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Today: 76 articles and 184 comments as of 4:16.
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Man arrested after uranium found at UK’s Heathrow Airport
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
7 19:14 Procopius2k [17] 
5 20:42 Anomalous Sources [13] 
4 16:04 Super Hose [8] 
6 22:49 DooDahMan [13] 
5 20:12 Super Hose [18] 
13 17:09 Rex Mundi [22] 
4 13:18 M. Murcek [8] 
5 15:09 trailing wife [16] 
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7 23:28 Skidmark [15] 
6 01:22 Skidmark [8] 
3 14:40 Skidmark [11] 
1 23:29 Skidmark [21] 
2 14:24 Super Hose [9] 
1 13:50 Super Hose [20] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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2 11:08 Cholutle Thrans9751 [9]
Page 4: Opinion
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12 14:46 Abu Uluque [13]
12 16:43 SteveS [12]
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
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Page 6: Politix
4 17:18 Rex Mundi [17]
13 16:57 Besoeker [17]
7 14:15 Phusoper Trotsky3442 [15]
6 16:43 746 [19]
7 18:56 Super Hose [17]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Chicago schools audit reports widespread fraud with free lunch program
[JustTheNews] Report cites multiple instances where officials fraudulently underreported their income and received SNAP benefits.

The Chicago Public School District is faced with “persistent and widespread fraud” by highly-paid employees taking advantage of food stamp and state-subsidized health care benefits by underreporting their income, according to a 2022 annual report from the district’s Office of Inspector General.

The report provides multiple instances where CPS staff fraudulently underreported their income and received SNAP benefits while making their children eligible for free-and-reduced lunches at their schools. The examples cited in the report occurred from 2016 through 2020.

The school district stated that it has participated in a federal program for more than a decade that provides free lunches to all enrolled students, regardless of their family's income.

The Inspector General report states that the eligibility of students for free-and-reduced lunches is important because it is "also the determination of other important funding streams for CPS."

The report gave an example of one elementary school principal’s ex-husband, who reported only his “significantly smaller salary” on their children’s CPS Family Income Information Forms, despite not living in the residence with either the principal or the children.

“The principal told the OIG that her ex-husband completed the forms because he made less money, demonstrating that she was aware of and even condoned her omission from the forms and failed to correct them before they were submitted,” the report stated.

This fraud improperly qualified their children for the free or reduced-price meals program.

In another example, a former elementary school teacher fraudulently obtained state welfare benefits for her children, falsely claiming her employment with CPS had ended. This made her children eligible for the meals.

While the Office of the Inspector General detailed these and other specific instances of FRM fraud, it also raised concerns about schools potentially receiving more money both from its district and the federal government based on inflated free or reduced-price meal program numbers.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education’s Report Card, 77% of all CPS students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

The report provides information on many different investigations and allegations of fraud reported to the Board of Education in fiscal year 2022, which ran from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

“In Fiscal Year 2022, the OIG received 1,825 complaints alleging misconduct, waste, fraud and financial mismanagement at Chicago Public Schools,” the report details.

The OIG opened investigations into 725 of those 1,825 cases, which is 39.7%.

Chicago Public Schools has released a statement about the report.

It read: "Chicago Public Schools (CPS) greatly values our partnership with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and we support the work to investigate all issues of misconduct among our 40,000 team members. As a District, we take seriously our responsibility to serve our families with integrity and to address individuals who breach CPS policies and the public’s trust and hold them accountable. CPS will continue to ensure our District policies and procedures support the highest ethical standards to ensure our valued team members act in the best interest of our students."
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 03:41 || Comments || Link || [17 views] Top|| File under: Mob Rule

#1  The entire system is a fraud - not sure what the expectation was here.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 01/16/2023 11:05 Comments || Top||

#2  And it is Chicago. No surprises anywhere
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/16/2023 12:29 Comments || Top||


#4  I figured that this was the whole point.
Posted by: ed in texas || 01/16/2023 14:01 Comments || Top||

#5  The gummint school racket has not been about educating children for quite some time now.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/16/2023 14:36 Comments || Top||

#6  I guess the bully that stole my lunch money turned out to be an administrator.
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 16:01 Comments || Top||

#7  I thought this was standard operating procedure in most school districts.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/16/2023 19:14 Comments || Top||


Texas mother of five, 28, is struck and killed by female driver outside her house after defending daughter, 11, from bullies who showed up outside to torment youngster
  • Ashley Lopez, 28, was in the middle of an argument defending her daughter

  • Pennie Gomez left the fight, got into a car and intentionally drove toward Lopez

  • The mother of five was killed and another woman was injured

  • Gomez was charged with Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 01:48 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Looking at Gomez's photo, she even has the looks of a Violent nutcase.

Why would it be cruel and unusual punishment to execute her the same way she murdered the mother?
It was not cruel and unusual to her, having used it herself.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/16/2023 6:33 Comments || Top||

#2  28-11 = 17, a breeder it appears. This assumes that the eleven year old was her oldest.

Fortunately this happened in Texas. There might be justice. If it happened in neighboring New Mexico, the perp would only face about 3 years for using a automobile rather than any other weapon to kill.

Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/16/2023 6:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Takin' it to the streets.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 13:13 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm assuming the perp will be classified as "white hispanic."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/16/2023 13:18 Comments || Top||


Texas men arrested near Mexico border after trooper finds illegal immigrants in trunk of car
3 dudes, 300 miles from home, $1000/head, 2 heads.
Pictured miscreants, but no names. Guess they rolled.

[FoxNews] Texas Department of Public safety arrested three men from Fort Worth after two illegal immigrants found in car trunk

Three Texas men were arrested near the Mexico border after a trooper pulled over their vehicle and discovered two migrants crammed inside the car’s trunk, authorities said Saturday.

The trooper made the traffic stop on Wednesday along U.S. Route 277 in Val Verde County, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

During an interview with the driver, the trooper asked whether there was anybody in the trunk of the car. The driver does not answer on bodycam video the department released.

The trooper placed the driver in handcuffs and spoke to the two passengers inside the vehicle. When the passengers exited the vehicle, video shows both attempting to flee into the desert.

Both passengers were eventually caught, with one being Tased, the department said.
Hope he fell on a cactus
Officers popped the trunk of the vehicle and discovered two illegal immigrants stashed inside.

Authorities also found a handgun and meth inside the car, the department said.

The passengers were charged with evading arrest, while the driver faces charges of smuggling of persons, possession of meth and marijuana, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

Texas DPS said the three men arrested were from Fort Worth but did not immediately release their names.

The migrants were referred to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [20 views] Top|| File under: Migrants/Illegal Immigrants

#1  Jay Leno trunk monkey.
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 13:50 Comments || Top||


-Great Cultural Revolution
Virginia's GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin slams 'maniacal' decision by SEVEN schools in woke district to hide merit awards from top students to boost 'equity', as AG warns move could have cost youngsters college scholarships
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • Seven high schools in Fairfax County, Virginia have recently admitted to not informing their students of their prestigious national merit recognition

  • It caused students to miss important college scholarship / admissions deadlines

  • High schools involved include Annandale, West Potomac, John R. Lewis, Edison, Thomas Jefferson for Science and Technology, Westfield, and Langley High

  • These seven schools account for 25% of the high schools in Fairfax County, with Thomas Jefferson the top-performing public school in the United States

  • Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin expressed his concern about the impact it has on the students' ability to apply for scholarships and college admissions

  • The Virginia Attorney General's office is now investigating the matter
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 01:45 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sounds like a Liberal NEA organized conspiracy.

Can anyone say FELONY Civil Rights, Racial Discrimination?
Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/16/2023 7:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Does this mean USAA may someday be forced to use white people in their television commercials ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/16/2023 7:38 Comments || Top||

#3  If only there was a law.....
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/16/2023 8:52 Comments || Top||

#4  If there was a financial aspect , that is, a scholarship involved, a case can be made for felony grand theft.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/16/2023 9:06 Comments || Top||

#5  Both trailing daughters got a full ride and a bribe when they chose to take their National Merit Scholarship selves to the University of Cincinnati, Mercutio — if I recall correctly, in 2008 that was worth about $17,000 altogether. The Ohio State University offered only free tuition — $8,000-ish? — while the big name private universities disdained even to give preference to their applications, but graciously allowed outsiders associated with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to pay for the basic NM scholarship — this year it’s $2,500. The parents of these kids should band together to sue for the lost monies at the schools their kids ended up attending — that’s an easier win than for the loss of places at their dream schools.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/16/2023 15:09 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Final moments of Nepal plane crash captured by passenger on Facebook Live: Chilling footage filmed from inside doomed airliner as it plummets to the ground and bursts into flames killing at least 68 people on board
File under Third World Airline Risks.
  • The final moments of the Nepal plane crash seem to have been caught on video

  • It appears a passenger on the aircraft broadcast a Facebook Live of the incident

  • Footage shows people on board the plane smiling at each other before it crashes

  • There were 72 people on the aircraft when it plunged to the ground in Pokhara

  • At least 68 people on the ATR 72 Yeti Airlines flight are confirmed to have died
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 02:10 || Comments || Link || [18 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Not a good promo vid for the airlines. Not good at all.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/16/2023 7:11 Comments || Top||

#2  I always enjoy landings.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 14:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Facebook likes would not have been my priority, but we’re all different.
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 16:06 Comments || Top||

#4  ^ True, but if that's the first/only method that comes to you in this time of "ultimate" stress to share what's happening, I'm good with that. What else could you do?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2023 20:03 Comments || Top||

#5  Frank, I would be praying and looking forward to seeing my wife.
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 20:12 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Sky-High Hypocrites: Davos Elites Hit Turbulence over Love of Private Jets

Analog ZOOMing
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 02:59 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats

#1  Interesting that the head of the FBI, NSA and MI6 all attending. Even more interesting that Schwab and Soros canceled out (conflicting appointments and health reasons respectively)
Posted by: Griter Slash1619 || 01/16/2023 16:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Schwab has an appointment more important than WEF?
Posted by: Neville Snore8990 || 01/16/2023 16:40 Comments || Top||

#3  ^ Yeah? Sounds kinda... ominous.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/16/2023 16:54 Comments || Top||

#4  Apparently giving a speech in Munich … from what I read
Posted by: Griter Slash1619 || 01/16/2023 19:05 Comments || Top||

#5  Schwab and Soros canceled out (conflicting appointments and health reasons respectively)

Mr. Soros has health issues? How delightful.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/16/2023 22:23 Comments || Top||

#6  Then I saw one account that Schwab showed up, then I saw this on Twitter about Bill Gates, that he backed out.
"Health issues"....what was it, 5000 Swiss troops and still afraid?
Posted by: DooDahMan || 01/16/2023 22:49 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Somali soldier sentenced to death for civilian killing
A reminder about the culture that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (more formally Ilhan Abdullahi Omar) comes from.
[ShabelleMedia] A Somali soldier was sentenced to death on Sunday for killing a civilian after refusing to pay him extortion, an army officer said.

Abukar Mohammed Nurani, a well-known street vendor lost his life for 5,000 Somali Shillings which is equivalent to $0.25 last week after engaging in an argument with the SNA soldier.

The cold blood murder was condemned by the public who put pressure on the government to bring the killer to justice.

The police acted swiftly and nabbed the culprit while on the run, according to the reports.

On Sunday, the court of the armed forces announced the death sentence
...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead...
against the soldier and said the ruling will be executed if the defendant fails to appeal in 30 days.

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Thursday at an anti-al-Shabaab
...... the personification of Somali state failure...
rally in Mogadishu that the government will prosecute every soldier who commits civilian killings.

A former soldier was executed in October last year for killing a Somali cabinet minister. Ahmed Abdullahi Abdi was executed by firing squad in Mogadishu for killing Somali Cabinet Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction Abbas Siraji in Somalia’s capital on May 2017.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/16/2023 00:24 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under:


Africa North
Eni announces 'significant' gas discovery in Egyptian waters
Making Russia ever less important as a supplier. Two takes on the same story.
[AlAhram] The global energy company Eni announced on Sunday that it has made a "significant" gas discovery at the Nargis-1 exploration well in the Nargis Offshore Area Concession in the Eastern Mediterranean.
I expect the axis shifting will continue to 'slosh' crust borne liquids and gas seeps into adjacent regions. Is this a molecular match for the gas of the Israeli basin?
That sounds like a very good question. No doubt our professional and amateur geologists and oil men will know.
Around 61 metres of Miocene and Oligocene gas bearing sandstone were found at the well under 309 metres of water, Eni said in a statement, adding that the proximity of Nargis-1 to Eni’s current facilities will allow for further development of the gas discovery.

Eni, an Italian multinational energy company operating in Egypt since 1954, has also been awarded exploration rights in North Rafah, North El-Fayrouz, North East El Arish, Tiba and Bellatrix-Seti East.

The company is presently the leading producer in Egypt with an equity production of hydrocarbons of approximately 350,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, according to their website.

Eni's most notable discovery in Egypt was the Zohr Gas Field in 2015, which allowed the country to achieve self-sufficiency in gas by 2018.

Egypt's gas export revenues have increased eight-fold since 2014, as the country aims to become a major gas supplier to the European continent, especially since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukrainian conflict.

This comes in light of European countries' desire to diversify their energy sources in order to decrease dependency on Russian gas, which accounted for 45 percent of European imports in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Egypt also has the infrastructure for transporting and handling natural gas with a network of 7,000 km in pipelines, a distribution network of 31,000 km, and 29 gas-treatment plants as well as two LNG facilities — the Idku and Damietta plants.

Chevron says it discovered ‘significant’ natural gas find off Egypt’s coast

[IsraelTimes] The operator of Israel’s Leviathan and Tamar gas fields says exploration at Egyptian offshore field in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea ’encountered high-quality reservoirs’

US energy giant Chevron, which operates Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan gas fields off the Mediterranean coast, announced on Sunday that it made a "significant" new gas discovery in an Egyptian offshore field.

"Chevron is encouraged and excited by the success of this first exploration well which encountered high-quality reservoirs and follows from Chevron’s entry into the Egyptian upstream sector in 2020," said Clay Neff, president of Chevron International Exploration and Production. "The Eastern Mediterranean has abundant energy resources, and their development is driving strategic collaboration in the region."

The new gas discovery is located at the Nargis-1 exploration well, which is part of Egypt’s 1,800 square kilometers Nargis Offshore Area concession. With a 45% working interest, Chevron is the operator of the concession. The Middle East Economic Survey reported in December that the size of the new well was 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.

"The Nargis-1 well encountered approximately 200 net feet (61 m) of Miocene and Oligocene gas bearing sandstones and was drilled in 1,014 feet (309 m) of water by the Stena Forth drillship," Chevron said in a statement.

The announcement comes as Chevron has been seeking to explore further routes to sell gas from the eastern Mediterranean, and Egypt and Israel have been pushing efforts to become an energy hub in the region.

Israel and Egypt have emerged as gas exporters in recent years following major offshore discoveries, as Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
is determined to wean itself off dependence on Russian gas imports in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

In June, Israel, Egypt and the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
signed a memorandum of understanding that will see Israel export its natural gas to the bloc for the first time. According to the agreement, Israeli gas will be supplied via Egypt’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants to the EU.

Chevron owns a 39.66% stake in Israel’s Leviathan gas reservoir, one of the world’s largest deep-water gas discoveries, which contains an estimated 22 trillion cubic feet of gas. Meanwhile,
...back at the comedy club, Boogie was cracking himself up, but nobody else seemed to be getting the non-stop jokes...
Chevron last year signed a deal with Egypt’s state-owned gas company Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) to explore the transport, import, liquefication and export of natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean.

Chevron, which also operates and holds a 25% stake in the Tamar gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast in December, announced a final investment decision (FID) needed to proceed with the first phase of expanding natural gas production to meet growing domestic demand and boost exports to Egypt. As part of the FID, the partners in the Tamas natural gas rig, located some 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Haifa, are expected to invest some $673 million in a project expanding gas production from the offshore field.

Natural gas operations have put Israel on a path to energy independence — and have shielded it from the worst of the energy crisis sparked by the Russian war on Ukraine this year — in a country with few natural resources.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/16/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [21 views] Top|| File under:

#1  sounds like a very good question

No takers, eh?
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 23:29 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
China launched 14 new satellites into space on Sunday using an indigenous Long March-2D rocket
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1 
Have to wonder, with each new Sat Launch, how many could be High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) or High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices weapons awaiting activation.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/16/2023 7:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Naive, if you are wondering.

Be good to watch if they are emitters or inert orbital reentry masses.

Curious if they have 'active deadman' uplink controls.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 13:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Sorry, repelling interventionists.
...
The active uplink commands the orbital unit to remain in orbit. Should the command not be received in a timely fashion or an expected coded sequence fails, the unit de-orbits on a pre-planned trajectory.

For example, the continuous signals from WWV, et. al.

This strategy reacts to both ground station destruction and signal jamming at either end of the command chain.

There is some speculation that the X-37B shuttle missions may have reprogrammed these controls.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 14:40 Comments || Top||


China Set for Historic Demographic Turn, Accelerated by COVID Traumas
All this assumes, of course, that Communist China has been and continues to collect and report population statistics honestly, and that therefore the tipping point was not passed a decade ago.
[USNews] Living under China's stringent COVID-19 restrictions for the past three years had caused Zhang Qi enough stress and uncertainty to consider not having babies in the country.

When China abruptly dismantled its "zero COVID" regime last month to let the virus spread freely, the balance tilted to a definite "No", the Shanghai-based e-commerce executive said.

Stories about mothers and babies not being able to see doctors as medical facilities were overwhelmed by COVID infections were the final straw for Zhang.

"I heard that giving birth at a public hospital is just horrific. I really wouldn’t consider having a baby," the 31-year-old said.

A glimpse of the scars caused by the pandemic to China's already bleak demographic outlook may come to light when it reports its official 2022 population data on Jan. 17.

Some demographers expect China's population in 2022 to post its first drop since the Great Famine in 1961, a profound shift with far-reaching implications for the global economy and world order.

New births for 2022 are set to fall to record lows, dropping below 10 million from last year's 10.6 million babies - which were already 11.5% lower than in 2020.

"With this historical turn, China has entered a long and irreversible process of population decline, the first time in China and the world's history," said Wang Feng, professor of Sociology at University of Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,.

"In less than 80 years China’s population size could be reduced by 45%. It will be a China unrecognisable by the world then."

China's total population increased by 480,000 to 1.4126 billion in 2021. The United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
predicts China’s population will start to decline this year when India overtakes it as the world's most populous country.

U.N. experts see China's population shrinking by 109 million by 2050, more than triple the decline of their previous forecast in 2019.

While nine of the 10 most populous nations in the world are experiencing declines in fertility, China's 2022 fertility rate of 1.18 was the lowest and well below the 2.1 OECD standard for a stable population.

The country, which imposed a one-child policy from 1980-2015, officially acknowledged it was on the brink of a demographic downturn last year, when the National Health Commission said the population may start declining before 2025.

In October, President Xi Jinping said the government would enact further policies to boost the country’s birth rate.

Since 2021 authorities have introduced measures including tax deductions, longer maternity leave, enhanced medical insurance, and housing subsidies to incentivize people to have more babies.

Their impact so far has been lacklustre.

Online searches for baby strollers on China's Baidu dropped 17% in 2022 and are down 41% since 2018, while searches for baby bottles are down more than a third since 2018. In contrast, searches for elderly care homes surged eight-fold last year.

The reverse is playing out in India, where Google Trends shows a 15% year-on-year increase in searches for baby bottles in 2022, while searches for cribs rose almost five-fold.

The economic impact of an ageing society will be significant.

Demographer Yi Fuxian expects the proportion of those aged 65 years and older to reach 37% in 2050, from 14% last year and 5% in 1980. Its labour force won't be replenished at the same rate due to declining births.

"Rapid aging is slowing China’s economy, reducing revenues, and increasing government debt...China is getting old before it gets rich."
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/16/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  It is a damn if they do vs. damn if they don't position.

Besides, the Chinese Communist Party likely figured out the population there is getting beyond manageable and feed able in the Metro areas.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/16/2023 9:15 Comments || Top||

#2  They are exterminating all of us in such a boring way that it would not even make a decent action or horror movie.
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 14:24 Comments || Top||


Europe
Massive Baltic Gas Pipeline Explosion Blamed on Malfunction
[Breitbart] A powerful gas pipeline explosion that prompted the evacuation of a village in northern Lithuania was most likely caused by a technical malfunction, the head of the country’s natural gas transmission system said Saturday.

The blast Friday evening sent flames 50 meters (about 150 feet) into the sky. No casualties were reported but about 250 people were evacuated from the nearby village of Valakeliai as a precaution. The fire was extinguished by midnight and the residents returned to their homes on Saturday as repair work began on the damaged pipeline.

“One of the (possible causes) is that the explosion was a result of the defects in the welding seam of the pipeline, but the investigation will provide all answers within several days,” said Nemunas Biknius, the head of AB Amber Grid, which operates Lithuania’s natural gas transmission system. “I don’t think it’s some kind of intentional activity; I think it’s an accident.”

The pipeline carries gas from Lithuania’s Baltic port of Klaipeda to neighbouring Latvia. An adjacent pipeline was not damaged and continued to supply gas to consumers in the area, AB Amber Grid said.

Lithuania completely cut off Russian gas imports in April 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Baltic country imports gas from multiple countries through the Klaipeda Liquid Natural Gas terminal built a decade ago. The terminal satisfies all Lithuania’s natural gas needs and allows deliveries to neighbouring countries.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 03:29 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Just another in a string of 'coincidences' disrupting natural gas supply.
Posted by: Bobby || 01/16/2023 13:49 Comments || Top||

#2  Gas, food, car chips and baby food - at least the baby food is not exploding.
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 16:02 Comments || Top||

#3  ^ Baby food always explodes on the back end. Ima babysitting grandspawn Mundi tomorrow and she can fill a diaper like noone's bidness.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 01/16/2023 18:31 Comments || Top||

#4  ^LOL
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 19:15 Comments || Top||

#5  With apologies to M*A*S*H: "Who malfunctioned it?"
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 01/16/2023 20:42 Comments || Top||


Great White North
Canadian Govt Minister Demands Even More Migration After Record Year of Arrivals
Hey, New York!
[Breitbart] Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, a member of the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has called for even more immigration to Canada despite 2022 seeing a record influx.

Minister Fraser asserted this week that Canada required even more migrants due to a combination of shortages in the labour market and Canada’s low birth rates, claiming schools and hospitals may be in jeopardy in the future.

“If we don’t continue to increase our immigration ambition and bring more working-age population and young families into this country, our questions will not be about labour shortages, generations from now,” Minister Fraser said, broadcaster CBC reports.

Mr Fraser’s call for even more immigration comes after Canada saw a record 431,645 people become permanent residents last year.

The Trudeau government has promised to bring in as many as 1.5 million more migrants over the next three years, or 500,000 per year.

Trudeau’s goals are almost unprecedented among Western countries and equal migration numbers eight times larger per capita than the United Kingdom and four times larger per capita than the United States.

Fraser cited Canada’s demographic situation as a reason for more migration, as Canada’s birthrate sits at just 1.4 children per woman, according to Statistics Canada — well below the 2.1 children per woman replacement rate.

Low birth rates have been used by many other governments in the west to justify high levels of mass migration, including Germany, where last year the number of people with migration backgrounds represented over a quarter of the population.

Last year, German Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck made the same argument as Minister Fraser on the subject of labour shortages, stating that Germany also needed to increase migration to fill labour shortages.

Critics of this stance have long argued that it is essentially a pyramid scheme, however, as migrants also age — meaning immigration would have to be increased exponentially on a permanent basis in order to serve as a “solution” to the alleged problem of ageing populations.

Andrew Griffith, previously a senior official at Immigration and Citizenship Canada, noted that mass migration will likely have an effect on social services and housing, saying: “There’s no assessment that I have seen of the impact of these targets on housing affordability and availability, no assessment of these targets in terms of additional pressures on health care.”

Last year, Statistics Canada revealed that as nearly a quarter of the Canadian population were born abroad, and that this number would increase to a third of the population by 2041.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 03:13 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Migrants/Illegal Immigrants



#3  #1 This is our new model. Do not doubt me on this. And anyone complaining about all of this will be dealt with swiftly. Those who are desired will have all. Those who are not, will have none - but they'll still be happy!
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 01/16/2023 11:08 Comments || Top||

#4  Will the strategic maple syrup supply hold up?
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 16:04 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Oregon state senator introduces bill to give 65% of Beaver State to Idaho, after conservative residents of 11 counties voted to join its GOP-voting neighbor
  • State Senator Dennis Linthicum introduced Senate Joint Memorial 2

  • Also known as the 'Greater Idaho' bill, it would move 11 counties to Idaho

  • The bill was introduced in the wake of Oregon's recent state elections

  • Democrats hold governor's mansion and majorities in the state legislature
    ...so it’s a feel-good effort that won’t pass.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 01:54 || Comments || Link || [22 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Warning to Idaho.
Depending on the county, there will be 25% to 40+% LSD's mixed in.

What are your plans to handle those that opposed the move, and will attempt to bring their insanity with them?
Posted by: Jack Lover of the Leprechauns5028 || 01/16/2023 6:25 Comments || Top||

#2  /\ Deport them back to what is left of Washington State.
Posted by: Voldemort Bucket1867 || 01/16/2023 7:29 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm not overly worried about the LSD %. Those folks in the eastern part are mostly ranchers and solid folk. Those LSDs in these counties will have to give up pot as it's not legal here...that might be an issue for them.
Posted by: Warthog || 01/16/2023 8:22 Comments || Top||

#4  I think Idaho has more than enough to deal with their own urban LSDs to worry about than fractionals from the counties.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/16/2023 8:54 Comments || Top||

#5  we have problems with a growing Urban Behemoth: Boise is getting more blue by the hour, Ketchum/Blaine county is lost as is Moscow,Idaho...
Posted by: 746 || 01/16/2023 8:58 Comments || Top||

#6  Warthog makes a good point. Take those counties and kick Boise to E. WA. Those folks in E. OR would pump much needed red blood into ID. That should hold the state over until I arrive to establish Sturmpunkt Mundi, which will provide excellent access to the Heartland... with apologies to 746 for what CA has done to your fair state.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 01/16/2023 10:15 Comments || Top||

#7  i blame western washington too
Posted by: 746 || 01/16/2023 10:21 Comments || Top||

#8  Understand. Big Bro Mundi did post doc at Wash State back in the day and even then I was wondering why. He's lived in Brooklyn that past 2 decades. The guy craves operating from behind enemy lines. Not me.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 01/16/2023 10:31 Comments || Top||

#9  Tacoma for 10 years: its a good way to see how the Dem's/Leftist Urban dwellers think and act.
Posted by: 746 || 01/16/2023 10:49 Comments || Top||

#10  What are your plans to handle those that opposed the move

Tak'em to the train station.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 14:06 Comments || Top||

#11  The Balkanazation of Idaho.
Posted by: Super Hose || 01/16/2023 16:09 Comments || Top||

#12  A futile gesture at this point, but a warning for the future.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/16/2023 16:21 Comments || Top||

#13  Balkanization was the goal - and by all accounts they're going to get it. It's not just ID. The entire country has chosen sides. We are in the process of sorting ourselves out into our respective dugouts (which is where I'm at right now). They've got theirs, and we've got ours. Once that is done, well then we all get to ask ourselves if we're up for The Game.
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 01/16/2023 17:09 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Headless skeletons in a settlement trench: A 7,000-year-old mass grave?
Brain eaters?
Alien experiments?
Failed Alien experiments?

[Jpost] Researchers uncovered the headless remains of dozens of people in a trench. Now, they're trying to piece together the story of how the skeletons got there.

A trench containing 38 headless skeletons was uncovered at an excavation site in Vráble, Slovakia by archaeologists from Germany's Christian-Albrecht University (CAU) and Slovakia's Archaeological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences back in August of 2022.

The findings were expanded upon in detail on the CAU website this past Wednesday.

The excavation site, Vráble-Ve'lke Lehemby, dates back to Central Europe's Early Neolithic era (5,250-4,950 BCE) and is comprised of the remnants of three neighboring villages and is one of the largest settlements of the time and place.
What a nice change to have it be a matter for archeologists and not modern mass murderers
.WHAT WAS IMPORTANT ABOUT THE EXCAVATIONS IN VRÁBLE-VE'LKE LEHEMBY?
The settlement was remarkably developed for the era as well, with 80 houses being inhabited contemporaneously, a 1.3 km double ditch surounding one of the villages and border-deliniating palisades.

The skeletonized remains of the 38 individuals were spread haphazardly over an area of roughly 15 square meters. The careless positioning of the bodies suggests that they were tossed or rolled roughly into the grave. Furthermore, with the exception of only one of the skeletons, an infant's, each individual was missing its skull.

"In mass graves with an unclear positioning, the identification of an individual is usually based on the skull, so for us, this year's find represents a particularly challenging excavation situation,” says prof. Martin Furholt, the leader of the project.

Despite initial appearances, there are some indicators that headless bodies discovered in the trench were not necessarily the victims of a mass execution. For instance, one of the researchers posits that the positioning of the corpses may not be a result of being thrown or rolled into the trench, but that bones that had already been there have been pushed aside to make room for further bodies.

Additionally, some of the skeletons show signs that their heads were removed carefully, post-mortem rather than as part of a violent killing blow. The researchers acknowledge that more study is required to make a determination.

Further investigation will examine any connections between the decapitated individuals. Any commonalities between them could help the archaeologist piece together their story. It's also possible that the individuals met their ends from either internal or external violence and do not, in fact, share any commonalities aside from being residents of the same place.

Whatever the case may be, the site is being hailed as "unique" by the archaeologists and there is undoubtedly a lot left to learn from the neolithic era settlement.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Shows that there has always been War (Tribal) and various forms of Terrorism.

BTW: Eating the brains of the conquered, or dead, was/is still practiced in some New Guinea areas. Also seem to remember a big stink some years ago, about a CNN journalist doing it for a series covering various religious practices or something on this.


Medical results.
Creates a human form of Mad Cow Disease called Kuru.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/16/2023 6:54 Comments || Top||

#2  "I'll tell you what's wrong with society.
No one drinks from the skulls of their enemies anymore."___ anon.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/16/2023 9:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Skull cups

Cups of Vietnam jungle conflicts remain unrecorded in popular literature.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 14:11 Comments || Top||

#4  Creates a human form of Mad Cow Disease called Kuru.

The CDC says don't go eating no squirrel brains neither. Mad cow, mad squirrel, same difference.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/16/2023 16:47 Comments || Top||

#5  I have a t shirt that says "The skulls of your enemies are dishwasher safe."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/16/2023 16:53 Comments || Top||

#6  ^ I like that
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2023 20:06 Comments || Top||

#7  To be perfectly Frank, maybe someone just wanted some head.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 23:28 Comments || Top||


SpaceX launches fifth Falcon Heavy mission
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:





#5  Where's all the Artemis hoopla?

Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 1:05 Comments || Top||

#6  NASA Needs Your Help to Find Steve and Here's How the bifrost bridge

Posted by: Skidmark || 01/16/2023 1:22 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Eight communist guerrilla leaders surrender to Philippine authorities
[BenarNews] Philippine authorities on Friday said that eight senior communist guerrilla leaders had surrendered recently to the military’s eastern Mindanao Command, weeks after the death of rebellion founder Jose Maria Sison.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. did not say when the "ranking leaders" of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered, only that they gave up because life in the guerrilla camps in the hinterlands had become difficult. The NPA is the guerrilla wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

"They are commanding officers [of the NPA] and they have a long involvement with the movement," Abalos told news hounds. "What drove them to surrender is that they have seen an opening, a chance to trust the government. To the others, give up because the government is here to help."

Authorities identified the rebel leaders as Noel Sinanday, Nickboy Sinanday, Rady Kinoyog, Jilmar Dahinlay, Jertolui Hilario, Roselyn Omandam, Maricel Colawing and Jenelyn Palta. They were said to be operating in the mountains of Bukidnon in Mindanao.

As a goodwill gesture, the eight led the military to three arms caches hidden in villages in the town of Talakag, a rebel stronghold, authorities said.

In addition, more than a dozen NPA rebels surrendered in Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Zamboanga del Sur provinces, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.

The NPA has been waging one of the world’s longest-running Maoist rebellions since 1969. It peaked in the 1980s, when the number of armed rebels was believed to be about 20,000. Today, slightly more than 2,000 are scattered across the Philippines, according to authorities.

The surrenders came weeks after CPP founder Sison, 83, died on Dec. 16 from natural causes in the Netherlands, where he went into self-exile.

"The loss of their highest leader has critically affected the morale of the [rebels]. Without Sison’s direction and leadership, the CPP-NPA will suffer," said Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Greg Almerol said.

"That is why their remnants are yielding, even as 2023 has just started, because they know the disaster [that they are facing]. With this situation, we expect more of their comrades to surface and lay down their arms."
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/16/2023 00:51 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under: Commies



Who's in the News
35[untagged]
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1Moslem Colonists
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1Southern Transitional Council

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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2023-01-16
  Man arrested after uranium found at UK’s Heathrow Airport
Sun 2023-01-15
  33 ISIS Militants Arrested In Five Iraqi Governorates
Sat 2023-01-14
  Senior ISIS leader killed in Somalia’s Puntland state
Fri 2023-01-13
  Coordinated attacks kill 14 Malian soldiers
Thu 2023-01-12
  Al-Qaeda Emir Killed During Ma'rib Clashes with Sana'a Forces
Wed 2023-01-11
  Thai troops kill six Bad Guys near Myanmar border
Tue 2023-01-10
  McCarthy confirms Swalwell, Schiff & Omar will be off committees
Mon 2023-01-09
  Indian Army foils Rajouri-type attack; 2 terrorists killed in Poonch
Sun 2023-01-08
  Cop martyred in Bannu; four ‘militants’ dead in CTD operation
Sat 2023-01-07
  Ron DeSantis activates National Guard amid migrant surge in Florida Keys
Fri 2023-01-06
   Iranian sentenced to death for leading crowd during Mahsa Amini protests
Thu 2023-01-05
  Man who attacked cops in Times Square allegedly motivated by US support of Israel
Wed 2023-01-04
  French Minister: Only 690 Cars Torched and 490 Arrests Over New Year's
Tue 2023-01-03
  Four tons of drugs seized by French navy in the Arabian Sea
Mon 2023-01-02
  Blast Outside Military Airport in Kabul; Casualties Reported


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