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Today: 60 articles and 226 comments as of 3:46.
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Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
Sudan protesters face tear gas, stun grenades on uprising anniversary
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
1 16:43 Besoeker [12] 
1 22:44 Canuckistan sniper [13] 
1 21:10 Muggsy Omuter9925 [11] 
2 21:55 Anomalous Sources [13] 
7 20:26 Muggsy Omuter9925 [14] 
5 13:32 Frank G [9] 
6 17:52 NN2N1 [15] 
13 14:35 Raj [13] 
7 09:36 Skidmark [10] 
5 15:20 swksvolFF [16] 
7 18:59 ed in texas [14] 
2 14:37 Cesare [4] 
1 09:40 Skidmark [5] 
4 17:20 Anomalous Sources [6] 
4 19:02 ed in texas [9] 
5 21:51 Anomalous Sources [12] 
8 10:24 Frank G [6] 
7 15:26 CrazyFool [14] 
6 15:05 magpie [14] 
16 16:38 Mullah Richard [7] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
10 17:41 rhodesiafever [18]
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Page 2: WoT Background
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3 23:57 ACA JOE [19]
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1 10:33 Skidmark [8]
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3 21:29 Muggsy Omuter9925 [20]
Page 4: Opinion
2 18:20 NoMoreBS [9]
3 16:27 Rex Mundi [9]
10 22:38 trailing wife [6]
4 09:57 Skidmark [4]
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
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6 10:36 Skidmark [8]
4 08:12 Vinegar Spolusing6485 [8]
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3 09:33 Omineling Forkbeard1962 [8]
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Page 6: Politix
7 22:09 CrazyFool [19]
3 23:13 trailing wife [14]
2 18:47 CrazyFool [13]
1 22:56 746 [10]
5 15:14 swksvolFF [9]
1 13:14 Skidmark [14]
12 12:39 M. Murcek [27]
9 13:58 NoMoreBS [11]
20 23:22 trailing wife [16]
2 09:34 Warthog [12]
4 11:17 M. Murcek [15]
3 10:45 M. Murcek [15]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Idaho murders: Police investigate abandoned white Hyundai found in Oregon
[FOX] Moscow, Idaho, police confirmed Tuesday that they are investigating an abandoned white Hyundai Elantra found in Eugene, Oregon, in connection to the murder of four University of Idaho students.

"We are definitely aware of the vehicle and investigators are currently working on it," Moscow Police Department spokesman Aaron Snell told Fox News Digital.

The Eugene Police Department confirmed that they sent Moscow police information on the damaged Hyundai found at West 7th Place and Seneca Road.

"We have no information to indicate it is related to the Moscow, Idaho, case," a spokesperson for Eugene police said. "However, they were sent the vehicle information so they have it to review."
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/20/2022 15:41 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under:



Former NCIS special agent sentenced to 9 years after having intimate relationship with Syrian businessman
[911] A former special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, commonly called NCIS, was sentenced to prison Dec. 15 for various crimes related to her illicit relationship with the target of a U.S. counterterrorism investigation. The woman’s conviction and sentencing follow an investigation conducted by NCIS, Homeland Security Investigations Houston, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of State and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

A judge in the Southern District of Texas sentenced Leatrice Malika DeBruhl-Daniels, 49, to nine years in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release for obstructing justice, making false statements, and accepting money and gifts for official acts. In handing down the sentence, the court cited DeBruhl’s breach of trust and deterrence.

DeBruhl-Daniels was convicted of the crimes June 13 by a federal jury sitting in Houston following a six-day trial.

"Leatrice DeBruhl-Daniels betrayed her badge and our country by revealing sensitive and classified information to the target of an FBI counterterrorism investigation in exchange for money, gifts and affection," said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. "Holding her accountable will make it clear that NCIS will not tolerate corruption within our ranks."

DeBruhl-Daniels was a veteran NCIS special agent working in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. There, she met Nadal Diya, a Syrian businessman living in Dubai looking for help in securing a U.S. visa. At that time, Diya was the target of several federal investigations.

At trial, the jury heard from 16 government witnesses, including numerous agents and Diya himself. Testimony revealed that in 2017, DeBruhl-Daniels used her position to get certain benefits from Diya in exchange for providing information to him about his visa status. The gifts included an expensive birthday party at Diya’s home, approximately $1,400 in cash and the promise of a job for her son in Diya’s company.

The relationship with Diya eventually became sexual. During that relationship, she revealed he was a target of an FBI counterterrorism investigation — information that was classified at the time. She also told him that if he came to the U.S., he would likely be arrested.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/20/2022 02:01 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:

#1  (Nadal Dyia)....the target of a U.S. counterterrorism investigation.

WTF? She was recruited by a suspected (now confirmed) foreign agent and spy. She knowingly accepted his 'pitch' and provided sensitive USG information. Why does this not make her a 'spy' as well ?

The charges do NOT fit the actual crime.
Shocking, no ?

Posted by: Besoeker || 12/20/2022 2:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Seems like she got off light. They could have made her marry him.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Diversity
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/20/2022 7:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Can't wait for this episode next season.
Posted by: Too Old To Work || 12/20/2022 8:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Some might say she got phuqued twice.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/20/2022 8:26 Comments || Top||

#6 
Posted by: Frank G || 12/20/2022 8:37 Comments || Top||

#7 

"You did WHAT!"
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 9:36 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Mysterious shock wave CRACKS Earth's magnetosphere that protects our planet from dangerous space radiation
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • A shock wave barreled into Earth's magnetic field and cracked its magnetosphere, which protects our planet from space radiation

  • While the shock wave's origin is unknown, scientists believe it came from a crackling sunspot that released eight solar flares on December 14

  • The crack can stay open for hours and allow solar winds to flow through
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:26 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Let’s just say that the phrase Taco Tuesday can be a bad encouragement to the lactose interact.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:28 Comments || Top||

#2  Wondering if this might explain the unusual increase of resent internet outages and major connection points.

eg. IS IT DOWN RIGHT NOW
Posted by: NN2N1 || 12/20/2022 7:32 Comments || Top||

#3  Where is the kaboom? I expected an earth shattering kaboom!
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/20/2022 8:09 Comments || Top||


#5  One, two, three, four, five.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/20/2022 15:20 Comments || Top||


Major Storm for late week in Midwest and NE
[AccuWeather] Federal forecasters are predicting a major snowstorm hitting much of the U.S. this week, potentially threatening Christmas travel plans.

The National Weather Service wrote on Twitter Sunday, "A major storm system is forecast to impact much of the Nation leading up to Christmas Eve, with widespread gusty winds, areas of heavy rain and heavy snow, as well as bitter cold in its wake."

-----------

Current Temp is near -50F in parts of Yukon and Alberta.
Snow is already unusually deep in parts of MN, MI and NY.
La Niña years are like that.
Major problems will be:
1. Traffic Disruption during pre Christmas travel, and
2. Electrical outages- very strong winds will follow rain/snow.

Posted by: Lord Garth || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yepper, gonna be cold sleeping in the streets down on the border.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 0:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Here's how much range electric vehicles lose in the cold
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 0:07 Comments || Top||



#5  Gas generators filled and test started for barn and bunkhouse electric.
Propane burners set for barn heat and water troughs.
Cetane added to truck, tractor and diesel storage tanks.
Trees downed last winter trimmed, cut, dried and stacked for the fire pits.
Bulk propane tank for the big house topped, generator oil changed and unit test fired. Heat mass propane fireplace, warming.
Heatpump HVAC replaced last summer.

Horse jackets are on. Dog jackets are pending.
Hay bales stacked in barn on projected wind walls.

Warming fluids Jameson, Bullet Rye and Hornitos double stocked. Routine selection of deep reds renewed. Beer is here.

Winter in the country, is a thing.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 0:55 Comments || Top||

#6  ^^ Yup, it's been that way for a very long time.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/20/2022 7:46 Comments || Top||

#7  Good luck with it skid, sounds like you're prepared.
Posted by: Chris || 12/20/2022 9:09 Comments || Top||

#8  How can this be happening? Al Gore and Greta Thunbrrg told us that the world is on fire and we're all going to die from heatstroke soon. /sarcasm
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 12/20/2022 9:12 Comments || Top||

#9  Forecast
Thu 22 | Night

NNW 21 mph
A few clouds from time to time. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 9F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 9:55 Comments || Top||

#10  The Extra-Rich to Africans:

"Don't you know people are cold in America if you don't eat the bugz?!"
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/20/2022 9:58 Comments || Top||

#11  yeah whatever..we just had a 6.4 quake and it barely rated the local news.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 12/20/2022 12:13 Comments || Top||

#12  made Rantburg.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 13:18 Comments || Top||

#13  "The planet has a fever" Fat Albert Gore.
Posted by: Regular joe || 12/20/2022 14:07 Comments || Top||

#14  Why people (like us) move south.
Posted by: Tom || 12/20/2022 15:11 Comments || Top||

#15  forecast to impact much of the Nation

Boy you can't get more specific than that location-wise. I tell ya the National Weather Service are Wizards!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/20/2022 15:23 Comments || Top||

#16  This Friday (12/23) we're looking at 8-12 inches of snow, 0F Temp/-35F wind chill and 25mph winds - gusting to 45mph.

Again, it's called 'winter' in the upper Midwest.

If I'm lucky, maybe the high winds will blow the loose snow (it will be pretty 'dry' at those temperatures) off most of my driveway.

But it will probably just collect the immediate township's total accumulation and dump it next to my garage.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/20/2022 16:38 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Another Russian Oligarch, Dmitry Zelenov, Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances
[Daily Beast] Russian real estate tycoon Dmitry Zelenov passed away earlier this month after tumbling down a flight of stairs while visiting friends in the French Riviera, according to a local outlet and an independent Russian outlet.

The French newspaper Var Matin reported Sunday that Zelenov, 50, had been dining with friends in Antibes on Dec. 9 when he suddenly became unwell, falling down a flight of stairs and suffering critical head injuries. He succumbed while receiving treatment at the Hospital Pasteur in Nice.

Baza, an independent news channel on Telegram, reported that Zelenov had toppled over a railing and hit his head. Authorities informed the oligarch’s friends around 7 a.m. the following morning that he’d died without regaining consciousness.
"Railing, stairs, flat ground, at this point what difference does it make (to coin a phrase)?"
The channel also said it was "known" that Zelenov had previously undergone vascular surgery for unspecified heart problems.

The Antibes Police Department is currently investigating Zelenov’s cause of death, according to Var Matin.

The 50-year-old was the former owner of Russian developer Don-Stroy, which constructed the 61-story Triumph Palace Tower in Moscow, one of the tallest residential structures in Europe. Before the company fell under the control of Russia’s state-owned bank VTB after succumbing to the 2008 financial crisis, Zelenov’s net worth was estimated at $1.4 billion, landing him on the Forbes list of Russian billionaires.

Zelenov is the latest in a long line of top figures in the Russian oil, gas, technology, and financial sectors to meet suspicious and untimely ends—the most recent being Anatoly Gerashchenko.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/20/2022 03:26 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Russian oligarchs have become the Spinal Tap drummers of modern society.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Getting to be right up there as healthy as being a young black male in Chicago.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/20/2022 6:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Maybe he was method acting for a Phineas role in A Seperate Peace dinner theatre production in Toulon.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 6:54 Comments || Top||

#4  #2 - "Aspiring rappers, turning their lives around, Da!"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/20/2022 6:58 Comments || Top||

#5  Another commenter here will tell us "someone he talked to" said it was a "ploy" to catch the Ukrainians off guard...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/20/2022 7:34 Comments || Top||

#6  That Polonium 210 is a killer.
Posted by: Slavising Unineting5672 || 12/20/2022 8:10 Comments || Top||

#7  Fell down the stairs? I guess the windows weren’t available. Guess they were closed.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/20/2022 8:30 Comments || Top||

#8  Knowing they will eventually turn on him, Putin deals with his oligarch problem the old fashioned way.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/20/2022 8:34 Comments || Top||

#9  This doesn't apply specifically to falling down stairs, but I recalled the 17th century word 'Defenestration' that I believe we should use more regularly in such cases.

What is surprising is that they actually have a word for this.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/20/2022 10:49 Comments || Top||

#10  Fell and hit his head on a small piece of metal moving 3000 fps - what unlucky timing…
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/20/2022 10:53 Comments || Top||

#11  1620, "the action of throwing out of a window," from Latin fenestra "window." A word invented for one incident: the "Defenestration of Prague," May 21, 1618, when two Catholic deputies to the Bohemian national assembly and a secretary were tossed out the window of the castle of Hradschin by Protestant radicals (the pair landed in a trash heap and survived). It marked the start of the Thirty Years' War.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 12/20/2022 13:40 Comments || Top||

#12  https://www.etymonline.com/word/defenestration
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 12/20/2022 13:41 Comments || Top||

#13  Eddie Longshanks & 'Phillip' sure know the meaning of the word...
Posted by: Raj || 12/20/2022 14:35 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Kim Jong Un's sister says 'I want to slap these bas***ds' after experts mock images from North Korea's new spy satellite as being grainy and useless
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • North Korea's state media carried photos of spy satellite missile launch on Monday

  • Analysts and experts in South Korea have cast doubt over regime's 'important final-stage' test for developing its own reconnaissance satellite

  • Kim Yo Jong said test satellite launched had commercial camera because there was no reason to use expensive one for these purposes
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 10:49 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Can I watch? I'll pay...
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 12/20/2022 11:52 Comments || Top||

#2  I bet she's a real spit fire. If her brother keeps smoking and eating too much we might find out.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/20/2022 12:01 Comments || Top||

#3  From the looks of her, he's also eating her portions.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 12:20 Comments || Top||

#4  her skin is grey
Posted by: 746 || 12/20/2022 12:28 Comments || Top||

#5  So grainy, it has been eaten.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/20/2022 15:15 Comments || Top||

#6  Dead eyes... like a doll's eyes...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/20/2022 15:28 Comments || Top||

#7  Somebody oughta fake up a Norky Pig sign-off.
Posted by: Muggsy Omuter9925 || 12/20/2022 20:26 Comments || Top||


COVID spreading faster than ever in China. 800 million could be infected this winter
[NPR] China is now facing what is likely the world's largest COVID surge of the pandemic. China's public health officials say that possibly 800 million people could be infected with the coronavirus over the next few months. And several models predict that a half million people could die, possibly more.

"Recently, the deputy director of China CDC, Xiaofeng Liang, who' s a good friend of mine, was announcing through the public media that the first COVID wave may, in fact, infect around 60% of the population," says Xi Chen, who's a global health researcher at Yale University and an expert on China's health-care system.

That means about 10% of the planet's population may become infected over the course of the next 90 days.
Posted by: Janter Chase2753 || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Let’s send Fauci over to help them get a handle on it.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:37 Comments || Top||

#2  The fought herd immunity as only a totalitarian state can.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/20/2022 7:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Close the borders, shut down the airports. Hide under the bed.
Posted by: Vespasian Ebboting9735 || 12/20/2022 8:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Why the recent CCP surge?

Could it be, the CCP is actually reporting real numbers now where they lied their a$$'s off in 2020, 2021 and early 2022.

Posted by: NN2N1 || 12/20/2022 8:18 Comments || Top||

#5  Makes you wonder whether the CCP is having second thoughts about its role in creating and releasing this virus.
Posted by: Angstrom || 12/20/2022 9:22 Comments || Top||

#6  Ditto #4. But what are the odds they're telling the truth this time?
Posted by: AlanC || 12/20/2022 9:54 Comments || Top||

#7  And sadly a full 1/3 of them will disappear in...happy camps. That's it. Happy camps. For your protection, of course.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/20/2022 10:01 Comments || Top||

#8  "We culled chickens for avian flu, sooo...."
Posted by: Frank G || 12/20/2022 10:24 Comments || Top||


Economy
Unemployment benefits and Obamacare subsidies outpace median income in several states, study finds
[FoxBusinessNews] Benefits amount to over $100,000 in three states for a family of four with two people not working.

The labor force participation rate was 62.1% last month, notably lower than the 63.4% mark it was at before the coronavirus pandemic struck the United States in March 2020.

There are numerous reasons that unemployed Americans aren't entering the workforce, including ongoing fears of COVID-19, disabilities such as "long COVID," and other care responsibilities. One factor that is contributing to the relatively low labor force participation rate is the combination of unemployment benefits and recently expanded Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, according a new study by the nonprofit Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

In 14 states, unemployment benefits and ACA subsidies for a family of four with two people not working amounts to an annualized equivalent of $80,000 a year in wages and benefits, the study found.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And you wonder why people won't take a $35/hr job?? Why would you?? You'd end up losing money after child care, transportation, clothing, etc. Just sit at home in sweats, eat ice cream, and watch the View and Oprah.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy || 12/20/2022 3:21 Comments || Top||

#2  At this rate my trailer park will be adding metal car awnings throughout. A community above ground pool is now no longer out of the question if we can modify one of the tether ball poles into a jib crane to meet the accessibility requirements.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:42 Comments || Top||

#3  a jib crane to meet the accessibility requirements

But, once that 350 pound 12 year old boy is lowered into the pool, all the water will slosh out.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/20/2022 7:41 Comments || Top||

#4  ...watch the View and Oprah...

I'd rather lose money flipping hamburgers, thank you very much.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/20/2022 13:08 Comments || Top||

#5  ...watch the View and Oprah

Nnnnnnn no, don't think so. I'd have sit on the curb outside a gahe bar and wink at the patrons until I regained my self esteem.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/20/2022 13:29 Comments || Top||

#6  The three states are Washington, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

Maybe I should rethink retirement in the South...
Posted by: Tom || 12/20/2022 15:13 Comments || Top||

#7  Washington State just got permission to allow Illegal Aliens to get Obamacare. Without paying a cent into it.

No doubt the other blue states will follow...

Glad I left that cesspool. Moved to Texas.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/20/2022 15:26 Comments || Top||


Europe
Irmgard Furchner: Nazi typist guilty of complicity in 10,500 murders
Keeping the Nazi nightmare alive.
[BBC] A former secretary who worked for the commander of a Nazi concentration camp has been convicted of complicity in the murders of more than 10,500 people.

Irmgard Furchner, 97, was taken on as a teenaged shorthand typist at Stutthof and worked there from 1943 to 1945.

Furchner, the first woman to be tried for Nazi crimes in decades, was given a two-year suspended jail term.

Although she was a civilian worker, the judge agreed she was fully aware of what was going on at the camp.

Some 65,000 people are thought to have died in horrendous conditions at Stutthof, including Jewish prisoners, non-Jewish Poles and captured Soviet soldiers.

Furchner was found guilty of aiding and abetting the murder of 10,505 people and complicity in the attempted murder of five others. As she was only 18 or 19 at the time, she was tried in a special juvenile court.

At Stutthof, located near the modern-day Polish city of Gdansk, a variety of methods was used to murder detainees and thousands died in gas chambers there from June 1944.

The court at Itzehoe in northern Germany heard from survivors of the camp, some of whom have died during the trial.

When the trial began in September 2021, Irmgard Furchner went on the run from her retirement home and was eventually found by police on a street in Hamburg.

Stutthof commandant Paul-Werner Hoppe was jailed in 1955 for being an accessory to murder and he was released five years later.

A series of prosecutions have taken place in Germany since 2011, after the conviction of former Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk set the precedent that being a guard was sufficient evidence to prove complicity.

That ruling also meant that civilian worker Furchner could stand trial, as she worked directly to the camp commander, dealing with correspondence surrounding Stutthof detainees.

It took 40 days for her to break her silence in the trial, when she told the court "I'm sorry about everything that happened".

"I regret that I was in Stutthof at the time - that's all I can say," she said.

Her defence lawyers argued she should be acquitted because of doubts surrounding what she knew, as she was one of several typists in Hoppe's office.

After the war, Furchner married an SS squad leader called Heinz Furchstam whom she probably met at the camp.

She went on to work as an administrative worker in a small town in northern Germany. Her husband died in 1972.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 11:54 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Secretarial help here in Hell's
Not exclusively German."
"Do tell."
"We've got Muslims, Chinese,
Russians, Japs..."
"Go on, please."
"And these other... um... Russians. [they kvell]
And of course a couple of us Poles."

Apologies for slighting you Mongols and Latins and whatnot. Happy birthday, Cheka!
Posted by: Muggsy Omuter9925 || 12/20/2022 21:10 Comments || Top||


Head of Major German Manufacturer Warns of ‘Deindustrialisation' Risk
[Breitbart] Nikolas Stihl, the head of the chainsaw manufacturing company Stihl, has wanted that Germany may be on the verge of deindustrialisation as surging costs — pushed by the energy crisis — and other factors are affecting entrepreneurs.

According to Mr Stihl, chair of the Stihl Group Advisory and Supervisory Board, Germany could be at a tipping point that could lead to deindustrialisation in the country as it becomes less and less attractive as a location for industrial manufacturing and other businesses.

"The danger of deindustrialisation cannot be dismissed out of hand," Stihl told German media and added, "The German location could eventually reach a tipping point with a strong negative impact on the willingness to be entrepreneurial in this country," the newspaper Die Welt reports.

Stihl noted that while Germany is a relatively expensive place to do business, companies have been able to manage but noted, "the developments in the area of bureaucracy, the cost burden, the lack of investment, which we urgently need — this leads to the fact that the location conditions in this country are getting a little worse every year."
Posted by: Vespasian Ebboting9735 || 12/20/2022 10:08 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Stihl makes good stuff. Hope they don't move to China...or Turkey.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/20/2022 11:59 Comments || Top||

#2  When Germany warns of "deindustrialization"...
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 12/20/2022 12:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Risk? I've read a dozen whitepapers on the de-industrialization of Europe, leading with Germany. There is no risk, it is a foregone conclusion.
#GreatReset
#Agenda30
Posted by: mossomo || 12/20/2022 12:17 Comments || Top||

#4  Unless I'm mistaken, Stihl has some manufacturing plants here in the U.S.
Posted by: Jise Elmeang4932 || 12/20/2022 13:03 Comments || Top||

#5  ^ "Made in the USA" is their motto - at least here
Posted by: Frank G || 12/20/2022 13:32 Comments || Top||


Shortage Fears Return as Germany Rapidly Burns Through its Gas Reserve
[Breitbart] Discussion of fears over possible gas shortages has returned to the German media, with the cold European winter seeing the country burn through its saved-up supply far faster than expected.

After a period of absence due to an abnormally warm late fall and early winter, the issue of possible gas shortages appears to have well and truly returned to the German media sphere, with the country reportedly consuming far more of its gas reserves than expected as a result of a cold snap that has hit northern Europe.

While experts have long feared the possibility of widespread energy shortages in Germany brought about by the nation’s loss of its Russian gas imports, many officials have maintained that — so long as the country is able to cut its consumption by 20 per cent — it should be able to escape this winter.
Posted by: Vespasian Ebboting9735 || 12/20/2022 10:04 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Schwanz lutschen!
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 12/20/2022 11:49 Comments || Top||

#2  Something I was wondering the other day with all the talk of German gas reserves being full: Is this reserve a stockpile to get through the winter OR is the reserve simply a buffer to smooth out the big winter demand pulse and presumes a constant flow of new gas?
Posted by: SteveS || 12/20/2022 11:57 Comments || Top||

#3  There's a commenter here who is always saying Chermany has plenty of reserves and will be just fine.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/20/2022 12:02 Comments || Top||

#4  Price per unit has been my question.

I'd imagine cutting 5% consumption compared to last year would be epic. Suppose 20% is attainable if it is unaffordable.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/20/2022 12:20 Comments || Top||

#5  re#4

If attainable is it sustainable? Me thinks not.
Posted by: AlanC || 12/20/2022 12:51 Comments || Top||

#6 
Prediction:
Biden ships Oil to Germany.
US drivers see $4.00gal 87octane (again)
Posted by: NN2N1 || 12/20/2022 17:52 Comments || Top||


Great White North
Canada's Health Director of Parliamentary Affairs Who Lead Canada's Response Team to Covid-19 and Vaccine Rollout Dies at 35
[SOTT] The Director of Parliamentary Affairs at Health Canada, who oversaw the country's response to Covid-19 and the rollout of the vaccine, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 35.

Adam Exton, a long-time Liberal Party organizer, died suddenly on Friday, December 9th, according to his family.

"It is with great sadness that the family of Adam Exton announce his passing on December 9th, 2022 at the age of 35 in Ottawa, Ontario. Much loved son of Wendy Exton, brother of Bradley Exton (Ellen Wessel) and son of Allan Exton. He will also be deeply missed by his loving girlfriend, Reesha, as well as his many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandmother, Bette Readman," his obituary reads.

"As a young person, Adam became actively involved in politics and had a passion for public service and volunteering in the community. In 2012, Adam won the Ontario Young Liberal Volunteer of the Year Award. He received a degree in political science from the University of Toronto. Adam spent many years working at various levels of government, eventually holding the position of Director of Parliamentary Affairs at Health Canada."

Adam Exton was a part of the group that orchestrated the response to Canada's totalitarian mandates against its own citizens.

His obituary stated, "During the challenging times of the pandemic, Adam was part of the leadership team that led Canada's health response to COVID-19. He was a talented and respected campaign manager that was instrumental in helping to bring cabinet ministers and members to Queens Park and Ottawa. Adam always did and will continue to make his family extremely proud of who he was and his service to his community and country."

The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 20th, at 11 am.

The cause of death is unknown.

Minister of Indigenous Services of Canada, Patty Hadju, released a statement Friday on Twitter:

Adam Exton was a long time Liberal Party organizer and served with me and other Ministers of Health as Director of Parliamentary Affairs. My heart is with his family and all the friends and colleagues missing him so profoundly.

Politics was Adam's world. He was with me through one of the most challenging times of our careers, in the epicentre of Canada's response to the COVID pandemic. Our team formed a bond that will remain, and Adam will forever be in my memories of that time.

He played a role in so many important milestones - including getting our government elected in 2015, and supporting Ministers of Health Jane Philpott and Ginette Petitpas Taylor to get big things done like cannabis legalization and launching a new Canada Food Guide.

Despite the ways Adam contributed, he struggled too, like many others may be right now. The pandemic was traumatizing for so many. So many things need to change so that people who are living with poor mental health or problematic substance use can get effective care.

Adam's brother, Bradley Exton, paid tribute following his brother's death.

My brother was my first hero.

He protected me and always looked out for me.

I was amazed by everything he did and wanted to be just like him.

My brother was my first best friend.

We did everything together. Every passion and hobby we shared, camping, video games, music, tech and politics, we would discus it all.

My brother was my first role model.

Growing up with him he demonstrated strong values that I still carry with me today. No person has had more influence on the person I am more than him.

I feel extremely blessed to have been given such an amazing older brother. He made me the man I am today and I know I wouldn't have gotten this far in life without him having my back the whole time. He was truly a guardian angel in my life.

Saying goodbye is heartbreaking but I am going to do my best to stay strong and be the best person I can be because I know that is what he would want.

I love you brother, thanks for looking out for me all these years.
Posted by: 746 || 12/20/2022 12:46 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:

#1  There are hiints that he offed himself.
Posted by: Canuckistan sniper || 12/20/2022 22:44 Comments || Top||


International-UN-NGOs
Countries reach major deal to safeguard nature at UN summit in Montreal
[IsraelTimes] Envoys at COP15 Biodiversity Conference commit to protect 30% of environment vital for biodiversity by 2030, boost support for poorer countries by tens of millions billions of dollars.

Negotiators reached a historic deal at a UN biodiversity conference early Monday that would represent the most significant effort to protect the world’s lands and oceans and provide critical financing to save biodiversity in the developing world.

The global framework comes on the day the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
Biodiversity Conference, or COP15, is set to end in Montreal. China, which holds the presidency at this conference, released a new draft on Sunday that gave the sometimes contentious talks much-needed momentum.

The package was adopted to rapturous applause just prior to dawn.

The most significant part of the agreement is a commitment to protect 30 percent of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030, known as 30 by 30. Currently, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are protected.

The deal also calls for raising $200 billion by 2030 for biodiversity from a range of sources and working to phase out or reform subsidies that could provide another $500 billion for nature. As part of the financing package, the framework asks for an increase of at least $20 billion annually by 2025 for poor countries. That number would increase to $30 billion each year by 2030.

Financing emerged late in the talks and risked derailing an agreement. Several African countries held up the final deal for almost nine hours. They wanted the creation of a new fund for biodiversity, but agreed to the creation of one under the pre-existing Global Environmental Facility.

La Belle France’s Béchu called it a "historical deal."

"It’s not a small deal. It’s a deal with very precise and quantified objectives on pesticides, on reduction of loss of species, on eliminating bad subsidies," he said. "We double until 2025 and triple 2030 the finance for biodiversity."

The ministers and government officials from about 190 countries have mostly agreed that protecting biodiversity has to be a priority, with many comparing those efforts to climate talks that wrapped up last month in Egypt.

Climate change coupled with habitat loss, pollution, and development has hammered the world’s biodiversity, with one estimate in 2019 warning that a million plant and animal species face extinction within decades — a rate of loss 1,000 times greater than expected. Humans use about 50,000 wild species routinely, and 1 out of 5 people of the world’s 8 billion population depend on those species for food and income, the report said.

"The new text is a mixed bag," Andrew Deutz, director of global policy, institutions, and conservation finance for The Nature Conservancy, said. "It contains some strong signals on finance and biodiversity, but it fails to advance beyond the targets of 10 years ago, in terms of addressing drivers of biodiversity loss in productive sectors like agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure, and thus still risks being fully transformational."
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Does this mean the Chinese will stop raping the world's fisheries? Nah, not gonna happen.
Posted by: Janter Chase2753 || 12/20/2022 0:42 Comments || Top||

#2  COVID will help with that.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 1:20 Comments || Top||

#3  Negotiators reached a historic deal at a UN biodiversity conference early Monday that would represent the most significant effort to protect the world’s lands and oceans and provide critical financing to save biodiversity in the developing world.


Translation: Open up those piggy banks, kids, Daddy needs a new jet.
Posted by: Mercutio || 12/20/2022 8:47 Comments || Top||

#4  commit to protect 30% of environment vital for biodiversity

The remaining 70% can go fcuk itself.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 12/20/2022 11:02 Comments || Top||

#5  Several African countries held up the final deal for almost nine hours. They wanted the creation of a new fund for biodiversity,

😁
Posted by: Dron66046 || 12/20/2022 11:03 Comments || Top||

#6  "We will make Evolution illegal! No change in Biodiversity allowed!"
Posted by: magpie || 12/20/2022 15:05 Comments || Top||


Olde Tyme Religion
Priest 'close to the Pope' is accused of inviting two nuns to take part in a 'Holy Trinity' threesome
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Nuns reported 'after' the event.
  • Marko Ivan Rupnik, 68, is accused by former nun of using his 'psycho-spiritual' control over her to have sex, including threesomes, and watch porn films

  • Rupnik was a spiritual director of a convent in Slovenia at time of allegations

  • The former nun, now 58, said Rupnik 'exploited' her and used her relationship with God to make her have sex with him
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 11:35 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:

#1  These the guys walking around with Rainbow Blitz crosses the other day?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/20/2022 15:08 Comments || Top||

#2  "Nuns reported 'after' the event."

I'm-a thinkin' the "light fantastic" wasn't lit 'during'.
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 12/20/2022 21:55 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Air Force grounds B-2 stealth bomber fleet after aircraft catches fire during emergency landing
[FoxNews] The Air Force has grounded its entire B-2 Spirit fleet and will inspect each stealth bomber after one of the aircraft caught fire during an emergency landing earlier this month.

The multi-role bomber, which was first unveiled in 1989, is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The 20-aircraft fleet is based out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

A B-2 Spirit experienced an undisclosed in-flight malfunction that resulted in an emergency landing at Whiteman on Dec. 10. No one was injured.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:14 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...and the F35s have collapsing nose gear.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 9:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Stuff happens when contracts are based on politics rather than merits… which is to say stuff always happens.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/20/2022 10:49 Comments || Top||

#3  Mechanisms break. MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) NASA called it.
Posted by: magpie || 12/20/2022 11:28 Comments || Top||

#4  Mission accomplished!
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 12/20/2022 11:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Brakes....maybe.
Posted by: crazyhorse || 12/20/2022 12:51 Comments || Top||

#6  Since it is blocking the one and only runway, they were all grounded without formal notice
Posted by: Jise Elmeang4932 || 12/20/2022 13:05 Comments || Top||

#7  According to Ben Rich's "Skunk Works" (he was the boss during the development of stealth) they (Lockheed) bid on the steath bomber project with a smaller, cheaper version (like the B21) because Northrop's B2 was (a) gonna cost too much (b) making each bomber too valuable and (c) was being built to keep Northrup alive.
Posted by: ed in texas || 12/20/2022 18:59 Comments || Top||


The Elites Want Inside Your Skull: Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates Invest in Brain Chip Company Rivaling Musk's Neuralink
[Breitbart]
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Based on many of my company’s most recent hires, they are totally wasting their time.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:30 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm not entirely certain they have the stamina needed for being locked in here with me.
Posted by: Cesare || 12/20/2022 14:37 Comments || Top||


The AI revolution has arrived; Teachers can reap the fruits
[Jpost] "I'm a little hungover today so our AI AV Assistant Robot will be showing film strips"
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Teachers, "reaping the fruits" is bad phrasing.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 9:40 Comments || Top||


Meet the new robots that are going to teach our children
[Jpost]
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Probably safer that way.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:31 Comments || Top||

#2  ^^ Mmm, not really. 'Different curricula' could be uploaded every day, depending on the whims of our betters.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/20/2022 7:43 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: badanov || 12/20/2022 8:27 Comments || Top||

#4  If it gets rid of this:

I'm all for it.
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 12/20/2022 17:20 Comments || Top||


Tiny particles that can enter bloodstream prevalent in London Underground
[Jpost]
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Somebody will be hawking magnet Hannibal Lector masks.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Unlike the NYC subway which is pristine...
Posted by: Mercutio || 12/20/2022 8:51 Comments || Top||

#3  Now tube riders(BF*) can find their way home.

Pigeons Navigate Using Brain Cells That Gauge Earth's Magnetic Fields, Scientists Say

* BF: Bad Frazing
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 9:44 Comments || Top||

#4  And furthermore, they make you drink your beer warm. It's insidious.
Posted by: ed in texas || 12/20/2022 19:02 Comments || Top||


The cargo hauling aircraft with no pilots on board
[BBC]
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/20/2022 00:00 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is the future. In some ways, autonomous aircraft are easier than trucks and cars. Fewer things to run into means simpler navigation.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/20/2022 0:43 Comments || Top||

#2  We seem to be having issues with a 2D solution. Glad to see that we are extending technology that doesn’t work. Sort of the methodology that got us these fantastic Covid vaccines.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/20/2022 5:36 Comments || Top||

#3  Easier to hijack without humans on board.
Posted by: Too Old To Work || 12/20/2022 8:13 Comments || Top||

#4  Considering how hackable the I-O-T is, I don't much want this thing over my head.
Posted by: Mercutio || 12/20/2022 8:49 Comments || Top||

#5  ^ Wouldn't want to be ridin' one of those when T-2 takes over the bidet function...
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 12/20/2022 21:51 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
43[untagged]
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2Islamic State
2Commies
1Hezbollah
1Houthis
1Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
1Sublime Porte
1Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
1Govt of Iran Proxies
1Govt of Sudan
1Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)

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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

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Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2022-12-20
  Sudan protesters face tear gas, stun grenades on uprising anniversary
Mon 2022-12-19
  Russia launches fresh wave of 35 Iranian-made suicide drones hitting Kyiv energy hub in huge explosion
Sun 2022-12-18
  Bomb blast kills at least 9 Iraqi police officers near Kirkuk - sources
Sat 2022-12-17
  Iranians hit the streets in restive southeast as protests enter 4th month
Fri 2022-12-16
  Oberlin College pays $36.6 million judgement in full
Thu 2022-12-15
  DOJ Arrests Sam Bankman-Fried For Running Out Of Bribery Money
Wed 2022-12-14
  Ugandan army says 11 Islamists killed
Tue 2022-12-13
  Ukraine tightens the noose on Putin's armies: 'Saboteurs' destroy bridge in Melitopol choking off key supply route for Russia's troops
Mon 2022-12-12
  Lockerbie bombing suspect in US custody two years after being charged
Sun 2022-12-11
  Mass graves of 800 civilians found in Severodonetsk
Sat 2022-12-10
  Bulgaria will send military aid to Ukraine for the first time
Fri 2022-12-09
  A Russian couple were detained by Mexican law enforcement in Tijuana, Baja California with $587,550 in cash with them
Thu 2022-12-08
  Five electricity substations in Oregon and Washington are attacked just days after two in North Carolina were shot up causing widespread power outages
Wed 2022-12-07
  Iraqi security arrests 11 ISIS terrorists in different governorates
Tue 2022-12-06
  ISIS Families Flee al-Hole In Syria's Hasakah


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