[Breitbart] Severe depression —> driving through drive-through without pants —> suicide. It would have happened even had the cashier not posted video on social media, I suspect.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Texas Senator Ted Cruz is calling for President Donald Trump to release all files related to the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial.
'I have long called for the administration to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, and also the P. Diddy files,' Cruz said to The Bulwark.
Combs was charged in September by federal officials with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The alleged activity aligned with his elaborate sex parties known as ‘Freak Offs.’
The federal government accused Combs of using his ‘multi-faceted business empire’ to facilitate women and other individuals for his events and incidents of ‘repeated physical abuse’ according to the indictments.
Americans have called for the release of the 'Diddy files,' as many expect them to include a long list of celebrities who they believe are guilty of sexual crimes.
Trump's choice for FBI director Kash Patel said in November that the president would likely release details of the case in order to restore trust in American law enforcement.
'He's going to come in there and maybe give them the Epstein list, maybe give them the Diddy list, and they are terrified,' Patel said during an interview on the Benny Johnson Show.
It will happen right after the Epstein files are found. Which, at last check, were under _ _ _ control and next to the Ark of the Covenant in a DC storage facility.
Originally from Oildale and Bakersfield, California. Retired Sergeant Major from US Army Special Forces and a country music songwriter. The songs on here I have written or have worked on with some great friends and co-writers. All of the songs are professionally done with some of Nashville's best singers and A-session musicians. Married to the lovely Marcia, our home is in Tampa and we have three great kids and nine wonderful grandchildren...lots of Love and blessed from Above...makes for a lot to write about! Friends call me "BJ"...Onward Through the Fog!
Kindly find a different URL when posting information from Wunderground, s'il vous plait...
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING FOR THE TAHOE BASIN ABOVE 7000 FEET...
* WHAT...For the Winter Weather Advisory for the Tahoe Basin above
7000 feet, wet snow. Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches with up
to 20 inches above 8,000 feet. Winds gusting as high as 90 mph.
For the Winter Storm Watch for the Tahoe Basin above 7000 feet,
heavy wet snow. Snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet. Winds gusting
as high as 90 mph.
------------------ The above is just the first phase. Stormy weather will likely last until 7 February. Right now it looks like several warm periods will be entrained into the storm system and this will allow the Donner, Echo and other passes to open quickly after each heavy snow period. However, this could change. In any event, areas above 9000' may get 10' of snow.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/31/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
The Weather Guessers 2 weeks ago were saying the Southeast (Miss, AL, GA) should be planning for another Snow/ICE Storm around Feb 8th.
Everybody enjoying this Global Warming? Because, according to their Global Warming Countdown Clock we only have 5 years left.
BUT WAIT. Climate Cooling is also predicted to happen in 2030 (5 years from now, just like the Global Warming clock).
So which side of the Earth well be HOT as Hell, or Cold as a Well Diggers ass?
Also, don't forget we only have 89 seconds to live according to the Doomsday Clock. Which has also been wrong for 70+ years.
[ArsTechnica] AI haters build tarpits to trap and trick AI scrapers that ignore robots.txt. Attackers explain how an anti-spam defense became an AI weapon.
#1
I can only recommend that anyone planning to rely on AI processing data with factual accuracy have a conversation about a topic where he has intricate knowledge.
So far I've always found AI to be prone to make subtle and also glaring mistakes like hallucinating fictional historical figures.
#3
Like any tool - AI proficiency will be in the hands of the holder.
I hit a level with my certifications that book learning, MS Learn, Tutorial Dojo, etc - just dont get me over the hump to pass the tests. AI has changed that.
If AI has all these bad facts and hallucinations, I'm not sure I would have passed my AZ-104 exam b/c I relied solely on ChatGPT to drill down the higher level concepts I was not getting from the exam review material.
#5
Unfortunately I fear people will 'cite' AI the same way they would, or used to, 'cite' Wikipedia
I did an experiement with the Jebrains AI assistant which 'helps' you write code. I asked it to 'refactor' a good chunk of python. First time was pretty good, Second... ok, by the fifth time the code was just mush. Looked like Joe Biden had written it while drunk... That was just code which it should have been able to handle easily...
[ZeroHedge] A day after STMicroelectronics—one of Europe's largest chipmakers—said that 2024 was one of the worst years for the industry and forecasted first-quarter revenue below the Bloomberg Consensus estimates, the company is reportedly planning to cut thousands of jobs. Wonder what the exec 'departure bonus' is?
Bloomberg cited sources close to the Franco-Italian chipmaker that say about 6% of the workforce could be slashed through early retirements and attrition amid a prolonged downturn in auto and industrial sectors. Hey DOGE!
Here's more from the report:
The job cuts under discussion, which could be announced as soon as next month, are in the range of 2,000 to 3,000 workers and will affect its operations in both Italy and France, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public. The decision isn't final and the scale of the reductions is still under review, the people added.
The Italian government, which together with France holds a 27.5% stake in the company, is seeking to limit the impact of the restructuring on the Italian workforce, the people said.
[NBCnews] DCA tower staffing was 'not normal' during crash, preliminary FAA report finds
A preliminary FAA report on the collision found that air traffic control tower staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was "not normal" for the amount of air traffic and for the time of day, a source with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.
The tower typically has a controller that focuses specifically on helicopter traffic. But at the time of the crash last night, the source said, one controller at DCA was overseeing both airplane and helicopter activity.
FAA guidelines do allow for this position to be combined, permitting one controller to control both airplanes and helicopters.
The airport’s air traffic control facilities have been understaffed for years, with only 19 fully certified controllers on deck as of September 2023, according to Congress’ Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan report
In that plan, ATC said it is “committed to maximum hiring for the next few years to recover from substantial under-hiring due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lapse in funding in 2019.”
The Biden-era report also highlighted the agency’s commitment to DEI policies.
“The FAA is fully committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity while maintaining the highest safety standards as outlined in the agency’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2021-2025,” the report said.
In 2023, the FAA exceeded its hiring target of 1,500 controllers by bringing aboard 1,512 new employees.
The facility should have had 30 on deck, as per the goal set by the FAA and controller’s union. Shortages have caused many controllers to work 10-hour days and six-day weeks.
#1
Conducting a Helo Night Vission Goggle (NVG) approach to National doesn't seem to pass the common sense test. What about BWI, Andrews, AP Hill, or Davis at Belvoir (origin point) ?
Must be a reason. What is it ?
Will this be enough to end military access to National ?
One year ago, Republicans stood before Congress and stated that there was shortage of air, traffic control operators, and that the DEI policies and workshops needed to go. They wanted money to go for hiring people to work in air traffic control that had nothing to do with DEI… pic.twitter.com/U303pK1roy
#12
The "instructor" (pilot has been identified and seems solid); the co-pilot (presumably being instructed) has not been publicly identified. Presumably the instructee was at the controls.
#14
Lots of issues came together that night to create this accident. First, both pilot and copilot of the Blackhawk were low time aviators. The instructor pilot was a 1,000 hour pilot, really low time for an IP. The other pilot was at 500 hours. She was probably only a year out of flight school. Both very junior for fluing in a complex environment.
There is a lot of chatter about the helo being at 400 feet, a hundred feet above their ceiling. There is no word yet on the airliner's altitude, was it above the floor for the approach? Or in the tube like it should be. Allowing two aircraft to get within 100 feet of each other in flight is a no go. The helo was flying outside the corridor, it appears the helo was further away from the airport that the corridor allows. This should have given them better distance in altitude, but we will see.
The controller being sent home early placing the burden on a single controller will most likely become another contributing factor.
Lastly, a few years ago there was a change allowing the sequencing of aircraft in a control zone to be closer, meaning less time between aircraft landing. This causes a more complex environment for controllers and pilots.
All of these seem to be, or could be considered, contributing factors that need to be investigated and I do believe the NTSB will.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/31/2025 13:10 Comments ||
Top||
#15
Comments from people who should know are popping up all over, e.g.
It’s no secret in Washington — in the halls of Congress and various agencies that call the city home — that D.C.’s airspace is “incredibly congested.”
That’s what former House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio said..
#16
More from above interview, I added emphasis where appropriate:
Q: There has been a lot of concern in the industry over a spike in near-collisions, but most of that focus has been on collisions on the ground. Has the danger of midair collisions been under-appreciated?
A: This is an incredibly congested airspace. First off, if the military wants to run training missions, they could run them between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when Washington National has noise reductions in place and traffic is dramatically reduced. I don't see any reason to be running training missions during peak hours. I believe that there is a lot of unnecessary military transport in that corridor.
I read a comment that military considers it necessary to train helicopter crews to function well around DC in case of a crisis threatening "continuity of government". Still there's no justification in sandwiching training missions into the most congested airline space in the USA. Congress is a do-nothing branch of our government, only interested in cashing every paycheck and collecting every benefit they can get their hands on. Even when the lives of Congress critters and their families are on the line, Congress does (and usually doesn't do) whatever it likes. Prove me wrong.
#17
If TPTB actually considered "continuity of government" all that important, they would have started dispersing governmental centers all over CONUS decades ago. They've done squat.
When I'm in D.C., I stay on my [house] boat, and I see all of the many, many, many helicopter flights following that same flight path.
I must be the only person who thinks having the center of government adjacent to a waterway connected to the Atlantic seaboard is a major security risk. I wonder about how close a submerged drone could get to the US Capitol.
#19
IIRC, when they built Dulles airport, it was supposed to sort of replace Reagan. I think the plan was to eventually shut Reagan down. However, the Congress critters hated the idea of having to go all the way to Dulles when they flew home on the weekend, so they insisted that Reagan stay open.
#23
14:38 from X: The FAA has indefinitely shut down all low-altitude helicopter flights near DCA. The FAA was right to take this action, and I expect these restrictions to be in effect until investigations are complete.
[Epoch Times] Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy said on Jan. 29 that his department is taking action to remove stringent fossil fuel emission standards instituted by the Biden administration. In December 2023, the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration finalized a rule establishing a method to measure and report transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions.
The rule was set up to "confront the increasingly urgent climate crisis," according to the executive summary, and was expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. This was part of a plan to reach "net-zero emissions by no later than 2050," according to a 2021 White House fact sheet.
On Jan. 29, Duffy approved a proposal to rescind the rule. "The rescission reflects the Administration’s commitment to unleashing American energy and eliminating unlawful regulatory burdens," the DOT said in a Jan. 29 statement.
Duffy also issued a memorandum on Jan. 28 related to "fixing the CAFE program." The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulate the distance vehicles are required to travel per gallon of fuel. Duffy said that "artificially high" fuel economy standards imposed considerably large costs which rendered "many new vehicle models unaffordable for the average American family and small business owner."
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/31/2025 09:50 ||
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#3
...they were created during the Great Society efforts by LBJ about the time the Donk commingled the income streams of taxes and social security into one account. The 'goal' was to address programming for the lower economic strata, as though 'Evening at the Met' had a following in such programming. In the world of the Net, podcasts, cable and other means of info distribution, it has no rational reason for national subsidy other than as a one party propaganda outlet.
Astonishingly, Trump’s mass firings of top-level commissioners from the NLRB, the Privacy Board, and the EEOC, were thought to be illegal and impossible. But even more historic and astonishing, Trump has fired so many it leaves those agencies without quora. They are dead in the water. These now-paralyzed agencies literally cannot undermine Trump’s agenda, even if they wanted to, for the practical reason that there simply aren’t enough commissioners left to vote on anything. They’re frozen.
Strikingly, none of the “abruptly fired” officials have yet sued the federal government—even though Trump is trampling on all sorts of precedents, customs, and statutes. Ms. Fong merely staged a bizarre mini-protest rather than assert her legal rights. All this legal restraint is especially strange considering that in at least one agency, the NLRB, federal law expressly limits the President’s ability to fire commissioners except in very limited circumstances.
The Times and the fired officials smelled a Trump trap.
“The prospect of getting dragged into court,” an alarmed Times observed, “may be exactly what Mr. Trump’s lawyers are hoping for.” What terrified and dismayed the far-left Times and its progressive allies was the ghastly prospect that “any rulings in the president’s favor would establish precedents that would expand presidential power to control the federal government.”
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.
See you on the drop zone BJ. 
The rule was set up to "confront the increasingly urgent climate crisis," according to the executive summary, and was expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. This was part of a plan to reach "net-zero emissions by no later than 2050," according to a 2021 White House fact sheet.
