[PJ] I love stories like this. With report after report of businesses being abused by thieves just walking in and helping themselves, it’s great to hear about someone doing something about it.
Michael Sullivan, is the operations manager at Roger’s Garden Nursery, located in Newport Beach, California. Over a series of weeks, the nursery was burglarized several times. Included in the thief’s haul were plants, trees, a decorative fountain, pots, and even some pumpkins, including expensive items and, in some cases, heavy items. Some of the pots are valued at $300 and the fountain weighed in excess of 150 lbs.
Even though the nursery was equipped with security cameras, including some in the parking lot, the robberies occurred at night and they were unable to clearly see the license plate. That made it even more frustrating, because they had video of the thief, but were unable to track him.
In a statement Sullivan stated that fact: "It was frustrating because we knew it was happening and we couldn't stop it due to the fact that our security cameras couldn't pick up the license plate."
The police attempted to stake out the nursery, but to no avail. That’s when Sullivan had his revelation. He placed eight Apple Air Tag Trackers on various items and in plants and shrubs. Sure enough, days later the thief struck again, taking a bench and other items.
A week later, he noticed movement and got a ping from a location in Irvine, CA. "I saw one of the Air Tags had moved to a location in Irvine, so I had the address at that point. I took a screenshot of it and I sent it to the detectives at 2 in the morning."
Police proceeded to the address and found what they described as "a sanctuary of stolen greenery." Many of the stolen items were found in the thief’s front yard.
Sullivan described it this way: "Every single thing in his front yard was like our pots, our fountain, our plants. The entire front yard. A bench from out front. The entire front yard was - it was basically decorated with our stuff that we were missing."
Police reported that they recovered approximately $8,000 worth of stolen materials and proceeded to file four felony charges against 53-year-old Michael David Meek on suspicion of grand theft.
Sullivan had a refreshing epitaph concerning the entire incident: "There seems to be a kind of apathy with a lot of retailers where they sort of like let it happen or look the other way or that's a cost of doing business. We disagree with that approach. We are going after anyone that takes something from us."
Commander Sylvan Altieri said: 'AirTags. I’ve seen people use them on tool kits, suitcases, I think that’s probably the best thing you can do as far as if it gets taken, because it’s a nice way to track it.'
[NYPOST] A paramedic with the bankrupt, increasingly impoverished, reliably Democrat, Detroit ... ruled by Democrats since 1962. A city whose Golden Age included the Purple Gang... Fire Department was placed on leave Friday after he was found to be under the influence when he crashed an ambulance with a patient being transported in the back, officials said. Bringing Out the Dead Life imitates Art.
The paramedic, who the fire department didn’t identify, side-swiped three cars while driving the patient through the city of Hamtramck just after midnight Friday, around five miles north of downtown Detroit, the Detroit Fire Department said in a statement.
After the crash, he waited for police to arrive.
The paramedic, who has been with the department for six years, was tested per department protocol and found to be under the influence of alcohol.
"We have a zero-tolerance policy for the use of alcohol while on duty and will take the appropriate action," Detroit Fire Department Commissioner Chuck Simms said in a statement.
"We have an outstanding team of EMTs and paramedics at DFD and it’s unfortunately that this incident detracts from the lifesaving work they do every day."
[AFRICANEWS] The corpse count from flood-related incidences has risen to 136 in Kenay as foods wipe towns off the map.
According to the National El Nino Emergency and Disaster Response Command Centre, the number of households displaced stood Friday at 92,432, which comprises 462,160 people.
Flash flooding in the nation's north eastern region continues to block major roads, flood towns and villages.
Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary (PS) Raymond Omollo told the press that 10 tonnes of assorted food items had been airlifted to Wajir County, one of the worst hit, on Thursday.
He added that the Kenya Defence Forces also airdropped food items in Isiolo County.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
they have small towns huh perhaps we should call them primitive camp sites with no hook ups?
[Washington Examiner] Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and other Democrats introduced a proposal on Thursday that would tax the unrealized capital gains of billionaires and very high earners.
Wyden has spearheaded an effort to make a mark-to-market proposal law for years, and the new legislation is the latest iteration of that effort. The plan would affect those with net worths of over $1 billion. It would also apply to high earners who made more than $100 million in three consecutive years.
If it were to become law, the plan would be a massive departure from how the United States handles federal tax policy, as it would apply levies on the unrealized gains of assets such as stocks and bonds for the wealthiest people.
The bill targets legal investment and spending strategies that billionaires use to shield themselves from tax liability. Wyden’s office said the legislation goes after a strategy dubbed "buy, borrow, die." Wealthy taxpayers can invest in appreciable assets such as stocks and real estate and then borrow against the untaxed appreciated value of those assets to fund other purchases.
"America’s tax code is riddled with loopholes that allow the ultra-wealthy to get away without paying their fair share while working families have to play by a different set of rules and pay taxes out of each paycheck," Wyden said. Loopholes you wh0res wrote
The proposal differs from the current tax regime because gains would be taxed even if not realized. Under the tax code, billionaires whose investments increase in value are taxed on that growth, known as capital gains, when those investments are finally sold off.
"You can only have a successful economy if you have a tax code that treats everyone fairly," he added. "My billionaires income tax will make that a reality by ensuring those at the very top start paying their fair share, just like the rest of us."
Co-sponsors of the legislation include several senators on the Left: Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Jeff Merkley (D-MA).
#3
It never ends. From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs. In the latter case, politicians who live to spend other people's money.
How about a sizable tax on congresscritters and their family members who profit from inside trading. Add in the annual 'unrealized gains' from reelection funds that they get to covert to personal money when they leave Congress.
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/03/2023 12:23 Comments ||
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#10
Talking Point Noise for use this election season to keep the clueless morons in the base on the plantation. As long as the billionaire class overwhelming supports the Progressive's it will just be blather. To quote an old Scottish Proverb: "You don't sh*t where you eat" !
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Nov. 27, 2023, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship. This post has been updated to include more information on deployed and underway ships.
Young men from Albania use legal loophole to claim asylum in UK
They work for gangs in cannabis farms to pay off debt to people smugglers
If caught by police they plead guilty and then try to block deportation
Albanian gangs have seized control of the UK's cocaine economy over the last 20 years after forming an alliance with Latin American drug cartels.
Among them, the Hellbanianz gang located on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking, East London has established itself as a evil force to be reckoned with.
The notorious crew flaunt their wealth sharing videos to social media of their flash sportscars, jewellery and wads of money.
Arrogant and unafraid of the police, masked Hellbanianz gangsters even shared music videos showing armoured vehicles fitted with heavy machine guns parading around a housing estate in London.
While drugs king pins for the gang happily pose in cushy British prisons in designer tracksuits with 'Hellbanianz' or 'HB' graffiti scrawled on their cell walls.
Albanian journalist and gang expert Muhammed Veliu told MailOnline that gangsters in the UK become role models for impoverished young men back in their native country.
But such is the need for money - gangs don't even need to recruit the illegal immigrants once they arrive in our cities and towns.
Albanian gangs have seized control of the UK's cocaine economy over the last 20 years after forming an alliance with Latin American drug cartels.
Among them, the Hellbanianz gang located on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking, East London has established itself as a evil force to be reckoned with.
The notorious crew flaunt their wealth sharing videos to social media of their flash sportscars, jewellery and wads of money.
Arrogant and unafraid of the police, masked Hellbanianz gangsters even shared music videos showing armoured vehicles fitted with heavy machine guns parading around a housing estate in London.
While drugs king pins for the gang happily pose in cushy British prisons in designer tracksuits with 'Hellbanianz' or 'HB' graffiti scrawled on their cell walls.
Albanian journalist and gang expert Muhammed Veliu told MailOnline that gangsters in the UK become role models for impoverished young men back in their native country.
But such is the need for money - gangs don't even need to recruit the illegal immigrants once they arrive in our cities and towns.
[ZERO] Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the Ford F-Series is no less than an American icon.
Ford’s immensely popular line of pickup trucks has been the best-selling truck for 46 consecutive years and the country’s best-selling vehicle for the last 41 years. And since it’s very hard to overtake an F-Series truck, both literally and figuratively, the F-Series will once again be America’s number 1 vehicle this year.
As Statista's Felix Richter reports, according to Car and Driver, Ford sold 573,370 units of its heavyweight truck in the first nine months of 2023, including 12,260 electric F-150 Lightning trucks. In a testament to America’s love of pickup trucks, the F-Series is trailed by the Chevy Silverado and the Ram Pickup in second and third place, before the Toyota RAV4 is the first non-heavy-duty vehicle in this year’s ranking of best-selling cars and trucks.
#1
Truck in the graphic with a standard transmission and six cylinder engine could have been purchased new for under $1900. Yes I know, the 1960's was a very long time ago.
#5
Just to go to the supermarket and ride around town.
Spent some time in West Palm Beach.
There were days when the Publix Grocery valet parking line was full of waiting Rolls Silver Shadows on their commute home.
#6
Part of the thought behind people buying trucks and other large vehicles is the feeling that small econoboxes are deathtraps in a collision.
I am on my third F truck in a row, and will likely be my last vehicle purchase. But hell no I'm not giving them $80g for one.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/03/2023 14:35 Comments ||
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[BBC] The leaders of an anti-bullying motorcycle club in northern France have been arrested on charges of threatening a school headteacher and his deputy.
The president of the Black Shadow North WC club and his wife were questioned by police in the town of Auchel, 65km (40 miles) west of Lille.
The alleged offences - which they deny - include threatening to bundle the headteacher into the boot of a car.
The row arose from reports of violence between pupils, prosecutors say.
The Black Shadow North WC club is one of several biker clubs that have emerged in France to combat bullying in recent years.
Members accuse police and school officials of not doing enough to tackle the problem. According to health experts, over 10% of French pupils experience bullying by the age of 16.
The confrontation in Auchel originated in a complaint last month by a mother who said her teenage daughter was being targeted, media say.
The bullying allegation was not confirmed by authorities. But feelings were running high after a teenager from a neighbouring school took her own life in early November.
Prosecutors say the president of Black Shadow North WC went near the school in Auchel to demand sanctions against the alleged offenders.
The prosecutor's office says the biker and his wife threatened to come back "with dozens of bikers to put the headteacher in a car boot and take him across the Belgian border because of his lack of action".
The accused, who deny any wrongdoing, are due to appear in court on Monday.
The idea of a carbon passport centers on each traveler being assigned a yearly carbon allowance that they cannot exceed. These allowances can then "ration" travel.
This concept may seem extreme. But the idea of personal carbon allowances is not new. A similar concept (called "personal carbon trading") was discussed by UK Parliament in 2008, before being shut down because of to its perceived complexity and the possibility of public resistance.
The average annual carbon footprint for a person in the US is 16 tons — one of the highest rates in the world. In the UK this figure sits at 11.7 tons, still more than five times the figure recommended by the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
Globally, the average annual carbon footprint of a person is closer to 4 tons. But, to have the best chance of preventing temperature rise from overshooting 2 Celsius, the average global carbon footprint needs to drop to under two tons by 2050. This figure equates to around two roundtrip flights between London and New York.
Intrepid Travel’s report predicts that we will see carbon passports in action by 2040. However, several laws and restrictions have been put in place over the past year that suggest our travel habits may already be on the verge of change.
#5
Us little guys will be limited, but global elites will still travel. Maybe they will set up an exchange where I can liquidate my rights to travel outside the US.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/03/2023 15:17 Comments ||
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#6
We could spare the world a helluva lotta grief if we limited John Kerry's travel.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/03/2023 18:44 Comments ||
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#7
#6 We could spare the world a helluva lotta grief if we limited John Kerry's travel.
Just travel? The world's Botox supply would be 17% higher
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2023 18:59 Comments ||
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Dogs are closer to the ground.
Surely the cause is CO from gas stoves.
[JustTheNews] Experts say make sure your dog is vaccinated and avoid dog parks.
Scientists are still unsure what is the exact cause of a mysterious, sometimes fatal respiratory illness in dogs that has now been detected in 14 states.
Symptoms include sneezing, lethargy and loss of appetite – similar to those found in what is known as "kennel cough."
Among the states reporting cases are Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
University of New Hampshire’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory senior veterinary pathologist David Needle told the news outlet Axios that his research appears to show the disease is spread through close contact of an infected animal.
The Director of Oregon Veterinary Diagnostics Lab, Dr. Kurt Williams, is telling pet owners to make sure their dogs are vaccinated and to avoid taking them to dog parks until more information is available.
“It would be prudent, first and foremost, to make sure your dog is fully vaccinated,” Dr. Williams said in an interview with Fox 12. “I think it would not be a bad idea to perhaps avoid possible situations where your dog is mingling with many other dogs. So, at boarding facilities, or dog parks, or something like that.”
The illness is thought to be new and perhaps first detected in 2022 in New Hampshire, according to National Geographic, which also reports it is resistant to most treatments, including anti-inflammatories.
The American Veterinary Medical Association is working with pathologists and virologists to learn more about what some suspect is a virus.
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.