[MAIL] Frightening footage shows the moment a 67-year-old man was brutally accosted in a Houston parking lot after getting confused and mistaking his attackers' car for his daughter's.
The victim attacked in the clip has since been identified as Florentino Hurtado, who relatives said was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's two years ago.
The men seen carrying out the beating - which happened Saturday outside a local meat market - are believed to be Trayvion Lockridge and Derodric Stephens, who are both in police custody following the assault.
The pair - allegedly seen bombarding the senior with blows before stomping him to the ground - are being held on charges of aggravated robbery of a victim over the age of 65.
The state first asked Lockridge's bond be set at $1million, but the defense countered with a request for $3,000. The amount, in turn, was set to $50,000, after cops aired their belief Lockridge punched Hurtado eight times and stomped him at least four.
Stephens' bond, meanwhile, has not been set, as prosecutors said he has five pending cases in addition to the new charge. The allegation, more serious than regular aggravated robbery, carries a max penalty of 99 years in prison.
#4
In my mind's eye I can see Florentio being pummeled, falling to ground, kicked, but then calming rolling over and emptying the magazine of a Glock G48 with carefully aimed double-taps.
#11
Trayvion Lockridge and Derodric Stephens,
products of the decades-old, urban plantation nursery system of the Neo-Marxist Demokrat Party. Welcome to the ranks of the "disproportionately incarcerated" dipsh*ts!
#1
They are idiots and ought to be fired. I am not sure why the Feds need to be involved in Slushy attacks. It would be nice to see them jug all of the people SWATing folks.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/31/2023 12:00 Comments ||
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[Vintage Motorsports] Legendary NHRA car owner and crew chief, Roland Leong passed away Dec. 29. He was 79.
Born and raised on the Island of Oahu, Leong took to fast cars when hot rod culture made its way to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 50s. He spent a lot of time hanging around a local speed shop which served to throw gasoline onto an already growing flame. "I remember taking my mother’s 1959 Oldsmobile out at night, promising her that I wouldn’t race, but I didn’t keep my promise very often," Leong noted in the Sept/Oct issue of Vintage Motorsport.
[RT] The controversial ruling will allow men to compete against women, provided they’ve had surgery and hormone treatment
USA Boxing will allow men who transition to female to fight against biological women under certain conditions, the organization stated in its 2024 rulebook. The decision has been heavily criticized by boxers, with one former champion describing it as "men, basically, beating up women."
Under the new rules, men over the age of 18 will be able to compete against women provided that they complete gender reassignment surgery, and submit to quarterly hormone testing for four years.
Transgender competitors must prove that they have a plasma testosterone concentration of less than 5 nanomoles per liter for these four years. Between 10 to 35 nmol/L is considered normal in adult men, and 0.5 to 2.4 nmol/L in adult women.
"The purpose of this policy is to provide fairness and safety for all boxers," USA Boxing stated when announcing the policy.
[Breitbart] A coalition of Oregon political and business leaders are demanding that legislators re-criminalize possession of hard drugs and public drug use after the decriminalization measure passed just three years ago failed miserably.
If state lawmakers don’t heed their joint warning, the Coalition to Fix and Improve Ballot Measure 110 pledges to bring forward a ballot measure to the voters, reports Fox News.
“Oregonians still believe that the best strategy is a minimal use of criminal justice resources to encourage people into treatment and recovery,” said former state representative and onetime director of the Oregon Department of Corrections Max Williams.
“But they also realize the tools that we’ve currently given law enforcement… are not working.”
After 60 percent of Oregon voters passed Measure 110 in 2020, overdose deaths had increased by nearly 75 percent by 2022, with recent data showing an enormous increase in Portland specifically.
The Portland Police Bureau has recorded approximately 277 deadly overdoses between the beginning of 2023 to the start of December, which is more than a 75 percent increase from 2022.
Despite the drug decriminalization project previously having the majority’s support, newer polls consistently show Oregonians’ minds changing about the law.
The coalition, backed by big names such as Nike cofounder Phil Knight and Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, commissioned a survey in August that found 74 percent of respondents favored re-criminalizing possession of fentanyl, heroin, and meth, as well as making treatment required instead of voluntary to avoid jail time.
A whopping 86 percent of respondents said the state should immediately re-ban the use of hard drugs in public.
“Oregon has turned into an international spectacle, and I think we looked at each other and realized that we made an enormous mistake,” Portland attorney Kristin Olson, a “lifelong liberal” who voted in favor of the decriminalization, told Fox News.
The coalition’s proposal wouldn’t fully repeal Measure 110. They’ve left the portions to prioritize diversion, treatment, and recovery over criminal charges, but it would make possession of small amounts of hard drugs and public drug use crimes again.
The group also aims to “maintain cannabis taxes for expanded prevention, treatment, and recovery,” “improve oversight and accountability,” and “expand penalties for drug dealing.”
The remaining supporters of Measure 110 have argued that re-criminalization would be “harmful and ineffective.”
“It re-stigmatizes people who need help. People are less likely to get help when they are stigmatized,” said Tera Hurst, executive director of the Oregon Health Justice Recovery Alliance to the Oregonian.
Researchers at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine also wrote in a September paper that “laws decriminalizing drug possession in Oregon… were not associated with changes in fatal drug overdose rates.”
While Williams conceded that drug decriminalization did not create the state’s problems, he argued that it “exacerbated” the overdose and crime issues.
“Nobody’s looked at Oregon and said, ‘Wow, this is a model of fabulous success,'” he continued. “If anything, a state like our friends to the north in Washington, I think, quickly moved to reinstate criminal sanctions associated with possession of these hard drugs because they did not want to follow the pattern that Oregon had followed.”
If the legislature doesn’t overturn Measure 110, the local leader said the coalition is ready to run their proposal as a ballot measure to reverse it.
“There really are people that are dying as a result of this policy,” Williams added. Waiting “just delays the crisis that we’re in that much longer.”
#1
“But they also realize the tools that we’ve currently given law enforcement… are not working.”
You say that like it wasn't intended. Looks like it is achieving exactly what its backers sought. Civilization and anarchy are not compatible. Back when you didn't treat them as victims of their own choices you still at least had the visages of civilization.
BLUF:
[American Thinker] In Leave the World Behind, the scene with crashed white Teslas makes no technical sense, but it makes perfect sense as a metaphor for the end of technologically driven white civilization. As such, it may be a key to understanding this entire Obama-produced movie.
White cars (self-driving = individualistic) are rushing blindly into a dead end, blocking the road for the good guys in the black car. That road, filled with dysfunctional white cars, represents America. And when the good guys in the black car try to flee this chaos, they are attacked by more stupid white cars racing toward their own ruin.
But if those cars could get here by navigating country roads without crashing, that means their sensors were on — therefore, they wouldn’t be crashing now, either. Likewise, if our civilization has advanced this far, there is no reason to assume that it would be unable to continue to advance. It’s just simple logic.
A metaphor works only if it resonates with real life. With an improbable scenario like this one, it does little more than reveal the mindset of its authors, steeped in anti-colonialist, anti-Western, and anti-American biases.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/31/2023 8:44 Comments ||
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#9
I refuse to give up my Ranch dressing and Docker pants.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/31/2023 12:21 Comments ||
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#10
The black girl said, "Don't trust white people". You can't get more racist than that.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/31/2023 12:26 Comments ||
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#11
#9 ..and cargo shorts with bowler shirts. I stocked up on both before the Great Wokening. #10 LOL - give it a day and see.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
12/31/2023 12:54 Comments ||
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#12
Obama's vision of the end of white civilization
Actually. the vision of Frank Marshall Davis.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/31/2023 12:55 Comments ||
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#13
People are beginning to see what a vile, racist cancer the Lightbringer actually brought to the Presidency, and how deep it has metastasized in the federal government, media, academia and major corporations.
[Washington Examiner] The Department of Energy released finalized efficiency standards for residential refrigerators and freezers on Friday and proposed a rule that would enforce efficiency standards for commercial fans and blowers — mounting on the efforts by the Biden administration to lessen carbon emissions from appliances while promising cost reductions.
These new rules are expected to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 420 million metric tons over 30 years — the equivalent of emissions from nearly 53 million homes, according to DOE estimates. Combined, the rules are expected to provide $5 billion in savings on utility bills.
The two rules announced Friday will make a total of 30 proposed or finalized energy efficiency standards issued from the agency in 2023, as the Biden administration aims to phase out appliances that use energy at higher rates and, as a result, emit more carbon into the atmosphere.
#1
Not its job. It was created during the Oil Embargo to seek alternatives to increase energy production to energy independence. Without DOE help and with Trump's support for 'drill, baby, drill', the market place achieved that only to be shut down by the usual suspects. Rip the old Atomic Energy Commission out of it and shut DOE down.
#2
And, since its inception, hasn't the NRC only approved of one nuclear power plant? I don't recall the exact number, but I thought it was absurdly low/ridiculous. Another worthless and oxygen-stealing federal government outfit.
#3
The Swedes and French have standardized power plants. End the 'custom' builds, pay for the models and build them. They've been operated safely for decades.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/31/2023 8:42 Comments ||
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#5
My "energy efficient" clothes dryer has to be run multiple times to dry one load. My "energy efficient" electric range takes much longer to boil water than the old one. The eyes keep turning on and off. I wish I could get a gas range without the electric start feature.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/31/2023 12:29 Comments ||
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[Breitbart] India burns so much coal that it has an entire cabinet-level ministry devoted to coal. The Ministry of Coal informed the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, this week that India will not be transitioning to any alternative form of energy in the “foreseeable future.”
The ministry said more mining and importing of coal will be necessary to meet the energy needs of the growing industrial economy.
The Hindustan Times noted that no one participating in the just-concluded winter session of Parliament acted like India’s promise at the COP28 climate conference to begin eliminating fossil fuels was sincere.
COP28, hosted by fossil fuel superpower the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December, climaxed with an ostensibly “historic” agreement to “transition away from fossil fuels.” Stronger language that would have called for a more aggressive “phase out” was removed from the final joint declaration, but it was still the first climate conference agreement to explicitly discuss eliminating coal and oil on a near-future timetable.
India was one of 200 countries to sign the joint statement at COP28 but, a few weeks later, the Ministry of Coal explained to the Rajya Sabha that while India is expanding its use of renewables and alternative energy, coal will remain a major source of power for a very long time to come.
“In India, the transition away from coal or Just Transition is not happening in the foreseeable future. Although India is pushing for renewable/non-fossil-based energy, but the share of coal in the energy basket is going to remain significant in years ahead to ensure affordable energy availability, accessibility, and energy security to enable sustainable development and poverty eradication,” the ministry said.
Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said that while some government-run coal companies are shutting down over the next three to four years, their workers will be reassigned to private coal companies.
Joshi said coal production will increase by six to seven percent annually until hitting a peak of 1.5 billion tonnes in the 2030 fiscal year. He said more rail capacity will be added to handle the vast amounts of coal.
“India is the world’s fastest growing major economy and is expected to become the world’s third largest economy in the coming years. With the rapid industrial growth, the demand for energy has increased over the last decade and will continue to increase in the near future,” he said.
Vabihav Chaturvedi of the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) insisted that India is not “oblivious to climate change mitigation goals,” and plans to continue adding renewable energy at an even faster pace than increasing coal consumption.
“Meeting electricity needs of a fast growing economy necessitates a policy where variable renewable energy is complemented by stable base load coal in the near future, to ensure that the government delivers on its development agenda,” Chaturvedi said – a reasonable position, but not at all compatible with the extremely strict emissions goals demanded by the climate change movement.
“We cannot depend on imported oil and gas. Until we achieve our development needs, we will use coal,” said Indian Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
The Hindustan Times described the COP28 agreement as a “very carefully calibrated decision text,” which means developing economies like India were able to secure massive carve-outs for their prodigious use of fossil fuels.
Yadav boasted that India and other Global South developing nations were able to “thwart” bans on new coal power plants demanded by climate activists from developed nations.
In November, India turned away from an effort to transition to hydropower, because a relatively dry monsoon season caused hydro plants to come in far below their output goals – and India had to burn a record amount of coal to make up for the difference.
Next time don’t start a war just because you lost the election, guys.
[Garowe] Æthiopia’s northern region is suffering from dire humanitarian conditions as the risk of starvation and death hovers above the population, the presidency of an interim regional administration said Friday.
Getachew Reda, the war-torn regional leader of Tigray, said in a statement that the situation is a "catastrophe" comparable to the deadly 1984 famine that left millions dead in Æthiopia.
The legacies of the destructive war in Tigray and drought-induced famine have created a deadly combination that exposed 91% of Tigray citizens to the risk of starvation.
Reda said thousands of Tigrayans have perished due to lack of food since the signing of the Pretoria Agreement that ended the conflict between the Æthiopian government and The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in November 2022.
"While this looming catastrophe has only commanded a fraction of the attention it deserves, harrowing evidence of the most vulnerable segments of society- children, the elderly, and pregnant and nursing women- succumbing to hunger and death abound. Indeed, at the moment, millions of Tigrayans are simply awaiting their gut-wrenching fate: death," said the statement.
The decimation of Tigray’s economic base, the destruction of health facilities, the plundering of private and public wealth, and the forced displacement of more than 1 million people have impoverished millions of Tigrayans, rendering them unable to fend for themselves, it added.
The shortage of seasonal rainfall in the region’s three zones and desert locust infestation have wreaked havoc, creating a humanitarian tragedy.
"Although aid has since been restored on a limited basis, the amount of aid reaching the needy is a fraction of what is necessary to meet current requirements," said the statement, stressing that the temporary suspension of humanitarian aid has also played a significant role in this deteriorating crisis.
Reda warned that the lack of a concerted effort to address the tragedy will have deadly consequences and far-reaching ramifications for national and regional peace and stability.
While there have been hopeful signs to address the crisis in Tigray, the amount raised so far is too small to make a dent in Tigray’s looming catastrophe.
Reda called on the federal government and the international community "to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities by intervening promptly to address the looming danger of starvation and death. Hunger is a deadly silent killer."
He said the Æthiopian government and the international community have done their part to silence the guns, and "now, they should do their part to address the looming humanitarian catastrophe."
The statement comes as the corpse count in the region rises due to starvation. At least 176 people, including 75 women, have died from hunger in Tigray earlier this month. The interim government has declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
[Breitbart] An unidentified man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to create a bomb-making factory in a residential address in South London.
A 26-year-old man was arrested on Friday following a police raid of a house in Catford in south London in which a “quantity of chemicals” were discovered. The raid was also attended by the London Fire Brigade, including two fire engines and other rescue units.
The raid was triggered after locals raised concerns to the police about a large amount of potentially explosive chemicals being brought to the house, which the Daily Mail described as being a potential “bomb-making factory”.
The identity of the man has not been made public, however, the Metropolitan Police said that they are currently not treating the investigation as terror-related.
[Jpost] North Korea vowed to launch three new spy satellites, build military drones, and boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024 as leader Kim Jong Un said US policy is making war inevitable, state media reported on Sunday.
Kim lashed out at Washington in lengthy remarks wrapping up five days of ruling party meetings that set economic, military and foreign policy goals for the coming year.
"Because of reckless moves by the enemies to invade us, it is a fait accompli that a war can break out at any time on the Korean peninsula," he said, according to state news agency KCNA.
#1
Face it; nobody wants to attack you. Nobody wants to inherit your starving people and terrible economy. Your corruption and incompetence have made you safe from any invasions. You are one of the worst places on earth. Take a chill.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/31/2023 12:15 Comments ||
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#4
How many GIVERnment agencies achieve the exact opposite of their original charter? Department of education, ATF, Homeland Security, Justice Department, Department of Energy….
#5
Being as ATF likes to hand out guns, the next President should have its charter amended to require it to make sure everyone who wants a gun and is legally entitled to own one gets one. Or more.
And ammo...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/31/2023 11:07 Comments ||
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#6
Perhaps Oprah will make a good President after all. "You get a gun and you get a gun.."
You didn't realize that is who the Dems are going to run? They need a black female who is not Kamala Harris to run against Trump. Oprah is perfect.
#9
We already had a department responsible for "homeland security." before 9/11. It's called the Department of Defense. Revert it to that role. Borders, BMD, Prompt Global Strike and keep sea lanes open.
Whack out all the rest.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/31/2023 12:04 Comments ||
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#10
I would not want to see this DOD turned loose on the home front.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/31/2023 12:08 Comments ||
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[FoxNews] Body cameras aren't just for law enforcement anymore.
Body cameras are usually associated with law enforcement, but what if you could have one for yourself?
Imagine being able to capture everything that happens around you and send a distress signal to your family or friends if you need help.
That’s what PhoneCam, a tiny, affordable and smart AI-powered device, can do for you.
PhoneCam connects to your smartphone and uses its microphone, CPU and connectivity (Wi-Fi, 4G/5G). It has an app that allows you to activate recording with a short press and instantly alert emergency contacts with a long press — providing additional security in critical situations.
You can also set up a pre-selected emergency contact who will receive an alarm call with your location and video feed.
PhoneCam uses the phone's powerful CUP and, therefore, is able to run advanced AI. PhoneCam plans to incorporate other AI in the future to recognize faces, objects and scenes, and provide useful information and suggestions.
IS YOUR DATA SECURE WITH THE BODY CAMERA?
Of course. Until it’s not.
PhoneCam says it adheres to the strictest data security and claims that it cannot access your stored videos and that your data will be stored locally on U.S. servers. As for privacy, the company says on its website that PhoneCam does not record without your activation.
THE COMPANY BEHIND THE HIGH-TECH BODY CAM DEVICE
PhoneCam was developed by SLIMDESIGN, a product design and development company. Its CEO and design director, Wouter Konings, says:
"Consumers and businesses have had limited access to a wearable camera that could help keep them safe — until now. We aimed to transform the way people perceive and utilize body cameras by introducing a compact, non-threatening alternative to the traditional model. PhoneCam’s sleek, lightweight design houses a powerful, AI-driven body camera, and the wide range of features keep users connected to resources that can help on short notice."
PhoneCam is expected to start production in 2024 and will be available for $69 on the company's website.
[FoxNews] The mainstream attention on artificial intelligence (AI) in 2023 allowed militaries to more openly discuss some of the astonishing initiatives they’ve undertaken as they race toward the future of warfare.
AI presented an entirely different challenge and revealed an arms race many did not even know had already gotten well underway: Advanced and automated targeting capabilities, virtual environment weapon testing and AI-controlled vehicles present just the tip of a substantial and rapidly developing iceberg.
The allure of AI is so strong that the Pentagon has some 800 AI-related unclassified projects in the works to attain a "force multiplier" integration and gain the upper hand over its rivals.
This year gave the general public a better idea of where militaries stand with their astonishing development and where they might head next. Here are some of the highlights and most fascinating revelations regarding AI on the battlefield.
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.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[MAIL] Frightening footage shows the moment a 67-year-old man was brutally accosted in a Houston parking lot after getting confused and mistaking his attackers' car for his daughter's.
[RT] The controversial ruling will allow men to compete against women, provided they’ve had surgery and hormone treatment
[Jpost] 
