[The Drive] In July of 2019, a truly bizarre series of events unfolded around California’s Channel Islands. Over a number of days, groups of unidentified aircraft, which the U.S. Navy simply refers to as ’drones’ or 'UAVs,' pursued that service's vessels, prompting a high-level investigation.
During the evening encounters, as many as six aircraft were reported swarming around the ships at once. The drones were described as flying for prolonged periods in low-visibility conditions, and performing brazen maneuvers over the Navy warships near a sensitive military training range less than 100 miles off Los Angeles. The ensuing investigation included elements of the Navy, Coast Guard, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The incidents received major attention, including from the Chief of Naval Operations—the apex of the Navy's chain of command.
The following is our own investigation into these events, during which we discovered these events were far more extensive in scale than previously understood.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/25/2021 00:00 ||
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[AA.TR] Prince Harry of UK on Wednesday received a job at a US think tank.
The Duke of Sussex joined the Aspen Institute's Commission on Information Disorder as a commissioner, according to the international non-profit organization.
Along with 14 other commissioners, he will conduct a six-month study on misinformation in the US after the commission meets next month.
"The experience of today's digital world has us inundated with an avalanche of misinformation, affecting our ability as individuals as well as societies to think clearly and truly understand the world we live in," he said.
It marks his second job in the US, after he stepped away from royal duties.
On Tuesday he was named chief impact officer at BetterUp, a start-up that focuses on mental health, which provides mobile-based services in counseling and mentorship.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
Along with 14 other commissioners, he will conduct a six-month study on misinformation in the US after the commission meets next month.
#8
He watched as his family drove his wife to near suicide. That is by Harry and Meagans own words. Someone is lying. I'm not sure I'd hire him to do anything at t his point.
Prince Harry has been told that time is running to address his US immigration status, with a deadline of summer 2021 set to resolve his situation. In January 2020, Harry and wife Meghan Markle announced that they would be stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family – a move that shocked the Monarchy.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their son Archie, currently live in California, USA. There has been much speculation surrounding Harry’s US immigration status, but David Lesperance, who advises wealthy individuals, has warned the Duke of Sussex that the clock is ticking if he is to sort out his immigration status in the US.
Mr Lesperance told Sky News: “There has been some relief given by the IRS for people who are effectively trapped in the US (because of COVID), but it is something that I’m sure, I hope that her (Markle’s) and his advisers have been turning their mind to over this past year, and certainly something that he needs to deal with before the clock kind of runs out, which will be later this summer.”
#13
He's lending his name to the think tank but I think it's a safe bet there won't be any actual work involved for the Duke.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/25/2021 13:30 Comments ||
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#14
Prince Harry has been told that time is running to address his US immigration status, with a deadline of summer 2021 set to resolve his situation.
If the Queen has any pull at all in Washington, Harry should be getting permanent residence status any time now. She learned how these things work with her Uncle Edward. And, after all, what's one Brit compared to 20 million illiterate peasants from the south?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/25/2021 13:40 Comments ||
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#15
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/25/2021 13:43 Comments ||
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#16
Why would Harry want to become a citizen of such an intolerably racist land?
[Daily Caller via Right Scoop] The ridiculous 9th circuit today ruled that Hawaii has a right to deny people concealed carry licenses if they can’t prove an ’urgency or need’ to carry a firearm:
Here’s more from DAILY CALLER:
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Hawaii gun regulation, ruling Wednesday that states can restrict the right to openly carry a firearm in public.
The 7-4 decision said restrictions on carrying guns in public do not fall within the scope of what is protected by the Second Amendment.
"The government may regulate, and even prohibit, in public places — including government buildings, churches, schools, and markets — the open carrying of small arms capable of being concealed, whether they are carried concealed or openly," Judge Jay Bybee wrote for the majority.
The majority based their decision on previous rulings and a review of both American and English law.
"We have never assumed that individuals have an unfettered right to carry weapons in public spaces," the majority ruled. "Indeed, we can find no general right to carry arms into the public square for self defense."
"The en banc court held that the Second Amendment does not guarantee an unfettered, general right to openly carry arms in public for individual self-defense. Accordingly, Hawaii’s firearms-carry scheme is lawful."
The case was brought by George Young, who applied for a license twice in 2011 to carry a gun in public either openly or concealed and was denied both times because he didn’t prove the "urgency or the need" to openly carry a firearm in public, the decision said. Instead, Young relied on his "general desire to carry a firearm for self-defense."
Under Hawaii’s law, residents have to show the "urgency or the need" to carry a firearm in public and must be of good moral character and "engaged in the protection of life and property."
Young sued, arguing the "denial of his application for a handgun license violated his Second Amendment right to carry a loaded handgun in public for self-defense."
The court said the question was "whether individuals have a right to carry weapons openly in public." The court reviewed the Supreme Court’s decision in both District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago and found "Hawaii’s restrictions on the open carrying of firearms reflect longstanding prohibitions and that the conduct they regulate is therefore outside the historical scope of the Second Amendment."
"We have previously held that individuals do not have a Second Amendment right to carry concealed weapons in public," the court also added. The 9th Circuit previously ruled in 2016 that there is no constitutional right to carry a concealed weapon in public.
This ruling is dumb on its face. The idea that the founders envisioned that someone can only protect themselves when they are at home is absurd.
The second amendment says "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It doesn’t say the right of the people to keep and bear arms AT HOME or ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. In fact it doesn’t give any such restriction, and for the 9th circuit to continually provide such extra-constitutional restrictions just proves how much reform it truly needs. There are far too many Clinton, Obama, and Bush judges on the 9th circuit that need replacing.
#1
...This isn't even close to 'justice' any more - this is the 9th Circuit openly and with malice declaring its opposition to and defiance of the Constitution. God help us.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/25/2021 8:38 Comments ||
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#2
The 9th Dist Court has been overruled between 79% and 84% in 2016-2019 8 out of 10 cases.
Over the last 20 years its been 74% on average...
7 out of 10 cases where they incorrectly ruled against the US Constitution or the established laws.
#5
The real threat here is to move the goalposts on the meaning of the 2A from the national militia framework for defending the nation and constitution to a false premise that it was merely about defending your home or business. Our descent into Marxism moves at blinding speed as they work to disarm the counter revolutionary threats to the new USSA.
Posted by: Bubba Lover of the Faeries8843 ||
03/25/2021 13:15 Comments ||
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#7
I'm not confident the Supreme Court will over-rule this. What part of the right to bear arms shall not be infringed to these fuckers not understand?
Oh, yeah. They are black robed tyrants and do not want you armed and able to defend yourself.
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] A woman was arrested last week after allegedly attacking a San Jose-area McDonald's employee and manager while making racial remarks.
According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, the woman, identified as Alena Jenkins, 40, was inside the restaurant without wearing a mask.
When Jenkins was confronted by employees for violating the restaurant's mask policy, Jenkins allegedly yelled "F*cking Mexicans! Go ahead and call the cops."
Jenkins also allegedly struck the manager on the shoulder.
Police said in a statement released Wednesday that Jenkins would face hate crime and battery charges, both misdemeanors.
"Targeting people because of their perceived ethnicity is not just a shame, it’s a crime," said District Attorney Jeff Rosen on the matter. "There is no excuse for hatred."
Authorities said that Jenkins continued to shout hateful remarks to the employees even after police arrived, complaining of "dumb Mexicans...who don’t know how to speak English."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
Very innerseckshunal. Very confusing. Where's my scorecard?
Posted by: Angeanter Darling of the Esquimeaux3014 ||
03/25/2021 0:29 Comments ||
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#2
...but, but those in 'authority' said only white people can be bigots. So, does that make the individual morally white? Just like they classify successful Asians as morally white?
#6
On the other hand, if speech was still free, you'd think she had every right to be an anus, up until the point she actually hit anyone.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2021 12:51 Comments ||
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#7
We are now at a point where hate speech qualifies as a hate crime. If you dared fo utter the forbidden N word over the past 20 years you will feel the affects at work and among social media flash mobs.
[Aljazeera] Blantyre, Malawi — For years, Norman Chisale was known as the "most trusted and feared" bodyguard of Peter Mutharika, Malawi’s former president. It seems he was also the "richest".
In news that stunned Malawi, state authorities last month seized property belonging to Chisale, as well as his close associates and relatives, worth an estimated $2.2m.
Malawi court frees ’prophet’ wanted in South Africa for fraud
Who is Malawi’s self-proclaimed ’prophet’ Shepherd Bushiri?
Malawi signs extradition papers for self-proclaimed prophet
Malawi declares state of disaster as two ministers die of COVID-19
The seized high-value assets included more than 80 vehicles, ranging from Mercedes Benzes and Range Rovers to Land Cruisers and Jeep Wranglers, as well as 21 properties, including residential houses and commercial buildings. The state also froze two bank accounts registered in Chisale’s name containing a combined sum of nearly $150,000.
The moves by the anti-corruption prosecutors and investigating authorities are linked to a multimillion-dollar deal in which Chisale, 45, is accused of fraudulently using Mutharika’s tax exemption number to import cement in 2017-2018.
[SUN] Boris Johnson told MPs yesterday it "may be up to the landlord" — adding: "The concept of vaccine certification should not be totally alien to us."
But last night Tory MPs slammed the idea of showing "papers for the pub."
Government sources told The Sun that allowing pubs, bars and restaurants to set their own rules was within the scope of a review being led by Michael Gove and due to report back next month.
Mr Johnson had previously poured cold water on the idea of a vaccine passport being needed to nip into a boozer.
But speaking to a committee of MPs yesterday, he indicated the decision will be handed to individual businesses.
He said: "I think that’s the kind of thing that may be up to individual publicans. It may be up to the landlord."
[BenarNews] North Korea ...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche... n diplomats from Pyongyang’s embassy who were recently expelled from Malaysia in a rupture of diplomatic relations could face punishment over the first-ever extradition of a North Korean national to the United States, sources in China said.
Pyongyang on Friday severed ties with Malaysia and closed down its embassy in Kuala Lumpur after the extradition of businessman Mun Chol Myong to Washington, where he faces six counts of money laundering.
Continued on Page 49
#1
The North Korean trade officials in China say they are worried about what could happen to the embassy’s most bigwigs, such as Chargé D’affaires Kim Yu Song, according to the source.
It shouldn't be long until Kimmie fires up the ol' anti-aircraft guns again.
Better get on it, China — it won’t be long before your demographic destiny arrives.
[IsraelTimes] Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China will advance a five-point plan to realize "regional peace and stability in the Middle East."
As part of the initiative, Wang backs a recent Saudi initiative to end its long-running war in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... . He also invites Israeli and Paleostinian "notables" to meet for talks in Beijing.
China has hosted Israeli-Paleostinian delegations in the past, with a 2017 trilateral meeting including both senior Paleostinian Authority officials and then-Israeli deputy Knesset speaker Hilik Bar.
Beijing proposed a four-point Israeli-Paleostinian peace plan in 2013, which included the establishment of a Paleostinian state alongside Israel.
North Korea launched a ballistic missile at 0706 this morning, according to Japan's NHK quoting the country's defense ministry. It came down outside Japan's economic zone, the report said.
Unregulated market remains major concern with $8.7 billion in black market sales
[CaliforniaGlobe] California’s legal recreational and medicinal cannabis industry is not only "the biggest government-sanctioned market in the nation," but also the "biggest legal marijuana market in the world," a new report issued by the Governmental Accountability Institute says.
Individual cannabis permits in the state have sold for as much as $17 million.
There were more than 7,500 active cannabis licenses in California in 2020, including 910 retail dispensaries.
However, the reach of the unregulated market remains a major concern as estimates have revealed about $8.7 billion in black market sales. Thus, taking legal and illegal sales into account, the California market sold a whopping $12.0 billion in cannabis and related products in 2019.
This makes the legal cannabis market in California about $3.3 billion in sales.
The GAI says, "evidence suggests that the current California framework allows for increased corruption in a system where ’money talks.’"
Where California’s pot industry gets dodgy is how many politicians and dozens of former government officials are involved. GAI found many left government to work for cannabis companies and the lobbying firms representing them. And the tangled web of state and local regulations has only boosted corruption.
"Part of the problem is rooted in California’s dual regulatory structure, which forces cannabis businesses to comply with state and local government requirements," GAI reports. "With the approval of state cannabis licenses in the hands of city councils, ’a conflicting patchwork of local laws’ has emerged. Ultimately, with this type of decentralized permitting, ’corruption can span from the highest to the lowest level of public officials.’ Since then, California has become a focus in the FBI’s investigation. At issue is whether local officials have abused the cannabis regulatory systems that they helped create."
While the FBI has successfully taken down elected politicians in several California cities for "questionable business practices, which included paying as much as $250,000 cash in a brown paper bag to city officials," the state’s capital, GAI found that Sacramento, is ground zero for dubious public-private interactions between local and state regulators and the industry. "Sacramento has even attracted national headlines because of its connection to a scheme that violated federal election laws."
GAI explains:
One of the key individuals linked to Sacramento’s cannabis licensing scandal is Joe Devlin, an experienced political consultant who helped shape the policies and standards of the local and state cannabis markets and eventually became Sacramento’s first "Cannabis Czar." (more at Link)
#3
One of the most popular brands these days has an odor that, back in the 1970s, would have been called "skunk weed". It seems like everywhere I go I smell skunk.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/25/2021 13:51 Comments ||
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[ERR] Noted Estonian marine scientist Tarmo Kõuts has been sentenced to three years in prison for spying for China.
Kõuts, 57, was convicted of maintaining a relationship antagonistic to Estonia as well as of participating in intelligence activities against Estonia and was sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Tallinn-based Harju County Court.
The proceeds of the crime, approximately €17,000, were confiscated from Tallinn University of Technology researcher Kõuts.
Public Prosecutor Inna Ombler told BNS that Chinese intelligence is also interested in people who possess information concerning the security of the Republic of Estonia, the European Union and partners.
"As the disclosure of court proceedings has been limited and part of the criminal case is still in closed proceedings, the prosecutor's office cannot currently disclose exactly what information Tarmo Kõuts handed over to Chinese intelligence in the commission of crimes against the state," she said.
[DW] Antony Blinken has told allies that the US will not force them to make "us-or-them" decisions, but called for action against aggressive Chinese behavior. He reiterated US support to its allies.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a keynote speech on Wednesday addressing US ties with its allies, threats from Russia and China, and global challenges on his second day of meetings with NATO partners.
He reserved his strongest words for criticism of China and called for a united position among US allies.
Blinken reiterated US support for NATO, saying, "America is fully committed to NATO, including Article 5," the mechanism that ensures mutual defense among NATO members.
He called for a reinvigoration of military capabilities and readiness, including on nuclear deterrents and digital offenses. Several US administrations have called on other NATO members to increase their defense spending to an alliance target of 2% of their gross domestic product.
Blinken also said global threats such as COVID-19 and climate change must play a central role in decisions.
In reference to the fraying of transatlantic ties under US former President Donald Trump, Blinken acknowledged that trust in the US "has been shaken to some degree over the past few years," and that it seemed to many that "the US has forgotten who its friends really are." He said the new US administration would strengthen its commitment to allies and alliances.
#2
"Us-or-them" decisions? Ha, lecturing Europe. Please remove the mote in thine own eye you feckless hypocrite. Totally wasted plane ticket and rhetoric. He should have stayed home and cleaned out the garage.
Posted by: George Lover of the Faith8880 ||
03/25/2021 1:11 Comments ||
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#4
Breaking the Move-Countermove Cycle: Using Net Assessment to Guide Technology https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2021/03/25/breaking-the-move-countermove-cycle-using-net-assessment-to-guide-technology "Attempting to modify or replace the U.S. military’s electromagnetic spectrum systems to address each threat or encroachment will likely be unaffordable and time consuming. Instead,"
[NYP] The founder of bottled-water maker Real Water has publicly apologized after five kids who drank its product came down with liver failure.
Real Water president Brent Jones issued the mea culpa amid a Food and Drug Administration probe of the alkaline water, which has been linked to several cases of hepatitis. liver failure and hepatitis? I'd rather drink from the hose
"We’d like to expressed our deepest sympathy and concern over the events that have led to the inquiry," Jones said in a roughly two-minute video message released Tuesday.
"I want to personally apologize to all of our customers, and I assure you the lessons learned from this will drive further improvement in the brand," he added. Like bankruptcy
The video came four days after the FDA urged consumers and businesses not to drink, sell or serve Real Water, which has as higher pH level that the Arizona-based company claims can improve hydration.
The feds say five infants and children in southern Nevada who consumed the brand’s water came down with non-viral hepatitis that resulted in acute liver failure and put them in the hospital.
[DAILYTIMES.PK] A seven-year-old girl has been rubbed out in Myanmar, becoming the youngest known victim in the crackdown following last month’s military coup.
Khin Myo Chit’s family told the BBC she was killed by police while she ran towards her father, during a raid on their home in the city of Mandalay.
Myanmar’s military has been increasing its use of force as protests continue.
Rights group Save the Children says more than 20 children are among dozens of people who have been killed.
In total, the military says 164 people have been killed in protests, while the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group puts the corpse count at at least 261.
The military on Tuesday expressed sadness at the death of protesters, while blaming them for bringing anarchy and violence to the country.
But security forces have used live rounds against protesters, and there have been multiple eyewitness reports of people being beaten and sometimes shot as the military conducts house raids to arrest activists and protesters.
Khin Myo Chit’s older sister of the shot girl told the BBC coppers were searching all the houses in their neighbourhood in Mandalay on Tuesday afternoon, when they eventually entered their place to search for weapons and make arrests.
"They kicked the door to open it," 25-year old May Thu Sumaya said. "When the door was open, they asked my father whether there were any other people in the house."
When he said no, they accused him of lying and began searching the house, she said.
That was the moment when Khin Myo Chit ran over to their father to sit on his lap. "Then they shot and hit her," May Thu Sumaya said.
In a separate interview with community media outlet Myanmar Moslem Media, their father U Maung Ko Hashin Bai described his child’s last words. "She said, ’I can’t Father, it’s too painful’."
He said she died just half an hour later while she was rushed away in a car to seek medical treatment. Police also beat and arrested his 19-year-old son.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2021 00:00 ||
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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.
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.
[Daily Caller via Right Scoop] The ridiculous 9th circuit today ruled that Hawaii has a right to deny people concealed carry licenses if they can’t prove an ’urgency or need’ to carry a firearm:
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] A woman was arrested last week after allegedly attacking a San Jose-area McDonald's employee and manager while making racial remarks.
[Aljazeera] Blantyre, Malawi — For years, Norman Chisale was known as the "most trusted and feared" bodyguard of Peter Mutharika, Malawi’s former president. It seems he was also the "richest".
[SUN] Boris Johnson told MPs yesterday it "may be up to the landlord" — adding: "The concept of vaccine certification should not be totally alien to us."
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
[DW] Antony Blinken has told allies that the US will not force them to make "us-or-them" decisions, but called for action against aggressive Chinese behavior. He reiterated US support to its allies.
[NYP] The founder of bottled-water maker Real Water has publicly apologized after five kids who drank its product came down with liver failure.
