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Today: 65 articles and 252 comments as of 17:03.
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Backer of Iraq anti-government protests killed in Baghdad
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
3 15:17 rjschwarz [6] 
12 19:55 gorb [9] 
2 11:36 Unigum Theart2812 [10] 
2 06:59 g(r)omgoru [7] 
0 [4] 
6 17:58 Lex [9] 
3 18:01 trailing wife [5] 
1 16:54 swksvolFF [9] 
5 15:56 g(r)omgoru [1] 
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9 21:04 Zhang Fei [8] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
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13 21:54 trailing wife [6]
10 21:59 Dron66046 [6]
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1 06:38 Woodrow [2]
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3 07:29 Besoeker [20]
6 08:27 Raj [5]
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1 16:10 g(r)omgoru [9]
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19 19:54 Jan [15]
Page 2: WoT Background
5 18:31 swksvolFF [17]
1 06:23 Procopius2k [9]
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1 02:09 g(r)omgoru [7]
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7 19:11 Bobby [7]
2 08:48 SteveS [11]
7 20:06 DarthVader [10]
5 05:01 Dron66046 [7]
6 14:21 JohnQC [6]
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Page 4: Opinion
10 18:27 Frank G [6]
4 21:52 trailing wife [8]
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3 12:35 Abu Uluque [13]
3 17:39 Bright Pebbles [15]
4 13:45 JohnQC [11]
10 17:31 swksvolFF [10]
3 15:14 g(r)omgoru [10]
4 18:34 chris [6]
Page 6: Politix
13 22:08 49 Pan [12]
3 18:06 SteveS [14]
15 17:55 Lex [15]
12 16:40 swksvolFF [12]
9 22:03 Varmint Splat1454 [12]
16 17:44 Bright Pebbles [14]
4 13:56 JohnQC [11]
18 18:40 chris [4]
3 12:31 Abu Uluque [10]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Serial subway perv busted for 63rd time — just a month after prison release
[NYPOST] An incorrigible subway perv racked up his 63rd arrest last week for allegedly groping a female straphanger ‐ just over a month after completing an 11-year prison stint for similar crimes, authorities said Monday.

Freddie Johnson, 61, allegedly ground his groin against a 27-year-old woman’s rear aboard a 5 train rumbling northbound near Lower Manhattan’s Fulton Street on Dec. 11, according to cops.

The skeeved straphanger tried to move elsewhere in the car, but Johnson allegedly followed her, again pressed himself against her and grabbed her rear, police said.

Johnson was busted by cops at Grand Central a short time later, marking his 63rd arrest for a sexual attack against a woman in the subway system ‐ but the first since his Nov. 6 release from custody after serving 11 years for a persistent sexual abuse conviction, according to police sources and prison records.

Posted by: Fred || 12/17/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Will you still need me
Will you still heed me
When I'm
[busted for number] sixty-four..."
Posted by: Lex || 12/17/2019 0:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Do you absolutely need to have a bible for someone to beat you up on these trains ?
Posted by: Dron66046 || 12/17/2019 1:46 Comments || Top||

#3  My guess is that the guy did this on purpose in order to go back to prison.

I note a lot of released long term prisoners cannot function/survive outside of prison and as a result, commit crimes and allow themselves to be send back to prison.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 12/17/2019 2:52 Comments || Top||

#4  Three hots and a cot. Plus all your friends are there.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/17/2019 9:00 Comments || Top||

#5  Better than having to take your dumps in public in San Francisco.
Posted by: Bobby || 12/17/2019 16:34 Comments || Top||

#6  ^ he was more into bumping than dumping
Posted by: Lex || 12/17/2019 17:58 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
Judge Blocks Los Angeles Law Forcing Contractors to Disclose Ties to NRA
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/17/2019 08:50 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Good for U.S. District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson, a Reagan appointment. Most likely, a constitutionalist.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/17/2019 10:13 Comments || Top||

#2  Are you now or have ever been a member of.....

It's all about power and who wields it, never about principle.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/17/2019 12:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Now that the 9th leans conservative I expect a lot more sanity like this (or at least insane rulings to be overturned promptly).
Posted by: rjschwarz || 12/17/2019 15:17 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Operation Ends in Mazar, Qaisari is ‘Missing’
[ToloNews] Qaisari "beat feet from his house" and security forces have started searching the nearby area, officials said.

A clash in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province, started late Saturday night and ended on Sunday night, nearly 20 hours after security forces surrounded the residence of Nizamuddin Qaisari, the former police chief of Faryab’s Qaisar district. The house was in Police District 5 (PD5) of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Gen. Mohammad Ajmal Fayez, the provincial police chief, claimed that "150 illegally-armed" men affiliated with Qaisari had recently "destabilized the security situation in the city" and therefore an arrest warrant was issued.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2019 00:45 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Horn
Floods force hundreds of thousands of #Somalis to flee their homes
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 12/17/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Little early for flooding in the Twin Cities?
Posted by: Frank G || 12/17/2019 6:24 Comments || Top||

#2  Dammit Frank! Stop stepping on my lines!
Posted by: Mercutio || 12/17/2019 7:20 Comments || Top||

#3  All potential snark is common property until someone steps up and actually says the thing. ;-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2019 18:01 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Red Army veterans in Israel to receive special stipend from Russia
[Ynet] For the first time ever Russia will pay its veterans who live outside of the country's borders a special stipend, starting with the 4,500 veterans living inside Israel's borders.

According to the pension fund of Russia, these veterans will receive a stipend of 100 dollars each month thanks to their military service in the Red Army.

"It's a special presidential decree we managed to secure thanks to our cooperation with our Russian counterparts," said Amos Rosenzweig, the legal adviser to Israel's National Insurance Institute. "We'll publish the instructions for receiving the money in the coming weeks."
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/17/2019 02:44 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Would not be many such people now. If you assume that a person was 18 in 1945, he would be 92. The life expectancy of a 92-year-old male is 3.5 years.
Posted by: BernardZ || 12/17/2019 6:44 Comments || Top||

#2  It's journos not realizing that "Red Army" was changed to "Soviet Army" in 1942.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/17/2019 6:59 Comments || Top||


Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Kuznetsov, is a floating hell for the crew
Something for everyone to remember next time someone tries to scare you with the Kuznetsov. Always think about who is speaking, and what their goals are by waving about a frightening apparition.

Posted by: Herb McCoy || 12/17/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  paper tiger bear
Posted by: Lex || 12/17/2019 0:24 Comments || Top||

#2  You can't practice operations if you never leave port, and if you can't practice operations you're at best a one-shot platform.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 12/17/2019 0:37 Comments || Top||

#3  The key difference between China and Russia is that China has the budget to (1) operate the carrier the way it would in combat and (2) make all kinds of modifications to fix the problems in the original design. Russia does not. At $250b, it's likely the Chinese have a higher budget than the US, when salary differences are factored in.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 12/17/2019 3:09 Comments || Top||

#4  I think it was Mike K that said the wiring runs were destroyed as well...
Posted by: Frank G || 12/17/2019 6:09 Comments || Top||

#5  But, but, but we owe them great credit for the invention of the light bulb.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/17/2019 7:15 Comments || Top||

#6  Oakland is looking for a cruise ship to house homeless; this might be an alternative. Plus a little 'self-help' project to get her cleaned up and livable ( or at least suitable to crap in the passageways)
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/17/2019 11:13 Comments || Top||

#7  The wokesters in Oakland would love it-- so long as it's re-christened The Battleship Potemkin
Posted by: Lex || 12/17/2019 11:41 Comments || Top||

#8  Would it be considered cruel to tow to the 12.5 mile line, open a couple of seacocks and tell the inhabitants it is their job to bail (or else). Might learn some job skills....
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/17/2019 16:24 Comments || Top||

#9  Oakland is looking for a cruise ship to house homeless; this might be an alternative. Plus a little 'self-help' project to get her cleaned up and livable ( or at least suitable to crap in the passageways)


Why rent a cruise ship when you can bus them to Newark (NJ), where they can be housed affordably in a vibrant urban environment? That's what NYC is doing. For once, I'm impressed at De Blasio's creativity.

https://www.nj.com/essex/2019/12/nyc-countersues-newark-over-controversial-homeless-relocation-program.html
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 12/17/2019 21:04 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Fresh violence breaks out in Hong Kong as Lam holds talks in Beijing
[PRESSTV] Fresh violence has broken out in Hong Kong as the Chinese territory’s leader visits the mainland for talks with Beijing leaders on the situation in the financial hub.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam left the city for Beijing on Saturday for a four-day visit to discuss the political and economic situation in the city, which has been rocked by turbulent protests since June.

During a regular duty visit on Monday, Lam met with Prime Minister Li Keqiang, who called for the necessity of stopping chaos and violence in Hong Kong, which according to him is not yet out of its "dilemma."

Li said that Lam’s government "must continue its efforts, end violence and stop the chaos in accordance with the law and restore order."

The two had formerly met in Shanghai in early November when the president said he had "high trust" in Lam.

Xi vows support for Hong Kong leader, police

Lam then sat down for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hailed the Hong Kong leader’s courage to govern the Asian financial hub in these "most difficult" times.

"The situation in Hong Kong in 2019 was the most complex and difficult since its return to the motherland," Xi told local media in brief comments before the closed-door session.

Xi further pledged "unwavering" support for Lam as well as Hong Kong’s law enforcement forces, expressing hope for unity to get the city back on the right path.

Lam had said that the purpose of her visit was to provide Beijing with "a full account of what has happened in Hong Kong over the past year."

Posted by: Fred || 12/17/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Whoa, she actually made it there alive?? Still has to make it out, then back, but I had a chip on no good horrible car wreck.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/17/2019 16:54 Comments || Top||


Europe
Montenegro signs $35 million deal to buy Israeli weapons system
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 12/17/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


International-UN-NGOs
[AP] UN AIDS agency fires whistleblower after misconduct probe
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/17/2019 06:43 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A. Smear to discredit a whistleblower who spilled on a "made" member of the crew
OR
B. Whistleblower preemptively spead smokescreen when her deeds came under scrutiny
OR
C. All of the above.

Caedite eos omnes. Novit Dominus qui sunt ejius.
Posted by: Mercutio || 12/17/2019 7:23 Comments || Top||

#2  The definition from WIKI:
"Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius." was allegedly spoken by Papal legate and Cistercian abbot Arnaud Amalric prior to the massacre at Béziers, the first major military action of the Albigensian Crusade. A direct translation of the Latin phrase would be "Kill them. For the Lord knows those that are His own.
Posted by: Unigum Theart2812 || 12/17/2019 11:36 Comments || Top||


Women can finally vote everywhere, except #Vatican city.
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 12/17/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  They get to vote in North Korea?

[Its not who votes that counts, its who counts the votes - see: Caracas]
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/17/2019 6:55 Comments || Top||

#2  P2K: I believe that quote was first attributed to Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall (Democrat).
Posted by: ptah || 12/17/2019 8:29 Comments || Top||

#3  Does anyone get to vote in the Vatican? Or do they mean the college of cardinals?
Posted by: Grunter || 12/17/2019 13:50 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm wondering why a call hasn't been made for the first transvestite pope yet ?
Posted by: Dron66046 || 12/17/2019 15:33 Comments || Top||

#5  ^Pope Greta first!
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/17/2019 15:56 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Bio Major Ms. Morgan Vague Breeds Microbes That Eat Plastic
May 2018 news.
[REED - May 2018 article] Bio major Morgan Vague ’18 has isolated and bred three strains of bacteria that consume and degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET)‐the ubiquitous plastic used in textiles, packaging, and soft-drink containers‐opening up the tantalizing possibility of using microbes to fight pollution.

PET is an environmental nightmare. The plastic is biologically inert, notoriously resilient, and takes years, even centuries, to break down. An estimated 480 billion plastic bottles are manufactured every year, and after they have served their purpose many of them wind up in landfills, rivers, and oceans‐the infamous Pacific trash vortex is currently the size of Texas.

But biologists at Reed have recruited an unlikely ally in the fight against plastic pollution‐bacteria. Certain strains of bacteria produce lipase, a fat-digesting enzyme that can break down plastic molecules and render them palatable‐in theory, anyway.

"The problem for most bacteria is that PET is a big, tough molecule with a lot of weird components," says Morgan, who performed the research for her senior thesis. "Lipase is kind of like marinade on a steak. The bacteria squirts out the lipase and the lipase breaks the plastic into bite-size pieces."

"These are very significant results," says Prof. Jay Mellies, who supervised Morgan’s research. "It points the way towards a biological means of degrading plastic pollution."

At the beginning of her quest, Morgan went hunting for microbes in locations with high levels of petroleum pollution, on the theory that those bacteria were most likely to have evolved biological mechanisms for digesting plastic. She traipsed around refineries in her hometown of Houston, Texas, digging up samples of soil, sand, and water around Galveston Bay. She snuck her samples into a refrigerated bag on her flight back to Portland, hoping that airport security screeners wouldn’t freak out. (They didn’t.)

Then she began the long, laborious process of screening her samples for lipase. Out of roughly 300 separate strains of bacteria, she identified 20 that produced the enzyme; three of these boasted high levels of lipase.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/17/2019 07:05 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Time Magazine 'person of the year' (any year) ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/17/2019 7:10 Comments || Top||

#2  "And then Ms. Kardashian...disintegrated"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/17/2019 7:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Great. Everyones' plastic possessions will now decay and fall apart. Plastic producers rubbing hands with glee.
Posted by: Elmereger Clavins7805 || 12/17/2019 7:16 Comments || Top||

#4  "I'm sorry dear, I don't know what happened to your credit card."
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/17/2019 7:18 Comments || Top||

#5  Years ago I read a book about a chemist that made a bacteria that ate plastic. It got out and destroyed civilization as we know it.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 12/17/2019 8:11 Comments || Top||

#6  Another appearance of the "trash vortex" that is never photographed. Purported photographs always turn out to be off a third-world river.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 12/17/2019 8:15 Comments || Top||

#7  Years ago I read a book about a chemist that made a bacteria that ate plastic. It got out and destroyed civilization as we know it.

"Mutant 59", maybe.

The interesting bit here is she isolated the bugs, micro-bio-speak for finding them in nature. Said another way, these bacteria naturally break down supposedly inert plastic molecules.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/17/2019 8:23 Comments || Top||

#8  #5 Mutant 59: The Plastic Eaters
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/17/2019 8:24 Comments || Top||

#9  There were also several stories in the "There will be war" anthologies about Russia releasing a bug that ate gasoline and diesel. They had a counter to it but that failed about 3 months after they released it. So everything back to steam and they could only run the tanks and AFV's on ethanol.

I agree this sort of thing makes me nervous.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 12/17/2019 9:38 Comments || Top||

#10 
Or, we could just have more o' these gems. Robert, the plastic bag eater..
Posted by: Dron66046 || 12/17/2019 12:00 Comments || Top||

#11  Disney's transgendering of Steven Strange?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/17/2019 12:50 Comments || Top||

#12  Robert the plastic bag eater



Just sayin'.
Posted by: gorb || 12/17/2019 19:55 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
38[untagged]
5Islamic State
4Sublime Porte
3Govt of Pakistan
3Govt of Iran
2al-Nusra
2Moslem Colonists
1Commies
1Govt of Qatar (MB)
1Hezbollah
1Arab Spring
1Pirates
1Govt of Iran Proxies
1Taliban
1Govt of Iraq

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

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

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

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2019-12-17
  Backer of Iraq anti-government protests killed in Baghdad
Mon 2019-12-16
  Iran claims the whole Persian Gulf. Both sides!
Sun 2019-12-15
  Attempt to assassinate the son of the political spokesman of Muqtada al-Sadr
Sat 2019-12-14
  Haftar-led Libyan Army claims new advance near Tripoli
Fri 2019-12-13
  Triumphant Boris hails landslide win gives him ‘power to get Brexit done’
Thu 2019-12-12
  AMAL, Hizbullah Supporters Try to Storm Riad al-Solh, Repelled by Tear Gas
Wed 2019-12-11
  Iraqi protesters defiantly turn out in the capital Baghdad
Tue 2019-12-10
  Jersey City shooting - possibly 6 dead at JC Kosher grocery
Mon 2019-12-09
  Al-Shabaab Militants Kill 8 On Bus In Northern Kenya
Sun 2019-12-08
  At least 10 killed in Kenya bus attack claimed by al-Shabab
Sat 2019-12-07
  Baghdad operations commander orders the Iraqi army to move in Sinak and Khilani to protect the protesters
Fri 2019-12-06
  Naval Air Station Pensacola shooter who killed 3 was Saudi aviation student
Thu 2019-12-05
  Pelosi Asks House Judiciary Committee to Proceed with Articles of Impeachment
Wed 2019-12-04
  Anti-government protesters have set fire to the Iranian consulate in Najaf for the third time in a week
Tue 2019-12-03
  Burkina Faso: 14 people killed in gun attack at church during Sunday mass


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