Special Forces' Gigapixel Flying Spy Sees All

By David Hambling February 12, 2009

You may think your new ten-megapixel camera is pretty hot –- but not when you compare it to the 1.8 Gigapixel beast built for the Pentagon. The camera is designed as a payload for the A-160T Hummingbird robot helicopter now being quietly delivered to Special Forces. It will give them an unprecedented ability to track everything on the ground in real time. The camera is scheduled for flight testing at the start of next year.

Developed under the auspices of Darpa, the camera is the sensor part of Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance - Imaging System or ARGUS-IS. The camera is composed of four arrays, each containing 92 five-megapixel imagers. The other parts of ARGUS are the airborne processing system, which has to deal with a phenomenal torrent of data, and the ground-based element. The airborne part fits into a 500-pound pod.

The Hummingbird is unique in its ability to hover at high altitude (over 15,000 feet) and its endurance of over 20 hours. This means it can park high in the sky and scan a wide area. Robo-chopper camera-maker BAE Systems says that its imager will be able to cover an area of over a hundred square miles. The refresh rate is fifteen frames per second and a "ground sample distance" of 15 centimeters –- this means that each pixel represents six inches on the ground. (The Darpa diagram, above, suggests a smaller area of coverage, 40 square kilometers or 15 square miles, at that resolution.)

The volume of data is too great to be completely transmitted, but users will be able to define at least sixty-five independent video windows within the image and zoom in or out at will. The windows can be set to automatically track items of interest such as moving vehicles. In fact, the resolution is good enough for it to offer "dismount tracking" or following individual people on foot.

In addition to the windows, ARGUS will provide "a real-time moving target indicator for vehicles throughout the entire field of view in real-time." Basically, nothing can move in the entire area without being spotted. Unlike radar, ARGUS can zoom in and provide a high-resolution image.

The camera is pretty impressive, but it's the processing and the software behind it that will make this such a capable system. It would take a human a very long time to scan the whole area under surveillance if they were looking for something – but this is exactly the type of task which the swarming software we looked at last week excels at. Luckily enough, that just happens to be a Darpa program too. The technique of looking at small windows of interest also means that it may be possible to speed the frame rate up considerably – we previously looked at a windowing system so fast it could follow speeding bullets.

The ARGUS-IS mounted on the Hummingbird could be a significant battlefield asset for getting a real-time picture of what's on the other side of the hill. And no doubt there will be civilian agencies who think it might be quite a useful capability for them to have too.

Mythological Footnote: Someone in Darpa may be a fan of the classics – Argus or Argos Panoptes was a giant, unsleeping watchman with a hundred eyes all over his body. Unfortunately he was killed by Hermes; according to the myth, his eyes were placed on the tail of the peacock.

[Image: DARPA]

Official results confirm Livni win in Israel

Vaccines didn't cause autism, court rules

The CIA and NSA Want You to Be Their Friend on Facebook

Chavez reports attempted coup, blames US

Interpol Issues Global Security Alert For Over 80 Saudi Terrorists

Mortgage Fraud Suspect Caught at Canadian Border With $70G Tucked in Shoes

Free Antibiotics -- in U.S. Food and Water

Obama Breaks Rank in UN's Global War on Drugs

Israeli election spells problems for Mideast peace

Likud Party Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu greeting supporters at Likud election headquarters in Tel Aviv



Livni: I'll fight on to form coalition, despite poor odds

Despite her slim chance of being able to form a government, Kadima leader Tzipi Livni on Wednesday pledged to make every effort to do so "for my voters." However, she said she would not pay "an exorbitant price" for other parties agreement to join her.

Likud may offer top spots to Kadima, Lieberman in bid to form quick coalition


Israeli election spells problems for Mideast peace

Study Says Cleveland Is Miserable

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The city of Cleveland is miserable, according to a new study.

Cleveland ranks at number four of Forbes Magazine's new Miserable Cities rankings.

The magazine looked at nine factors: commute times, corruption, pro sports teams, Superfund
sites, taxes (both income and sales), unemployment, violent crime and weather.

The study only ranked cities with a population of at least 378,000.

Here is a look at the top 10:

1. Stockton, California

2. Memphis, Tennessee

3. Chicago, Illinois

4. Cleveland, Ohio

5. Modesto, California

6. Flint, Michigan

7. Detroit, Michigan

8. Buffalo, New York

9. Miami, Florida

10. St. Louis, Missori

See the full report from Forbes Magazine,

click here.

Obama: Stimulus Vital To Avoid 'Catastrophe'

President Barack Obama, pressuring lawmakers to urgently approve a massive economic recovery bill, criticized Republicans who have balked at the legislation Monday night and said, "I can't afford to see Congress play the usual political games."

Obama used the first prime-time news conference of his presidency to warn that a failure to act swiftly and boldly "could turn a crisis into a catastrophe."

With the nation falling deeper into a long and painful recession, Obama defended his program against Republican criticism that it is loaded with pork-barrel spending and will not create jobs.

"The plan is not perfect," the president said. "No plan is. I can't tell you for sure that everything in this plan will work exactly as we hope, but I can tell you with complete confidence that a failure to act will only deepen this crisis as well as the pain felt by millions of Americans."

Obama addressed the nation from the East Room of the White House in a news conference that lasted almost exactly one hour. He hit repeatedly at the themes he has emphasized in recent weeks, including at a town hall meeting to promote his plan earlier in the day in Elkhart, Ind.

When the stimulus bill passed the House last month, not a single Republican voted for it. On Monday an $838 billion version of the legislation cleared a crucial test vote in the Senate by a 61-36 margin, with all but three Republican senators opposing it.

Obama said he had made a deliberate effort to reach out to the GOP, putting three Republicans into his Cabinet, and "as I continue to make these overtures, over time, hopefully that will be reciprocated."

"So my bottom line when it comes to the recovery package is: send me a bill that creates or saves 4 million jobs."

Obama acknowledged the difficulty of mending political divisions between Republicans and Democrats.

"Old habits are hard to break," he said. "We're coming off an election, and people sort of want to test the limits of what they can get. There's a lot of jockeying in this town and who's up and who's down, testing for the next election."

Obama said the federal government was the only power that could save the nation at a time of crisis, with huge spending outlays and tax cuts.

"At this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life," he said.

Rejecting criticism that the emphasis on federal action was too great, he said that 90 percent of the jobs created by the plan would be in the private sector, rebuilding crumbling roads, bridges and other aging infrastructure.

"The plan that ultimately emerges from Congress must be big enough and bold enough to meet the size of the economic challenge we face right now," Obama said.

Again and again, he stressed that the economy is in dire straits.

"This is not your ordinary, run of the mill recession," he said. Obama said the United States aims to avoid the kind of economic pain that Japan endured in the 1990s - the "lost decade" when that nation showed no economic growth.

"My bottom line is to make sure that we are saving or creating 4 million jobs," he said, and that homeowners facing foreclosure receive some relief.

While Obama focused on the economy in the opening minutes of the news conference, he also faced questions on foreign policy. He was asked how his administration would deal with Iran, a nation accused by the United States of supporting terrorism and pursuing nuclear weapons.

The president said his administration was reviewing its policy toward Iran "looking at places where we can have constructive dialogue." He also said it was time for Iran to change its behavior.

"My expectation is in the coming months we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table face to face," Obama said.

He said that Iran must understand that funding terrorist organizations and pursuing nuclear weapons are unacceptable.

Obama tried to brace the U.S. for tougher sacrifices ahead in Afghanistan, where he said the national government is limited and terrorists still find places to hide and hinder coalition efforts.

An estimated 33,000 U.S. troops currently are in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon is expected to almost double that presence. So just as Obama is planning to pull troops out of Iraq, he is sending more into Afghanistan.

"I do not have a timetable for how long that's going to take," he said. "What I know is I'm not going to allow al-Qaida and (Osama) bin Laden to operate with impunity, planning attacks."

©2009 by The Associated Press.

Ohio Cop is Accused of Stealing $25,000 from the property room.

SYLVANIA, Ohio — A 35-year veteran of the Sylvania police department is accused of stealing $25,000 from the property room.

Carl Beckman allegedly took the cash while working as the property room officer for the past 20 years, ONN affiliate WTOL reported.

Police within the department noticed something was wrong, and Beckman reportedly confessed.

An indictment was filed against Beckman. The department is now doing a full audit of everything in the property room, WTOL reported.

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Rep. Matthew Shea. (R)
4th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Washington Sovereignty Bill HJM 4009:
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Lawmakers in 20 states move to reclaim sovereignty


Contact Rep. Sam Hunt:
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Ohio Gov. calling for 120 fee hikes

Read my lips, no new taxes!

Ohio budget plan breaks previous pledges
February 03, 2009 15:08 EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Gov. Ted Strickland's new $55 billion budget proposal is a step back from previous priorities and pledges.

He included several business tax credits in his spending plan released Monday, even though he opposed such credits two years ago.

And while he promised not to raise taxes on average Ohioans, he's calling for 120 fee hikes instead.

Those fees, if enacted, will make it more expensive for Ohioans to register a vehicle, obtain a birth certificate and dump garbage.

Strickland is also putting a plan on hold to make high-speed Internet access available throughout Ohio. He ordered in July 2007 that broadband be extended to all 88 Ohio counties.

State Budget Director Pari Sabety says the initiative has to be halted because of the tight budget.

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Jan. 30 2009




Mary Hicks appeared on the Friday, January 30, 2009 "The Late Show". Letterman played Hicks' routine in its entirety. Letterman took full responsibility for the original censorship, apologized to Mary Hicks, Bill's mother, and declared he didn't know what he had been thinking when he pulled the routine from the original show.

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January 29th,


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Today, Alex welcomes back to the show occult researcher, speaker, and radio talk show host Jordan Maxwell. Alex also has Infowars webmaster and journalist Kurt Nimmo in-studio. Alex tackles the important issues of the day and takes your calls.

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January 28, 2009.

Alex talks with Rev. Kevin Annett, a Canadian writer and former minister of the United Church of Canada. He has authored two books about Canadian aboriginals: Love and Death in the Valley and Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust. Alex also talks with attorney Charles Slepian about the mother charged with terrorism for spanking her child on a Frontier Airlines flight to Denver in 2007. Alex also discusses the issues of the day and takes your calls.

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Today, Alex welcomes forecaster, author, and CEO of The Trends Research Institute, Gerald Celente back to the show. Alex also talks with journalist, former intelligence officer in the US Navy and communications security analyst with the National Security Agency, Wayne Madsen. Alex also discusses the important issues of the day and takes your calls.

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Alex Jones’ Audio Blog: January 27, 2009 on
Vaccine & Other Gov’t Propaganda

mp3

Infowars
January 27, 2009

In the seventh installment of his new audio blog, Alex Jones and his wife Violet discuss various government propaganda, as well as television programs, which advance the idea that those who don’t vaccinate will contaminate the rest of society.

Violet discusses an episode of Private Practice which features a scenario where the mother of an autistic child had refused to vaccinate another child out of concern about the link between vaccine & autism. That action is portrayed as a dangerous misjudgment leading to the second child spreading measles– which the doctors see as evidence that the woman’s children should be taken by CPS.

Alex also discusses USA Service ads that are promoted by Obama, government propaganda about the supposed dangers of marijuana smokers, the pro-abortion culture, and other issues.

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Oho State Under Surveillance OSU

Under surveillance

Madeline Smith

Issue date: 1/27/09 Section:
thelantern.com

Andy Gottesman/THE LANTERN

Campus security watches over surveillance cameras in Blankenship Hall. The control room features cameras from all over the university campus..

With more than 500 security cameras covering the campus area, it is likely that every student has passed under the lens of Ohio State Public Safety.

"Our camera monitors, just this past year, have helped the police catch a criminal suspect breaking into vehicles at the vet hospital, suspects who were stealing bikes, and on several occasions people who were vandalizing property," said Ron Balser, director of University Security and Protective Services.

Since the installation of the first cameras in 1989 at the Wexner Center for the Arts, the surveillance operation has expanded as far as the Lazarus building Downtown, and includes campus from the Medical Center to the Gateway.

Until 2005, though, only the Wexner and Medical centers used security cameras.

"Sometime in 2005, technology changed to where you no longer had to run a wire to carry the signal from the camera to the location you were going to monitor," Balsar said. "The camera installation costs and the monitoring costs went way down."

Today the entire operation is monitored out of one location in Blankenship Hall, which headquarters OSU Public Safety.

The system has allowed police officers to more efficiently arrest suspects, and has given prosecutors the evidence to convict them. Thanks to this success, there are plans to add more than 200 cameras in the near future.

"Before this past year we were getting four or five requests a year for camera footage, and today we are receiving that many requests in a month," Balser said.

Police officials and prosecutors are not the only ones who use the security cameras, though; the system has recently broken into the realm of academia as well.

With the help of some of his doctoral students, professor Jim Davis of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at OSU is developing a system known as "Smart Surveillance."

While most commercial monitoring software produces flat, panoramic images, this new technology captures a 360-degree view from the camera.

This software will allow security staff to develop a better sense of typical events on and around campus. It will then be easier to recognize atypical circumstances and maintain constant footage of potential suspects.

"If you're doing something strange, we want to be able to detect that and figure out what's going on," Davis said.

Balser said that the current monitoring system is a cost-effective way to fight crime. "We, at Public Safety, would have had to drastically increase the number of security and police officers without them," he said.

Students at branch campuses, including Wooster, should expect new monitoring systems in the near future, Balsar said.

---

Madeline Smith can be reached at smith.5896@osu.edu.

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PLUS THIS ARCHIVE OF ALEX JONES INTERVIEWS:


Dr. Russell Blaylock On The Alex Jones Show - 1/05/09

Alex welcomes back to the show Russell Blaylock, M.D., a retired neurosurgeon, and author of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills and The Blaylock Wellness Report. Dr. Blaylock has demonstrated the link between food additives and degenerative diseases.


Barry Cooper On The Alex Jones Show - 1/07/09

Alex talks with Barry Cooper, a former drug interdiction police officer who has produced the DVD, Never Get Busted Again.

Michel Chossudovsky On The Alex Jones Show - 1/06/09

Alex talks to Canadian economist and author Michel Chossudovsky about the situation in Gaza.

Steve Quayle On The Alex Jones Show - 1/08/09

Alex talks to author, researcher, and host of the "Q-Files" radio program, Steve Quayle.


David Icke On The Alex Jones Show - 1/08/09

Alex welcomes back to the show author, former professional football player, reporter, television sports presenter, and former spokesman for the Green Party, David Icke. David will talk with Alex about the "naked emperor," Barack Obama.

Russell Means On The Alex Jones Show - 1/09/09

Alex talks with Lakota tribal leader and former nominee of the Libertarian Party for president Russell Means. On December 20, 2007, Means announced the withdrawal of a group of Lakota Sioux from all treaties with the United States government and declared the Lakota a sovereign nation.

Alan Watt On The Alex Jones Show - 1/09/09

Alex talks with New World Order researcher, author, and radio talk show host Alan Watt.

Webster Tarpley On The Alex Jones Show - 1/16/09

Jason Bermas with author, journalist, and lecturer Webster Tarpley.

Peter Dale Scott On The Alex Jones Show - 1/16/09

Jason Bermas talks with Canadian author and political activist Peter Dale Scott.


Bob Chapman's Weekly Report On The Economy - 1/16/09

Jason Bermas talks with Bob Chapman, of the International Forecaster, to give us his weekly report on the economy.


Russell Wood On The Alex Jones Show - 1/15/09

Jason Bermas & Bob Dacy talk with Russell Wood of the Property Rights Congress in Missouri.

Jack McLamb On The Alex Jones Show - 1/15/09

Jason Bermas & Bob Dacy talk with Jack McLamb, the most highly decorated police officer in Phoenix history and host of the Jack McLamb radio show.

Gerald Celente On The Alex Jones Show - 12/18/08

Alex welcomes back to the show Gerald Celente, the world's number one trends forecaster, who has predicted a severe depression and riots in the streets.

Texe Marrs On The Alex Jones Show - 12/18/08

Alex talks with author (Mysterious Monuments: Encyclopedia of Secret Illuminati Designs, Masonic Architecture, and Occult Places) and radio talk show host Texe Marrs.

Richard Gage On The Alex Jones Show - 12/19/08

Alex talks with Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth founder Richard Gage.

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KRS-One Admits Obama Is A Crony Of The New World Order

KRS ONE ALEX JONES MP3 DOWNLOAD 08 JAN. 23





JAN. 23


KRS ONE ON THE ALEX JONES RADIO SHOW

PART 1

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KRS ONE.org

KRS-One Admits Obama Is A Crony Of The New World Order

Music:

The STOP THE VIOLENCE MOVEMENT


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INFOWARS

AUDIO- Obama retakes oath of office -NO BIBLE?

Video of the flubbed oath on inauguration day:

INN World Report Israel Gaza UN

International News Net World Report

Israel Gaza UN

1-22-09
LISTEN


Israel threatens Gazans with another attack 2009-01-22

Israel has threatened to launch a new strike against Gaza after having failed to diminish Hamas's power through three weeks of offensive. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday "If we are forced to, there will be more attacks" . IDF Soldiers have been deployed along the border in order to provide a quick response should the need arise.

United Nations Security Council to Press Israel on Gaza School Attacks Posted January 21, 2009

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanded a full explanation from Israel regarding its attacks on UN schools and other facilities during the 22-day war in the Gaza Strip, which he called “outrageous.” Ban, after completing a tour of the Gaza Strip, said “those responsible will be held accountable for their actions.”

First war tally: 1,284 Gazans dead, 4,336 wounded As the last Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip before dawn Wednesday, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights which counted the casualties of the 23-day war on Gaza, released a final tally . The report found that 1,284 Gazans were killed and 4,336 wounded. The group said 894 of the dead were civilians, including 280 children and minors 17 and under, as well as 111 women. The remaining 390 dead were members of Hamas or other militant groups.

Gaza war munitions investigated 22 Jan 2009

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it will open an investigation into Israel's alleged use of depleted uranium during the 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip. Arab nations sent a letter the agency asking the UN to investigate whether the controversial munitions were used in the war.

Israel accused of executing parents in front of children in Gaza

Israel refuted allegations of war atrocities in Gaza after Palestinian children described how their parents had been "executed" in front of them by Israeli troops. A psychiatrist treating children described the deaths as a "massacre". One Jordanian doctor said civilians, including children, were rounded up and killed . Israel dismissed the claims as Hamas propaganda.

Livni's Belgium trip almost cancelled due to lawsuit concerns

Israel's concerns about international lawsuits following Operation Cast Lead is apparently growing. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's trip to Brussels remained uncertain until the very last minute, fearing she may face legal action in Belgium for alleged war crimes. Livni's trip was put on hold Wednesday, after a Nazareth journalist reported the possiblility of legal action. However, Livni will address EU foreign ministers as scheduled.

Bioterror imminent? Vote and be Vaccinated

Ohio Forced To Borrow Federal Money For Unemployment

nbc4i.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio—It’s a sign of the times: The state of Ohio’s unemployment fund has run out of money and how Ohio has been forced to borrow from the federal government to keep paying out benefits.

What if you lose your job next week? What if you own a small business? NBC 4‘s Patrick Preston got answers.

Last week, unemployed Ohioans waited on the phone for hours to sign up for benefits after high demand and technical glitches crashed the state’s benefits Web site.

The Web site has been fixed, but the state’s funding formula remains broken, with too many unemployed workers collecting payments and not enough money coming in.

“Should workers be worried if they lose their job that there won’t be any benefits to collect?“ Preston asked.

“They absolutely should not be worried,“ said Sara Hall Phillips, Labor Policy Analyst with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. “The benefits will be there for them. We’re federally required to provide benefits.“

The federal government will continue loaning money to keep payments going as long as needed. The bad news is for businesses paying the taxes that fund the unemployment benefits.

“We’re realistic enough to know that employers are probably going to have to put more money into the system,“ said Andy Doehrel, president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

Doehrel said there are only two ways to fix the current funding formula: increase taxes or reduce or freeze the payouts—or a combination of the two.

If the legislature doesn’t fix the problem by 2012, business taxes will increase.

As it stands, the state paid an estimated $1.5 billion in unemployment benefits in 2008 and are averaging $43 million in payouts each week in 2009—on pace to exceed $2 billion by year’s end.

“This will get fixed. It’s been broken before. It will be fixed again,“ Doehrel said.

Local charity defends Gaza lab that Israel bombed

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 10:38 PM

By Dean Narciso

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

An Arab charity based in the Columbus suburb of Dublin helped pay for a university laboratory building in Gaza that Israeli warplanes destroyed on Dec. 29.

The Israeli military said Hamas was using the building to develop explosives "under the auspices of university professors," according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

But Ishaq Y. Al-Qutub, director of the nonprofit Arab Student Aid International, said the attack has him surprised and concerned. He said Kamalia Shaath, the president of the Islamic University of Gaza, told him the building had not been used to make explosives.

"I asked him if there were any activities related to explosives and what the faculty members are producing in those labs," said Al-Qutub. "He emphatically said 'no let them come and prove it.' So far, there is no evidence of what this claim is all about. We're taking his word as trustworthy."

All of Arab Student Aid's funding - raised through donations from around the world - is used for education at 10 Arab universities, Al-Qutub said. To verify how the money is used, school administrators submit regular reports to Al-Qutub at his offices on Wilcox Place in Dublin.

Al-Qutub said Shaath confirmed that the laboratory building the university built six years ago using $425,000 in Arab Student Aid money was destroyed on Dec. 29.

Arab Student Aid provides interest-free loans and grants to needy and deserving students, according to its Web site. Since 1981, nearly 5,000 students have earned degrees, including about 2,000 who earned doctorates. The organization also supplies grants for infrastructure and equipment.

Born in Hebron in the West Bank and raised in Jerusalem, Al-Qutub received educational assistance from Rolla Foley, an Illinois Quaker who helped more than 30 Palestinian students receive their education in the 1950s and '60s. Al-Qutub earned a doctorate in sociology in 1966.

"We trust the universities, that they are employing these funds to expand or improve the facilities," he said. "We trust the words of the university presidents."

Yet he concedes that there is a possibility for abuse: "What goes on afterward we cannot really know."

Some student loans are never repaid because "it is difficult to locate the student" for a variety of reasons, according to footnotes in the association's financial statements.

Al-Qutub has been subjected to inflammatory remarks on blogs trying to link his charity to terrorism.

"There has been a serious misunderstanding and misinterpretation of what we do," he said, adding that they eventually will consider legal action.

When the group moved from New Jersey to Dublin three years ago, Al-Qutub let the FBI's Columbus office know what the charity does. FBI Special Agent Harry Trombitas declined to comment. Dublin police have received no reports or complaints.

International law typically prohibits strikes on hospitals, churches or schools, unless there is evidence they are being used as military bases.

Even if Islamic University did produce weapons, that alone doesn't justify an Israeli attack, wrote Neve Gordon and Jeff Halper of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

"Weapon development and even manufacturing have, unfortunately, become major projects at universities worldwide - a fact that does not justify bombing them," they wrote.

Islamic University was established 30 years ago by the founder of Hamas, a group the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. The University has about 18,000 students, more than half of them women.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

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