Susanne Posel
Many oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia, the US, the UK, Japan and Kuwait have pledged $165 million to fund an intitative of the World Bank that will allegedly prop up countries that have been affected by manufactured Arab Spring uprisings. Along with the approval of the UN, International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Islamic Development bank and the OPEC fund for International Development are supporting the partnership. The IMF and the World Bank, at a meeting in Tokyo, focused talks on the Middle East citeste si comenteaza …

Susanne Posel
In 2008, a report from the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism identified a clear and present danger of biological attack in 2013. The Congressional Committee claimed that Middle Eastern nations like Pakistan were the most likely to be the origination of such an attack against the US or various other points across the globe. Focusing on Pakistan’s nuclear capability at the time legitimizes naming them as a possible breeding ground for terroristic dissention. The report states that “unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, citeste si comenteaza …

The future is here and this is not a butterfly on your wall, as Israeli drones are getting tiny. Their latest project – a butterfly-shaped drone weighing just 20 grams – the smallest in its range so far – can gather intelligence inside buildings. ­The new miniscule surveillance device can take color pictures and is capable of a vertical take-off and hover flight, just like a helicopter, reports the daily Israel Hayom. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) says this may come in handy in ground clashes, when a soldier would merely take it out of a pocket and send behind the enemy’s line. The insect-drone, with its 0.15-gram citeste si comenteaza …

Susanne Posel
The Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program seeks to find ways to utilize different remote robotic manipulation systems that are controlled by humans. This program is divided into 3 aspects:
• Hardware: to design dexterous multi-fingered robotic hands
• Software: develop complex algorithms for grasping, manipulation and sensory perception
• Outreach: beta-testing robotics in public forums to further study robotic autonomy citeste si comenteaza …

Aerial drones are America’s newest frontline weapon in an escalating global campaign against Islamic militants. And they could get a lot more dangerous in coming years as their underlying technology advances. Compared to today’s fairly rudimentary Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the drones of the future will be faster and more heavily armed. They will also have better sensors plus more sophisticated computers allowing them to plan and execute attacks with less human participation. But military analysts and experts on the future of warfare fear these robotic drones could also wind up citeste si comenteaza …

Chang W. Lee
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — Two miles from the cow pasture where the Wright Brothers learned to fly the first airplanes, military researchers are at work on another revolution in the air: shrinking unmanned drones, the kind that fire missiles into Pakistan and spy on insurgents in Afghanistan, to the size of insects and birds. The base’s indoor flight lab is called the “microaviary,” and for good reason. The drones in development here are designed to replicate the flight mechanics of moths, hawks and other inhabitants of the natural world. “We’re looking at how you hide in plain sight,” said Greg Parker, an aerospace engineer, citeste si comenteaza …

Susanne Posel
Last month, the US House of Representatives passed HR 6566 which is an amendment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 that imbues the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “to provide guidance and coordination for mass fatality planning, and for other purposes.” In the anticipated event of a “mass fatality”, coordination and planning must be forefront of FEMA with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as referred by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (CTI). In the event that the Executive Branch citeste si comenteaza …

Maria Godoy
When French peasants stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789, they weren’t just revolting against the monarchy’s policies. They were also hungry. From the French Revolution to the Arab Spring, high food prices have been cited as a factor behind mass protest movements. But can food prices actually help predict when social unrest is likely to break out? Yes, say a group of researchers who use mathematical modeling to describe how food prices behave. Earlier this summer, their model had predicted that the U.S. drought would push corn and wheat prices high enough to spark social unrest in other parts of the world. citeste si comenteaza …