Next several weeks or so should get interesting......
October 10 - 11
October 11 - 13
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/10/07/truckers-for-the-constitution-plan-to-slow-dc-beltway-arrest-congressmen
Police must detain 'accessories' to 'treason' or truckers will, organizer says
October 7, 2013 RSS Feed Print
http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/truckers-roar-to-d-c-with-impeachment-movement/
http://www.urbanshield.org/
October 25 - 28
October 10 - 11
G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors'
Meeting
The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting will be held on the eve of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the IMF and the World Bank Group on October 10-11, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (USA). Main events are scheduled to take place on the 11th of October.
Ministers and Governors are going to discuss a number of questions, including recent developments in the global economy and financial sector vulnerabilities, the international financial architecture's reform, financing for investment and strengthening the G20 process.
Finally, Finance Ministers and Central Banks Governors will approve and sign-off the Joint Communique.
http://www.imf.org/external/am/2013/
Annual Meetings
The Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) each year bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness. Also featured are seminars, regional briefings, press conferences, and many other events focused on the global economy, international development, and the world's financial system. This year's Annual Meetings events will take place in Washington, D.C., October 11-13, 2013. Read more
October 11 - 13
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/10/07/truckers-for-the-constitution-plan-to-slow-dc-beltway-arrest-congressmen
'Truckers for the Constitution' Plan to Slow D.C. Beltway, Arrest Congressmen
Police must detain 'accessories' to 'treason' or truckers will, organizer says
October 7, 2013 RSS Feed Print
Tractor-trailer drivers will intentionally clog the inner loop of the Washington, D.C., beltway beginning on the morning of Oct. 11, according to a coordinator of the upcoming "Truckers Ride for the Constitution" rally.
Organizers of the three-day ride want to call attention to a litany of trucker frustrations and express their disapproval of national political leaders.
Earl Conlon, a Georgia trucker who is handling logistics for the protest, told U.S. News tractor-trailer drivers will circle the beltway "three lanes deep" as he rides with other participants to Congress to seek the arrest of congressmen for allegedly disregarding the Constitution.
The truckers circling I-495 will keep the left lane open for emergency vehicles, Conlon said, but "everybody that doesn't have a supporter sticker on their window, good luck: Nobody in, nobody out." The trucks will be going the 55 mile-per-hour speed limit.
D.C. commuters who wish to be allowed past the convoy must have "T2SDA" – an acronym for the event's original name, "Truckers to Shut Down America" – written on their vehicle, he said.
"It's going to be real fun for anyone who is not a supporter," Conlon said, "[and] if cops decide to give us a hard time, we're going to lock the brakes up, we're going to stop right there, we're going to be a three lane roadblock."
Zeeda Andrews, a former country music singer helping promote the protest, said last week participants would present demands to congressmen – including the impeachment of President Barack Obama – and give the congressmen an opportunity to agree to the demands in exchange for canceling the ride.
But Conlon says that's not quite right.
"We are not going to ask for impeachment," Conlon said. "We are coming whether they like it or not. We're not asking for impeachment, we're asking for the arrest of everyone in government who has violated their oath of office."
Conlon cited the idea of a citizens grand jury – meaning a pool of jurors convened without court approval – as the mechanism for indicting the officials.
"We want these people arrested, and we're coming in with the grand jury to do it," he said. "We are going to ask the law enforcement to uphold their constitutional oath and make these arrests. If they refuse to do it, by the power of the people of the United States and the people's grand jury, they don't want to do it, we will. ... We the people will find a way."
It's almost certain that anyone attempting to "arrest" a member of Congress would be arrested themselves for attempted kidnapping.
Conlon and Andrews say Obama committed "treason" by allegedly funneling weapons to al-Qaida-linked rebels in Syria. Members of Congress who support arming Syrian rebels, Conlon said, are accessories to the alleged crime. He identified House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as politicians he will seek to arrest for alleged acts against the Constitution.
Andrews said last week 3,000 truckers had RSVP-ed to the event, and Conlon says he's now lost count of the number. He says he's receiving around 100 emails a day from prospective participants.
"What we want to do is go in nice and peaceful and keep it as peaceful as possible... but if they decide to get ugly with us we're going to do what we have to do," he said. "If all I get is one or two congressmen walked out of there in handcuffs, that will be a shot across the bow that will ripple across all branches of government. ... I hope they are all civil enough and brave enough to step out onto the congressional steps."
Trucker-specific grievances behind the protest include Environmental Protection Agency fuel efficiency standards and the high cost of diesel fuel. State and local anti-idling laws as well as insurance companies purportedly requiring technological updates are among the irritations, as is the perceived deterioration of Fourth Amendment rights protecting truckers' cabs.
Whether or not the truckers pack a punch to D.C. area traffic depends on the number and intensity level of participants. A similar three-day protest in 2007, against illegal immigration and competition from Mexican truckers, did not spoil commutes as feared, the Washington Examiner reported. A Facebook pageadvertising the upcoming ride has close to 50,000 likes.
http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/truckers-roar-to-d-c-with-impeachment-movement/
In less than two weeks, thousands of truckers will descend on Washington, D.C., driving their big-rigs and calling for the restoration of a constitutional republic – but now their plan has taken a new twist: Their friends and families will simultaneously join other Americans rallying on overpasses across the nation for Obama’s impeachment.
The Truckers’ Ride for the Constitution movement has a new ally in their protest against what organizers say is corruption in government and a trashing of the Constitution. The group is teaming up with Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment to line the routes into Washington with flags during the Oct. 11-13 event.
Both Houses of Congress are tentatively scheduled to be in session Oct. 11.
Truckers Ride for the Constitution leader and organizer Zeeda Andrews, a country singer and former truck driver, said Overpasses Founder James Neighbors reached out to her, suggesting the two groups form an alliance. Neighbors said the partnership is a “natural” merger for a common cause.
“Thousands of truckers have seen us across America,” he said. “We’ve gotten emails from them, thanking us for waking them up. The biker ride in D.C. happened. Then, the next thing you know, the trucker thing did, and we got even more emails from truckers across the country, thanking us.”
He added, “We are going to be out on the overpasses and at truck stops, encouraging the truckers to head to D.C., to join in with the others. They, in exchange, are encouraging their families who are at home to join us on the overpasses.”
Facebook tries to shut truckers down
On Sept. 22, Facebook removed the truckers’ Facebook page, “Truckers to Shutdown America,” which had accumulated 86,000 “likes” within days of its launch.
“Political opponents attacked the Truckers to Shutdown America page within days, and they exploited a little known (to the public) feature on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter called ‘community standards’ flagging, which allows them to instantaneously shut down an account on these social media platforms,” the truckers group explained in a press release.
“[A]n administrator of the page offended someone by saying, ‘God bless you, and God bless America.”
According to the group, radio talk-host Pete Santelli, of “The Pete Santelli Show,” has indicated that he “intends to take legal action against YouTube and Twitter on behalf of all truckers, their supporters, as well as other members of the public who are similarly harmed by these unconstitutional ‘community standards.’”
While the truckers’ group says it has made numerous attempts to appeal Facebook’s decision, the page remains unpublished.
Now the group is planning a special delivery to Facebook’s corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on the same day of the Washington, D.C., convoy.
“Ride for the Constitution will now organize a convoy to Facebook corporate headquarters … to coincide with the ride to Washington, D.C.,” the group explained. “We fully intend to arrive on corporate America’s doorstep with our original ‘community standards’ guideline in hand – the U.S. Constitution.”
The truckers also launched their website, RideForTheConstitution.org, and created a second Facebook page called, “Truckers Ride for the Constitution.”
‘Wake up the sleeping giant’
What do they intend to accomplish with a convoy into Washington and nationwide rallies on overpasses?
Neighbors explained, “The goal is to wake up the sleeping giant, the people of America.”
Truckers co-organizer Benn Pam said the rally will be quite a patriotic scene.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “There are going to be thousands of trucks on the highways, flying flags. There are all of those people who are in the Overpasses campaign flying flags. Between the two groups, we may be covering a good part of the national highway network.”
Andrews said more organizations are expected to join the rally, and she has “two other huge groups that will give me a conformation.”
But this event isn’t just another political rally. The joint venture has clear objectives. Neighbors said one goal is to pressure Congress to begin the impeachment process.
“In doing so, the people can force Congress to act to begin by removing Obama from office,” he explained.
He said his group will also protest “RINOs and progressive Democrats” before the 2014 midterm elections.
Andrews said she believes connecting with the Overpasses group will help achieve her group’s aims.
“We both want to see an end to the unconstitutional laws in this country,” she said.
By joining forces, she said, both groups will get more publicity and video footage of the event.
However, the group’s short-term goal is to see a three-day cessation of business. Organizers are asking Americans to pre-purchase food and other necessities before Oct. 11 to send a message to Congress.
“We want to see the dollar stop circulating for three days,” Andrews said. “What we also want to see is deregulation for the truckers and our Constitution restored. We want to get rid of unconstitutional laws like the National Defense Authorization Act and the Patriot Act.”
Andrews also said she has a list of grievances she plans to present to every member of Congress before the trucks leave Washington.
Time to rally, contact lawmakers
Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment national coordinator and co-founder Rick Halle said he’s hopeful that the event will get Congress to remember its commitment to the Constitution.
“The ultimate result would be for our representatives to start taking their oath to protect and defend the Constitution seriously,” he said. “At the very least, we will get the message out to others who believe, as we do, that government corruption is rampant and that they are not alone.”
However, Halle admitted that Congress will only feel pressure if enough people rally in the streets and make their voices heard by calling their lawmakers.
“We believe that we will also wake some people up so they start paying attention,” he said. “If enough people wake up and start contacting their representatives, then we believe that they will have no choice but to take notice.”
Some critics in the trucking industry have taken to Facebook to condemn the upcoming protest.
American Trucking Associations spokesman Sean McNally said his group opposes Andrews’ activities.
“The American Trucking Associations is not a sponsor of this ‘strike’ nor do we endorse or condone the activities of these few individuals,” McNally said. “ATA and the vast majority of America’s truck drivers will continue to deliver the nation’s most essential goods unabated even while we continue to work through whatever policy disagreements we have with Congress and the administration.”
But Andrews is undeterred.
She said, “I have the truckers that I need.”
October 17
http://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/great-shakeout-earthquake-drill-set-oct/article_2198a598-259e-11e3-9f5a-001a4bcf887a.html
On Oct. 17 at 10:17 a.m., drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk or table and then hold on for at least 60 seconds.
That’s what Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region X and Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington State officials are asking people to do as part of the 2013 Great ShakeOut — an international drill meant to help people prepare for a major earthquake.
“The ShakeOut is an exercise that we start practicing in grade school and never outgrow,” Kenneth D. Murphy, FEMA Region X administrator, said in a news release. “Earthquakes cannot be predicted and can occur anywhere at any time, which is why it is important to know what to do when one occurs.”
When an earthquake does hit, FEMA Region X officials say the best option is to get to the floor and take cover, but if that’s not possible, people should go to an inside corner of the room, clear of windows and items that could fall on them.
“People who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices should lock their wheels and remain seated until the shaking stops. Protect your head and neck with your arms, a pillow, a book or whatever is available,” according to the news release.
Those who want to participate in the drill are encouraged to register online atwww.shakeout.org to receive details about the event and learn how to participate.
The Great ShakeOut is a timely drill as the announcement of the event comes just days after earthquakes were reported in Yellowstone National Park and western Wyoming.
David Pearson, assistant professor for Idaho State University’s Department of Geosciences, said most of the recent seismic activity occurred within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, specifically at the northern end of Lewis Lake, within Lower Geyser Basin, and west of Norris Geyser Basin.
“Seismic activity was greatest between September 10 and September 15,” he said. “Each of these regions was associated with an earthquake swarm, which is a sequence of earthquakes near the same area without an obvious main shock.”
The recent swarms produced roughly four quakes that were large enough to feel.
The first, a magnitude 3.5, struck Sept. 13 northeast of West Yellowstone, Mont. Then, in the early hours Sept. 15, two quakes, a magnitude 3.2 and magnitude 3.4, were detected in quick succession at 5:10 and 5:11 a.m., southeast of West Yellowstone. The magnitude 3.6 that marked the peak of the swarm struck north of the Old Faithful Geyser about 4 1/2 hours later.
“They weren’t big earthquakes, but they were felt,” said Bob Smith, a University of Utah geophysics professor who has been monitoring seismic activity in and around the Yellowstone Caldera for 53 years.
About half a dozen earthquakes are felt in Yellowstone in an average year, he said.
“This is pretty unusual, to be honest,” Smith said.
Still, Pearson was more intrigued by the Sept. 21 earthquake that took place outside of Yellowstone National Park, in an area west of Fort Washakie, Wyo., beneath the northeastern side of the Wind River Range. That earthquake had a magnitude of 4.9 — 20 times larger in magnitude (and it released about 80 times more energy) than the magnitude 3.6 quake in Yellowstone last week, he said.
“Whereas most of the earthquakes within Yellowstone occurred at depths of less than 10 km (6 miles), this earthquake occurred at a depth of about 74 km (46 miles), which is within the earth’s mantle and at an unusual depth for the area,” Pearson said.
Although he hasn’t seen anything that he would consider to be concerning at this point, the recent seismic activity does give people cause to think about what they would do in an earthquake.
FEMA Region X officials say people can prepare for such an incident by participating in the Great ShakeOut drill or visiting www.ready.gov/earthquakes.
California is taking its earthquake preparation one step further.
Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday ordered the creation of a statewide earthquake early warning system that could give millions of Californians a few precious seconds of warning before a powerful temblor strikes.
The bill signed into law Tuesday directs the Office of Emergency Services to develop the system and identify sources of funding for it by January 2016. The system is expected to cost about $80 million to build and run for five years.
Although they can’t predict seismic activity, early warning systems are designed to detect the first, fast-moving shock wave from a large earthquake, calculate the strength and alert people before the slower but damaging waves spread.
October 16 -17 , 23 - 24
http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/interviews/banks-plan-national-cyber-attack-drill-i-2063
More than 1,000 banks will test their incident response strategies by participating in a simulated cyber-attack exercise. SWACHA's Dennis Simmons says the drill, which is open to more participants, will help bolster defenses.
Banks are interested in testing their defenses in the wake of recent cyber-attacks, says Simmons, president and CEO of SWACHA, a regional payments association. Those attacks include account-takeover attempts linked to phishing and ACH and wire fraud, as well as distributed-denial-of-service attacks that are sometimes waged as modes of distraction to veil fraud.
"[The simulation] helps an institution understand its own internal communication and internal response to these types of incidents," Simmons says in an interview with Information Security Media Group. And the drill can help banks and credit unions update their cyber-attack response plans.
Educating banking institutions about the possible risks they face during a cyber-attack is a goal of the simulated attacks, he says. For example, he points out: "The bad guys may launch a DDoS attack to divert attention [so they can] hijack an account or initiate fraudulent wire transfers."
Open to More Participants
Banks can still sign up at the FS-ISAC website to participate in the two-day drill in October, which is sponsored by SWACHA, along with NACHA-The Electronic Payments Association; the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center; and numerous state banking associations.
Banking institution employees participating in the simulated attacks will be e-mailed attack scenarios and then asked to develop response strategies, he explains. "It's a tabletop exercise. All you need to participate is an e-mail address and telephone."
During this interview, Simmons discusses:
- Communication challenges banking institutions face in the wake of a cyber-attack;
- Why payments breaches and network vulnerabilities are getting more attention; and
- How law enforcement is working with SWACHA, FS-ISAC and others to encourage more cyberattack simulations.
http://www.urbanshield.org/
October 25 - 28
Urban Shield has grown into a comprehensive, full-scale regional preparedness exercise assessing the overall Bay Area UASI Region's response capabilities related to multi-discipline planning, policies, procedures, organization, equipment and training. Urban Shield continues to test regional integrated systems for prevention, protection, response and recovery in our high-threat, high-density urban area. The exercise evaluates our existing level of preparedness and capabilities, identifying not only what we do well, but areas in need of improvement. The previous years' After Action Reports are referenced and used to assist in prioritizing upcoming expenditures possible for the region so we may become more prepared for any type of critical event or incident in our area.
The overarching goals of Urban Shield include striving for the capability to present a multi-layered training exercise to enhance the skills and abilities of regional first responders, as well as those responsible for coordinating and managing large scale events. Urban Shield is implemented to identify and stretch regional resources to their limits, while expanding regional collaboration and building positive relationships. In addition, this exercise provides increased local business and critical infrastructure collaboration. Urban Shield challenges the skills, knowledge and abilities of all who participate. It not only improves regional disaster response capabilities, but provides a platform for national and international first responders, as well as the private sector, to work efficiently and effectively together when critical incidents occur.
The overarching goals of Urban Shield include striving for the capability to present a multi-layered training exercise to enhance the skills and abilities of regional first responders, as well as those responsible for coordinating and managing large scale events. Urban Shield is implemented to identify and stretch regional resources to their limits, while expanding regional collaboration and building positive relationships. In addition, this exercise provides increased local business and critical infrastructure collaboration. Urban Shield challenges the skills, knowledge and abilities of all who participate. It not only improves regional disaster response capabilities, but provides a platform for national and international first responders, as well as the private sector, to work efficiently and effectively together when critical incidents occur.
Is the big enchilada the Blackout drill set for November 13- 14 ( Grid Ex 2 ) ?