Loss of Privacy

The Saharan Cheetah is rarely seen by humans.  It’s endangered and it is very shy of humans.  Unfortunately, the photo of one of the cheetahs shows that it is very thin and, possibly, starving.

Estimates put the numbers of the animal, also known as the Northwest African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) as low as 250, but, says Sarah Durant of the Zoological Society of London, this is guesswork. “Virtually nothing is known about the population,” she says.

Farid Belbachir, who is running the field survey, added: “This is an incredibly rare and elusive subspecies of cheetah and current population estimates, which stand at less than 250 mature individuals, are based on guesswork.

This is a fantastic use of stop motion surveillance cameras.  We should be shipping all the cameras in the USA and placing them into the Sahara so we can locate all these cheetahs and help them from starving to death.

Wikileaks never seems to disappoint these days.  After cracking the encryption key to the Pentagon Central Command (CENTCOM) website, where the Afghanistan information was located, the Pentagon was forced to pull its entire site.

The site detailed information that officials were to give and to avoid giving to journalists.

The encryption password is progress, which perhaps reflects the Pentagon’s desire to stay on-message, even to itself.

Apparently, basic alpha numeric passwords and words that you can’t find in a dictionary are too hard for the Pentagon to remember.

Among the revelations, which we encourage the press to review in detail, is Jordan’s presence as secret member of the US lead occupation force, the ISAF.

Jordan is a middle eastern monarchy, backed by the US, and historically the CIA’s closest partner in its extraordinary rendition program. “the practice of torture is routine” in the country, according to a January 2007 report by UN special investigator for torture, Manfred Nowak.

The document states NATO spokespersons are to keep Jordan’s involvement secret. Publicly, Jordan withdrew in 2001 and the country does not appear on this month’s public list of ISAF member states.

Much of the information covers the fact that the war in Afghanistan is not going well and that stories are created to give the illusion that it is.  The findings are proof that many of us have suspected all along.

More delicate information can be viewed on Wikileaks’ website.

A new gel, called d30, hardens immediately on impact and the military hopes to use it on their helmets to help dissipate the kinetic energy from bullets and shrapnel.

The d3O gel has already expanded into a range of sporting goods and is found in ski gloves, shin guards, ballet shoe pointes and horse-riding equipment. The substance relies on “intelligent molecules” that “shock lock” together to absorb energy and create a solid pad. Once the pressure has gone they return to their normal flexible state.

The gel is stitched into clothing or equipment that is supple until it stiffens into a protective barrier on impact.

If the product is taken on by defence contractors it could be used to reduce the current bulky and restrictive armour used by troops in on the frontline with gel pads inserted into key protective areas.

Most military personnel aren’t dying from head wounds.  It’s the flying shrapnel.  The military is investing £100,000, which means that they don’t fully support the idea yet or they plan to only use it with special forces.

More information on costs is needed, as well as how well the gel works, before a final decision can truly be made.