AKB, thoughts on Chinese 'weather balloon'?
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When I worked at Newport News Shipbuilding I used to see them go by out on the James River a lot. Could hear them from a mile away with the windows closed!
Got to love the government - we didn’t shoot it down right away because the water off Alaska would be too cold for divers - well how about the land over Alaska or as the Senator from Montana said you could have shot it down over my state and it would only risk killing a cow or two - why can’t they just say we screwed up and should have shot it down as soon as it crossed into US Airspace - wonder what the Chinese would do it the show was on the other foot.
US blacklists 6 Chinese entities over balloon program
BEIJING (AP) — The United States on Friday blacklisted six Chinese entities it said were linked to Beijing's aerospace programs as part of its retaliation over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that traversed U.S. airspace.
The economic restrictions followed the Biden administration's pledge to consider broader efforts to address Chinese surveillance activities and will make it more difficult for the five companies and one research institute to obtain American technology exports.
The move is likely to further escalate the diplomatic row between the U.S. and China sparked by the balloon, which was shot down last weekend off the Carolina coast. The U.S. said the balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals, but Beijing insists it was a weather craft that had blown off course.
The incident prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to abruptly cancel a high-stakes trip to Beijing aimed at easing tensions.
The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security said the six entities were being targeted for “their support to China's military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons.”
“The PLA is utilizing High Altitude Balloons (HAB) for intelligence and reconnaissance activities,” it said.
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said on Twitter his department “will not hesitate to continue to use" such restrictions and other regulatory and enforcement tools "to protect U.S. national security and sovereignty.”
The six entities are Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co., China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute, Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Co., Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co., Guangzhou Tian-Hai-Xiang Aviation Technology Co., and Shanxi Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co.
The research institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The other five entities could not be reached.
On Friday, a U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote northern coast of Alaska on orders from President Joe Biden. The object was downed because it reportedly posed a threat to the safety of civilian flights, instead of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.
But the twin incidents in such close succession reflect heightened concerns over China’s surveillance program and public pressure on Biden to take a tough stand against it.
US blacklists 6 Chinese entities over balloon program (yahoo.com)
SYDNEY/BEIJING (Reuters) -The Australian government will examine surveillance technology used in offices of the defence department, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday, amid reports that Chinese-made cameras installed there posed a security risk.
The checks come after Britain in November asked its government departments to stop installing Chinese-linked surveillance cameras at sensitive buildings, citing security risks. Some U.S. states have banned vendors and products from several Chinese technology companies.
"This is an issue and ... we're doing an assessment of all the technology for surveillance within the defence (department) and where those particular cameras are found, they are going to be removed," Marles told ABC Radio in an interview.
Opposition lawmaker James Paterson said his own audit had revealed almost 1,000 units of equipment by Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology Co - two partly state-owned Chinese firms - were installed across more than 250 Australian government offices.
Paterson, the shadow minister for cyber security and countering foreign interference, urged the government to urgently come up with a plan to remove all such cameras.
Marles said the issue was significant though adding: "I don't think we should overstate it."
Hikvision said it was "categorically false" to represent the company as a threat to Australia's national security as it could not access the video data of end users, manage end-user databases or sell cloud storage in Australia.
"Our cameras are compliant with all applicable Australian laws and regulations and are subject to strict security requirements," a spokesperson said in an emailed response.
Dahua Technology did not immediately respond to request seeking comment.
China's foreign ministry urged Australia to provide "a fair environment" for Chinese companies, in response to a question at a regular briefing about Australia review of the cameras.
'MEASURED APPROACH'
Nigel Phair, an expert on cyber security at the University of New South Wales, said the government was taking a cautious approach.
"The concern is that these are Chinese manufactured cameras and there's data being collected which is going back to the Chinese state," he told Reuters.
"They are being very cautious and that's not a bad thing in the online environment. We should take a measured approach and we should be looking at where the risks are, where the vulnerabilities are and then produce appropriate controls around that."
Australian media reported on Wednesday that the national war memorial in Canberra would remove several Chinese-made security cameras installed on the premises over concern about spying.
Australia and China have been looking to mend diplomatic ties damaged in part by a 2018 Australian decision to ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G broadband network.
Relations were later damaged further by an Australian call for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
China responded with tariffs on several Australian commodities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not concerned about how China might react to the removal of cameras.
"We act in accordance with Australia's national interest. We do so transparently and that's what we will continue to do," Albanese told reporters.
(Reporting by Renju Jose and Stefica Bikes in Sydney; Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Bernard Orr in Beijing; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Robert Birsel)
Australia orders checks on Chinese-made cameras in defence offices (yahoo.com)
The checks come after Britain in November asked its government departments to stop installing Chinese-linked surveillance cameras at sensitive buildings, citing security risks. Some U.S. states have banned vendors and products from several Chinese technology companies.
"This is an issue and ... we're doing an assessment of all the technology for surveillance within the defence (department) and where those particular cameras are found, they are going to be removed," Marles told ABC Radio in an interview.
Opposition lawmaker James Paterson said his own audit had revealed almost 1,000 units of equipment by Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology Co - two partly state-owned Chinese firms - were installed across more than 250 Australian government offices.
Paterson, the shadow minister for cyber security and countering foreign interference, urged the government to urgently come up with a plan to remove all such cameras.
Marles said the issue was significant though adding: "I don't think we should overstate it."
Hikvision said it was "categorically false" to represent the company as a threat to Australia's national security as it could not access the video data of end users, manage end-user databases or sell cloud storage in Australia.
"Our cameras are compliant with all applicable Australian laws and regulations and are subject to strict security requirements," a spokesperson said in an emailed response.
Dahua Technology did not immediately respond to request seeking comment.
China's foreign ministry urged Australia to provide "a fair environment" for Chinese companies, in response to a question at a regular briefing about Australia review of the cameras.
'MEASURED APPROACH'
Nigel Phair, an expert on cyber security at the University of New South Wales, said the government was taking a cautious approach.
"The concern is that these are Chinese manufactured cameras and there's data being collected which is going back to the Chinese state," he told Reuters.
"They are being very cautious and that's not a bad thing in the online environment. We should take a measured approach and we should be looking at where the risks are, where the vulnerabilities are and then produce appropriate controls around that."
Australian media reported on Wednesday that the national war memorial in Canberra would remove several Chinese-made security cameras installed on the premises over concern about spying.
Australia and China have been looking to mend diplomatic ties damaged in part by a 2018 Australian decision to ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G broadband network.
Relations were later damaged further by an Australian call for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
China responded with tariffs on several Australian commodities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was not concerned about how China might react to the removal of cameras.
"We act in accordance with Australia's national interest. We do so transparently and that's what we will continue to do," Albanese told reporters.
(Reporting by Renju Jose and Stefica Bikes in Sydney; Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Bernard Orr in Beijing; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Robert Birsel)
Australia orders checks on Chinese-made cameras in defence offices (yahoo.com)
The object was shot down over Cumtown, Alaska! I hope the recovery team brings lots of paper towels!
This. It’s a posturing move and one that shows how soft we are.
True, only about 7% of American are veterans. That's pretty damn weak.
Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an unidentified object that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, said it had detected an object flying at a high altitude over northern Canada. It wasn't immediately clear how high up it was flying or what it was.
Trudeau said he also spoke with President Joe Biden, who himself ordered the downing of an unidentified object over remote Alaska on Friday.
A spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said both Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD had been deployed. The jets were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot it down.
F-22 fighter jets have now downed three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development in the skies that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them.
At least one of the objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China, but the other two have not yet been identified. Trudeau said that Canadian forces would recover the wreckage for study.
The down came a day after White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot down in remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.
Kirby said it was shot down because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.
According to U.S. Northern Command, recovery operations continued Saturday on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska.
In a statement, the Northern Command said there were no new details on what the object was. It said the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.
“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said.
Last Saturday, U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
The balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.
China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”
The Navy continued survey and recovery activities on the ocean floor off South Carolina, and the Coast Guard was providing security. Additional debris was pulled out Friday, and additional operations will continue as weather permits, Northern Command said.
Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada (yahoo.com)
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U.S. shoots down mysterious object near Canadian border
U.S. military fighter jets on Sunday shot down an octagonal object over Lake Huron, the Pentagon said, the latest incident since a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon put North American security forces on high alert.
www.reuters.com
"We're calling them objects, not balloons, for a reason," VanHerck, head of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Northern Command, said.
VanHerck said he would not rule out aliens or any other explanation.
"I'll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out," he said.
Another defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, subsequently said the military had not seen any evidence that the objects were extraterrestrial.
Or….maybe we gained just as much intelligence (or more) by watching and studying it while it was in the air? I’m not naive enough to think our government, regardless of who is in charge, tells us everything. They never have and they never will. I’m on a need to know basis and I’m ok with that as long as we are all safe here at home. The political blame game needs to stop by both sides. It isn’t beneficial to any of us.
Hobby group worried that F-22’s Sidewinder missile destroyed research balloon
‘They’re going to look not too intelligent to be shooting them down,’ Silicon Valley balloon company founder says
www.independent.co.uk
Thoughts on the Chinese culture in general......
Is this true that restaurants in China use sewage oil?
It sounds hard to believe and yet it is 100% true: the use of sewage oil is unfortunately very common in China. Only in 2012 was it banned in the country. Which does not mean that the practice has stopped.
What is Sewage Oil? As the name suggests, these are oils that are taken from the sewers, then filtered and refined to the point that, as a customer of one of these restaurants, you won't notice the difference from regular cooking oil.
According to Wikipedia:
It is estimated that 10% of food consumed in restaurants in China is made with sewage oil. Popular restaurants and street vendors represent the largest share of sewage oil buyers, as they operate with lower profit margins than larger restaurants. Chinese food is very dependent on edible oil because most of the food needs to be fried. So restaurants can keep prices low by using sewage oil instead of using regular oil.
So if you visit the country, pay close attention to where you eat. You wouldn't want to get sick while you're on vacation.
(Editor's Note: The use of this oil is illegal and prohibited by Chinese law since 2012, because it is
It sounds hard to believe and yet it is 100% true: the use of sewage oil is unfortunately very common in China. Only in 2012 was it banned in the country. Which does not mean that the practice has stopped.
What is Sewage Oil? As the name suggests, these are oils that are taken from the sewers, then filtered and refined to the point that, as a customer of one of these restaurants, you won't notice the difference from regular cooking oil.
According to Wikipedia:
It is estimated that 10% of food consumed in restaurants in China is made with sewage oil. Popular restaurants and street vendors represent the largest share of sewage oil buyers, as they operate with lower profit margins than larger restaurants. Chinese food is very dependent on edible oil because most of the food needs to be fried. So restaurants can keep prices low by using sewage oil instead of using regular oil.
So if you visit the country, pay close attention to where you eat. You wouldn't want to get sick while you're on vacation.
(Editor's Note: The use of this oil is illegal and prohibited by Chinese law since 2012, because it is obviously dangerous for health)
Is this true that restaurants in China use sewage oil?
It sounds hard to believe and yet it is 100% true: the use of sewage oil is unfortunately very common in China. Only in 2012 was it banned in the country. Which does not mean that the practice has stopped.
What is Sewage Oil? As the name suggests, these are oils that are taken from the sewers, then filtered and refined to the point that, as a customer of one of these restaurants, you won't notice the difference from regular cooking oil.
According to Wikipedia:
It is estimated that 10% of food consumed in restaurants in China is made with sewage oil. Popular restaurants and street vendors represent the largest share of sewage oil buyers, as they operate with lower profit margins than larger restaurants. Chinese food is very dependent on edible oil because most of the food needs to be fried. So restaurants can keep prices low by using sewage oil instead of using regular oil.
So if you visit the country, pay close attention to where you eat. You wouldn't want to get sick while you're on vacation.
(Editor's Note: The use of this oil is illegal and prohibited by Chinese law since 2012, because it is
It sounds hard to believe and yet it is 100% true: the use of sewage oil is unfortunately very common in China. Only in 2012 was it banned in the country. Which does not mean that the practice has stopped.
What is Sewage Oil? As the name suggests, these are oils that are taken from the sewers, then filtered and refined to the point that, as a customer of one of these restaurants, you won't notice the difference from regular cooking oil.
According to Wikipedia:
It is estimated that 10% of food consumed in restaurants in China is made with sewage oil. Popular restaurants and street vendors represent the largest share of sewage oil buyers, as they operate with lower profit margins than larger restaurants. Chinese food is very dependent on edible oil because most of the food needs to be fried. So restaurants can keep prices low by using sewage oil instead of using regular oil.
So if you visit the country, pay close attention to where you eat. You wouldn't want to get sick while you're on vacation.
(Editor's Note: The use of this oil is illegal and prohibited by Chinese law since 2012, because it is obviously dangerous for health)
Maybe they should hook the balloon up to the power grid.
www.businessinsider.com
Leaked Pentagon docs show the shot-down Chinese spy balloon may have had a feature known as 'synthetic aperture radar' that can see through certain materials, WaPo reports
The Chinese balloon, nicknamed Killeen-23, could have had technology able to help with three-dimensional reconstructions of objects on the ground.
www.businessinsider.com
For additional perspective U-2 (Gary Powers) shot down at 80,000 feet by a SAM2 in 1960 over city. No Soviets we’re killed by debris . No progress in 62 years? BTW there were no civilian deaths when Space Shuttle broke up overTexas.
Perhaps you should be talking to the military people I listened to. Why are you telling me? I actually don’t give a sh*t!
False equivalency....
- The Soviet (and current Russian) government didn't care about the safety of its citizens. If some were killed by debris it wouldn't have mattered. They would have blamed the US anyway. Also, it wasn't like the U-2 was going to be over the USSR for several hours. Their time window was small.
- Unless you know something we don't know, the Columbia disaster wasn't a planned event. A slight change in time could have had it come down over a more populated area.
Another one? Where's the theme for Jaws when you need it.
www.nbcnews.com
Now, is anyone really surprised at this evolving story?
www.nbcnews.com
U.S. military is tracking another mysterious balloon
The military has determined that it poses no threat to aerial traffic or national security, but it's not clear what it is or whom it belongs to, officials said.
www.nbcnews.com
Now, is anyone really surprised at this evolving story?
Chinese balloon got intel from U.S. military sites, despite efforts to block it
The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel.
www.nbcnews.com