SpaceWar Oct 16, 2015: Beijing warns against South China Sea moves; Chinese admiral in Iran; Russia, US nearing deal on crowded Syria skies...

October 16, 2015

Beijing warns against US South China Sea move Beijing (AFP) Oct 15, 2015 - Beijing warned Thursday that it would "firmly oppose" infringement of its sovereignty after indications Washington will soon send warships close to its artificial islands in the South China Sea. Tensions have mounted since China transformed reefs in the area - also claimed by several neighbouring countries - into small islands capable of supporting military facilities, a move that the US s ... more

Japan, China must move on from 'excessive focus' on past: Abe Tokyo (AFP) Oct 14, 2015 - Japan's premier Wednesday said his country's relationship with China must move away from an "excessive focus" on the past during a meeting with a top Beijing envoy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the remarks to State Councillor Yang Jiechi, the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat to make an official trip to Tokyo for several years, a senior Japanese government official said. His visit signa ...more

Chinese admiral in Iran calls for closer defence ties Tehran (AFP) Oct 15, 2015 - China wants to strengthen military ties with Iran, a senior Chinese admiral said Thursday, three months after Tehran sealed a deal with world powers over its nuclear programme. Sun Jianguo made the remarks to Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan during a visit to Tehran, China's defence ministry said in statement, noting that he hoped to continue pushing forward military relations betwee ... more

Russia, US nearing deal on crowded Syria skies Beirut (AFP) Oct 14, 2015 - Russia and the United States said Wednesday that they were close to agreeing a deal to avoid clashes between their warplanes over Syria, as regime forces bombarded rebels near Damascus. Fighting was also reported on the ground in the northern city of Aleppo, where jihadists from the Islamic State group were advancing against rebels. Talks by videoconference Wednesday came after US and Ru ... more

Russian Rocket Engine Delivery to China May Be Agreed by December Harbin, China (Sputnik) Oct 13, 2015 - Russia may sign a rocket engine delivery agreement with China during Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's visit in mid-December, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Monday. "We are talking about an agreement to deliver Russian rocket engines to China, as well as counter deliveries of Chinese microelectronics we need in spacecraft development," Rogozin said after meeting Chinese V ... more

SMC Stands Up New Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate Los Angeles AFB CA (AFNS) Oct 16, 2015 - The Space and Missile Systems Center's newest directorate, the Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate (SMC/LE), stood up at a ceremony held at Los Angeles Air Force Base on Oct. 14. Under the leadership of Dr. Claire Leon, the new directorate brings together the Launch Systems Directorate and the Rocket Systems Launch Program (which formerly fell under SMC's Advance Systems and Development Direct ... more

Advanced Airborne Networking Capabilities Sought for Hostile Environments Washington DC (SPX) Oct 16, 2015 - Modern airborne warfare is becoming increasingly complex, with manned and unmanned systems having to rapidly share information in a volatile environment where adversaries use advanced, commercially available electronic systems to disrupt U.S. and allied communications. Complicating the communications challenge for allied warfighters, many current airborne radio networks are incompatible wi ... more

China orders academics to push Communist doctrine online Beijing (AFP) Oct 15, 2015 - Chinese academics will be required to promote Communist party doctrine on the Internet, state-run media said Thursday, with promotions dependent on their ability to guide political discussions online. New guidelines from the country's education ministry call on teachers of political doctrine to promote "core socialist values" on social media, the state-run Global Times said. The move is ... more

Britain's Charles to skip banquet with Chinese president London (AFP) Oct 14, 2015 - Britain's Prince Charles is to skip a state banquet during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, the office of the heir to the throne said on Wednesday. The Prince of Wales will hold "one-to-one talks" with the president but will not attend the banquet, to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Charles is a supporter of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader whom Chin ...more

Montenegro PM optimistic over bid to join NATO this year Podgorica, Montenegro (AFP) Oct 15, 2015 - Montenegro's premier expressed optimism Thursday that the tiny Balkan country would join NATO by the year's end, after the chief of the military alliance visited Podgorica and commended its reforms. At the end of a two-day visit by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said he was "full of optimism... that Montenegro hopefully will be invited to join NATO as ...more

CubeSat Launchers Expected to Open Research Opportunities for All Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Oct 15, 2015 - NASA opened a new avenue for exploration and technology development with awards to three companies to launch missions dedicated to CubeSats. The tiny, box-shaped spacecraft have emerged in the last 16 years as a quick, viable way to test components and techniques that, if proven, can be applied to much larger missions where the stakes are far greater than a simple, 4-inch cube. The price tag for ... more

Ascent Trajectories and the Gravity Turn Bethesda MD (SPX) Oct 14, 2015 - Almost all space launch vehicles liftoff from the ground in the vertical direction and continue to orbit along an ascent trajectory that is usually optimized for the conditions in order to maximize performance while maintaining conservative safety margins. The actual shape of the path to orbit is influenced by a number of factors, including winds and the desired payload injection parameters. ... more

Iridium Certus delivers latest Broadband developer kits to manufacturers McLean VA (SPX) Oct 14, 2015 - Iridium Communications has announced the availability of its next-generation broadband technology to manufacturing partners, to assist in their development of the first Iridium Certus broadband terminals, which will operate over the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. Functional terminal prototypes using these Iridium broadband core transceiver (BCX) modules, are expected to begin end-to ... more

Obama abandons pledge to pull troops from Afghanistan Washington (AFP) Oct 15, 2015 - President Barack Obama on Thursday announced thousands of US troops will remain in Afghanistan past 2016, retreating from a major campaign pledge as he admitted Afghan forces are not ready to stand alone. Calling his decision to keep a 9,800-strong US force in Afghanistan through much of next year "the right thing to do," Obama acknowledged "Afghan forces are still not as strong as they need ... more

Pakistan deploys 10,000 troops to prevent sectarian violence Islamabad (AFP) Oct 14, 2015 - Pakistan is deploying some 10,000 troops and 6,000 paramilitary members to prevent sectarian violence during the holy month of Moharram, the interior minister said Wednesday. Moharram, which begins on Thursday and sees Shiites hold gatherings and processions to mourn the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussain, is frequently marred by sectarian violence, which has risen mar ... more

UN urges Iraq's feuding Kurds to respect democracy Baghdad (AFP) Oct 14, 2015 - Political parties in Iraq's Kurdish region, whose president's mandate expired in August, should respect democratic principles, the top UN envoy said Wednesday. Jan Kubis' warning came after a week that saw protests against regional president Massud Barzani turn violent and the leading opposition party kicked out of government. What started as demonstrations over unpaid salaries in region ... more

Iraqi forces in major push against IS jihadists Baghdad (AFP) Oct 15, 2015 - Iraqi forces battled the Islamic State jihadist group on separate fronts Thursday, ramping up operations to retake Baiji and Ramadi, two of the conflict's worst flashpoints. The Baiji area has seen almost uninterrupted fighting since IS swept across Iraq last year, but top officers said Thursday the Baiji refinery, the country's largest, was almost secure. There were contradictory statem ... more

Iraq says assault to retake IS-held Ramadi looming Baghdad (AFP) Oct 14, 2015 - Iraqi forces have made significant advances around Ramadi, and an operation is looming to retake the city, captured by the Islamic State jihadist group in May, officers said Wednesday. A similar advance was also reported on the Baiji front, with Iraqi forces retaking parts of the country's largest refinery and pushing north. "Great people, the hour of victory against the Daesh (IS) crimi ... more

Pentagon chief: US not leaving Afghanistan Washington (AFP) Oct 14, 2015 - US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday indicated the United States would maintain extra troops in Afghanistan beyond the end of next year. Under current plans, the United States will draw-down its troop numbers by the end of 2016 from about 10,000 currently to a crew of only about 1,000. Echoing remarks he made at a NATO meeting in Brussels last week, Carter said it was importan ... more

America's 14 years in the Afghan quagmire Washington (AFP) Oct 15, 2015 - America's longest war began in Afghanistan 14 years ago, sucking in hundreds of thousands of troops and costing Washington billions of dollars and huge political capital. President Barack Obama's announcement on Thursday he was delaying the pullout of US troops beyond 2016 marks the umpteenth change of strategy aimed at stopping the Afghan quagmire from turning into an all-out military fias ... more

Translated video: Audio released of Chapo's escape...

Borderland Beat

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Translated video: Audio released of Chapo's escape Posted: 15 Oct 2015 10:46 AM PDT by Lucio R. for Borderland Beat written using material from  Televisa, Monitor Expresso. Ed Oak This is a video of the moment when the capo exited his cell, a video with sound; these are previously unpublished  of what happened before, during and after the flight. Opening the escape hatch and Chapo disappears July 11, 2015, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is laying in his Altiplano prison cell  watching mini TV. He raises the audio to a loud level. Five minutes later he arises and changes channels. Next one can actually hear the sound of construction coming from within the tunnel. Despite the undeniable sound of something happening in the tunnel, the monitoring center is manned by federal agents, no one reacts. Loud hammering and sawing can be heard multiple times within five minutes. Hammering is heard at least four times within five minutes, despite this unusual sound, agents do not react, or activate alarm. (20:49 or 8:49 PM) Chapo stretches raises up from his cell bed and walks over to the latrine. (20:50) Chapo once again approaches the shower area and a noise is heard, like something heavy being pushed and heard and other noises.  A voice is heard from the hole He returns to the cell cot and changes his shoes. At 8:53 PM he disappears into the hole.  Reaction of guards  At the monitoring center no one reacts to what has occurred.  25 minutes after Chapo’s flight, Federal Police gather in front of two screens and talk, but without showing alarm.  (Officials estimate that the defendant took about 15 minutes to travel through the tunnel.) Vicente Flores Hernández, boss of the monitoring area ,sent two guards to the cell.  They are Juan Ignacio Cuarenta Orozco and  Esteban Estrada Ramírez. (seen in mugshots in video) They arrive at 9:18 and shout his name: "Guzmán Loera... Guzmán Loera... Guzmán Loera...". Less than a minute later, the guards appear in view, they do not go into the cell, rather they stay outside the cell and look in and speak into the radio.  Comandante You hear me? (to the commander at the monitoring center)What happened? (he answers)There is a hole the shower.What?There a hole in the shower, commander, there is a hole in the shower.”“There is a hole?”“Confirm, confirm, there is a hole in the drain area” .“How big?”“Very big Commander, big ...“Hey, but is the inmate there?”“No Commander, he is not.” inaudible.“Quickly as possible, so he won’t go…” (Meaning won’t leave the area and get completely away”). Guards leave Inmates panic   At 9 hours 22 minutes and 54 seconds an unidentified voice called from the distance to "El Chapo"  addressing him with respect, using the term “Don”:  "... Don Joaquin Don Joaquin Don Joaquin ...". A minute later, the bars of adjacent cells begin to be beaten, the reason is unclear but it is expected other inmates made the commotion to attract prison personnel,  because they thought something had happened to Chapo, or that he was very ill, and he was being left to die. They began screaming profanity... “Come officer to 20!!”   (Number 20 is Chapo’s cell).“Don’t be fucking around assholes!” “Bring first aide, do your job”  A guard requests the cell be opened. He is allowed access but the inmates continue to curse at the guards and beat on cell bars for several  minutes.  Not until 9:29 do two guards enter Chapo’s now empty cell.  Two enter the hole, while in the distance the cries continue. Another federal police  enters the cell and remains in the shower area. Radio communication continues at 9:31  “Jefe, There is an opening but is sealed on the other end.” Immediately a series of poundings are heard. These were made by federal elements attempting to remove a lock left by Guzman Loera and his accomplices to construct an additional barrier allowing optimal time to escape.  The red code was not activated for nearly three hours.

(516) 453-6886: PHISHING SCAM? DECEPTIVE MARKETING PRACTICE? CLIMATE CHANGE: CUOMO CHEATS CITIZENS OUT OF FAIR SERVICES ORWELL WAS RIGHT: PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT REDEFINITIONS...

One Citizen Speaking...

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• (516) 453-6886: PHISHING SCAM? DECEPTIVE MARKETING PRACTICE?
• CLIMATE CHANGE: CUOMO CHEATS CITIZENS OUT OF FAIR SERVICES
• ORWELL WAS RIGHT: PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT REDEFINITIONS

(516) 453-6886: PHISHING SCAM? DECEPTIVE MARKETING PRACTICE? Posted: 15 Oct 2015 05:48 PM PDT Today I received a call from someone with an Indian accent who identified himself as “technical support” and  informed me that my computer was not receiving Microsoft updates and he would be pleased to help if I opened my computer. The caller-id said “New York Call.” My next question was to ask him the identification number of my computer or the GUID (Globally Unique IDentification) associated with the operating system. Of course, he could not provide the number and I ended the call. I used the call-back feature and found pretty much the standard interactive voice menu system and “option 4” was an interesting choice as it lead me to the regulatory agencies that govern their “industry” Considering that I am on the “Do Not Call” list, this is a clear violation of telemarketing practices. Best Practices: Hang up and remember the Better Business Bureau Motto: Investigate Before You Invest. -- steve

CLIMATE CHANGE: CUOMO CHEATS CITIZENS OUT OF FAIR SERVICES Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:12 PM PDT Once again we find corrupt self-serving, and dishonest progressive socialist democrats seeking to feather their own nest at the expense of the consumer/taxpayer …  Climate of Corruption with Andrew Cuomo and Al Gore    Cuomo paid state workers to fill seats at climate change event Gov. Andrew Cuomo wasn’t taking any chances that there might be empty seats at a speech he delivered last week on climate change — so state workers were summoned on the taxpayer dime to fill the audience, The Post has learned. The workers said they left their jobs in the middle of the day Thursday and were paid their full salaries to hear Cuomo at Columbia University announce the state was joining a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If they watched Cuomo, they could go home afterward instead of returning to work.  Source: Cuomo paid state workers to fill seats at climate change event | New York Post Bottom line … It is not so much that employees are squandering time in which they could be performing public services, but that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to government waste, fraud, and abuse within the system. The public employee unions have negotiated with politicians who are beholden to them for campaign contributions and voter supper to include onerous work rules which inflate pensions. All the while the politicians only fund a portion of these pensions and kick the unfunded pension liabilities down the road. Time to eliminate progressive socialist democrat politicians and their progressive unions lest they continue to bankrupt our cities, counties, states, and our nation. We are so screwed. -- steve

ORWELL WAS RIGHT: PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT REDEFINITIONS Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:13 PM PDT Someone on the net has a sense of humor … Just because you are standing in a garage does not make you a car …. or standing in the Oval Office makes you a President.

Why 6 Government-Funded Insurance Companies Created Under Obamacare Collapsed...

Oct. 16, 2015
NEWS Why 6 Government-Funded Insurance Companies Created Under Obamacare Collapsed Over the last 10 months, six Obamacare co-ops, which collectively received nearly $762 million from the federal government, announced they’re closing their doors and pulling out of the insurance market for 2016. Read More
NEWS The Daring Escape From a North Korean Prison That Took One Life but Saved Another Speaking to The Daily Signal from the Demilitarized Zone, Shin Dong-hyuk reveals the scars that he suffered as he squeezed through the highly electrified fence that was designed to block him from the outside world since his birth in prison in 1982. Watch the Video
NEWS Conservative Freedom Caucus Promises to Keep Pressure on Boehner During Debt Ceiling Debate "Legislation to raise the debt ceiling should include reforms that begin the long process of reining in our out-of-control spending," Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, told The Daily Signal. Read More
COMMENTARY John Bolton on the Biggest National Security Crisis Facing the Next President The Daily Signal's Genevieve Wood sat down with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton to talk national security, the Middle East, and what questions 2016 candidates should have to answer. Watch the Interview
COMMENTARY How Social Security's Current Way of Calculating Cost of Living Hurts Taxpayers Lost in the discussion over the fact that Social Security recipients won't get a boost in their benefits next year is that the government's way of calculating cost of living is problematic. Read More
NEWS Food Stamp Recipients in Maine Have Decreased by 22% Since 2012. Here's Why. Is this a roadmap for other states? Read More

Palestinian and Western Leaders: Blood on Their Hands by Richard Kemp  •  October 16, 2015 at 5:00 am Secretary Kerry's comments will encourage the continuation of violence and lead to further deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians. His explanation for the widespread knifings, suicide bombings, shootings, arson, firebombings, vehicle attacks and lethal rock-throwing is either naive or mendacious; perhaps both. Kerry asserts that the frustrations of Israeli settlement activity are responsible for the Palestinians' murderous behaviour. The reality is that this new wave of killings is a continuation of the aggression against Jews that has been going on in the territory of Palestine for many decades -- since long before 1948 and pre-dating the first Israeli settlements in the West Bank that Kerry falsely brands as illegal. The violence is motivated by the same racist and sectarian zeal that drives the Islamic State and numerous Arab governments and jihadist groups that have sought to eradicate the presence of "infidels," whether Jews, Christians or Yazidis, from land that they consider the exclusive preserve of Muslims. Palestinian children are taught that Jews are descended from apes and pigs and must be killed before their "filthy feet" desecrate the holy places of Islam -- in the words of President Abbas. Secretary Kerry, the UN, and the EU should be discouraging further violence by condemnation and by meaningful threats of sanction against the Palestinian Authority leadership. The international community has encouraged Hamas's illegal use of human shields and berated Israel for defending itself and for inflicting civilian casualties, which were in reality the unavoidable consequence of Hamas's unprovoked aggression and its way of fighting from within private houses, schools, hospitals and mosques. This encouragement of Hamas violence, especially the effectiveness of its human shield strategy, did not go unnoticed by other Islamist terrorist groups. That is also what Hizballah wants: the wholesale deaths of their own people as a trigger for unbearable international pressure against Israel. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has shockingly justified the latest Palestinian murder campaign in Israel. His comments this week at Harvard University will encourage the continuation of violence and lead to further deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians. Secretary Kerry's remarks are particularly troubling because it is unimaginable that he would provide such justification other than for the killing of Israelis. His explanation for the widespread knifings, suicide bombings, shootings, arson, firebombings, vehicle attacks and lethal rock-throwing is either naive or mendacious; perhaps both. He asserts that the frustrations of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank are responsible for the Palestinians' murderous behaviour. Of course this is nonsense. Continue Reading Article

The Mystery Behind El Salvador's IEDs A string of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have El Salvador's authorities searching for culprits and motives behind the attacks...

Weekly InSight | 16 October 2015 News Analysis The Mystery Behind El Salvador's IEDs A string of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have El Salvador's authorities searching for culprits and motives behind the attacks.    Read More

Searching for Accurate Homicide Data: Latin America's 'El Dorado' How Illegal Diamond Mining Threatens Brazil's Indigenous Communities El Salvador's Military Wants Compensation for Security Risks For El Salvador Funeral Homes, Business is Booming

News Mexico Seeks New Approach to Tackling Environmental Crime DEA Lays Out New Dynamic for Regional Heroin Trafficking São Paulo Arrests Point to New Cycle of Revenge Killings Guatemala Criminal Profits May Not Amount to Much Honduras Begins Seizing Assets of Accused Elites Mexico Govt Ignoring Internal Displacement: Report More News Multimedia InSight Crime podcast on why homicides are so difficult to register, and what the discrepancies in the data say about security trends across Latin America. Read More Photo of a cemetery in El Salvador, where the funeral home business is booming this year due to record levels of violence. Read More

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