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Drone aircraft moved closer to taking flight in U.S. civilian airspace as regulators issued a call for advice on establishing test sites.

The Federal Aviation Administration said today it wants drone makers and the public to comment on where to locate proving grounds and their management, according to a filing in the U.S. Federal Register’s Public Inspection Desk.

“Unmanned aircraft can help us meet a number of challenges, from spotting wildfires to assessing natural disasters,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “These test sites will help us ensure that our high safety standards are maintained as the use of these aircraft becomes more widespread.”

Drones have been used to kill terrorists and assist U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and manufacturers have pushed the government to allow greater domestic use for law enforcement and businesses. The unmanned aircraft, as large as a commercial jet or as small as a hummingbird, are made by companies including Boeing Co. (BA) subsidiary Insitu and AeroVironment Inc. (AVAV) of Monrovia, California.

The FAA must establish test sites where drones can fly among manned aircraft by the end of June, under a provision of a defense bill signed into law Dec. 31.
FAA Spending

Similar language was contained in a law passed last month authorizing spending at the FAA. The measure ordered the agency to complete a “comprehensive plan” on how to integrate unmanned flights into the aviation system by Sept. 30, 2015.

To fly throughout the skies, drones must be capable of sensing when they get too close to other aircraft and avoid collisions -- just as pilots are required to do. While firms develop needed technology, the FAA has yet to set criteria for its operation.

The FAA later this year is scheduled to release its first set of rules allowing commercial operators to fly small drones without having to obtain special permits, according to the agency’s statement.

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'Hate to say I told you so' is not only a great Hives song, but it's how I feel when I think back about 2 years ago on those Current trolls who cracked jokes and poked fun at my assertion that drones will soon be patrolling America. I know who you are; you're pathetic hypocrites, who are afraid to show your face.Drone aircraft moved closer to taking flight in U.S. civilian airspace as regulators... more

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The obesity industrial complex making Americans fatter is a profitable business.

In the US the obesity epidemic is growing. The Pentagon conciders it is a national security threat, as it finds it harder to source healthy recruits. But for some, making Americans fatter is a profitable business.

The problem is being tackled at the highest level. First Lady Michelle Obama, who is a long-time champion of healthy eating, is now targeting America’s military. The DoD is to change nutritional standards – for the first time in two decades.
The plan is to have more fruits, vegetables and grains on the soldiers’ tables. Mrs. Obama said “America's entire military once again stepping forward to lead by example,” on proper eating habits.

The plan will affect meals served in 1,100 service member dining facilities, as well as vending machines used by the military, retirees and their family members.
The Pentagon’s concern with obesity is easy to understand. Currently one in four people applying for military service in America is ruled unfit due to their waistline problems. This goes hand in hand with the general civilian trend, which has so far made around 75 per cent of Americans overweight.

The military also loses budget money when it has to discharge overweight people. Annually some 1,200 first-term enlistees are terminated from the service due to weight-related health issues before their contracts expire, according to a report released by Mission: Readiness. The nonprofit organization, which aims to alleviate the problem of overweight recruits, says each such case costs the military $50,000 to recruit and train a replacement.

No states currently have an obesity rate of less than 20 per cent. In 1990, no state had an obesity rate of more than 15 per cent. This increase is going to take time to reverse, and the hard work needs to start now, Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, a retired Air Force officer, told ABC News.
http://rt.com/news/us-obesity-military-corporations-059/

The big business of bigness
Obesity may do great harm to the public, but for some companies it is part of how their business works, reports RT’s Liz Wahl.

Those are not only the food industry giants, which stuff their high-fat products with cleverly cooked-up flavors to make people love them. Companies further up the production line, like the agriculture giant Monsanto, are also eager to get their share.
Also cashing in on the fattening of America are pharmaceutical companies. The US spends $147 billion each year treating obesity-related illnesses.

The big bucks use their leverage in the Congress to uphold policies that keep them profitable. Recently it declared pizza a vegetable, which made school doors open to it. Health activist David Rosen calls the system “the obesity industrial complex”. With the military industrial complex’s now opposing that, America’s waistline may now face the pressure to move back to the slim side of the spectrum.In the US the obesity epidemic is growing. The Pentagon conciders it is a national... more

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