THE LIKONI RESCUE CIRCUS

                    THE LIKONI RESCUE CIRCUS

  Can someone help me settle to an answer to my questions which have been boggling me since Sunday tragedy where Amanda and her mom were swallowed and hidden in the depths of the calm but hungry Indian ocean waters at the Likoni crossing Channel.
  History has it that the three Ferries, Mv Harambee, Nyayo and Kilindini ARE SAID to have been withdrawn from the International Maritime Standard's Body,Lloyd's Register in 2007. And to add salt to the injury, the other two, Mvs Pwani and Mvita to do not appear on any classification bodys register; and are over 45 and 50 years old. Mv Harambee which was commissioned in 2015, resumed business a year latter after repair works at a cost of Kshs. 143 million. According to preliminary report done by Acting Head of Maritime Services Capt. Mbarak Zaunga, one of the findings revealed that the ramp was not working and it seems still not working..... which contributed to the sliding back and drowning of  Mariam Khaghenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu.
  And now that the rescue mission is on, ten days [Tuesday] down the line, no signs of a mother,a daughter or the car. Tussle and argument between the govt institutions and private divers is conspicuous. Government talking big, but as usual, to the public its empty rhetoric with no touchable results to show. According to Colonel Lawrence Gituma of Kenya Navy who is heading the 13 multi agency team, kicked out the private divers who were hired by the family, at acost of Kshs. 350k, with a down payment of 100k. Gatuma claimed that Musa Owaga with his 15 member team, defied all laid down operation rules. He claimed Musa and crew went against ''The Set Rules and were posing danger to others involved in the operation.'' Musa in his response said they are fed up with the harassment by the security personnel and not sure when they gonna resume.
   But wait a minute. Is he the same Musa Owaga, Head of the Kenya Rescue DIVERS, who was called to a search and recovery mission when a Chopper crashed in to Lake Nakuru in 2018? Hon. Mishi Mboko, Likono MP, testified of his experience with Musa team in one of the rescue missions hes involved in. The great public and residents of Likoni and its environs got a great recollection of what TEAM MUSA HAS DONE TO SAVE LIVES ALONG THAT CHANNEL. Thew BQ is, why is the so called multi agency team does not want to have Musa on board with his great&versed  experience and knowledge of the channel?
Musa who is Internationally trained diver, decided to hang his gloves on Friday after he claimed  harassment from the security team.
Ten days..... Nothing to bring ashore to show. Professional divers brought from all walks of life; Sweden... S.Africa..... unfortunately nothing. Kenyans are still treated to the same old tired storyn lines of  '' Of No Stones Will Be Left Unturned.'' Pure ineptness, insensitivity and incompetence.
These are those moments of painful humiliation, for a nation held in high regards internationally.
   And this is when BABA came calling. The only voice of reason, face of humanity with legendary command. Strikes with speed of lighting, military precision with political closure. You can try to isolate him but cant put him down. When he gave that order, the person could have been a subject of debate but NOT what he said. The deafening noise of dredging machines went mute, to confirm and remind the ''Tangatanga'' team that the AU Special Evoy For INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT was in town. One of the best Kenyas best analytical minds, Prof. Herman Manyora said, '' Raila is not an ordinary person like me and you, its him and the President who can call for an holiday in this country''
The sycophantic behavior and kindergarten thinking of Jubilee MPs, especially first timers, is suicidal and indication of rogue intolerant and dishonorable members, ranting for hand outs. Raila Odinga is an engineer by profession, a politician by calling and a BABA naturally. Let me remind the likes of Nyoro, what BABA can see seated at his Apoda farm, will take them centuries on top of Mt. Kenya seeing nothing. The so called ''Leaders of tomorrow'' have false narratives camouflaged in unacceptable, hollow and dangerous precedences. Very unfair that these guys invent facts and twist tales to suit their unrealistic political agenda.
Testube and vanilla politicians who value lies in the fact that their divisive style never going to be distasteful to the national palate. This will amount to flagrant abuse to the very tenets of our moral fabric that underpins and defines the concepts of our core values as Kenyans; And more importantly.... as human beings.They are not honorable enough to be Honorable.As much as we are playing politics and gymnastics at the shore, remember, Amanda and her mom are still 70 meters down

x

Wins in Iowa and New Hampshire Will Propel Bernie Sanders to the Presidency 

When Bernie Sanders wins Iowa and New Hampshire, the tidal wave of media attention will cause a paradigm shift within the American political establishment.

Bernie Sanders offers the possibility of a better political future, the kind of world I’ve been contemplating since the Black Lives Matter movement began. That’s appealing to me. I am not so naive as to think a Sanders presidency will solve everything or even much at all. But I am tired of being told I cannot imagine a better world.

You can’t alleviate any of the systemic problems facing society today – like racism, sexism or income inequality, to name a few – without an honest and sustained critique of capitalism. My support for Sanders stems from his radical (in this country, anyway) willingness to reimagine how our financial system can work. His presidency could open a broader debate about it before the whole thing collapses.

I certainly wish Sanders had enough room in his capacious political imagination to consider the (UN recommended) concept of reparations for slavery. But he seems to get how our economic structure harms most of us, and he’s gotten better at articulating the link between economics and racism since black women challenged him.

I’ve never understood the enthusiastic, robust support for the Clintons from black voters. Bill Clinton amped up policing against us. He irreparably harmed impoverished black families with so-called “welfare reform”. Hillary Clinton made even our black children out to be dangerous “super-predators” deserving harsh punishment.

Whatever her other qualities, Hillary Clinton is beholden to maintaining the system as it is. She will not (indeed, given her donors and speaking gigs at banks, she cannot) entertain criticism of capitalism or even Wall Street and therefore is not an appealing candidate to me.

The status quo of late-term American capitalism is making it so we can’t breathe. I don’t want to vote for someone who is going to maintain our broken system at all costs. Therefore, I look forward to voting for the democratic socialist Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders speaks the truth. The extraordinarily wealthy, with all the power they deploy, make the laws of the land, and we just live here. Sanders knows that half-measures avail us nothing: we need a revolution. All of us need to participate. All of us need to vote and overwhelm the influence of the unaccountable rich. 99.9% is a lot more than .1%.

In 1907, when Congress passed the Tillman Act, banning all corporate contributions to candidates, the Senate Report noted: “The evils of the use of money in connection with political elections are so generally recognized that the committee deems it unnecessary to make any argument in favor of the general purpose of this measure. It is in the interest of good government and calculated to promote purity in the selection of public officials”.

Yes, I know: quaint. Two world wars later, and after Elvis gyrated his hips on television, there went purity. In 2010, the US supreme court turned the faucet on the free flow of megabucks with Citizens United v Federal Elections Commission.

“[I]ndependent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption,” wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy for the majority. “That [campaign donors] may have influence over or access to elected officials does not mean that those officials are corrupt. And the appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy.”

.

New Hampshire results: resounding wins for Trump and Sanders

Ever since, voting in America has been funded by multinational corporations.

Bernie Sanders is right: the whole thing is run by a few billionaires. Or many. There are now 1,826 billionaires in the world, and 536 of them are American – never mind all the people who are merely worth nine figures, all of them with their Super Pacs and thinktanks and philanthropies and foundations and charitable trusts and lobbyists and pushers and peddlers.

Bernie Sanders has come along and said that we are in deeper than we think. We are the lobster in the pot, and we don’t know that the water is about to boil. We have the illusion of control, because some of us still exercise the franchise, but we live in an oligarchy.

Bernie Sanders is not radical. No. This democracy is losing its heartbeat. He wants to revive it.

Bernie Sanders recognizes climate change as the “single greatest threat to our planet”. That is why the “climate emergency caucus” in Iowa overwhelmingly voted to support Bernie Sanders, by 67%. His independence from corporate interests allows him to tackle other pressing issue of our time, like income inequality and taking on the 1% who profited from the bank bailouts. His courage, integrity and clarity of vision on critical issues like these make him a compelling candidate.

I was among the thousand protesters in front of the White House in 2011 who risked arrest in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. While we were doing all we could to prevent the disastrous plan from going forward, then secretary of state Hillary Clinton was developing close ties with lobbyists for TransCanada Corporation, the backers of the Keystone XL pipeline. She said she was “inclined” to support the pipeline and, in 2015, she hired a former lobbyist for the Keystone XL as a campaign adviser. She only came out against the pipeline last fall.

Bernie voiced clear opposition to the pipeline in 2011. Along with Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon, Sanders cosponsored the Keep It in the Ground bill, to keep public lands off limits to future oil, gas and coal leases. Sanders knows that if we are to avoid dangerous levels of CO2 in our atmosphere, 80% of proven reserves must stay in the ground. This step – ensuring public lands are not given away to the very industries profiting from the climate crisis – is a critical one. Sanders is also the only presidential candidate to oppose all fracking, which has a disastrous impact on the environment.

As a senator, Sanders has submitted comprehensive legislation to remove the $135bn in taxpayer subsidies the fossil fuel industry enjoys. He is able to adopt an aggressive stance against big oil because he is the only candidate with no discernible contributions from Super Pacs. (Amusingly, there is one Super Pac called “Billionaires for Bernie” that has contributed, wait for it, $0 to Bernie.)

The Pentagon has called climate change a “threat multiplier” for terrorism and everyone from the president to the Pope to the scientific community has called it a global emergency. Fossil fuel industry lobbying has been a big reason why so few politicians are willing to do anything serious about this. But Sanders has refused to kowtow to corporations and billionaires – that is why he stands out as having singular clarity on this urgent issue.

As a journalist, I travel regularly and see firsthand the unprecedented dangers the world is facing, like climate change, extreme concentration of wealth and the widespread disillusion with democracy. To me, another Clinton presidency will literally be business as usual. Just consider Hillary Clinton’s large Wall Street speaking fees and her previous support for deporting young children back to Central America, to their possible deaths. Sanders, however, sounds like he has at least some political imagination on these issues.

Advertisement

Still, I don’t see Sanders investing major resources like time and money into getting the Latino vote, which will be crucial to whomever wins the presidency.
So far, his efforts have been insufficient – especially since he is up against an entrenched, well-recognized pro-Clinton Latino machine that is backed by big donors and an army of well-paid Latino operatives. In the face of such an opponent, an insurgent campaign like Sanders’, which targets mainly white voters, will not win the Latino vote.
Bernie Sanders has managed to capture the political imagination of many, especially the young, but he has still not tailored his vision to Latinos, who skew younger. He is a game-changer at a national level, but not so much at the Latino community level. At least not yet.
To become so will require differentiating himself from the Clinton machine. He will need to do things like invest heavily in reaching Latino voters and take bold policy positions such as acknowledging US responsibility for the utterly failed drug war in Mexico that’s left countless dead. He should also condemn domestic immigration policies that lead Obama (with Clinton’s support) to jail the youngest, most vulnerable victims of those policies.
I have not yet decided if I will vote for anyone. But if Sanders does things that spark the Latino political imagination, he might just persuade me.

Anonymous Hackers Target North Korea in Response to Satellite Launch

A North Korean rocket is launched on February 7, carrying what Pyongyang claimed to be a satellite. In response, hackers attacked state websites in an attempt to disrupt ground communications with the satellite.

Hackers associated with the Anonymous collective have attacked North Korean state websites in response to the country’s latest satellite launch.
The New World Hackers targeted three websites hours after the launch on Sunday, with the group claiming up to 200 sites were affected as a result of the attacks.
“Our main motive for these attacks was to stop communications between the satellite and the websites, leaving the government wondering why they can’t launch a test, or possibly even a real missile strike at any point in time,” a member of the group tells Newsweek.

“If you attack a site linked to a satellite that constantly updates off of that site, you’re really disrupting something somewhere. We at least slowed down their progress.”
It is not clear if communications with the satellite were affected but proof of sites being knocked offline by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack was shared with Newsweek. This method of attack overloads the servers used to host websites with traffic from multiple sources.

New World Hackers has previously been credited with the largest DDoS attack ever carried out, using its “BangStresser” tool to disable all of the BBC’s websites for a period of several hours in December 2015.
The same tool has also been used to repeatedly disrupt Donald Trump’s campaign website, as well as dozens of sites associated with the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) as part of Anonymous’s OpISIS campaign. New World Hackers has said that while it takes part in certain Anonymous operations and supports the hacktivist collective, it operates independently of the group.
North Korea has defended the satellite launch as a way of tracking weather patterns. However, the U.S. and other countries have accused Pyongyang of using the launch as a front for a ballistic missile test.
“North Korea continues to develop their nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and it is the responsibility of our alliance to maintain a strong defense against those threats,” General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, U.S. Forces Korea commander, said in a statement.
The United Nations Security Council also “strongly condemned” the launch and promised to take punitive steps against North Korea.

Russian Hackers Shut Down Ukraine’s Power Grid

This article first appeared on The Daily Signal.
As many as 80,000 residents in western Ukraine lost power for six hours on December 23. Cybersecurity firms SANS ICS and iSight Partners have attributed the blackout to Russian hacking group Sandworm and its malicious software, BlackEnergy 3.
Cyberattacks on power grids and other critical infrastructure are not new, but this most recent attack seems to be the first use of cyber as a weapon with kinetic effects during an ongoing conflict, highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity.
While an analysis of the cyberattack is ongoing, BlackEnergy 3 has a history of targeting information control systems.

For the Prikarpattiaoblenergo electric company in Ukraine, the malware and its subcomponent KillDisk shut down computer operating systems, which in turn ended up shutting down the local electrical grid. Hackers also sought to make it impossible for customers to report electrical issues to the electric company by blocking out the company’s phone system.
There may be other businesses that have been affected by BlackEnergy 3, as certain malware can have cascading effects. Luckily, the reported effects of the cyberattack have so far been relatively short-term.
Cyberattacks against Ukrainian, EU and NATO officials in 2014 have been attributed to the same hacking team. Hackers in Russia have a tendency to set their sights on areas most relevant to Russian foreign policy—in Ukraine’s case, the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and ongoing Russian-backed rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

BlackEnergy 3 wouldn’t be the first successful cyberattack that’s had kinetic damage (outside an ongoing regional conflict)—and it may not be the last.
Recent news reports highlight the continued efforts of hackers, such as those from Iran, to gain information on critical infrastructure in order to cause damage—for example, the cybertheft of passwords and blueprints from a number of power plants or illicit access to dam control systems.
Critical infrastructure may be targeted by those such as hacktivists, nation states or state sympathizers, or domestic and international businesses.
Disrupting critical infrastructure control systems to the point of causing kinetic damage is no easy task. It takes knowledge of both the operating systems used and the spokes and cogs that run the machine. But as cyberattackers and malware grow and evolve at a very rapid pace, and malicious actors gain access to blueprints, operating manuals and resources from those interested in causing damage, the risk of a successful attack increases.
While the power outage in Ukraine was short-lived, there will be serious implications of similar successful attacks. The hackers, while said to be within Russia, also have international ties.
It’s important for the U.S. and the international cybercommunity to work together to prevent cyberattacks of this type.
Contributed by
Riley Walters is a research assistant in The Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation.