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Parliament fire is finally under control

Parliament has confirmed the fire on the roof of the National Assembly is finally under control. The fire flared up on Monday afternoon. A devastating fire ripped through Parliament on Sunday.Parliament said in a statement:

It is with a great sense of relief that Parliament confirms the containment of the fire flare up at the roof of the National Assembly (NA) on Monday, and there has not been any further fire incident.

The last 24 hours had been critical, with firefighters closely monitoring and combing through the scene.

After the firefighters contained the fire at midnight yesterday, they remained on site, although at reduced capacity for monitoring the situation, to conduct a thorough assessment and to establish the extent of the damage caused.

Since Sunday, there have been 300 firefighters working shifts and over 60 fire engine vehicles. One fire engine remains at the scene currently, with five crew members working throughout all the floors, ensuring no flare-ups.

The firefighters will assess later this afternoon for possible total withdrawal from the site today and see if the building is safe to be handed over to the South African Police Services.

The Presiding Officers of Parliament, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Mr Amos Masondo applauds the lionhearted firefighters. The firefighters fought to bring the fire at the Parliamentary precinct under control.

The extent of the damage in the NA is severe. The Presiding Officers confirm that efforts to save the Mace were successful yesterday after two days of the fire. It has been retrieved from its safe storage without any damage.

The Mace is an important symbol that signifies the authority and sitting of the NA. It is carried into the Chamber by the Serjeant-at-Arms and announces the arrival of the Speaker of the NA.

It signifies that the House is formally in session and that its proceedings are official. The Mace was designed to reflect the history, traditions, and diverse cultures and languages of South Africa. The design also celebrates its natural beauty, plant and animal life, and rich mineral resources.

The NA Speaker remains grateful for saving the Mace as its recreation could be difficult.

The Museum is also unharmed from the ravaging fire including artworks and heritage objects and the Keiskamma tapestry on the ground floor of the Old Assembly Building.

The Keiskamma Tapestry tells the South African story in beadwork, skins and embroidery from the perspective of ordinary people. It is 112 metres long and 70 metres high. Women from the Keiskamma Art Project, a community initiative and non-profit organisation in Hamburg, on the banks of the Keiskamma River in the Ngqushwa region of the Eastern Cape, made this artwork.

It is a powerful symbol of our people's Parliament. It demonstrates our support for women's empowerment and support for local initiatives. The former Speaker of the NA, Ms Baleka Mbete unveiled the tapestry in 2006 on International Women's Day, 8 March.

As part of the internal stakeholder meetings yesterday, the Presiding Officers briefed the leaders of political parties, the Chief Whips Forum and Nehawu leadership.

The Presiding Officers reassured everyone that no stone would be left unturned in getting to the bottom of how the incident happened. They said Parliament would conduct its internal investigation on any lapses that contributed to the incident.

"We don't want to make any speculations about what may have led to this incident, but we continue to be very concerned that the institution of Parliament and its symbols could be destroyed in this manner. So, we will demand full accountability and if so found, for those responsible to be punished", said the Presiding Officers.

They further asked all to work together despite the incident and find ways to ensure that Parliament's work continues and will not allow the disaster to derail the institution's important work.

Furthermore, they confirmed that the State of the Nation Address, Budget Speech, and other programmes would proceed as planned.

Parliament will share further details about where and how these events will occur.

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DEVELOPING | Firefighters withdraw from Parliament, buildings handed over to Hawks - News24

Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) is urging caution with medium risk ratings for this Saturdays second hour of the West Coast Zone (WCZ) abalone fishing season between 7am and 8am.

SLSWA modelling uses the best available information on the conditions from multiple sources and rates the risks for factors, such as wind speed, tide, swell height, and swell period.

The modelling recommends the fishing hour can go ahead on 8 January, with appropriate caution, as conditions are expected to appear favourable with a swell period of 11-12 seconds and waves expected to be breaking at near 1-1.5m height in most locations; particularly outside of the central metro area. However, the amount of water likely to be pushing across reef platforms remains a key concern.

Reef holes and drop offs can be hazardous for those with low swimming capabilities and fishers are also encouraged to wear appropriate clothing when collecting the abalone.

Moderate temperatures of 27-30 degrees are expected for this Saturdays fishing session, with an average wave height of around 1.5 metres, particularly in Peel and North Metro areas and moderate offshore winds, gusting to 18 knots.

Licensed abalone fishers who plan to take part in this Saturdays fishing hour in the WCZ between Moore River and the Busselton Jetty will still need to make their own evaluation of the sea and weather conditions on the day, to ensure they have the water skills to manage them.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Senior Management Officer Nick Blay said fishers should follow safety advice.

Personal safety should be the focus of abalone fishers at all times, Mr Blay said. SLSWA lifesavers will be monitoring the abalone fishing this Saturday, but each fisher must not take risks beyond their skill level in the water and on the reefs.

Apart from this Saturday, fishing between 7am and 8am, there will be two other abalone fishing sessions at the same time on Saturday 5 February and Saturday 19 February.

DPIRD Compliance officers will again be at WCZ abalone fishing locations this Saturday, to check fishers have the required licence and are complying with the rules.

More on abalone fishing rules is available at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au. SLSWA has abalone fishing safety tips at: https://www.mybeach.com.au/safety-rescue-services/coastal-recreation/abalone/.

We urge anyone heading to WAs beaches at any time to switch on their Sea Sense check http://www.sharksmart.com.au or download the SharkSmart WA app. The app combines latest shark activity, as well as beach safety features such as Surf Life Saving WA patrolled beaches and weather forecasts, to help people plan their trips to the ocean.

Media contact: Ashley Malone, DPIRD media liaison - mobile 0418 901 767

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West Coast Zone abalone fishing season proceeds with caution - Government of Western Australia

A media access control is a network data transfer policy that determines how data is transmitted between two computer terminals through a network cable. The media access control policy involves sub-layers of the data link layer 2 in the OSI reference model.

The essence of the MAC protocol is to ensure non-collision and eases the transfer of data packets between two computer terminals. A collision takes place when two or more terminals transmit data/information simultaneously. This leads to a breakdown of communication, which can prove costly for organizations that lean heavily on data transmission.

This network channel through which data is transmitted between terminal nodes to avoid collision has three various ways of accomplishing this purpose. They include:

Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) is a media access control policy that regulates how data packets are transmitted between two computer nodes. This method avoids collision by configuring each computer terminal to make a signal before transmission. The signal is carried out by the transmitting computer to avoid a collision.

Multiple access implies that many computers are attempting to transmit data. Collision avoidance means that when a computer node transmitting data states its intention, the other waits at a specific length of time before resending the data.

CSMA/CA is data traffic regulation is slow and adds cost in having each computer node signal its intention before transmitting data. It used only on Apple networks.

Want to learn more about the technicalities?

Check out our Academy for lessons on access control.

Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) is the opposite of CSMA/CA. Instead of detecting data to transmit signal intention to prevent a collision, it observes the cable to detect the signal before transmitting.

Collision detection means that when a collision is detected by the media access control policy, transmitting by the network stations stops at a random length of time before transmitting starts again.

It is faster than CSMA/CA as it functions in a network station that involves fewer data frames being transmitted. CSMA/CD is not as efficient as CSMA/CA in preventing network collisions. This is because it only detects huge data traffic in the network cable. Huge data traffic increases the possibility of a collision taking place. It is used on the Ethernet network.

The demand priority is an improved version of the Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD). This data control policy uses an active hub in regulating how a network is accessed. Demand priority requires that the network terminals obtain authorization from the active hub before data can be transmitted.

Another distinct feature of this MAC control policy is that data can be transmitted between the two network terminals at the same time without collision. In the Ethernet media, demand priority directs that data is transmitted directly to the receiving network terminal.

This media access control method uses free token passing to prevent a collision. Only a computer that possesses a free token, which is a small data frame, is authorized to transmit. Transmission occurs from a network terminal that has a higher priority than one with a low priority.

Token passing flourishes in an environment where a large number of short data frames are transmitted. This media access control policy is highly efficient in avoiding a collision. Possession of the free token is the only key to transmitting data by a network node. Each terminal holds this free token for a specific amount of time if the network with the high priority does not have data to transmit, the token is passed to the adjoining station in the network.

Media access control regulates how a network is accessed by computer terminals and transmits from one terminal to the other without collision. This is achieved through CSMA/CD, CSMA/CA, demand priority, or Token passing.

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Media Access Control: What is it and Overview | Kisi

Benjamin Netanyahu was more than a control freak when it came to media coverage of himself, his one-time confidante and adviser told an Israeli court on Monday during the former prime ministers ongoing corruption trial.

His control over media matters was absolute and total, with no exceptions, according to Nir Hefetz, a key prosecution witness who testified that Netanyahu who also headed the communications ministry from 2014 to 2017 devoted as much time to how the media portrayed him as he did to security concerns.

Netanyahu is much more than a control freak. When it came to matters of the media, he wants to know everything right down to the remote details, Hefetz told the Jerusalem District Court in his opening testimony for the trial dubbed Case 4000. The case alleges that Netanyahu promoted policies that benefited the owner of Israeli telecom giant Bezeq in return for positive coverage on its news website.

Hefetz also testified that former Communications Minister Gilad Erdan was removed from the ministry in 2014 after Netanyahu consulted with his wife and son. The family apparently reached a clear...decision that only Netanyahu would be communications minister, he said, adding that the move was not open to negotiations or indecision.

According to the Times of Israel newspaper, Hefetz became a prosecution witness after being arrested and questioned over a two-week period. He is believed to have provided prosecutors with key evidence from his time as an interlocutor between Netanyahu and Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch, who had sought approval for a pending multi-million dollar merger.

Hefetz said his meetings with Elovitch were focused on who the next communications minister would be and testified that Netanyahu was 100% aware of the media moguls concerns. Elovitch apparently provided a list of potential candidates for the vacant ministry post, with Netanyahu as his preferred choice.

Meanwhile, the defense team is reportedly going to play excerpts of videotapes from Hefetzs police interrogation, alleging that he was illegally pressured into turning state witness and arguing that his testimony should be nullified.

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Telecommunications and old-school postal systems use a hierarchy of identifying characteristics (number, exchange, zip or area code, state or country code, etc.) to break the process of transmitting messages into manageable steps, each of which may be handled by mechanisms appropriate to a given stage (mailbox, local sorting office, etc.).

The same holds true for network and internet communications, where part of the hierarchy of identifying traits is provided by MAC, or Media Access Control.

In a LAN (Local Area Network) or other type of network such as the internet, a Media Access Control or MAC address serves as a unique identifier for each piece of hardware. The MAC protocol provides a channel of access and an addressing mechanism, so that each available node on the network may communicate with other nodes which are available either on the same network, or on others.

MAC addresses are sometimes known as physical addresses or hardware addresses, and are set by hardware manufacturers to uniquely identify their devices. A traditional MAC address is a twelve-digit hexadecimal number, 48 bits or six bytes long, written in one of the following manners:

MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SSMM-MM-MM-SS-SS-SSMMM.MMM.SSS.SSS

The string of Ms on the left (six digits, or 24 bits) is called a prefix, and is associated with the device manufacturer. The IEEE standards authority issues a given set of MAC prefixes to each vendor that registers with it. These may be assigned to the various products making up their range of hardware.

The S digits on the right give the identification number associated with a specific device. Each piece of hardware manufactured by a given vendor (and operating under a given MAC prefix) has its own unique 24-bit number. But as different vendors are issued with different MAC prefixes, its possible for devices originating from different manufactures to use the same sequence of S digits in their MAC address, without confusing the system.

Some wireless home automation networks defined by IEEE 802.15.4 require hardware devices to be configured with MAC addresses of 64 bits, rather than 48.

In telecommunication protocols, MAC addresses are used by the Media Access Control sub-layer of the Data Link Control (DLC) layer, which is the protocol layer of a program that handles the flow of data moving in and out over physical links in the network. Each type of physical device has a different MAC sub-layer.

Media Access Control is itself a sub-layer of the Data Link Layer (DLL) defined within the seven-layer OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) network reference model. MAC assumes responsibility for transmitting data packets to and from a network interface card, or to and from other remotely shared channels.

Media Access Control has its roots in network computing under the Ethernet protocol, where it provides the data link layer for LAN systems. MAC encapsulates payload data by adding Protocol Control Information (PCI) as a 14-byte header before the information, and adding a checksum for integrity checking.

Before data transmission, theres a short idle time of 9.6 microseconds (S) to allow for the receiver circuitry in each node to settle after completion of the previous transmission frame. A special pattern (binary 11) is used to mark the last two bits of the preamble. Once this is received, the Ethernet receive interface begins gathering the bits into bytes for processing by the MAC layer.

The MAC header consists of three parts:

Sometimes referred to as a as a Frame Check Sequence, the Cyclic Redundancy Check or CRC is a 32-bit checksum calculated to provide error detection in the case of Ethernet transmission collisions or line errors which could corrupt the MAC frame. Any frame returning an invalid CRC is rejected by the MAC frame, without processing.

The Inter-Frame Gap or IFG is the period of 9.6 microseconds (at 10 Mbps) that a transmitter must wait between sending frames, to allow for signal propagation at the receiver end. This is the same period as the preamble at the start of a transmission.

Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) with Collision Detection (CD) protocol regulates access to shared Ethernet media.

Any received frame having less than 64 bytes is known as a runt and is considered illegitimate. Runt frames typically arise from data collision, and are discarded by the receiver.

A received frame which is larger than the maximum designated size is referred to as a giant. These may stem from failures or imperfections in the networks physical layer, and are also discarded.

Some Gigabit Ethernet NICs (Network Interface Cards) support frames in excess of the 1500 bytes specified by the IEEE standard. This mode of transmission requires both ends of the communication link to support these jumbo frames.

As mentioned earlier, the maximum size of a data packet which may be carried in a MAC frame using Ethernet is 1500 bytes. This limit is known as the MTU, under Internet Protocol or IP.

Ethernet also requires a minimum frame size of 46 bytes for every MAC frame. If the network layer wishes to transmit less than this, the MAC protocol adds a set of null padding characters (zero bytes, or 0x00) to make up the difference.

The Address Resolution Protocol or ARP is used to establish the MAC source address of remote computers whenever IP is used over an Ethernet LAN. In turn, IP networks use ARP to manage the conversion between IP and MAC addresses. And the unique assignment of IP addresses to various devices is managed by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), in conjunction with ARP.

TCP/IP networks use both IP and MAC addresses. A MAC address will remain fixed to a hardware device, but the IP address may alter dynamically in accordance with its TCP/IP network configuration.

In the OSI model, Internet Protocol operates at Layer 3, while the MAC protocol works at Layer 2. Media Access Control is able to support other networks besides TCP/IP, for this reason.

Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) map each of their residential customer accounts to the MAC address of their home network router or gateway device. If the customer installs a new router, the address seen by the provider will change with the ISP seeing a different MAC address. This can lead to blocking or revocation of the account.

This situation can be avoided through a process called cloning whereby a router or gateway may be configured to continue reporting the same MAC address to the provider, even if the new hardware has a different identifier. Otherwise, customers need to contact their ISP to register the new device.

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The MAC Address (Media Access Control) and its Role in Communications

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In a Local Area Network (or other network such as the internet), a Media Access Control or MAC address serves as a unique identifier for each piece of hardware.

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