Saturday, August 30, 2008

Russia/ Iran, SCO, FCS, Pandemic Updates +

Threat of bio-attacks has heightened, says David Heyman
http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083061231300.htm
Chennai: A combination of advances in biotechnology and easy access to inputs has heightened the threat of bio-attacks, David Heyman, an international expert on bioterrorism, said here on Thursday.
In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Heyman, Director and Senior Fellow, Homeland Security Program, at the Washington D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), described the anthrax attacks in the U.S. [in 2001], and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in the Asia Pacific region [in 2003] as “two wakeup calls” for the threats posed by bio-attacks. “Those two things said we have got to be concerned about disease, and the possibility of it being used for harmful purposes.”
The former was restricted to the U.S., but had international repercussions: “On every continent, in every country practically, there were hoaxes and fears that required the governments’ attention — law enforcement and/or public health authorities who had to run down to see if they were real.”
Although SARS “happened primarily in Asia, and North America, all the world had to be concerned because of the speed of travel, everyone becomes a carrier.”



Urban-Unattended Ground Sensors (U-UGS) for Infantry Urban Warfare/Combat Ops http://www.defensereview.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1169

Textron Defense Systems (TDS), is actively marketing their Urban-Unattended Ground Sensors (U-UGS) as a core Future Combat Systems (FCS) wireless technology/hardware platform that will watch infantry warfighters' backs as they maneuver inside the urban battlespace. According to the Textron literature, the U-UGS system of networked, wireless unmanned ground sensors is "capable of detecting, classifying, locating, and tracking vehicles, personnel, and aircraft in both rural and urban environments" that utilizes "advanced communications and technologies to link soldiers with both manned and unmanned platforms and sensors."
U-UGS can be... utilized during building clearing operations, cave clearing operations, tunnel clearing, sewer clearing, and any other confined space clearing op as a wireless surveillance/monitoring tool. Just place it (i.e. hide it) and forget it. U-UGS takes over from their. U-UGS is lightweight and perportedly low-cost, although DefenseReview hasn't yet been able to get concrete cost figures on it, yet. We'll see.
Once placed/hidden, U-UGS will capture field-of-view images of any/all intruders that cross its path in any/all light conditions. It will then transmit those images to the FCS network (or any alternative network with which it's integrated) for analysis and evaluation. As this is written, the Future Combat Systems program is in serious trouble, and is likely to be canceled. If/when FCS is canceled, U-UGS can most likely be easily integrated with any other net-centric warfare (a.k.a. network-centric warfare) system that U.S. Army and Marine Corps infantry forces utilize.



Iran's attendance in SCO Summit shows its influence
http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0808301123174155.htm


A member of Majlis presiding board said on Saturday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's participation in the 8th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan earlier this week demonstrated Iran's great power and position.
According to IRNA, Hamid Reza Hajibabaei further said that proposing a five-article plan, meeting presidents of Persian-speaking countries namely Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as the other meetings on the sidelines of the event are among other achievements of the Iranian delegation during its trip to Tajikistan.
Evaluating the summit as very successful, he said that Iran's presence in the event and the atmosphere prevailing in the event indicated the ineffectiveness of US sanctions against the country.



Iran warns any attack would start 'world war'
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080830094819.pcrrm00f&show_article=1


Russia May Cut Off Oil Flow To West
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/money/2008/08/29/cnrussia129.xml
Fears are mounting that Russia may restrict oil deliveries to Western Europe over coming days, in response to the threat of EU sanctions and Nato naval actions in the Black Sea. Any such move would be a dramatic escalation of the Georgia crisis and play havoc with the oil markets. Reports have begun to circulate in Moscow that Russian oil companies are under orders from the Kremlin to prepare for a supply cut to Germany and Poland through the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline. It is believed that executives from lead-producer LUKoil have been put on weekend alert. "They have been told to be ready to cut off supplies as soon as Monday," claimed a high-level business source, speaking to The Daily Telegraph. Any move would be timed to coincide with an emergency EU summit in Brussels, where possible sanctions against Russia are on the agenda

Bill Passes to Merge Emergency Services, Homeland Security (CA)

http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/0829_legislature_passes_bill_to_merge_emergency_services_homeland_security/
Ben Bova: U.S. needs a separate ‘space force’
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/aug/30/ben-bova-us-needs-separate-space-force/ There’s a space battle going on right now. But it’s not happening in the wild black yonder, with spacecraft zapping lasers at one another. It’s happening in Washington, mostly, and in the upper echelons of the U.S. Air Force.
The battle is over how our military should deal with operations in space. The Air Force, of course, is in charge of most military aviation. Since the advent of artificial satellites, in the late 1950s, the Air Force has assumed control of most of the nation’s military space operations as well.
Official Air Force policy is that the aerospace environment is one continuous theater of operations. Airplanes or spacecraft, as long it flies, it falls under Air Force control.
However, some Air Force officers feel that space is a very different operating environment, quite distinct from flying planes in the air. They are pushing for a space command that is a separate branch of the Air Force or perhaps even a space force that is totally separated from the Air Force itself.

County to expand network of surveillance cameras (PA)
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08243/908262-85.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml

Financial sector kicks off two—week drill to handle flu pandemic http://ph.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080829/tap-351-financial-sector-kicks-two-week-231650b.html

SINGAPORE: Banks in Singapore are gearing up to handle a potential flu outbreak which could see up to 40 per cent of their staff being absent from work.
To test the financial sector’s preparedness to handle a flu pandemic scenario, the industry started a two—week exercise on Thursday.
The drill is organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Association of Banks in Singapore, along with government agencies.
Codenamed Exercise Raffles II, it builds on the first industry—wide drill conducted two years ago.

Local responders train for flu outbreak The Southern Illinoisan - Aug 29 11:25 PM (Link pulled/censored)The Southern Illinoisan - Aug 29 11:25 PM
CARTERVILLE - Local emergency responders, health department officials and hospitals gathered at John A. Logan College Wednesday for statewide pandemic influenza exercise.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Nuclear War Russia vs U.S. - The Unthinkable at Hand?









Strategic Missile Forces plan several ICBM launches before end of year
MOSCOW. Aug 26 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Strategic MissileForces are expected to carry out several combat-training and testlaunches of intercontinental ballistic missiles before the end of theyear. "Each launch is authorized by the Russian leadership and the numberof launches to be carried out this year could be adjusted," StrategicMissile Forces spokesman Col. Alexander Vovk told Interfax-AVN onTuesday
Cold War tension rises as Putin talks of Black Sea confrontation
A new Cold War between Russia and the West grew steadily closer yesterday after the Kremlin gave a warning about “direct confrontation” between American and Russian warships in the Black Sea.
Dmitri Peskov, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, declared that Russia was taking “measures of precaution” against American and Nato naval ships. “Let’s hope we do not see any direct confrontation in that,” he said

US, Russia anchor military ships in Georgian ports
BATUMI, Georgia (AP) - A U.S. military ship loaded with aid docked at a southern Georgian port Wednesday, and Russia sent three missile boats to another Georgian port as the standoff escalated over a nation devastated by war with Russia....

West tells Russia to keep out of Ukraine
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54acc1fc-743d-11dd-bc91-0000779fd18c.html
Britain led a chorus of support for Ukraine on Wednesday as western fears rose of possible Russian attempts to build on its victory in Georgia by threatening neighbouring states.
Speaking during a visit to Kiev, David Miliband, the UK foreign secretary, called on the European Union and Nato to prepare for “hard-headed engagement” with Moscow following its military action in Georgia.
“Russia must not learn the wrong lessons from the Georgia crisis. There can be no going back on fundamental principles of territorial integrity, democratic governance and international law,” he said.

Navy: Gulf exercise to boost security
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Navy says American, British and Bahraini ships are carrying out a five-day exercise to improve security in the Persian Gulf and better protect coalition ships against vessels “deemed threatening.”
The Navy statement released Wednesday by the Bahrain headquarters of the 5th Fleet says the exercise is dubbed “Goalkeeper.” It started Sunday and is led by Britain’s Royal Navy Commodore Peter Hudson.
Hudson is quoted as saying the maneuvers will help fine-tune skills such as “locating and tracking” vessels that threaten ships patrolling the Gulf and “handling command-and-control” operations during a potential confrontation.
Gulf waters and the narrow Strait of Hormuz have seen close encounters between U.S. and Iranian vessels.

Turkey joins NATO early warning exercise
ANKARA — Turkey has participated in a major NATO air exercise.
The Turkish Air Force contributed aircraft in a NATO airborne early-warning and alert exercise in the United States. The exercise took place in August 2008 and included 15 European and North American air forces.
"Our sole purpose is to be the eyes for the aircraft so they can be forewarned if another aircraft is in their vicinity -- friend or foe," Turkish Air Force pilot Capt. Gurhan Tarman said.

Local emergency teams practice terror drills
WTVG -- Federal, state, and local emergency teams joined forces along the Maumee to practice their terror drills
A terrorist attack can happen without warning and emergency crews have to be able to respond immediately. One possible target is Toledo's port. Federal, state, and local emergency teams joined forces along the Maumee to practice their terror drills.
Moving goods along the Maumee is a Toledo asset, but these waters can also be a channel for a terrorist attack. The possible threat is why a water-front hotel is a training-ground for the US Coast Guard and a room full of men and women.
Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Rick Minnich has spent the last six months coordinating the schedules of police officers, FBI agents, and border patrol officers for the day-long terror drill. These are the men and women who'd respond to a real-life attack on the water. "Having been involved in the exercises and real incidents, I can say they are very realistic. It is real time, real life type scenarios that we use," says Minnich.

Homeland security experiment tests port security
The U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and SRI International are testing new port security technologies and tactical procedures as part of a homeland security experiment in Tampa Bay waters through Aug. 28. The experiment began on Aug. 20.
The technologies, dubbed “Adaptive Force Package,” supports local incident response under the command of the Coast Guard’s port captain, with the involvement of numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies from Tampa Bay.
The Navy’s goal for the experiment is to demonstrate the technologies’ capabilities in safeguarding ports and waterways, a release said.
The Coast Guard will be responsible for incident command in the experiment. Its role is to coordinate the response and actions of private-sector maritime entities with military and civilian law enforcement actions.

Northrop Grumman Marks Milestone In Aerospace Development
MOSS POINT, MS (WLOX) - According to Site Manager Brian Mahoney, "Unmanned vehicles are the future, and it provides security for our troops."
Since Northrop Grumman opened the doors to its Unmanned Aircraft Center in 2006, Mahoney and his 70 member team have been building multi-million dollar aircraft to combat the war on terrorism.
"We have three programs in place - the Fire Scout Program, which is the Army's version of the Fire Scout. The VTUAV, which is the Navy's version. And we also have the Global Hawk program," Mahoney said....

Action/Reaction: U.S. Space Weaponization and China
* For video links for today's protest at DHS in VT see below:
Not seen in vid, is the guys with guns and radios across the street. I told my friend NOT to videotape the Homeland Security bldg. or Staff. The second segment of the protest was not taped but was held at VT's new "Counter Terrorism" center in Williston. One of the spooks yelling at us from the security perimeter claimed he saw "both planes" hit the WTC - nice trick huh? The vibe was very ominous - America is crypto-Fascist ready to spring a full blown version - of course in New Orleans it has already happened. God help us....

Russia U.S. Tensions, Portland Urban War Prep, Aerial Spraying,+

* Please check back later this evening for more updates. Today a group is protesting the presence of Homeland Security here in VT.

Russia threatens military response to US missiles
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080826/D92Q53VO0.html MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is warning his country may respond to a U.S. missile shield in Europe through military means.
Medvedev says that the deployment of an anti-missile system close to Russian borders "will of course create additional tensions."
"We will have to react somehow, to react, of course, in a military way," Medvedev was quoted as saying Tuesday by the RIA-Novosti news agency.
Russian officials have already warned of a military response to the U.S. plans, but the statement by the Russian leader was likely to further aggravate already tense relations with the West. The comments come after Medvedev recognized two Georgian regions as independent nations, prompting criticism from the U.S. and Europe.
Pa. sprays for West Nile in Philadelphia region


PHILADELPHIA—The state has turned to aerial spraying of pesticides over more than 141,000 acres in the Philadelphia region as more mosquitoes are found infected with West Nile virus.
Planes sprayed Resmethrin pesticide over areas of Montgomery and Delaware counties on Tuesday night and will spray parts of Bucks County and Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Officials say it should eliminate most adult mosquitoes and not harm ponds, pools or plant life. ....

Military helicopter training to continue over Portland
Don't worry -- Portland is not under attack.
Low flying military helicopters buzzing downtown Portland looked like a scene out of a movie.
Monday night’s drama was all part of a military exercise.
Newschannel Eight has learned, the Army and Navy are conducting Urban Military Training in Portland and Salem from August 17-30.
The training will include “low visibility movement, military operations in urban terrain, manual and low weight explosive breaching, fast-rope insertion, live fire” and other exercises according to a memo from Portland Mayor Tom Potter to the Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group.
A spokesperson in Mayor Potter’s office says, the military asked permission to conduct the training last November. The Portland Police Bureau’s specially trained SERT unit is involved in the training.
Monday’s exercise involved helicopters hopping from one downtown skyscraper to another. Many residents and downtown workers were concerned by the low flying helicopters.

The Department of Defense provided no advance warning of the exercise.
Air defense drill in N. Taiwan tomorrow
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Residents of several cities and counties in northern Taiwan are being urged to abi
de by regulations for a half-hour air defense drill tomorrow afternoon, or violators may face fines between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
Code named "2008 Wan-an" (Forever Safe) No. 31, the air defense drill will be held between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Mock Disease Outbreak Drill (MI)
State officials had a chance to learn what it would be like to respond to a disease outbreak.
Wayne Wood, Michigan Farm Bureau: "The main thing is to get the comfort level of whether we've got the capacity to handle a contagious disease like that and contain it before it spreads."
The event was sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security. It was part of an emergency training exercise on how to handle a major outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Those who took park suited up in disposable biosecurity suits and entered what's called the hot zone. They also learned how to gather samples and diagnose the disease using live sheep.

Counter Terrorism Exercise in Launceston

Malabar 2008 Indo-US naval exercises: US to field super carrier 'Reagan' and nuclear submarine news

Monday, August 25, 2008

Discovery Channel = Military Propaganda

MSM=Military: Psyops/propaganda
Made for TV BS. the "Hills" is a lot more honest






The image of featureless steel structures catastrophically crumbling into a fatal dust storm was indelibly imprinted on the minds of millions of people around the world. Yet the enormous plumes of smoke, the soaring balls of fire and the sheer scale of the buildings masked the human face of the tragedy. For the first time, through drama supported by interviews and archival footage, TV audiences will be invited to venture inside the towers to follow the stories of more than a dozen individuals whose daily routine is swept aside by .....

Unmanned War, Space Wars, US vs Russia Updates +

Unmanned-On-Unmanned Combat Emerging In Iraq
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/MQ9082508.xml&headline=Unmanned-On-Unmanned%20Combat%20Emerging%20In%20Iraq
Combat that’s been talked about for the last century – unmanned systems destroying other unmanned systems – is now a reality following the destruction by an MQ-9 Reaper of a vehicle carrying a remotely controlled explosive device in southeast Iraq.
A week ago, the Reaper – the larger, higher-flying, faster and better-armed version of the MQ-1 Predator – dropped a 500-pound laser-guided GBU-12 on the vehicle.
It was the first weapons engagement by Reaper since the aircraft started operations there July 18, said U.S. officials of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base. The aircraft is operated by the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron.....


European missile defense and military space
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1193/1

The August 20th agreement for the stationing of US Ground Based Interceptors (GBIs) in Poland in order to deter or destroy Iranian long-range missiles aimed at Europe or the US was without doubt the direct result of Russia’s invasion of Georgia. From a political standpoint Poland wanted to send both Moscow and Washington an unmistakable signal as to which side they were on, even if it involved making a less-than-optimal deal from Warsaw’s point of view. Now that the agreement has been signed, the US should act generously and give Poland far more support than the US is required to. Also, NATO will have to pay far greater attention to the missile defense issue than it has in the past.
In exchange for stationing a mere ten GBIs in Poland, the US has agreed to also place a single battery of PAC-3 Patriot short-range air defense and anti-ballistic missiles on Polish soil. This is far less than Poland truly needs in order to give it a reasonable level or protection against an angry and resentful Russia. This battery is symbolically important, but the Poles need more than a mere symbol.
Russia has thousands of tactical and tactical/operational nuclear weapons mounted on ballistic missiles. Ostensibly these are no longer aimed at anyone in particular, but that may not matter much to the Poles or to others in Central and Eastern Europe who once again feel themselves threatened by Russia. These nations have little faith that they can count on their fellow members of the European Union to stand by them in an emergency, so they naturally turn to the US and to NATO for support....



Georgia crisis sparks a new Cold War in space
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2608300/Georgia-crisis-sparks-a-new-Cold-War-in-space.html

Russia cruiser to test weapons in crowded Black Sea
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4668809a12.html
Russia's flagship cruiser has re-entered the Black Sea for weapons tests hours after the Russian military complained about the presence of US and other Nato naval ships near the Georgian coast.
The 'Moskva' had led a battle group of Russian naval vessels stationed off the coastline of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia during Russia's recent conflict with Georgia and sank smaller Georgian craft.
The assistant to the Russian Navy's commander-in-chief told Russian news agencies the cruiser had put to sea again two days after returning to its base at the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.
"'Moskva' has today departed toward the Black Sea Fleet's naval training range to check its radio-controlled weapons and onboard communications systems," Captain Igor Dygalo was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Canadian Forces carry out Arctic training exercises
The Canadian military has kicked off a series of training exercises in the Arctic to prepare for situations that may arise as a result of increased traffic in the region.
More than 500 troops -- air, land and sea -- are taking part in Operation Nanook 08, said Brig-Gen. David Millar, commander of Joint Task Force North. "Our purpose is to exert sovereignty, demonstrate sovereignty and security but also learn how to live off the land and learn more about the operating environment here in the North," Millar told CTV's Canada AM on Monday from Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Millar said the annual exercise is growing in importance because activity in the North is rapidly increasing.

Volunteers needed for Sept. 30 disaster drill (TN)
75 Volunteers are needed for a disaster drill to test the revisions to the VUMC Decontamination Plan. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to participate. When: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008 Time: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Drill Specifics: This disaster drill is designed to test the VUMC Decontamination sub plan. Volunteers are needed to act in the roles of faculty/staff members (i.e., MDs, RNs, mock patients and labor pool personnel). Volunteers will be given actual assignments to assist with the drill or they will be required to go through the decontamination shower if they choose to act in the role of a "mock" patient....

U.S. Coast Guard, Federal, state, local response agencies schedule exercise to test

Commander says exercises have no connection with Georgia conflict
BUCHAREST, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The military exercises scheduled for the time being in the Black Sea have no connection with the conflict in Georgia, stressed Juan Rodriguez, Commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group SNMG1) in Romania's Constanta on Monday.
At a press conference aboard the Juan de Borbon frigate, part of the SNMG1 fleet, Rodriguez said the tactical exercises at sea will be carried out in accordance with a set schedule, and the aim of the operations is to promote interoperability among the navies of the NATO member states.
He insisted that there is no connection between the military exercises to be carried out and the conflict in Georgia, as these are usual exercises that had been planned more than one year ago, long before it was known what would happen in Georgia ;)
A New Front for Defense Contractors
Whatever the outcome of the November Presidential contest, industry players could face some significant changes. Here's what to expect

NGA Awards Administrative Support Services Contracts
Bethesda, MD - The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded Administrative Support Services (AdminServ) contracts to provide administrative and secretarial support throughout NGA. The contracts to facilitate the program were awarded to NW Systems, Inc., Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Focused Management, Inc. and Chugach Government Services, Inc., with the contract becoming effective on Sept. 1, 2008.
US Military Gearing up on Guam
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/us-military-gearing-up-on-guam-03011/?camp=newsletter&src=did&type=textlink
DID has covered a number of base improvement efforts and other contracts related to the USA’s pacific territory of Guam, including construction of an RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV complex for the Pacific Rim, and extensive base improvements/ expansion for Guam’s airfield, harbor, et. al.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Back To School Fascism, Laser Weapons, DARPA +News


It's back to school (hey kids let's prepare to be good Fascists)
Arundel system plans more 'real-world' experiences
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/k12/bal-ar.schools24aug24,0,3503535.story
Instead of the traditional biology class for freshmen, it will be physics at North County High School. At Meade High School, students might be taking field trips to the nearby National Security Agency or tackle such assignments as concocting an emergency evacuation plan.In an effort to engage students in more real-world experiences in the classroom, Anne Arundel County's public schools will launch the school year tomorrow with a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) magnet program at North County and a homeland security "signature" program at Meade.

Laser weapons: A distant target
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10024153-1.html

For the moment, it's all R&D business as usual. Earlier this week, both Boeing and Northrop Grumman put out statements about their ongoing work on U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator, or HEL TD. And for Boeing, it was also a chance to crow about a contract win: $36 million to continue its work on a HEL TD design.

The work on the HEL TD is intended to lead eventually to a truck-mounted laser weapon that could shoot down rockets and artillery shells.(Credit: Boeing)
With that money, Boeing says it will first finish its design work, and then move on to building and testing a ruggedized beam control system on a heavy-duty truck (specifically, the Army's Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck). The defense contractor finished the preliminary design of the beam control system earlier this summer. Boeing also plans to develop the systems-engineering requirements for the complete HEL TD.
Northrop Grumman, for its part, this week said that it has completed all preliminary design review requirements for a rugged beam control subsystem for the HEL TD. ....

Emergency drill set to prepare towns for potential flu pandemic (CT)
http://www.middletownpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20088759&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=665530&rfi=6
CROMWELL - The town this fall will once again take part in an emergency drill that doubles as a flu clinic for residents.
Cromwell will join Middletown in holding the one-day drill/clinic on Nov. 5, according to Fred Curtin, the town's emergency management coordinator.Officials from the two towns held their first planning session for the exercise last week.The towns cooperated on a similar program last year, Curtin reminded a questioner on Thursday.The towns will use the exercise as a rehearsal for a possible flu pandemic. To give the drill an extra added air of reality - and do something helpful for a number of residents - volunteers will be bused to Middletown, to the Wesleyan University field house, where they will receive a flu shot.Only so many people will be able to get the shots, however. Curtin said he will make the information available about how to register to take part in the program as it becomes available.The residents who do sign up will "meet at Pierson Park, and then board a vehicle and be transported to Middletown to Wesleyan University, where the flu shot will be administered," Curtin said.



HRL to Begin Pioneering Research in Neuromorphic Electronics that Function LiketheBiologicalBrain (DARPA) (linked removed)
Dear Editor
I need to ask you to kindly remove the link to our press release...
The information is wrong and should not have been sent out. Please accept our apologies for the error and we hope you will be able to take the page down rapidly......


Electronic binoculars from Northrop Grumman team to detect threats through brain activity
http://mae.pennnet.com/display_article/337722/32/NEWS/none/none/1/Electronic-binoculars-from-Northrop-Grumman-team-to-detect-threats-through-brain-activity/
LINTHICUM, Md., 23 Aug. 2008. Everyone who has ever watched the Star Wars films from George Lucas has probably at one moment wished they had Jedi abilities such as mind control or what Lucas called Jedi reflexes – knowing something will happen a second before it does.
A team led by Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems Sector is looking to bring a similar threat detection capability to warfighters as part of an advanced research contract to develop a panoramic day/night optical system that will utilize human brain activity to detect, analyze, and alert foot-soldiers to possible threats.


Defense Intelligence Agency Seeking "Mind Control" Weapons
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9931

Friday, August 22, 2008

America Politicizes Science

*When science is subverted for political expediency, we have entered the dark ages again.
The NIST report is so intellectually and scientifically dishonest commenting is almost unnecessary. Science, when it touches on the power structure, has been politicized and subverted, not unlike under Stalin. The vidoes below speak for themselves:

http://killtown.911review.org/wtc7.html

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3664073116607499063&ei=2r2uSIePH6ToqAKrpKzmAw&q=wtc+7

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/wtc7.html


Halfway through Building 7's 6.5-second plunge, streamers suggestive of demolition charges emerged from the facade











Fire, Not Explosives, Felled 3rd Tower on 9/11, Report Says
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/nyregion/22wtccnd.html
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Fires in the 47-story office tower at the edge of the World Trade Center site undermined floor beams and a critical structural column, federal investigators concluded on Thursday, as they attempted to curb still-rampant speculation that explosives caused the building’s collapse on Sept. 11, 2001.No one died when the tower, 7 World Trade Center, tumbled, as the estimated 4,000 office workers there at the time had evacuated before it gave way, nearly seven hours after the second of the twin towers came down.
But the collapse of 7 World Trade Center — home at the time to branch offices of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Secret Service and the Giuliani administration’s emergency operations center — is cited in hundreds of Web sites and books as perhaps the most compelling evidence that an insider secretly planted explosives, intentionally destroying the tower.
A separate, preliminary report issued in 2002 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency questioned whether diesel fuel tanks installed in the tower to supply backup generators — including one that powered the Giuliani administration’s emergency “bunker” — might have been to blame.
But S. Shyam Sunder, the lead investigator from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, based here in the suburbs of Washington, also rejected that theory on Thursday, even as he acknowledged that the collapse had been something of a puzzle.
“Our take-home message today is the reason for the collapse of World Trade Center 7 is no longer a mystery,” Dr. Sunder said at a news conference at the institute’s headquarters. “It did not collapse from explosives or fuel oil fires.”
The institute’s findings were released on Thursday as part of a 915-page report resulting from the work of more than 50 federal investigators and a dozen contractors over three years.
Conspiracy theorists have pointed to the fact that the building fell straight down, instead of tumbling, as proof that explosives were used to topple it, as well as to bring down the twin towers. Sixteen percent of the respondents in a Scripps Howard/Ohio University poll said it was very likely or somewhat likely that explosives were planted.
During the last four decades, other towers in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles have remained standing through catastrophic blazes that burned out of control for hours because of malfunctioning or nonexistent sprinkler systems. But 7 World Trade Center, which was not struck by a plane, is the first skyscraper in modern times to collapse primarily as a result of a fire. Adding to the suspicion is the fact that in the rush to clean up the site, almost all of the steel remains of the tower were disposed of, leaving investigators in later years with little forensic evidence.
Using videos, photographs and building design documents, the investigators at the National Institute spent the last three years building an elaborate computer model of 7 World Trade Center that they used to test various chains of events to figure out what caused the collapse, Dr. Sunder said.
The investigators determined that debris from the falling twin towers damaged structural columns and ignited fires on at least 10 floors at 7 World Trade Center, which stood about 400 feet north of the twin towers. But the structural damage from the falling debris was not significant enough to threaten the tower’s stability, Dr. Sunder said.
The fires on six of the lower floors burned with particular intensity because the water supply for the sprinkler system had been cut off — the upper floors had a backup water supply — and the Fire Department, devastated by the collapse of the twin towers, stopped trying to fight the blaze.
Normally, fireproofing on a skyscraper should have been sufficient to allow such a blaze to burn itself out and leave the building damaged but still standing. But investigators determined that the heat from the fire caused girders in the steel floor of 7 World Trade Center to expand. As a result, steel beams underneath the floors that provided lateral support for the tower’s structural columns began to buckle or put pressure against the vertical structural columns.
These fires might have been fed partly by the diesel from tanks and a pressurized fuel line, which were on the fifth to the ninth floors, Dr. Sunder said. But the analysis showed that even in the worst case, the diesel fuel-fed fire would not have burned hot enough or long enough to have played a major role in weakening the structure. The investigators determined that the fire that day was fed mainly by office paper and furnishings.
The collapse started when a girder on the 13th floor disconnected from a critical column — listed as Column 79 — that supported a long open floor span, the report said. Once that floor gave way, the floors below it down to the fifth floor also collapsed, although this was not visible from the building’s exterior.
Without lateral support for nine stories, Column 79 buckled, and the floors above gave way all the way up to the roof. Only then did the collapse become visible from the exterior with a penthouse area on the roof first falling in, followed by what looked like the sudden implosion of the tower, Dr. Sunder said. “The physics is consistent, it is sound, it has been analyzed,” he said.
Skeptics have questioned whether explosives were planted at the three towers at ground zero, and at the Pentagon as well, often contending that the Bush administration had planned the catastrophes to provide a justification to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. What started as a small number of such conspiracy theorists ballooned into a movement of sorts, largely fed by Internet sites and homemade videos.
Dr. Sunder said the investigators considered the possibility that explosives were used, but ruled it out because the noise associated with such an explosion would have been 10 times louder than being in front of the speakers at a rock concert, he said, and detectable from as far as a half a mile away. He said that interviews with eyewitnesses and a review of video taken that day provided no evidence of a sound that loud just before the collapse.
The skeptics — including several who attended Thursday’s news conference — were unimpressed. They have long argued that an incendiary material called thermite, made of aluminum powder and a metal oxide, was used to take down the trade center towers, an approach that would not necessarily result in an explosive boom. They also have argued that a sulfur residue found at the World Trade Center site is evidence of an inside job.
Dr. Sunder said the investigators chose not to use the computer model to evaluate whether a thermite-fueled fire might have brought down the tower, since 100 pounds of it would have had to have been stacked directly against the critical column that gave way, which he said they did not believe had occurred.
To the skeptics, it was a glaring omission.
“It is very difficult to find what you are not looking for,” said Shane Geiger, who contributes to a Web site that follows the topic and who had come to Maryland from Texas to quiz Dr. Sunder about his findings, with a bumper sticker on his laptop computer that says, “9-11 was an inside job.”
Dr. Sunder attempted to patiently answer the questions that Mr. Geiger and another obvious critic presented to him during the news conference. Five armed police officers and a bomb-sniffing dog stood guard near the rear of the room.
Dr. Sunder said there were no apparent flaws in 7 World Trade Center’s design that contributed to its collapse and that it met New York City codes. But there are some important lessons for other skyscrapers, he said, as engineers and architects should consider how the heat from fires can weaken structural elements, potentially causing a so-called progressive collapse.
Owners of tall buildings with a similar floor design — he could not estimate how many such towers exist in the United States — should immediately consider whether to install reinforcements, he said, and perhaps codes should be changed to address the weakness.
A new, substantially different 7 World Trade Center — now 52 stories — reopened at roughly the same site in 2006. The new building has extra safety features, including wider emergency stairwells and a fire-resistant refuge area on each floor.
Within moments after the news conference ended, leaders of a group called Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth held their own telephone conference briefing, dismissing the investigation as flawed.
“How much longer do we have to endure the coverup of how Building 7 was destroyed?” said Richard Gage, a California architect and leader of the group.
Told of the doubts, Dr. Sunder said he could not explain why the skepticism would not die.
“I am really not a psychologist,” he said. “Our job was to come up with the best science.”

As federal agency declares 'new phenomenon' downed WTC 7, activists cry foul
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/BREAKING_NIST_%3CI%3Efinally%3CI%3E_poses_theory_on_0821.html

Thursday, August 21, 2008

McCain Anthrax Psyop



McCain Office Is Sent White Powder, Threat, same day WTC 7 report released
http://forum.911movement.org/index.php?showtopic=4846
Sen. John McCain's camp received two threatening letters, including one that contained white powder.

Officials: Threats sent to McCain offices
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080821/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_office_threat

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Threatening letters containing an unidentified white powder were sent to John McCain campaign offices in Colorado and New Hampshire on Thursday, officials said.
No injuries were immediately reported.
At least 19 people were examined at hospitals or were quarantined outside the office in Centennial, Colo., a Denver suburb. The office was evacuated, and authorities were trying to determine whether the powder was hazardous.
A McCain campaign aide said the Manchester, N.H., office had been evacuated and the staffers underwent medical examinations.
No other details were immediately available from New Hampshire.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

FCS vs Russia, B52 "Surge" Prep, Missile Shield, DEW, India Fake Terror +


*recommended reading:
Zbigniew_Brzezinski___Between_Two_Ages.pdf ( 2.61MB )


*Base is main launching point for bombing runs in Middle-East...
Exercise prep may raise noise at Barksdale (LA)
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS01/80820019/1060
People who live near or around Barksdale Air Force Base may notice an increase in noise Thursday and Monday, installation representatives say.

Early Thursday, a dozen B-52 bombers will practice for a “surge,” where bombers take off in quick succession. The real MITO, or “minimum-interval takeoff,” will be held at the base early Monday...



US, Poland OK missile defense base, riling Moscow http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080820/D92M82281.htmlWARSAW, Poland (AP) - The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S. missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia - a move followed swiftly by a new warning from Moscow of a possible military response.


Russia-Georgia War Highlights Need for Directed-Energy Defenses http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?595a24d7-9886-449f-b048-fce71a0213d0 By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., 8/20/2008 9:29:29 AM
For the second time in recent years, the United States has witnessed another wake-up call for the importance of fielding directed-energy weapons capable of shooting-down mortar and artillery fire, as well as intercepting short-range rockets and missiles.The Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Congress need to place more emphasis on fielding working prototypes of these systems as quickly as possible.
People as Targets.....

Military Hardware Backers Lock in on Russia http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/in-july-2006-th.html
In 2006, the U.S. Army ran a number of war game scenarios, to see how effective their planned array of networked tanks, robots, and fighting vehicles might be in the conflicts of tomorrow. The battles the Army chose for were "major combat operations" -- full-scale fights between two major armies. And the location Army planners picked was the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
At the time, these so-called "Caspian Sea scenarios" seemed oddly out of sync, for a military engaged in a pair of counterinsurgencies. But that was before Russia sent troops into Georgia, Azerbaijian's neighbor to the west. Before, supporters of the Army's $200 billion "Future Combat Systems" told the public not to pay too much attention to the mock battles on former Soviet turf; those robots and tanks were really meant to kick butt in small wars, they insisted. Now, backers of Future Combat Systems and other high-price military hardware programs are pointing to the Russian threat, as the new justification for their gear.
"We've spent so many resources and so much attention on Iraq that we've lost sight of future threats down the road. The current conflict between Russia and Georgia is a perfect example," Rep. John Murtha, the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee chair, tells the Wall Street Journal.

* American "business consultant" caught in web of fake terror(India) gets free pass? Haywood lies low in Arizona home
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1184734
Indian embassy mum on whether US help will be sought to question him
NEW YORK: Despite the security drill at Indian airports, Kenneth Haywood mysteriously skirted a lookout notice and flew out of the country from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday night on Jet Airways’ long-haul flight 9W-230 to New York. He later caught another domestic flight at JFK Airport to get home to Phoenix, Arizona.
“I really don’t have anything to add to anything at this point. Thank you,” Haywood, who sounded exhausted, told DNA over the phone on Wednesday morning.
The Indian embassy in Washington declined to comment on whether India would seek US help in questioning Haywood. “We have seen the reports but cannot comment on the matter,” said embassy spokesman Rahul . .
Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare has declined to say if India will seek Haywood’s extradition from the US in case he refuses to go back to Mumbai at a later stage to cooperate with the ongoing investigations. Legal experts here, however, believe there is no case for extradition even though India and the US have a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
“The treaty allows for cooperation in criminal, drug trafficking and terrorism-related matters,” said a New York attorney who did not want to be named. “There are procedural mechanisms to allow the US to provide assistance in connection with investigations but there is nothing American authorities can do as he hasn’t been charged with any crime. US lawmen can’t go anywhere near him.”
A terror message was sent from Campbell White executive Haywood’s hacked email account five minutes before serial blasts ripped through Ahmedabad on July 26.
Texas Guard 'biggest player" in Panamax exercise
http://www.ngb.army.mil/news/archives/2008/08/081908-Texas_Guard.aspx
PANAMA CITY, Panama, (08/20/08)- The scenario threatened to bring world economies to their knees: A fictional terrorist group took control of an island off Panama, planted mines at approaches to the Panama Canal and threatened to cut off free access to the pivotal waterway.
Panama turned for help to the United Nations, which passed a resolution authorizing a coalition to take action.
The result, being played out during the annual Fuerzas Aliadas Panamax exercise, is a 20-nation coalition that has committed about 7,000 troops, more than 30 ships and a dozen aircraft to countering the fictional Liberation Martyrs' Brigade.
The exercise kicked off Aug. 11 and continues through Aug. 22, with live and simulated activities in Panama, El Salvador, Honduras and the United States.

IBM Commits $300 Million to Expand Business Continuity and Resiliency
Services
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ibm-commits-300-million-expand/story.aspx?guid={88487B16-8BA7-44F8-8AE5-63660DECB4B4}&dist=hppr

NKorea vows to boost 'war deterrent'
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hp3VMv4igsgqwh4fqnXUyQrwl3BwD92LV5HO1

Homeland Security Explores Ambitious Plan to Collect More Personal Data From Foreign Travelers
The department will try to gather biometric data on all departing foreigners without causing delayshttp://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/08/20/homeland-security-explores-ambitious-plan-to-collect-more-personal-data-from-foreign-travelers.html



Somewhere out in the world, there's a potential pandemic with America and the Granite State's name on it, but the good news, said state Director of Public Health Services, is that New Hampshire and local communities are planning for it.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Iran, Georgia, Military Sim, Pandemic + News

Iran's space shot fuels weapons fears

http://www.theage.com.au/world/irans-space-shot-fuels-weapons-fears-20080818-3xo1.html




IRAN says it has sent a rocket carrying a dummy satellite into space, triggering US concern that the technology could be diverted to ballistic missiles.
The launch is likely to intensify tension with the West over Iran's nuclear drive, which Washington and its allies say is a cover for atomic weapons ambitions.
The head of Iran's space agency, Reza Taghipour, announced the launch of the Safir (Ambassador) rocket on state television, adding that a test satellite had been put into orbit.
"We have paved the way for placing a satellite in space in future," state television said, showing images of the pre-dawn rocket launch, attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Western governments, already concerned over Iran's nuclear activities, say the technology used in the Islamic republic's space program could be diverted to military use, claims denied by Tehran.
NATO won't let Russia succeed in Georgia: Rice
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92KT1180&show_article=1

Cross us and we will crush you, warns Medvedev
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4557369.ece
President Medvedev of Russia yesterday promised a “shattering blow” against any foreign power that moved against Russian citizens

Massachusetts companies brace for wind down in Iraq
http://news.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/2008_08_18_Massachusetts_companies_brace_wind_down_in_Iraq/srvc=home&position=6

Massachusetts’ defense industry will be in retreat for a short period if the war in Iraq winds down after a new U.S. president takes command.
But analysts hope the Bay State’s diversified defense sector and high-tech concentration will help it play a key role in the country’s military future.
No one is predicting an immediate withdrawal of troops, equipment and spending in Iraq after a new president - whether he’s Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain - is sworn in this January.
But defense industry experts and Wall Street analysts are already talking about what will happen if any type of reductions occur, whether it’s forced by domestic politics, battlefield necessity or a combination of the two.
Some analysts think the state’s defense industry - whose value was recently pegged in a University of Massachusetts report at about $14.7 billion a year - could take a 5 percent or more revenue hit if there’s a significant change.
That could lead to layoffs and other disruptions for firms making everything from missiles and robots to aircraft engines and other items used by GIs in Iraq.
Defense contracts in Massachusetts now support about 32,240 jobs, according to the recent UMass Donahue Institute study.
An additional 39,187 jobs are indirectly tied to defense-related research and supply-chain operations, the UMass report said.
“There will be some impact,” said Donald Quenneville, executive director of the Defense Technology Initiative, an offshoot of the Massachusetts High Technology Council.
Most major defense contractors would be affected - whether it’s Raytheon Co., which accounts for about 23 percent of all Pentagon contracts in Massachusetts, or smaller companies, such as Foster-Miller Inc., which holds less than 1 percent of the state’s defense-related contracts.
But industry sources are optimistic that Massachusetts would be less hard-hit than other states with big defense businesses - and in the long run the state could become an even bigger player in defense.
The reason for the optimism: the Pentagon’s aggressive commitment to modernize the U.S. military, as it prepares for the “next wars,” and the state’s well-regarded high-tech sector.


Bacteria played a role in 1918 pandemic flu deaths, scientists say
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-flu18-2008aug18,0,1526990.story

Writing about the 1918 influenza outbreak in the August issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers reported that few deaths were swift, which is what scientists believed characterized a viral pandemic. Instead, they found most deaths occurred a week to two weeks later -- indicating the deaths were the result of opportunistic bacterial infections.Most of the bacteria recovered from patients, dead or alive, are common colonizers of the noses and throats of healthy people, according to coauthors Dr. John F. Brundage, a medical epidemiologist at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center in Silver Spring, Md., and Dr. G. Dennis Shanks, director of the Australian Army Malaria Institute in Queensland.
Both groups of researchers were trying to understand why the 1918 virus -- a novel strain of influenza for which few people had natural immunity -- was so lethal. The virus swept the globe, killing an estimated 50 million people, striking down young, healthy adults even though influenza usually kills the very young, the elderly and the chronically ill.



APL's Military Simulation Software Is No Ordinary Game

APL's National Security Analysis Department is developing a video-gaming technology that allows it to create simulations and rehearse complex missions for sponsors on desktop computers. The software — known as MOSBE for "modeling and simulation builder for everyone" — is the centerpiece of NSAD's efforts to strengthen its war-gaming analysis capability.
The MOSBE software provides an environment that helps military leaders rapidly create and test concepts, and quickly and easily modify and refine them before deploying them to trainees or developing requirements for a traditional simulation model.


A theoretical attack on downtown San Francisco honed skill of some 500 emergency responders Saturday, dispatched without being told nature of the mass casualty offensive.
As part of the drill, resources were sapped by a mock nearby shooting rampage.

Ground, Air Defense Forces hold antiaircraft drills in S. Russia

MOSCOW, August 18 (RIA Novosti) - Antiaircraft units from the Far East Military District start a tactical drill Monday at the Yeisk test site in southern Russia's Krasnodar Territory, a spokesman for the Russian Ground Forces said.
Col. German Zhitenev said the exercise, which runs Monday through Friday, will involve over 200 servicemen and more than 40 weapon systems.
The units will practice effective engagement of air targets with Shilka and Strela-10 antiaircraft missile systems, and Igla portable antiaircraft missile systems.
Troops will also rehearse movement and deployment into a target area, preparing for combat operations, coordination and interoperability.

Flu pandemic drill for financial institutions
A simulation exercise to test financial institutions' contingency plans for a devastating flu pandemic will take place from Aug 28 to Sept 11.
It will centre on a staged flu outbreak on Sept 5 that will 'hit' more than 140 companies, including banks, insurers and stockbrokers. Also participating are the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Exchange.
The exercise is being organised by the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) and aims to help ensure that the local financial sector is prepared should such a global catastrophe occur.
Three State departments to conduct evacuation drills
http://alwatan.com.kw/Default.aspx?MgDid=662938&pageId=473
KUWAIT: Three State departments have reviewed their programs for an evacuation drill in preparation for unforeseen emergencies.The drills, to take place on Tuesday at a shipping company, involve the Civil Defense Department (CDD), the Public Department for Firefighting (PDF) and the Medical Emergency Department (MED).

Israel, Turkey, U.S to conduct joint naval exercise

In Show of Force, Brazil Goes to War Games in Defense of Newfound Oil

US proxy (Georgia) Invades .......

Navy Wants New Laser Weapons
The Office of Naval Research held its annual partnership with industry conference this week here in Washington, DC. The envelope-pushing Navy lab is particularly keen on developing "game changing" laser beam and hypervelocity rail gun weapons. Much of the available funding is for early phase modeling and simulation. Some of ONR’s high-priority research areas include:
(continued...)

The Web Ushers In New Weapons of War and Terrorism
Protesters, terrorists and warmongers have found the Internet to be a useful tool to achieve their goals. Who will bring law and order to cyberspace?


Saturday, August 16, 2008

San Francisco:WMD Terror Drill

SF Police & Fire hold terrorism drill


SAN FRANCISCO, CA (KGO) -- Parts of San Francisco are shut down this afternoon for a terrorism drill.
Police and firefighters are testing the city's response time in a theoretical weapons attack.
Several blocks in San Francisco's financial district were closed down for the day.

The fire department was calling this a real public-private partnership as they got the owners of the downtown building at 555 California Street to allow them to let it fall victim to a mock emergency.
The scene was the aftermath of a chemical attack in a downtown high rise- luckily this was only a drill.
"Each time we do this the better off all of us are," said San Francisco Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White.
About 500 emergency responders from San Francisco, surrounding cities, the FBI and the Army are participating in this mock release of weapons of mass destruction.
There was also drama at 1 Post Street. A mock shooter went on a rampage where another unidentified chemical had been released.
"It's truly taxing the resources here in San Francisco, but that's what it's all about," said Hayes-White.
It all started at 10 this morning and from some outsider's perspectives things were moving slowly. Students playing victims were left lying there for hours.
"We know that things start out at a low level in these exercises today," said S.F. Police Chief Heather Fong.
"Initially where you'd want to go right in, you see victims on the ground, we need to make sure that we take a step back, pause for a moment and decide what our entry is going to be like," said Hayes-White.
As the mock decontamination went on this afternoon, a local businessman said his company could help stop the situation before it got to this point.
Mike Welden of Building Protection Systems stated "We have a break-through system that's designated by the Department of Homeland Security that will detect and identify the toxin in seconds and then automatically shut down the HVAC system so the toxins are no longer circulating through the building." This product was just released earlier this year, another idea at a time when the government is being criticized about the availability of materials that could be used to make a dirty bomb.
The Government Accountability Office released a report last month saying that advances in security were moving too slowly and that customs officials don't have enough equipment to detect radiation.
In the meantime FEMA is spending a quarter of a million dollars on today's drill.
"The money is absolutely worth it because if we don't spend it now it's going to cost us so much more later on," said Tom Saragoosa of the S.F. Fire Department.
Russian Report: CNN used Fake Video in Coverage of Georgia War
VIDEO: Gorbachev describes Georgia Attack,, Media "Lies from Begining to End"
------ ------- ------ ------- -------
* The item below falls outside the spectrum of my normal coverage, but in light of the use of CGI's and a lip synching little girl at the Olympics, i think it important for people to question
what they see with any news or purported representation of reality(especially since TV Fakery was used on 9/11) - Does NBC have financial reasons to rig the outcome? The ability ( I already looked into arguments with validity of electronic sensors) Would China go along with a scam....just questions. I endorse no conclusions, but ask all to always use reason and analysis....
Officials Withhold Images of Photo Finish
BEIJING — The international swimming federation said it would not release the official images of the finish of the Olympic men’s 100 butterfly, in which Michael Phelps beat Milorad Cavic by one-hundredth of a second.
A spokeswoman for Omega, the official timekeeper for the Beijing Games, initially told The New York Times on Saturday that it would release the images but said later that the swimming federation, known as FINA, would not allow it.....
"How is it that the official timekeeper of the event is the same company that sponsors Phelps since 2004? Isn't there a clear conflict of interest here? And why are leading FINA officials unashamedly and brazenly the biggest cheerleaders of Michael Phelps? We are not talking about NBC and other American-broadcasters who have clear interest in weaving the "narrative" in quest for the largest share of ratings, and for their economical ends, for purposes of appeasing to their advertisers who buy such overpriced ad slots.."

Friday, August 15, 2008

Friday Protest Day Sanders + Welch


* I didn't have too much time for research today, Bernie Sanders
and Peter Welch, Two VT. Politicians appeared at a free waterfont concert - where of course I had to go and make a statement. The concert was called DemROCKracy - a show by former Phish member Mike Gordon to "get the vote out" I had a banner that read:

" DEMOCRACY??? AMERICA IS A LIE!
- Fake elections
- Mass murder of 3,000 civilians by our own military on 9/11
- Concentration camps
- Shredded Constitution
- Wars of aggression
- A Senator (Leahy) blackmailed by anthrax etc etc.....

NYC Holds Largest Ever Counterterror Exercise (update)
Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies Put Choke Hold On New York Harbor As Part Of 'Operation Sentinel' http://wcbstv.com/topstories/Counter.Terror.Exercise.2.796595.html

US Warns Russia To Halt 'Invasion' Of Georgia
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has condemned Russian military operations in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, saying the action reminds her of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. She spoke in Georgia where the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili declared that his country would never surrender despite Moscow's military might. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from the Georgian town of Zestaponi, which is feeling the impact of ongoing fighting. * Is a comment even necessary? Iraq...

Mass Casualty Drill Held At F.E. Warren AFB

Alex Hannum Reports: If you saw a little extra activity around FE Warren Air Force base this week, it was all part of a drill to test the base's emergency response.It looks like a real life disaster, but this is all part of a training exercise put on by Air Force Space Command and FE Warren.Friday's drill was the culmination of a 10 day 50-thousand dollar exercise to prepare for, and combat potential terrorist threats.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

TOPOFF, Georgia Conflict, Obama Book

*Thanks to Intel Strike's team for several leads:
http://www.intelstrike.com/

Police Hold Nuclear Training Exercise In N.Y. Harbor
http://www.wnbc.com/news/17195856/detail.html?rss=ny&psp=news
NEW YORK -- Police, fire, Coast Guard and Port Authority officials are among those working on a nuclear training exercise in New York Harbor.
New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly said crews will try to detect a nuclear device on a vessel headed into the harbor on Friday. The crews will use equipment received from federal authorities to combat terrorism. The device used Friday will be harmless.
The exercise will last about six hours. More than 100 people will be involved.

U.S. Ties With Russia Being Reassessed, Bush Aides Say http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/world/europe/15policy.html?ref=world

WASHINGTON — Russia’s military offensive into Georgia has jolted the Bush administration’s relationship with Moscow, senior officials said Thursday, forcing a wholesale reassessment of American dealings with Russia and jeopardizing talks on everything from halting Iran’s nuclear ambitions to reducing strategic arsenals to cooperation on missiles defenses....

Related:

U.S., Poland Reach Agreement on Missile Defense
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aakWCWAS_u34&refer=worldwide

Russia-NATO naval drill called off after U.S., U.K. boycott-2
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080814/116044020.html


Georgia conflict could revive big military spending
Analyst recommends defense issues, but others say clash will be brief
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/georgia-conflict-could-revive-big/story.aspx?guid=%7B70A29167%2D0685%2D4052%2DB701%2DDA721CD1B5AF%7D
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- A prolonged conflict in southwest Asia between Russia and Georgia could eventually benefit military contractors that build heavy weapon systems such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co., one analyst said Monday.
"No less than the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1978, [the] events of the past several days are a bell-ringer for defense stocks," said Paul Nisbet, an analyst with JSA Research, an aerospace equity research firm. "We strongly urge purchase of aerospace/defense issues, a sector which has declined with the broad market since the start of the year." ...

Kulongoski Says Exercise Showed Oregon Not Prepared For Terrorism
http://news.opb.org/article/2810-kulongoski-says-exercise-showed-oregon-not-prepared-terrorism/
If terrorists decided to attack Oregon today, the state wouldn't be adequately prepared. That's what Gov. Ted Kulongoski said came from an exercise called Top Officials or TOPOFF that was carried out last October.
The 4th TOPOFF exercise simulated an attack on Portland with a dirty bomb that contained radioactive material.
Governor Ted Kulongoski spoke Wednesday at an Anti-Terrorism Conference, along with the U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and other federal and state officials.
Kulongoski said the state learned a number of things from TOPOFF, perhaps most importantly, that the state's public safety communications systems are dangerously out of date.
Ted Kulongoski: "We now know that if TOPOFF had been a real life exercise, people would have likely died because we couldn't maintain reliable tactical communication."
Kulongoski says the state is working on a new wireless communication system to solve this problem. He says the legislature is poised to release nearly $70 million for this purpose.


New Al Qaeda Manual Reflects Changing Face of Terror
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,403902,00.html
(I wonder what poor sad sack military contractor was paid to produce this "found manual?)
WASHINGTON — A newly discovered online Al Qaeda manual is giving intelligence officials new insight into how the group's leaders are training recruits to further move the organization from a centralized operation toward smaller global cells.
The manual, called “Method for Building the Personality of a Terrorist Mujahid” and written by an Islamist forum contributor nicknamed "Shamil al-Baghdadi," encourages militant followers to stop focusing on pulling off attacks on the scale of 9-11 and to start executing numerous smaller attacks.
It states that if for some reason the mission fails, the Jihadi must not abort, but instead carry on alone — as a one-man cell.
According to New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, it's a strategy of which domestic law enforcement agencies are well aware.
"If you can't do the big attacks, do the small attacks. Do smaller attacks and more of them," Kelly said.

Researchers fear other bird flu virus may cause pandemic
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/270734.asp

A 'Frankenrobot' with a biological brain
http://blacklistednews.com/?news_id=1074

Latest smear against Obama an abomination
http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/1107452,CST-NWS-mitch14.article

*shameless bullshit to paint a CFR plant and "Manchurian candidate" war monger as a Liberal, this is an intelligenceop to PROMOTE the P.O.S. traitor Obama