News + current events
- Thread starter srimes
- Start date
Fuckin' bureaucrats and their jackboots. I could slow those bikes down a lot easier.
Fuckin' bureaucrats and their jackboots. I could slow those bikes down a lot easier.
They probably have more pressing things to work on than speeding bicycles
The Story Of Sailors Secretly Installing Starlink On Their Littoral Combat Ship Is Truly Bonkers
The fact that an LCS deployed with a Starlink system operating onboard and the captain had no clue about it is a very disturbing revelation.As the Independence class Littoral Combat Ship USS Manchester plied the waters of the West Pacific in 2023, it had a totally unauthorized Starlink satellite internet antenna secretly installed on top of the ship by its gold crew’s chiefs. That antenna and associated WiFi network were set up without the knowledge of the ship’s captain, according to a fantastic Navy Times story about this absolutely bizarre scheme. It presented such a huge security risk, violating the basic tenets of operational security and cyber hygiene, that it is hard to believe.
It was all so that the chiefs on the ship’s ‘gold crew’ (the LCS alternates between two crews) could check sports scores, text home, and stream movies, investigators learned, according to Navy Times. However, that required a conspiracy involving gathering funds, purchasing the service, and installing the antenna on the 0-5 weatherdeck where it couldn’t easily be seen.
The chief who set up the WiFi network, dubbed “STINKY,” definitely knew better. Then-Command Senior Chief Grisel Marrero’s “background is in Navy intelligence, and she earned a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in information security and digital management, according to her biography,” Navy Times noted. She was later convicted at court-martial earlier this year on charges related to the scheme.
“The installation and usage of Starlink, without the approval of higher headquarters, poses a serious risk to mission, operational security, and information security,” according to a scathing Navy investigation into the matter obtained by Navy Times. “The danger such systems pose to the crew, the ship, and the Navy cannot be understated.”
The Manchester chiefs’ Starlink network was “a direct violation of emissions control regulations on board a ship,” Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute explained to The War Zone. “As such you could present a critical vulnerability in that it would make the ship more detectable by offboard sensors.”
Having a clandestine communications system onboard could have served as a beacon for adversary signals intelligence collectors, potentially allowing them to pinpoint the Manchester’s location. It could also have served as a portal for cyber attacks and as a vacuum for unsecured data transmitted over the network. Even seemingly mundane personal information about military service members unrelated to their work can be of great interest to foreign intelligence services for various malign purposes. For instance, in 2017, reports emerged that U.S. military personnel had seen their personal cell phones hacked into as part of an apparent Russian campaign to not only surveil their activities, but also just harass them and their families.
Beyond that, the surreptitious internet network caused “a problem with morale in that the chiefs created a special privilege for themselves, which undermines good order and discipline,” the Sagamore Institute’s Hendrix added.
The revelations about USS Manchester’s unauthorized Starlink setup comes as the Navy continues to grapple with the challenge of providing persistent, but secure high-speed internet capabilities that serve both mission and morale-boosting purposes. Those are critical functions for ships deployed over vast distances often for long periods.
As The War Zone just reported last month, Starlink and other commercial satellite internet networks, supported by approved backend systems, are increasingly in use within the U.S. Navy after years of relying heavily on ad-hoc networks to provide added connectivity at sea.
One specific architecture, called Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore (SEA2), which originally began as an ad-hoc effort aboard the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, has now become a model for expanding this capability across the Navy’s fleets. SEA2 “is on the cusp of being available on every Navy ship and more shore sites,” according to a recent news item from the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR), which was interestingly after we published our initial story.
SEA2 was seen as a way to improve on the Navy’s 30-year reliance on the Defense Department’s satellites for communications. The resulting lack of coverage, as opposed to constellations like those belonging to Starklink, proved problematic.
“These six satellites were roughly 22,300 miles away in geostationary orbit and provided a footprint on Earth the size of a hemisphere, resulting in slow data rates as the signal traveled up to the satellite and back down to its final destination,” the NAVWAR item pointed out.
As noted, Navy ships have also relied on a patchwork of commercial internet links, sometimes using local networks during port visits. However, the service’s top information warfare command says these “previous internet solutions had no full authority to operate and were only tolerated.”
“The need for increased connectivity was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in March 2020 when ships were unable to perform port calls due to country restrictions, thus severing their connection to the rest of the world,” the now-deleted Navy item stated. “Better and more reliable Internet access would mitigate the issues that arise from less frequent interactions with external sources.”
The Navy’s SEA2 program is a step in that direction. It provides internet services transferring several terabytes of data that helped the Lincoln order spare parts and manage maintenance. It also allowed sailors to watch the Super Bowl via live stream. It is important to note that satellite television, including sportscasts, which are a major morale boost, has been available on Navy ships for decades now, but continues to offer a very limited selection of programming at any one time.
A U.S. military-specific Starlink offering is also in increasing use across America’s armed forces, including for potential tactical applications. Other navies elsewhere around the world are also looking to add increased internet connectivity to their ships, especially for morale-related purposes. SpaceX’s satellite internet service has already come to dominate the market in the commercial maritime domain.
In The War Zone‘s previous reporting on SEA2 and related developments, we noted that even approved commercial internet links wouldn’t used under stringent emissions control conditions or when heightened cyber-hardening is required, and highlighted other potential operational and cyber security concerns. As of June, the Navy had not authorized SEA2 for use with classified data, according to the Federal News Network. The service has since said that it has received a first-of-its-kind cybersecurity certification for the architecture, but it is unclear if this means it can now be used to send and receive classified information.
By turning their quarters into de facto internet cafes, Marrero and other chiefs aboard the Manchester ignored those concerns entirely. The actual damage of their actions is unclear. We’ve reached out to the Navy to find out more.
Regardless, that a ship’s leaders – especially one trained in information security and digital management – would set up a system that could put their vessel and crewmates at risk is almost beyond belief.
https://www.twz.com/sea/the-story-o...n-their-littoral-combat-ship-is-truly-bonkers
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/b...-ceo-tavares-for-damaging-brands/75180762007/
Stellantis’ U.S. dealers call out CEO Tavares for damaging brands
Gabrielle CoppolaBloomberg
Leaders of Stellantis NV’s U.S. dealer network criticized Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares for the “rapid degradation” of the automaker’s brands and urged him to spend more money to clear old inventory off their lots.
The retailers accused Tavares of “short-term decision making” that boosted profits last year and padded the CEO’s compensation. The moves ended up shrinking the company’s market share and hurting the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands, the national dealer council said in an open letter to Tavares dated Sept. 10.
More:Stellantis spending $406 million for EVs, hybrids across 3 Michigan plants
Tavares has been cutting jobs and slashing capacity at American factories since a plunge in U.S. sales sliced first-half earnings nearly in half. Stellantis has taken steps this year to clear vehicle inventories, including cutting prices and bringing back incentives. But those steps have been insufficient as the company tries to protect its prized profit margins, according to dealers.
“For over two years now, the US Stellantis National Dealer Council has been sounding this alarm to your US executive team, warning them that the course you had set for Stellantis was going to be a disaster in the long run,” the group said in the letter. “A disaster not just for us, but for everyone involved — and now that disaster has arrived.”
Stellantis said in a statement that its dialogue and problem-solving with dealers belongs in regular monthly meetings, calls and conversations, not letters that involve "public personal attacks" against its CEO.
“We take absolute exception to the letter sent by the president of the Stellantis National Dealer Council (NDC), Kevin Farrish," said in the statement, sent by spokesperson Shawn Morgan. "Last month, we introduced an action plan developed with the dealer body that has already shown results. August sales were up 21% over July, market share was up 0.7 points, and dealer inventory was reduced for two consecutive months by 42,000 units or approximately 10% in total."
The company added it has "started a path that will prove successful." It said it will "continue to work with our dealers to avoid any public disputes that will delay our ability to deliver results.”
I agree with Tevares. While I think he's a suit and will always be a suit, what possible reason is there to go public with an internal disagreement between the dealers and Stellantis? Also, I presume Kevin Farrish, the president of the Stellantis NDC, won't be expecting any extra Hellcats in his allotment next model year...
Obviously I don't know the details of the internal conversations, but one reason to go public with it is if these concerns have been discussed repeatedly for a year or more and fallen on deaf ears.
I admit my own bias against corporate stooges though, and am prone to rage when it comes to short term decisions that prioritize quarterly shareholder gains over the long term health of a company.
I figured out years ago that I prefer working for private/closely-held companies. Saw so much stupidity at the public ones.
But how does going public help them? Are they hoping that the shareholders among the public will convince the Board to fire him? That seems a long shot to me.
I agree with both of you, having worked for all types of companies over the years. However, publicly-held companies are what they are. A tool to make the shareholders money, usually above all else, including keeping the dealer network or the public happy. Of course the latest trends in DEI and green initiatives are changing those priorities, but not in the right direction.
The common shareholder has no direct say in the matter. All they can do is buy and sell. But if enough people sell and the stock price plummets the board will get antsy and make changes. So yes, if enough people get spooked into selling it can unseat a CEO.
DETAILS: A Creekside Middle School student who made threats to commit a school shooting at Creekside or Silver Sands Middle School has been arrested.
Carlo "Kingston" Dorelli, 11, Port Orange, is charged with making a written threat of a mass shooting, a felony.
Detectives were alerted via a tip to Fortify Florida that Carlo had made threats to conduct a shooting and shown off several weapons in a video chat. He also had a written list of people he claimed he would kill.
During a search of Carlo's room, detectives recovered a large amount of airsoft rifles, pistols and fake ammunition along with knives, swords and other weapons. The list was also recovered.
Carlo indicated the threat was a joke. He was taken into custody and transported to the Volusia Family Resource Center for processing prior to transport to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
(VCSO / News release)
I posted a few more links in the Israel thread a while ago on it.
Kentucky homeowner forced out of his own house by judge after squatter 'friends' moved into his garage - then refused to leave
https://www.fox8live.com/2024/09/13...forced-out-home-dispute-with-unwanted-guests/
https://www.newsweek.com/judge-orders-kentucky-homeowner-leave-after-fight-squatters-1955369
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...oved-house-squatter-refused-leave-garage.html
https://www.wave3.com/2024/09/12/homeowner-forced-out-home-dispute-with-unwanted-guests/
A Kentucky homeowner was forced out of his house after his 'friends' moved into his garage while they fixed their broken-down car and then they refused to leave.
'I was just trying to be kind', said homeowner Daniel Toma after he allowed a friend, Amy Davis, and her boyfriend, Tyler Sencuk, into his home in Louisville, Kentucky.
The pair were visiting him during the summer when their car broke down. He offered his garage as a place for them to stay while they worked on it.
'Working on the car for days in the driveway, I didn't want to throw them out on the street. I was trying to be kind,' he said.
But in md-July, the couple brought a mattress into the garage, set up a Spectrum box and then changed the locks. They eventually started getting mail and refused to leave, telling Toma they had 'squatter' rights.
Toma, however, received no rent payments, the couple had no lease, and the homeowner didn't want them there.
'I asked them to go, my roommates asked them to go, they wouldn't leave.'
'We tried to tell them to leave.'
Around Labor Day, Toma put up a 30-day eviction notice which further escalated tensions among the tenants.
Sencuk and one of Toma's roommates got into a fight, resulting in Sencuk filing for an emergency protective order against Toma.
Once this was granted, Toma was forced to stay 500 feet away from them or his house, reported Fox 19.
But rather than Sencuk being thrown out, Toma was told he had to go.
The protective order claimed Toma was Sencuk's roommate. He had told the judge he did pay rent in the form of 'maintenance' and the judge took his word for it.
Homeowner barred from own home
https://www.fox8live.com/2024/09/13...forced-out-home-dispute-with-unwanted-guests/
https://www.newsweek.com/judge-orders-kentucky-homeowner-leave-after-fight-squatters-1955369
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...oved-house-squatter-refused-leave-garage.html
https://www.wave3.com/2024/09/12/homeowner-forced-out-home-dispute-with-unwanted-guests/
A Kentucky homeowner was forced out of his house after his 'friends' moved into his garage while they fixed their broken-down car and then they refused to leave.
'I was just trying to be kind', said homeowner Daniel Toma after he allowed a friend, Amy Davis, and her boyfriend, Tyler Sencuk, into his home in Louisville, Kentucky.
The pair were visiting him during the summer when their car broke down. He offered his garage as a place for them to stay while they worked on it.
'Working on the car for days in the driveway, I didn't want to throw them out on the street. I was trying to be kind,' he said.
But in md-July, the couple brought a mattress into the garage, set up a Spectrum box and then changed the locks. They eventually started getting mail and refused to leave, telling Toma they had 'squatter' rights.
Toma, however, received no rent payments, the couple had no lease, and the homeowner didn't want them there.
'I asked them to go, my roommates asked them to go, they wouldn't leave.'
'We tried to tell them to leave.'
Around Labor Day, Toma put up a 30-day eviction notice which further escalated tensions among the tenants.
Sencuk and one of Toma's roommates got into a fight, resulting in Sencuk filing for an emergency protective order against Toma.
Once this was granted, Toma was forced to stay 500 feet away from them or his house, reported Fox 19.
But rather than Sencuk being thrown out, Toma was told he had to go.
The protective order claimed Toma was Sencuk's roommate. He had told the judge he did pay rent in the form of 'maintenance' and the judge took his word for it.
Homeowner barred from own home
He needs to get ahold of the local Hell's Angels club!
I know a guy who had a similar situation with his daughter and her boyfriend, who are trash people. Long story short, he wanted them gone and they refused. After too much time and a few physical altercations, he took some advice, went to a particular part of town and offered a couple of hundred bucks to some guys if they would remove his issue (the boyfriend). A little while later, the boyfriend spent a day or two in the hospital while his shit was thrown away. The daughter stayed with him, but he never came back to daddy's house.
I know a guy who had a similar situation with his daughter and her boyfriend, who are trash people. Long story short, he wanted them gone and they refused. After too much time and a few physical altercations, he took some advice, went to a particular part of town and offered a couple of hundred bucks to some guys if they would remove his issue (the boyfriend). A little while later, the boyfriend spent a day or two in the hospital while his shit was thrown away. The daughter stayed with him, but he never came back to daddy's house.
https://archive.is/7BBqQ
The IRS recovered $263 million from a single individual, ending more than a decade of tax evasion and one of its biggest whistleblower cases ever, according to lawyers from three firms involved in the case.
The three informants will split $74 million, nearly a third of the government’s proceeds and the largest award allowed by law, the lawyers said.
It’s a major win for the IRS whistleblower program, which rewards people who expose high-dollar tax cheats but has come under criticism for its opaque and lumbering process. Collections have tumbled in recent years, from $1.4 billion in 2018 to $337 million last year.
Attorney Chris McLamb of the firm Whistleblower Partners, which represented another of the whistleblowers, said the tax evasion scheme involved multiple taxpayers. Due to recent IRS rule changes that allow whistleblowers to get paid once one taxpayer fulfills their tax debt, the three whistleblowers have already received their payments. They could still earn more money if the agency finds the other taxpayers liable for debts and is able to collect them
The IRS recovered $263 million from a single individual, ending more than a decade of tax evasion and one of its biggest whistleblower cases ever, according to lawyers from three firms involved in the case.
The three informants will split $74 million, nearly a third of the government’s proceeds and the largest award allowed by law, the lawyers said.
It’s a major win for the IRS whistleblower program, which rewards people who expose high-dollar tax cheats but has come under criticism for its opaque and lumbering process. Collections have tumbled in recent years, from $1.4 billion in 2018 to $337 million last year.
Attorney Chris McLamb of the firm Whistleblower Partners, which represented another of the whistleblowers, said the tax evasion scheme involved multiple taxpayers. Due to recent IRS rule changes that allow whistleblowers to get paid once one taxpayer fulfills their tax debt, the three whistleblowers have already received their payments. They could still earn more money if the agency finds the other taxpayers liable for debts and is able to collect them