[NYPOST] A Minnesota dad who ranted against President-elect Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election... online shot and killed his wife, ex-partner, and his two sons before turning the gun on himself, according to authorities.
The shooter, 46-year-old Anthony Nephew, had a "pattern of mental health issues," Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said on Friday — one day after authorities found five people dead inside two homes in the city.
Authorities found Anthony Nephew’s ex-partner Erin Abramson, 47, and their son, Jacob Nephew, 15, dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their home Thursday afternoon, police said.
After identifying Anthony Nephew as a suspect, police found his 45-year-old wife Kathryn Nephew, and their 7-year-old son Oliver Nephew dead from gunshot wounds inside their family home close by.
Anthony Nephew was also found dead inside the home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/11/2024 00:00 ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 was recorded off the coast of Cuba on November 10, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) reports.
Earlier, the center's specialists reported an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 off the coast of Cuba, which occurred at 18:50 Moscow time. There is no information yet about possible victims and damage.
The new earthquake occurred 64 km southeast of the city of Manzanillo, with a population of 128,000. Its source was located at a depth of 17 km.
As reported by the Regnum news agency on November 10, according to seismologists, the United States could be threatened by a 30-meter tsunami and a 9-point earthquake.
Experts have found signs of a possible cataclysm by exploring the Cascade Subduction Zone and identifying four segments along the 970 km-long fault.
In the city of Severo-Kurilsk in the Sakhalin Oblast, a weak ashfall from the Ebeko volcano was observed on the morning of November 10. This was reported on Sunday by the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the region.
“On the morning of November 10, the Crisis Management Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Sakhalin Region received information from the Federal State Budgetary Institution Sakhalin UGMS that traces of ashfall were observed on the snow cover in the area of the meteorological station as a result of an emission from the Ebeko volcano,” reads a message published on the agency’s Telegram channel.
The Ebeko volcano, which is 1,156 meters high, is located in the north of Paramushir Island in the northern part of the Vernadsky Ridge, seven kilometers northwest of Severo-Kurilsk.
It is noted that, according to information from the Unified Dispatch Service (EDDS), the smell of hydrogen sulfide was not felt in Severo-Kurilsk. No threats to the life of the population were recorded, and no calls were received from the population.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on October 1, the Ebeko volcano ejected ash to a height of 2.8 kilometers. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Sakhalin Region, the plume spread in a north-easterly direction for a distance of more than five kilometers; there was no ashfall in Severo-Kurilsk, and residents did not smell hydrogen sulfide.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Scientists have registered a powerful solar flare, the Institute of Applied Geophysics reported on November 10.
The flash's power was in the M class range, but close to the highest class (X), and its duration was 31 minutes, the institute told TASS.
“On November 10 at 15:06 Moscow time, an M9.5 flare lasting 31 minutes was recorded in the X-ray range in the sunspot group 3889 (S07E26),” the report says.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 6, the Institute of Applied Geophysics reported that scientists had registered the second highest class X flare on the Sun since the beginning of the month. Its duration was 32 minutes.
On October 9, a level X flare also occurred on the Sun. It caused a plasma ejection towards the Earth and a magnetic storm. As scientists noted, the plasma was ejected exactly along the Sun-Earth line, and the geometric dimensions of the ejection exceeded possible calculation errors.
On October 28, a plasma cloud with a speed of about 600 km/s and a temperature of about 700 thousand degrees reached the Earth. Two active spots 3842 and 3848 are located on the side of the Sun visible from the Earth. They caused powerful magnetic storms at the beginning of the month.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In Mexico, scientists from the local National Institute of Anthropology and History have discovered an underground portal to the afterlife that was used by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. This is reported by RIA Novosti.
The publication states that during the study of the Catholic Church of San Pablo Apóstol in the city of Ancient Mitla in southern Mexico, vast voids up to 30 m deep were discovered under the temple building.
The article specifies that these territories were inhabited by the Zapotec Indians with a developed culture, and the city of Mitla flourished, being one of the largest political and religious centers of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
"From the 10th to the 15th century, Mitla flourished. There were many temples, pagan temples, and priests' houses. The Spaniards who arrived here in 1520 dubbed the city the "Indian Vatican," the publication notes.
According to the publication, the Zapotec Indians adhered to polytheism (polytheism), offering their prayers to the deities of the Sun, Moon, thunder, corn, fishing and many others. It is noted that the Zapotecs also performed human sacrifices, and at some temples even the remains of children were found.
According to the information in the material, it was in the voids under the above-mentioned church, founded by Spanish conquistadors in the future, that sacrifices took place, including human ones. The name of the city translates as "place of the dead", and it served as a portal to the afterlife.
The article states that scientists are currently developing a plan to study all the voids, which is not yet possible without organizing full-scale excavations, since the city leadership is against it.
"For more precise conclusions, excavations are necessary. But the Mitla administration is categorically against it. After all, it could damage the historical architectural ensemble," archaeologist Marco Vigato told journalists.
The publication specifies that the study of the cavities of Ancient Mitla will reveal to scientists many secrets related to the history of Mesoamerican civilizations, including not only the Zapotecs themselves, but also the Aztecs and Mayans.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on September 11, archaeologists found children's toys from the 16th to 19th centuries in Moscow. Among the toys found were figurines of a chicken, a man, and a horse, all made of ceramics. Archaeologists also found a fragment of a toy — a man's head in a cap with large round eyes.
In July, the first birch bark letters in the Far East were found in Yakutsk. The head of the republic said that nine letters were found, which were written in ink in a cursive script from the 17th century. So far, we have managed to read the first fragment, which talks about the collection of yasak (a tax on the peoples of Siberia and the Far East).
[RMXnews] Elon Musk called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a "fool," but rather than responding to the accusation head-on, his spokesperson dismissed X as a platform increasingly used by extremists
Scholz is facing a wave of criticism over his handling of the economy and mounting government gridlock. His abrupt firing of Lindner signaled the collapse of a coalition already struggling to manage, with all three parties plummeting in the national polls to the benefit of the center-right CDU/CSU and nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD).
And yet, while the coalition government seems intent on squabbling among themselves, Musk’s blunt appraisal of Scholz’s leadership echoes the frustration of a growing number of Germans.
Berlin’s inability to stabilize Europe’s largest economy has resulted in soaring energy costs, stagnant growth, and a considerable decline in its competitiveness with the likes of China.
The German automotive sector is in the process of cutting thousands of jobs as it grapples with a global shift toward electric vehicles — a transformation Musk himself has been at the forefront of.
The economic crisis is having a knock-on effect throughout the country, with Remix News reporting this week that bankruptcies have soared to their highest level in 20 years.
A total of 1,530 individuals and corporations filed for bankruptcies in October, 17 percent more than last month, according to research from the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Halle (IWH).
Similarly, German industrial orders fell 5.8 percent in August compared to July, it was reported last month. The slump is far higher than the 2 percent drop anticipated, with economists now warning of a recession and doubting a quick recovery.
In September, a survey by the Ifo Institute revealed that the German economy is expected to shrink by 0.1 percent in 2024, following a 0.3 percent contraction last year, while business sentiment worsened for the fourth consecutive month and business activity contracted at its fastest rate in seven months.
Despite the political chaos, Scholz appears reluctant to act immediately with reports suggesting he could call a vote of no confidence in the new year paving the way for new elections possibly by March, a time when Donald Trump will already be back in the White House and implementing his ‘America First’ policies many believe will be to the further detriment of the German economy.
Opposition politicians in Germany are demanding decisive action with the AfD’s Bernd Baumann calling for “immediate new elections,” citing the latest results of the Politbarometer which revealed that 84 percent of Germans support this move.
Similarly, Thorsten Frei, parliamentary manager of the CDU/CSU, scolded Scholz’s hesitancy on Wednesday, claiming that “the bankruptcy of the traffic light coalition is the bankruptcy of Olaf Scholz.”
#2
..we have a First Amendment that the soon to be President already has articulated he'll actively defend. Due to prior dictates from the EU government, Elon is unlikely to be visiting Europe anytime soon. It's just another reason we should be clear of the place once and for all.
#3
Also, Tesla has totally driven the German car companies insane with fear. They still haven't let Tesla-Berlin go full bore.
Tesla-Berlin was designed to eventually go to 2 million cars/year for the EU market.
The largest current producer for the EU market is Volkswagen (you know Hitler's fav car company). VW and its other firms (see Audi) have over 157,000 workers to assemble and build up to 1.4 million autos for the EU market.
With it's extreme automation Tesla-Berlin will only take about 8,000 to 10,000 workers to make 2 million autos for the same market. Their current cost of production is less than $18,000 per auto. The cheapest cost of production for VW for their EU cars is closer to $30,000. Stick a fork in them. VW might go under if Tesla goes full bore.
[Last Refuge] When the FBI and DOJ lawfare operatives want to frame their agenda and undermine their targets, they have historically leaked to the New York Times and Politico. Both outlets serve as the promoters for false or misleading information that benefits the bad actors inside the DOJ and FBI.
As a consequence, when the DOJ or FBI start freaking out, they run to the same New York Times and Politico.
Politico is reporting today about how the lawfare operatives inside Main Justice are panicking about what incoming President Trump will do.
A collective sense of dread has taken hold at the Department of Justice, which drew Donald Trump’s rage like no other part of the federal government during his campaign.
Some career attorneys at DOJ are already considering heading for the exits rather than sticking around to find out whether threats from Trump and his allies are real or campaign bluster. Those threats range from mass firings of "deep state" lawyers to expelling special counsel Jack Smith from the country.
"Everyone I’ve talked to, mostly lawyers, are losing their minds," said one DOJ attorney, who like most of the people interviewed for this article was granted anonymity to speak freely about colleagues and avoid retribution from the president-elect and his allies. "The fear is that career leadership and career employees everywhere are either going to leave or they’re going to be driven out."
While alarm over Trump’s return is widespread throughout the federal bureaucracy, it is perhaps most acute at the Justice Department, which was at the center of many of the major controversies of his first term.
Most of the department’s 115,000 employees were around for those controversies. Critics believed the Trump White House meddled in some of the department’s high-profile prosecutions. Both of Trump’s attorneys general, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, eventually lost the president’s confidence. And his first term ended with a stunning showdown between Trump and nearly all of his DOJ appointees as they resisted his attempts to cling to power.
But department veterans say those events pale in comparison to what they expect when Trump gets a second chance to try to remake the DOJ in his vision. They also know Trump’s anger at the department has only deepened in the past four years as it launched two unprecedented criminal prosecutions against him.
#4
It's good that they are panicked. They should bear in mind why they are panicked, what it is they are afraid of, and what choices lead to this event.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/11/2024 12:40 Comments ||
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#5
There is also a buffet of civil rights violations against Trump and regular citizens. Executive privilege and the “on-going investigations” stall will not be in play. A large percentage of DOJ personnel will have run amok regarding Trump’s upcoming 1st Amendment executive order.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/11/2024 12:53 Comments ||
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[NYP] WASHINGTON — New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has accepted President-elect Donald Trump’s offer to be his enforcer as United Nations ambassador, The Post can reveal.
The 40-year-old upstate Republican, who helped force out two Ivy League presidents with her sharp questioning on campus antisemitism, will the lead Trump’s "America first" and pro-Israel message in Turtle Bay.
"I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter," Trump, 78, said in a statement to The Post Sunday night.
#5
In a handful of Michigan counties, some early votes were not reported in the totals. The story is still a bit garbled, but allegedly, the test ballots used to check voting machine accuracy were uploaded instead of the early voter ballots. This was noticed when the results were being certified.
For most of the affected counties, the results were not changed, but in Leelanau County, the county board went from a 6-1 Democrat majority to 4-3 Republican and the drain commissioner position went from D to R.
[NYPOST] President-elect Donald Trump has nabbed the highest raw count of the popular vote of any Republican presidential hopeful ever, according to projections of the 2024 election.
As of Sunday morning, Trump clinched 74,650,000 popular votes, eclipsing his prior record of 74,224,000 votes in the 2020 election, per the Associated Press.
At the moment, that puts the incoming president ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris' 70.9 million votes — though there is still a large swath of votes uncounted, including in California which has an estimated 66% of the vote tabulated.
Other states, including Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, Oregon and Utah still have outstanding votes. Roughly 5 million votes are estimated to be left outstanding.
[SpaceNews] The three NASA astronauts who returned to Earth on the Crew-8 mission declined to discuss the medical issue that prompted a trip to the hospital after their return and, for one of them, an overnight stay.
NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, returned to Earth Oct. 25 on a Crew Dragon spacecraft, concluding the 235-day Crew-8 mission. But later that day NASA said that the four were taken to a Pensacola, Florida, hospital for additional medical evaluations "out of an abundance of caution." One of the NASA astronauts was hospitalized in stable condition there, but released the next day "in good health."
NASA did not disclose the identity of the astronaut who was hospitalized or the specific medical concern that prompted the hospital visit. At a Nov. 8 press conference to discuss their mission, the three NASA astronauts declined to discuss details about the incident, citing medical privacy.
"Spaceflight is still something we don’t fully understand. We’re finding things we don’t expect sometimes, and this was one of those times," Barratt, a doctor, said of what he called the "medical event" after splashdown. "We’re still piecing things together on this and so, to maintain medical privacy and to let our processes go forward in an orderly manner, this is all we’re going to say about that event at this time."
He deflected later questions at the briefing about the hospitalization. "Space medicine is my passion," he said. "In the fullness of time, we will allow this to come out and be documented. For now, medical privacy is very important to us. We maintain that always in many things we do. The same with due process. Both of those negate our ability to talk about it today."
All three said they were gradually adjusting after nearly eight months in microgravity. "It’s a very slow progression," said Dominick.
"Everyone’s different, and that’s the part you can’t predict," added Epps.
The briefing came a day after NASA batted down rumors about a health issue with an astronaut currently on the International Space Station. Several articles claimed that astronaut Sunita Williams was in poor health, claims traced to one non-NASA doctor’s assessment of a single image of Williams, taken in September, where the doctor claimed that Williams appeared "gaunt."
NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said Nov. 7 that Wiliams was in good health and that doctors were not "tracking any concerns" with her or other members of the station’s crew: "All NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station undergo routine medical evaluations, have dedicated flight surgeons monitoring them, and are in good health." Notably, other images of Williams on the station posted by NASA more recently appear to show her in good health.
Spacewalk scrubs
Before their splashdown, the biggest issue faced by the Crew-8 astronauts was a pair of aborted spacewalks in June. One spacewalk involving Dominick and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson was called off because of what NASA called at the time a "spacesuit discomfort issue," while one later in the month involving Barratt and Dyson was aborted after an umbilical line connecting Dyson’s suit to station systems leaked water when disconnected.
"It was not a trivial leak," Barratt said at the briefing. Since the airlock hatch was open, the leaking water turned to ice, creating "a blizzard" of ice particles. "It was very dramatic."
He praised Dyson for "nowhere short of heroic" actions to reconnect the umbilical despite her hands and visor being covered with ice. "Getting the airlock closed was me grabbing her legs and using her as an end effector to lever that thing closed," he said.
"There was a bit of drama. Everything worked out fine and, again, normal processes and procedures saved our bacon," he concluded.
He said the problem was traced to a poppet valve "that didn’t quite seat" on the umbilical’s interface with the suit. "I think we solved that problem by changing out the whole umbilical." By the time that umbilical was replaced, though, it was too late to begin preparations for another spacewalk before the end of their time on the station.
At a Nov. 4 briefing about the launch of the SpX-31 cargo mission to the station, Bill Spetch, NASA ISS operations and integration manager, said the next spacewalks from the station are planned for early 2025. He also said that "hoses and other components" in the umbilical were replaced and tested. "All systems on the suit worked as expected."
Dominick, at the Crew-8 briefing, had little to add about the suit discomfort issue that called off his spacewalk. "We’re still reviewing it and trying to figure all the details out," he said.
He acknowledged "frustration" with not being able to perform the spacewalk after years of training on the ground. "There’s no surprise there that there’s frustration that you put all that effort, all those years, and you’re in the suit ready to go outside and you don’t," he said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/11/2024 04:54 ||
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#2
No inside knowledge, but it's likely Ms Epps had an issue. It has been observed before that body fat seems to 'redistribute' itself in prolonged microgravity.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/11/2024 8:49 Comments ||
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#3
The fact that NASA is not talking about it totally reassures me that this is merely routine and not some unknown space virus.
[SpaceNews] BlackSky has taken full ownership of smallsat manufacturer LeoStella, giving the remote sensing company greater control over the production of its next generation of imaging satellites.
In a Nov. 7 earnings call to discuss its third quarter financial results, BlackSky announced it acquired the 50% of LeoStella it did not already own from Thales Alenia Space, the other partner in the joint venture. The company did not disclose financial terms of the deal.
The deal was completed on Nov. 6, according to BlackSky’s 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “We expect that this acquisition will allow the Company to improve its control over the Gen-3 supply chain and production operations,” the company stated in the filing, which also did not disclose financial details about the transaction.
Gen-3 is the next generation of imaging satellites that LeoStella has been producing for BlackSky. The new satellites promise increase performance in terms of resolution and revisit rates over the company’s existing Gen-2 spacecraft, with additional capabilities such as shortwave infrared imaging and intersatellite links. The company anticipates a baseline constellation of at least a dozen of those satellites.
During the earnings call, Brian O’Toole, chief executive of BlackSky, said the first Gen-3 satellite is in the “final testing phase” after which it will be shipped to New Zealand for launch on a Rocket Lab Electron. He did not disclose a projected launch date for the satellite other than it will take place three to four weeks after shipment.
He said that acquiring the half of LeoStella it did not own would improve efficiencies in the production of future Gen-3 satellites. “To support our Gen-3 production objectives, we’ve taken active steps to further optimize the Gen-3 supply chain and production operations, which includes the acquisition of our partner stake in LeoStella,” he stated.
BlackSky, then a part of Spaceflight Industries, announced the creation of the LeoStella joint venture with Thales Alenia Space in 2018 as part of a $150 million Series C round. LeoStella opened a satellite factory in a Seattle suburb in 2019 that would be used to both produce BlackSky satellites as well as those from other customers.
While LeoStella did win business from other companies, such as Loft Orbital, and sought to enter defense markets, BlackSky was its major customer. In an Oct. 24 press release to announce that BlackSky and LeoStella jointly were selected for a Space Development Agency program that makes them eligible to compete for future experimental satellite missions, LeoStella stated that it has delivered 23 satellites to date, 19 of which were in orbit. Most of those would be for BlackSky.
O’Toole was vague about whether LeoStella would continue to sell satellites to third parties now that it is wholly owned by BlackSky. “Right now, BlackSky is the primary customer for LeoStella. So, we’ve been essentially funding that business through our existing satellite production contracts,” he said. LeoStella’s focus, he said, will be “on the scaling of Gen-3 and optimizing those production operations.”
Notably, LeoStella’s website now redirects to BlackSky’s site, which makes no mention of satellite manufacturing capabilities.
O’Toole said in the earnings call that despite buying out Thales Alenia’s stake in LeoStella, the two companies would continue to work together. “Our partnership with Thales remains really strong,” he said. “We’re continuing to partner worldwide on bringing Gen-3 capability combined with their offerings to the market.”
BlackSky reported $71.7 million in revenue in the first nine months of this year, a 22% increase over the same period in 2023. It said it had adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $4.3 million through the first nine months of the year, compared to negative adjusted EBITDA of $10.3 million in the same period last year.
[SpaceNews dot com] Reaction Engines Ltd., a British company that has worked for decades on an air-breathing rocket engine for spaceplanes and other hypersonic vehicles, has filed for bankruptcy.
The company formally entered administration, a process under United Kingdom law to allow for the restructuring or liquidation of companies in financial distress, on Oct. 31 after attempts to raise additional funding fell through. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been appointed as administrators of the company during the process, and under U.K. law has eight weeks to develop a plan to restructure or sell the company, or else liquidate its assets.
As part of the company’s administration process, most of its approximately 200 employees have been laid off. An industry source said that, given the company’s struggles to raise money, the most likely course of action will be liquidation.
The company, founded in 1989, is best known for the Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), an engine concept proposed by the company intended for use on spaceplanes that would allow them to reach orbit without the need for boosters. SABRE would use hydrogen and oxygen, taking oxygen from the air through a unique “precooler” design at lower altitudes and speeds and switching to onboard supplies of liquid oxygen as it ascended towards orbit.
The company proposed using SABRE on a spaceplane called Skylon, a single-stage vehicle that could carry 17 tons to low Earth orbit. Work on Skylon did not advance beyond the conceptual stage, and the company acknowledged that development of Skylon would have cost more than $10 billion.
Reaction Engines continued to work on key technologies for SABRE, securing relatively modest government awards like an $11 million grant from the European Space Agency in 2016. Large aerospace companies, including BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, invested in the company as it sought other applications for SABRE and its technology, such as for hypersonic vehicles.
The company established an American subsidiary, Reaction Engines Inc., which set up a facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port, an airport east of Denver, for testing elements of SABRE technology like its precooler. That subsidiary is also included in the administration.
#1
Couln't make their SCRAMjet work. When you consider actual testing needs to be done at high altitudes and velocities, not surprising. They never actually got that far.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/11/2024 8:52 Comments ||
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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.
...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat 
