Riot Control

Riot control refers to the measures to control a riot or to break up a demonstration. This is typically accomplished by law enforcement officers, utilizing special weapons and tactics that intentionally minimize harm and prevent additional violence.


Equipment:
For personal protection, officers performing riot control will often wear protective riotsquad helmets and carry riot shields. These are designed to protect the wearer from the smaller threats posed by rioters, such as thrown objects, though some are bullet-resistant. If tear gas or other riot control agents are to be used, gas masks may also be worn.

The initial choice of tactics determines the type of offensive equipment used. The base choice is between lethal (e.g. 12 gauge shotgun) and non-lethal weaponry (e.g. tear gas, pepper spray, plastic bullets, Tasers, batons, and other incapacitants). The decision is based on the perceived level of threat and the existing laws; in many countries it is illegal to use lethal force to control riots in all but the most extreme circumstances.

Special riot hand weapons, such as the sjambok and lathi, may also be employed.

Vehicle-mounted water cannons may serve to augment personal weapons. Some of these are capable of adding dye to mark rioters or adding tear gas to the water.

In major unrest, police in armoured vehicles (such as Land Rovers) may be sent in following an initial subduing with firepower. Occasionally, police dogs are deployed.

Batons:
The traditional material for batons for most purposes is wood. However, rubber batons are common. The French CRS's baton is about 1.5 inches diameter and slightly over 2 feet long. The Russian police also use rubber batons, but some have had to use wood in areas where the winter frost gets cold enough to make rubber brittle. The British Army tends to use pickaxe handles. Collapsible batons are not typically used in coordinated riot control operations.


Tactics:
The front-line officers in a riot control are often fully armoured and carry weapons such as batons, designed to be in direct contact with the crowd. These officers use force and intimidation to subdue rioters and subsequently allow less heavily armoured, more mobile officers to arrest people.

In face of a greater threat, the riot police will be backed up with other officers equipped with riot guns to fire tear gas, rubber bullets, plastic bullets or beanbag rounds.

As a less aggressive step, mounted police may first be sent into the crowd. The might and height offered by the horse are combined with its training, allowing an officer to more safely infiltrate a crowd. Often batons are the only weapons used. However, in a hunger riot in Vienna in 1919, rioters resisted the police horses and killed two of them, and afterwards butchered the horses on the spot for their flesh.

Usually, when front-facing a riot, officers slowly walk in a line parallel to the riot's front, extending to both its ends, as they noisily and simultaneously march and beat their shields with their batons, to cause fear and psychological effects on the crowd.

The French CRS's tactics against a long demonstration march is to attack it at several points and chop it into segments, rather than to merely try to block it at its front end.

Zeitgeist, The Movie

Zeitgeist, produced by Peter Joseph, was created as a nonprofit filmiac expression to inspire people to start looking at the world from a more critical perspective and to understand that very often things are not what the population at large think they are.


This film gathers information from many sources and puts it together in a way that shows it is possible for people to be manipulated by large institutions, governments and economic powers. It is divided into 3 parts. 1. Religion: Pagan astrological beliefs compared to modern and ancient religions. (9:35-35:53) 2. 9/11: An overview of the numerous questionable aspects of this immensely important event. (35:54-1:09:16) 3. The Federal Reserve Bank: A history of its formation and ability to control the economy. (1:09:17-1:56:23) With many news clips from tragic events in history, audio excerpts from those who believe people are being misled about the level of freedom they have, this riveting documentary will anger those who agree with it as well as those who do not. A very timely and important piece of work that all free thinking people should see.

Humanities Crossroad

"Mutation: it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward."

According to an article published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), human evolution has accelerated in the past 40,000 years.

If you’ve read Rudy Rucker’s Software, you might remember in chapter twelve where Cobb and Sta-Hi went past a pair of museum displays, one showing natural selection, the other mutation, and Cobb explains how he came up with the idea of evolution for robots:

• Selection and mutation. That was my big idea, Sta-Hi. To make the robots evolve. They were designed to build copies of themselves, but they had to fight over parts. Natural selection. And I found a way of jiggering their programs with cosmic rays. Mutation.

A podcast debate on post-humanity.

According to this MSNBC article from 2005, human evolution is at a crossroad. Either bio-engineering will cause new forms of humans to emerge, or cybernetics will fuse us with machines. It’s also possible for both scenarios to occur simultaneously. But there is a group who may have the final word on how post-humans develop, if they allow them to develop: The health insurance companies.

So which camp will the post-human most likely end up at? My mind agrees with the simultaneous occurrences but twists it to form a duality between two formidable opposing factions. Biopunks vs Cyberpunks, Mutants vs Cyborgs, Creatures from the abyss vs Automated automatons. Bringing reasons for war above those of race, color, creed, ethnicity, or religion and down to the smallest DNA strain. Definitely something that I will be taking along for my own ride of a roller coaster dystopian novel. An extra dash of spice to mingle within the caste systems of post apocalyptic wrecked humanity.

Tabula Rasa

It's 2008 The Year of the Rat


The year of the Rat begins on the new moon of February 6th, 2008 at 7:44 PM PST.

Rat year is a time of plenty, bringing abundance and good fortune. During this auspicious year, Rat's prosperity can influence everyone, and is especially lucky for those born in Rat, Dragon, and Monkey years. To find out what year you were born check here.

Expect a powerful year when people are firm about their goals, passions, and aspirations. Although there may be fluctuations in world economies, it is an excellent time to start a business, buy property, invest in long-term plans, or accumulate wealth. Ventures begun in the Rat year will prosper if well prepared, but it is not a time for foolish risks.

Rat loves the pack, so this year is also a time for socializing, entertaining, and enjoying ourselves.

DRAGON Rat year is one of the best years for mighty Dragon because Dragon and Rat are close friends. Rat's influence brings new beginnings and exciting creative endeavors that perfectly match Dragon's flamboyant style. Business interest prosper as does romance. Finally, luck returns to the Dragon.

I hope so, because I really think it's time again for things to turn out okay. Even though it hurts like hell to start a clean slate and lose the person that has been there for me for so long.