Criticism of US drone programme lands activist in prison

drone cartoon

Criticism of US drone programme lands activist in prison (World Bulletin, Dec 13,2014):

Criticism of drone programme in Afghanistan has landed activist in prison for 3 months.

US peace activist Kathy Kelly has been sentenced to 3 months prison for her criticism of the US drone programme in Afghanistan on the 10th December.

Considered to be Human Rights Day, peace activist Kathy Kelly was sentenced on the 10th December to 3 months prison by the US Federal court.

Global News Update: Nov 26, 2014

U.S. student loan debt reaches $1.1 trillion, $4 billion more than all credit-card debt. (InvestmentWatch):

“This Is Madness”(ZeroHedge):

“This has never – ever – happened before in US equity markets.”

Millionaire Chinese businessman bulldozes run down huts in village where he grew up and builds luxury flats for residents instead… for free (Daily Mail):

A millionaire Chinese businessman has bulldozed the wooden huts and muddy roads where he grew up – and built luxury homes for the people who lived there.

Xiong Shuihua was born in Xiongkeng village in the city of Xinyu, southern China and said that his family had always been well looked after and supported by residents in his childhood.

So when the 54-year-old ended up making millions in the steel industry he decided to repay the favour – for free.

Did They Want More Violence In Ferguson? 10 ‘Coincidences’ Too Glaring To Ignore (Economic Collapse):

The following are 10 “coincidences” from Monday night in Ferguson that are too glaring to ignore…

How to talk to the police

Video of the Day – Understanding the 5th Amendment and Why a Law Professor Says “Don’t Talk to Police” (Liberty Blitzkrieg)

Ferguson: The Safety of Citizens is Lost with The Unaccountability of Police — Paul Craig Roberts:

The issue has been cast as white-black racism.

Actually, the situation is far more serious than racism.

US “Secret” Deal With Saudis Backfires After Oil Minister Says US Should Cut First (ZeroHedge):

Who could have seen this coming? With oil prices holding at 4-year lows, heavily pressuring around half of US shale production economics, the “secret” US deal (see here and here) with Saudi Arabia to crush Russia via oil over-supply in a slumping demand world appears to be backfiring rapidly for John Kerry and his strategery team. Capable of withstanding considerably lower prices for longer, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister Ali al-Naimi proclaimed “no one should cut production and the market will stabilize itself,” adding rather ominously (for the US economy and HY default rates), “Why should Saudi Arabia cut? The U.S. is a big producer too now. Should they cut?” With prices expected to drop to $60 on no cut, maybe the “unequivocally good” news for the US economy from lower oil prices should be rethunk.

NSA Backdoor Exploit in Windows 8 Uncovered (InvestmentWatch):

An internal document issued by IT experts working for the German federal government warned national agencies and companies not to use Windows 8. The reason? An alleged backdoor exploit has been discovered, and the details were obtained and published by German site Zeit Online. The leaked message suggests that the NSA likely has access to a hidden feature which apparently can’t be shut off and allows Microsoft to remotely control any computer running the software.The Windows 8 feature under scrutiny by the German government is called Trusted Computing, a backdoor setting established ten years ago by a number of American techgiants including Microsoft, HP and IBM. Trusted Computing is supposed to protect computers from being manipulated by malicious third parties using viruses or other methods. The chip used to install Trusted Computing on Windows 8 computers allegedly offers Microsoft backdoor access, though the implication appears to be that the American company will extend that power to the U.S. government as well.

Microsoft now has robot security guards (DailyDot):

Robots are increasingly replacing humans in a variety of mundane tasks, like bolting a car together or making lollipops, but now they are moving into the security business.

Microsoft recently installed a fleet of 5-feet-tall, 300-pound robots to protect its Silicon Valley campus. The robots are packed with HD security cameras and sensors to take in their organic, protein-based surroundings. There’s also an artificial intelligence on board that can sound alarms when the robot notices something awry. It can also read license plates and cross-reference them to see if they’re stolen.

Dr. Rima E. Laibow: Now a crime in Japan to speak of Fukushima nuclear disaster effects:

Here Comes France: Right-Wing Leader Marine Le Pen Demands Central Bank Repatriate French Gold (ZeroHedge):

First Germany, then the Netherlands, perhaps Switzerland this weekend, and now the French right-wing Front National, which shockingly came first in May’s European parliament elections, and whose leader Marine Le Pen is currently polling in first place in a hypothetical presidential election (in both a first and run off round), ahead of president Hollande, has sent a letter to the governor of the French Central Bank, the Banque de France, demanding that France join the list of nations which have repatriated, or at least tried to, their gold.

Swiss Gold Referendum: What It Really Means — Paul Craig Roberts:

In a few days the Swiss people will go to the polls to decide whether the Swiss central bank is to be required to hold 20% of its reserves in the form of gold. Polls show that the gold requirement is favored by the less well off and opposed by wealthy Swiss invested in stocks. http://snbchf.com/gold/swiss-gold-referendum-latest-news/ These poll results provide new insight into the real reason for Quantitative Easing by the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank.

Not just gold and silver… New lawsuit says precious metals manipulation is even worse (InvestmentWatch):

From Bloomberg: Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA) were sued in New York over claims they conspired for eight years to manipulate prices for the precious metals platinum and palladium in what plaintiffs’ lawyers say is the first class-action lawsuit of its kind in the U.S.Standard Bank Group Ltd. and a metals unit of BASF SE (BAS), the world’s largest chemical company, were also sued. The four companies used inside information about client purchases and sale orders to profit from price movements for the metals used in products ranging from jewelry to cars, according to a complaint filed yesterday in Manhattan federal court.

The Fed now owns more than 50% of all outstanding 10-15 year Treasuries (InvestmentWatch)

Initial Jobless Claims Spikes Above 300k To 3-Month Highs, Biggest Miss In 11 Months (ZeroHedge):

Having trended gradually higher for the last 5 weeks (missing expectations for 4 of them), initial jobless claims printed an uncomfortable 313k (against expectations of a 288k print – the biggest miss in over 11 months) pushing to its worst level in 3 months. This is the biggest week-over-week rise in almost 4 months. Continuing claims hovers at 14-year lows and dropped this week to 2.316 million. Perhaps worryingly, this rise in initial claims is considerably larger than the average shift for this time of year…

‘Kidnapped boy may have been abused and murdered by VIP paedophile ring,’ say police (Independent):

The family of a missing boy have been told by police that he may have been abducted, abused and murdered by a paedophile ring of leading establishment figures.

Martin Allen, the son of the chauffeur of a Australian high commissioner, went missing aged 15 from King’s Cross on his way to home in Kensington in November 1979.

His brother Kevin, 51, has said he was called by Detective Chief Inspector Diane Tudway of the Metropolitan Police on Friday, who told him she was investigating whether Martin’s disappearance is linked to an alleged ring made up of MPs and senior figures of authority.

Two FBI Agents Shot Near Ferguson Protests (ZeroHedge):

While the second day of protests in Ferguson were far more contained as a result of the tripled presence of national guard troops in the St. Louis suburb, with media instead focusing on events in New York, LA and other major metropolitan centers, St. Louis violence failed to avoid the headlines for another day when shortly before 3 am, two FBI agents were shot early Wednesday morning in north St. Louis County.  The good news according to Reuters, is that this latest assault was “not directly related” to racially charged unrest in and around nearby Ferguson, an agency spokeswoman said.   “The incident is not directly related to the Ferguson protests,” Wu said, but did not elaborate further.

– #LondonToFerguson: Protests spread across London   LIVE UPDATES (RT):

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through central London and occupied Parliament Square, briefly clashing with police, in protest against a US grand jury verdict clearing Darren Wilson – the officer who shot dead black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson.

Thanksgiving mess: Airlines cancel hundreds of flights as storm rips through Northeast (RT):

Airlines in the United States have cancelled nearly 300 flights thus far Wednesday given rain and snow along the East Coast and Appalachians. The heaviest snow through the day is expected just west of the I-95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston.

Holiday travelers will have to deal with a storm consisting of rain, at times heavy snow, fog, and poor visibility on Thanksgiving Eve, traditionally one of the busiest days for airlines and highways across the US. The regions of New England, the mid-Atlantic, and Appalachia are expected to see the worst winter weather.

–52C in Siberia: Over 70 passengers ‘push’ frozen plane to runway (VIDEO) (RT):

Freezing temperatures didn’t stop intrepid passengers from “helping out” a Russian plane that couldn’t move, because its wheels were frozen to the ground. The “selfie” won the day in a remote Siberian town beyond the Arctic Circle.

74 passengers, who were on board, offered the seven-member crew and technical staff to help move the frozen Tupolev Tu-134 plane to the takeoff runway on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the UTair company told TASS.

The passengers disembarked to lighten the weight, and then they volunteered to move it,” she said.

T-800

Terminator series – Revelation of the coming A.I. takeover (Intellihub):

I’ll spare you any Arnold impersonations, as The Terminator impersonation is perennially the material of hack comedians. On the contrary, the Terminator series is one of the more profound examples of predictive programming, establishing memes and implanting preparatory ideas comparable to The Matrix. While The Matrix is the classic conspiracy-genre trope for “awakening” to the fraud of the system as a whole, the Terminator series is far more ominous and serious in its foreboding message. Foreboding, because the real shadow government plan is to erect Skynet in reality, and serious because the establishment’s entire paradigm is that of depopulation. Mix the two together, and you get Terminator.  Thus, I have been of the opinion for a few years now that the reason for the erection of A.I., while full of esoteric undertones, is pragmatically about erecting a control grid impervious to human error which will then function as a global human deletion grid.

Save the Children staff furious over ‘morally reprehensible’ award for Tony Blair (Telegraph):

Save the Children faces a revolt by its staff after it gave a “global legacy” award to Tony Blair.

More than 200 of the charity’s employees have signed an internal letter condemning the “morally reprehensible” decision to give the honour to the former prime minister at a ceremony in New York.

The move places in jeopardy the charity’s “credibility”, it warns.

Hacked documents: US sending lethal weapons to Ukraine (Hang The Bankers):

It has been half a year since it was first revealed that the US has been sending non-lethal aid to the Ukraine: recall that it was in early June when Obama announced he had approved $5 million in body armor, night vision goggles and additional communications equipment for the Ukrainian military.

Video: Cops Didn’t Seem to Hesitate for One Second Before Gunning Down 12-Yr-Old Boy (The Daily Sheeple):

While everyone is busy emotionally investing themselves in the muddy waters of the Darren Wilson/Michael Brown police shooting case in Ferguson and the highly orchestrated aftermath, a 12-year-old boy named Tamir Rice was shot and killed by police at an Ohio playground over the weekend reportedly because he was carrying a BB gun that the officers somehow mistook for a real gun and a real threat.

Cop shoots at Florida man rushing home during daughter’s asthma attack (XRepublic):

A Jacksonville sheriff fired shots at an unarmed suspect during a traffic incident Monday, but will not be placed on leave. Officer J.C. Garcia shot at Brian Dennison as the latter was rushing his daughter home in the midst of an asthma attack.

Ferguson brave: Female manager defends her business from looters (VIDEO) (RT)

CAUGHT: Government Creates VIRUS to Attack Russia! Cyber War! (InvestmentWatch):

World’s most advanced hacking spyware let loose
Google’s secret NSA alliance: The terrifying deals between Silicon Valley and the security state
Israeli Test on Worm Called Crucial in Iran Nuclear Delay
“‘if Iran continues with its programme for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective,
Ottawa to spend $200 million on mental health for military 30
Leaked ‘Black Budget’ Shows How The CIA Progressed From Spy Agency To Paramilitary Force

Sources:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8392d1…
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/16/googl…
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/wor…
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/11/22/…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sci…
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/medical…
http://tytruth.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/black-…

Solar and Wind Energy Start to Win on Price vs. Conventional Fuels (New York Times):

For the solar and wind industries in the United States, it has been a long-held dream: to produce energy at a cost equal to conventional sources like coal and natural gas.

That day appears to be dawning.

‘$100,000 a year’: Headhunt for drone pilots in USA (RT):

Drone pilots and engineers are certainly careers with a future in the US. Although commercial drones aren’t legal yet, reports reveal that companies are already willing to pay unbelievably high salaries, in the expectation of rules softening.

Severely disabled 19-year-old with a mental age of just five is ordered to have a fitness-to-work test despite not being able to read, write, talk or even sleep on her own (Daily Mail):

Ellie McDonald, 19, suffers from the extremely rare genetic disorder called Chromosome 7 Deletion, which means she is unable to eat, sleep or walk without the help of mother Louise.

In preparation for Ellie leaving her special needs school, her mother and her full-time carer applied for employment support allowance (ESA) to replace their child benefit payments.

But the family were shocked to be told Ellie would need to be tested to rule out her being fit for work – a process Miss McDonald branded ‘bureaucracy gone mad’.

Now, since reports of Ellie’s situation came to light, the Department of Work and Pensions have said she is no longer required to do a Work Capability Assessment.

Jamie Dimon’s Daughter Is Asking You For A Favor (ZeroHedge):

Laura-Dimon

Eating cat for Christmas: Activists call on Swiss parliament to outlaw pet consumption (RT):

Animal rights activists have drawn up a petition to ban the ‘barbaric’ practice of eating pets in Switzerland, where cat meat often appears on traditional Christmas menus in rural areas.

The animal protection group, SOS Chats Noraingue, has handed over a petition with 16,000 signatures, including such notable animal rights defenders as Brigitte Bardot, to the Swiss parliament on Tuesday.

Dog meat is often used to make sausage, while cats are prepared around the holiday season in a similar style to rabbit – in a white wine and garlic sauce. A type of mostbröckli made from marinated cat or dog is another local favorite.

I never dreamed of this
Source: Investors

Amazon to begin testing same-day delivery drones in Cambridge

Amazon drone testing, America - 02 Dec 2013
The Prime Air unmanned aircraft that Amazon is working on that could deliver packages in 30 minutes or less. Photograph: Rex Features

Amazon to begin testing same-day delivery drones in Cambridge (Guardian, Nov 12, 2014):

Online retailer expands R&D operations in England, two years after buying Cambridge-based startup Evi Technologies

Amazon is planning to test drones in Cambridge, England, as the battle to offer consumers same-day deliveries heats up.

The US company announced with considerable fanfare late last year that it was considering using drones as a way of dramatically reducing the time it takes to deliver orders to customers. At the time there was speculation that the move was little more than a publicity stunt. But Amazon said in July that it had sought permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration to test drones that could fly as fast as 50 miles per hour for up to 30 minutes at a time to deliver packages weighing up to 2.3kg (5lb).

Read moreAmazon to begin testing same-day delivery drones in Cambridge

China unveils anti-drone laser weapon able to shoot down ‘small aircraft’ within 5 seconds

DRONE

China unveils anti-drone laser weapon able to shoot down ‘small aircraft’ within 5 seconds (RT, Nov 3, 2014):

China has developed and successfully tested a highly accurate laser defense system against light drones. The homemade machine boasts a two-kilometer range and can down “various small aircraft” within five seconds of locating its target.

Boasting high speed, great precision and low noise, the system is aimed at destroying unmanned, small-scale drones flying under an altitude of 500 meters and at speeds below 50 meters per second, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by one of the developers, the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP).

Read moreChina unveils anti-drone laser weapon able to shoot down ‘small aircraft’ within 5 seconds

Nano drone swarm: Advanced tiny quadrotors stabilize mid-air, fly in strict formation (VIDEO)

Nano drone swarm: Advanced tiny quadrotors stabilize mid-air, fly in strict formation (VIDEO) (RT, Oct 19, 2014):

New and improved tiny quadrotors can now sustain collisions in mid-air and fly in leader-follower formations, protecting the head of the pack, according to a new research video released by University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Lab.

Only 0.11 meters in size and weighing just 25 grams, the robots can fly up to six meters per second.

New video shows robust collision resistance during flights. At one point, two robots are shown crashing into each other during flight and still manage to continue on with their mission.

During another test, researchers are shown playing ping-pong with two of the robots. Another clip shows robots crashing into columns and other objects without sustaining too much damage.

Read moreNano drone swarm: Advanced tiny quadrotors stabilize mid-air, fly in strict formation (VIDEO)

US Relaxing Standards For Killing Civilians In Iraq And Syria

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US Relaxing Standards for Killing Civilians in Iraq and Syria (Common Dreams, Oct 1, 2014):

Obama administration official says 2013 reforms to reduce civilian deaths in covert drone strikes do not apply to expanding war against ISIS

The Obama administration has admitted that it is relaxing its standards for avoiding civilian deaths when it comes to ongoing air bombardments on Iraq and Syria.

Yahoo News reported Tuesday that Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, told the news outlet that a standard imposed last year by President Obama, which requires “near certainty” that civilians will not be harmed in drone strikes, does not apply to the expanding war on Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Iraq and Syria.

Journalist Michael Isikoff reports:

Read moreUS Relaxing Standards For Killing Civilians In Iraq And Syria

Army’s New Laser Cannon Blasts Drones Out of the Sky, Even in Fog

Army’s New Laser Cannon Blasts Drones Out of the Sky, Even in Fog (Wired, Sep 5, 2014):

Boeing is building a laser cannon for the U.S. Army, and the new weapon has now proved it will be as capable at sea as on land. The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD)—basically a high-energy laser mounted on top of a big truck—was successfully used to blast some UAV drones and 60mm mortars out of the Florida sky earlier this year, Boeing announced Thursday.

Read moreArmy’s New Laser Cannon Blasts Drones Out of the Sky, Even in Fog

Meanwhile, In The Skies Above ISIS’ Capital…

–  Meanwhile, In The Skies Above ISIS’ Capital… (ZeroHedge, Sep 5, 2014):

Judging by these photos taken moments ago above the Islamic State (i.e. ISIS) capital of Raqqa, a triggerhappy remote-control operator in Whiteman Air Force Base is about to get jiggy with some jihadists located nearly 7000 miles away.

Predator twitter_0

predator 1 big

Read moreMeanwhile, In The Skies Above ISIS’ Capital…

NASA Is Building Air Traffic Ccontrol System For Drones

“NASA’s drone traffic control centers will be fully automated”

What could possibly go wrong?


NASA is building an air traffic control system for drones (The Verge Sep 1, 2014):

Space agency says system will be used for agriculture next year

NASA is developing an air traffic control system for drones. The New York Times reports the US space agency is working on creating a management system for vehicles that fly at around 400 to 500 feet off the ground — much lower than conventional aircraft — at its Moffett Field base around four miles from Google’s Mountain View headquarters. The system would check for other low-flying drone traffic, help the small unmanned vehicles avoid buildings, and scan for adverse weather conditions that might knock a drone out of the sky.

Read moreNASA Is Building Air Traffic Ccontrol System For Drones

Syria Conflict: Obama Approves US Surveillance Flights

FYI.


Syria conflict: Obama approves US surveillance flights (BBC News, Aug 26, 2014):

US President Barack Obama has authorised surveillance flights over Syria in order to gain intelligence on the activities of Islamic State (IS).

Correspondents say the move could mark the first step towards US air strikes inside Syria, where the jihadist group controls vast swathes of territory.

The US is already carrying out strikes against IS in neighbouring Iraq.

Read moreSyria Conflict: Obama Approves US Surveillance Flights

India, Pakistan Intensify Shooting Across Border; Iran Downs Israel Drone; ISIS Seizes Military Airport

India, Pakistan Intensify Shooting Across Border; Iran Downs Israel Drone; ISIS Seizes Military Airport (ZeroHedge, Aug 24, 2014):

Since in the New Normal no geopolitical events appear to have any adverse impact on risk and asset prices (because the central banks are always there to protect investors should the market “plunge” by say 5%) with general newsflow completely irrelevant on what has been a straight line up in the S&P since the announcement of QE4 in December 2012, one might as well see how much further geopolitical events can be pushed further before it all crashes.

In other words, time for this weekend’s geopolitical update.

Overnight both Pakistan and Iran have done their best to add to the geopolitical instability, which has already englufed Ukraine, and half the middle-east and north Africa, when on one hand Indian and Pakistani troops intensified firing across the border over the weekend killing at least four, an Indian official said on Sunday, straining ties between the arch rivals who recently called off top-level diplomatic talks. On the other moments ago news broke that Iran had shot down an Israeli spy drone heading for Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.

Taking these one at a time.

Read moreIndia, Pakistan Intensify Shooting Across Border; Iran Downs Israel Drone; ISIS Seizes Military Airport

The Whole World Opposes Drone Warfare … Except For The U.S. And Israel

The Whole World Opposes Drone Warfare … Except for the U.S. and Israel (Washington’s Blog, July 15, 2014):

… And One Poor African Country

A new poll from Pew shows that majorities in every country polled oppose drones … except for Israel, the U.S. and Kenya:

Opposition To Drones

Why Kenya?

Read moreThe Whole World Opposes Drone Warfare … Except For The U.S. And Israel

U.S. Relies On Law From Governments Which Don’t Even HAVE A Constitution To Justify Assassination Of U.S. Citizens By Drone

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U.S. Relies On Law from Governments Which Don’t Even HAVE a Constitution to Justify Assassination of U.S. Citizens By Drone (Washington’s Blog, June 30, 2014):

U.S. Relies On Law of Non-Constitutional Countries

The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says:

No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ….

So how did the legal memorandum “justifying” assassination of U.S. citizens by drone try to sidestep the Fifth Amendment?

It relied on reasoning from two countries that don’t have any constitution.

The New York Times reports:

Read moreU.S. Relies On Law From Governments Which Don’t Even HAVE A Constitution To Justify Assassination Of U.S. Citizens By Drone

US Drones Strike ISIS Targets BBC Reports; Pentagon Denies

–  US Drones Strike ISIS Targets BBC Reports; Pentagon Denies (ZeroHedge, June 24, 2014):

Moments ago, in what would be a clear escalation in the Iraq war, and confirmation that the US has finally gone “kinetic” as it warned on several occasions in the past it would, Iraq state-sponsored Iraqiya TV reported that US drones had struck ISIS targets near the Iraq-Syria border attack without giving details or saying how it obtained the information.

drone iraq

BBC Arabic has more:

U.S. planes bombed targets in the drone region based on the Iraqi-Syrian border, according to sources close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Read moreUS Drones Strike ISIS Targets BBC Reports; Pentagon Denies

US Releases Redacted ‘Due Process Need Not Blink’ Memo Justifying Drone Strikes On US Citizens

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US Releases Redacted “Due Process Need Not Blink” Memo Justifying Drone Strikes On US Citizens (ZeroHedge, June 23, 2014):

With the number of drone failures rising domestically and the likelihood of an exponential rise in drone strikes in Iraq imminent; the US federal court has decided now is the time to release the redacted memo justifying the use of unmanned drone strikes on US citizens. …also recognized that “the realities of combat” render certain uses of force “necessary and appropriate,” including against U.S. citizens who have become part of enemy forces-and that “due process analysis need not blink at those realities.”

As WaPo reports,

Accident investigation documents show that 47 military drones crashed in the United States between 2001 and 2013 in what the military categorized as Class A accidents — the most severe category.

Read moreUS Releases Redacted ‘Due Process Need Not Blink’ Memo Justifying Drone Strikes On US Citizens

Riot Control Drone Armed With Paintballs And Pepper Spray Hits Market

Riot control drone armed with paintballs and pepper spray hits market (RT, June 19, 2014):

With drones designed to contain ‘unruly crowds’ and ‘violent protests’, a South African company is bringing riot control to a whole new high-tech level. The unmanned aerial system is able to shoot pepper spray and non-lethal paintballs to mark offenders.

Desert Wolf, based in Pretoria, has begun selling its Skunk Riot Control Copter, a drone it says “is designed to control unruly crowds without endangering the lives of the protestors or the security staff.”

The UAS has four high-capacity gun barrels, capable of shooting up to 4,000 paintballs, pepper spray balls and solid plastic balls at rates of up to 80 balls per second. The company notes that the frequency should usually be between one and 20 balls per second, and that the high frequency of 80 “will only be used in an extreme ‘Life threatening situation’.”

Read moreRiot Control Drone Armed With Paintballs And Pepper Spray Hits Market

US Secretly Unleashed Drones Over Iraq But Admits ‘Not Like It Did Any Good’

–  US Secretly Unleashed Drones Over Iraq But Admits “Not Like It Did Any Good” (ZeroHedge, June 12, 2014):

Because drones have done so much for the “we love American exceptionalism” belief across the middle east, the US decided that since last year, secretly flying unmanned surveillance aircraft over Iraq – to collect intelligence of insurgents – would be good idea. The intelligence (and use the term loosely) was share with Iraqi forces but as WSJ reports, one secnior US official admitted “It’s not like it did any good,” as the rapid territorial gains by the Islamist forces loyal to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, an al Qaeda offshoot, caught the U.S. by surprise.

Read moreUS Secretly Unleashed Drones Over Iraq But Admits ‘Not Like It Did Any Good’

‘Not A Moment Of Privacy’: Drones To Be Used Everywhere

‘Not a moment of privacy’: Drones to be used everywhere (RT, June 12, 2014):

As the first commercial drones are set to take to US airspace, aviation expert Richard Woodward predicts that unmanned aircraft are to become ubiquitous in taking up dirty or dangerous work, but also infringing on people’s privacy.

RT: When people hear the word drone, they get a little jittery. Is that justified? Why?

Richard Woodward: It is in some ways because they are about to become ubiquitous. There is going to be hundreds of thousands of these things. If there are any jobs that is dull, dirty or dangerous, you will find a drone doing it.

RT: Are there any risks to civilians with this?

Read more‘Not A Moment Of Privacy’: Drones To Be Used Everywhere

LAPD Acquires Drone Capability

Draganflyer X6

LAPD acquires drone capability (RT, May 31, 2014):

For a city infamous for circling police helicopters, Los Angeles Police were surprisingly late to the drone game. All that has changed, however, as the department quietly added two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to its arsenal.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced they had acquired two Draganflyer X6 aircraft as “gifts” from the Seattle Police, the department said on Friday.

“These vehicles were purchased by the Seattle Police Department using federal grants. There was no cost to the city of Los Angeles,” CBS Los Angeles cites police as saying.

The 3.5-lbs. UAV, which looks like a small helicopter, is about three-feet-wide and boasts a camera, video recorder and infrared night-vision capabilities.

Read moreLAPD Acquires Drone Capability

DARPA Introduces ‘Invulnerable’ Hack-Proof Drone

Sure!


DARPA introduces ‘invulnerable’ hack-proof drone (RT, May 28, 2014):

The Pentagon’s research arm has introduced a new unmanned drone with secure software that protects the control and navigation functions of the aircraft from a systems hack.

The Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA) has developed the program – High Assurance Cyber Military Systems (HACMS) – over the last several years after it originated at the University of California San Diego and the University of Washington. The mini drone is made with software to thwart cyber attacks, said Kathleen Fisher, HACMS manager for DARPA.

Read moreDARPA Introduces ‘Invulnerable’ Hack-Proof Drone

Iran Claims Copy Of Captured US Drone Will Soon Take Test Flight

Iran claims copy of captured US drone will soon take test flight (The Guardian, May 11, 2014):

• Officer says on state TV: ‘We have broken its secrets’
• White House blamed 2011 loss on technical problem

Iran said on Sunday it had succeeded in copying a US drone it captured in December 2011. State television broadcast images apparently showing the replicated aircraft.

Iran captured the US RQ-170 Sentinel while it was in its airspace, apparently on a mission to spy on the country’s nuclear sites, US media reported.

At the time, the White House blamed the loss on a technical problem causing a loss of control. Iran claimed to have brought the drone down by electronically disrupting its GPS system.

US military officials tried to play the incident down, saying Iran did not have the technology to decipher the drone’s secrets, and President Barack Obama asked the Islamic republic to return the Sentinel.

Read moreIran Claims Copy Of Captured US Drone Will Soon Take Test Flight

Inside The CIA’s Ukrainian Death Squads (Video)


Added: May 9, 2014

Description:

David Knight covers the unconstitutional actions of the secret FISA court, the laws that allow hidden control of our government as well as the issues facing the West in the Ukraine.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic…

http://www.infowars.com/the-secret-ba…

Robot Bees Will Be Better Than The Real Thing Says Greenpeace (Videos)

From the article:

“This is already happening, as wherever high tech is present, so is the military. Here is a video from the Air Force illustrating the multi-purpose aspect of what is being proposed: not only surveillance, not only autonomous insect swarms, but also assassinations.”


Robot Bees Will Be Better Than The Real Thing Says Greenpeace (Natural Blaze, May 06, 2014):

No, this is not a tabloid – it’s real. According to several videos, which are posted below, robotic insects have made their first controlled flight. According to the creators of Robobee:

“The demonstration of the first controlled flight of an insect-sized robot is the culmination of more than a decade’s work . . . Half the size of a paperclip, weighing less than a tenth of a gram, the robot was inspired by the biology of a fly, with submillimeter-scale anatomy and two wafer-thin wings that flap almost invisibly, 120 times per second.”

Read moreRobot Bees Will Be Better Than The Real Thing Says Greenpeace (Videos)