Just as likely to be NCO's. The scenario they describe is one anyone leading a couple of vehicles could face.
This isn't going to help train anyone for hot contact. It can do a good job of training for more policelike things. This sounds like an upgraded and overpriced version of the police shoot/don't-shoot trainers.
Yes, I did misunderstand. If the amount is under $10K (should prevent IRS CTR requirements) then it would seem to be the corporate policy of Western Union that is getting in the way. If WU still wants to make money in that region then it can change it's policies.
I don't see it as the responsibility of the US to ensure that countries (failed central governments or not) have access to international money transfer services.
Same thing for Internet access. Internet access is available via satellite. The executive order didn't say "hey, let's really punish Somalia". The executive order said to freeze the assets of X number of international companies.
2 - AlBarakaat (sp?) may fall under the label of a "telecom" company, but is really just a money-wire service.
3 - AlBarakaat doesn't require such formalities as proper ID to wire money
4 - AlBarakaat actually operated in several (100+) countries, Somalia is just the one someone chose to write about since it has an inflamatory angle.
5 - Both organizations had their assets frozen
Conclusions:
- This is being reported 60 days after a freeze of the assets. Somalia Internet Company most likely got cut off after not paying their bills. The BBC article doesn mention the little detail of *why* their international gateway got cut off. AlBarakaat simply doesn't have any float funds to wire around and pay out.
- Gee, a money transfer company that doesn't require ID, etc being used to launder/distribute funds to terrorists? What a novel idea!
- If Somali's *WORKING* in the US don't have proper ID then they aren't here legally are they! If they aren't here legally then what the hell are they doing working?
- We don't have access to intelligence sources and methods do we? Perhaps if we did we might know much more about how these conclusions were reached. Do I advocate blind trust in the government and/or intelligence community? No, I don't.
- Was the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and accident - probably not. Just a little message the China needed to get.
- What was the pharmacuetical company in Sudan really producing? Where did the funds to build it come from. What was it's chain of ownership? What other possible uses did it have? Were other operations being conducted (or preparation being made for) at the site? If you don't know all the answers to these questions then perhaps you shouldn't be deciding whether it was a valid target or not.
- Since when is it a US responsiblity to make sure a country has multiple forms of money wire-transfer services and internet access before they take action to freeze assets?
It's a whole different ballgame. For comms purposes in space you need microwatts/milliwatts. For comms purposes to ground (the article mentions establishing a link ground-space) the system probably uses a few watts.
To get a hard kill on an ICBM you'd probably need something on the order of: megawatts/gigawatts (???). You are talking about going from a semiconductor laser (not too different than a laser pointer) on a very sexy tracking platform to something that currently takes up 2 lab buildings not including the generators and capacitors and is probably good for a limited number of shots.
Also, notice that there is a 2-way beacon mode at the start of communications. This makes it simpler (note: I didn't say simple!) to establish 2-way comms. I just don't see anyone placing beacons on ICBMs. The IR signature of the exhaust plume is a pretty good indication, but that's about all you'll see.
I'm a geek, I'm also a former US Marine, and DV (Domestic Violence) Counselor for a large city police department.
In the geek jobs we get together occasionally after work for drinks and very occasionally on the weekend for a BBQ. It's not uncommon, but its much less common that the other professions I've been in.
You are at least partially correct about the shared sense of danger in the others. Marines and police officers share more of a sense of brotherhood than the typical geek. It does add something to the relationship when most of the folks at the party may be called upon to cover your back (or likely already has a few times).
That being said I'm headed over this afternoon to help a geek buddy hang drywall in his utility room. We refloated the concrete slab last week. Next week we'll be felling trees in my yard, and yes much BBQ and Guiness will be involved....
You've got half the issue right here. It disturbs me greatly the we are seeing the notion of "need" in these discussions. We see it both from the various government agencies and from the public discourse.
The discussion of "need" leads to many dark and forbidding places. Does anyone really "need" unrestricted internet access, guns, stamp collections, rare books, magazines, open media, etc, etc, etc.
Instead we should be talking about "legitimate use". If an item or information has some legitimate use then it should be openly available to American citizens. We already have the appropriate safeguards in place for items. Its called "law". To take the gun issue (always a favorite) We already have laws to make crimes with a firearm illegal (and up the penalty over the same crime committed without a firearm). I find it unlikely that an individual intent on the crime of homicide will be dissuaded from using a firearm because it is illegal.
In the realm of information we have classification. If disclosure of the information would cause damage to the US then it can be classified. We have CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET, and TOP SECRET based on various levels of damage to the US the disclosure could cause. For the really interesting things we have compartments (codewords). If these documents do not make the grade for classification then they need to be publicly available.
Can a terrorist use a report on water storage facilities to plan an attack? Yes they can. Can a student use this same information as part of a legitimate civil engineering program at a public university? Yes the can.
The question is where do we draw the line. It is niether black and white nor simple. For years the US has had export controls in place for so called "dual use" technology. These controls were applied to equipment which had both civillian and military uses. While the controls were pretty well botched up they were there. It is *gravely* concerning that we are now applying something akin to dual-use controls to information available to American citizens.
What is the long term solution? I think it will be very unpopular. It's called *Personal Responsibility* and taking accountability for your own safety and security. Europe has much more recent experience with terrorism and perhaps we can learn some lessons from them. I lived in Central America during the days of the Madellin (sp?) Cartel and in the UK during the height of the IRA bombings. I can tell you there was a much greater awareness on the part of indiduals about their own personal safety.
There is a very dangerous idea permeating current American society. The government is not here to protect you *tactically*. The government (local/state/federal) is here to protect you *strategicly*.
IE - Increased scrutiny of foreign entry visas and stepping up actions to deport persons that overstay those visas - STRATEGIC (government responsibilities)
IE - Person with knife running past you in the airplane aisle or person leaving a heavy briefcase behind on a commuter train - TACTICAL (personal responsibility.
We (the US - and I'm proud to be a citizen) got our noses bloodied on 9/11 and got a very nasty wakeup call. We lost 5K+ of innocent civillians. Now we have to decide what to do next.
We need to make sure we respond with calm logic and restraint rather than kneejerk reactions to clamp down on everything and create a police state. If we attempt to rely on the government to protect us that is what will happen. Oh by the way, they will also be telling us what we *NEED* and what we can think.
If instead we respond with logic and measured response then we can create a better informed and aware public.
I'm still trying to decipher the doublespeak on the web page myself. In general the first question that comes to mind;
If the citizens of Europe paid for this thing with their tax dollars then tell me again why they are paying for the data it gathers? Seems like they already own it to me.
Is it going to have some downlinks in a format the a research institute without a 2M (euro or dollar) groundstation can copy directly from the bird?
I'm just an amateur, but I've copied downlinks from the NOAA polar orbiters and talked to astronauts on the ISS with gear I put together out of spare parts in my office/shack/rats nest. Downloading data from an FTP server (even if it's free) just doesn't instill that sense of wonder that will excite the kids and create the next generation of scientists.
Executive Summary: A primary factor in the creation of Prima Donnas is idiotic managers and HR "pink suiters"
Long version:
What creates prima donnas? When you write that package that saves the co $700k/yr and you get a nice litle "atta boy/girl" certificate. The manager gets a huge raise/bonus.
I once did a full connectivity audit that saved a CLEC somewhere north of $100K/mo in ILEC costs. Their network actually worked (gee, what a concept).
Instead of 10% of the savings (hey I can dream!) I got placed on a performance plan because I was overhead referring to the customer service staff as "droids". Lets see, a bunch of retread telemarketers with no understanding of the BS they are spouting, sounds like a droid to me! I'm not a "team player". OK, so why did I go through a month of pain and suffering to do that audit if I'm not playing for the team?
Slashdot Mirror
Just as likely to be NCO's. The scenario they describe is one anyone leading a couple of vehicles could face.
This isn't going to help train anyone for hot contact. It can do a good job of training for more policelike things. This sounds like an upgraded and overpriced version of the police shoot/don't-shoot trainers.
Yes, I did misunderstand. If the amount is under $10K (should prevent IRS CTR requirements) then it would seem to be the corporate policy of Western Union that is getting in the way. If WU still wants to make money in that region then it can change it's policies.
I don't see it as the responsibility of the US to ensure that countries (failed central governments or not) have access to international money transfer services.
Same thing for Internet access. Internet access is available via satellite. The executive order didn't say "hey, let's really punish Somalia". The executive order said to freeze the assets of X number of international companies.
Quick Review of the facts;
1 - The executive order was signed on 23SEP2001
2 - AlBarakaat (sp?) may fall under the label of a "telecom" company, but is really just a money-wire service.
3 - AlBarakaat doesn't require such formalities as proper ID to wire money
4 - AlBarakaat actually operated in several (100+) countries, Somalia is just the one someone chose to write about since it has an inflamatory angle.
5 - Both organizations had their assets frozen
Conclusions:
- This is being reported 60 days after a freeze of the assets. Somalia Internet Company most likely got cut off after not paying their bills. The BBC article doesn mention the little detail of *why* their international gateway got cut off. AlBarakaat simply doesn't have any float funds to wire around and pay out.
- Gee, a money transfer company that doesn't require ID, etc being used to launder/distribute funds to terrorists? What a novel idea!
- If Somali's *WORKING* in the US don't have proper ID then they aren't here legally are they! If they aren't here legally then what the hell are they doing working?
- We don't have access to intelligence sources and methods do we? Perhaps if we did we might know much more about how these conclusions were reached. Do I advocate blind trust in the government and/or intelligence community? No, I don't.
- Was the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and accident - probably not. Just a little message the China needed to get.
- What was the pharmacuetical company in Sudan really producing? Where did the funds to build it come from. What was it's chain of ownership? What other possible uses did it have? Were other operations being conducted (or preparation being made for) at the site? If you don't know all the answers to these questions then perhaps you shouldn't be deciding whether it was a valid target or not.
- Since when is it a US responsiblity to make sure a country has multiple forms of money wire-transfer services and internet access before they take action to freeze assets?
It's a whole different ballgame. For comms purposes in space you need microwatts/milliwatts. For comms purposes to ground (the article mentions establishing a link ground-space) the system probably uses a few watts.
To get a hard kill on an ICBM you'd probably need something on the order of: megawatts/gigawatts (???). You are talking about going from a semiconductor laser (not too different than a laser pointer) on a very sexy tracking platform to something that currently takes up 2 lab buildings not including the generators and capacitors and is probably good for a limited number of shots.
Also, notice that there is a 2-way beacon mode at the start of communications. This makes it simpler (note: I didn't say simple!) to establish 2-way comms. I just don't see anyone placing beacons on ICBMs. The IR signature of the exhaust plume is a pretty good indication, but that's about all you'll see.
And this compares to being shot at how???
Yes and No
I'm a geek, I'm also a former US Marine, and DV (Domestic Violence) Counselor for a large city police department.
In the geek jobs we get together occasionally after work for drinks and very occasionally on the weekend for a BBQ. It's not uncommon, but its much less common that the other professions I've been in.
You are at least partially correct about the shared sense of danger in the others. Marines and police officers share more of a sense of brotherhood than the typical geek. It does add something to the relationship when most of the folks at the party may be called upon to cover your back (or likely already has a few times).
That being said I'm headed over this afternoon to help a geek buddy hang drywall in his utility room. We refloated the concrete slab last week. Next week we'll be felling trees in my yard, and yes much BBQ and Guiness will be involved....
You've got half the issue right here. It disturbs me greatly the we are seeing the notion of "need" in these discussions. We see it both from the various government agencies and from the public discourse.
The discussion of "need" leads to many dark and forbidding places. Does anyone really "need" unrestricted internet access, guns, stamp collections, rare books, magazines, open media, etc, etc, etc.
Instead we should be talking about "legitimate use". If an item or information has some legitimate use then it should be openly available to American citizens. We already have the appropriate safeguards in place for items. Its called "law". To take the gun issue (always a favorite) We already have laws to make crimes with a firearm illegal (and up the penalty over the same crime committed without a firearm). I find it unlikely that an individual intent on the crime of homicide will be dissuaded from using a firearm because it is illegal.
In the realm of information we have classification. If disclosure of the information would cause damage to the US then it can be classified. We have CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET, and TOP SECRET based on various levels of damage to the US the disclosure could cause. For the really interesting things we have compartments (codewords). If these documents do not make the grade for classification then they need to be publicly available.
Can a terrorist use a report on water storage facilities to plan an attack? Yes they can. Can a student use this same information as part of a legitimate civil engineering program at a public university? Yes the can.
The question is where do we draw the line. It is niether black and white nor simple. For years the US has had export controls in place for so called "dual use" technology. These controls were applied to equipment which had both civillian and military uses. While the controls were pretty well botched up they were there. It is *gravely* concerning that we are now applying something akin to dual-use controls to information available to American citizens.
What is the long term solution? I think it will be very unpopular. It's called *Personal Responsibility* and taking accountability for your own safety and security. Europe has much more recent experience with terrorism and perhaps we can learn some lessons from them. I lived in Central America during the days of the Madellin (sp?) Cartel and in the UK during the height of the IRA bombings. I can tell you there was a much greater awareness on the part of indiduals about their own personal safety.
There is a very dangerous idea permeating current American society. The government is not here to protect you *tactically*. The government (local/state/federal) is here to protect you *strategicly*.
IE - Increased scrutiny of foreign entry visas and stepping up actions to deport persons that overstay those visas - STRATEGIC (government responsibilities)
IE - Person with knife running past you in the airplane aisle or person leaving a heavy briefcase behind on a commuter train - TACTICAL (personal responsibility.
We (the US - and I'm proud to be a citizen) got our noses bloodied on 9/11 and got a very nasty wakeup call. We lost 5K+ of innocent civillians. Now we have to decide what to do next.
We need to make sure we respond with calm logic and restraint rather than kneejerk reactions to clamp down on everything and create a police state. If we attempt to rely on the government to protect us that is what will happen. Oh by the way, they will also be telling us what we *NEED* and what we can think.
If instead we respond with logic and measured response then we can create a better informed and aware public.
I'm still trying to decipher the doublespeak on the web page myself. In general the first question that comes to mind;
If the citizens of Europe paid for this thing with their tax dollars then tell me again why they are paying for the data it gathers? Seems like they already own it to me.
Is it going to have some downlinks in a format the a research institute without a 2M (euro or dollar) groundstation can copy directly from the bird?
I'm just an amateur, but I've copied downlinks from the NOAA polar orbiters and talked to astronauts on the ISS with gear I put together out of spare parts in my office/shack/rats nest. Downloading data from an FTP server (even if it's free) just doesn't instill that sense of wonder that will excite the kids and create the next generation of scientists.
Sticking to the "(in any genre, fiction or nonfiction) alive today will still be read (hard copy or online) in 2051?"
Tom Clancy
Pat Cadigan
George Bush (hasn't written his yet, but it will be interesting - DCI, fall of Berlin wall, collapse of USSR, Gulf War I, etc)
Executive Summary: A primary factor in the creation of Prima Donnas is idiotic managers and HR "pink suiters"
Long version:
What creates prima donnas? When you write that package that saves the co $700k/yr and you get a nice litle "atta boy/girl" certificate. The manager gets a huge raise/bonus.
I once did a full connectivity audit that saved a CLEC somewhere north of $100K/mo in ILEC costs. Their network actually worked (gee, what a concept).
Instead of 10% of the savings (hey I can dream!) I got placed on a performance plan because I was overhead referring to the customer service staff as "droids". Lets see, a bunch of retread telemarketers with no understanding of the BS they are spouting, sounds like a droid to me! I'm not a "team player". OK, so why did I go through a month of pain and suffering to do that audit if I'm not playing for the team?