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A system for processing batch mail in which evidence of tampering with a postage value accounting unit is provided. The accounting unit cooperates with a printer to print postage and the zip code in bar code form on a mail piece. If there is evidence of tampering with the accounting unit, as incorrect zip code in bar code form is printed.
1. A system for detecting tampering with a postage value accounting unit, comprises:
means for sensing tampering of said postage value accounting unit and, in response to any sensed tampering, generating a signal;
means for printing a code on a mail piece; and
means, in communication with said sensing means and said printing means, for causing said printing means to print an invalid code on a mail piece in response to said signal.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said printing means is caused, in response to said signal, to substitute said invalid code for a valid code.
3. The system of claim 1 further comprises:
means for reading codes on mail pieces; and
means, responsive to said code reading means, for separating mail pieces having invalid codes from mail pieces having valid codes.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for printing includes means for printing in a postal bar code format such that said signal causes said printing means to print an invalid postal bar code format.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein said printing means is operative to print in a bar-half bar format.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein said processor, in response to a signal from said sensing means, is operative to cause said printer to print in a bar-half bar postal code format on a mail piece with digits having a sum that is not a multiple of ten.
7. A method of determining tampering on a postage value accounting unit within a postage system having sensors including a printer, said method comprising the steps of:
sensing tampering with said postage value accounting unit,
printing a bar code in an invalid postage bar code format on a mail piece in response to the sensing of tampering; and
determining the presence of tampering by inspection of said bar code.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:
separating mail pieces with invalid codes from mail pieces with valid codes.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the printing of said code includes printing in an invalid postal bar code format.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said printing in said invalid postal bar code format includes the step of printing a bar-half bar code with digits whose sum is not a multiple of ten.
11. A method of determining tampering in a postage system having sensors and having a postage value accounting unit and a printer operative to print a code, said method comprising the steps of:
sensing tampering of said postage value accounting unit through the use of said sensors; and
printing a code on a mail piece in response to the sensing of tampering.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of printing said code includes printing in an invalid postal bar code format.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said printing in an invalid postal bar code format includes printing a bar-half bar code with digits having a sum not a multiple of ten.
14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:
reading said code on the mail piece thereby ascertaining the presence of said invalid code.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of printing a valid code if no tampering is sensed and separating the mail piece with said ascertained invalid code from mail pieces with correct codes.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of printing an invalid code includes the step of printing in an invalid postal bar code format on said mail piece.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said printing in an invalid postal bar code format includes the step of printing a bar-half bar code with digits having a sum that is not a multiple of ten.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of copending application having Ser. No. 813,459, filed Dec. 26, 1985 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,532 and entitled "MAILING SYSTEM WITH POSTAGE VALUE TRANSFER AND ACCOUNTING CAPABILITY".
Subject matter similar to the subject matter contained in the instant application may be found in U.S. patent application entitled "POSTAGE AND MAILING INFORMATION APPLYING SYSTEM" by Ronald Sansone and et al, filed Aug. 6, 1985, having Ser. No. 762,994 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,718 and assigned to the assignee of the instant application.
Certain organizations dispatch large amounts of mail on a periodic basis. Examples of such organizations are: banking institutions, utility companies, insurance companies, credit companies, and the like. With such large quantities, these mail senders normally pre-package and pre-sort their mail and are given a lower postage rate by the postal service because of the time saved by the postal service. There are generally two ways in which such mail senders apply postage to their mail. The most common way is by use of a postage meter which is leased by the mail sender from a postage meter manufacturer with which the amount of postage required is applied to each mail piece. Inserter systems have been developed whereby inserts may be place into an envelope, the envelope may be sealed, addressed and have a postage indicia applied thereto. The mail pieces may be weighed on the fly or individual weighing may not be required if all the mail pieces are of like kind, i.e., only a sample mail piece need be weighed. Additionally, the weight can be calculated based upon a knowledge of the inserts to be processed. These acts of processing mail may be performed at a relatively high rate of speed.
A second method of mailing large quantities of mail pieces is the permit mail system. In such a system, the mail sender places a permit number on the mail pieces and prepares a manifest listing that shows the type and number of mail pieces being mailed on each occasion and the postage required. All the mail pieces are generally of the same type and weight.
With both such systems, inspection at the site of the mail sender is required. In the case of the postage meter, the lessor of the postage meter, i.e., the postage meter manufacturer, is required by law to inspect the postage meter at least twice a year to ensure that there is no evidence of tampering with the postage meter that will indicate an attempt to obtain unauthorized postage. In the case of permit mail, large quantities of the same type of mail will be mailed at one time and the postal service will conduct an inspection to verify that the manifest listing accompanying the permit mail accurately accounts for the amount of postage due for the mail that has been processed by the postal service. This is accomplished through an inspection on the part of the postal service by examining the records of the mail sender on every occasion.
Obviously, each of these two systems has certain drawbacks. In the case of on-site inspection of postage meters, with the large number of postage meters in use by large mail senders it is an expensive matter for the inspection thereof. With regard to the permit mail system, the shortcoming lies in the need of the postal service to send a representative frequently to the various mail sender locations to assure that the mail sender is accurately accounting for the quantity of mail being sent. Such a scheme is not totally reliable as it relies upon on-site verification using the mail senders records which are not secure.
A system has been conceived whereby a mail sender will be able to send large quantities or batches of mail without the need of on-site inspections. This is accomplished by the mail sender having a secure accounting unit similar to a postage meter in which postage value is placed by a dispensing or central station. A statement accompanies each batch of mail which statement may include information relative to the mail and the amount of postage required to send the mail and the amount of postage value remaining with the mail sender. Communication between the central station and the mail sender allows postage value to be transferred to and from the mail sender by the central station and mailing and verification data to be sent to the central station from the mail sender. The mailing and verification data will be the same as that contained on the mailing statements that accompany the batches of mail. This system provides a central station for a large number of mail senders whereby the postal service is relieved of its obligation of having on-site inspections and the central station acts as a clearing house for the postal service through whom verification of postage can be conveniently and inexpensively achieved.
Human nature being what it is, there are those who attempt to tamper with postage meters or accounting units of the type described herein to obtain unauthorized postage. Such meters or units have access doors that allow servicing thereof. Wrongdoers, on occasion, will attempt to force open such access doors or gain access by other means to reset or bypass the accounting register contained therein. Schemes have been suggested in the past whereby a postage meter or other value printing device may be provided with interlocks to prevent a user from printing postage value upon tampering being detected. A review of such schemes is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,344. Where one has variable printing capability, as is provided by the instant system, it is desirable that one be able to detect tampering without having to disable the device.
In a mailing system where a mail sender is capable of sending large quantities of mail accompanied by a statement, a scheme has been devised whereby tampering with the accounting unit may be detected. The accounting unit is provided with a sensor, or sensors, that detect any tampering or attempt to tamper. The sensor will communicate this detection to a processor that will control the bar code printer that prints the zip code in bar code form on a mail piece. Upon detection of tampering, the bar code will be altered so as not to conform to postal regulations. Upon subsequent sorting of the mail pieces in a post office, the mail with invalid bar codes will be placed in a reject bin and the discovery of tampering would occur.
A feature of this invention is that security for a postage meter or accounting unit is provided while allowing a high speed, relatively inexpensive printer to be used for printing mail and postage information.
Another feature of the present invention is that a scheme for discovering tampering upon a postage meter or accounting unit is provided that needs no change in post office equipment.
Yet another feature of the present invention is the provision of a postage meter like device with enhanced security capability to enable the generation of bar codes that can be altered to evidence tampering with accounting equipment.
Still another feature of the invention is that security of an accountng register in a postage meter like device can be provided.
A further feature of the invention is that the evidencing of tampering is not apparent to the wrongdoer.
Another feature of this invention is the automatic prevention of the postal service from expending time and money processing, transporting and delivering mail produced from an accounting unit or postage meter upon which tampering has taken place.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a batch mailing system with tampering detection features;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of an accounting statement that would accompany batch mail sent by the system of FIG. 1.;
FIG. 3A is a plan view of an envelope containing information that would be applied thereto by the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3B is the bar code portion of the envelope shown in FIG. 3A; and
FIGS. 4-6 contain flow diagrams that describe the functions of the system shown in FIG. 1.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a batch mailing system is shown generally at 10 and includes a post office 12, a data center or central station 14 and a user location 16. The central station 14 has a processor 18. This processor 18 could be a main frame type of computer having substantial capacity. Communication is provided between the post office 12 and a plurality of central stations 14 (only one being shown) through a line or communication link 19 having a communication device such as a telephone type system 20 therein. Associated with the processor 18 and in connection therewith is a large storage memory unit 22 where large amounts of data can be stored and a register setting device 23 which includes encryption software of the type required in the resetting of postage meters remotely. Systems for the resetting of meters remotely are well known, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,792,446, 4,097,923 and 4,447,890.
A remote user location 16 has a secure accounting unit 25 which will hereafter be referred to as a "server". The server 25 is supplied by the central station 14 to the user and includes a user processor 24 which may be a processor of much smaller capacity such as an Intel 8085 processor available from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif. Connected to the processor 24 is a memory 26. Preferably the memory 26 will be a non-volatile memory (NVM). The user processor 24 is connected to the central station processor 18 through a communication link or line 28. A telephone type system 30 or other communicating device may be disposed within the line 28 to thereby provide selective communication between the processors 18, 24. Also connected to the processor 24 are a RAM 32, a ROM 34, an encryptor 35, a clock 36 and a sensor 37 whose respective functions will be described in detail hereinafter. An input/processor 38 is connected to the user processor 24 whereby data may be supplied, either manually or through a medium such as a coded paper, disc or tape, to the user processor 24 for the purpose of providing data required in the processing of mail pieces.
The server 25 has many characteristics of a postage meter as well as differences that will be discussed hereinafter. Although the invention is described as it applies to a server 25 specifically, it will be appreciated that the principles of the instant invention are applicable to postage meters having variable printing capability as well. Postage meters are mass produced devices for printing a defined unit value for governmental or private carrier delivery of parcels and envelopes. The term postage meter also includes other like devices which provide unit value printing such as tax stamp meters. Postage meters include internal accounting devices which account for postage value representation which is stored within the meter. The accounting device accounts for both the recharging of the meter with additional postage value and the printing of postage by the meter printing mechanism. Accordingly, postage meters must possess high reliability to avoid the loss of user or governmental funds stored within the meter and dispensed by printing postage.
A high speed inserter 39 is in electrical communication with the server 25 and performs the physical acts involved in processing the mail such as the inserting of inserts into envelopes, sealing the envelope flaps, orienting the mail pieces and conveying the mail pieces to a postage meter or printer. The term "insert" includes bills, advertising materials, notices, etc., which are of a size to be received within an envelope or the like. High speed inserters of this type are readily available commercially, as for example Inserter model No. 3100 series from Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, Ct.
A first printer 40 is in communication with the user processor 24 of the server 25 and with the input/processor 38 and is able to print upon mail pieces 42 such as envelopes containing inserts which it receives from the inserter 39. This printer 40 is one provided by the user and will be an unsecured, high speed printer which may be controlled either through the processor 24 or input/processor 38. A second printer 44 is provided to print upon a statement sheet 46 or other document. This second printer 44 is preferably a secure printer that is provided by the central station 14. Obviously, the second printer 44 can be an unsecured printer but this occasions greater risk in terms of verifying payment of postage. Throughout the balance of the specification and claims this statement sheet 46 will be referred to as a "passport". Details of the passport 46 will be described hereinafter in conjunction with FIG. 2.
Although only one user location 16 is shown and described, it will be appreciated many user locations will be serviced by the one central station 14 as for example through multiplexing. The central station 14 may be the location of a postage meter manufacturer or other accountable organization.
In operation, the user of the user location 16 will be given a identification number by the central station 14 that will be placed in the NVM 26 of the server 25. This identification number will be permanent and unique for each server 25 and the user will have no access to that portion of the NVM 26 that stores the identification number. It will be appreciated that this feature may be applied to postage meters as well. Having the identification number in memory 26 eliminates the need of having a plate applied to a postage meter or a server 25. It will be appreciated that a server 25 has many characteristics of a postage meter, i.e., security, a descending register and the like, but certain elements are absent. The most evident absent element is a printer, the advantage of which is described throughout. Another absent member is an ascending register. In a postage meter an ascending register is accessible only by a service representative of the meter manufacturer and may be used to determine if any meter tampering has taken place. Following installation of the identification number, the user will communicate with the central station 14 through the telephone 30 for the purpose of indicating to the central station 14 the amount of postage value it wishes to have accredited to its memory 26. An access code will be given to the user that is addressed to the setting device 23 through the touch dial of the telephone 30. Upon the receipt of the access code, the user will transmit to the central station 14 the proper code and identification number.
The setting device 23 will function to supply, or increase, the postage value in the memory 26. This memory 26 will include a descending register which is charged by the central station 14 with the selected amount of postage value. As the user location 16 processes mail, the postage value in the descending register will be decreased in accordance with the postage required to process the mail pieces. The amount of postage value applied to the memory 26 may be recharged automatically. For example, when the descending register attains a certain minimum postage value, a message is sent from the memory 26 to the processor 24. Upon receipt of the message, the processor 24 will automatically cause communication through line 28 with the central station 14 and request that additional postage value be charged to the descending register of the NVM 26. This would be carried out by the processor 18 in combination with the setting device 23. Upon completion of the recharging of the NVM 26 with additional postage value, the same would be stored in the memory 22. Devices for charging registers such as the descending registers are well known, as for example see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,792,446, 4,097,923 and 4,447,890.
The balance of the server 25 includes the ROM 34 that contains a series of programs for controlling the functions of the server 25, a RAM 32 that will hold and supply real time data, a clock 36 that will provide the time and date, an encryptor 35 that will generate the code required for the descending register setting functions and a sensor 37 that will detect tampering with the server 25. The encryptor 35 can be any one of a number of encrypting devices including devices which use the Data Encryption Standards described in FIPS P4B 46, dated Jan. 15, 1977 and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards.
It will be appreciated that the printer 40 is a high speed, unsecured printer such as a ink jet printer or laser printer which will apply the addresses of the addressees including the zip code in bar code form 47, and addressor to the face of the mail pieces under command of the input/processor 38. In addition, other information can be printed by the printer 40 upon each mail piece 42 when under command of the processor 24. This information includes a transaction number (T.A. No.), the run of the particular batch of mail, the date and time of mailing, the class of mail and a batch number. The transaction number is that number assigned to the user location 16 by the central station 14 everytime postage value is added to the server 25 and will be stored in the NVM 26. This transaction number will be the same for one or more batches of mail that are sent and will remain until such time as the descending register of the NVM 26 is recharged with postage value, at which time a new transaction number will be assigned and stored in the NVM in place of the preceding transaction number. By changing the transaction number upon each recharge, an element is provided for verifying postage. The batch number is one assigned by the user through the input/processor 38 whereby a given batch of mail, i.e., mail of a particular type or character, will be identified by a number assigned by the user. In addition, a run number, which is a subset of the batch, may be given to identified particular segments of the batch.
When a batch of mail is to be sent, the user will supply mailing and verification information through the input/processor 38 into the user processor 24 which will transmit at least a portion of this information to the inserter 39. This information would include the number of mail pieces to be processed and number of inserts to be placed in each envelope 42. The time and date may be supplied to the printer 40 through the input/processor 38 by overriding the clocks 36. This is useful when future mail is being processed. The user processor 24 will then command the printer 40 to print the appropriate postage, time, date, transaction number, address on the mail pieces, and a zip code in bar code form 47 for a particular run. This run will be given a number that is associated with the particular mail to be sent, which number will be printed on the envelopes 42 of that run. As the printer prints the appropriate information upon each mail piece, the number of mail pieces and amount of postage required will be determined by the processor 24. At the end of the run or batch, the second printer 44 will print required information upon a passport 46.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the passport 46 is shown after having printed thereon the total postage (Post. Total) required to mail the batch of mail, the transaction number, piece count for a batch, descending register amount (Reg. Am.) after subtraction for the postage, the date, the time, the class, the batch number and the run. Additionally, the name of the server number identification number stored in the NVM 26, user name and any desired graphics can be printed. This information on the passport 46 serves many purposes. Firstly, the register amount acts as a physical record of the postage value stored in the descending register of the NVM 26. This amount is printed on the passport 46 on the upper right hand. The register amount will be that amount in the descending register after all postal charges have been made for the batch of mail to be sent. By placing this register amount on the passport 46 after the mailing of each batch, an ongoing, permanent record is maintained of the amount of postage value contained within the NVM 26. In this way, if there is a disaster wherein the server 25 is destroyed or the memory 26 therein is inadvertently erased, the user will still have a means for verifying the amount of postage value remaining from that amount of postage value originally purchased and stored. It should be expressly recognized that the printing of the descending register value has applicability beyond the concept of printing the descending value on passport after a group of mail has been processed. Specifically, it is within the scope of the present invention that the server 25, as well as postage meters in general, can be conditioned to print the value of the descending register, and any other data of interest such as the date and time of the day, after each imprint is generated. Thus, the present concept of printing the descending register value and other information of significance can be incorporated in servers 25 or postage meters without the use of other aspects of the present invention. The transaction number provides an authorization check as does the identification or server number. By changing the transaction number with each recharge of the server, one can readily determine if more postage accompanies a transaction number than is authorized. Also printed on the passport 46 will be the date and time the passport 46 is printed, the piece count, i.e., the number of mail pieces mailed in the particular batch, and the class of mail. Upon the printing of the information on the passport 46, the postage amount for the batch will be subtracted from the descending register in the NVM 26.
The information printed upon the passport 46 is transmitted to the central station 14 through the communication line 28 automatically after each batch, is processed so that a record is maintained through the processor 18 that communicates with memory 22. The memory 22 has an ascending register therein that corresponds to the descending register in the server 25, i.e., one is the inverse of the other. As is known, an ascending register is one that accumulates charges over a long term. Optionally, the memory 22 may have a descending register that duplicates the amounts in the descending register in the NVM 26 on an ongoing basis. By having the postage value contained within the memory 22 that corresponds to the value of the server 25, a check is constantly made to ensure that there is a correspondence between the passport 46 information and the amount of postage paid by the user. More specifically, the total amount credited to the user location 16 will be stored in memory 22 and if the amount in the ascending register exceeds that total amount the user location 16 will be notified that there are insufficient funds. When a batch of mail is sent to a post office, the passport 46 for that particular batch will accompany the mail. The postal employee can determine whether it is an authorized transmission of mail from the information contained upon the accompanying passport 46. If there is any question of the part of the postal service as to whether the information is authentic, it will contact the central station 14 and through the line 19 obtain the information from the central station 14 to verify the information contained on the passport 46. If this information is accurate, then the postal service will know that the mail is authorized, i.e., the postage for the mail has been paid. On the other hand, if there is any discrepancy, the postal service is able to act to ferret any fraud or correct any discrepancy. As is the usual practice in the use of postage meters, a user location 16 will send all its mail to an assigned post office.
Referring now to FIG. 3A, an envelope 42 is shown as it would be prepared by the present system 10. In the upper left hand corner is the address of the mail sender and the upper right hand corner a statement that indicates the class of mail and gives the identification or server number of the mail sender. This information may be preprinted on the envelopes 42 prior to processing of a batch. Such preprinting may be accomplished through interaction of the input/process of 38 in direct communication with the printer 44 without any participation of the other components of the user location 16.
In the processing of the batch mail the three address lines will first be printed with the name of the recipient, the street address then the city, state, zip code. The fourth line is then printed through information supplied by the processor 24 and this postage line, includes the postage amount $0.22, the date, Oct. 8, 1985 and the transaction number which in this case is C2J2743T56. Other information may be given on this postage line if so desired including the time the mail is processed. Although the postage line is shown in alpha-numerics it will be appreciated that the same may be printed in bar code and, optionally, bar code information may be printed on the envelope as desired. Upon the printing of the fourth line, a bar code will be printed at the bottom of the envelope 42 giving the zip code 47a, 47b.
Most U.S. post offices are equipped with bar code readers that read the postal service approved zip code in a bar-half bar code format at the lower portion of the envelope. The regulations for the form of bar-half bar code are published by the postal service in various publications such as "A Guide to Business Mail" Postal Forum XVIII, September 1984. This bar code will hereinafter be referred to as the postal bar code format. According to the postal bar code format, a five bit code is used including two "ones" and three "zeros". Referring now to FIG. 3B, the bar code format used by the U.S. postal service will be described as it applies to a zip code plus four. The bars represent a "one" bit and the half bars represent a "zero" bit. The first and last bars are start and stop bits and are always "ones", full bars. Between the start and stop bars are fifty bits representing ten words or numbers, i.e., zip+4. The first number, i.e., adjacent the start bar, consists of two bars followed by three half bars. This combination represents the word 11000 or the number 0 according to the postal service code. The next combination is the word 01100 or the number 6. These are followed by the numbers 7, 9 and 0 to give a zip code of 06790. The +4 numbers are 0,0,0, and 1. The last digit or number is a correction digit, selected so that the sum of the digits is always a multiple of ten. In this case the correction digit is 7. This results in the ten numbers being 0, 6, 7, 9, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 and 7 which when added together equals 30. One of the requirements of the postal service code is that the ten digits when added equal a number that is a multiple of ten. Since 30 is a multiple of ten, the code is valid. When tampering is detected by the sensor 37, a message would be sent to the processor 24 indicating the presence of tampering and the processor 24 would control the printer 40 to print an invalid bar code format 47a on the envelope. This invalid bar code format 47a may take one of a number of forms. As illustrated, at least one of the five digits would contain a combination of ones and zeros different from the standard two "one's" and three "zeros". In the illustrated example, the first digit contains three "one's" and two "zeros" and the second digit contains one "one" and four zeros. Each of these is an invalid combination. Upon reading of the code by the post office bar code reader, the envelope 42 would be placed in a reject bin because of the invalid code reading. Envelopes 42 are occasionally placed in the reject bin, but when tampering is evident, all the mail pieces of the batch would be diverted to the reject bin and the postal clerk would be alerted that the user's server 25 has experienced tampering and would act upon this by notifying the appropriate authorities. The authorities then would visit the user location 16 and inspect the server 25 for evidence of tampering.
Although FIG. 3A shows a bar code format 47a that has been mutilated by altering the combinations of ones and zeros, other ways are available. The correction digit can be controlled so that the digits do not produce a sum that is a multiple of ten. Alternatively, the number of bits could be changed whereby instead of having a total of fifty-two bits, the number is greater or lesser.
The invention has been described as it applies to a bar-half bar code, but it will be appreciated that the principles of the invention will apply to the bar code formats of other countries as well. In Europe, for example, a code 3 of 5 is used. Such a code, or any other code, could be altered in such a way as not to be readily visually detectable while being rejected by the postal bar code reading equipment. It will be appreciated that the term "postal bar code format" is intended to include formats of other countries as well as that of the U.S. postal service.
The principles of the instant invention have been described in conjunction with use of a sensor 37. This sensor 37 could be a magnetic switch at a selected location or a number of such switches each of which is in communication with the processor 24. Devices other than a switch that could be used would include capacitance devices, photocells and the like.
Although an envelope 42 is shown that has the information printed on the face thereof the same scheme will apply equally well to a windowed envelope. A windowed envelope will be preprinted as previously described but instead of the printer 40 printing on the face of the envelope 42, an insert would be printed with the information such as that shown on the face of the envelope 42 in FIG. 3A and inserted so as to be viewed from the window. This would include a correct bar code format 47b or an invalid format 47a.
In this way what is provided is a method of allowing a organization to send large amounts of mail without having to frank every piece. In addition, the postal service is saved the problem of requiring on-site inspections at the user location 16 in order to verify that no unauthorized mail is being sent and that no tampering of the server 25 has taken place. By correlating the amount of postage, the transaction number, piece count, registration amount and the like, and reading of the bar code format 47b, verification can be made that the postage has been paid and there has been no tampering with the server 25. The central station 14 more or less acts as a bank representing the postal service and handles the funds on its behalf as well as maintains records for verification. The funds or postage value charged to the server 25 may be either pre-paid or charged to the user by the central station 14 on a credit arrangement. The central station 14 would be accountable to the postal service for the postage value placed in the server 25 on an immediate basis.
In a situation where tampering is indicated by the reading of an invalid bar code 47a, the post office would call the central station 14 to determine if the postage for the batch had been paid. If not, then the act of fraud will be evidenced and a postal inspector would be sent to the user location 16.
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Mr. Bacon: Good afternoon.
First I'd like to welcome a group of students from West Virginia University School of Journalism. They're in Washington to learn how the city works, and of course you're an important part of the city so that's why they're here.
I've got a couple of other announcements to make. Let me bring you up to date first on MIRACL.
As you know, two opportunities to test that laser were missed last week. The Secretary has asked the Army to continue to look for opportunities to test that laser before the target satellite goes into eclipse later this month. So there should be several other opportunities and they will try to perform that test before it goes into eclipse on the 23rd of October.
Q: In layperson terms, what does it mean to go into eclipse?
A: Basically, I can only give you a layperson's answer because I'm not an expert on satellites. But the satellite is in an elliptical polar orbit. It goes over the poles. As the earth tilts, as we get toward the shortest day of the year -- December 21st or 22nd -- it spends less and less time in sunlight. It requires sunlight to recharge its batteries with solar panels on the satellite.
The Air Force says that the batteries are losing power and before the batteries lose power entirely, the Air Force has to put the satellite into sort of its final orbit -- the orbit from which it will ultimately come into the atmosphere and disintegrate. It has to be located in the right place to do that. They need enough battery power to be able to do it. So they need to make these adjustments before it gets too dark, before it spends too much time in darkness. That's what limits the amount of time available to perform these tests.
There are a lot of other complexities about the angle at which it appears in the sky and the time of night, because these tests are done at night, etc. But in the short term, there's a race between the battery life and the angle of the earth.
Q: When's the last possible date?
A: The 23rd is when the Air Force believes this satellite will go into eclipse, so it has to be done sometime before October 23rd.
Q: Have you got any guesses on the next 14 days when...
A: Given the record so far, I think it's better for everybody to stay away from guessing on dates. I certainly am going to strive to stay away from guessing on dates.
Can I just finish with the second announcement, and then we can move on to MIRACL or anything else.
The second announcement concerns our force in Macedonia which is the United Nations preventive deployment force called UNPREDEP which has been in Macedonia for some time. We are going to reduce the size of the U.S. component of that force by 150 personnel. That will be done over a two-month period beginning about now.
The reason this is happening is that the U.N. Security Council has reduced the size of the overall U.N. force in Macedonia to 750 from 1,050 people. So our component, which has been about half of the force, will also be reduced accordingly.
These soldiers are primarily from the 1st Battalion of the 6th Infantry Regiment in Baumholder, Germany. There are also, however, some National Guard troops assigned to that mission in Macedonia.
Q: So we're going from 500 down to...
A: You've got it. Five hundred to 350.
Q: What other nationality of the U.N. component...
A: It varies, but I think they're generally from the Nordic countries. I can check on that, but in general they've come from the Nordic countries. We will confirm that.
Q: Is that considered less or has something changed all around that has caused the U.N. to reduce it's...
A: This mission was initially set up during the war in Bosnia. It was part of the strategy to contain the war from spilling over into neighboring countries. Obviously the Dayton Peace Accord and the compliance with that Accord has helped to contain the problems in Bosnia and prevent them from metastasizing elsewhere. The U.N. feels that, in light of that, it can get by with a smaller force in Macedonia.
This force is reviewed every six months.
Q: Why keep it at all?
A: That's a question the U.N. will ask. I don't know when the next review period is.
The U.S. feels that this force has been a valuable contribution to stability in the area, and that it still has a contribution to make, but it's ultimately a U.N. decision.
Q: It went in in what, '94 or '95?
A: I think it went in July 12, 1993. There's a Blue Top on this, by the way, so you can get your facts from that.
Q: Iraq. Can you bring us up-to-date on whether there've been any violations in the last 24 hours?
A: I don't believe there have been any in the last 24 hours.
Q: This morning Secretary Cohen said that enforcement had been tightened. Can you describe how enforcement has been tightened?
A: Yes, it's been tightened in three ways. I'm talking primarily about the southern no-fly zone which is the no-fly zone that principally contains Iraq from either from attacking its neighbors or positioning itself to attack its neighbors.
First of all, the... And I'm not going to get into numerical detail here, but just to give you a sense. The Operation SOUTHERN WATCH flights are flying farther north than they were before. In other words, they're going deeper into the no-fly zone or the box as it's called -- closer to the 33rd Parallel than they were before.
Second, the packages of planes, the numbers of planes, flying are larger than they were before. They're now at what they call in the theater, surge levels.
Three, we are in the process of building up our forces in the area. You know that the NIMITZ battle group will be on station and ready to fly in the area sometime this weekend. That's a group that includes the NIMITZ: two cruisers, the USS PORT ROYAL and the USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN; a destroyer, the USS KINCAID; a guided missile frigate, the USS FORD; an attack submarine, the USS OLYMPIA; and a fast combat support ship, the USS SACRAMENTO.
In the mean time we still have there the Air Expeditionary Force -- 22 Air Force planes in Bahrain supplemented by two B-1 bombers who will stay on for awhile. They're supported by tankers, two KC-135s which will also remain in theater until mid-October or later, if necessary. Additionally, two Tomahawk capable cruisers -- the STETHAM and the DR RAY -- that were conducting maritime intercept operations in the Arabian Gulf, were extended until arrival of the NIMITZ to provide additional naval power in the area, the NIMITZ battle group.
So that's what we've done, the three things. They're flying further north, there are bigger packages, and we've enhanced both supporting naval and air power.
Q: Just to clarify a couple of points, although they're flying further north, am I understanding you right, they're still staying south of the 33rd? They're not flying beyond the 33rd, is that correct?
A: The no-fly zone extends to the 33rd, and we have not flown over, beyond the declared no-fly zone.
Q: It's further into the existing zone. There's been no extension...
A: Right. It's not an extension of the existing zone.
You know last year we extended the no-fly zone up to the 33rd. We extended it by about 60 miles.
Q: Can you give us any current status of Iraqi air defenses around the 33rd or slightly north thereof? What have you seen in terms of activity?
A: Nothing particularly unusual, but there are some... First of all, Baghdad, which is about 30-40 miles north of the 33rd, is very, very heavily defended. It's ringed by air defense sites. There are a couple of other heavily defended areas that are within the no-fly zone, and our planes work hard to avoid getting into the range of those SAM sites. But there have not been unusual developments in the Iraqi air defense system recently.
Q: There are active SAM sites inside the no-fly, but as long as they don't paint us it's okay?
A: We have not been... We can respond to being painted and there have not been reasons to respond.
Q: But they're active within the southern no-fly zone.
A: There are SAM sites there. They have not been acquiring our planes.
Q: What do the B-1 bombers have to do with enforcing the no-fly zone?
A: What do they have to do with enforcing the no-fly zone? They're part of a package of military assets that would allow us to respond if called upon to deal with targets in the area.
Q: You mentioned, for instance you mentioned that these cruisers were Tomahawk capable. Did you just do that in passing, or is there some suggestion here that the United States might use B-1s or cruise missiles to respond to violations of the no-fly zone, or would it be limited to try and shoot these planes down if they violate the no-fly zone? There's a suggestion here that this might go beyond just shooting at these planes.
A: There is a suggestion that, I think it's not a suggestion. It should be very clear. We have a powerful military force in the Gulf ready to protect our interests there. We have, in the past, used a variety of military assets including Tomahawk missiles and aircraft to protect our interests, and we will be able to do that in the future.
Q: I guess the question is, if the Iraqis are good enough, getting good enough at these minor incursions so they can do them in locations and at times where they don't get shot down but they continue, is there then an option with these other weapons to do something else in retaliation for violating the no-fly zone?
A: I think we've shown in the past that we are prepared to protect our interests and to enforce the no-fly zone. We've used a variety of military assets to do that. I'll leave it at that.
Q: Are there any pending requests from Central Command for any other assets in addition to the NIMITZ?
A: Not that I'm aware of.
Q: By sending U.S. planes deeper into the no-fly zone, closer to the 33rd Parallel, and therefore closer to some of the Iraqi air defenses, particularly those north of the 33rd, are U.S. pilots at any additional risk?
A: Any military mission involves some risk. But I can tell you that these missions are designed to hold risk to a minimum while still completing the mission. They are very meticulously designed.
Obviously when you go deeper, you incur some risk, but there are other ways to compensate for that risk, and we are trying to do that.
Q: Are you getting from other ways, other than strictly the violations of the no-fly zone, other indications of intent to stir up trouble by Saddam Hussein? Any intent to engage us in some fashion?
A: It is always difficult to measure intent, particularly Saddam Hussein's intent. But we don't see now other unusual activities.
Q: What about attacks on the U.N....
A: That remains extremely bothersome, their unwillingness to comply with UNSCOM and to help it do its job.
Q: (inaudible)
A: As I say, Saddam Hussein has not...is displaying hostility which is very bothersome.
Q: Are the two viewed as linked? The no-fly zone violations and the hostility toward the U.N.?
A: I think that we look at all his activity across the board, and our goal has been to get Saddam Hussein to comply with U.N. mandates and rules, which he has steadfastly refused to do. He has not cooperated with UNSCOM. In fact he's been hostile to it. He has not returned prisoners or lists of prisoners to Kuwait. He hasn't returned military equipment to Kuwait. There are a whole series of things that Saddam Hussein has refused to do -- all of which when added together, even before you get to things like surgical no-fly zone violations, suggest that he bears continued watching, and that's what we're doing. That's what we've been doing since the end of the Gulf War, and we'll continue to do that until his behavior changes.
Q: Is there a suspicion at all that he's attempting to lure U.S. planes into areas where there's a heavier air defense to attempt to shoot part of the planes down?
A: I don't think there's any reason to assume he's trying to do that more than he has sometimes in the past. It's always the risk to which we're attuned. Because we're aware that that's possible, we try to make adjustments to reduce the risk as much as possible.
Q: Secretary Cohen also said this morning that if Iraq continued to violate the zone they would "bear the consequences". Was he referring to anything other than them being shot down?
A: I think I'll just let the statement speak for itself.
Q: You mentioned that obviously Operation SOUTHERN WATCH has been going on for some time now. Does the Pentagon have any estimate as to how much the U.S. has spent on this since 1991?
A: I'm sure we can get some estimate. We will attempt to get some estimate.
Q: Do you have any reaction to this latest round of rather intensive Iranian exercises in the Gulf and how they impact on this tightening of the southern no-fly zone? Any concerns about deconfliction?
A: No. I'm not particularly worried about that at this stage.
Q: I take it you're declining, without getting into specifics, you're declining to rule out any response if they keep violating this no-fly zone. Is that what you're doing?
A: I want to be very clear about what I've said. We have shown in the past that we are willing and able to enforce the no-fly zone. We have a powerful military force in the area. That force is powerful all the time, 365 days a year. It's in the process of being augmented. I'll let the facts speak for themselves. Rather than speculate about the future, I'll just point to the fact that we have protected our interests there in the past.
Q: Without just air power.
Q: Do we already have pre-approval from the countries in which our aircraft are bed-down to enforce the no-fly zone?
A: Well, we're enforcing the no-fly zone. We're flying every day. We have rules of engagement which are understood by our pilots and certainly by the host countries.
Q: The northern no-fly zone, are there any adjustments being made there, and is the ongoing operation that Turkey is conducting against Kurds in the north hampering the enforcement of the no-fly zone now?
A: Two things. One, our Air Force in the north is much less robust than it is in the south -- first. Second, we do deconflict our operations over the northern no-fly zone with Turkey, and that does limit our flights to some extent.
Q: It was announced that the Iranians were intending to use their three submarines in this exercise in the Gulf. Would those submarines be permitted to get into the sea-space of the NIMITZ and other U.S. fleet components?
A: I don't think I'm going to get into operational detail like that.
Q: Do you have numbers on how much less robust the Air Force in the north is than in the south?
A: I don't have them right here with me, but it's... It varies a lot according to what we have in the Gulf, obviously. But it's considerably smaller. It's a powerful force in the north, but it's much smaller than the force in the south.
Q: Half?
A: Less than half.
Q: Are there indications that Iraq is flying more and does the U.S. have an estimate of how many of its aircraft are viable, how many can actually fly?
A: We do. Yeah. (Laughter)
Q: Can we take a vote as to whether or not you'd like to...
A: Any more questions on this?
Q: To get back to the submarine question...
Q: Will you answer those questions? Will you take those questions?
A: No. I don't think I'll answer them or take them.
Q: They're flying more?
A: I don't know the answer to that question about flying more. I'll try to find that out.
Q: We used to get numbers on operational Iraqi aircraft all the time. That doesn't sound like a very deep, dark secret.
A: There are about 184 operational Iraqi aircraft we estimate. Fighter aircraft.
Q: To get back to the submarines, has any message been sent to the Iranian government about our expectations of what they'll do around the NIMITZ and what might cause us to make some kind of response?
A: First of all, let me take that particular question. But on the NIMITZ itself, we have ships in the Gulf all the time. We operate with enormous attention to force protection at all times. The Iranians understand that. I don't anticipate that there will be any problems with this deployment by the NIMITZ in the Gulf.
Q: A follow-up to the operational Iraqi aircraft. You don't have a breakdown of what kind of aircraft they have?
A: I think I've probably said enough. I was talking about fighter aircraft. About 180 fighter aircraft.
Q: U.S. made, Russian made?
A: Iraqi aircraft? I'll just leave it at the gross figure.
Q: What is the latest on efforts to turn back the television stations in Bosnia?
A: Turn back the television stations in Bosnia?
Q: Yeah.
A: First of all, of the three stations that were seized... Of the four stations that were seized, three are functioning now, because one was hit by lightning. We estimate that approximately 70 percent of the people in the Republic of Srpska can receive signals from these three broadcast stations now.
The Office of the High Representative continues to operate these stations. A study group has been set up to review the current situation and to come up with recommendations or options for the future management of these stations, and that hasn't completed its work yet. I don't know when it will. So SFOR continues to control the three transmitters that are continuing to broadcast.
Q: ...around the transmitters?
A: Yeah. I believe that to be the case. But clearly, we're in a position to run them either by troops being in the area or by the people who are actually at the transmitter sites running them.
Q: Programming is still controlled by the local people, though? As long as they comply?
A: The OHR, the Office of High Representative, is seeking assistance from Western sources to obtain entertainment and other programming. There is news programming going on, there's some programming produced by the OHR and others. They're looking for entertainment programming, and maybe your company can help them. Disney ABC would be just the right company to help.
Q: On Bosnia, the recent voluntary surrender by ten war crime suspects, how important are those suspects? How big a fish are they, and what difference is that making in putting pressure on other war crime suspects we've turned in under the Dayton Accord?
A: I think there are a couple of... First of all, one of the people, Kordic, who is the Vice President of the Croatian Community of Herze-Bosna, was a very big fish. He has been indicted for participating in the murder of civilians in several Muslim villages in the spring of 1993. This whole group was involved in the murder of civilians, the alleged murder of civilians in Muslim villages in the spring of 1993. I think there were eight villages in all. Kordic, in the indictment has been listed as one of the ring leaders and the major people. I can't give you the details because I don't have them, but we can get them for you or you can get them from the War Crimes Tribunal. But he is quite an important person. Recently, while I was in Europe, I noticed that the BBC ran footage of British soldiers coming on -- who were there in UNPROFOR at the time -- coming on to some of the villages that had been the targets of Croatian troops, and the devastation and the death that was there was quite appalling. That film must be readily available and maybe your networks have similar film to that.
But these are indictments, and they will be considered in the proper legal form in the Hague. People will decide whether these people are guilty or innocent.
The lesson here is, first of all, the Dayton Accord leaves the primary responsibility for rounding up indicted war criminals and turning them over to trial in the Hague to the formerly warring parties. The Croatians have complied with that by turning over this group of ten people.
Second, most of the non-Serb indicted war criminals have now been rounded up. That is the Bosnians and the Croatians. So it puts more pressure on the Serbs to comply with the terms of the Dayton Accord since the Croatians and the Bosnians already have done that largely.
Third, I think this follows, of course, the July effort to capture some war criminals by British special forces. I think the lesson is clear, that the international community is serious about bringing indicted war criminals to justice. We have been working hard with the formerly warring parties to convince them to do that, and this is a sign that those efforts are succeeding.
Q: How many military personnel are working in the White House, and what is the Pentagon's position about the operation of the White House Communication Agency?
A: The White House Communication Agency? It has 851 people in it -- military people. This agency, which was set up in 1941 at the beginning of World War II, basically runs the White House communications operation, which any of you who have traveled with the President and the White House press know is quite an amazing and an effective organization. That's their primary job is to run the communications and signals operation for the White House.
Q: It was announced this morning at Justice, I believe Ms. Reno spoke to the issue as well, that this White House communications section, especially those involved with the taping in the White House, would be under investigation and possible subpoena by Grand Jury or the task force, the Justice Department's task force. I take it that the DoD people in the White House will do everything they can to cooperate and safeguard the evidence. Am I correct?
A: The evidence seems to be very public, from what I can see, if you want to call it evidence. But we will certainly do everything necessary to cooperate. We have received no official notification of what you just mentioned, but we certainly will cooperate.
Remember, this White House Communications Agency is a military unit assigned to the White House to perform work for the President and White House officials. We will cooperate fully with any legal inquiry.
Q: Is it under Pentagon control?
A: The White House Communications Agency, which goes by the acronym of WHCA, is under the control of WHMO which is an acronym that means the White House Military Office. So WHCA is under the administrative control or operational control of WHMO, the White House Military Office. That's run by a civilian in the White House. But the Chief of Staff of the White House Military Office is an Air Force colonel, currently an Air Force colonel.
Q: Are there any guidelines or regulations that prevent the military personnel at the White House Communications Agency from working campaign events for the President?
A: I'm sure there are, but I don't know... There are extensive regulations governing the operation of this, but... I don't know how they work specifically on campaign events.
The fact of the matter is, the President is an indivisible man. He's President all the time, no matter what he does. He has to have a certain amount of communications support, he has to have security whether he's operating in a political capacity or a governmental capacity. My assumption is that these people support him no matter what he does. That's clearly understood. But I will check into whether there are specific regulations on this.
Q: What do the videotapes have to do with supporting the operations of the Office of the President? These are just...
A: The job that the White House communications office does is very clearly defined, and it's divided into several categories. These categories are treated in different ways for funding and other purposes. All of this has been laid out in documents which are public, regulations which are public. There is a law that sort of divides the telecommunications function on the one hand from other functions that they perform, and they've been put into basically three other baskets. The first is audiovisual; the second is stenographic support, because it's the White House Communications Agency that provides the transcripts, for instance, of Mike McCurry's briefings, or of other briefings and events that are done at the White House; and the third is wire service support. It's through the White House Communications Agency that the news wires that the White House gets are acquired and brought into the White House.
So for those three areas -- audiovisual, stenographic, and news wire support -- there is some reimbursement from the White House to the Defense Department for performing those services. For telecommunications, that money comes directly out of the DoD budget. This is laid out, I believe, in the 1997 Defense Authorization Act. You can go read that Act, Section 912, and find it all for yourself.
Q: It sounds like you have, anyway.
A: I have a very good staff.
Q: Going back to Croatia for a second, has there been any quid pro quo, any favor from the U.S. or return gesture back to Croatia in return for these ten folks coming forward and being sent off to the Hague? Any training promises like we're doing to the Bosnian One Muslim Federation?
A: Are you asking me are we rewarding Croatia for honoring an agreement that it signed?
Q: Any enticements or inducements for their living up to the terms of their responsibilities?
A: Clearly compliance with Dayton makes it easier for us and other countries to deal with the formerly warring parties. But beyond that, I can't give any specifics. I just don't know. We'll try to find out.
Q: Have any members of the White House communications office, any of the active duty military, have they been either subpoenaed or volunteered to appear before a Grand Jury to back up the statements of the White House about how and when these tapes were first discovered and turned over? Has there been any request for any of them to appear or...
A: The answer to that is no.
Q: Are you anticipating...
A: I can't anticipate things like this. What I did say is we will cooperate with anybody looking into this, and we have been cooperative all the way along.
This is an agency comprised of very skillful technicians who provide certain services to the White House. These services are basically communications and a few other services that I listed probably while you were out of the room but you can see in the transcript.
Q: Since the tape (inaudible) came to light, has the Secretary or anyone here in the Pentagon initiated any sort of formal or informal review either by the General Counsel's office to see if, just to basically ensure that the Pentagon knows what happened and is prepared, in case there's some subpoenas, etc.? Is anybody in the building today looking at this?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you tell us who?
A: Look. Of course we are looking at what happened. We've been discussing things with members of the White House Communication Agency. But it's mainly just to make sure that we have been responsive to requests that we have received. And based on what I know so far, we have been responsive to those requests.
As I said, I can assure you that we will continue to be responsive to requests that we get. But we are looking at the situation. This is not an agency that has been without scrutiny in the past. It has been examined by Congress and it's been examined by the Inspector General. There are public documents describing what this agency does. It does not have anything to hide. It's an agency that provides, as I said, very specialized, highly technological services to the White House. Over the years it's been determined that this agency can do it more efficiently than by bringing in a bunch of other disconnected agencies. There are certain security issues that have to be addressed so there's a certain comfort in having a military operation with experience going back to 1941 dealing with these issues.
Q: Are all the relevant, those matters, records relevant to the Justice Department investigation under the control of military personnel, and are they secure?
A: My belief is yes, they are under control of military personnel and they are secure. But I have not made a personal investigation. I have not been down to the Anacostia Naval Yard where this agency is headquartered to check out its records' security procedures. But my belief is yes, that they are secure.
Press: Thank you.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Rice Dream Mocha Pie
by Rice Dream
Submitted by CreativeType
DailyBurn Tracker's large food database contains 942,000 foods with detailed nutrition labels. After you sign up for a FREE account you can keep your own food journal and easily meet your health and dieting goals!
Nutrition Facts
|Serving Size
|1 Pie
|Amount Per Serving
|% Daily Value*
|Total Fat
|18.0 g
|28 %
|Saturated Fat
|8.0 g
|40 %
|Trans Fat
|0 g
|0 mg
|0 %
|50 mg
|2 %
|Total Carbohydrate
|40 g
|13 %
|Dietary Fiber
|2 g
|8 %
|14 g
|3.0 g
|6 %
|Vitamin C
|2 %
|* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients: Mocha Rice Dream (Filtered water, brown rice (partially milled), expeller pressed oleic safflower oil, natural coffee flavor with caramel color, tapioca starch, guar gum, sea salt, carrageenan. Oatmeal Cookies: Wheat flour, rice syrup, oats, expeller pressed oleic safflower oil, baking soda. Coating: malted Barley and corn, coconut oil, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural flavor.
Food Description
No description.
Latest Eaters
Food Comments
No comments on this food.


text:
Will you be a living legend or a forgotten casualty? MechWarrior:Living Legends (MWLL) is a total conversion modification for Crysis, MWLL is at its very core a mix between First Person Shooter and Simulation. This will be achieved through the use of a mixed arms massively multiplayer gaming experience where the player takes part in a battle using a variety of vehicles and weapons MWLL is using the concepts pioneered by the "Battlefield" franchise and more recently Crysis, of a sandbox feel where you get to play what you want and how you want it. MWLL depicts the epic struggles between the two factions of Battletech "The Clans" and "The Inner Sphere" In the project we will be bringing some of the legends of MechWarrior back to life.
Nov 26th, 2010 1 person agrees 5 people don't
While it is truly a successor to the mechwarrior franchise the overt number of bugs, rather depressing drab decals on vehicles, gameplay issues, and stability issues leaves much to be desired. That is were you will find yourself writing down a description of the error in question and submitting it to the Living Legends teamn for review. Overall there is much work to do before the game can be considered done but overall it is comming along nicely.


text: Prev | Next A man carries a drawer and a bag filled with clothes from Rachel Hernandez' home as residents of the Heatherwood Addition, on the south side of SE 4 and Bryant in Moore, Okla., returned to their homes Tuesday, May 21, 2013, to salvage any items after Monday's destructive tornado. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel) Gallery: More Oklahoma storm cleanup May. 22, 2013 @ 08:40 AM The Herald-Dispatch / 2015 People who were affected by Monday's tornado in Oklahoma continue their cleanup. (u'nobuy',)


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Book your room at Leonardo Hotel Köln
Get an overview of this hotel4-star Cologne hotel in Buchforst with restaurant
Located in Buchforst, this hotel is 0.9 mi (1.4 km) from Odysseum and within 3 mi (5 km) of Great St. Martin Church and Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. City Hall and Romano-Germanic Museum are also within 3 mi (5 km).
Hotel Features
Along with a restaurant, this hotel has an indoor pool and a fitness center. WiFi in public areas is free. Additionally, a bar/lounge, a sauna, and a rooftop terrace are onsite.
Room Amenities
All 165 soundproofed rooms feature free WiFi and 24-hour room service. For a bit of entertainment, flat-screen TVs come with satellite channels, and guests will also find coffee makers and free newspapers.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
In addition to an indoor pool, Leonardo Hotel Köln provides a sauna and a fitness center. The hotel offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. High-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary.
This 4-star property offers access to a business center, limo/town car service, and meeting rooms. Event facilities measuring 638 square feet (57 square meters) include conference space. This business-friendly hotel also offers a rooftop terrace, multilingual staff, and gift shops/newsstands.
- Conference space
- Meeting rooms 9
- 24-hour front desk
- Total number of rooms - 165
- Bar/lounge
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Business center
- Elevator/lift
- Fitness facilities
- Free WiFi
- Rooftop terrace
- Airport transportation
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Number of floors - 7
- Multilingual staff
- Restaurant
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Conference space size (meters) - 57
- Sauna
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Limo or Town Car service available
- Year Built 1980
- Conference space size (feet) - 638
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Indoor pool
Family Friendly Amenities
- Indoor pool
- Free Wi-Fi
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Soundproofed rooms
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Room Amenities
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Room service (24 hours)
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Climate control
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Hair dryer
- Bathtub or shower
- Desk
- Air conditioning
- Flat-panel TV
- Free WiFi
- Free newspaper
- Soundproofed rooms
- Private bathroom
- Satellite TV service
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6:30 AM and 10:30 AM.
Onsite venue - This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
24-hour room service is available.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the hotel include an indoor pool, a sauna, and a fitness center.
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
Pets allowed, Only dogs are allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- 5 percent tourism fee will be charged
Optional extras
- Fee for buffet breakfast: EUR 10 per person (approximately)
- Self parking fee: EUR 10 per day
- Pet fee: EUR 10 per night
- Rollaway beds are available for an additional fee
We should mention
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.
National Rating
Hotelstars Union assigns an official star rating for properties in Germany. This property is rated 4 stars.


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If you ever think you're a superstar while playing a hardcore game, there's always someone out there ready to humble you.
Twitch user Craddoc brings some humble pie for Bloodborne players by running through From Software's PS4 exclusive hardcore action RPG without leveling up, healing, using guns or getting help from other players. He also does the optional bosses just for fun.


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In-person advising is available by appointment or "walk-in."
To make an in-person appointment with an Academic Advisor, please call 480-461-7222 Option #1. Ask for an "in person" appointment.
Continuing and prospective students may walk-in during posted office hours. Walk-ins do not have a scheduled appointment and should expect to wait to be seen in the order of their arrival/check-in
Please call 480-461-7222 Option #1 and make an appointment for phone advising with an academic advisor.
Walk-in Advising is for students who have a quick question.
It is not designed for students who are on academic probation, need assistance with Satisfactory Progress Appeals, a Maximum Time Frame, or want to apply for graduation. For these concerns, please make an advising appointment as noted above.
Please provide your student ID number (starts with a "3") and send your questions/concerns from your @maricopa.edu email address to receive a reply. Due to the nature of online advising and the requirement for confidentiality, we will only respond to emails sent from the student's @maricopa.edu address.
Click here to view the Ask an Academic Advisor via email form
mesacc.edu | 480-461-7000 | © 2015 Mesa Community College | A Maricopa Community College The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.


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Program Notes
Sister, now I can tell you this:
how I'd steal
into your room
days you were gone,
teeter on a chair
to reach the shelf,
pull the black box
down and unlatch it.
I'd stare at the disassembled parts:
each silver tube snug in red
velvet, click of fingered keys
rubbed bronze.
I lacked the adequate prayer
my lips might blow across you,
kneeling over your open casket.
Broken instrument, you are not sister
and you are not song. How
can I lift you now. Even if I knew
what notes to play, I haven't
the breath to make you music.
- Robert Fanning
text used with permission of the author
Biographical Sketch
Jay C. Batzner has been a source of irritation for musical biographers for more than three decades, due to his refusal to provide standardized biographical claptrap suitable for concert programs and musical encyclopedias. He further irritates in his refusal to adopt any musically dogmatic viewpoint, choosing instead to write music that "sounds good." – David D. McIntire


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Google Translate
The Kingdom of Cambodia is located in mainland Southeast Asia between latitudes 10° and 15° N and longitudes 102° and 108° E. Cambodia covers an area of 181,035 km2 with a total population of 14.7 million people (CIA, 2011). Approximately 80 percent of this population lives in rural areas. The country is classified as being among the least developed in the world, with a GDP per capita of US $297 in 2002 (NIS, 2003). The country's economy has grown considerably over the past several years, with manufacturing, tourism and agriculture representing major economic sectors (USDS, 2010). Cambodia faces particularly acute challenges related to climate change including a need to build domestic capacity to address challenges related to health, agriculture and water resources. Administratively, the country is divided into 20 provinces and 4 municipalities with a total of 183 districts and 1,609 communes (NIS, 2004). The climate is characterized by a dry season from mid November to mid May and a rainy season from mid May to mid November. The annual average temperature is 27°C, and rises to a maximum of 38°C in April or May and falls to a minimum of 14°C in January or December.
Cambodia submitted a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2007 (MOE, 2006). Its NAPA outlines Cambodia's main areas of concerns related to water management and agriculture, as well as the development challenges that compound the country's vulnerability to climate change. Cambodia reports an increasing severity of floods and droughts, which has led to crop failures and contributes substantially to poverty levels (MOE, 2006). In its NAPA, Cambodia specifically identified some of the primary needs and threats that it faces with respect to adaptation, as well as priority sectors targeted for action, including agriculture, water resources, coastal zones and human health. It also notes the need for flood protection enhancement through initiatives like riverbank improvements, particularly in areas of the Mekong watershed; and for food security protection to address floods and adverse weather events.
Through its Initial National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Cambodia identified adaptation needs in the priority sectors of agriculture, and forestry. With respect to agriculture, adaptation suggestions in the National Communication include: development of new high-yield crop varieties, improved crop management, warning systems for extreme weather events, and improvement of irrigation. Within the forestry sector, Cambodia suggests the creation of forest plantations on otherwise unproductive lands, conservation of protected areas, and improved forest resource management. The National Communication also discusses adaptation priorities within the area of human health, including education and disease control measures, as well as in coastal zones, including the development of a strategic response to sea level rise including studies of impacts, improved management and capacity building of local residents (MOE, 2002).
In addition there has been considerable research on the relationship between climate change and fisheries in Cambodia. Fisheries are a critical component of rural livelihoods and makes up as much as 80 per cent of the animal protein in a traditional diet. Hydrological variation in the Mekong Basin induced by climate change is predicted to amplify the emerging boom and bust cycle of fish catches, resulting in less stability for rural people. It is argued that fisheries and aquaculture can provide compensation for other adaptation problems such as low lying agricultural land and should be considered a key component of adaptation strategies in the country.
Cambodia's Initial National Communication to the UNFCCC was published in October 2002 (MOE, 2002). It speaks about adaptation needs generally and does not list potential adaptation options. These priorities were more clearly articulated in its NAPA, in which poverty reduction and increased agricultural production are repeatedly mentioned as the central goals of Cambodia's adaptation efforts. For Cambodia, adaptation policy and development policy are closely linked, and are at the forefront of the Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency. The Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia is in the process of finalizing Cambodia's Second National Communication (SNC) to the UNFCCC. These efforts include preparation of National Adaptation and Mitigation Plans and identification of technology, institutional and policy gaps. The SNC work will culminate in the preparation of the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, which is expected to commence in 2011.
Cambodia has a number of national policies on poverty, the environment and development; however adaptation is not a prominent component of these policies. The country's NAPA currently is the cornerstone of Cambodian adaptation planning and priority action identification. Major policy frameworks are much more generally focused and have goals more related to sustainable resource management and poverty reduction; as such, they have adaptation co-benefits.
There are a number of nationally and regional adaptation projects and programs occurring in Cambodia at present. National projects are focused on capacity building, as well as some policy formulation, awareness raising, knowledge sharing, and community based adaptation activities. The main sectors of focus are agriculture, water, risk reduction and meteorology. Cambodia is participating in a slightly higher proportion of regional projects. These projects are primarily focused on capacity building, vulnerability assessment, research, and policy formulation within the areas of health, nature, water, risk reduction, and policy. Funders active in supporting adaptation action in Cambodia include: the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the World Bank's Climate Investment Facility, and the governments of Denmark, the European Commission, Sweden and the United States.
Through the completion of its NAPA, Cambodia identified a number of priority adaptation projects for funding. The level of detail for these proposed actions is quite general and may be elaborated upon in the future. As well, Cambodia has proposed projects for funding to the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF).
Climate change is a high priority for Cambodia, as acknowledged through its national level strategic cross-sectoral planning, as well as through completion of its NAPA. The country has made progress in identifying key adaptation goals and priorities, and the government has established high level of knowledge on where its current adaptation gaps lie. Of the key adaptation priorities identified by the country, it appears that the areas of agriculture and water are receiving the bulk of attention through ongoing adaptation projects, although there appears to be a need for concrete initiatives such as building dikes to minimize the impacts of floods and testing climate resilient crops. A number of ongoing projects are also working to improve domestic capacity to address climate change at the policy level. Gaps in adaptation action appear to exist within the following areas:
- Human health: Identified as a priority through the country's NAPA and National Communication, there are presently very few adaptation activities addressing health underway in the country.
- Coastal zones: There presently do not appear to be any projects occurring within this area; however certain ongoing projects addressing adaptation within the water sector may touch upon these coastal zones although this is not explicitly mentioned.
- Fisheries: Fisheries are a critical part of the Cambodian's diet and future project work may seek to expand adaptation initiatives within this sector.
- Gender: although a component of a couple of regional projects, none of the initiatives identified in Cambodia specifically aim to understand and respond to the gender dimensions of climate change.
Primary Source: Gass, Philip; Hove, Hilary; Parry, Jo-Ellen. (2011) "Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action: East and Southeast Asia." Adaptation Partnership / International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Additional References:
- Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] (2011). The World Factbook: East and Southeast Asia::Cambodia. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html
- Ministry of Environment [MOE] (2002). Cambodia's Initial National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Retrieved from http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/khmnc1.pdf
- Ministry of Environment [MOE] (2006). National Adaptation Programme of Action to Climate Change (NAPA). Retrieved from http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/khm01.pdf
- United Nations Development Program [UNDP] (2010). Human Development Index (HDI) – 2010 Rankings. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/
- United States Department of State [USDS] (2010). Background Note: Cambodia. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2732.htm


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Thursday Football Notebook
Military Appreciation Day Info
Game 4: NC State Wolfpack (2-1) vs. The Citadel Bulldogs (3-0)
At 5'11, 174, sophomore wideout Bryan Underwood is the most diminutive member of the NC State wide receiver corps, but that doesn't stop him from reaching out for the long pass.
Underwood leads the team in scoring with three touchdowns this season - a mark which ties for sixth in the ACC in touchdown scoring. For his career, he has caught five TD passes.
Four of his five scoring grabs have been for 33 or more yards. Last season he scored on a 33- and a 79-yarder at Virginia and this season has caught TDs for 44 and 46 yards, along with a five-yard catch versus Tennessee.


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Dr. Drew and VH1's Celebrity Rehab franchise took over The View today, on a special episode about women with addiction. On hand were Celebrity Rehab 3's Mindy McCready and Mackenzie Phillips (rocking her $50,000 makeover), Sex Rehab's Jennie Ketcham and Sober House's house leader Jennifer Gimenez. I was also there to snap some pictures and get the behind-the-scenes dirt, although there wasn't much of the latter to be had. I guess the less dirt the better for anyone, especially recovering addicts. Everyone looked great, though (I can only assume that watching yourself in treatment can be very upgrade-inspiring), and everyone was completely approachable and friendly. I sat down for an impromptu interview with Mackenzie, which she agreed to on the spot (that will run later this week), talked blogging with Jennie (who regularly shares her life and thoughts on Becoming Jennie) and finally got to meet the remarkably warm Jenn, whom I've spoken to every week Sober House has been on since the beginning but only today got to meet.
In all, it was a nice time. Check the gallery below for proof, but before that, check out this clip from the taping, in which Drew handles the question of exploitation that seems to pop up almost every time anyone talks to him about these shows. The answer he gives is not only succinct, it's pragmatic.
Also on hand were reps from the Partnership for a Drug Free America (see the gallery below). Drew showed off the Rx Locker, a product he endorses. Finally, behind-the-scenes shots are below!
Related content
Sober House with Dr. Drew cast reveal
Sober House with Dr. Drew show page
Sober House with Dr. Drew videos and extras
Connect with fans of Sober House


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The Thistle & Shamrock
12:58 pm
Wed March 26, 2014
The Thistle & Shamrock: New Spring Sounds
By Staff
The flow of music is never-ending. A mountain of new recordings doesn't translate into a volume of great music, though, so rely on Thistle and Shamrock host Fiona Ritchie to hand-pick the best new sounds from rising artists and perennial favorites.
Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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Posted by Ben on 07/30/2011
We decided to explore Chinatown and came across Moon Palace. It was fairly crowded which was a good sign for us. Food was out rather quickly, it was very good, and our waiter was prompt and friendly. I would highly recommend this restaurant to people looking for great Chinese food in the heart of Chinatown.
Posted by Jim F. on 03/27/2011
Chinatown Chamber of Commerce was nice enough to provide a 15% off coupon on their website for us. Now for the review: Having made visits to the Far East, I am well aware of what authentic is. I really enjoyed this Shanghai sytle restaurant in Chicago's Chinatown. I am usually very disappointed with the fair of Chinese establishments in Chicago but Moon Palace Restaurant took me by surprise. Not only did we have the best Mongolian Beef that I have ever had anywhere but we found the atmosphere charming and relaxed. The menu includes the traditional without too much flair, but everything was prepared perfectly and delicious. Lily was our waitress and she was knowledgeable and a great help. We began with potstickers which were amazing. Usually too crispy but these were lightly fried after traditional boiling and filled with plenty of pork. We had the sizzling rice soup which would fill four people, though it was just me and my lovely wife dining. Again the Mongolia Beef was simply wonderful. The rice was not too sticky and nice and hot. The shrimp and veggie dish I ordered was great too. The place was clean, staff very friendly and I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting an affordable sitdown dinner. Less than forty with drinks. Great dining experience and finally delicious Chinese food in Chicago.


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Increasing memory capacity is an effective way to make programs run faster. You can increase the amount of memory in your system by installing PC2-4200 CL4 Non-Parity Double Data Rate Two (DDR2) Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module (SO-DIMM), available as an option, in the memory slot on the bottom of the system. SO-DIMMs with different capacities are available.
To install a SO-DIMM, do the following:Attention: Before you start installing a module, touch a metal table or a grounded metal object. This action reduces any static electricity from your body. The static electricity could damage the SO-DIMM. Be careful to avoid the metallic projections in the SO-DIMM socket area.
To make sure that the SO-DIMM is installed correctly, do as follows:
Når du bruger denne hjemmeside accepterer du at vi må anbringe cookies på din computer. De er ufarlige og kan ikke bruges til at identificere dig personligt.


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Way To Grow
Tom Harris, also known as The Hill Country Gardener, is a Master Gardener certified by the State of Texas, a Master Pruner certified by the San Antonio Botanical Garden, and a founder and volunteer for the Gardening Volunteers of South Texas (GVST).
Posts by Author
Tell us about your rodent problems and solutions
It's their year, and they're partying in San Antonio homes. Experts tell how to halt their fun. Below, tell us how you deal with rats in your home. [Read More]
This week's question: Nurturing houseplants
With alyssum, pansies and violas settled in for winter, there's not much plant-tending called for in January. So it's time for houseplants to get their stare of attention. Tell us about your favorite houseplants and how you keep them looking good. [Read More]
This week's question: Dreaming of spring
Garden catalogs tempt us with earthly delights, arriving in the mailbox like rays of sunshine. The tantalizing promise of the biggest tomato ever or softball-size peonies overshadows the climate and soil realities of our gardens. As you dream and plan for your spring garden, what pages have you dog-eared in your 2008 garden catalogs? [Read More]
This week's question: Make a new kind of resolution
This week, Calvin Finch offers garden-related resolutions in lieu of the tired Jan. 1 vows of physical and fiscal fitness. What's your garden resolution for 2008? Pulling weeds looks appealing when you don't have to step on the scales or cut up your plastic. [Read More]
This week's question: Wintertime in the garden
Friday marked the start of winter and, for some gardeners, an off-season. For others, it's a time for overhaul and planning. What garden chores do you plan to tackle before spring? [Read More]
This week's question: What's growing?
Temperatures have teased the freezing mark, but your garden might not know the winter solstice is only two weeks away. Some folks are still harvesting tomatoes. What's thriving in your garden as winter approaches? [Read More]
This week's question: Green giving
What garden-related items are you giving as Christmas gifts? [Read More]
Tell Santa what you want
Don't forget the garden when making holiday wishes known. What garden-related items are on your Christmas list? [Read More]
Are things growing your way?
Some homeowner association covenants address landscaping and prescribe what residents may plant and the style of the gardens. Has your homeowners' association cramped your gardening style? Editor's Note: MySanAntonio.com reserves the right to reject content deemed inappropriate. This forum is for civilized discussion. [Read More]
Organic gardening
Tell us about your experience with organic gardening. What "remedies" have worked and what hasn't? Editor's Note: MySanAntonio.com reserves the right to reject content deemed inappropriate. This forum is for civilized discussion. [Read More]
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