Sonic device deployed in London during Olympics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18042528
The American-made Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) can be used to send verbal warnings over a long distance or emit a beam of pain-inducing tones.
The equipment was spotted fixed to a landing craft on the Thames at Westminster this week.
The manufacturer denies it is a weapon and the MoD said it would be used “primarily in the loud hailer mode”.
Chicago police bulk up with $1m in riot gear for ’peaceful’ Nato summit protests
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/11/nato-protests-chicago-police-riot-gear
LRADs have been purchased by the US army and navy, and have also been used in commercial shipping as an attempt to drive away pirates. The device was first used at a protest in the US at the G20 Pittsburgh summit in September 2009, however there are ongoing complaints that its use there caused some people to suffer permanent damage.
Karen Piper, a university lecturer, claims she suffered irreversible hearing damage that day, and is currently bringing a legal case against the city of Pittsburgh. “This is a device that has the capability to inflict permanent hearing loss on people,” Piper’s lawyer, Vic Walczak, told the Guardian, adding that the device is “more dangerous than a Taser”.
“We don’t believe it should be used against demonstrators. It should not be used outside the battlefield.”
#INVISIBLECHILDREN ET SON #BUZZ " #KONY2012 "
http://www.argotheme.com/organecyberpresse/spip.php?article1219
De l’ #enfance #ougandaise va-t-on regarder la marmaille #palestinienne ?
Depuis 26 ans le #conflit ougandais, opposant une rébellion baptisée « l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur ( #LRA ) », vient de vivre sa mise en exergue dans l’opinion mondiale avec une #vidéo diffusée sur le #Web. Intitulée « Kony 2012 », le petit #film est vite devenu un buzz avec 65 millions de consultations en l’espace de seulement 4 jours.
RDC : L’ONU et l’UA déterminées à mettre la #LRA hors d’état de nuire - Afriquinfos
http://www.afriquinfos.com/articles/2012/4/12/lonu-lua-determinees-mettre-hors-detat-nuire-200408.asp
Les Nations Unies et l’Union Africaine (UA) réaffirment leur détermination à mettre l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA) hors d’état de nuire, grâce à la force mixte mise sur pied dont l’état-major est basé à Yambio, au Soudan du Sud, ont confié à la presse, mercredi à Kinshasa, le représentant spécial du secrétaire général de l’ONU et chef du Bureau régional des Nations Unies pour l’Afrique centrale (UNOCA), Abou Moussa, et l’envoyé spécial de l’UA pour la question de la LRA, Francisco Madeira.
#INVISIBLE #CHILDREN ET SON #BUZZ #KONY2012
De l #enfance #ougandaise va-t-on regarder la marmaille #palestinienne ?
Depuis 26 ans le conflit ougandais, opposant une rébellion baptisée « l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur ( #LRA ) », vient de vivre sa mise en exergue dans l’opinion mondiale avec une vidéo diffusée sur le Web. Intitulée « Kony 2012 », le petit film est vite devenu un buzz avec 65 millions de consultations en l’espace de seulement 4 jours.
La 1ere vidéo +++ de 65 000 000 de visionnages #YOUTUBE en une semaine
A video calling to bring a notorious Ugandan warlord to justice has gone massively viral online, but serious concerns have also been raised about the group responsible for posting it.
« Critics point out that the campaign calls on the public to pressure the US to continue working with the Ugandan military, an organisation that has its own record of abuses.
The Ugandan army continues to commit politically motivated abuses in Uganda," Maria Burnett, senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, Africa Division, told the Guardian.»
« "We have documented numerous cases in which they’ve been involved in torture and arbitrary arrests, as well as a score of killings of unarmed protesters and bystanders during political demonstrations in the past three years."
« The nature of the US’s relationship to Uganda is also potentially problematic, according to Burnett.»
“The US, as far as we know, is trying to advise on how to apprehend, or remove from the battlefield, Kony and his leadership,” said »
“I have some concerns about what the US longer term plans are and what kind of exit strategy they may or may not have, but working to apprehend LRA leaders and protect civilians is crucial.” »
►http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/mar/07/kony-2012-video-viral-invisible-children
Viral Video Hopes to Spur Arrest of War Criminal
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/03/kony-2012
Viral Video Hopes to Spur Arrest of War Criminal
By Spencer Ackerman March 7, 2012 |
2:30 pm
KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
“The next 27 minutes are an experiment,” says the faceless narrator. “But in order for it to work, you have to pay attention.”
That’s the arresting introduction of Kony 2012, a viral documentary dedicated to stopping the war criminal Joseph Kony, head of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Kony is infamous for kidnapping children and turning them into child soldiers, among other atrocities.
But he’s not famous. That’s what the documentary, and the ambitious viral campaign it spearheads, is trying to change. It’s already attracted both a massive online audience — and a backlash.
The visually sophisticated documentary tells the story of the Lord’s Resistance Army’s brutal history in Uganda — it doesn’t say much about Kony’s flight to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic — mostly through the eyes of Jacob, a child refugee whose brother was killed by the militia. At one point, the boy says he would prefer to die rather than to live in the world Kony has made. It hits like an emotional sledgehammer.
And that lays the foundation for the campaign the movie essentially advertises. The nonprofit group behind it, Invisible Children, supports President Obama’s recent deployment of 100 military advisers to Uganda to help its army hunt Kony, a decision that required years of grassroots demands from humanitarian activists. In order to make sure the pressure keeps up, and Kony is ultimately arrested — this year — Invisible Children wants to plaster the cities of the world with red, visually striking KONY 2012 posters, stickers and t-shirts.
intéressant, même si on pourrait discuter plein de trucs http://vimeo.com/37119711
https://p.twimg.com/AnbY_J9CIAAd0l6.png
c’est la fête : http://twitter.com/JPBarlow/status/177568292880388099
It turns out that even a campaign to stop Joseph Kony is not without fierce opponents. Is he not bad enough?
http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com.nyud.net
(un embed discret des tweets, c’est envisagé/able ça, @seenthis ? :)
En effet à voir le début du film... C’est Dommage qu’un sujet aussi grave et tragique ait été traité de cette manière.
http://seenthis.net/messages/60043
A video calling to bring a notorious Ugandan warlord to justice has gone massively viral online, but serious concerns have also been raised about the group responsible for posting it. ►http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/mar/07/kony-2012-video-viral-invisible-children
http://www.invisiblechildren.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/critiques.html
Invisible Children répond aux critiques...
A suivre !
Guest post: Joseph Kony is not in Uganda (and other complicated things)
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_th
Kony video goes viral, sparks global furore
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Kony+video+goes+viral++sparks+global+furore/-/2558/1362240/-/rxbvui/-/index.html
Underlying the sudden and peculiar turn by Washington towards a “human rights” crusade against the Lord’s Resistance Army are very definite economic and geo-strategic interests. These are bound up with the recent discovery of substantial oil reserves precisely in the area where the hunt for the LRA is being staged and increasingly fractious competition between Washington and Beijing for geo-political influence in resource-rich Africa. AFRICOM and military intervention have become crucial instruments for the US in combating the wave of Chinese investments in infrastructure projects aimed at facilitating the extraction of African oil and mineral wealth.
What is peculiar about the intervention against the LRA is that it has been launched under conditions in which the militia group has already been reduced to a few hundred fighters and driven out of Uganda.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/mar2012/kony-m14.shtml
heise online - Bundesregierung hält an Export von Überwachungssoftware fest
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Bundesregierung-haelt-an-Export-von-Ueberwachungssoftware-fest-1392507.html
Die Bundesregierung sieht trotz Berichten über das blühende Geschäft deutscher Firmen mit dem Verkauf von Überwachungssoftware an Diktaturen keinen Handlungsbedarf.
http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110816/mehjoo20110816154733420.jpg
Big Brother 2.0: 10 New ways that the government will be spying on you and controlling your behavior http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/194235.html
In a world where everyone is a “potential terrorist”, we are told that things like liberty, freedom and privacy are “luxuries” that we can no longer afford.
The following are 10 new ways that the government will be spying on you and controlling your behavior....
–1 Are you ready for “electronic skin tattoos”? One team of researchers has created an extremely thin, extremely flexible “smart skin” that will open up a whole new world of possibilities. Wearing “skin-mounted electronics” might seem like a great idea to tech geeks, but it also could create a whole lot of new problems. The following is how an article in one UK newspaper described this new breakthrough....
The “epidermal electronic system” relies on a highly flexible electrical circuit composed of snake-like conducting channels that can bend and stretch without affecting performance. The circuit is about the size of a postage stamp, is thinner than a human hair and sticks to the skin by natural electrostatic forces rather than glue.
Yes, this kind of technology would be a great way to connect wirelessly to the Internet and it would be helpful for doctors that need to monitor their patients, but the potential for abuse is also there.
Once this type of technology becomes widespread, governments will be able to monitor the location and activities of their citizens like never before.
In addition, this type of technology could one day become mandated by governments. For example, someday you may be required to have an “electronic skin tatoo” in order to prove your identity or to participate in commerce.
Also, it is not too far of a stretch to imagine that “skin-mounted electronics” could be used to control large populations. Just remember, if you connect yourself physically to the Internet that also means that the Internet is connected to you.
–2 According to a shocking document obtained by Oath Keepers, the FBI is now instructing store owners to report many new forms of “suspicious activity” to them. According to the document, “suspicious activity” now includes....
– paying with #cash
– missing a hand or fingers
– “strange odors”
– making “extreme religious statements”
– “radical theology”
– purchasing weatherproofed ammunition or match containers
– purchasing meals ready to eat
– purchasing night vision devices, night flashlights or gas masks
According to WorldNetDaily, this document is part of a “series of brochures” that will be distributed “to farm supply stores, gun shops, military surplus stores and even hotels and motels.”
–3 The U.S. military has developed an invisible #pain_ray"that is remarkably effective. The following is how a recent article posted on Alternet described this weapon....
It sounds like a weapon out of Star Wars. The Active Denial System, or ADS, works like an open-air microwave oven, projecting a focused beam of electromagnetic radiation to heat the skin of its targets to 130 degrees. This creates an intolerable burning sensation forcing those in its path to instinctively flee (a response the Air Force dubs the “goodbye effect.”)
Sadly, this weapon is already being used in American #prisons. How long will it be before it is used on the general population?
–4 Be careful about what you put up on #Facebook or #Twitter. Law enforcement agencies all over the globe are now focusing on social media as never before. For example, the #NYPD has just created a special “social media” unit dedicated to looking for criminals on Facebook and Twitter.
–5 #Facial_recognition technology has now come of age. With the millions of security cameras that are going up all over the world, such technology is proving to be very useful for law enforcement authorities. In fact, police in London are using it to track down people that were involved in the London riots. The following is an excerpt from a recent CBC report that described these efforts....
Facial recognition technology being considered for London’s 2012 Games is getting a workout in the wake of Britain’s riots, with officers feeding photographs of suspects through Scotland Yard’s newly updated face-matching program.
Facial recognition technology is rapidly going to become part of our everyday lives. In fact, now even Facebook is using it. Eventually it is going to become very difficult to avoid the reach of this technology.
–6 “Smart meters" are going into homes all over North America and Europe. These smart meters monitor your home every single minute of every single day and they transmit very sophisticated data about your personal behavior back to the utility company. They are already being used by police all over the United States in drug cases. If a smart meter catches you using an “unusual” amount of energy there is a good chance that your home will be raided. The European Parliament has set a goal of having #smart_meters in the homes of 80 percent of all electricity consumers by the year 2020, and Barack Obama is working very hard to get them into as many American homes as he can.
–7 Our children are being trained to accept being under surveillance almost constantly. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending huge amounts of money to install #surveillance cameras in the cafeterias of U.S. public schools so that government control freaks can closely monitor what our children are eating.
–8 Perhaps you thought that only Tom Cruise had to worry about #pre-crime. Well, now “pre-crime” is popping up in the real world too. The Florida State Department of Juvenile Justice has announced that it will begin using analysis software to predict crime by young delinquents and will place “potential offenders” in specific prevention and education programs.
–9 According to the ACLU, state police in Michigan are now using “extraction devices” to download data from the #cellphones of motorists that they pull over. This is taking place even if those pulled over are not accused of doing anything wrong.
The following is how an article on CNET News described the capabilities of these “extraction devices”....
The devices, sold by a company called #Cellebrite, can download text messages, photos, video, and even GPS data from most brands of cell phones. The handheld machines have various interfaces to work with different models and can even bypass security passwords and access some information.
–10 #LRAD sound cannons are already been used by law enforcement authorities to disperse large crowds inside the United States. So how much “damage” can sound do? Well, it turns out that sound can actually do a whole lot of damage. The following is how Alternet describes these cruel weapons....
The Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, built by American Technology Corporation, focuses and broadcasts sound over ranges of up to hundreds of yards. LRAD has been around for years, but Americans first took notice when police used it in Pittsburgh to ward off protesters at the 2009 G-20 summit. It is generally used in two ways: as a megaphone to order protesters to disperse; or, if they disobey, as an “ear-splitting siren” to drive them away. While LRAD may not be deadly, it can permanently damage hearing, depending on how it’s used.
LRAD sound cannons do not discriminate. When they are being used to disperse protesters, any innocent bystanders in the area will be affected as well. If anyone gets too close to an LRAD sound cannon while it is in use, permanent damage can result. Small children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Sadly, the use of LRAD sound cannons is becoming more common. In fact, they have even been used to break up college block parties.
What US manhunt for LRA leaders reveals about Obama’s war strategy - CSMonitor.com
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2011/1015/What-US-manhunt-for-LRA-leaders-reveals-about-Obama-s-war-strategy
As 100 US Special Operations Forces begin deploying to Africa to help local troops pursue the brutal leader of a murderous rebel group, a clearer picture is emerging of America’s preferred warfare strategy in a time of fiscal restraint: fewer troops, more drones, and the aggressive targeting of enemy leaders by special operations forces.
In a letter sent to Congress on Friday, President Obama made clear that the specific goal of US forces is to help in “the removal from the battlefield” of Joseph Kony and other senior leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (#LRA), a guerrilla group that has killed thousands of civilians, routinely raped women, and abducted hundreds of children.
This hunting of Mr. Kony and his cronies will involve US intelligence support, according to senior defense officials, probably in the form of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, such as the Predator.
Obama envoie des soldats en Ouganda pour traquer l’Armée de résistance du seigneur - LeMonde.fr
http://lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2011/10/15/obama-envoie-des-soldats-en-ouganda-pour-traquer-l-armee-de-resistance-du-se
Le texte fait référence aux pouvoirs de guerre qui permettent au président d’engager des troupes pendant 60 jours sans l’avis du Congrès. Il précise qu’il s’agit d’une centaine de conseillers – dont une douzaine sont déjà sur place, selon la presse. Ceux-ci n’affronteront pas directement la LRA, même s’ils seront équipés pour le combat, sauf en cas de légitime défense.
Leur mission est de fournir « renseignements, conseils et assistance ». Ils pourront intervenir dans les pays environnants : Centrafrique, Soudan du Sud, RDC, où la #LRA s’est installée depuis 2005 après s’être cantonnée depuis plus de dix ans dans le nord de l’Ouganda.
une info peu diffusée