Forwarded from: William Knowles <wkat_private> http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=125&art_id=qw1060058521570A325&set_id=1 By Liz Clarke August 05, 2003 A world-renowned Aids researcher, attending the national HIV and Aids conference in Durban this week, was mugged by seven knife-wielding youths, who stole his bag containing years of intensive research data and all his personal belongings. Professor Jim Mullins, visiting professor of microbiology at the University of Washington school of medicine and a plenary speaker at the conference, was leaving the back entrance of the Edward Hotel on Durban's beachfront and heading for the International Conference Centre to register for the four-day event, when he was surrounded by the youths, flashing knives in his face. They snatched his bag and ran off into the back streets leading to West Street. "I realise that in many ways it was probably my fault and that I should have been more security conscious," he said. "But all I was thinking about was the talk I was to give and really looking forward to the occasion." Among the items he lost in the daylight scuffle, during which he was forced to hand over his belongings, was a Mackintosh powerbook laptop computer, containing the transcript of his address to the Aids conference, and valuable cutting-edge research data on discs collected over the past few years, some of which is impossible to replace. His passport, personal documents, money and cell phone were also in the black, double compartment computer bag. "Some of it I have on back up, but more recent research had still to be copied," said a distraught Mullins. Much of the stolen information relates to important findings on the evolution and progress of the Aids virus genome, which has important data pertaining to the development of vaccines for the African continent. "It's a sad irony, in a way, that the people I am so desperately trying to help - youngsters like these who could be no more than 12 or 13 and are possibly Aids orphans - are the ones who have robbed me." Mullins, who had to postpone his plenary address because of the robbery, has offered a R10000 ($1352.00) reward for the return of his computer and discs. "No questions will be asked. All I pray for is the return of my work." On Tuesday night Mullins heads for Stanford University in California, where he is to give a series of lectures on the Aids virus - but without his precious research material. "It's a big blow but I am hoping for a happy ending," he said. Anyone who can help Professor Mullins retrieve his computer and discs can telephone 083 652 0922 or 0860 010 111 *==============================================================* "Communications without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communications is irrelevant." Gen Alfred. M. Gray, USMC ---------------------------------------------------------------- C4I.org - Computer Security, & Intelligence - http://www.c4i.org ================================================================ Help C4I.org with a donation: http://www.c4i.org/contribute.html *==============================================================* - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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