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alwida10 · 2 months

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i'm confused on your stance on the israel/palestine situation. You mainly reblog pro-israel things, and never reblog anything about palestinians (unless it's something like "look at these palestinians who condemn hamas"). but you have also reblogged the occasional post condemning/recognizing the terrors of the israeli government? And you've also written in tags before denying what is happening to the palestinian people as being genocide (i think)?

so i am so confused. Are you pro israel? anti israel? and if you post about and recognize the wrongness of past genocides like the holocaust (as you should, rightfully so), why do you refuse to give the mass killing of palestinians any attention? even if there are israeli citizens who are being wrongfully targeted during all this, why does only that upset you and not the thousands more palestinian civilians being targeted? i'm just so confused? and i mean.. aren't you a mother? how can you look at thousands of children dying and only post about the side that is currently suffering less deaths?

Short answer: I’m pro-lasting-peace and anti-terrorism. The deaths of people, especially of those extreme numbers of people are devastating and a catastrophe. This isn’t a typical war. It’s a double-hostage situation where the perpetrator hides the Israeli hostages behind the Palestinian hostages. And that needs to end soon! And most importantly – it has to stay peaceful for good. Natanyahu will not be helping with that, but the Hamas will rather have every child in Gaza die a painful death than to give up their hostages – may it be the ones everyone calls “hostages” or the Palestinian civilians, who are just as much hostages of greedy, immoral, old men.

I share posts that reflect, at least partially, my personal view. I like posts I generally sympathize with but include messages opposite to my personal view for sharing. Most social media pro-Israel posts are closer to my personal stance than most social media pro-Palestine posts are. The position of the state of Israel is even further removed from my personal stance, hence my criticism. The Hamas has the opposite goal, hence my even more pronounced criticism.

Long answer:

Real world politics are complex. Everyone who tells you they were not is lying and either trying to manipulate you or being manipulated themselves. (Such as this post.) There are never only two sides to it. Reducing it to two sides is a tool of manipulation.

There is a war going on and manipulation is a common and extremely efficient tool of modern warfare and we (everyone on social media) are a part of that. You might think that the conflict (several conflicts, since I’ll talk about Ukraine, too) is far away and does not include “us” (such as people in Europe and the US). That’s a wrong. Remember for a moment 2016 – 2017, when Trump was elected president of the United States. People who were aware and thinking critically realized even before the election that social media was swarming with Russian bots. These bots did their best to manipulate people into not voting, or voting third party. The leaked emails of Hillary were a part of the manipulation, eliminating Trump’s opposition.People fell for the manipulation and four years of LGBTQIA+ suffering, children-in-cages and destabilization of the NATO (the alliance against Russia) followed. Afterwards a lot of evidence for the Russian manipulation surfaced. But then it was too late. The people had been manipulated into helping the bad guys. The same manipulation repeated with the Brexit (2016-2020) ruining many chances of young people in the UK and further destabilization of the NATO. That’s why you should learn how to recognize manipulation and whenever you feel like there could be some involved think who might profit from it. Yes, people learned and that’s why you see all the “VOTE!! FFS VOTE!” posts making their rounds. Especially now, since elections of the US and of the EU are close.

How to manipulate someone: Make them think that they are fighting for a good cause (on surface level). But in truth this “good cause” only serves you, the manipulator. The people voting for Trump thought they voted for a better future, for having more money, for being safer. The people voting for Brexit thought basically the same. The Germans who voted Adolf Hitler into office had been desperate. The country had just lost the first world war. The economy war on the floor, ruined by the reparation payments Germany had to pay. The people worked hard, and still were unable to afford anything but (sometimes not even) the basic necessities. There were no future perspectives for them or their children. (Does that sound familiar?) Hitler promised to make “Germany great again”. He said the Arien people were a good, upstanding race. That Germany didn’t deserve having its colonies and land taken away by force. He said Germans were being threatened and close to extinction. He said that the Jews wanted to corrupt and annihilate the Germans.

Another tool of manipulation is the incorrect use of language to rile people up so they won’t think rationally anymore. If someone says “Person A is a pedophile and a rapist!” and it turns out Person A is trans and not a rapist, there is a solid chance said someone wanted to manipulate you by making you angry so you will rage against Person A without cross checking. If someone says “this is a genocide” that means fraction A is intentionally and efficiently trying to kill fraction B. It means they aim where the most people are. It means they don’t do anything to help anyone of the fraction B. The fact alone that we know where the IDF will strike next is a clear indicator Israel is in fact warning the civilians. It would not do so, if the aim was to annihilate every single Palestinian.

It’s the aim that makes the difference. IF Israel wanted to kill all Palestinians they would have very efficient tools to do so. And even if it’s hard to imagine a number 28 thousand deaths (as on 12.Feb.2024 as “small”, they still are. These numbers mean there are about 1555 deaths per week in average. In comparison, during the holocaust, Germany killed 17 Million people between 1.September 1939 and 1945. In average that have been 61.594 deaths each week. So why would someone willfully equal these two vastly different numbers? If someone says “genocide” to a military occupation of the west bank or the civil causalities during a counter strike against the Hamas who knowingly proclaimed war against the state of Israel, than there is a solid chance this person is trying to manipulate you by using emotionally charged wording instead of what can and has been proven – a military occupation. “But killing so many people is bad regardless what you call it” you might argue, and I agree. That’s why I criticize the Israeli government. Also, soldiers using the war to do unforgivable things, looting, beating people who have surrendered – this all has to be punished.

“So, why does it matter what you call it?” you might ask, and I sigh. Many, many Pro-Palestine posts aim to manipulate people from the noble point of being against the killing of Palestinians into being for the Hamas getting away with killing and raping Israelis (both Jewish and Muslims) and keeping the Israeli hostages (some of which might have gotten pregnant by rape - which might be a reason these particular girls/women have not been released as of yet). Calling what happens a “genocide” is manipulating you into that, because it takes away the rational reasoning. It takes away the rightful wish of Israeli civilians living in peace. It implies it was death and destruction simply born from being evil Jews who hate Palestinians so they want to kill them all. The moment you call the stuff going on a “genocide” and call for a ceasefire without the return of ALL hostages you become the equivalent of the people who voted for Trump or Brexit in good faith. It means you are speaking up for the hostages remaining slaves, the Bibas children and their mom remaining in the hands of their captors, and that killing Jewish women and men as well as raping them is an act that should not be punished.

5.Another way to manipulate people and radicalize is to establish a “we versus them” mindset where you have to choose between two positions, which are both extremes. What you did in your ask - claiming I would only reblog pro-Palestine posts when they condemned Hamas - that erases the part that said post focused a lot on the situation for the victims. You erased the nuance. But the nuance is where a possible solution can be found that does not includes shrugging while accepting that some children will be victims of decade old hate.

6. If you know a child gets abused and beaten by its parents you can treat its wounds, so YOU feel better, but in the end, when the child has to go back into the abusive environment you won’t have changed anything that really matters. You might have made it worse, even. If you really want to help the child you need to get it out of the abusive situation. The Hamas are the abusive parents in this analogy. It’s no secret they don’t care for their people. Pro-Palestine posts like to claim the Hamas would not hide behind civilians, schools, hospitals, or mosques. That is a lie. They do. They don’t give civilians shelter in their tunnels, they say “you have to go to the UN for help” when Palestinians ask for food, they steal humanitarian aid and SELL it to the refugee Palestinians. They don’t participate in projects to give Gaza its own water supply, and even demolish the structures build by outsiders like the EU and the US to build weapons from it.

When the British mandate was transformed into the state of Israel, the Palestinian people became refugees. Normally, refugees search refuge in countries where they become citizens and can build a normal life, work, get children, build an existence. Their children would no longer be considered refugees. They would be citizens of the new country. This happened at first, until Yassir Arafat (an Egyptian, NOT Palestinian) realized that the UN was willing to pay money for each refugee.

This money is normally intended to provide humanitarian aid for the people who are not able to build an existence. He went forward and build a system (including the UNWRA) that would do something unique. Unlike all other refugees, Palestinians stay refugees over generations, ripping away their possibility to create a true life. And all the money the UN pays (the major part originating from the US, Europe and Germany) goes not to the refugees. But to the Hamas, because these are the official leaders of the Palestinians in Gaza. You see – Arafat has actually developed a magnificent way to make himself and his friends rich by holding the Palestinian people in poverty and forced dependance. The Hamas use the money to build weapons and tunnels. But that’s not even the worst part. Because they need more than tunnels and weapons. They need people operating the weapons and using the tunnels. In fact, a dispute between the UNRWA and the Hamas happened in 2009, as the UNRWA (allegedly) wanted to include lessons on the holocaust into the curriculum of middle schools in Gaza. That would have been contrary to what the Hamas wants. It wants to manipulate the Palestinian children into hating Jewish people, and dreaming of killing them all, so one day the children will grow up to be willing Hamas fighters. ). Here is a quote from the linked article:

It was not just limited to history, social studies and religion — with a math book using an image of Palestinians hitting Israeli soldiers with slingshots to describe Newton’s second law of motion, the report said. Dead terrorists are also called “martyrs” throughout the books — with one ninth-grade math book using the term for Fatah leader Khalil al-Wazir, who led the 1978 massacre of 38 civilians, including 13 children, Bild noted. Most maps used in the books entirely erase the state of Israel, dubbing it a “Zionist occupation” and calling the entire region of Israel, Gaza Strip and the West Bank “Palestine,” the reports said.

The Hamas takes the money intended to help Palestinians. Today, all leaders of the Hamas are billionaires. They could use their billions to help their people. But they do not. Because they do not care for their Palestinian hostages.

Because basically, we don’t have a Israel-wants-its-hostages-back-and-commits-mass-murder-situation. We have a double-hostage situation. At first, the Hamas took all the civilians of Gaza hostage. They use them as a meat shield, to recruit new cannon fodder from and to manipulate the international community into seeing the Jews as the problem. Then they took Israelien hostages and basically hid them behind the Palestinian hostages. Natanyahu, the moron rushed his well-trained and highly motivated soldiers against the Palestinian hostages, because he doesn’t care for them. The Hamas likes that, because they can now claim Israel “martyred” the Palestinian hostages. In the end, they just die for the hate and political ambitions of old, hateful, greedy men.

As a mother, this breaks my heart and makes me so so angry. And looking at my peers and friends joyfully joining the antisemitism train (EXACTLY what the Hamas wants them to do) and marching off to attack Jewish people who had NO part for all this mess – that makes me lose my last hope in humanity.

#i/p conflict #long posts #anon asks #if you read it all dear anon #i bow to you with gratitude #i spend 4 hours on this post (or more)#and frankly i dont expect it to gain three reads and perhaps one like #well and three anon hate messages at least but well #thats ok #i wrote it for myself too #thank you for the polite ask #may the children inherit a better world #T.T

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callofdutylorist · 7 months

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Call of Duty's Problems

It's important to know the problematic factors to media we consume, and then deciding for ourselves if it crosses the line. Just about everything we can consume in media is problematic in one way or another, nothing is perfect and it's gross and puritan to believe things should be.

But that doesn't change the fact that we still have to acknowledge those problems, and be critical thinkers about it.

I love Call of Duty, but I would be crazy not to admit that it has a dark side, even in recent games.

(I'm not debating the ethics of the FPS genre)

Propaganda

ID: photo of common USA military advertisement, called The Calling.

Being a Triple A video game from the United States of America, it isn't too shocking to admit that US Military propaganda has found it's way into the franchise. After all, Call of Duty depicts the United States' military, and they are very particular about how their image is perceived back home.

Like in many militaristic nations, living the United States lots of military propaganda is shoved down your throat.

Universities and high schools often have recruiters hanging about and running programs of their own. Young adults are tailored to get constant advertisements from military branches. The usual...

Media presenting the US military in bad light is often suppressed in the United States' own sneaky ways. This includes Call of Duty.

Repeatedly Call of Duty has been called out for participating in US propaganda, as well as often being used as a tool by the US military for conditioning teenagers. Some major cases of this include but are not limited to

Participating in a major decade long project of creating a gamer to soldier pipeline

Helping fund military advertisements

Depicting certain historical actions of the United States in skewed pro-US perspectives

Many of the older games including lots of anti-Russian, anti-Latin American/Hispanic, and anti-Asian plotlines. This has gotten better overtime, but it is not completely fixed.

Representing common US media stereotypes

Call of Duty is mostly very open about this, especially in recent years, as they have gotten in trouble for it before. However this isn't a problem sole to Call of Duty and can be seen in the majority of popular military based media in the United States, including shows, movies, podcasts, YouTube channels, and video games.

One game infamous for going against this, as well as going against the glorification of war in the media is Spec Ops: The Line if you're interested.

Harmful Historical Inaccuracies

Being simultaneously a historical fiction, sci-fi, and realism fiction it's expectant that Call of Duty would take advantage of history to tell a story. That's not the problem here.

The problem is when it's not there as part of the story, but instead a straight up historical inaccuracy that's supposed to be a fact. Call of Duty has done this multiple times.

Sometimes it's not only a historical inaccuracy but also a very harmful one, such as propagating skewed US history, lying about important fractions of history, or sweeping major events under the rug.

The most infamous and recent of this example is the highway of death presented in Modern Warfare II (2022).

The IRL Highway of Death is in the Middle Eastern country Kuwait, and was a site for major war crimes committed by the United States. The Highway of Death received its name during the Gulf War. The highway, outside of Kuwait City was viscously bombarded by artillery, ships, and especially air craft by the United States.

The US claimed there was a convoy there that they had the right to destroy, but their excessive force destroyed over 2000 vehicles with photos showing the vehicles to primarily be civilian ones. It was an intense massacre that doesn't even scratch the surface of other US crimes in that area.

How does Modern Warfare II portray it? Well it's a subtle singular line spoken by the characters, claiming that the Russians did the Highway of Death.

This is a major dodging of responsibility, and anti-russian/eastern propaganda. For obvious reasons it made many people (especially Slavic players) furious.

It isn't the first or only example of this in Call of Duty games, or FPS games in general, but it's a significant one.

This article from the Polygon does a very good job talking about the Highway of Death Controversy -> [x]

Activision-Blizzard

Oh Activision-Blizzard... What a mess!

If you're unaware, Activision-Blizzard is a large video game mega corporation in the United States. It has ownership of tons and tons of iconic video game series.

And it's had tons and tons and tons of controversies.

Even right now it's major controversy is Microsoft buying it, which would make it into a monopoly of video games as Microsoft owns many series, and electronics (including the xbox console)

In the recent years and past Activision-Blizzard has had many problems with its workplace, video game finance decisions, and more. This includes a lot of employee misconduct, including infamous cases of sexual harassment in the workplace.

(Jesse McCree -> Cole Cassidy)

It's also been caught with lower pay for female employees, gives incredibly difficult deadlines for video game devs to meet, and generally is known to treat its employees like shit.

Call of Duty itself has been guilty for a lot of this activision-blizzard behavior too.

The sole companies themselves have done tremendous work in increasing diversity, and workplace safety in both their casts, developers, and even inside the games themselves.

Call of Duty is currently praised for this as it has made great strides, however this doesn't cover up how terrible Activision-Blizzard is to people. In fact it should be a major worry as Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard can easily regress that progress in name of bigotry, capitalism, and the United States.

What does this mean for Cod fans?

Unfortunately, like most major video game corporations, we are enjoying at our own risks. This is not a "LeTS BoYCotT cOd!" or a call to abandon the franchise.

It's instead a call to bring awareness that this is nowhere near a perfect franchise, and a franchise with many significant problems and a long history.

I'm going to continue playing the game of course

And you can too, except with a little bit more knowledge

#call of duty #cod #activision #activision blizzard #microsoft #video games #video game #problematic media #monopolies

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itsmythang · 6 months

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San Diego Navy SEAL is under investigation for alleged affiliations with members of the Proud Boys and other hate groups.

Maybe you've seen Bryce Henson before - at a school board meeting or protesting the Santee YMCA or guarding an anti-abortion march in Santa Monica w/ Proud Boys? He's a former Navy SEAL from Temecula, now living in El Cajon, calls himself "Ben Richards."

A San Diego-based Navy SEAL is under investigation by the service for allegedly violating the military's rules against participating in extremist activity, a Naval Special Warfare official told KPBS Wednesday.

The SEAL, Chief Special Warfare Operator Bryce Henson, has become a leading figure at school protests against LGBTQ+ rights throughout Southern California, according to a recent Los Angeles Times investigation.

Henson — who has spoken at school boards, city councils and to the Los Angeles Times under the false name "Ben Richards" — told the Times in an interview he is a "veteran," but that's only part of the truth. He's a Navy SEAL and still on active duty, the Navy confirmed.

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disruptiveempathy · 30 days

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The move to guerilla warfare by the Philippine resistance provoked a tactical response by the Americans, who for the first time were fighting a war of colonial conquest overseas. US forces initiated an early version of counterinsurgency, a military doctrine the US would come to deploy against anti-imperialist guerillas repeatedly throughout the century. In an effort to isolate the guerillas from the natives, the Americans set up concentration camps for civilians, controlling the provision of food and medicine within them. At the same time, the Americans would respond brutally to successful ambushes by the resistance fighters with the mass slaughter of civilians and the burning of entire villages. Alongside the massacres and internment of civilians, the US established a provisional government on the archipelago lead by future President William Howard Taft. The government introduced a ‘policy of attraction,’ a program intended to entice Filipinos—particularly key social elites—away from Aguinaldo and the resistance by promising economic development and other reforms under a form of restricted self-governance. By 1907, the Americans had largely succeeded in suppressing the guerillas and establishing a client government. The cost, in human life, was tremendous. Between 1899 and 1907, the US military killed 20,000 Filipino combatants. Between direct violence and the conditions of famine and disease created by agricultural destruction and internment, 200,000 Filipino civilians were killed (some estimates range up to 1 million). More than four thousand US troops also died in the war. Though the term had not yet been coined, it was arguably the first genocide of the 20th century—and its tactics, particularly the use of concentration camps, would surface in subsequent genocides.

—Dylan Saba, from "Aid Wars," in N+1

#quotes #essays #dylan saba #aid wars #n+1 #philippines #genocide #imperialism

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revolutionarymaoistschicago · 1 year

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Statement on the Split in AF3IRM

Originally posted February 7, 2023

News has recently surfaced regarding a split in the organization known as AF3IRM. We will not go into the details of this split here, as the comrades directly involved have already published their own principled criticism of AF3IRM and summation of the issues leading up to the split (find their statement here: https://proletarianfeminist.medium.com/our-split-from-af3irm-shedding-light-on-our-issues-to-encourage-our-growth-towards-a-real-76cd1bcae395). Since the initial statement was published on February 6th, the number of signatories has only continued to grow, sitting at 48 at the time of our writing this article.

At this time, the Chicago Chapter of the Revolutionary Maoist Coalition wants to extend our unconditional solidarity and support to the brave comrades who have broken with the liberal leadership of AF3IRM. Building a revolutionary women’s movement that is 1) free from both male-chauvinism as well as bourgeois liberal feminism, and 2) based in proletarian feminism, anti-imperialism, national liberation, and scientific socialism is one of the most pressing tasks of our movement today. We applaud the bravery and revolutionary discipline exhibited by the comrades who are now working to forge their own path forward in accomplishing this goal. Let it be known that you are not alone, and that we in RMC – Chicago are happy to aid in this work in any way possible.

Moreover, we formally denounce the actions of AF3IRM leadership not only for the liberal, pro-imperialist, anti-democratic tendencies which led to the split, but also for the manipulation and misinformation — described by one former-member that left during the split as “psychological warfare” — employed by them in the wake of the split. Those who remain in leadership have audaciously claimed that only two members of AF3IRM have left, denied the existence of the split, and claimed that social media pages formerly affiliated with AF3IRM which have posted about the split have simply been hacked. This should be seen for what it is: utter cowardice. It exhibits nothing else other than a fear of accountability; a fear of ideological struggle and criticism; a fear of the truth.

We wish all 48 signatories of the document shedding light on the split the best of luck in continuing their struggle for a revolutionary proletarian feminist line. You comrades are justified, brave, and supported by revolutionary women and gender-oppressed people everywhere.

Down with imperialist “feminism”! Proletarian feminism forever! Long live the women’s struggle! Long live the international proletariat!

Signed, Executive Committee Revolutionary Maoist Coalition – Chicago

#rmc-chi #af3irm #feminism #proletarian feminism #maoism

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weerd1 · 1 month

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ENT Rewatch Starlog, 24 March, 2024: Episode 3.17 “Hatchery”

Still en route to Azati Prime, the NX-01 finds a crashed Xindi Insectoid ship on a planet. Searching, they find a small attack vessel and what would seem to be a hatchery full of eggs. One of the eggs sprays Archer in defense and gives him a nasty rash.

Reed and Major Hayes are still arguing a bit, but Hayes impresses Reed with his analysis of the attack vessel, using simulations to figure out exactly how Enterprise can destroy the vessels with relative ease. Their understanding is soon tested however. Archer, initially wanting just to see if they can protect the hatchery, arguing that it might be a goodwill gesture to prove to the Xindi that humans aren't just savage, begins to become obsessive with those thoughts.

When T’Pol stands in the way of him actually giving up a large quantity of anti-matter to keep the hatchery functioning, he relieves her of duty. When a Xindi ship DOES appear Reed uses the tactic Hayes found and destroys it. Archer relieves HIM of duty as well, placing Hayes in command when he goes to the surface to install the anti-matter.

Tucker breaks T’Pol and Reed out, and there is a small mutiny on board to seize control from Hayes while Trip goes to the surface to stop Archer.

The eggs are hatching and Archer is caring for them at the expense of all else. As Reed and T’Pol stop Hayes and the MACOs, Tucker stuns Archer. Phlox is able to discover that the shot to the face Archer took earlier altered his brain chemistry, making him imprint on the hatchlings as a caretaker.

They leave with Archer recovering, Hayes understanding that things in space are not always just black and white, and 19 little skittery Xindi babies on the ground which they believe will be all right until a ship can arrive.

Something interesting about this episode is Archer is actually correct I think at the beginning. He cites his great-grandfather following the law of land warfare during the Eugenics War, and indeed, these are children—mammals or not—and non-combatants. There is an interesting moral conundrum here between the NX-01’s mission to save Earth and saving these children; the show never quite comes out to say they SHOULD have just let them die, which I am glad of, but it also is a little ambiguous in what it is suggesting an Archer NOT under the influence of a brain-altering chemical should have done.

Along with that, to make this story happen, the show is guilty of something I see a LOT in science fiction, so I can’t even just blame Enterprise for this one: The crew, in environmental suits, get readings that they have found a breathable atmosphere, and immediately open up or take off their helmets. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT??? As one of their spacefaring successors will note: Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence. Archer, if you’d kept your helmet on THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED! (Props to Ridley Scott's original "Alien" which had the facehugger melt through the helmet.)

The Reed/Hayes stuff is good here as they continue to understand one another. I may need to write the follow-on fix-it fan fic where after the Federation is formed, Reed takes command of a starship with his husband, Starfleet transfer Commander Jay Hayes-Reed (who miraculously survives what we thought was his death), as first officer.

Finally, look! They DO have a regular uniform that fits Jolene Blalock!

Next Voyage: Enterprise arrives at “Azati Prime” and finds the weapon! Can they destroy it?

(Images taken from the main website for @trekcore; I am happy to remove the images if asked.)

#star trek #star trek enterprise #enterprise rewatch #enterprise season 3 #xindi saga #Hatchery

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nocternalrandomness · 7 months

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US Navy Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawks along side the USS Sterett in the Pacific Ocean

#USN #Sikorsky #MH-60 #Seahawk #Helicopter #anti-submarine warfare #anti-surface warfare #guided missile destroyer #ship #Navy #military #Destroyer

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dialogue-queered · 8 months

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Article

Paul Cureton

Innovative design choices can have a massive impact in the theatre of war, so it is important to understand the principles behind their development. Recent use of low-cost cardboard drones by Ukraine, supplied by Australia, to attack targets in Russia is a good example of how this can work.

Australia has been supplying Ukraine with 100 of the drones per month from March this year as part of an aid package deal worth an estimated £15.7 million, following an agreement struck in July 2021, according to the Australian Army Defence Innovation Hub.

Emerging technologies tend to override current technologies, and in turn, this generates competitive counter-technologies. This circular relationship driven by innovation is often critical in warfare as it can provide key technological advances.

Drone technology was originally developed for military use. It was then seen to offer opportunities in the civilian sphere for logistics, delivery and disaster relief. This then in turn has offered new innovations that can translate to military applications.

Conflicts in the future will be particularly shaped by drones, which will have implications for international relations, security and defence.

The Australian firm Sypaq, an engineering and solutions company founded in 1992, created the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS) for use in military, law enforcement, border security and emergency services, as well as food security, asset inspection and search and rescue.

Ukrainian forces reportedly used the PDDS cardboard drones in an attack on an airfield in Kursk Oblast in western Russia on August 27. The attack damaged a Mig-29 and four Su-30 fighter jets, two Pantsir anti-aircraft missile launchers, gun systems, and an S-300 air surface-to-air missile defence system.

Design principles

The design principles behind the success of the drones revolve around several factors including the production cost, airframe material, weight, payload, range, deployment and ease of use. Other considerations include the reliability of the operating software and the ability to fly the drone in various weather conditions. Seven Network news report on SYPAQ’s cardboad drones.

Generally, small drones offer high-resolution imagery for reconnaissance in a rapidly changing theatre of war. The Corvo drone has a high-resolution camera that provides images covering a large area, transmitting footage back to its user in real time.

The importance of real-time mapping is critical in modern agile armed forces’ command and control as this can direct ground forces, heavy weapons and artillery.

In some cases, the design of small drones is concentrated on adapting the payloads to carry different types of munitions, as seen in the attack in Kursk.

The cardboard drones can carry 5kg of weight, have a wingspan of two metres and a range of 120km at a reported cost of US$3,500 (£2,750). Waxed cardboard is an ideal material as it offers weather resistance, flat-pack transportation (measuring 510mm by 760mm) and, importantly, a lightweight airframe, which enables a longer flight range and a high cruise speed of 60km/h.

Fixed-wing drones also offer longer ranges than rotor-based drones as the wings generate the lift and the airframe has less drag, so they are more energy efficient. They can also fly at higher altitudes. The drones can be launched from a simple catapult or by hand and so can be rapidly deployed.

Low-tech material, hi-tech thinking

Radar involves the transmission of electromagnetic waves, and these are reflected off any object back to a receiving antenna. Cardboard is generally harder to detect by radar – but its components, such as the battery, can be detected.

But the Corvo drone is likely to have a small signature. Radar-absorbing materials are needed to have full stealth properties. These polymers have various absorbing qualities to avoid radar detection.

Another design principle is the swarming capability of the drone. Swarms of drones can overpower air defence systems through sheer volume and or can be used as decoys in counterintelligence operations.

Swarms are highly reliant on the development of artificial intelligence, which is still an embryonic research area. But a recent drone race at ETH University in Zurich, in which AI-piloted drone beat drones controlled by world-champion drone racers, highlighted this potential.

All of these design principles and innovations have and are continuing to transform warfare and theatre operations. It is likely that small drones at low cost are likely to have further mission success in the future.

#australia #auspol #ukraine #drones #military #war #russo-ukraine war

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krakenshaped · 9 months

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always fell free to talk for hours abt godzilla 1954 and its impact on film making history!!!!!!

PLEASE I COULD TALK ABOUT THE GODZILLA FRANCHISE FOREVERRRR

MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR DISCUSSIONS ON THE SECOND WORLD WAR, THE NUCLEAR BOMBING OF NAGASAKI AND HIROSHIMA AND BRIEF MENTIONS OF IMPERIALISM

I haven't watched every film yet but Godzilla 1954 is a classic and a cultural cornerstone in filmmaking history both in its use of special effects and its commentary on the threat of nuclear power.

Now talking about Japan in the war is tricky, as they have both done and been a victim of heinous acts. Their war crimes are absolutely abundantly endless and the things they did as an axis power goes beyond horrendous, including the treatment of POWs, women in their colonies, their association with the nazi party and involvement in their horrid experiments. Its important when talking about Japan as a nation during WW2 and the events after it it to not forget about how horrid the acts of the Japanese military were during this era despite the tragedy.

To say that the events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a painstaking blow is an absolute understatement. More than 70,000 innocent people died and it has left an unhealing scar on the nation. In a way, Godzilla 1954 was created not only as a reclamation of tragedy, but also as a symbolic representation of the nuclear strikes and a warning against nuclear war personified through this unstoppable, destructive, inescapable beast that ultimately was triggered by man to begin with. The symbol of a giant lizard awakened because of weapon testing only to near enough be a downfall to the entire island is a warning to the consequences of nuclear weapons, and how if a country attempts to use such a violent force to assert their dominance, they can only expect to be met with their own demise when that uncontrollable power eventually turns on them. You could even argue that there are parallels in the movie between the Japanese testing military weapons only to provoke a sleeping beast who otherwise had no involvement (causing the creature to wake and begin its rampage) to Nagasaki and Hiroshima being a very cruel retaliation to Pearl Harbour. Either way, it pushes it's anti-war narrative very clearly though the insistance that if the military were not engaging in war and testing these weapons none of this would have happened - perhaps a hindsight perspective on Japan's imperialism and how greed, corruption and a hunger for power can cost an entire country.

Some of the most iconic shots from this movie are Godzilla seemingly emerging from nowhere, crawling into Tokyo and instantly wrecking havoc. The military attempts to fight back, but nothing can stop this unfathomable tyrant. He destroys countless building, breathing forth beams of pure energy that melts and sets ablaze anything it touches.

In short, this creature is terrifying. So terrifying that the only way to kill it is with an even bigger superweapon - a device that cuts off oxygen. A device to frightening that it was hidden because the man who invented was afraid of how it would be used in warfare and the threat of mass production of it. The harsh lessons learned from the second war and the plea for a warless future is stitched into every small detail of this movie, and in the end this film becomes a piece that, through its impact on pop culture, is a constant yet iconic reminder of the dangers of nuclear weapons and of warfare in general. All while staying lighthearted enough to be enjoyed at surface level as just a movie about fire breathing dinosaurs eating buildings.

But moving away from the writing of the movie and onto cultural impact, Godzilla 1954 is one of the very first Kaiju movies, starting the Kaiju boom and influencing other kaiju franchises and shooting the genre to popularity, inspiring both Eastern and Western cult classics. Similarly Godzilla made a major impact in special effects and I just LOVE the scene work in Godzilla. The fact that the set team had made literal miniature sculptures of Tokyo and put a guy in the suit to stomp around the models and destroy it.

Which is like. The best thing ever.

The use of camera work and the set pieces not to mention the genius acting of every actor involved (especially the man who played godzilla and his convincing performance which made me think Godzilla was some kind of puppet for the longest time) make a movie that has aged really well for the era. The technique above in question is called suitmation and it was pioneered by the Godzilla team and is pretty much the godfather of modern cgi. When I put myself in the shoes of someone watching the movie for the first time on release in theatres, I can imagine how scary it would have been at the time. My Nana watched it when she was young and SHE remembers how much it frightened her. The amazing performance along with the genius direction makes it overall an incredibly fun movie. EVERYONE should watch Godzilla 1954 at least once. Not to mention. The sound work? The soundtrack? The main theme being so urgent, iconic and instantly recognisable, like a siren that's something coming, the roaring and the sound sourced from bombs as mentioned from my friend above being used for footsteps.

Godzilla is a work of art. Godzilla forced a new industry, fresh from the war, to innovate and try new things. To push the boat, get creative with effects (similar effects being seen in work like sailor sentai and ultraman) and ultimately lead a new future for filmmaking and live action work as a whole - inspiring cult classics like Jaws (1975) and Jurassic Park (1993). Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla - King of Monsters (2019) is quite literally the if you don't love me at my worst you don't deserve me at my best because we would NOT have beautiful awe-inspiring cgi we have today without the groundwork set by suitmation set work and classics like showa era godzilla.

Tldr. Godzilla has cemented itself in our pop culture as an anti-war anti-nuclear warfare and the themes and lessons taught through the first movie are more relevant than ever today which is why everyone should be watching this movie rn and why hollywood should adapt these anti-war themes in their current era of godzilla movies.

Dinosaurs rock. Watch King of Monsters and 100% watch Godzilla 1954 ✌️ also sorry if I got anything wrong, I haven't watched Godzilla in a while and I'm a little rusty on my war knowledge. Additionally sorry if anything I said has been insensitive, naturally these topics are incredibly difficult to talk about. If I have said something out of order I'll take this post down immediately. I'm sort of just rambling off the cuff and only googling things to make sure I get release dates and names right so maybe I'll write a more in depth analysis after I rewatch the movie and do some research on the production

#tw #tw war #tw war mention #tw nuclear warfare #tw japanese warcrimes #kraken rambles #man i love kaijus #tw ww2 #long #tw imperialism mention #kraken talks about kaijus

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usafphantom2 · 5 months

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Canada selects Boeing's P-8A Poseidon as its new multi-mission aircraft

The partnership with Canadian industry will provide long-term economic prosperity to Canada 🇨🇦

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 11/30/2023 - 18:52 in Military

With the P-8, Canada guarantees the interchangeability of allies NORAD and FIVE EYES.

The government of Canada signed a letter of offer and acceptance of foreign military sales for up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft, as part of the Canadian Multimission Aircraft Project (CMMA).

Canada joins eight defense partners, including all allies of FIVE EYES, the intelligence alliance that also includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and becomes the fifth NATO nation to have selected the P-8 as its multi-mission aircraft. The first delivery is scheduled for 2026.

“The P-8 will strengthen Canada's defense capability and readiness, and we look forward to delivering that capability to the Royal Canadian Air Force,” said Heidi Grant, president of Business Development at Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “Together with our Canadian partners, we will deliver a strong package of industrial and technological benefits that will ensure continued prosperity for Canada's aerospace and defense industry.”

The P-8 is the only proven in-service and production solution that meets all CMMA requirements, including range, speed, strength and payload capacity. This decision will benefit hundreds of Canadian companies and bring decades of prosperity to Canada through the support of the platform provided by our Canadian industrial partners.

The acquisition of P-8 will generate benefits of almost 3,000 jobs and $358 million annually in economic output for Canada, according to a 2023 independent study by Ottawa-based Doyletech Corporation.

“This is a very important day for the Royal Canadian Air Force and Boeing,” said Charles 'Duff Sullivan, managing director of Boeing Canada. "The P-8 offers unparalleled capabilities and is the most affordable solution for acquisition and life cycle maintenance costs. There is no doubt that the P-8 will protect Canada's oceans and borders for future generations."

The partnership with Canadian industry will provide long-term economic prosperity to Canada.

The Poseidon Team is the cornerstone of Boeing's Canadian P-8 industrial partnership, composed of CAE, GE Aviation Canada, IMP Aerospace & Defense, KF Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace Canada, Raytheon Canada and StandardAero. The team is based on the 81 existing Canadian suppliers for the P-8 platform and more than 550 Boeing suppliers in all provinces, contributing to the company's annual economic benefit of approximately CAD$ 4 billion for Canada, supporting more than 14,000 Canadian jobs.

With more than 160 aircraft delivered or in service and 560,000 collective flight hours, the P-8 has proven capabilities for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief response.

Tags: Military AviationBoeingP-8A PoseidonRCAF - Royal Canadian Air Force/Canada Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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leogichidaa · 2 years

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The Great Pretenders: Remus and Regulus

To note at the outset: this post is going to rely heavily on my personal characterization of Regulus, which I feel is supported by canon, but is also largely speculative.

Alright, so this has been bouncing around in my head since I got the ask about Regulus’ opinion of Remus. As I said in my response, they share some defining features in common: a desperate need to be liked and a core belief that they are unlikeable. It’s an unpleasant mix and it leads to them being good at putting on a show--and pushing people away.

Remus feels the need to project a certain image because of his lycanthropy. Some of this is strictly practical: if people were to find out about his condition, he could lose his position in school, his livelihood, his friendships, etc. Some of it is more deep seated.

Remus’ condition is a punishment. His father is said to regret the derisive comments he made about werewolves and he just "parroted what was the common view". It's clear we're meant to think of Lyall as someone who paid for his bigotry and totally learned his lesson, but I think that bigotry lingered in a more covert form and had an impact on Remus beyond the bite (one clear example being that he is not allowed to have friends growing up in case he tells someone he's a werewolf). In many ways, Remus is molded into the anti-Greyback. Whereas Greyback becomes the monster that society is determined to make him out to be, Remus is turned into the “good werewolf”. He is passive and well educated and treats his condition like a burden he must constantly apologize and compensate for. He is just happy to be included.

As a result of his condition and the societal condemnation thereof, Remus despises himself to a maddening degree. He is so convinced that he is not worthy of anyone’s love or approval that he carelessly tosses away the love and approval he is given. He is so certain that no one would care for him if they knew his true self that he hides under a carefully constructed mask and refuses to let people peek beneath the surface. He’s a fake ass hoe. He twists the truth, lies, and withholds information to craft a narrative that both works in his favor and successfully holds people at arms-length. Wait, am I describing Remus or Regulus here? Yes. Both.

Regulus has a less obvious and tangible reason for his protective tendencies, but he comes from a family where image is everything and when his older brother starts bucking tradition he fills the role of traditionalist to protect the family's homeostasis. I think about that painstakingly carved Black family crest in his room often: that is a carefully constructed mask that he created for himself if I ever saw one. He hides within the role that his family expects him to play so that he does not ever have to be himself.

Both Remus and Regulus end up fighting in the war, which is interesting because both are portrayed as passive (although capable of aggression when motivated by threats to the things they hold dear). If you were just handed character sketches of these two chuckle fucks without context, you would not likely think, “ah yes, I can see them signing up to fight guerilla warfare”. But because of their need to project a certain image, to follow certain people, to protect certain ideals that in turn protect them, they end up joining the fight.

And it's not just an external presentation either. We see examples in PoA and DH where Remus is lying to himself as much as he lies to other people. He is protecting his self-image even as he strives to control the way others perceive him. I see Regulus’ presentation, too, as in part for the benefit of his family, but also a way to protect himself from having to look in the mirror and say: “who am I?” and “is this who I want to be?” Neither Remus nor Regulus can afford to be anything other than what they pretend to be, either outwardly or within their delicate ego.

The tragic thing about this (and I touched on this before when talking about the “sickening look of faux pity” line) is that if you are always putting on a show and no one, not even you really, knows the real you, then nothing can counteract that maddening self-loathing. Everyone and their grandmother can say “I love you, I appreciate you as a person” and shower you in praise and it wouldn't matter because they’re praising a fake version of you. They love your mask. Which is, on one level, the whole point of having a mask in the first place. But internally, it serves to reinforce the idea that the real you is unlovable and that no one will ever treasure your true self the way they treasure the fake you.

We see how this plays out for Remus with Tonks. It doesn’t matter how many declarations of love she gives and how much she insists that she cares for him despite the realities of his situation, he does not believe her. He insists to Harry that Tonks, and Harry, and everyone, just don't understand what being married to him really means because they don’t actually know him and his reality. And it’s easy to read that as Remus being completely wrong and blinded by pessimistic self-hatred, but on some level he is right. They don’t understand because he won’t let anyone understand because he’s terrified that if they do understand then they will hate him, so he might as well just leave now before it gets to that. He can’t bear to give anyone a chance to really see him and accept him for who he is.

I see a romantic dynamic with Regulus playing out much the same way. He would be too afraid to talk about the real stuff, he would keep too much of himself locked away and hold his partner at arm’s length. He would run when things got hard because he would assume that his partner doesn’t really love him anyway, so they probably wouldn’t even miss him. He would convince himself that they're better off without him and find an excuse to jump ship.

This is getting long, but I also wanted to touch on how I imagine this plays into my hc that Regulus figured out that Remus was a werewolf at some point during their time together at Hogwarts. I imagine that it would be relatively easy to sleuth out for someone who is paying attention (the moon phases make it a bit obvious and it’s not like Remus and co are super discreet). But if Regulus did find out, why would he not tell everyone? Wouldn’t he be thrilled to bring down one of Sirius’ friends?

I’ve thought about this and the conclusion I came to is that, even if Regulus does not like or respect Remus, even if he sees Remus as a filthy half-breed half-blood who stole his brother, he understands Remus on some level. He knows the importance of keeping a secret (in contrast to Sirius). I imagine he kept the werewolf thing in his pocket, rationalizing that he’d use it if he ever felt sufficiently provoked, but he never did because deep down he saw a bit of himself in Remus. (This is especially true in my Every Other Freckle AU, in which Regulus himself is carefully guarding a secret love affair, so outing Remus would hit too close to home for him). It's either that or Sirius has something on Regulus and there’s an unspoken mutually assured destruction thing going on, but I'm partial to the first theory.

#make up something to believe in your heart of hearts #so you have something to wear on your sleeve of sleeves #Remus Lupin #Regulus Black #the great pretenders

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yatescountyhistorycenter · 8 months

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Sounding out the naval barge on Seneca Lake

By Jonathan Monfiletto

The next time you are driving along Seneca Lake, on State Route 414 along the eastern shore or – if you are traveling through Yates County – State Route 14 along the western shore, gaze into the middle of the lake and see if you find an interesting-looking platform floating on the surface. It shouldn’t be too hard to find, but you might wonder just what you are looking at.

This platform is, in fact, a barge anchored in the middle of Seneca Lake off the shore at Dresden. Indeed, the operation is officially known as the Seneca Lake Sonar Test Facility under the auspices of the Naval Sea Systems Command and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center of Newport, Rhode Island. Though it appears only civilian employees work there and no military personnel are stationed there, one could say this facility represents the only presence of the U.S. Navy existing in the Finger Lakes.

According to its website, the Seneca Lake Sonar Test Facility does just that – performing tests and evaluations of equipment to include sonar arrays and systems – and is known for its massive lift and power capabilities. Acoustic testing professionals carry out tests on systems and equipment of all sizes, even an entire sonar suite mounted in its sonar compartment.

Because it is a deep freshwater lake that is open all year, Seneca Lake is the Navy’s primary site for active instrumented calibration and testing. The fairly constant and predictable weather and water conditions of Seneca Lake also make it a choice testing site. It is known for its testing and evaluation of major projects that require relatively deep water with fixed underwater geometry and capabilities for heavy load-handling and electrical power.

Located about a mile and a half from the Dresden shore, the facility consists of two barges – the Systems Measurement Platform and the Remote Calibration Platform – that are the primary measurement and calibration resources. Two equipment-handling barges and numerous transport boats serve the facility, and there are machining and fabrication capabilities on the site to repair or manufacture the equipment and gear being tested.

The facility has been used by the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, universities, foreign governments, state and local agencies, and private industry. And it has been a part of the Dresden landscape and lakeshore for more than 60 years.

It all began in November 1961, when the original barge – a converted oil tanker measuring 165 feet long and 36 feet long – arrived in Seneca Lake from Miami, via the inland waterway, Hudson River, and Barge Canal. During the heyday of the Cold War, as America furthered its research and development of anti-submarine warfare, the barge was purposed to test advanced sonar equipment designed to detect underwater craft. The barge was a key unit in establishing an anti-submarine acoustics research facility, headed by General Dynamics/Electronics.

The company leased a site at Dresden that provided 180 feet of lakefront – with construction of docking and service facilities to begin soon, according to an October 1961 newspaper article – along with a county road serving the property that would allow access to the facility throughout the year. Seneca Lake was chosen because its 600-foot depth makes it one of the deepest lakes in the country and – with the exception of the Great Lakes – the deepest lake with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. It also has temperature gradients similar to those in the Atlantic Ocean, meaning sonar tests could be correlated to ocean conditions. The waves on the lake aren’t high enough to interfere with barge operations, and since the lake rarely freezes tests can be conducted throughout the year.

The original barge was equipped with a diesel-driven, 200-kilowatt generator to supply electric power to its electronic equipment, a capacity that was later increased to 400 kilowatts. The barge’s hulls had several ballast tanks, with water pumped out of or into the tanks to raise or lower the height of the deck above water.

Initially, the barge was designed to test then-recently-developed transducers weighing as much as 35 tons. These transducers convert electrical energy into acoustic energy, sending sound signals through the water that bounce off an intended target with an echo that can be recorded and analyzed. For test operations, the barge was to be manned by three engineers working under the direction of a manager.

In 1965, the Navy began leasing the Dresden Marina – with 4.5 acres of land and 900 feet of lakefront – for $20,000 per year with an option to buy the marina for $125,000. As a result of this move, owners of boats and crafts docked at the marina were forced to remove them from the marina and find new facilities to store them. Those with mobile homes located on the hill above the docks also had to vacate the premises. Another result was the Navy expanding its research facilities on Seneca Lake through an investment of $500,000. The improvements included completely fencing in the installation since much of its research work dealing with sound and sonar equipment is classified.

An undated newspaper article – handwritten with “1967,” though the exact date is unclear – indicates the Navy bought the marina a couple of years later for $166,000 and took it over outright. That year, Albert Gatthardt, of the Washington Naval Research Center, spoke before a jointing meeting of the Seneca Falls and Waterloo Rotary Clubs and detailed the history of the Naval Research Laboratory and its recent developments and improvements.

Alternately known as the Seneca Underwater Test and Evaluation Center, the facility was profiled in a July 1968 newspaper article on the occasion of the barge’s conversion from diesel power generated aboard to being powered by an electrical cable from the shore. The change permitted the barge – referred to in the article as DARIUS, though it is unclear what that stands for – to test the largest underwater sonar sound sources.

The following year, the Navy announced a $2.2 million expansion of the research facility on Seneca Lake, making it “the newest, largest, and best underwater research center in the country.” Plans called for using the existing barges plus a new systems measurement platform measuring 195 feet long, 120 feet wide, and 9 and a half feet deep, with a crane capable of lifting 200 tons. The expansion would continue the Navy’s research into sound transmission, travel, and reception underwater, light transmission and reception, underwater radio communications, development of new oceanographic tools and techniques, and underwater tests in the field physics.

As of February 1969, the facility employed eight permanent employees – a number expanded by 10 or 20 visiting technicians, engineers, and scientists. With the expansion anticipated to finish in the summer of 1970, plans called for 15 permanent employees with a capacity for 40 people visiting and working on the site.

By September 1970, work on the expansion had fallen behind but was mostly complete, and the facility continued testing equipment on Seneca Lake. More than 50 years later, the Navy still has a presence in the Finger Lakes, and it is one you can see from the road or the shore.

#history #historyblog #local history #american history #us history #yatescounty #newyork #dresdenny #navy #usnavy

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