprit is often simply an overheated bedroom or sleeping with too many bedcovers, says Deena Adimoolam, M.D., an assistant professor of endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.