[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Federal police blocked access Friday to a central Mexico hospital where six people were reported to have been admitted with radiation exposure.
An official familiar with the case confirmed Mexican media reports that the six have been admitted to the general hospital in the city of Pachuca and may have been exposed to a stolen source of highly radioactive cobalt-60.
The official, who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to be quoted by the media, said only one person so far was dizzy and vomiting, symptoms of severe radiation poisoning. She said two people were admitted on Thursday and four more Friday. She did not provide any other details.
It was not clear if the people under observation were also the thieves, who early Monday stole a cargo truck at gunpoint that was carrying the radioactive material in Hidalgo state, where Pachuca is located.
The federal attorney general's office, which is handling the case, could not be reached for comment on whether suspects were in jug.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
[DCCRIMESTORIES] D.C. police are investigating whether one of their own officers was running a prostitution ring after Sherlocks found a runaway girl and other young women at his home in Southeast Washington.
According to documents filed in federal court, a 16-year-old girl who had gone missing told police that the officer bought sexy clothes for her and set up a "date" for her with an older white male for $80. The girl, who had been missing for a week, told police that six other women had also worked out of the home in the 3066 Stanton Road SE.
The incident comes just four days after the arrest of another D.C. police officer who was accused of taking nude pictures of a runaway teenager after she returned home. Police are investigating whether the two cases are related.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
[THEHILL] Only two reports have surfaced about this phishing problem, according to Richard Sorian, director of communications, education and outreach for the exchange. He noted that the report could be from the same person.
"It's one of those phishing expeditions that unfortunately arise when our website center is being frequented by the public. It's not something internal to our system. We're investigating to see if we can find out what's going on," Sorian said in a phone interview Friday to The Hill.
Since the site launched in October, officials have been warning its users not to enter personal information, including PIN numbers.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Scam reported to DCCalifornia, Illinois, New York, Washington, Oregon, (Your State here) health exchange.... just the beginning of a soon to be growing story. Zzzzzzzzzzz a real ACA sleeper...
Posted by: Au Auric ||
12/07/2013 1:54 Comments ||
Top||
#2
As of Friday morning, however, thousands of members of Congress and their employees have successfully enrolled in a health plan, Sorian said.
Just how many members of Congress do we have...really...
Posted by: Au Auric ||
12/07/2013 1:58 Comments ||
Top||
#3
A scam wrapped in a boondoggle shrouded in denial.
An active duty US Army officer, Lt Colonel Robert Bateman said it was time for a national conversation on gun control, meaning it is time for yet another lecture from the terminally fascist.
If Lt. Col Bateman has his way the only guns allowed to be sold will be black powder smoothbore guns, break open shotguns and army rifles with five round capacity max. He also said, yes he will pry guns from your cold dead fingers.
Not really in response, but serendipitously published comes this article which describes the mayhem a confederate civilian sniper in western Tennessee caused with his smooth bore .50 caliber rifle. As many as 36 Yankee soldiers joined the choir invisible, and as many as 80 others were grievously or mortally wounded and later died.
Not to single out New York, but California is already seizing guns from citizens who have run afoul of the law. People like myself who made a mistake, and who will never for so long as they live be able to purchase a firearms using the national system. Fascists take about amnesty for illegal immigrants, how about amnesty for those who have been afoul of the numerous unconstitutional gun laws?
Lastly, organizers of a memorial service for the Sandy Hook Massacre had to cancel the event due to low ticket sales. Seems folks don't want to pay for the privilege of being lectured to by statists.
Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:
Pistol ammunition prices were mostly higher, while rifle ammunition prices were mixed to lower.
Prices for all classes of firearms were mixed.
Pistol Ammo
.45 caliber, 230 grain, From Last Week: + .01 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt, Tulammo, steel cased, .34 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Jack Ross Ammunition, round nose reloaded, .33 per round (+.01 from last week)
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 grain, From Last Week: +.02 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Bangit Ammo, Precision One, .30 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Freedom Munitions, reloaded, .24 per round
9mm Parabellum, 115 grain, From Last Week: -.02 Each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Munirel, Prvi Partizan Monarch, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: LV Ammo, reloaded, .24 per round
.357 Magnum, 158 grain, From Last Week: +.02
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammunition Depot, CCI Federal, .46 per round
Cheapest Bulk 1,000 rounds: LAX Ammo, Armscor, .41 per round
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 grain, From Last Week: -.03 each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Natchez Shooters Supply, Tulammo, steel cased, .27 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammo Supply Warehouse, Wolf Polyformance, steel cased, .31 per round ( unchanged )
.308 NATO 145 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Munire USA, Prvi Partizan, steel cased, .60 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1000 rounds: SG Ammo, Prvi Partizan, brass case, .60 per round (Unchanged)
7.62x39 AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo Supply Warehouse, Wolf Polyformance, steel core and case, .26 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1000 rounds: Wideners, Wolf Polyformance, steel case, .23 per round
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: -.06 each (!)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammofast,Federal American Eagle, .09 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 5,000 rounds: Ammo Fast, Aguila, .12 per round (Unchanged)
Guns for Private Sale
Rifles
.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $769 Last Week Avg: $788
California: Delton: $695
Texas: Rock River Arms: $650
New York: CMMG: $900
Virgina: Galil Golani: $950
Florida: DPMS: $650
.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,407 Last Week Avg: $1,300
California: Sig Sauer Patrol: $1,240 (Same Gun)
Texas: DPMS: $1,300
New York: SCAR 17: $2,100
Virginia: DPMS: $1,000 (prolly Same Gun)
Florida: DPMS: $1,395
7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $770 Last Week Avg: $830
California: IO $950
Texas: Polish: $750
New York: Saiga: $600
Virginia: MAK90: $850 (Same Gun)
Florida: Zastava): $700
7.62x54mm (Dragunov Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,450 Last Week Avg: $1,192
California: Romak PSL: $1,350 (Same Gun)
Texas: None
New York: None
Virginia: Romak: $1,800
Florida: Romak: $1,200 (Same Gun)
Pistols
.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $599 Last Week Avg: $679
California: Springfield: $895
Texas: Llama (two tone): $400
New York: Colt 1911: $550
Virginia: Springfield 1911: $750
Florida: Llama (Double Stack Frame): $400
9mm Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic Average Price: $361 Last Week Avg: $436
California: Ruger P95: $300
Texas: Bersa BP9CC: $350
New York: Glock 19: $405 (Same Gun)
Virginia: Kahr CW9: $450
Florida: Norinco (Tokarev copy chambered in 9mm): $300
.40 caliber S&W (Glock and other semiautomatic) Average Price: $419 Last Week Avg: $442
California: Glock 22: $400
Texas: Beretta 96D: $380 (Same Gun)
New York: Glock 23: $475 (Same Gun)
Virginia: Glocl 23: $450
Florida: : CZ USA: $389
#1
I have met many officers like this fellow. His writings and excessive free time [to pontificate] betray him. He's more concerned about his next assignment bucket list than the one he currently holds.
The needs of the Army would best be met by his immediate assignment as Chief, Directorate of Mothballed Reactors, Fort Greely, AK.
#2
..but if you're playing the promotion game, it marks him as 'politically reliable' for selection. The term 'careerist' is a suitable term, along with 'bootlicker' and 'brownnoser'. The simple reply is provided in the textual means of change -
Article V -
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
Of course, if you know you do not have the political capital to make such a change, you seek other un-Constitutional means.
[An Nahar] Key leaders of South Sudan's ruling party charged President Salva Kiir with "dictatorial" behavior Friday, warning of instability threatening the young nation in a deeply controversial challenge to his rule.
The group were led by powerful politician Riek Machar, a charismatic but controversial leader who fought on both sides of Sudan's brutal 1983-2005 civil war, and who was sacked as vice-president in July.
It also included Rebecca Garang, the widow of South Sudan's founding father John Garang.
The statement makes public the bitter divisions within the former rebel movement turned political party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).
"The deep-seated divisions within the SPLM leadership, exacerbated by dictatorial tendencies of the SPLM chairman (Kiir)... are likely to create instability in the party and in the country," Machar warned, reading a joint statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] A Moroccan court Friday acquitted three teenagers accused of public indecency after pictures of two of them kissing were posted on Facebook, but reprimanded the couple, their lawyer told Agence La Belle France Presse.
The teens had risked possible prison sentences of five years under the kingdom's penal code, in a case that drew strong criticism from international rights groups and sparked a storm of online protest in socially conservative Morocco.
"They were acquitted of the charges, notably of public indecency and publishing compromising photos, which is something positive," said Monaim Fattahi.
"But the boy and the girl who were pictured kissing were reprimanded by the court. It is unjust, because they are minors and Facebook is a private space," the lawyer added.
The couple aged 14 and 15 and their 15-year-old male friend who took the photos were incarcerated Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! in October in the conservative northern town of Nador, after a local NGO filed a lawsuit charging that their actions had a negative effect on society.
The youths were held in a juvenile detention center for three days before being released on bail.
"The family of the young couple have not yet decided if they will appeal this verdict or not," Fattahi said.
The arrests and trial triggered a wave of online support, with activists posting pictures of couples locking lips.
Around a dozen couples also staged a symbolic but unprecedented "kiss-in" outside parliament in Rabat.
A small group of counter-protesters shoved some of the couples and threw chairs.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[Al Ahram] Egyptian Nobel-Laureate and former vice president Mohammed ElBaradei will join the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy starting in the fall of 2014
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[Pak Daily Times] The Metropolitan Police have tossed in the calaboose ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... two people from West London in relation to a money laundering case involving the Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... -based Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... (MQM), media reported on Friday.
The exact details of the arrested are not known as yet, however, both are said to be associated with the MQM, and one of them was reportedly handling the party's financial matters. The police raided two houses in the city and arrested the suspects while also seizing a few items from the place. The suspects -- aged 40 and 70 -- are now held at a cop shoppe and are being investigated. British authorities had earlier informed Islamabad that its police found significant evidence against MQM workers in Imran Farooq's murder case as well as against some MQM leaders in money laundering cases. In August this year, MQM chief Altaf Hussain was investigated by the Metropolitan Police over Farooq's murder and suspicions of money laundering.
Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called the chief of staff and complained that the artillery was keeping him awake... Altaf Hussain has called key leaders of his party to London for an "important" consultation over various organizational and political matters. According to a statement issued on Friday, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Dr Farooq Sattar, Adil Siddiqui, Babar Ghauri and others have been called by their party chief for a meeting in London where Altaf has been living in self-exile for several years. "Mr Altaf Hussain will hold consultation over MQM's organizational matters, national political situation and upcoming elections of local bodies in the country," the statement said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[An Nahar] Cyprus, dubbed the "Island of Love" as the birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite, is a magnet for Lebanese and Israeli couples from across the water to tie the knot in a civil wedding.
"We don't have the same religion," shrugged Yohana, resplendent in a white dress fresh out of her suitcase.
The young Lebanese woman, a member of the Mohammedan Druze minority sect, arrived from Beirut with her Christian fiance -- after a flight lasting less than half an hour.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
Cops: "If we have to get a warrant...we're gonna shoot and kill your dogs" More and more stories like this bubbling to the surface. And not from crazy-left sources or the fevered mind of Alex Jones, either...
Eric Crinnian, an attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, says police came to his door looking for parole violators, and got upset when he refused them permission to tramp through his house and paw through his possessions. In fact, he claims, one cop went so far as to threaten to shoot his dogs if he made them abide by the requirements of the law by getting a search warrant to look through his home. Remarkably, a criminal justice professor says the police actions may not be illegal, though they could be awkward in court.
The police department is following the usual script, insisting it is busily sweeping the cops' conduct under the rug while looking for anything it can pin on Mr. Crinnian, no matter how trivial internally investigating Crinnian's Office of Community Complaints report, so you can probably safely assume that officials hope this case will fall into the void where most grievances against police go to die. Then again, as a new lawyer and sometime journalist, Crinnian may have a little more recourse than most, and perhaps a better shot at keeping his front door on its hinges.
John Hamilton, an associate professor of criminal justice administration at Park University and a retired Major with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, told the news station that the officers' threats may not be illegal, though they're inappropriate and it's possible they violate department policy. He also pointed to the matter of appearances, saying that such behavior "makes it tenuous when you appear in front of the court in a case like that."
But Jonathan Turley, a professor of law at The George Washington University Law School, isn't convinced that it's legal to threaten to shoot people's dogs and otherwise humiliate them if they insist on the protections of the Fourth Amendment. "It would in my view be a little more than inappropriate and could constitute a crime. While it could be a tough case on this evidence, one possibility would be a criminal threat." The soldier/cartoonist Bill Mauldin once said that, in any city newly occupied by a foreign army, the two groups who could be counted on for cringing servility to the new masters were hoteliers and cops. Recently we've seen waaaay too many examples of how American cops would behave if Ogabe were to finally go the full Stalin. For sure, The One would have plenty of armed opposition - but I suspect that the vast majority of cops, bribed with taxpayers' money and rendered "fireproof" by public-sector union contracts, would stand firmly behind him.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
12/07/2013 13:08 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
..but if he did go full Stalin, civil restraint towards law enforcement officers would quickly disappear requiring their retirement behind fenced community walls. Otherwise, going home at night and parking the cruiser in the driveway won't mean they'll be among us the next morning. See all the stories from the Philippines, Thailand, the ME, heck even next door in Mexico, about the cops being shot out there in the open. Once they become clearly the same as the gangs and crooks they're suppose to separate us from, the old values will die quickly.
We musta forgot about Pearl Harbor day.
For the first time in years, a request to the community for news on remembrances or memorials, as well as calls to the largest American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts and the local War Veterans Home and veterans cemetery turned up nothing.
#2
Yes, aside from the fewer in the ranks, it tends to be local. I also wonder how many of the old-timers really don't want to talk to the press about it.
#3
The local media is all over Pearl Harbor, but there's no mention of it here. Which is especially strange considering that the guy was born in Hawaii.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/07/2013 13:41 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Which is especially strange considering that the guy was born in Hawaii.
[Pak Daily Times] The US Air Force has secretly developed a new stealth drone for long-range reconnaissance missions that could be operational by 2015, according to a report Friday in an industry magazine. The unmanned drone, dubbed RQ-180, is currently in the testing phase at the top secret Groom Lake air base in Nevada -- the infamous "Area 51" where the Air Force tested the U2 spy planes in the late 1950s, Aviation Week said. The Air Force refused to comment when contacted by AFP. The new aircraft was reportedly built by Northrop Grumann, the company behind the Global Hawk and the X-47B drones, which landed on aircraft carriers for the first time this summer. The US company may have obtained in 2008 a secret contract on the order of $2 billion to develop the latest drone, according to Aviation Week. An artistic rendering of the RQ-180 on the cover of the magazine shows a craft with striking resemblance to the X-47B, in particular in lack of rear stabiliser and its so-called "batwing" shape. It was developed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, but "could also be capable of electronic attack missions," the magazine said. "It is similar in size and endurance to the Global Hawk," which can fly for 24 hours up to 1,200 nautical miles (2,000 kilometres) from its base. A first generation of unmanned aircraft, the non-stealthy Reapers and Global Hawks, were used in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they were deemed too vulnerable in enemy territory equipped with powerful anti-aircraft defences. Now the Air Force is slowly turning to stealth drones, better at passing safely over unfriendly territory.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
[Pak Daily Times] Civil society, human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... and minorities rights organizations on Friday staged a protest demonstration in front of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Press Club against cold-blooded murder of Scheduled Caste Hindu (Dalit) girl Kaku Kolhi in Shadi Palli, Umerkot district and demanded to provide justice to the Dalit family. Dalits are "untouchables" in India. Pakistain has theoretically given up the caste system.
The demonstration was jointly organised by Pakistain Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSN), Sindh Civil Society Forum, Sindh Secular Forum and Sindh Progressive Youth Front and others to protest against the murder and gang rape of Dalit girls.
Raising slogans against the influential murderers, the participants of the demonstration urged the Chief Justice of Pakistain to take suo moto action against the culprits as police and local administration is supporting the culprits and adopting delaying tactics to arrest the murderer. "Arrest the rapists and murderers of Kaku Kolhi," a placard reads, while the speakers criticized the role of the local administration and political parties which are supporting the accused.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[FOXNEWS] A U.S. spacecraft hasn't made a controlled landing on the moon since Apollo 17 left the lunar surface on Dec. 14, 1972. That's about to change.
Moon Express will unveil the MX-1 spacecraft at the Autodesk University show in Las Vegas on Thursday evening -- a micro-spacecraft that will in 2015 mark the first U.S. "soft" landing since the days of the Apollo program, FoxNews.com has learned.
The craft looks for all the world like a pair of donuts wearing an ice cream cone, and the tiny vehicle clearly isn't big enough for a human being. But it is big enough to scoop up some rocks and dirt, store them in an internal compartment, and return it to Earth. After all, the moondirt Gene Cernan, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin once trod holds a king's ransom of titanium, platinum, and other rare elements.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
[COMPUTERWORLD] Teams of researchers are hoping to give life to a six-foot, 330-pound humanoid robot at the the Robotics Challenge in Homestead, Fla. on Dec. 20 and 21.
The teams are expected to enable the robot -- and others -- to autonomously walk, use human tools,collect benefits, vote democrat and drive a car.
The event is sponsored by DARPA, or the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense that focuses on advanced research.
DARPA said the program at the Homestead Miami Speedway, is aimed at developing robots capable of working hand-in-hand with humans during natural or man-made disasters.
"Think of the nuclear plants that were damaged during the tsunami in Japan," said David Conner, a senior research scientist with TORC Robotics, whose team is includes with roboticists from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, better known as Virginia Tech. "If they could have gone in and opened some valves to vent some of the hydrogen, they could have avoided an kaboom. If we could have sent a robot in to do that task, it wouldn't have put humans in danger. That's the motivating goal in this project.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/07/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Researchers are hoping to give life to a six-foot, 330-pound humanoid robot.... Already been done, next.
Posted by: Au Auric ||
12/07/2013 1:44 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Federal police blocked access Friday to a central Mexico hospital where six people were reported to have been admitted with radiation exposure.
[DCCRIMESTORIES] D.C. police are investigating whether one of their own officers was running a prostitution ring after 
[THEHILL] Only two reports have surfaced about this phishing problem, according to Richard Sorian, director of communications, education and outreach for the exchange. He noted that the report could be from the same person.
[Al Ahram] Egyptian Nobel-Laureate and former vice president Mohammed ElBaradei will join the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy starting in the fall of 2014
[Pak Daily Times] The Metropolitan Police have 
[An Nahar] Cyprus, dubbed the "Island of Love" as the birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite, is a magnet for Lebanese and Israeli couples from across the water to tie the knot in a civil wedding.
[Pak Daily Times] The US Air Force has secretly developed a new stealth drone for long-range reconnaissance missions that could be operational by 2015, according to a report Friday in an industry magazine. The unmanned drone, dubbed RQ-180, is currently in the testing phase at the top secret Groom Lake air base in Nevada -- the infamous "Area 51" where the Air Force tested the U2 spy planes in the late 1950s, Aviation Week said. The Air Force refused to comment when contacted by AFP. The new aircraft was reportedly built by Northrop Grumann, the company behind the Global Hawk and the X-47B drones, which landed on aircraft carriers for the first time this summer. The US company may have obtained in 2008 a secret contract on the order of $2 billion to develop the latest drone, according to Aviation Week. An artistic rendering of the RQ-180 on the cover of the magazine shows a craft with striking resemblance to the X-47B, in particular in lack of rear stabiliser and its so-called "batwing" shape. It was developed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, but "could also be capable of electronic attack missions," the magazine said. "It is similar in size and endurance to the Global Hawk," which can fly for 24 hours up to 1,200 nautical miles (2,000 kilometres) from its base. A first generation of unmanned aircraft, the non-stealthy Reapers and Global Hawks, were used in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they were deemed too vulnerable in enemy territory equipped with powerful anti-aircraft defences. Now the Air Force is slowly turning to stealth drones, better at passing safely over unfriendly territory.
[Pak Daily Times] Civil society, 
[FOXNEWS] A U.S. spacecraft hasn't made a controlled landing on the moon since Apollo 17 left the lunar surface on Dec. 14, 1972. That's about to change.
[COMPUTERWORLD] Teams of researchers are hoping to give life to a six-foot, 330-pound humanoid robot at the the Robotics Challenge in Homestead, Fla. on Dec. 20 and 21.
