Air defense artillery unit is activated in Germany for the first time in decade

The Army has activated a new short-range air defense unit in Germany, the first such unit stationed in the country since the end of the Cold War drawdown.

The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment was activated at Shipton Kaserne in Ansbach, Army officials in Germany said Wednesday.

Commanded by Lt. Col. Todd Daniels, the unit falls under the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command and will consist of five battery-level units equipped with FIM-92 Stinger missiles.

Army Guard units on rotation in Europe have been training with the Stinger missile system for months, but the regiment will be the only unit stationed indefinitely on the Continent that also employs the Avenger Air Defense system, an automated, mobile fire unit.

The main purpose of light, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles is to defend against low-flying helicopters, especially gunships targeting infantry, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2018/11/air-defense-artillery-unit-is-activated-in-germany-for-the-first-time-in-decades/

Marriott: Data breach may affect 500M hotel guests

Nov. 30 (UPI) – Marriott said Friday a data breach detected weeks ago may have exposed the personal information of about 500 million guests at several hotel brands, including the W and Sheraton.

The world's largest hotel chain said it learned in September there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood guest reservation system. Marriott said it hired cybersecurity experts and eventually learned that data had been copied and stolen.

For about 327 million guests, the stolen information included a combination of names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, dates of birth and travel plans, the company said in a statement.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2018/11/30/Marriott-Data-breach-may-affect-500M-hotel-guests/5551543579031/

US charges six Russians, two Kazakhs in online ad fraud scheme

U.S. prosecutors have indicted eight people, most of them Russian, for an alleged online fraud involving fake advertising that caused companies to lose tens of millions of dollars, the Justice Department announced late on November 27.

In one alleged scheme that began in 2015, two of the accused operated a fake advertising network that used 1.7 million malware-infected computers to falsify billions of ad views, costing businesses more than $29 million in ad revenues, it said.

Prosecutors say the ads were never actually viewed by human internet users under the scheme.

Russian nationals Aleksandr Zhukov, Boris Timokhin, Mikhail Andreev, Denis Avdeev, Dmitry Novikov and Aleksandr Isaev, along with Sergei Ovsyannikov and Yevgeny Timchenko of Kazakhstan were named in the 13-count indictment unsealed in a U.S. district court in New York on November 27.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2018/11/us-charges-six-russians-two-kazakhs-in-online-ad-fraud-scheme/

Is Alibaba’s Jack Ma Using AI To Create Dystopian Cities?

Alibaba and Jack Ma are to China what Google and Eric Schmidt are to the U.S. Both are billionaires, both push dystopia cities and both are closely tied to their government. Note that Schmidt was appointed head of a Pentagon committee designed to integrate Silicon Valley into the intelligence services. ⁃ TN Editor

News that tech giant Ma is a member of Communist party of China should set alarm bells ringing – and not just in China.

On the outskirts of Hangzhou, eastern China, in Alibaba’s Cloud Town, a Silicon Valley-style working and leisure hub, cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence (AI) and smart city developments at one of China’s largest tech companies are showcased. It is a half-empty dystopia of almost comic proportions where the future of automation and infrastructure in southern China is played out. While Alibaba exhibitions and conferences occur sporadically, the full scope of what goes on there remains hidden.

Having long claimed to be apolitical, Jack Ma, the billionaire co-founder and executive chairman of the tech giant Alibaba, was recently revealed to be a member of the ruling Communist party of China (CCP). It’s another in a long list of links between corporate and state apparatus that stretch far beyond the borders of China. Nevertheless, a glimpse into the projects the company is working on in Cloud Town, considered in light of these revelations, should set the alarm bells ringing with fear of a dystopian future of state and corporate control.

https://www.technocracy.news/is-alibabas-jack-ma-using-ai-to-create-dystopian-cities/

Weaponized AI: The Future Of Algorithmic Forever Wars

Whatever AI is to civilian populations, to a war zone it is killing on steroids, and could play the central role in our so-called ‘forever wars’ like Afghanistan. ⁃ TN Editor

The US military is creating a more automated form of warfare – one that will greatly increase its capacity to wage war everywhere forever.

ast month marked the 17th anniversary of 9/11. With it came a new milestone: we’ve been in Afghanistan for so long that someone born after the attacks is now old enough to go fight there. They can also serve in the six other places where we’re officially at war, not to mention the 133 countries where special operations forces have conducted missions in just the first half of 2018.

The wars of 9/11 continue, with no end in sight. Now, the Pentagon is investing heavily in technologies that will intensify them. By embracing the latest tools that the tech industry has to offer, the US military is creating a more automated form of warfare – one that will greatly increase its capacity to wage war everywhere forever.

On Friday, the defense department closes the bidding period for one of the biggest technology contracts in its history: the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (Jedi). Jedi is an ambitious project to build a cloud computing system that serves US forces all over the world, from analysts behind a desk in Virginia to soldiers on patrol in Niger. The contract is worth as much as $10bn over 10 years, which is why big tech companies are fighting hard to win it. (Not Google, however, where a pressure campaign by workers forcedmanagement to drop out of the running.)

At first glance, Jedi might look like just another IT modernization project. Government IT tends to run a fair distance behind Silicon Valley, even in a place as lavishly funded as the Pentagon. With some 3.4 million users and 4 million devices, the defense department’s digital footprint is immense. Moving even a portion of its workloads to a cloud provider such as Amazon will no doubt improve efficiency.

https://www.technocracy.news/weaponized-ai-the-future-of-algorithmic-forever-wars/

Arrests, water cannon & a burning car: Yellow Vest protests spread to Brussels (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

France's ‘Yellow Vest’ protests have now made their way to Belgium, with demonstrators in Brussels calling on the prime minister to resign. Some threw rocks and firecrackers at officers, prompting them to deploy water cannons.

Crowds of people protesting fuel prices and living standards disrupted traffic and walked the streets for around three hours on Friday.

A total of 60 people were arrested before any violence began, mostly for blocking roads or carrying large fireworks, Reuters cited police as saying.

The violence took place after several hundred people marched to the office of Prime Minister Charles Michel, demanding that he resign. Some threw rocks, firecrackers, and road signs at police, prompting officers to deploy water cannons. One photo online showed a police vehicle set on fire.

https://www.rt.com/news/445238-protest-fuel-price-brussels/

Chicago schools: 624 sex-related complaints reported in last 3 months

Nov. 29 (UPI) – A new office created specifically to address sex abuse claims in Chicago schools says it's received more than 600 reports since it opened in September.

Officials from Chicago Public Schools were scolded by city councilors Wednesday allowing such complaints – some dating back several years – to go unanswered and for not being prepared to address the new reports.

Of the 624 complaints made this school year, 133 accused adults.

"How did these kids fall through the cracks, who dropped the ball?" Chicago alderman Sue Sadlowski Garza, a former school counselor, said at Wednesday's meeting, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. "That's the question.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2018/11/29/Chicago-schools-624-sex-related-complaints-reported-in-last-3-months/5901543509993/

Bill Gates is doing the snoopy dance

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo is second worst in history

Nov. 29 (UPI) – At least 245 people have died from the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks, the country's health ministry said Thursday, making it the second-deadliest outbreak of the disease in history.

Since August, there have been 426 cases of the virus, 379 of which are confirmed and 47 that are probable. Of the deaths, 198 are confirmed to be from Ebola and 47 are probable. Another 87 cases were under investigation.

It's the deadliest outbreak of the disease in DRC history and second deadliest globally, the World Health Organization said.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2018/11/29/Ebola-outbreak-in-DR-Congo-is-second-worst-in-history/9881543532128/

Nine sentenced to death in Vietnam for dealing methamphetamines and heroin

Nine drug smugglers were sentenced to death in Vietnam on Friday for selling methamphetamine and heroin in a country with some of the toughest drug laws in the world.

Heroin has long been the drug of choice among users in Vietnam, mostly older men, but synthetic drugs use is on the rise especially among a growing class of hard-partying youth.

The sentences handed down on Friday were among the toughest in years and came after a long trial in northern Ha Nam province.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2175886/nine-sentenced-death-vietnam-dealing-methamphetamines-and

BREAKING News Out Of SAN DIEGO… HELL YEAH!

SAN DIEGO — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry along the California/Mexico border seized 625 pounds of narcotics valued at more than $2.7 million over the past five days and arrested 39 people for a variety of criminal activity.

From midnight Friday through midnight Tuesday, CBP officers at the six land ports of entry thwarted numerous smuggling attempts involving heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine. The drugs were strapped to smugglers’ bodies and hidden in various areas of the vehicles such as the gas tank, trunk, seats and quarter panels.

“In addition to dealing with the arrival of a large caravan of migrants and the processing of asylum claims, CBP officers within the San Diego Field Office continue to seize narcotics and arrest wanted individuals all while performing their traditional duties of processing lawful trade and travel,” said Pete Flores, Director of Field Operations for CBP in San Diego. “CBP officers are dedicated to protecting the United States and keeping our communities safe.”

https://rightwingtribune.com/2018/11/30/diego-hell/

when Q said watch CA maybe he meant drug busts kek

BREAKING News Out Of California… HOLY HELL!

Rancho Cordova Pair Indicted for Selling Narcotics Through Social Media Accounts and Receiving Payment in Bitcoin

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment today against Nathan Paul Barnes, 23, and Tiarra Maureen Jackson, 22, both of Rancho Cordova, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and psilocybin, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Barnes and Jackson operated a drug distribution enterprise called “Fine Cali Herb” over various social media platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat. Barnes and Jackson sold large quantities of marijuana, THC products, and psilocybin mushrooms to customers throughout the United States and abroad. Barnes received payment for the narcotics in several forms, including Bitcoin.

In July 2018, law enforcement agents conducted an undercover purchase of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms from Barnes through his Snapchat account. Case agents also conducted surveillance of Barnes and Jackson dropping off mail parcels containing narcotics at post offices throughout the Sacramento area.

https://rightwingtribune.com/2018/11/30/of-california-holy/

oldie but goodie

Bing Crosby & David Bowie - "The Little Drummer Boy (Peace On Earth)"