[THESMOKINGGUN] A Florida Woman is facing a domestic battery charge after allegedly clobbering her boyfriend in the face with a frozen pork chop during a dispute Friday night in their residence.
Cops allege that Jennifer Brassard, 48, and her beau were "engaged in a verbal argument" around 9:45 PM when Brassard "threw a frozen pork chop at the victim." The pork chop, a criminal complaint notes, struck the man below the left eye, causing a half-inch laceration.
After getting hit with the pork chop, the victim fled the couple’s home.
Police tossed in the clink Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! Brassard after determining that she was the "primary aggressor" during the domestic confrontation.
Pictured above, Brassard was booked into the county jail on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. She was released from custody yesterday afternoon upon posting $250 bond. A judge has ordered Brassard to have no contact with her boyfriend.
The criminal complaint does not indicate whether the pork chop was seized as evidence.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
Florida woman for a change. Us men get tired...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/05/2019 0:12 Comments ||
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#2
I had a thick cut pork chop for dinner tonight - them things can hurt like a bastard.
DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado jogger fought off a mountain lion in the foothills of Horsetooth Mountain on Monday, suffering severe bites before he killed the wild animal in self-defense, authorities said.
The man, who was not identified, was jogging on a trail on the West Ridge of the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, a mountain park about 66 miles northwest of Denver, officials said.
A juvenile mountain lion attacked him from behind, biting and clawing the man’s face, back, legs and arms, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources said in a joint release, late on Monday.
It was not disclosed how the jogger killed the animal, and no one from the CPW or the Larimer DNR was available for comment early Tuesday.
The runner was able to get to a local hospital, officials said. His injuries were serious but not life-threatening, they said.
#2
There is a reason I always carry a gun and a knife.
Several reports of aggressive mountain lion behavior in Colorado recently. I think the population has grown and they are moving into areas they haven't been seen in years.
#3
a cougar just killed a wirehair griffon 3 doors down from my place on the river, the fish and game showed up called the cops and shot the cat while it was sitting and eating the dog.
#4
I think the population has grown and they are moving into areas they haven't been seen in years.
Kansas Parks/Wildlife found one the other week.
The other side would be human migration; seen a lot of 'Moving from The City to the mountains to be closer to nature' and are all surprised when nature eats their garden and their pets.
Compounding the situation is the obstruction to cull problem animals, both law and lynch mob. Cats not so much as bears, elk, deer, and then those damned wolf/domestic blends. Bear at the window when kids are eating breakfast, 911 says tough shit do nothing and call us if it gets in the house. Me, good thing I grew up playing baseball and skipping stones, cuz stones was all I had to cover wife and kid from the car to the cabin surrounded by those wolf/domestic devils - looked like coyotes but twice as high at the shoulder. What I needed was an AR with a 30 round mag.
[The Hill] Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Monday made her first public appearance since having surgery to remove cancerous nodules from her lung, attending a production celebrating her life.
Ginsburg attended a showing of "Notorious RBG in Song" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, according to The Washington Post. The program, which is composed and performed by Ginsburg’s daughter-in-law, Patrice Michaels, offers a portrait of the 85-year-old justice in several songs.
The Post noted that that production is presented for high school students by the National Constitution Center.
"Thrilled that Justice Ginsburg attended the first concert performance of #NotoriousRBG in Song," Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, tweeted. "She, Patrice Michaels, and the performance were magnificent!"
#7
No pictures?:
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended a concert put on by her daughter-in-law at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on Monday, marking her first public appearance since cancer surgery in December.
Attendees at the Notorious RBG in Song described Ginsburg as “glam,” and “resplendent,” and “magnificent,” but you’ll have to take their word for it.
In an era when every person is carrying a camera and isn’t afraid to use it, there wasn’t a single snap of the 85-year-old to be found. Every media story that covered her alleged appearance used file photos.
“What a delight to see RBG tonight at ‘Notorious RBG in Song,’ written & beautifully performed by her daughter-in-law, Patrice Michaels,” Post contributor David Hagedorn posted to Twitter. “She sat in the back, a few rows behind us, looking resplendent. Being hugged & wished a happy birthday by her made a grand night spectacular.”
Hagedorn’s tweet has since disappeared.
The concert was designed to pay tribute to Ginsburg’s legal work through nine songs. It was sponsored by the National Constitution Center, which also livestreamed the concert.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/05/2019 12:53 Comments ||
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Hat tip to the Dallas Morning News front page.
[Fox 4/Ay Pee] A judge has ruled that victims of a mass shooting at Texas church can move forward with a lawsuit against a sporting goods chain where the gunman bought the weapon and ammunition used in the massacre. I didn't see the rationales in this particular version of the story.
The decision Monday by state District Judge Karen Pozza in San Antonio clears the way for families of the 2017 Sutherland Springs shooting to potentially bring their case against Academy Sport & Outdoors before a jury. Well, I'm glad she didn't include me in the list of folks who can be sued. I can't afford the legal fees.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/05/2019 08:56 ||
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#1
I didn't see the rationales in this particular version of the story.
It was written by journalists. They seem to be creatures utterly lacking in curiosity.
Speculation: If the retailer is liable for someone committing a crime with their product, wouldn't that make the retailer's suppliers liable too? You can chase this rabbit all the way back to the folks who mined the iron and cut the timber that eventually went into the weapon.
#5
Apparently they've never heard of the financial costs to the parents of the Aurora shooting victims who sued the ammo manufacturer. Their anti-gun proponents didn't cover the $250K ruling, did they? If the store followed all legal procedures and sold a legal product, they likely can't be sued successfully. Hopefully, they'll countersue for illegitimate harassment and get their legal costs covered too
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/05/2019 12:29 Comments ||
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#6
From the first comment at Frank's link: They tried to sue, and lost. In Colorado, you are mandated to pay legal fees to any gun company you try to sue based on customer actions, if you lose. This applies to no other companies, it is a gun industry only privilege. Very sad and nonsensical situation.
Actually, it sounds eminently sane. Except for the part about not applying to other industries, I mean.
[Popular Mechanics] Across the country, hundreds of thousands of prisoners are adding their voices to biometric databases set up by state correctional organizations under coercion from their prison. While advocates for the prisons say the databases could help uncover gang-related activity, critics say they could seriously violate prisoners' rights.
A new joint report from The Appeal, jointly published with The Intercept details how widespread the databases have become. According to the New York Department of Corrections, 92 percent of its population had been enrolled in the voice recognition system. Facilities in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Connecticut, and Georgia have also purchased the technology, which is primarily supplied by prison telecommunications firm Securus Technologies.
According to The Appeal, the software, which is known as Investigator Pro, holds at a minimum the voices of 200,000 inmates.
These inmates are given a rough choice: either submit their voices to Investigator Pro or be denied the right to make phone calls at all. Securus, which developed the technology with a $50 million grant from the Department of Defense, also develops the technology on through which these calls are made.
#1
Voice Recognition technology has been around for a while. A good signals analyst can spot a particular voice regardless of the device being used. Biometric databasing kicks it up a notch.
[BBC] The man, who is in his 70s and lives "off-grid", uses the device in its "check-in" mode every week to let his family and friends know he is well.
On Sunday he triggered an SOS, which was automatically sent to a response centre in Houston, Texas.
A coastguard helicopter and Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team went to his aid.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the man, who has no other means of communication other than his personal locator beacon, was found to be "very ill".
Members of Lochaber MRT moved the man to a location where he could be flown to hospital by Prestwick Coastguard helicopter.
They described him as one of their "off-gridders", a term used to describe someone with their own power and water supplies and usually grows their own food.
#1
There are 2 types: (1) PLB - personal locator beacon and (2) satellite messenger.
For boaters, there are Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs). Review article here.
I would definitely rent or buy one if I went that far off the beaten track. The old man was definitely thinking ahead.
On the other hand, recent Akron news told of a nurse who became ill on duty during recent severe cold. She left work early and passed out in the parking lot before she could get into the car. She lay outside for quite a while and almost died of hypothermia. She did not call her husband at home to tell him she was leaving work early because she was ill. A simply phone call on her part would have prevented all that.
Hat tip: gCaptain
A flotilla loaded with about 7 million barrels of Venezuelan oil has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, some holding cargoes bought ahead of the latest U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and others whose buyers are weighing who to pay, according to traders, shippers and Refinitiv Eikon data.
The Trump administration’s move to impose sanctions last week was meant to undercut support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by targeting the Latin American nation’s oil exports to the United States, the source of most of its foreign revenue.
The sanctions aim to block U.S. refiners from paying into PDVSA accounts controlled by Maduro ‐ one reason numerous tankers are waiting in limbo off Venezuela with payments unclear. The United States buys 500,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude per day.
U.S. customers of Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA are required by sanctions to deposit payments into escrow accounts that have not yet been set up. The funds will be controlled by Venezuelan congress head Juan Guaido, whom the United States, the European Union and much of Latin America recognize as the country’s leader.
Neither the U.S. Treasury Department nor White House responded to requests for comment.
There were over a dozen tankers this week anchored in Gulf of Mexico or outside of Venezuelan waters, according to the Refinitiv Eikon data, as shippers await payment and delivery directions from buyers.
Traders said some of the cargoes were used as floating storage by buyers who took advantage of PDVSA’s open market sales ahead of sanctions. Others were held by trading firms struggling to find refiners willing to take the oil due to payment difficulties related to sanctions.
For an interactive graphic on Venezuelan crude exports to the United States, see: https://tmsnrt.rs/2S4YIXB
"There were many cargoes of Venezuelan crude already in the Gulf when sanctions were announced," said a trader who deals with PDVSA. Others are stuck because holders "cannot find who to sell them to due to sanctions," the trader said.
The tankers had been chartered by regular U.S. buyers of Venezuelan oil, including Chevron Corp, PDVSA’s refining unit Citgo Petroleum and Valero Energy, and trading houses that sell to refiners.
"Everybody is still working through the mechanics of things, still trying to figure out how freights are going to get paid and is sitting on the sidelines waiting for this to roll out," said one ship broker on Monday who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Chevron and Valero declined to comment. Citgo did not respond to requests for comment.
For an interactive graphic on Venezuelan crude exports to U.S. refiners, see: https://tmsnrt.rs/2t4ullS
Separately, a few tankers that had waited for weeks to lift oil bound for U.S. customers left the Venezuelan port of Jose over the weekend without loading, according to Refinitiv data.
The oil fleet in Gulf waters grew as a bottleneck earlier formed around Venezuelan ports by tankers awaiting authorization to load. PDVSA has said it will only sell to certain customers that prepay for cargoes.
Outside of U.S. waters, there were also tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude and idling in the Caribbean and Europe, the Refinitiv data shows.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/05/2019 13:05 ||
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#1
i don't understand why we are importing oil when we are the biggest exporter now. Am I the only person this does not make sense too?
Posted by: chris ||
02/05/2019 13:59 Comments ||
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#2
We do refine crude oil shipped in from other places, chris.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/05/2019 14:17 Comments ||
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#3
I would think that the type of crude required by certain US refineries at the present is part of the situation, chris. It is not easy to switch to different sources because of process variables.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/05/2019 14:26 Comments ||
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#4
Chris,
We are the major refiner of the crap crude Venezuela has. Only a couple other countries can, but not at our volume. In the 70s the refinery companies bet on oil getting scarcer and poured money into being able to refine heavy crude.
With the shale boom, the refiners have started to convert some heavy refinery locations to sweet crude. The amazing thing is, the US actually produces so much good shale oil, which is ridiculously easy to refine, that our refineries can't keep up and we have to export a lot of it.
So that is your basic answer. We can refine the heavy crude, can't refine all our shale crude so we import. That will change in the next decade and Venezuela, whatever their government situation, will be faced with a bunch of worthless crude that no one wants.
#5
Each refinery is set up to handle a specific kind of crude oil, oil density and sulfur content are two big factors. If your refinery is set up for Venezuelan heavy sour you can't just plug in some Gulf Coast light sweet, for instance. Transportation costs also matter - it may make better sense to bring Venezuelan crude a short tanker trip to Lake Charles and route West Texas oil through a pipeline to a California refinery and tanker Alaskan crude to Korea. Oil companies have whole departments to figure out the best total package, and legal departments to see if it is allowed.
[Breitbart] Mexican authorities in two border states announced the arrival of nearly 2,000 Central American migrants who are part of a caravan headed for the border cities Piedras Negras and Nuevo Laredo. The area between those two municipalities does not feature any type of fencing or barriers like the ones a previous caravan encountered in California.
State officials in Coahuila announced the arrival of more than 1,700 members of a migrant caravan that recently left Honduras. They are slated to be ferried by bus to the Texas border. The Nuevo Leon government is preparing shelters and security.
The migrants are traveling with the intent to request asylum on U.S. soil, thus making any detention by border authorities irrelevant. The group is expected in Eagle Pass and Laredo, Texas, however, since the region lacks any fencing or physical barriers, some could successfully storm the border with little effort.
#BREAKING: First images now show multiple Venezuelan Army BTR-80 APC’s and transports trucks carrying parachute infantry troops driving through San Antonio del Táchira tonight near the Colombian border pic.twitter.com/zvDKBp50iD
#10
#2 Strange, I expected them on the Guayana border if they wanted a Short Victorious War™...
Actually my first thought was: (1) Normal movement and idiot commentator("Fake News"), though (2) Suspect military unit (loyalty under question) moved to border area away from the capitol, or (3) Black market caravan using military vehicles spotter were also guesses considered...
[DAWN] Salvadorans on Sunday elected Nayib Bukele, the popular former mayor of San Salvador, as the Central American country's new president ‐ a result that ends the near 30-year grip on power of its two largest parties.
The country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) awarded him 53.78 percent of votes with 87.67 percent counted ‐ a lead it considered "irreversible".
The 37-year-old president-elect, of the conservative Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) party, wore jeans and a leather jacket as he celebrated with supporters ‐ thousands chanting his name and waving flags in the capital's central Plaza Morazan.
"It's a victory for the Salvadoran people; today we won in the first round and we have made history," said Bukele, who despite being a firm favorite was expected to face a second round of voting.
He has promised to increase investment in education and fight corruption ‐ but his main task will be to confront insecurity in a country ravaged by gang violence.
He will also have to form an alliance with the rightwing opposition, which dominates congress, and govern with them until at least 2021 when the next legislative elections are held.
Bukele's opponents ‐ Carlos Calleja of the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), and Hugo Martinez of the leftist Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation (FMLN) ‐ quickly recognised the win. For nearly three decades, their parties have had a firm hold on Salvadoran politics.
"We recognize the results of these elections. We are going to call the president-elect to wish him luck in facing the challenges in this country," said Calleja, the runner-up with 31.62 percent of votes. The FMLN's Martinez took third place with 13.77 percent.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2019 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Spain, Britannia, Austria, Sweden and Denmark recognized Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela on Monday, while La Belle France said he had the right to organize an election given the socialist government’s refusal.
The coordinated move from major European nations came after the expiry of an eight-day deadline they set last weekend for President Nicolas Maduro Venezuela's attempt at producing a Muammar Qadaffy... to call a new vote.
The Venezuelan supremo, accused of running the OPEC nation like a dictatorship and wrecking its economy, has defied that, saying Europe’s ruling elite are sycophantically following US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... ’s agenda.
Guaido, who leads the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself temporary leader last month in a move that has split global powers.
Trump immediately recognized him and European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... nations back Guaido, though some have been nervous over the global precedent of a self-declaration.
Russia and China, who have poured billions of dollars of investment and loans into the OPEC nation, are supporting Maduro.
"I recognize the president of Venezuela’s assembly, Mr Juan Guaido, as president in charge of Venezuela," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised statement, urging a free and fair election as soon as possible.
UK ALSO RECOGNIZES GUAIDO British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt followed suit.
"Nicolas Maduro has not called presidential elections within 8-day limit we have set," Hunt said on Twitter. "So UK alongside European allies now recognizes (Guaido) as interim constitutional president until credible elections can be held."
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told La Belle France Inter radio station Guaido has "the capacity and the legitimacy" to organize a presidential election.
Le Drian said La Belle France would consult European partners over Venezuela, and that it was imperative the conflict was resolved peacefully and civil war avoided.
Sweden, Austria and Denmark also said they recognized Guaido as interim leader of Venezuela.
Maduro, 56, a former union leader, bus driver and foreign leader, replaced former leader Hugo Chavez in 2013 after his death from cancer. But he has presided over an economic collapse and exodus of 3 million Venezuelans.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
in addition to Russia and China, Maduro is supported by Hamas, Turkey, Iran, Code Pink, US Representative Omar and various other thugs and lefties
Posted by: lord garth ||
02/05/2019 11:40 Comments ||
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[France24] In southern Florida's Sunny Isles Beach, Russian tourists Anna and Helen sip coffee with their husbands and newborn babies: a common scene in what has become a prized destination for well-off foreigners looking to secure US citizenship for their children.
Under the shadow of luxury skyscrapers -- among them Trump Towers -- exists an army of well-dressed women, either pregnant or pushing top-of-the-line strollers. Most are Russian or from former Soviet Union countries.
The weather, white-sand beaches and dazzling turquoise waters are common reasons given for traveling to give birth in this city of 20,000 people, north of Miami.
But one 34-year-old, who gave her name only as Anna, was more direct.
"For the American passport!" she told AFP, smiling. She arrived in the US while expecting now two-month-old Melania.
Both she and compatriot Helen, mother to a three-month-old, said tens of thousands of dollars and months of planning went into their trips.
The attraction is clear. President Donald Trump does not like it, but according to the US constitution, children born on American soil automatically gain citizenship, opening up highly sought-after opportunities to study and work.
And why Sunny Isles specifically?
"Feel home, lot of Russian," Anna said.
Upon turning 21, baby Melania will also be able to sponsor visas for her parents to come to the US -- another policy that has disgruntled Trump.
The trend is big business: Miami Mama, a company in neighboring Hallandale Beach, has been organizing travel packages for Russian mothers since 2009.
Charging between $6,900 and $49,000, they will coordinate everything from interpreters and apartments to medical care and citizenship documents, according to the firm's website.
And none of this is illegal, according to US immigration laws.
But according to NBC, the FBI raided Miami Mama in 2017, arresting one employee for making false statements in federal documents to obtain passports for children.
Miami Mama -- whose logo shows a pregnant woman against the backdrop of an American flag -- did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.
[Bloomberg] A manufacturing and export-led slump in Italy’s economy spilled into services at the start of the year, aggravating an already fragile economic situation in the euro area.
Business activity among Italian services providers shrank in January and forced companies to reduce headcount for the first time in more than two years, a Purchasing Managers’ Index showed on Tuesday. Firms cited weakening domestic demand and a decline in export orders as reasons for the job cuts.
While the Italian economy, which slipped into recession at the end of 2018, marks a particularly weak spot in the region, cracks have appeared across the 19-nation bloc.
Germany’s industry has been deeply scarred by carmakers’ struggles with new emissions tests and waning global trade. In France, consumer spending took a hit from violent protests against the government.
Activity in French services has declined rapidly in the past two months, with the January PMI indicating the worst contraction in almost five years. New business fell for a second month and job creation slowed.
#2
And ignores the fact that Southern Italy is a drain on the coffers and only getting worse and the added regulations from the EU on the North is also causing headaches to Italy's industrial regions.
[DW] Germany is reportedly expected to collect less tax revenue over the next five years. The shortfall casts doubt on whether the government can meet NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... defense spending goals and avoid the ire of its allies.
Germany will meet its pledge to boost military spending to 1.5 percent of economic output by 2025, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Monday following reports that a budget gap could undermine that goal.
The Finance Ministry estimates that Germany would need to allocate far more money to defense spending than it already has in order to raise the defense budget to 1.5 percent of economic output by 2024, according to an ministry analysis seen by Rooters and DPA news agency.
The analysis reportedly also predicts a €25 billion ($28.6 billion) shortfall in tax revenues up until 2023 due to a slowing economy.
Germany is under pressure from the United States and other NATO allies to increase spending to 2 percent of GDP in line with an alliance agreement struck in 2014. Last year, the government promised NATO allies that it would meet 1.5 percent by 2024.
Spending on the military has been a source of tension between Germany's ruling coalition, with Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) opposing demands from Chancellor Angela Merkel ...chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as Mom. Now they make faces at her for inundating the country with Moslems .. 's conservatives (CDU/CSU) for a rapid rise in the defense budget.
COALITION AGREEMENT
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, a CDU member, said during a visit to Latvia that coalition partners had been "clear" in their commitment to boost military spending to 1.5 percent of GDP.
Budget talks had just begun and would be completed by March, she added.
Military spending rose to 1.24 percent of GDP in 2018 from 1.18 percent the year before. However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... current budget plans have defense spending reaching only 1.23 by 2022.
Reaching the 1.5 percent target could prove politically difficult because it would likely require shifting money from other government programs to the military.
The German government maintains a policy known as the "schwarze Null" ("black zero"), which requires a balanced budget and no new net borrowing.
[DAWN] A shopkeeper was tossed in the calaboose Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! on Monday for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl a day prior in the Khambra village of Taluka Ubauro, Ghotki, Station House Officer (SHO) Qamar Abbas said.
Abbas said a first investigation report (FIR) has been registered against the suspect and initial investigations into the incident have started following his arrest.
According to the victim's father, his daughter went to the shop on Sunday to purchase sweets when the shopkeeper kidnapped her and raped her in a room next to the shop.
The minor was admitted to Civil Hospital Ubauro in an unconscious state, as per medico-legal officer Dr Afshan. She added that the victim was now out of danger.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2019 00:00 ||
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[Polular Science] The secretive spy plane is taking a cue from one of the most popular sci-fi shows of all time.
One of the U.S. Air Force’s secretive planes is pretending to be a vessel from the far, far future‐the 23rd century, in fact. A U-2 spy plane took off from Northern California today broadcasting the aviation code NCC-1701A, which, as all Star Trek fans know, is the designation for the USS Enterprise.
U-2 from Beale AFB disguised as the USS Enterprise! 🤣👍
"NCC1701A" pic.twitter.com/4pcdHLambB
‐ Aircraft Spots (@AircraftSpots) January 30, 2019
The Twitter account @AircraftSpots monitors military air movements, typically through the Automatic Dependent Surveillance‐Broadcast (ADS-B) aircraft tracking system. Such transmitters are required in all civil aircraft across the United States to help other pilots and controllers ID them. Some U.S. military aircraft are equipped with the system, too. ADS-B is a boon to plane spotters, allowing hobbyists on the ground to watch the comings and goings of vast numbers of aircraft.
[TheDrive] The U.S. Navy’s Sea Hunter unmanned surface vessel has become the first ship of any description to ever sail from San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and back without the need of a crew for navigation and steering. It’s a significant milestone for this particular vessel and its future cousins, which the service has primarily been developing as anti-submarine warfare platforms, but could also provide electronic warfare support and acting as decoys to help shield friendly forces.
Defense contractor Leidos, which is leading the Sea Hunter project for the Navy, announced the achievement in a press release on Jan. 31, 2019. The notice did not say when the trimaran craft, formally known as the Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV), had left from or returned to San Diego, a round trip of more than 5,200 miles. Previous reports noted that the vessel had first arrived at Pearl Harbor on Oct. 31, 2018.
#1
Although "Sea Hunter" successfully steamed back-and-forth from San Diego to Hawaii without navigator or helmsman, she apparently did require both engine room and deck-crews, not to mention ordnance and support technicians. To imply otherwise appears misleading.
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.
[THESMOKINGGUN] A Florida Woman is facing a domestic battery charge after allegedly clobbering her boyfriend in the face with a frozen pork chop during a dispute Friday night in their residence.
DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado jogger fought off a mountain lion in the foothills of Horsetooth Mountain on Monday, suffering severe bites before he killed the wild animal in self-defense, authorities said.
[The Hill] Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Monday made her first public appearance since having surgery to remove cancerous nodules from her lung, attending a production celebrating her life. 
[Popular Mechanics] Across the country, hundreds of thousands of prisoners are adding their voices to biometric databases set up by state correctional organizations under coercion from their prison. While advocates for the prisons say the databases could help uncover gang-related activity, critics say they could seriously violate prisoners' rights.
[BBC] The man, who is in his 70s and lives "off-grid", uses the device in its "check-in" mode every week to let his family and friends know he is well.
Venezuela's attempt at producing a Muammar Qadaffy...
[France24] In southern Florida's Sunny Isles Beach, Russian tourists Anna and Helen sip coffee with their husbands and newborn babies: a common scene in what has become a prized destination for well-off foreigners looking to secure US citizenship for their children.
...chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as 
[DAWN] A shopkeeper was 
