http://www.sott.net Signs of the Times, featuring news and commentary on world events. Never wavering in our unending search for the light of truth in a pathocracy driven world! en-us Original content Copyright 2009 by Signs of the Times. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:40:59 -0500 http://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net http://www.sott.net http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172538-Josh-Brolin-Jeffrey-Wright-Arrest-Video-Tasers-And-Pepper-Spray TMZ has released the incredible video of Josh Brolin's arrest outside of a Shreveport bar last summer, along with his "W" costar Jeffrey Wright. In the video, viewers see Brolin and Wright standing hugging as they are sprayed with pepper spray and then separated by cops. Brolin is made to kneel and is handcuffed while Wright gets laid out on the street and repeatedly tasered, as the cellphone camerawoman screams in protests. Other video from patrol cars was also recorded by cop cars last July but not released. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172538-Josh-Brolin-Jeffrey-Wright-Arrest-Video-Tasers-And-Pepper-Spray Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:11:01 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172537-Prominent-Austin-Activist-Admits-He-Infiltrated-RNC-Protest-Groups-as-FBI-Informant AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to a story out of Austin, Texas that's shocked social justice activists nationwide. A prominent Austin-based activist named Brandon Darby has revealed he worked as an FBI informant in the eighteen months leading up to the Republican convention. Darby has admitted to wearing recording devices at planning meetings and wearing a transmitter embedded in his belt during the convention. He is expected to testify on behalf of the government later this month in the trial of two Texas activists who were arrested at the RNC on charges of making and possessing Molotov cocktails. In a statement, a group of Austin-based activists called the Austin Informant Working Group condemned Darby. The group says, "[T]he emerging truth about Darby's malicious involvement in our communities is heart-breaking and utterly ground-shattering to those of us who were closest to him." The statement goes on to raise suspicions Darby may have gone beyond spying on the accused activists but in fact encouraged and provoked them into breaking the law. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172537-Prominent-Austin-Activist-Admits-He-Infiltrated-RNC-Protest-Groups-as-FBI-Informant Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:05:17 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172445-Is-Facebook-Violating-Our-Right-to-Free-Expression- A friend of mine had to go through such an irritating experience with the facebook administration; according to Ibrahim Mughrabi, facebook has deleted content on his personal profile related to the "Zionist attacks on Gaza". He says he's been contacted by the administration and warned that he'd be suspended from posting stuff on facebook if he continues to do so! So much for free speech and equal rights for everyone in this world. But nothing will stop us from telling the truth, not facebook nor any other news/social network. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172445-Is-Facebook-Violating-Our-Right-to-Free-Expression- Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:11:36 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172301-Thais-block-anti-royal-websites The new Thai government has ordered ministries to act more decisively against those who violate laws protecting the image of the monarchy. The new minister for information and technology said the government was already blocking 2,300 websites deemed offensive to the monarchy. It was seeking permission to block 400 more. The information ministry says it has set up a round-the-clock "war room" to combat websites containing content critical of the monarchy. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172301-Thais-block-anti-royal-websites Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:26:21 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172297-FBI-plans-large-hiring-blitz-of-agents-experts Wanted by the FBI: agents, language specialists, computer experts, intelligence analysts and finance experts. The FBI said on Monday it had launched one of the largest hiring blitzes in its 100-year history involving 2,100 professional staff vacancies and 850 special agents aimed at filling its most critical vacancies. The agency, which seeks to protect the United States from terrorist attack, fight crime and catch spies, among other duties, said it currently has more than 12,800 agents and about 18,400 other employees. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172297-FBI-plans-large-hiring-blitz-of-agents-experts Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:50:13 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172254-British-Police-set-to-step-up-hacking-of-home-PCs THE Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain routinely to hack into people's personal computers without a warrant. The move, which follows a decision by the European Union's council of ministers in Brussels, has angered civil liberties groups and opposition MPs. They described it as a sinister extension of the surveillance state which drives "a coach and horses" through privacy laws. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172254-British-Police-set-to-step-up-hacking-of-home-PCs Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:26:25 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172220-Law-on-Flu-Vaccinations-May-Be-Tested THE state's new law requiring young children attending licensed pre-school and child care centers to get flu vaccinations will be tested this week when thousands of children return to classrooms and playrooms after the long holiday break. New Jersey, the first state in the nation to require flu shots for young schoolchildren, set a Dec. 31 deadline for parents to obtain flu vaccinations for their children. It was part of a new policy requiring a total of four additional immunizations for schoolchildren over the objections of some parents who worry about possible risks from vaccinations. The requirement applies to children between 6 months and 5 years who are attending licensed day care and preschool programs. State public health experts said that flu shots for young children are important for overall public health. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172220-Law-on-Flu-Vaccinations-May-Be-Tested Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:38:55 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172125-Tasers-will-kill-Australians- Australians will die as a result of being shocked by a Taser, Civil Liberties Australia says, as reports from Amnesty International and the NSW Ombudsman raise concerns about the dangers and potential misuse of the weapon by police. Civil Liberties Australia chief executive Bill Rowlings said Amnesty's report, USA: Less than lethal?, showed Tasers were not ''less-than-lethal'' as they were often described. ''They can be lethal weapons. The problem is you don't know when they're going to be lethal. The police have no way of knowing whether the person is being influenced by prescription drugs, by heart arrhythmia, or whatever,'' he said. ''Undoubtedly, people will die in Australia as the result of the use of these weapons.'' http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172125-Tasers-will-kill-Australians- Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:19:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172035-9-Muslim-Passengers-Removed-From-US-Jet-over-suspicious-remark Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark. Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI. Kashif Irfan, one of the removed passengers, said the incident began about 1 p.m. after his brother, Atif, and his brother's wife wondered aloud about the safest place to sit on an airplane. "My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Irfan said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' I think they were remarking about safety." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172035-9-Muslim-Passengers-Removed-From-US-Jet-over-suspicious-remark Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:46:55 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172025-Search-engines-steal-personal-info Reports say online search engines such as Google store user information to boost internet marketing by best personalizing screen ads. Google is not just a search engine anymore, it is an English verb; a neologism meaning to search for information on the net. A new study, however, shows this virtual oracles and its siblings may know the answer to one's needs before the question is even phrased. Google's annual rundown of popular searched terms, called the "Zeitgeist" list, is at the first glance an innocent archive of a nation's major preoccupations. In 2008, Obama, scientology and java headed the list. "Shouldn't we have qualms about how strangely revealing these records can be when private soul searching questions such as "what is love?" and "what is life?" also appear on the top list?," a Wednesday CNN report asks. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/172025-Search-engines-steal-personal-info Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:01:41 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171931-Canada-Some-Edmonton-police-abandoning-Tasers Some Edmonton police officers have chosen not to carry Tasers because of the controversy the weapons attract, despite believing the devices are valuable tools. While testifying as a witness in a disciplinary hearing for two other officers, Const. Mike Wasylyshen said he has stopped carrying a Taser because of past criticisms. In April 2004, Wasylyshen helped arrest a suspect after a lengthy car chase. While two other officers face disciplinary charges for using their Tasers that night, Wasylyshen chose not to use his. "I had some bad luck with a Taser incident in 2002, to be honest," the officer said when asked why he didn't draw the Taser he had that night. "Using it would have been practical, it would have been justified. I just didn't utilize it. It would be a hassle for me to use it." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171931-Canada-Some-Edmonton-police-abandoning-Tasers Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:45:59 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171926-Australia-Prison-like-Immigration-Facility-Open Refugee rights organisations have criticised the Rudd government's decision to hold suspected asylum seekers in a controversial detention centre on an isolated Australian island in the Indian Ocean. "The decision to open the Christmas Island detention centre, to a significant extent, flies in the face of the reforms that the current minister has developed over the last twelve months," says the CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), Paul Power. An Australian territory, Christmas Island lies 2,600km north-west of the nation's western most city, Perth, and 500 km south of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. The Northwest Point facility, completed earlier this year at an estimated cost of AUD 400 million (276 million US dollars), has a normal operating capacity of 400 people but can accommodate another 400 if required. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171926-Australia-Prison-like-Immigration-Facility-Open Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:31:38 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171912-Man-Gets-6-1-2-Years-In-Prison-for-Airing-Hizbullah-TV NY man admits he helped air Hizbullah TV The Pakistan-born owner of a satellite TV company has pleaded guilty to providing material aid to a terrorist organization by letting customers receive broadcasts from Hizbullah's television station. Javed Iqbal entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday. He declined comment afterward. As part of the plea, Iqbal agreed to serve a prison term of up to six and a half years. Sentencing was set for March 24. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171912-Man-Gets-6-1-2-Years-In-Prison-for-Airing-Hizbullah-TV Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:46:25 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171908-My-Dangerous-Encounter-With-a-Supermarket-Security-Guard-His-Gun 'For the first time in my life, I experienced overwhelming, palpable fear.' Was it a Brink's guard or a Blackwater mercenary pointing his gun at her? For years, since the United States invaded Iraq, I've witnessed countless photo and video images of innocent civilians -- men, women, teens and children -- being rudely and aggressively threatened by hired uniformed militants (mostly men), wielding guns. I've seen these images from Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Haiti, Palestine and more. Whether they be armed American military threatening Iraqis, armed Israeli soldiers threatening Palestinians, or armed Ethiopian troops threatening Somalis, the images have always disturbed me. There's an inherent injustice to such blatant imbalance of power. An injustice I suffered recently myself. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171908-My-Dangerous-Encounter-With-a-Supermarket-Security-Guard-His-Gun Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:25:32 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171889-Private-firm-may-track-all-email-and-calls The private sector will be asked to manage and run a communications database that will keep track of everyone's calls, emails, texts and internet use under a key option contained in a consultation paper to be published next month by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary. A cabinet decision to put the management of the multibillion pound database of all UK communications traffic into private hands would be accompanied by tougher legal safeguards to guarantee against leaks and accidental data losses. But in his strongest criticism yet of the superdatabase, Sir Ken Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions, who has firsthand experience of working with intelligence and law enforcement agencies, told the Guardian such assurances would prove worthless in the long run and warned it would prove a "hellhouse" of personal private information. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171889-Private-firm-may-track-all-email-and-calls Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:51:45 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171840-CCTV-used-to-spy-in-schools-on-pupils-as-young-as-four Big Brother-style CCTV cameras and microphones are being used in schools to "spy" on children as young as four. The surveillance equipment is in use in around 85 primary and secondary schools and colleges across the country. Classwatch, the company behind the system, says it is being used as a way to monitor children who are disrupting lessons. The firm said the equipment, which is sold with evidence bags approved by the Crown Prosecution Service to store material for court cases, can be used to compile "proof" of wrongdoing. The system includes ceiling-mounted microphones and cameras and a hard drive recorder housed in a secure cabinet. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171840-CCTV-used-to-spy-in-schools-on-pupils-as-young-as-four Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:49:41 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171839-A-security-tool-or-the-rat-line-NFL-targeting-the-unruly-fan Count Washington Redskins season-ticket holder Rick Cable as a big supporter of the NFL's new Fan Code of Conduct. During the Redskins' 23-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 3 at FedEx Field just outside Washington, Cable says, an obnoxious Steelers fan kept waving a "Terrible Towel" in the 47-year-old Cable's face and screaming "Redskins suck!" Rather than escalate the confrontation, the Lusby, Md., resident quietly sent a text message to the stadium's security command center. Security people responded quickly. When the Steelers fan gave them a hard time, he was ejected. "It worked great," Cable says. It also reflected how fans are embracing new text-messaging systems that allow fans in NFL stadiums to inconspicuously report drunk or disorderly neighbors without confronting them, a provocative tactic many of the league's 32 teams are using to enforce the conduct code announced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Aug. 5. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171839-A-security-tool-or-the-rat-line-NFL-targeting-the-unruly-fan Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:47:19 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171797-MPAA-Asks-Obama-for-More-Copyright-Surveillance-of-the-Internet As part of their commitment to transparent and open government, the Obama Transition Team is posting the lobbying agendas of the groups it meets with for public review and comment. One of the more interesting documents to be found there is the Motion Picture Association of America's "international trade" agenda. Some of the MPAA's agenda is reasonable, such as cracking down on commercial optical disc piracy. But much of it, if adopted, would result in a substantially less free and safe internet, at little or no actual benefit to the artists and workers the MPAA claims to represent. Of course, this may not be immediately clear when reading the document, since it's all couched in DC lobbyist-speak. Here, then, is a guide to understanding what's really being talked about. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171797-MPAA-Asks-Obama-for-More-Copyright-Surveillance-of-the-Internet Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:45:10 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171775-Switched-Under-Cover-of-Darkness-Literally- Why are news articles purposely being pulled from the media? Who is in charge of deciding why an article is switched/pulled? How often is a piece of news rendered unfit for United States citizen consumption and replaced with or rewritten to include propaganda? A set of articles written by Joe McDonald about China's concerns with the current United States economic situation were replaced with one US-friendly article. Both articles were similar in content. One of them was found on USA Today and the other on the Washington Post; the titles were, respectively, "China urges Washington to protect its investments" and "China tells US to get economy in order". The title of the US-Friendly article, which appeared the next morning on both USA Today and the Washington Post at the link of the original articles, was "China's sinking currency causes tensions with U.S." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171775-Switched-Under-Cover-of-Darkness-Literally- Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:42:13 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171717-Freed-prisoners-could-be-forced-to-give-DNA-samples Former prisoners who have served their sentences and been released could be tracked down and forced to give DNA samples to the police. Government plans to be published in the New Year could also see the police entering jails to take samples from serving prisoners who are not on the National DNA Database. The Home Office is preparing to publish a White Paper proposing major changes to the collection and retention of genetic material from people arrested, charged or convicted. Following a legal victory for civil rights campaigners, the review is likely to lead to time limits on how long profiles of those that heave been arrested but not convicted may be held. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171717-Freed-prisoners-could-be-forced-to-give-DNA-samples Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:59:23 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171670-Most-ER-Personnel-Say-Cops-Use-Excessive-Force But Tasers weren't included in the study. A bunch of readers have sent this story to me today and it fits in quite well with another than that several forwarded to me yesterday. First, we have a vast number of ER docs saying that based upon their observations of injuries, police often use excessive force: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171670-Most-ER-Personnel-Say-Cops-Use-Excessive-Force Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:34:51 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171662-Online-and-in-jail-More-Internet-journalists-jailed-worldwide-than-with-any-other-medium Reflecting the rising influence of online reporting and commentary, more Internet journalists are jailed worldwide today than journalists working in any other medium. In its annual census of imprisoned journalists, released today, the Committee to Protect Journalists found that 45 percent of all media workers jailed worldwide are bloggers, Web-based reporters, or online editors. Online journalists represent the largest professional category for the first time in CPJ's prison census. CPJ's survey found 125 journalists in all behind bars on December 1, a decrease of two from the 2007 tally. (Read detailed accounts of each imprisoned journalist.) China continued to be world's worst jailer of journalists, a dishonor it has held for 10 consecutive years. Cuba, Burma, Eritrea, and Uzbekistan round out the top five jailers from among the 29 nations that imprison journalists. Each of the top five nations has persistently placed among the world's worst in detaining journalists. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171662-Online-and-in-jail-More-Internet-journalists-jailed-worldwide-than-with-any-other-medium Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:59:14 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171654-Vietnam-imposes-new-blogging-restrictions Vietnam has approved new regulations banning bloggers from discussing subjects the government deems sensitive or inappropriate and requiring them to limit their writings to personal issues. The rules ban any posts that undermine national security, incite violence or crime, disclose state secrets, or include inaccurate information that could damage the reputation of individuals and organizations, according to a copy of the regulations obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The rules, which were approved Dec. 18, attempt to rein in Vietnam's booming blogosphere. It has become an alternative source of news for many in the communist country, where the media is state-controlled. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171654-Vietnam-imposes-new-blogging-restrictions Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:01:04 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171602-American-Company-Sells-Sonic-Blasters-to-China After the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the United States took action by imposing a strict arms embargo on China. So how, exactly, was it legal for a U.S. company to sell China a powerful tool to incapacitate and injure protesters in advance of the Olympic Games in Beijing? Reporting from a Beijing police equipment expo in April, journalist David Hambling noticed a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) produced by California-based American Technology Corporation (ATC) on prominent display. The LRAD works by emitting from a dish high-energy acoustic waves that are said to be, at close proximity, louder than a jet engine. It is capable of reaching 150 decibels, enough to incite panic, inflict pain, and even cause hearing loss among large crowds. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171602-American-Company-Sells-Sonic-Blasters-to-China Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:27:07 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171596-UK-Secret-gag-orders-undermine-core-Western-values December the 15th saw a secret UK court hearing, with secret participants, produce a secret order to secretly gag the population, the terms of which are secret and the revelation of which is punishable by upto 10 years of imprisonment. How many of these orders exist is unknowable - we glimpse at the severity of the problem only when the orders are violated. So let's start violating them. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171596-UK-Secret-gag-orders-undermine-core-Western-values Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:44:15 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171556-Everybody-s-a-terrorist-DHS-to-collect-biometric-data-from-green-card-holders The Homeland Security Department has announced plans to expand its biometric data collection program to include foreign permanent residents and refugees. Almost all noncitizens will be required to provide digital fingerprints and a photograph upon entry into the United States as of Jan. 18. A notice in Friday's Federal Register, said expansion of the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US VISIT) will include "nearly all aliens," except Canadian citizens on brief visits. Those categories include permanent residents with green cards, individuals seeking to enter on immigrant visas, and potential refugees. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171556-Everybody-s-a-terrorist-DHS-to-collect-biometric-data-from-green-card-holders Fri, 26 Dec 2008 02:45:25 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171551-Security-Civil-Liberties-Experts-Question-Data-Mining The U.S. Congress should limit government data-mining efforts because some techniques don't work and many raise serious privacy concerns, two experts said Monday. No credible study has found predictive data-mining, which involves combing data for trends to help identify possible terrorists or criminals, to work, said Timothy Sparapani, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). And subject-based data-mining -- using government-held data to investigate known criminals or crimes that have been committed -- can lead government investigators on wild goose chases, he said during a government privacy roundtable hosted by the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171551-Security-Civil-Liberties-Experts-Question-Data-Mining Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:24:37 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171542-Cops-Taser-Man-In-Diabetic-Shock-In-Oklahoma-US An Oklahoma driver ended up on the wrong side of a police taser because a medical condition left him helpless. El Reno police officers approached a vehicle that had spun-out on the interstate. Inside was a man who they thought was drunk or on drugs. The man was wrestled out of his truck on Interstate 40 because he wasn't cooperating with police. Moments later police tazed the man. After several attempts officers were finally able to get the combative man into custody. What they don't realize is the 53-year-old wasn't drunk or on drugs. He's was in severe diabetic shock. In fact, his blood sugar level at the time was 11. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171542-Cops-Taser-Man-In-Diabetic-Shock-In-Oklahoma-US Thu, 25 Dec 2008 23:34:17 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171530-Feds-consider-searches-of-terrorism-blogs WASHINGTON - The Homeland Security Department may soon start scouring the Internet to find blogs and message boards that terrorists use to plan attacks in the USA. The effort comes as researchers are seeing terrorists increasingly use the Internet to plan bombings, recruit members and spread propaganda. "Blogging and message boards have played a substantial role in allowing communication among those who would do the United States harm," the department said in a recent notice. Homeland Security officials are looking for companies to search the Internet for postings "in near to real-time which precede" an attack, particularly a bombing. Bombings are "of great concern" because terrorists can easily get materials and make an improvised-explosive device (IED), the department said. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171530-Feds-consider-searches-of-terrorism-blogs Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:56:43 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171516-Hysteria-Alert-Clown-strip-searched-by-airport-security-for-being-a-terror-threat A clown was strip searched by airport guards who thought he was a security risk, the Daily Express reports. Dave Vaughan was in his full clown's outfit, including a red nose, huge comedy shoes and a flashing police helmet, when he was hauled off for questioning. Plastic toy handcuffs that he bought to use in his act as comedy policeman PC Konk were scatted after being deemed a terrorist threat. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171516-Hysteria-Alert-Clown-strip-searched-by-airport-security-for-being-a-terror-threat Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:57:33 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171494-US-Police-will-get-pain-beam-laser-weapons The research arm of the US Department of Justice is working on two portable non-lethal weapons that inflict pain from a distance using beams of laser light or microwaves, with the intention of putting them into the hands of police to subdue suspects. Comment: To subdue suspects, or to use in crowd control? The two devices under development by the civilian National Institute of Justice both build on knowledge gained from the Pentagon's controversial Active Denial System (ADS) - first demonstrated in public last year, which uses a 2-metre beam of short microwaves to heat up the outer layer of a person's skin and cause pain. 'Reduced injuries' Like the ADS, the new portable devices will also heat the skin, but will have beams only a few centimetres across. They are designed to elicit what the Pentagon calls a "repel response" - a strong urge to escape from the beam. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171494-US-Police-will-get-pain-beam-laser-weapons Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:07:54 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171499-Kenya-Press-Freedom-Going-Going-Gone Dark clouds are forming against freedom of expression in Kenya, following the recent passing of a controversial Bill by parliament. The Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill, awaiting presidential assent to become law, gives the state powers to invade media houses, seize broadcast equipment, control broadcast content, even taking a station off air. Described by critics as draconian and retrogressive, the law confers new powers on the minister for internal security to raid a media house and confiscate broadcast equipment during a state of emergency. It also bestows sweeping powers on the minister for information and broadcasting to control every aspect of the country's media and communication sector, putting to risk the independence of the media. In addition, the Bill gives the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), a state agency, extreme powers to regulate the media, contrary to the much supported principle of self-regulation of the media in a democratic state. This is causing discomfort among media practitioners who say media regulation is a task already being performed by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), an independent professional body. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171499-Kenya-Press-Freedom-Going-Going-Gone Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:44:55 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171492-The-Timeline-of-the-Human-Microchip Most people think that microchip technology is a fairly new technological advance. However, in researching this field, one will note that though the implants were larger, there has been indisputable use of the technology since the 50's and 60's of the last century. Let me share the short list of those who have been active in promoting and using chipping as a tool and especially in the forefront of mind control: Jose Delgado a neuroscientist whose claim to fame was being able to use radio waves as a tool to control behavior. His most notable work was recorded on video as he successfully kept a bull bent on goring him in a bullfighting ring from physical contact of any kind simply by a turn of a knob on his machine which he held in his hand. Delgado wired a bull with the 'stimoceiver' a miniature depth electrode which can receive and transmit electronic signals over FM radio waves. Delgado's Physical Control of The Mind: Toward a Psychocivilised Society is a published work which has long been used in the psychiatric field as a journal of pioneering work in the field of electro-stimulation of the brain. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171492-The-Timeline-of-the-Human-Microchip Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:26:30 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171491-Top-25-Censored-Stories-for-2009 # 1. Over One Million Iraqi Deaths Caused by US Occupation # 2. Security and Prosperity Partnership: Militarized NAFTA # 3. InfraGard: The FBI Deputizes Business # 4. ILEA: Is the US Restarting Dirty Wars in Latin America? # 5. Seizing War Protesters' Assets # 6. The Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act # 7. Guest Workers Inc.: Fraud and Human Trafficking # 8. Executive Orders Can Be Changed Secretly # 9. Iraq and Afghanistan Vets Testify # 10. APA Complicit in CIA Torture http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171491-Top-25-Censored-Stories-for-2009 Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:09:26 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171472-US-Police-use-excessive-force-ER-docs-say New York - In a survey of a random sample of U.S. emergency physicians, virtually all said they believed that law enforcement officers use excessive force to arrest and detain suspects. The sample included 315 respondents. While 99.8 percent believed excessive force is used, almost as many (97.8 percent) reported that they had managed cases that they suspected or that the patient stated had involved excessive use of force by law enforcement officers. Nearly two thirds (65.3 percent) estimated that they had treated two or more cases of suspected excessive use of force per year among their patients, according to a report of the survey published in the January 2009 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171472-US-Police-use-excessive-force-ER-docs-say Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:53:11 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171446-The-7-Dumbest-Things-Ever-Done-by-Airport-Security If there's one holiday ritual we all know and hate, it's that yearly trip to the airport, where the friendly security man awaits with his X-ray machine, his metal detector and possibly a well-lubed rubber glove. While none of us want to spend the holidays involved in a terrorist incident (unless you're living in the Die Hard universe), you have to admit that sometimes security gets a little out of hand. And then there are horror stories like... http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171446-The-7-Dumbest-Things-Ever-Done-by-Airport-Security Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:17:12 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171420-Naked-woman-tased-by-police-officer Panama City - A Beach police officer tased a naked woman after responding to a complaint of a disturbance along Front Beach Road on Saturday. Just after midnight Saturday morning, a Bay County Sheriff's deputy responding to a complaint of a verbal disturbance saw a woman leaving an apartment wearing no clothes. She started walking toward him, and he told her to stop. He could see into the apartment, and he noticed two men coming from the hallway into the living room area. He told them to lie face-down on the floor, and they complied. Just then, a Panama City Beach police officer arrived. The deputy told him to watch the woman while he secured the two men inside. The deputy reported hearing the officer tell the woman, "Stop, or I will tase you." The woman kept approaching the officer, according to the report, which says the officer then "deployed his taser into" the woman. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171420-Naked-woman-tased-by-police-officer Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:33:27 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171408-FBI-taps-cell-phone-mic-as-eavesdropping-tool The FBI appears to have begun using a novel form of electronic surveillance in criminal investigations: remotely activating a mobile phone's microphone and using it to eavesdrop on nearby conversations. The technique is called a "roving bug," and was approved by top U.S. Department of Justice officials for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques such as tailing a suspect or wiretapping him. Nextel cell phones owned by two alleged mobsters, John Ardito and his attorney Peter Peluso, were used by the FBI to listen in on nearby conversations. The FBI views Ardito as one of the most powerful men in the Genovese family, a major part of the national Mafia. The surveillance technique came to light in an opinion published this week by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. He ruled that the "roving bug" was legal because federal wiretapping law is broad enough to permit eavesdropping even of conversations that take place near a suspect's cell phone. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171408-FBI-taps-cell-phone-mic-as-eavesdropping-tool Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:01:00 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171372-GPS-tracking-of-high-credit-risk-drivers-Good-practice-or-privacy-violation- There was a story on ABC's Good Morning America on Friday about some car dealers in Oregon installing hidden GPS tracking devices in vehicles sold to individuals with poor or downright bad credit. The rationale apparently is that the devices would help the dealers quickly track down and repossess their vehicles in the event that a customer defaulted on payments. According to the report, the devices are often installed in an undisclosed location in the vehicle because the dealers don't want customers disabling or tampering with them. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171372-GPS-tracking-of-high-credit-risk-drivers-Good-practice-or-privacy-violation- Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:03:11 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171328-Russia-riot-police-detain-100-at-crisis-protest Vladivostok - Russian riot police detained at least 100 people on Sunday protesting government measures linked to the economic crisis, a crackdown that highlighted official sensitivity to growing hardship. Protests took place across Russia against car import tariffs, which are being raised to prop up car producers and discourage Russians from buying second-hand vehicles. In the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, 6,000 km (3,750 miles) east of Moscow, riot police broke up an unsanctioned rally organized against the duties, kicked a protester as he was being held and hurled a cameraman's gear to the ground. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171328-Russia-riot-police-detain-100-at-crisis-protest Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:15:01 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171324-Creating-a-nation-of-zombies The Chemical Dumbing Down of America http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171324-Creating-a-nation-of-zombies Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:57:48 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171251-Private-Police-State-UK-Bailiffs-get-power-to-use-force-on-debtors The government has been accused of trampling on individual liberties by proposing wide-ranging new powers for bailiffs to break into homes and to use "reasonable force" against householders who try to protect their valuables. Under the regulations, bailiffs for private firms would for the first time be given permission to restrain or pin down householders. They would also be able to force their way into homes to seize property to pay off debts, such as unpaid credit card bills and loans. The government, which wants to crack down on people who evade debts, says the new powers would be overseen by a robust industry watchdog. However, the laws are being criticised as the latest erosion of the rights of the householder in his own home. "These laws strip away tried and tested protections that make a person's home his castle, and which have stood for centuries," said Paul Nicolson, chairman of the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust, a London-based welfare charity. "They could clearly lead to violent confrontations and undermine fundamental liberties." http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171251-Private-Police-State-UK-Bailiffs-get-power-to-use-force-on-debtors Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:54:46 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171224-Group-asks-Google-to-stop-map-image-service Tokyo - A group of Japanese lawyers and professors asked on Friday that Google Inc stop providing detailed street-level images of Japanese cities on the Internet, saying they violated privacy rights. Google's Street View offers ground-level, 360-degree views of streets in 12 Japanese cities and is also offered for some 50 cities in the United States and certain areas in Europe. The service allows Web users to drive down a street, in a virtual sense, using their mouse to adjust views of roadside scenery. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171224-Group-asks-Google-to-stop-map-image-service Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:39:52 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171221-China-blocks-access-to-New-York-Times-Web-site BEIJING (AP) - China has blocked access to the New York Times Web site, the newspaper said Saturday, days after the central government defended its right to censor online content it deems illegal. Computer users who logged on in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou received a message that the site was not available when they tried to connect on Friday morning, the paper said. Some users were cut of as early as Thursday evening, it said. The Web site remained inaccessible from Beijing Saturday. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171221-China-blocks-access-to-New-York-Times-Web-site Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:40:48 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171218-The-Bill-Nobody-Noticed-National-DNA-Databank In April of 2008, President Bush signed into law S.1858 which allows the federal government to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. This was to be implemented within 6 months meaning that this collection is now being carried out. Congressman Ron Paul states that this bill is the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database. S.1858, known as The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007, is justified as a "national contingency plan" in that it represents preparation for any sort of public health emergency. The bill states that the federal government should "continue to carry out, coordinate, and expand research in newborn screening" and "maintain a central clearinghouse of current information on newborn screening... ensuring that the clearinghouse is available on the Internet and is updated at least quarterly". Sections of the bill also make it clear that DNA may be used in genetic experiments and tests. Read the full bill. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171218-The-Bill-Nobody-Noticed-National-DNA-Databank Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:38:55 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171201-Student-Sentenced-to-15-Years-for-YouTube-Terror-Video An Egyptian engineering student was sentenced in the United States on Thursday to 15 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to uploading a 12-minute video to YouTube that demonstrated how to convert a remote-control toy car into a bomb detonator. In June, Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 27, pleaded guilty in a Florida federal court to one count of providing material support to terrorists. He was a student at the University of South Florida. South Carolina authorities said they found various bomb-making materials in the vehicle he was driving when he was pulled over last year. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171201-Student-Sentenced-to-15-Years-for-YouTube-Terror-Video Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:20:19 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171196-Shanghai-trains-to-get-surveillance-cameras-and-as-always-it-s-a-good-thing In a bid to curb pick pocketing in subways, all local trains in Shanghai will be fitted with surveillance cameras by the end of 2009, the police said Wednesday. "Each subway car will be installed with three cameras and each train with about 20 cameras. The aim is to leave no chance for pickpockets to get away," Feng Bo, an official of the rail traffic department of Shanghai's municipal public security bureau, was quoted as saying by a local news portal. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171196-Shanghai-trains-to-get-surveillance-cameras-and-as-always-it-s-a-good-thing Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:11:29 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171185-UK-Teachers-to-Get-Role-Model-Code Teachers in England will have to act as "role models" both in and out of school under a proposed new code of conduct. They could face losing their status if they get drunk and into arguments while out socialising, or do not get help for drink or drug problems. The draft code has been published by the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE). GTCE chief executive Keith Bartley said the code set out to teachers that they had to consider their place in society. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171185-UK-Teachers-to-Get-Role-Model-Code Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:54:39 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171145-South-African-DNA-database-No-place-to-hide-for-criminals-Normal-people-will-be-next Violent criminals - and particularly rapists and murderers - will have no place to hide when a proposed new national DNA database becomes operational. The new DNA Bill, recently approved by the cabinet, will allow for either saliva swabs or blood from a finger prick to be taken by a police official, whereas, currently, it may be done only by a medical doctor. This will greatly increase the numbers of DNA samples available for comparison and cross-matching. Law enforcement officials believe this will enable them to solve many outstanding violence or sexual assault cases, which, in this country, are frequently repeat offences. Also, because experience abroad has shown that offenders plead guilty when confronted with DNA evidence, there are hopes that prosecutions could be speeded up. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171145-South-African-DNA-database-No-place-to-hide-for-criminals-Normal-people-will-be-next Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:21:17 +0000 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171034-German-Journalists-Worry-Big-Brother-Law-Will-Kill-Press-Freedom A new law working its way toward passage in Germany has journalists worried. Certain provisions, they say, could eliminate the ability for reporters to protect their sources. Still, the measure is likely to go into effect early next year. It has been called the "Big Brother" law in the German media due to its provisions allowing online and telephone surveillance. The Interior Ministry in Berlin describes it as a necessary step to protect the country from the dangers of international terrorism. But journalists in Germany see the bill -- currently in the parliament's arbitration committee after having failed to get through the country's upper legislative chamber, the Bundesrat, in November -- in a different light. They are concerned the law would make it much easier for investigators to spy on reporters without their knowledge, giving the state access to both their computer files and their sources. That, they say, represents an unacceptable attack on freedom of the press in Germany. Publishers, journalists and media lawyers are up in arms. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/171034-German-Journalists-Worry-Big-Brother-Law-Will-Kill-Press-Freedom Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:43:18 +0000