Designated Driver? So What. New Police Laser Will Sniff Out the Scent of Alcohol in All Moving Cars

“Stand-off detection” of chemical and biological compounds with the use of laser beams is a fantastic technology that has aided fields such as civil industry and environmental protection. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to be a weapon for the surveillance state.

The laser device was developed at the Military University of Technology in their Institute of Optoelectronics, and is described in the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing.

“It should be deployed by the side of the road to monitor each car passing by. If some vapors of alcohol are detected in a car, a message with a photo of the car including its number plate is sent to a policeman who is waiting by the road several hundred meters further. Then the policeman stops the suspected car driver and checks him using conventional equipment.”

What this amounts to is real-time monitoring of people inside vehicles who are simply driving from one place to another. The laser would be searching every vehicle for a physical presence.

Notwithstanding the clear violation of our right to privacy, it would surely result in wrongful pullovers. What if there is a sober designated driver and others in the car have been drinking? The driver should be harassed by cops for doing nothing wrong? Maybe the perfectly sober driver has an outstanding parking ticket and the cop is feeling angry, or the driver flexes his rights with a plastic bag and proceeds to get beaten.

Even the authors acknowledge that errors can happen.

“Sometimes it may occur that the driver is sober while passengers are not or some sort of alcohol was spilt in the car.”

Nevertheless, developers of the laser device are working to commercialize it. There will undoubtedly be great demand, as surveillance states are always looking for ways to increase their monitoring capabilities. The more they can sense, the more they can repress and extort.

It won’t stop with alcohol, either. Plans are in the works to extend stand-off detection lasers to “illicit” substances. People could be pulled over when a laser beam detects the whiff of a plant deemed illegal by the state, or it could be pointed inside someone’s home to detect the heinous crime of smoking a joint.

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250mph jet stream blasts plane across the Atlantic in record time

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The Boeing 777-200 jet reached a ground speed of 745mph as it rode winds of more than 200mph across the Atlantic

Concorde may have been retired but a British Airways passenger jet approached supersonic speed this week as it rode a surging jet stream from New York to London.

The Boeing 777-200 jet reached a ground speed of 745mph as it rode winds of more than 200mph across the Atlantic. At ground level, the speed of sound is 761mph.

The happy result was a flight time of just five hours and 16 minutes for BA114, which arrived an hour and half before schedule, according to the tracking website, FlightAware.

Dozens of other flights also benefited from the jet stream's winter surge, but those same windshave also triggered severe storms across Britain.

Pilots have long used jet streams - which flow across the globe from west to east - to cut journey times and save fuel.

Although airlines advertise the route at seven hours, it is not uncommon for flights to save an hour in the air, said Alastair Rosenschein, a former British Airways pilot who flew 747s between London and New York.

"It's just like surfing. It's extraordinary how fast you can go," he said.

But at only 10 miles across and about 2000ft deep it takes skill, planning and a bit of luck to ride one for an entire route.

"You try to sit in the core of the jet where it's not too turbulent and where you can pick up some free mileage. It's not unusual to get 100mph tailwinds but they have got more than that," he said. "This must be a record."

Wednesday's weather charts show the jet stream was running at 220 knots (250mph) and was unusually wide, he added, making it easier for pilots and their passengers to benefit.

They are generally found between 23,000ft and 39,000ft - perfect altitudes for cruising airliners - and are caused by a combination of the earth's rotation and heat from the sun.

This week's extreme effects are thought to be the result of plunging temperatures in the United States hitting warmer air from the south.

Whatever the cause, it has proved a boon to travellers. Online flying forums were abuzz with passengers describing their own experiences of flights that had taken less than five and a half hours to cross the Atlantic, along with reassuring messages from pilots that the speeds were well within the tolerances of modern planes.

But while it may help trans-Atlantic passengers arriving from New York, pilots have to plot routes that avoid the high winds when they fly west.

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Flooding hits Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique

Heavy rainfall in parts of south east Africa over the last 2 weeks has resulted in flooding in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.

As reported earlier this week, as many as 10 people have died in flooding in Zimbabwe. According to media reports, 6 people have been killed in Malawi and as many as 9 people have died as a result of recent severe weather in Mozambique. Heavy rainfall has also been reported in Madagascar and Zambia although no flooding has as yet been reported.

Change in Monsoon - Rainfall 150% higher than normal

According to a report (pdf) on Africa Hazards Outlook by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the heavy rainfall is a result of a change of the southern Africa Monsoon. The report says:

"Since late December, the character of the southern Africa monsoon has shifted considerably, as several regions of southeastern Africa continue to experience a significant increase in rains and available ground moisture. This increase has helped both alleviate and completely offset seasonal moisture deficits associated with a poor/delayed start of the monsoon during November and December."

The report goes on to say that areas of south east Africa have seen rainfall amounts 150% higher than normal.

"During the last 30 days, analysis of rainfall anomaly tendency shows the greatest positive changes (100mm) have occurred throughout southern Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and western Madagascar. It is these areas that are now experiencing approximately 150 percent of their normal precipitation for the season."

Further rain and flooding expected

NOAA predicts further heavy rainfall over the coming days, and possibly for the rest of January. This makes the possibility of more flooding highly likely, in particular as river levels are already high.

"These torrential rains not only reportedly triggered flooding in central Zimbabwe during the last week, but are also expected to elevate the risk for downstream inundation along the Zambezi, Save, Buzi, Pungwe, and Limpopo Rivers in Mozambique."

Cahora Bassa Dam

Such heavy rainfall in this area invariably focuses attention on the Cahora Bassa dam. Mozambique's Disaster Management Technical Council (CTGC) say that the reservoir still has plenty of storage capacity, and so Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), the company that operates the dam, is currently only discharging 2,500 cubic metres a second.

But if the current scenario persists, HCB may be obliged to increase the discharges in order to guarantee the safety and integrity of the dam itself. Increased discharges from Cahora Bassa will inevitably increase the threat of flooding on the lower Zambezi.

A dambreach would prove disastrous for communities downstream of the dam. The flood wave would reach Tete (with a population of more than 150,000) just 10 hours after the breach.

See the report by Marc Hartman of HKV Consultants for an animation of the potential flood resulting from a dambreach in the Cahora Bassa dam.

Mozambique

Yesterday 134 mm of rain fell was recorded in 24 hours in Nampula, Mozambique. Severe weather has been affecting Nampula Province for the last 2 weeks and 9 people have been reported as killed in Nacala city. The deaths were thought to have been caused by lightning strikes and by the collapse of a wall during a thunderstorm.

According to a statement made by Mozambique government's Disaster Management Technical Council (CTGC), around 2,500 houses have been damaged or destroyed in the floods and rainstorms since late December 2014. Almost 10,000 families have been affected, with Maputo province and city are thought to be some of the worst affected areas.

Zimbabwe

At least 10 people have died in the floods in Zimbabwe. The latest assessment from the Zimbabwe Red Cross says that over 160 houses have been destroyed. Other media reports says this total should be closer to 2,000. Assessment work is still being carried out by the Red cross and Zimbabwe authorities.

Malawi

Six people have been reported as killed in recent flooding in Malawi - four in Mangochi, two in Zomba. Further deaths are likely, according to Paul Chiunguzeni, Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs, who spoke to Anadolu News Agency.

World Bulletin report that at least 500 families have been displaced by the floods, which have destroyed houses and crops.

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Take 10 "Keystone XL": US House approves oil pipeline once again

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Keystone pipeline protestors.

White House continues veto threat after tenth vote since 2011 on connecting Canadian tar sands to Texas refineries

The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline to bring tar sands oil from Canada to the US, despite a renewed pledge by the White House to veto the legislation.

Hours before the House vote, Nebraska's highest court tossed out a lawsuit challenging the pipeline's route, an obstacle the White House said it needed removed to make a decision.

Keystone XL has been one of the biggest areas of conflict between President Barack Obama and a Congress where Republicans took complete control this week for the first time since his election.

© www.theguardian.com

Keystone XL pipeline route map.

The pipeline would move tar sands oil from Canada 1,179 miles (1,900km) south to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Supporters say it would create jobs and ease American dependence on Middle East oil. Critics argue production of the oil is environmentally harmful and that much of the Canadian crude would be exported with little or no impact on America's drive to reduce oil imports, which have already been falling because of record US oil production.

The House on Friday approved the measure 266-152, with 28 Democrats voting in support. It was one of the first pieces of legislation considered by the Republican-controlled Congress and the tenth vote the House had taken since July 2011 to advance the $8bn project.

"We shouldn't be debating it, we should be building it," said House majority leader Kevin McCarthy, who noted that more than 2,000 days had passed since the pipeline was first proposed in 2008. The Senate has a test vote on Monday with enough support to pass an identical bill.

The White House veto threat was based partly on the outstanding Nebraska case. Obama said he needed the state court ruling before deciding whether the cross-border pipeline was in the national interest.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, following the court's decision, renewed a call for Obama to reconsider his promise to veto the measure. "Today's ruling provides the perfect opportunity for the president to change his unproductive posture on this jobs project and reverse his veto threat," McConnell said. "The president now has every reason to sign it."

A White House spokesman said the court's decision would have no effect on the president's plan to veto the bill. "Regardless of the Nebraska ruling today, the House bill still conflicts with longstanding executive branch procedures regarding the authority of the president and prevents the thorough consideration of complex issues that could bear on US national interests, and if presented to the president, he will veto the bill," said deputy press secretary Eric Schultz.

In the face of a veto threat, Democrats called the bill a waste of time. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House energy and commerce committee, said building the pipeline would increase reliance on Canadian tar sands oil and reverse the strides to reduce the pollution blamed for global warming.

"We get all the risk," he said, "while the oil companies will reap all the rewards."

Comment:

© carbusters.org

Who owns the U.S. Congress? Big Business.

The Calgary-based oil patch and New Brunswick's Irving Oil Ltd., operators of Canada's largest refinery and 900 service stations in eastern Canada and New England, besides extensive Canadian holdings ranging from timber to tissues and shipbuilding to radio stations, are billionaires from the poorest region of the country who supply 60 percent of the gasoline in the greater Boston area. They are the fifth-largest private landholder in the U.S., with tracts sufficient to cover four-fifths of Delaware. Their fortune has been calculated at more than $10 billion.

Due to the U.S. stall out, apparently Canada is considering end-run plans "B and C" for its 168 billion proven barrels. "B" takes the crude to the Canadian coast in British Columbia (opposition from aboriginal groups running on this one), and "C" takes it to the East Coast (almost 5000 km) via Energy East and onward to India, gaining Canada more profit than a deal with the U.S and approval as early as 2016. However, environmental interests in Quebec are coming to the fore.

Pipelines are never foolproof. Eco hazards will occur at the expense of the environment and the public (who will inevitably pick up the tab for shoddy construction and its ramifications as in all pipelines, not to mention the sudden and timely demise of legitimate whistleblowers trying to prevent such occurrences). In the end, the public pays whether it is at the pump or to rectify disasters. What'll it be?

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Thousands march in France in a symbol of solidarity and pride after bloody terror

Thousands of people march during a rally along the sea front in Nice

Placards reading Je Suis Charlie were held in the silent rallies which took place today.

Nice seafront was covered with people peacefully protesting against the terror attacks which ended yesterday with 20 people dead.

Pens were also held in remembrance of those brutally murdered at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday.

There, 12 people were shot dead and many others injured.

Police estimate there were 23,000 people in the demonstration in Nice.

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Lavrov to lead the Russian Delegation in France's "Republican March" honoring Hebdo victims

© RIA NOVOSTI / Sergiy Kuznecov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will head the Russian delegation in the so-called Republican March slated for January 11 in dedication to those who were killed during the terrorist acts this week in Paris, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website Saturday.

"Representatives of various French political forces as well as foreign states will participate in the event. The Russian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov," the statement reads.

The "Republican March" will be held in Paris on Sunday in honor of the victims of the latest terrorist acts on January 7 and 9 in Paris. It is expected that more than a million people will participate in the march, including the heads of a number of states, as well as political, social and religious leaders.

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Mysterious booms rattle homes in Oklahoma

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A spate of mysterious booms that has been shaking central Oklahoma returned for a second day Friday, again rattling houses and frightening livestock.

Oklahoma Geological Survey research seismologist Austin Holland said a series of booms, much like a sonic boom, rattled the Norman area starting at 11:19 a.m. Friday. Numerous others had been reported Thursday in the same area at about the same time.

Friday's booms weren't "quite as frequent" as Thursday's, Holland said. "It's quite interesting."

The windows of Anthony Young's home in the town that's the outskirts of Oklahoma City rattled. "We thought some nut was out here, you know, with explosives," Young told KOCO-TV. "It sounded like thunder, you could feel the ground shake, but it was nothing like an earthquake"

Both Holland and National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Day didn't have an explanation for the booms.

No earthquakes have been recorded in the area, Holland said, noting that "we would have seen them on our seismic stations in the area." And it's unlikely that it's due to a drilling process known as fracking, he said, because the booms were heard and felt over a wide area including Norman, Edmond and Shawnee.

Holland's best guess: It must have been something just above the surface of the earth or in the atmosphere.

Day, who's based in Norman, said a phenomenon known as cryoseisms also isn't likely. Cryoseisms, or "frost quakes," occur when water quickly freezes in soil or rock, then expands and cracks.

"There are some stories going around that's what it was, but based on the research we've done here, it doesn't appear what people heard is related to the cryoseism phenomena," Day told The Norman Transcript. "There's not enough moisture, and the temperatures are not cold enough. That happens in areas where you have a lot of water flowing through a lot of rock," Day said.

"We don't know what it was, we just know what it is not," according to Day.

Holland said the booms occurred on generally regular interval, initially occurring 40 to 60 seconds apart, then about 20 seconds apart.

"It's a mystery to us as well," he said.

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