British Columbia's Public Safety Minister, Kash Heed is working towards new restrictions concerning body armour. Soft Body Armor has become a status symbol for gangsters that operate in British Columbia.

And the citizens don't count, so ...

When the 5.7 round was designed around the P-90, is was designed for military applications and as such has an armor piercing round. The round is not available to the public, nor is it available to individual officers or members of the military without the proper paperwork. So exactly what is the media talking about? Or is it more like hype over guns? Facts tend to mean little to nothing to liberals and the media. Lets look at a couple facts. The first one is that the FN Five Seven pistol will now be on some kind of “hit”  list for the anti gun crowd. Second, the only round that makes the 5.7 ammunition able to penetrate soft body armor is the SS 190 round. This round is not open for sale to the public, yes maybe a few boxes from years ago have drifted out, but you can’t buy it any more. Third, this pistol is really not that popular. Dealers have them for weeks at a time, some times months before they sell them. They are expensive and large, no real leather gear for daily carry  is available for the weapon and the cost of the ammo is high. Its just not a very big seller. I have go back to the range every year to re qualify, this is the first time I have seen someone show up with the Five Seven.  Hundreds of private and public officers and this was the first one who had the pistol. The pistol itself holds a 20 round magazine, not much more than a normal 9mm, which I am sure will be brought up as it was part of the ill fated Clinton assault weapons ban.

1000th post ...

The ACLU dropped its suit Tuesday, saying the TSA has now made it clear agents can conduct searches related to flight safety, not engage in general law enforcement. The ACLU had filed the suit on behalf of Steven Bierfeldt, director of development for the Campaign for Liberty, an organization that grew out of Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign. Part of Bierfeldt's job involved carrying funds related to the group's activities.

This should reorient some utils toward actual flight security ...

So, it's not really important whether they have a gun or an abduction vehicle or gloves or anything else when violence is committed; it's the outlaw who needs to be stopped, not the weapon. You won't likely stop outlaw violence by concentrating on guns or knives or brute force, but by concentrating on meeting outlaw violence the moment it strikes. You won't get back to safer streets by concentrating on guns and ignoring the asset of the citizen and their legal authority to act. You won't see safer streets by interfering with citizen authority by unreasonable gun control, and you won't see safer streets by telling the targets of violence that their willing and legal resistance is futile.

While military leaders in the US and Europe have gone on record that their worst fear is that nuclear weapons may fall into the hands of terrorists, the terrorists' weapon of choice is not nuclear. They are waging daily destruction and heavy loss of life against US and NATO troops in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq with simple, homemade improvised explosive devices, known to the military as IEDs.

Gee, I sure hope everyone doesn't think that the weapon being used is always, or even occasionally, the weapon of choice. It almost never is. It is usually merely expedient ...

ABC News and the Telegraph (and, yes, even Brady once again, recycling the term and misleading claims they did so much to create) are once again reveling in articles shouting about the evil power contained in Major Hasan’s “cop killer” gun. But the simple fact of the matter is that there is good reason to believe that at least some of those wounded in Thursday’s shooting are alive today because of the 5.7 cartridge’s dubious capabilities. It may seem counterintuitive to many, but the high velocities that enable the Five-seveN’s .22 bullet to drive through soft body armor are thought to be mostly wasted on unarmored targets. The 5.7 is a relatively new cartridge with limited distribution and so actual “real world” ballistic performance is anecdotal at best, but high-velocity pistol bullets like the .38 Super noted earlier and the 7.62×25 Tokarev have been around almost 80 years. Their established track record is that of bullets with excellent penetration characteristics but with questionable stopping power. The 5.7 round uses a far lighter bullet at higher velocities and the high velocity gives the bullet the distinct possibility of fragmenting. But even then, a high-velocity bullet that only weighs 40 grains (as does the legal SS197SR bullet Hasan used) is at a distinct disadvantage when compared to other pistol cartridges. Instead of dumping the bullet’s energy into the body of the person shot, these high-velocity rounds typically stab a long narrow wound channel completely through a human-sized target, or they erupt into fragments that cause narrow wound channels.

HDR cathedrals ...

She deserves to be given the "Congressional Medal of Honor." While it would likely require an act of Congress with a recommendation from the President, there is a strong argument for giving her one. She engaged in combat on a military base and her conduct and actions were above and beyond the call of duty.

It certainly sounds pretty hard-core ...

Well, it certainly seems that this vicious, evil 5.7 FN pistol is some kind of magical killing machine. The question is, how? The article seems to discuss both the pistol on its own, as well as a particular kind of ammunition. So, is it the pistol? Does it only fire bullets which pierce armor? Um, no.

In one case, in March 2008, detection officers noticed a passenger about to board a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte, N.C. During a secondary screening, officers found 209 grams of the drug ecstasy, with a street value of $2.5 million, in a carry-on bag. The traveler was arrested. 

Gee, how was he going to take the flight down with that ...?

The reality has been underwhelming to say the least.  There have been no reported issues, no gunfights in bars and no armed confrontations between restaurant patrons.  In short, like most of the other 39 states that implemented similar legislation prior to Arizona, it has been a non-event.  Responsible, law-abiding citizens continue to be just that.  Arizonans that have chosen to make the investment of time and effort to get an AZ CCW permit now carry where they are permitted and some have chosen not to patronize those restaurants and bars that do not permit concealed carry.

I find the decision to charge Sanchez with murder to be about as unreasonable as it gets. Sanchez was not an aggressor, was in a place that he had a right to be, and only used his gun to save himself from an imminent threat of death or grievous bodily harm. This was clearly a cut and dry self defense case. In this case, Sanchez saw a crime being committed. Apparently understanding that vigilantism is wrong and illegal, Sanchez did the right thing by calling 911 and attempting to get the criminal’s license plate number, so that he could give that information to the police. He was fully within his rights as a citizen to call 911, follow a vehicle, and report its license plate number. Note that Sanchez had a gun this whole time, but did not use it or even attempt to confront the criminals - he obeyed the law and did not try to take justice into his own hands. Upon seeing that Sanchez was recording their license plate number, the criminals then stopped their vehicle,got out, came over to Sanchez's vehicle, and began to attack him. Sanchez showed great restraint in not using his gun after one of the criminal broke his window and begin to beat him about the face. It was only when Sanchez (quite reasonably) feared for his life as the criminal tried to drag him from his truck that he fired in self defense.

I smell some folks needing voted out ...

When your blog starts growing and gets popular, you have to take care of security risks and issues. Most of bloggers and web masters fail to recognize the importance of securing their blog. Hackers can do lots of things after breaking in, they can attack your site viewers with Trojan viruses to steal information from their computers and if it’s going to happen Google will block your site with a message on it i.e “This site may harm your computer”. But you don’t have to worry about it if you are using Wordpress, as there are lots of plugins to help you out.

Hmmm ...

The crew was told to be prepared to take refuge aboard the lab's two three-seat Soyuz lifeboats if the analysis indicated a clear threat. But late Friday, flight controllers gave the crew a more upbeat report, saying "the news is getting better." 

Space life-boats?!?!? Why wasn't I informed ...

Police say that at about 11:30AM, two men jumped out of a slowly moving Ford Explorer then kicked in the front door of a home on the 4400 block of Shackleford St.  The resident, whose home had been repeatedly burglarized and vandalized by gang graffiti, grabbed his self defense gun.  The homeowner reportedly opened fire on the intruders, fatally wounding one and seriously injuring the other.  The homeowner was unharmed, and the surviving suspect was taken to a local hospital.  Police believe the same two home invaders may have been behind another burglary attempt that morning, which ended when that homeowner opened fire on the burglars and they fled in a similar-looking Ford Explorer. Criminals often work in groups, using superior numbers to overwhelm their victims.  When that happens, even the strongest unarmed victims can be overpowered by the numerically superior criminals.

Aston Martin Rapide sports sedan was introduced in production version at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and it is expected to reach dealerships early next year. The luxury sports sedan sports a 6.0-L V12 engine that generates 477HP @ 6000 rpm and 600 Nm of peak torque at 5000 rpm.

Christmas is coming ...

Unfortunately for the 33 year old, the younger man had a CCW permit and a gun in his car. He retrieved it and shot, hitting the older man twice. The shooting victim's girlfriend drove him to a local hospital, while the shooter waited for police to arrive.

Being a hothead is getting to be dangerous ...

At IronKey, we strive to manage these risks without nullifying the significant productivity and efficiency benefits of smart phones, personal digital assistants, USB sticks and other devices. We have put together a list of six steps that identify how organizations can protect themselves from the threat of data loss.

What, exactly, makes the Five-Seven different from other handguns? The Five-Seven is chambered for the 5.7 x 28mm cartridge, ammunition originally developed by FN Herstal for the FN P90 Personal Defense Weapon. The P90 was conceived as a compact, powerful weapon that could be carried by aircraft crews, vehicle drivers and other troops who needed a weapon that was smaller than a carbine but larger than a pistol.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition defines ter•ror•ist as one that that engages in acts or an act of terrorism. Nowhere does to call attention to state of mind nor religious pursuits.

That certainly clears things up ...

The most common form of combat has been the ambush. The Afghans have used this tactic for thousands of years. The availability of modern explosives has made the roadside bomb another powerful weapon for their ambushes. The prime targets for ambushes are targets that can provide the least resistance. In other words, supply convoys. Foreign troops have to devote enormous resources to protect these convoys. This has generally worked, but it means that about half the combat forces are occupied with this. Still, the effort does a lot of damage to the Taliban, for the enemy keeps trying to ambush the convoys, and American (and NATO) countermeasures (helicopter or UAV scouts, combat troops with the trucks and smart bombs always on call) have made such ambush operations higher risk than the Afghans are used to. The Russians, in the 1980s, were much easier targets. But the Russians didn't have the UAVs, and most of their troops were poorly trained conscripts.

Striking new photos of water-vapor geysers erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus were beamed to Earth this week by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in orbit around the ringed planet. Cassini made its deepest dive yet into the plumes pouring out from the moon's south pole on Nov. 2 during a planned flyby of Enceladus. The spacecraft approached within about 62 miles (100 km) of the moon's surface.

Evidence uncovered during the investigation shows Patrick Hankins was in the course of committing a burglary, unlawfully breaking into Karen Hankins' residence, at the time he was fatally shot. The evidence also shows the defendant was armed with a weapon and in the process of causing or attempting to cause physical injury to Karen Hankins. Karen Hankins has stated she shot Patrick Hankins to protect her children's lives and her own.

Gotta love it ...

TrueCrypt is a free Open Source disk encryption utility that works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It allows you to encrypt an entire drive, partition or flash drive and ensure no one can access the data without the right password. It provides on-the-fly encryption and after the drive is encrypted you can continue to use everything like you normally would. Installation is straight forward and it’s recommended to create a system restore point before installing.

Helpful ...

To jump-start development, Nasa and Spaceward, a private foundation, are holding a $2m (£1.2m) competition this week to prove the concept, offering a prize to the team that can send an elevator just over half a mile into the sky at an average speed of 5 metres (16.4 ft) per second, on a cable suspended from a helicopter. The climb must be powered by a high-powered ground-based light or laser aimed at a cell facing Earth, a concept known as power beaming.

Interesting ...

The Russian space agency may build a nuclear-powered spacecraft with the blessing of the country’s leader, Russian and international media reported Thursday. The craft would cost $600 million and Russian scientists claim it could be ready as early as 2012. “The idea [of nuclear-powered spaceflight] has bright prospects, and if Russia could stage a breakthrough it could become our main contribution to any future international program of deep space exploration,” Andrei Ionin, an independent Moscow-based space expert, told Christian Science Monitor.

Interesting ... too bad it isn't us ...

The Phoenix arrests likely would not trigger any immediate airport security policy changes, according to police and airport authorities. "It is 1,000 bags, and we're very concerned about it, but it's a rare occurrence," said Sky Harbor spokeswoman Deborah Ostreicher. 

How about that ...

CIPS 2009 is not only a place for demonstrating the achievements in the development of rescue and fire safety equipment, but also a centre for sharing information, forming ideas and finding opportunities to combine efforts to counter the various threats to the public and industry. The exhibition is aimed at representatives of government bodies, the emergency services and road police departments, as well as managers of large, medium-sized and small businesses, and private individuals. CIPS provides an ideal platform for product promotion, brand development, market research, intra-industry communication between specialists, and meetings with potential customers. The exhibition will promote the development of various areas of the security industry, increased international cooperation, and improved security of the public, businesses and organisations. The exhibition will end on 7 November.

Sounds entertaining. Missed it this year, though ...

When hunting for your personal safety needs, you don’t want to be bogged down with boring, humdrum black and metal tasers and clubs.  That’s what grandma used to use to beat shadowy figures into a coma in back alleys.  Today, you want something stylish.  Dare we say, something cute.  Cute, yet still horrible enough to make an attacker lose bowel control.

Check the legality of this stuff in your area ...

To move beyond merely rhetorical question-asking, who is the highest-ranking American official who speaks the languages they use in Afghanistan? Moving quickly down the list, it seems that neither the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, nor the Secretary of State makes the cut. Nothing in the background of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake or Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Colin Kahl (oddly, State and DOD slice up the world differently) suggests that they do. Nor does Richard Holbrooke or Ambassador Karl Eikenberry or General McChrystal (or, for that matter, General Petraeus). 

Interesting point ...

Police say the woman broke up with the 29 year old man, who had a history of domestic violence, nearly 4 years ago.  Last week, the ex-boyfriend reportedly broke in to the woman's home on the 700 block of West Louise Drive, and waited in ambush until she arrived home that night.  At this point, the ex-boyfriend is said to have emerged from the bedroom closet and attacked the woman.  The woman reported grabbed her self defense gun and fired, fatally wounding the home invading ex-boyfriend and saving herself from the violent attack.  Police say that neither of the home's children, ages 9 and 15, were harmed.

I do soooo love it when they fight back ...

Just how safe are America's computer networks? Most tech security experts agree that sensitive data are vulnerable to domestic and international hackers, and recent findings back them up. Such concerns lay behind Senator Joe Lieberman's speech last Friday outlining his cyber-security vision, which would call for the appointment of a new czar. On the same day as Lieberman's speech, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano cut the ribbon on the nation's newest cyber security command post. Will these measures be effective?

This is definitely a job for the private sector. With a variety of different approaches coming from a variety of different businesses, it will only be possible to compromise small sections of the cyber-structure at any one time. Interwebs, thy name is redundancy ...

Funky Billy Chin and Little Sammy Chung were not there, but there was a sizeable group of UNLV students participating. The class itself had more than 10 students and nearly all of them stayed for at least an hour after class to hone their skills. One thing that everyone in the club advocated was to look for a fighting style that fits your personality. Everington said that he went through multiple arts before finding the art that he is using as his base, baguazhang.

So right ...

As they went to sit down, I noticed the bottom of OWB holsters as two of them sat down and the chair back caused their cover garmet to ride up a little. One guy with a pullover windshirt on was 'feeling' for his gun and noticed his holster was exposed that way and quickly pulled his shirt down as he glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Another made a clearly audible clunk as a handgun clearly hit wood on the chair as he sat down.

Probably ought to get something a little smaller fellas ...

You might as well check your dignity curbside. Soon you'll be shoeless and flustered, spilling comics across the floor as you dig your MacBook from the depths of your duffel. But take a deep breath, frequent fliers: It is possible to pass security with your ego intact. Here's how. — Mathew Honan

Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi called the shooting of Indianapolis police officer Jason Fishburn an ambush at the opening of his accused assailant's trial today in Northern Indiana.When Fishburn chased suspect Brian Reese between houses in July 2008, Brizzi said in a Porter County courtroom, "That is when the defendant switched from runner to shooter -- and it happened that fast."

Hmmm ... doesn't really sound that much like an ambush ...

I believe what we have here is the beginning of the end of complacency.  It is now apparent to me that in the haste to ensure compliance with procedures that are inconsistent if not inarticulable, TSA has hastened the likelihood of failure.  If we do not insist that TSA work to create articulable policies that make sense, procedures that are explicit and consistent and training that supports both, then we are complicit in what will inevitably be an ultimate compromise of TSA. That compromise may come in the form of terrorist attack, or it may come in the form of a collapse of public support.  Either or both are inevitable. Either or both are preventable.

Very interesting, let's start by focusing on means and forgetting about identity ...

AT DUSK on a recent Thursday, a small corner of the UC Berkeley campus comes alive with activity. A dozen young people — mostly men but some women — jump on, bounce off and climb every railing and planter box as if they were piping hot. Fast on, fast off. They are training in the art of parkour, a sport that started in France that is growing exponentially all around the world, thanks to the Internet and movies such as "Casino Royale." The word parkour is loosely based on the French word "parcours," which means "route."

Cool video! Looks like excellent all-purpose training, but don't doubt for a second that you could get crippled if you don't take time to develop your skills ...

Although we are at a fifty-year low when it comes to officers killed in the line of duty, we need to remember that “officer survival” isn’t just about staying alive. Tens of thousands of police officers are injured and assaulted every year and many of these are life-altering, career-ending events. There is so much that a good supervisor can do to affect the safety of our personnel. 

Generally applicable to everyone ...

A Seattle police officer is dead, and his trainee injured in what appears to have been a spontaneous ambush. According to the Seattle Police Department, Officer Timothy Brenton, 39, and his rookie, Officer Britt Sweeney, 33, were parked in their patrol car, debriefing a traffic stop. It was a little after 10 p.m. on Halloween. The suspect vehicle pulled up alongside the officers and opened fire without warning.

Today's the day, everyday ...

"From the start of November, public security bodies in Xinjiang will ... start a thorough 'strike hard and punish' campaign to further consolidate the fruits of maintaining stability and eliminate security dangers," it said.

Oh, that should work ...

Undaunted, Shawyer is moving forward with his plan to build an unmanned demonstration vehicle, defying gravity thanks to four of his Emdrives. Shawyer says those four modules will silently lift the 1000-pound vehicle, and it'll be propelled forward with jet engines, reaching a speed of 230 knots. This tech could also have scary military implications, allowing weapons to be launched with no exhaust plume, making them undetectable. In 10 years the scientist wants to build a space plane that can make the 10,000 mile trip from London to Sydney in under three hours, or take 40 tons of cargo to the moon in four days.

Hmmm ... I'm suspicious of what appear to be artifacts of masked wires ... very cool if true, though ...

They're outside homes, inside businesses, keeping an eye on the kid's room. But could these same cameras make you more vulnerable? As shocking as it appears, News 4 was able to lock onto video signals coming from wireless security cameras by just driving down the street. News 4 even saw ourselves on a busy Buffalo street. News 4 did it using an $80 wireless receiver bought on the internet.

Don't forget to encrypt your signal ... the Emperor's sword should only respond to the Emperor ...

As long as Seattle doesn't have to pay the legal fees to defend it, mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan is willing to support Mayor Greg Nickels' so called "gun ban," which places signs prohibiting guns in city-owned playgrounds, community centers, sports fields, swimming pools and water-play areas.

That's easy to fix ...

Police say that the homeowner was asleep at about 10:40 PM when an unexpected noise caused him to awaken and believe that a burglary was in progress.  The homeowner then reportedly heard the sound of an intruder climbing the stairs towards, heading his bedroom.  The armed homeowner ordered the burglar to freeze, but the footsteps up the stairs continued, police say.   The homeowner is said to have held his fire, and again ordered the criminal to freeze, to no avail.  Fearing for his safety, the homeowner reportedly fired in self defense, stopping the burglar.  Police reportedly arrived to find the homeowner unharmed, and the burglar dead at the scene.

Blam ... blam, blam ... I do SO love it when they fight back ...

Authorities in Shelby County say a student at the Harlan High School was arrested Thursday for allegedly making terrorist type threats. According to the Harlan Police Department, during an interview with Police, 18-year old Joey Barrell admitted to writing a note, in which he allegedly threatened to shoot “several students” and himself.

Terrorism ... really ...?

"For at least an hour, and perhaps more, those two security officers held off the attackers. They fought through the corridors of the building and from the rooftop," Ban told the U.N. General Assembly. "They held off the attackers long enough for their colleagues to escape, armed only with pistols against assailants carrying automatic weapons and grenades and wearing suicide vests."

That's what they're there for ..., but, nevertheless, very cool, if true ...

You may update your antivirus software religiously, immediately download all new Windows security patches, and refuse to click any e-mail links ostensibly sent by your bank, but even if your computer is running exactly the way it’s supposed to, a motivated attacker can still glean a shocking amount of private information from it. The time it takes to store data in memory, fluctuations in power consumption, even the sounds your computer makes can betray its secrets. MIT researchers centered at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab’s Cryptography and Information Security Group (CIS) study such subtle security holes and how to close them.

There are always additional steps you can take like using a network-isolated machine for all the work and then moving pre-encrypted files with a thumb-drive to the network machines, etc., but it will always be a question of how much inconvenience you're willing to endure to ensure your data is secure versus how much inconvenience the interferiors are willing to endure to compromise your data security. As long as you're willing to endure more inconvenience then they are, your data will normally remain secure ...

The brand new I33 IP Surveillance Camera comes with motion detection alarm recording function has arrived. Monitor and record from anywhere in the world. The I33 IP Surveillance Camera features that all you need such as Night vision, email alert, motion detection, quad screen viewing, tilt and maneuvering functions with a click of the mouse. You can set up to 4 IP cameras and give each a static IP, then go online from anywhere in the world by visiting the IP address and login to start monitoring.

Hmmm ...

Swift to find bursts of gamma rays. They then scrambled to figure out where they came from. It turns out that when the universe was only about 600 million years old, a giant star collapsed on itself and turned into a black hole. That created a spectacular explosion, which in turn produced huge jets of radiation: gamma rays. The rays from that explosion took 13 billion years to reach Earth, finally arriving on April 23.

Hmmm ...

I have served on the Senate Intelligence Committee for eight years, and I have yet to see evidence -- classified or otherwise -- that has convinced me that revising the business records provision to include a less intrusive standard would be harmful to U.S. national security. Yet as Congress considers whether to reauthorize this standard -- written in a rush to judgment eight years ago -- some will undoubtedly argue that Congress should just trust that the provision is essential and blindly sign-off on reauthorization. I disagree. While "just trust us" has passed as informed national security debate in this country for eight years, it hasn't resulted in good national security policy. Indeed, the shortage of serious discussion of intelligence matters has frequently resulted in counterterrorism programs that are much less balanced and effective than they could and should be.

Experts on both sides agree that Chicago’s handgun ban was largely ineffective – homicides by handguns decreased immediately after the ban took effect, but almost doubled in the eight years after that, according to the Chicago Police Department statistics.

The truth is that you do not need much, when it comes to learning the martial arts. The truth of the matter is that when a fight starts you only need a few absolutely workable techniques. And, sad truth of the matter, most of the martial arts being taught these days are pretty much filled with lots of extra and needless tricks.

So true ...

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyer on Wednesday successfully shot down a medium-range mock ballistic missile in a test off Hawaii, the Defense Ministry said. In the drill conducted in cooperation with the US Navy, the ballistic missile was launched from a US military range facility on Kauai Island. Four minutes later, the MSDF's Myoko, equipped with the Aegis advanced missile tracking system, detected the target and fired a sea-based Standard Missile 3 (SM-3). The US-made interceptor hit the target more than 100 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean three minutes later after launching. The ministry said the successful missile test proved the effectiveness of Japan's missile defense system, adding that it plans to complete the system by March 2011. The drill was Japan's third attempt to test-fire high-tech SM-3 interceptors. The nation successfully conducted its first SM-3 test in 2007, but the second attempt last year failed when the interceptor lost track of the target.

Interesting ...

"Clean shoes and dirty fighting welcomed," a sign at the entry to the large gym area warns. The idea of Krav Maga — a martial arts system developed by Imi Lichtenfeld in Eastern Europe as a way for Jews to protect themselves against the Nazis and now used by the Israeli Defense Force — is to be able to "aggressively defend yourself" from an attack and then get away, Kahn said. "When attacked, you have to meet the threat with force," Kahn said. "Too little force, you'll be overwhelmed. Too much and there's liability." It allows a person "to simultaneously defend and attack. The object is just for your safety and not to subdue or anything. And anybody there, that's with you, to protect them." 

Hit and git ... what's not to love ...

In recent weeks, with active shooter events having occurred at a mall, a church and as children got off a school bus, I’ve seen some postings in various online forums from civilians who hold concealed carry permits asking, “How should we react to this?” The question they are asking, in general, is what they should be doing if they’re on the scene and the shooting starts. I was at first conflicted as to how to answer this question. Then, having developed an answer, I strongly prefaced it with “this is just my opinion”. There are far too many “what if”s that come into play when considering a response to an active shooter - even for police officers who are off duty. Those “what if”s multiply ten fold for a civilian who is legally armed and happens to be on hand when a shooting starts. What to do?

Hmmm ...

“There is a robust and constant I.E.D. effort among violent extremists who are using it as their weapon of choice,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, director of the Pentagon’s organization in charge of seeking ways to counter improvised explosives. “That won’t change for decades. We are in this fight for a long time.”

I think it's a mistake to think of them as a weapon of choice. IEDs are always a weapon of expediency. If the extremists can get better funding, you can bet they'll buy some factory explosives from somewhere ...

There is a well-known saying in Afghanistan: "You can rent an Afghan, but you can't buy him." Some experts on the region believe a U.S. program to pay Taliban fighters to quit the organization is buying temporary loyalty. President Obama on Wednesday signed a $680 billion defense appropriations bill, which will pay for military operations in the 2010 fiscal year. The bill includes a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is now receiving $1.3 billion. CERP funding also is intended for humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects at commanders' discretion.

Doesn't sound like a very long-term solution ...

A standalone Internet camera with advanced built-in software, the Mole provides auto-configuration so that the user can set up the camera in just a few easy steps and access their video privately without any network knowledge. Once set up, the Mole allows users to adjust the pan remotely to change the view instantly. While easy-to-use and affordable, the Mole camera includes high-end features such as motion detection activation, night vision, two-way audio, and a built-in DVR. The Mole also features both Ethernet or Wi-Fi connectivity. The Mole is designed for direct access from any web browser, which lets users watch their video instantly, from anywhere, including the iPhone. The on-board software is specifically tailored for seamless Internet sharing, including auto-uploads to YouTube. Users can also choose to receive real-time alerts via email or Twitter, sent to their mobile phone or any IP-enabled device.Available in early November 2009, the Mole will be distributed through Astak's network of retail and distribution partners, including Fry's Electronics, Costco, NewEgg.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Astak.com, with an MSRP of $299.00.

It's probably stopping anyone from using the driveway ...

An actor dressed as KFC's iconic spokesman breached several layers of security at the United Nations in New York Tuesday, eventually meeting with Ali Treki, the new president of the General Assembly. The "Colonel" showed up at the UN wearing his trademark white suit and black string bow tie and, after being ushered through security by guards, posed for photos in different parts of the headquarters, including one of him shaking hands with Treki.

This, if true, is the classic mark of a security operation that is more or less permeable depending on an entrant's place in the pecking order. If the security officer delays the Secretary General (or someone else high up in the pecking order), he will get in trouble or fired or some other undesirable outcome, so the officer makes sure that he/she doesn't execute the security routine when the Secretary General comes through. Because the security officers are always deciding whether to execute the routine or not, when something they don't really understand come along they tend to error on the side of the entrant being high up ("What the hell is Colonel Sanders doing here ... I don't know but it's probably important. We better walk him through!") It would never happen in an operation where everyone goes through the exact same vetting process, regardless of who they are, prior to be allowed through a particular checkpoint.

The measures are part of a new initiative to enhance security at Marc commuter rail stations. Police and canine teams will be on hand to conduct the searches. Officials say while they dont anticipate the new safety measures to cause any issues that commuters should add a few extra minutes onto their estimated travel time to account for any delays.

I wonder whose security they're hoping to enhance, presumably not the folks they're planning to search ...

It lets users see instantly where in the skies the International Space Station is, using a Google Maps-based system (at the time of writing it is over the North Pacific, just south of Alaska, moving towards the western United States and Mexico). If a Space Shuttle was flying, iPhone owners could track that too. You can also use it to keep up to date with Constellation, the proposed Space Shuttle replacement. The Ares 1-X rocket, the first test rocket of the new mission, is expected to launch on 27 October. It also provides an Image of the Day – currently a pre-launch shot of Ares 1-X – and an Astronomy Picture of the Day, currently a series of beautiful images of galaxies called Galaxy Zoo. 

This might be interesting if you have an iPhone ...

Police say that 69 year old Peter Gilmore was at his Port Charlotte, FL home, along with his 25 year old son James.  At about 10 PM, there was a knock on the front door, which Peter went to answer.  A pair of masked home invaders, armed with a knife and a tire iron, are said to have kicked the door open and rushed inside.  One of the robbers reportedly held a large knife to Peter's face, and threatened to kill him.  James reportedly ran to his father's bedroom, where they kept their firearms, with the tire iron wielding intruder in hot pursuit.  After grabbing a handgun and pointing it at the intruder, James told the intruder to leave, at which point the criminal refused and hit him in the head with a tire iron, according to police.  James then reportedly shot the violent home invader in the stomach, prompting him and his accomplice to flee.  Police reportedly apprehended both suspects, Keith Sowers and Joshua Eugene Becerril, shortly after the home invasion.  The injured suspect, Sowers, was listed in serious condition but is expected to live to face charges.

Hmmm ...

"You have to enhance architectural controls in all these buildings, the monitoring element has to be increased and there's really no mandatory prerequisite for security personnel -- all you need is a heartbeat and a pair of shoes," Salvador said. 

Why the shoes ...

A shoplifting suspect stabbed a security guard, leaving him with serious wounds, before fleeing from a Clairemont area Vons Friday night. The stabbing happened around 9 p.m. after store security detained a man for allegedly shoplifting.  The suspect fled the store located in the 5500 block of Balboa Avenue.

Today's the day, every day, part deux ...

In a display that looked more like something from a demolition derby rather than a parking attempt, the driver of the BMW SUV failed to use the brakes after pulling into a parking spot. After driving up onto the hoods of two cars, the SUV driver reversed and then proceeded to drive away from the Thornhill gym, located near Yonge Street and Highway 407.

Kind of like a testimonial, huh ... ?

Family members say Friday night around 7:30pm,  43-year-old Robbie Smith was trying to stop a home invasion when he was attacked and shot in the leg.  They say he managed to call 911 but then passed out.  By the time paramedics arrived, he had bled to death.

Today's the day, every day ...

China is becoming known for its global cyber espionage efforts. India believes that China's Cyber Warfare Doctrine is designed to achieve global "electronic dominance" by 2050. It believes that China’s capability would have the capability to disrupt the information infrastructure of China’s enemies. This doctrine includes strategies that would disrupt financial markets, military and civilian communications capabilities and other parts of an enemy's critical infrastructure prior to the initiation of traditional military operations.

Hmmm ... the interwebs will have gone through about 8 cycles of becoming unrecognizable to the previous cycle by then ... must be a really cool plan ...

Zachariah M. Aslam, a 17-year-old from South Rockwood, Mich., was arrested Tuesday evening after police were informed of a man making threats, the statement said. He was arraigned Friday and is being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $150,000 cash or surety bond.

Was he threatening to hold his breath 'til he turned blue, or what. A few details would be useful, here ...

If indeed, the family of the 'so-called' balloon boy conspired to sensationalize, and in so doing, capitalize upon a frightening and terrifying circumstance, than I believe this to be an act of media-fueled domestic terrorism that preyed upon the fears of parents and all those who work with, care for and about children.

Is there anything that isn't terrorism ...?

According to the allegations, the officer had been bearing a grudge against the soldier since a class on self-defense tactics held last week in the brigade's training base during which the soldier accidentally hit his commander. The officer then summoned the soldier to a room in the soldiers' barracks where he punched and slapped him in revenge for the incident at the class. 

It is critically important that one kill ones own ego if one is going to engage in violent training or employment.  If you don't, you will eventually end up publicly humiliated, incarcerated or dead ...

Opinionated and cynical, he doesn't hesitate to point out that one of the biggest limitations of technology is people. ("The user's going to pick dancing pigs over security every time," he has been quoted as saying.)

Unfortunately, true ...

I am working on building an encryption solution for novice Windows users who do not have administrator privileges on the machines they use. Giving the users admin access is not an option because of the environment they work in.

Fleener relied only on the screenshots that were taken captured every 5 or 10 seconds to see what the user of the laptop was up to. Within a short time, he learned the name, address, and other sensitive information about the man using the laptop. (Fleener is careful not to accuse the individual of being the thief because there is no proof of that.) The man visited Facebook, MySpace, and other social networks, according to Fleener. He used Google to search for auto parts and did queries on how to remove security tags from merchandise. He looked at porn and made pirate copies of DVDs, including "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Every time the laptop went online, typically on weekend nights and never on Tuesday, Fleener and others got paged.

You know that moment on a plane when it finally stops and everyone jumps up to grab their gear in the overhead bins? It was then that the plane was swarmed by police. Passengers were kept in their seats until the pilots could be interviewed. When passengers found out what had happened, many were horrified that the pilots of their plane seemed to not be paying attention while flying at 37,000 feet up. Well, yeah.

Can't wait to hear the rest of this story ...

What would such a program look like? What follows is speculation, based upon what is in the Augustine Report and some educated guesses about what decisions might be made in the months and years ahead as a result. 

Interesting speculation ...

It must be a mistake, this is all wrong! The leftist British government banned guns in 1997 and promised the measure will drastically reduce violent crime. That was 12 years ago. All murders, shootings and violence was supposed to disappear since Her's Majesty subjects were forced to surrender their guns. The entire country should have been a crime-free paradise by now. What do you mean by that "when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns"? You sure know that's just a slogan based on a lie made up by the NRA types? 

How very predictable ...

Funny ...

Police say that at about 9:50 PM on Wednesday, a suspect armed with a realistic looking BB gun broke in to a home on the 700 block of Oscar Smith Drive.  The residents called 911, but the intruder successfully broke in before police arrived.  One of the residents grabbed his self defense handgun and fired multiple shots at the intruder, causing him to flee, according to police.  Shortly thereafter, a man reportedly suffering from multiple gunshot wounds was found seeking treatment at a nearby hospital, and was listed in stable condition hours after the attempted home invasion.

Consciousness is crucial in breath control; it distributes Qi along the body. At the highest stage, the breath is controlled at the level of subconsciousness and do not require too much of your attention. Step by step learning to control his energy resources, a practitioner will pass from using the physical strength (Li) to the internal burst of effort (Tsin). This internal effort, as Chinese masters believe, is produced not by muscles but in tendons and marrow.

Interesting ...

Stun-gun maker Taser International has started telling police agencies to avoid firing the devices at suspects' chests, explaining that there's an "extremely low" risk of ill effects on the heart and that doing so will make defending lawsuits easier. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company made the recommendation in an Oct. 12 revised training manual, saying it "has less to do with safety and more to do with effective risk management for law enforcement agencies."

Hmmm ...

Police say that the 70 year old grandmother, whose name has not been released, was staying at the Continent Inn Motel in Columbus, Ohio.  She and the other members of the group were were in town for a horse show - the Quarter Horse Congress.  They were in their motel room at about 9:15 PM, with the door open to provide fresh air, when an armed robber burst in and threatened the lives of those present while demanding money.  The 70 year old woman grabbed her handgun and shot the robber, causing him to flee.  Police arrived about 5 minutes later and found 25 year old Wayne M. Winston lying dead in the parking lot from a gunshot wound.  Officers interviewed the grandmother and then released her without charges, stating that her justified self defense action may have saved the lives of the robbery victims.

Blam ... blam, blam ... blam, blam, blam ... "don't make me use the gun" ...

Hardware versus software encryption. According to Girard, hardware-based encryption promises significant performance improvements over software-based technologies, and the new Trusted Computing Group (TCG) open standard offers a common management specification for hard-drive manufacturers. However, there is a lack of real-world products using the standard, he says. Hardware encryption will continue to evolve, he says, and future choices will appear in other device subsystems, such as CPUs or supporting chip sets.

Quite a bit of encryption stuff today ...

While Microsoft affirms the "unbreakable" nature of its new encryption technology, the company disputes claims that criminals would successfully use the programs to lock out police and other law-enforcement agencies. "Each time we have worked with law enforcement on any investigations we typically haven't found BitLocker has been a hurdle to the investigation," said Stuart Strathdee, the chief security adviser to Microsoft Australia. However, he was quick to assure users this did not mean there was a way to crack the encryption. "There is no back door under any circumstances; there is no way," he said. 

Hmmm ...

After his roommates noticed suspicious lights and buzzing in August 2007, Wyllie was arrested. Eventually he pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to visually record the woman in question in a private place without her consent. Open and shut case, right? Not quite: Wyllie is now going free without a jail sentence. Why? Because Wyllie encrypted the videos he recorded on his computer. Unable to crack the codes, police were never able to see what he recorded, limiting the evidence they had to use against him. Lacking any hard evidence of wrongdoing outside of the camera setup, the judge had to go on the lenient side for sentencing, since there was no real proof he'd ever actually used it.

I'm not sure why he would get no time after pleading guilty. Maybe the judge was impressed that he actually had the discipline to self-enforce an encryption policy ...

"Mr. Kerik has a toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance that leads him to believe that the ends justify the means, that rules that apply to all don't apply to him in the same way, that rulings of the court are an inconvenience," Robinson said.

State police investigated and said they found an overwhelming amount of evidence. What they found, they would not say in detail, but they took the student into custody in early October and immediately sent him to a local hospital for treatment. On Wednesday, the teen was released from the hospital and arraigned at a juvenile court in Waterford on charges including manufacturing a bomb, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, an act of terrorism, threatening and reckless endangerment.

Really, terrorism ...?

With a wave of a hand, the CDC has simply redefined gun-control research so the ban no longer applies. They're not researching guns; they're researching alcohol sales and their impact on gun violence, or researching how teens carrying guns affect the rates of non-gun injuries. "These particular grants do not address gun control; rather they deal with the surrounding web of circumstances," wrote National Institutes of Health (NIH) spokesman Don Ralbovsky.

Hmmm ...

Cool site ...

But no one expects a man waiting in the brush with five weapons and 300 rounds of ammunition. No one expects a giant, swooping act of violence in a county with a population smaller than the University of Texas at Austin. 

Today's the day, everyday ...

Body armour, unlike guns, can’t actually kill anyone. So it seems preposterous that the government could ban the sale of an item that isn’t, in and of itself, dangerous. And it isn’t as though gangs actually legally purchase guns and body armour anyway, so the banning of it will be just as effective as the ban on handguns: nil.

It should make it clear that it isn't your security that they're trying to improve ...

I am a firm supporter of the second amendment right to bear arms. In the state of Alabama there is one aspect where our second amendment rights are being heinously violated. The aspect I am referring to is the fact that it is illegal for people to openly carry a sword. Some prefer tazers, pepper spray, or pocket knives as a means of self-defense, but swords are simply not allowed. Why is it perfectly fine to have a concealed .44 magnum with a permit, but completely illegal to have a gladius on your belt? Why is it acceptable to own an AK-47 and a thousand rounds of ammunition in Alabama, but not acceptable to sell a fully sharpened sword? I support the right to own a gun for self-defense, but I personally detest them. So what am I supposed to carry to protect myself when the best alternative is illegal to carry in the streets? 

Interesting point ...

In August, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fired HWA from guarding six Columbia River and Snake River dams because it was not paying the almost 200 guards performing that task, the Tri-City Herald reported. Another company has taken over that contract.

It's odd how many security companies turn out to be shady ...

In what is seen as a landmark civil rights victory for the Sikh community, the US government has allowed Sikhs to serve as federal security officers while keeping their turbans and beards. The reversal of a ban comes after a discrimination case filed by a Sikh security officer who was told that he could not keep his turban and beard on the job, Sikh Coalition, a community advocacy group said Tuesday. 

As long as your still readily identifiable as Security and don't stink or anything, I don't see a problem ...

Citizen gun owners who attended a hearing before the Orange County Board of Supervisors testified, stating their dissatisfaction with the Sheriff's policy and the fact that she was not elected to office. Many suggested that Sheriff Hutchens has her own agenda, is intending to impose the Los Angeles County policies on the citizens of Orange County and the Board of Supervisors should distance themselves from her policy.

TrueCrypt’s response to the so called ‘janitor attacks’ is pretty straight forward - as long as someone had physical access to your hardware you should assume the worst if truly paranoid. Moreover, according to the developer, the physical security of the hardware is not TrueCrypt’s problem, and that a good strongbox might offer a clue that the hardware has been tempered with in the absence of its owner.

As with so much of Security, "Don't assume" is a great starting place ...

According to reports, DMX clashed with security officials, who told him he'd arrived too late to perform and the audience had already been told he wouldn't be performing.

It's hard to call without having been there. Security always has the home court advantage but the S/O that's doing the talking isn't really providing any information and he could have just as easily been talking a mile a minute about "Look the promoter has pulled the plug because things are getting explosive out there. The shows been canceled but if you step over here we can call the promoter, Look, I don't have any choice, the property managers have told us we have to trespass you and have you arrested if you try to go on, etc." DMX et al. appear to have come to a stop for some talk-talk, but all that's being said is "We're badder than you" which typically doesn't promote a positive outcome. Practitioners of the Security Craft should try to remember that the guy your messing with may be able to afford better attorneys than you can and there isn't anything that guarantees that you'll be dropped from the suit or that you'll prevail, so you should probably exhaust all the non-provocative and non-violent possibilities before moving on to name calling and so forth ...