The artist known as Prince has died ... TMZ has learned. He was 57.
Prince's body was discovered at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota early Thursday morning.
Multiple sources connected to the singer confirmed he had passed.
The singer -- full name Prince Rogers Nelson -- had a medical emergency on April 15th that forced his private jet to make an emergency landing in Illinois. But he appeared at a concert the next day to assure his fans he was okay. His people told TMZ he was battling the flu.
#2
Is it celebrity that appears to shorten lives, or could it be a range of bad habits? In any event RIP. It is but a short visit, our time on this old sphere.
#8
A friend in the Twin Cities knew him pretty well.
He was a pretty devote Adventist when young, later a Witness, and lived a fairly clean lifestyle his whole life.
Kind of an odd duck to talk to I understand, but was really good musically.
Couldn't read a note of music though, and played both drums and guitar by rote.
Party on......
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/21/2016 17:10 Comments ||
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#9
Raj, I get when someone compares themselves to a legend they are usually full of it; but I had a family member suggest just that and I totally agreed, not only talent-wise but a much wider and deeper impact on pop culture and music. Now, maturity level, there is no comparing p$$y control to All Along the Watchtower - at which point said family member said no, Prince best musician ever. Where I said well Handel's Messiah is still popular after hundreds of years and hits me deep, as well as Bach. So here we are, at a crowed bar, and family member yells at me, "Best Musician Evah!" Seriously, I wasn't talked to for thirty minutes.
[Daily Caller] An outdoor studies professor at the University of Alaska Southeast was mauled by a bear on Monday while he was leading 11 students on an expedition as part of a Mountaineering 101 class.
The professor, Forest Wagner, is currently listed in stable condition at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, reports local NBC affiliate KTUU.
Wagner, 35, was teaching his students the basics of field mountaineering on Mount Emmerich near the town of Haines, not far from Glacier Bay National Park, when the bear attacked him.
Police say they believe the bear was protecting its cubs.
#6
I'm amazed that bear mauling is available at the Mountaineering 101 level. University of Alaska Southeast must be an especially advanced school.
Posted by: regular joe ||
04/21/2016 12:44 Comments ||
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#7
Then there were the 2 guys from the Europe, A Romanian and a guy from Checkoslavakia. They were both attacked and eaten by a pair of bears.
The Romanian they found, upon examination in the she bear, but just like they always say, the Chech was in the male......
#10
Was up in the Rockies not too long ago. Mid morning, put the trash out in the bear resistant can on the porch. Seconds later, I hear the can move as if a wind picked up. Slowly and quietly opening the door, I see a two foot at the shoulder Brown Bear cub trying to figure the can.
I strong whispered, "Hey bear" and that darn thing jumped its height and took off running.
#2
Or the "gentle beating". Which male gets to own her, poor fellow. Might work, nothing else has. But she'll probably treat it like rehab and be outta there in four days, the miserable, new apostate.
the koran is, on face value, ambiguous on this issue; 4-43 says not to pray while intoxicated which implies that if you don't have to pray intoxication is OK or that drinking without becoming intoxicated is OK
it was only several hundred years after the koran was standardized that almost all of Islam decided that alcohol was forbidden (the Alevi moslems - mostly in Turkey - do not forbid alcohol to this day)
Posted by: lord garth ||
04/21/2016 0:24 Comments ||
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#4
Yeah, wonder if she's got to the no booze section yet.
#7
So Lord Garth, does that mean ISIS who seem to be originalists when it comes to the Koran would be okay with intoxication in those specific times? Is that the loophole they use for amphetamines and such? much you drink.
[EURONEWS] Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik has threatened to start a hunger strike over his living conditions in jail, it has emerged.
Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, compared prison to "torture" and bemoaned, among other things, the lack of an up-to-date video games console in his cell.
His comments were made in a four-page hand-written letter to penitentiary officials, which contains a dozen requests, including making his jail time compliant with European regulations. They also tackle issues of fundamental rights, such as a daily walk and communication.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
He's not a prisoner of conscience, let him starve. Saves money and guilt over executing him.
Three months after the Secretary of the Air Force said resuming F-22 Raptor production was a "nonstarter," Congress is directing the service to look into doing exactly that. A key House of Representatives subcommittee wants the Air Force to study how it would go about buying another 194 of the high-tech jets.
The Air Force bought 178 Raptors for a total of $62 billion, ending in 2009. When he stopped the program, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the aircraft had no relevance in conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also wanted to free up funds for what he considered more relevant programs, such as the Mine Resistant Armored Protection vehicle. The last F-22 was delivered in 2012.
The drumbeat for Lockheed Martin to resume Raptor production has gotten louder lately, though, especially with the struggles of the F-35 programs. But just this January, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James rejected the idea of resuming F-22 production while speaking at a think tank event, stating "we've got what we've got" with regards to the fighter and that the F-22 and the F-35 would complement each another in the field.
Now, the House Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee wants the Air Force to look into reopening the F-22 production line, and buying enough planes to fulfill the original order of 381 aircraft. Specifically, the bill would direct the Air Force to "conduct a comprehensive assessment and study of the costs associated with resuming production of F-22 aircraft and provide a report to the congressional defense committees, not later than January 1, 2017."
In 2010, the Rand Corporation projected that restarting the F-22 production line would cost $17 billion to produce 75 aircraft. Extrapolating from that estimate, it would cost about $42 billion to buy the required 194 planes to complete the original order, or $47 billion in 2016 dollars.
From a mechanical perspective, the Raptor absolutely could be restarted. Lockheed and the Pentagon saved the tooling for producing the F-22 and its engine, the F119, in case of emergency. More than 30,000 jigs, fixtures, and other pieces of manufacturing equipment key to building the F-22 are stored at Sierra Army Depot, a storage facility in the Sierra Nevada mountains. A series of instructional DVDs, were also produced and stored to instruct future engineers on how to build parts.
But an F-22 restart would need to clear considerable political hurdles. First, the Air Force civilian leadership apparently doesn't want it. Second, it would have to pass both the House and Senate as part of their respective defense authorization bills. Finally, the president would have to sign off on the restart.
Even manufacturer Lockheed Martin may not want in on this. If the Air Force were to purchase more F-22s, that would throw a monkey wrench into the F-35 program (which is also built by LM). If it were Congressionally mandated to buy more F-22s, then the Air Force would almost certainly order fewer F-35s, which would increase costs for all F-35 buyers, foreign and domestic. That in turn may decrease sales. And while some allied countries could be interested in buying the F-22 instead of the F-35—Japan in particular—the U.S. is barred by law from exporting the plane in order to protect its technological secrets. The bill specifically calls for the Air Force to look into exporting the F-22 abroad if the law were changed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/21/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
"the F-22 and the F-35 would complement each another in the field"...
The only way an F35 will compliment something in a field is if it's parked in it.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/21/2016 8:36 Comments ||
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#2
Get the line open again. Put the F-35 money into it. Take the lessons learned and systems researched for the F-35 and use that as a starting point for the F-16/FA-18 replacement, with part of it as a sustainment program for the A-10 F/A-19e-f service life extension and block upgrades.
India has agreed to buy a slew of advanced fighter jets from France. The deal, worth $8.8 billion, will provide India with 36 Rafale multi-role fighters for a staggering average cost of $244 million each.
And you thought the F-35 was expensive...
The Dassault Rafale was conceived in the early 1980s to be one multi-role fighter that could replace six different fighter and attack aircraft. The plane is almost completely French, with fuselage, avionics, engines and weapons all made in that country. Rafales have flown in combat in Afghanistan, Libya, Mail and Iraq. France operates 140 Rafales including the Rafale M, a navy version of the fighter featuring strengthened landing gear and a tail hook for use on aircraft carriers.
Although relatively small compared to planes like the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-22 Raptor, Rafale packs a powerful punch. Twelve wing-mounted hard points can carry a combination of air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, sensors, and drop tanks. Despite the fact that the Rafale is now a 30-year-old design, upgrades such as the RBE2 AA active electronic scanning array (AESA) radar, Damocles targeting pod, Meteor air-to-air missiles, and SCALP cruise missiles have kept the design competitive with other so-called "4+ generation" fighters.
Still, $244 million per aircraft is a lot of money. Why does Rafale cost so much? Exchange rates almost certainly play a role. And in addition to the plane itself, there's also a need for support and maintenance equipment and munitions. Part of the problem with Rafale is that aside from Paveway laser-guided bombs, it uses mostly French weapons that are incompatible with the rest of India's stockpile.
India is only the third international customer for Rafale. While the fighter has been on the market for decades, Rafale's first overseas sale happened just recently when Qatar bought 24 planes and Egypt followed shortly thereafter. Rafale will be a strong candidate to replace Canada's aging F/A-18 Hornet fighters when those need to retire.
Wonder why the Indians didn't select the F-16V...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/21/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Yah, THIS makes sense.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
04/21/2016 10:45 Comments ||
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[DAWN] SHEIKHUPURA: Six members of a family, including two women and two children, were hacked to death by person or persons unknown in Saoul village, 50km from here, on Tuesday.
Brothers Ibrahim and Saleem, Sharafat Bibi, Shumaila Bibi and children Amjad and an unidentified girl child after harvesting wheat crop were on their way home. When they were hardly 200 metres away from their residence, some unidentified attackers overpowered them, slit their throats and threw their bodies in a nearby field.
Later, the bodies were spotted by passersby. However, there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... the motive behind the murder could not be ascertained until the filing of this report.
Farooqabad Saddar police reached the spot and started an investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: The government is planning to make 'Koranic education' compulsory in all public schools in Pakistain.
Minister of State for Federal Education Muhammad Balighur Rehman said that 'Nazra Koran' will be taught to students of grade 1 to 5, and proper 'Koranic education' with translation will be imparted to students from grade 6 to 10 in all public schools.
Speaking at the 4th Annual Day organised by Al Huda International School at the Pak-China Friendship Centre, the minister said that the process would be initiated after consulting all provinces through the Inter-Provincial Education Minister's Conference.
Rehman stressed the need to educate children and encourage them to research and explore different subjects, fields and ideas.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/21/2016 00:00 ||
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How do the F35 "issues" compare to the issues around the Osprey?
I remember hearing terrible things about the Osprey for years but don't remember any details. All I know is that that weird looking plane seems to be in use today and shows up in many pics of war zones.
#5
Alan C; The Osprey was an entirely new technology; tilt rotor and all. A lot of the teething problems were just trying to figure out how to fly the damn thing.
the F-35 ( heresy naming it after the original Lightning) doesn't even want to fly.
My question is; The DOD canceled the A-12 after $5 Billion, why didn't they stop this piece of FOD?
#7
Yeah, I too was pissed they named it Lightning, even before any of the problems. So many badass things sky-related to choose from, and they coopt a famous and proven airframe name; should have been an ill omen.
#8
Naming it after a famous predecessor isn't necessarily a curse. The "Jug", P-47 Thunderbolt, was damned effective as a ground attack plane, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II has proven to be a worthy successor to that name.
But the 35 is a dog and a disgrace to the name Lightning.
A federal employee of the National Park Service who offers guided tours of Independence Hall in Philadelphia -- the birthplace of the Constitution -- stunned a group of tourists this week by telling them the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were the product of "class elites who were just out to protect their privileged status."
Mary A. Hogan, a federal employee making in excess of $95,000 per year in salary and benefits, provided a tour Monday afternoon at Independence Hall laced with factual inaccuracies and disparaging comments about the Founders and the Constitution.
#3
My wife worked for the Close Up Foundation for several years in D.C., educating high school kids in the Constitution and government for a week. She was often amazed at the ignorance of these mostly very bright kids, and loved to correct their misunderstandings of our Constitutional Republic.
Obviously, Ms. Hogan was not one of her pupils.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/21/2016 8:19 Comments ||
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#4
The idea that Constitution was written for the benefit of the wealthy is actually over 100 years old. Charles A. Beard wrote "An Economic Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution" in 1913.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/21/2016 9:46 Comments ||
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#5
The same brown shirts who kept the people from their monuments (even stopping a volunteer wanting to cut the grass) not long ago.
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.
Three months after the Secretary of the Air Force said resuming F-22 Raptor production was a "nonstarter," Congress is directing the service to look into doing exactly that. A key House of Representatives subcommittee wants the Air Force to study how it would go about buying another 194 of the high-tech jets.
A federal employee of the National Park Service who offers guided tours of Independence Hall in Philadelphia -- the birthplace of the Constitution -- stunned a group of tourists this week by telling them the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were the product of "class elites who were just out to protect their privileged status."
