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JeM’s Kashmir chief among 3 killed in Pulwama encounter: Army
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
20 21:56 Lex [6] 
1 19:07 swksvolFF [8] 
1 14:54 Mercutio [7] 
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2 13:58 Barbara [2] 
5 15:06 Rob Crawford [5] 
13 23:53 Chinegum the Great4821 [11] 
4 14:55 Mike Kozlowski [7] 
3 17:13 Mullah Richard [4] 
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4 08:10 Skidmark [9] 
2 14:53 Mercutio [2] 
1 04:15 Frank G [3] 
13 13:53 lord garth [12] 
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18 22:30 Frank G [8] 
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Page 6: Politix
2 13:48 swksvolFF [4]
21 19:46 Anomalous Sources [11]
8 11:07 Iblis [3]
3 14:50 Mercutio [4]
5 13:45 charger [6]
4 03:35 Woodrow [5]
20 15:41 trailing wife [4]
9 14:10 Barbara [8]
-Short Attention Span Theater-
Man faces charges after allegedly pointing lasers at landing planes
[The Hill] A Florida man is facing multiple charges after shining a laser pointer at an aircraft landing at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, injuring a pilot and attempting to strike an officer with a hammer.

A 41-year-old man named Charlie James Chapman Jr. was arrested Wednesday after allegedly being caught on camera aiming a laser pointer towards a fixed wing plane four times, according to a statement from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

When a sheriff’s helicopter tried to locate the man, he also allegedly shined the laser at it, according to the statement.

After authorities did reach Chapman, he reportedly "grabbed a hammer and made a striking motion towards the deputies." The deputies deployed a taser on him, and Chapman was taken to an area hospital, later being released and taken to the Manatee County jail.

The sheriff’s department shared video of the apprehension to its official YouTube page.

A laser pointer was found in Chapman’s pocket, the sheriff’s department said in the statement.

One of the pilots of the plane said the laser hit him directly in the eye, "causing temporary blindness," the sheriff’s department said. The pilot said he still felt his eye was blurry from the laser, although it was not clear whether the blurriness is permanent.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 03:29 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What is *with* these fuckers? What are they doing, shining lasers on airplanes?
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 01/26/2020 12:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Toss the b@st@rd to the alligators and shine a laser pointer at him while the cuddly 'gators dine.

Not that I've got anything against alligators.
Posted by: Barbara || 01/26/2020 13:58 Comments || Top||


Former top U.S. general Dunford joining Lockheed Martin's board
[Yahoo] The former top U.S. military official, General Joseph Dunford, has been elected to the board of Lockheed Martin Corp , the Pentagon's largest weapons supplier, the company said on Friday.
Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with this. Officials in charge of our defense policy taking decisions that will make profit for industry, being rewarded by industry after their service.
Dunford, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2015 to 2019, will join the board of the F-35 fighter jet maker on Feb. 10. He left the Pentagon last year.

Critics of U.S. military spending have long complained of a revolving door between Pentagon leadership and the defense industry. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was a lobbyist for missile maker Raytheon before taking the job last year and his predecessor Patrick Shanahan was an executive at Boeing .
What would we say if we saw this happening in some kind of third world corrupt government? Would we be okay with it, or would we denounce it as obvious corruption and tell them to clean up their own stables?
"His experience in complex, global operations and risk management, including cybersecurity threats, is a tremendous asset and will enhance board oversight in key business areas," Marillyn Hewson, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin said in a statement.
"It doesn't corrupt our Republic at all!"
Before serving as principal military adviser to the president, secretary of defense, and U.S. National Security Council starting in 2015, Dunford was the commandant of the Marine Corps.
This sort of revelation just makes my heart weep. The fucking Marine Corps commandant. Even he isn't immune. Fuck.
Dunford commanded the 5th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom and had also served as the commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Lockheed, based in Bethesda, Maryland, will expand its board to 12 members in order to include Dunford. It can increase its board to up to 14 members according to the company's bylaws.

The former top officer will serve on the company's classified business and security committee as well as corporate governance.

Dunford, a Marine, has a master's degree in government from Georgetown University and in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Former energy executive Debra Reed-Klages joined Lockheed's board in November. The company is due to announce its fourth quarter and year end financial results on Tuesday.
I bet they'll be spectacular.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 01/26/2020 00:09 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Fire, Plague, And Now... LOCUSTS!
Stolen from elsewhere - the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are puttin' the band back together...
[ABC News Australia, via Fark] - A locust plague of almost biblical proportions is ravaging Eastern Africa's food bowl, prompting the United Nations to call for international help.

Hundreds of millions of the bugs have swarmed into Kenya from Somalia and Ethiopia, creating the worst outbreak of desert locusts there in 70 years.

Somalia and Ethiopia have not had an infestation like this in a quarter of a century. It has destroyed farmland and threatened an already vulnerable region with devastating hunger.

The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has warned the "unprecedented size and destructive potential" of the swarms could leave millions of people without food.
Posted by: Raj || 01/26/2020 11:06 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Can I be the first to blame it on man-made, carbon-bloated, climate change?
Posted by: Bobby || 01/26/2020 11:12 Comments || Top||

#2  the locust swarm of 2013 in egypt was caught on camera for BBC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bx5JUGVahk
Posted by: lord garth || 01/26/2020 11:37 Comments || Top||

#3  Locust swarms are a regular occurrence and a good protein source. Thinking like a Westerner (or perhaps Japanese, with their vast drag nets that sweep the seas clean of fish), under such conditions I would set out vast nets to capture all that free food, then make a killing as a roasted locust magnate.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/26/2020 12:13 Comments || Top||

#4 
Here you are Traveling Wife: Vietnamese Locusts
Posted by: 3dc || 01/26/2020 12:56 Comments || Top||

#5  Delightful, 3dc! And even kosher, when using MidEast/NorthAfrican locusts.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/26/2020 13:02 Comments || Top||

#6  Not on my chart. What wine do you recommend pairing it with ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 13:07 Comments || Top||

#7  The match would be to Vietnamese spices, Besoeker — let me check my book....
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/26/2020 13:13 Comments || Top||

#8  If Vietnamese hot peppers, recommend the "two steps to agonizing death" variety to go with the locusts. If you're gonna go, go quick.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 01/26/2020 13:31 Comments || Top||

#9  If Vietnamese hot peppers, recommend the "two steps to agonizing death" variety to go with the locusts. If you're gonna go, go quick.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 01/26/2020 13:31 Comments || Top||

#10  Ruou De.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 01/26/2020 13:40 Comments || Top||

#11  Yikes, #2 lord garth!
Posted by: Barbara || 01/26/2020 13:53 Comments || Top||

#12  re #1: Bobby, actually, it is Trump's fault, somehow.
Even the 2013 swarm Lord Garth posted.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 01/26/2020 13:56 Comments || Top||

#13  Flying shrimp ?
Posted by: Thaith Elmeresing6163 || 01/26/2020 14:39 Comments || Top||

#14  Wine pairing suggestions for Besoeker here and here. My 2004 edition of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book was surprisingly unhelpful
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/26/2020 14:45 Comments || Top||

#15  Re:6: These days I drink Pinot More with everything.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/26/2020 14:56 Comments || Top||

#16  The outlook for gourmets was sunny
As John fed his lords ("Oy, muh money!"),
For after he signed,
All at Runnymede dined.
On the Carte: Locusts baptised with honey.

Apologies for only tacitly including the obligatory Saracen chef civilising barbaric Crusaders... but you probably seen dat movie already anyway.
Posted by: Chinegum the Great4821 || 01/26/2020 18:36 Comments || Top||

#17  Since the locusts consume mostly grains wouldn't they be better for you than bottom feeding shrimp or lobster ?
Posted by: Thaith Elmeresing6163 || 01/26/2020 20:55 Comments || Top||

#18  If it’s green they eat it, Thaith Elmeresing6163. So more leaves and grasses than grain. But as you point out, it isn’t garbage.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/26/2020 21:31 Comments || Top||

#19  TW, that would make sense ans not bring in aid money
Posted by: Chris || 01/26/2020 21:36 Comments || Top||

#20  the other white meat
Posted by: Lex || 01/26/2020 21:56 Comments || Top||


Surgeon who treated sick becomes 41st confirmed death
[OUTLINE] A BRAVE surgeon who treated coronavirus patients has become the 41st victim of the outbreak - with 56 million people now on lockdown.

Dr Liang Wudong, 62, passed away today after becoming struck down with the deadly virus on January 16. The surgeon had treated patients at the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine before being transferred to the Jinyintan Hospital two days later.

Dr Wudong, who retired from the profession last June, had complained of feeling flustered with a tight chest when he was put in quarantine. The medic had a history of heart disease and coronary heart disease and had been working at the front line of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan city.

Wuhan is the city where cases of coronavirus were first reported before the outbreak spread across the world.

Dr Wudong is the 41st person to die from the disease with more than 1,200 cases reported in China alone.

Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong all now have confirmed cases — alongside the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

France yesterday confirmed three cases and Australia one - with all patients returning from Wuhan.

So far, 14 people in the UK have been tested for coronavirus, with five given the all-clear and nine still awaiting results. But experts have now warned Britain is on the brink of an epidemic - with more than 30 people tested for the killer illness.

Professor Neil Ferguson, an expert at Imperial College London, said the new strain is currently "as deadly as the Spanish flu epidemic".

The 1918 outbreak is the most severe pandemic in recent history, wiping out an estimated 50 million people across the world.
Posted by: Fred || 01/26/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Very sad.
Why are the best people taken when so many fools and bastards remain...
Posted by: Lex || 01/26/2020 1:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Lex - You've obviously been watching a bit too much of the democratic testimony at the impeachment trial.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 2:27 Comments || Top||

#3  "The medic had a history of heart disease and coronary heart disease", I thought The Asians had a low risk for such ailments. Rice now has also been genetically engineered so it appears obesity and diabetes rates have increased as well. Welcome to the new world of artificial foods. The bodies response" what am I supposed to do with this stuff?". So stick it here or stick it there and the cells cry "where's my supplies". So overweight, fatigued and so on.
Posted by: Dale || 01/26/2020 4:11 Comments || Top||



#Death toll from eastern #Turkey #earthquake climbs to 21
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: Fred || 01/26/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  AP - 5.0 quake hits southern Puerto Rico amid ongoing tremors

Many warehouses with supplies from Hurricane Maria suffered some minor damage, leading to claims that "Trump was at fault"
Posted by: Frank G || 01/26/2020 4:15 Comments || Top||


Coronavirus round-up: ~2000 confirmed cases, 56 dead, Hong Kong cuts off mainland, Malaysia confirms 4th case, Beijing halts inter-province busses, confirmed cases in 14 countries
Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam declares virus emergency, halts official visits to mainland China

Malaysia confirms fourth case of coronavirus infection

Coronavirus outbreak: Beijing to halt all inter-province shuttle buses from Jan 26

Canada identifies first coronavirus case

Courtesy of Besoeker yesterday in comments, The Guardian was liveblogging the story here, among other details adding Nepal and Macau to locations with confirmed cases.

Courtesy of Marilyn Tojo7566 yesterday in comments:

R0 is the propensity to spread - and 2019-nCoV is like MERS novel coronavirus and SARS novel coronavirus, seatmates are roughly 2-3. Measles for example is 18. Flu is typically similar.

"Wuhan" Coronavirus 2019-nCoV: link

CDC current response: link


Over 2,000 infected with coronavirus worldwide, 1975 confirmed cases and 56 dead in China, WHO still not calling it a global health emergency

And from the report about brave retired surgeon Liang Wudong’s death while nobly caring for his fellow man:
Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong all now have confirmed cases — alongside the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. France yesterday confirmed three cases and Australia one - with all patients returning from Wuhan.

Medical staff at the dedicated isolation ward of Wuhan's People's Hospital wish everyone a Happy New Year
[TWITTER]
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/26/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [12 views] Top|| File under:

#1  combining the spread rate and the fatality rate (3-5%) this is pretty frightening

since it is similar to some other diseases the development of a vaccine may be a bit quicker than otherwise

also, as the disease spreads there is a possibility it will have a lower fatal incidence as treatment protocols are establish

still this is really awful and I don't understand why the WHO isn't ringing bells

k

Posted by: lord garth || 01/26/2020 3:47 Comments || Top||

#2  Watched 'The Last Ship' S1E1 last night. Timely.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/26/2020 7:22 Comments || Top||



#5  I don't understand why the WHO isn't ringing bells

They've evacuated to their retreat.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/26/2020 8:15 Comments || Top||

#6  ^With all due respect, how the f*ck would a nurse know countrywide statistics?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/26/2020 8:19 Comments || Top||

#7  INovio Labs says they don't have any actual virus but they have the DNA sequence and they are working on vaccine based on that.

A few other labs are doing the same.

Some in China undoubtedly have the actual virus.

So it will be a race of virus transmission vs vaccine development and distribution.
Posted by: lord garth || 01/26/2020 8:27 Comments || Top||

#8  Wow, got much respect for nurses?

Maybe a fact sheet from the morning standup briefings?
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/26/2020 8:29 Comments || Top||

#9  High level government cover-up but nurses are briefed with true data, Skid?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/26/2020 8:32 Comments || Top||

#10  I don't understand why the WHO isn't ringing bells

"The World Health Organisation has refused to declare coronavirus a global health emergency at this stage, saying it is 'too soon' to increase the threat level.

'This should not be taken as a sign that we don't think the outrbreak is serious, or that we are not taking it seriously,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

'Nothing could be further from the truth.'

Dr Ghebreyesus said that he stands ready to reconvene the emergency committee to call a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) if necessary.

For the time being, professor Diddiet Houssin, the meeting's Chair, said that the number of cases abroad is still fairly limited and the efforts being made in China are, for now, sufficient to keep the outbreak relatively contained."
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/26/2020 8:37 Comments || Top||

#11  In plague time the Good Doc Ghebreyesus--
"WHO?" you say-- look, he ain't Jesus--
This doc went a-fibbin'
Like a World-record gibbon,
With a grin as much rictus as rhesus
Posted by: Lex || 01/26/2020 9:14 Comments || Top||

#12  So what time does the network news pick up the sad boo hoo story of the downed plane full of turncoat idiots returning to the United States in January 28th? I have my dry eyes eye drops ready!
Posted by: Glese Crusoling4825 || 01/26/2020 9:34 Comments || Top||

#13  Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said Sunday the American public shouldn’t worry about the coronavirus outbreak in China.

“It’s a very, very low risk to the United States,” Fauci said during an interview with radio show host John Catsimatidis.

Fauci is known for his work on HIV and other infectious diseases as well as his administrative position.
Posted by: lord garth || 01/26/2020 13:53 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Operation on Qaisari’s House Was Illegal: Probe Team
[ToloNews] Members of the fact-finding team investigating the operation by Afghan cops on the house of Nizamuddin Qaisari in Balkh announced on Friday that the operation was illegal.

In December 2019 Qaisari’s house in Mazar-e-Sharif city was besieged and assaulted by Afghan cops, which led to the killing of seven of Qaisari's guards and the destruction of parts of his residence and neighboring houses. The probe team concluded the operation was illegal and was carried out without the permission of the judicial institutions of the country.

The December operation included army commandos and military helicopters and the house of Nizamuddin Qaisari in Mazar-e-Sharif was besieged for nearly 20 hours in an attempt to arrest Qaisari and his "150" men who were "illegally armed" and were charged with causing "instability" in the city.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/26/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:


Britain
U.S. Refuses to Extradite Wife of Diplomat Charged With Killing British Teenager Harry Dunn
[Time] Citing diplomatic immunity, the U.S. formally refused a request from the British government Thursday to extradite Anne Sacoolas, an American citizen and wife of a U.S. diplomat, who is accused of causing the death of British teenager Harry Dunn by dangerous driving in August, 2019.
Diplomatic immunity for family members is meant to protect diplomats from being pressured by taking family hostage.

It is not meant to cover people doing actual crimes.

Dunn was killed when the car Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road struck his motorbike near a base used by the U.S. Air Force in Croughton, U.K.

Sacoolas left the U.K. after being questioned by police, citing diplomatic immunity. Dunn’s family has since mounted a campaign to have her extradited to face charges.

Announcing that Sacoolas would not be extradited, the State Department said granting the request “would render the invocation of diplomatic immunity a practical nullity and would set an extraordinarily troubling precedent.”
A precedent of State giving up its own people. What this is is the US State Department covering for its own. Elite ingroup preferences, the most insidious and corrosive problem of our times.
“The United States has a history of close law enforcement cooperation with the United Kingdom, and we value that relationship,” a State Department spokesperson said, according to NPR.

Radd Seiger, the Dunn family spokesperson, said Thursday on BBC Radio 4 that “history was made” by the decision. “It is the first time the U.S. has turned down a U.K. extradition request. It is one of the darkest days in the history of this special relationship,” he said, going on to demand a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The dispute threatens to open a rift between the U.S. and Britain ahead of talks on a post-Brexit seen as crucial by the British government.
Great, we have to have a spat over this criminal piece of shit. Thanks, State.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the U.S.’s decision. “We feel this amounts to a denial of justice, and we believe Anne Sacoolas should return to the U.K.,” he said in a statement, adding he had conveyed his disappointment to the U.S. Ambassador, Woody Johnson. “We are now urgently considering our options. I also explained that the U.K. would have acted differently if this had been a U.K. diplomat serving in the U.S.”

Sacoolas said through her lawyers earlier this month that she has no intention to return to the U.K. “This was an accident, and a criminal prosecution with a potential penalty of 14 years imprisonment is simply not a proportionate response,” her lawyer Amy Jeffress said.
"You can't put elites in jail. Nobody went to jail for the financial crisis in 2008 and it's not fair now."
President has Trump previously defended Sacoolas, blaming the U.K.’s system of driving on the left hand side of the road for the collision. “It happens in Europe, as the roads are opposite. It’s tough if you’re from the United States. You do make that right turn when you are supposed to make a left turn; the roads are opposite. She says that is what happened. That happens to a lot of people, by the way.” (Most countries in Europe, unlike Britain, drive on the right hand side of the road.)
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 01/26/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:


#2  I am trying to recall what the US has requested in the past when a foreign diplomat was responsible for a fatal auto accident on US soil. Anyone remember?
Posted by: Uleck Spererong9442 || 01/26/2020 8:20 Comments || Top||

#3  US 'won't intervene' in Saudi hit-and-run murder case
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/26/2020 9:13 Comments || Top||

#4  I don't believe for a second this woman couldn't have had a properly trained US Embassy driver to take her wherever. If not, it's a sign we have too many diplomatic dependents overseas, but then we probably have too many diplomatic officers overseas in the first place.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/26/2020 9:27 Comments || Top||

#5  #4 I don't think the qualifier 'overseas' was altogether necessary.
Posted by: Cesare || 01/26/2020 9:59 Comments || Top||

#6  Re #2: There was a case years ago where a diplomat got drunk in DC and killed somebody in an auto accident. The US requested his immunity be lifted, and the country did so. Don't remember the country.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 01/26/2020 10:23 Comments || Top||

#7  Hand her over. To do otherwise is shitty behavior and not worthy of a great nation, IMO
Posted by: Lex || 01/26/2020 10:24 Comments || Top||

#8  Agreed - she's NOT a Diplo Officer with immunity. She fled the country like a coward. Ship her back
Posted by: Frank G || 01/26/2020 10:31 Comments || Top||

#9  It was a simple accident. Not a criminal act.
Posted by: Tyranysaurus Slinemble4249 || 01/26/2020 10:35 Comments || Top||

#10  ^ let that be decided at trial
Posted by: Lex || 01/26/2020 10:38 Comments || Top||

#11  The problem here is that you've to pretend that all countries are equal. So a precedent ...
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/26/2020 11:26 Comments || Top||

#12  The latest is that her husband wasn't a diplomat, he was an employee at one of the spying centers, probably working for CIA. They have diplomatic immunity too, worked specially in, probably because what they're doing is illegal as shit.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 01/26/2020 12:44 Comments || Top||

#13  Why is it always one of these people who pop up to spread conspiracy theories? We have the entire genome of....diplomatic immunity.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 13:00 Comments || Top||

#14  I remember from decades ago you could by a consulate from some of the diplomatically recognized NGO's. Something like the Mystic Knights of Malta ? Any how for around 10,000 dollars you could buy your self diplomatic immunity. Some guys were using it to pack a gun in State where they had "no carry" laws.
Posted by: Thaith Elmeresing6163 || 01/26/2020 14:47 Comments || Top||

#15  #12 - Have a reliable source for your shit?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/26/2020 16:01 Comments || Top||

#16  How's the Steele extradition going?
Posted by: Regular joe || 01/26/2020 16:37 Comments || Top||

#17  We don’t arrest people for accidents.
Posted by: Tyranysaurus Slinemble4249 || 01/26/2020 19:15 Comments || Top||

#18  We do for gross negligence, like driving on the wrong side of the road? It's called Gross Vehicular homicide or involuntary manslaughter at best?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/26/2020 22:30 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Gertz: Wuhan virus in connection with Chinese biological weapons
[Wash Times] The deadly animal virus epidemic spreading globally may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory linked to China's covert biological weapons program, according to an Israeli biological warfare expert.

Radio Free Asia this week rebroadcast a local Wuhan television report from 2015 showing China's most advanced virus research laboratory known the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Radio Free Asia reported.

The Wuhan virology institute is under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. But certain laboratories within it "have linkage with the PLA or BW-related elements within the Chinese defense establishment," he said.

In 1993, China declared a second facility, the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, as one of eight biological warfare research facilities covered by the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) which China joined in 1985.

The Wuhan Institute of Biological Products is a civilian facility but is linked to the Chinese defense establishment, and has been regarded to be involved in the Chinese BW program, Mr. Shoham said.

China's vaccine against SARS is probably produced there.

"This means the SARS virus is held and propagated there, but it is not a new coronavirus, unless the wild type has been modified, which is not known and cannot be speculated at the moment," he said.

One ominous sign, said a U.S. official, is the that false rumors since the outbreak began several weeks ago have begun circulating on the Chinese Internet claiming the virus is part of a U.S. conspiracy to spread germ weapons.

That could indicate China is preparing propaganda outlets to counter future charges the new virus escaped from one of Wuhan's civilian or defense research laboratories.

The bios lab is located about 20 miles from the Hunan Seafood Market that reports from China say may have been origin point of the virus.
Posted by: Woodrow || 01/26/2020 02:39 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Lets watch and see if the head of security + some "researchers" disappear.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/26/2020 3:20 Comments || Top||


#3  Geographic coincidence, if you're into maps, events, and that sort of thing.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 7:05 Comments || Top||

#4  Guess I won't be checking out that new Chinese seafood restaurant in Quincy for a couple of months, either.
Posted by: Raj || 01/26/2020 7:12 Comments || Top||

#5  Why is it always one of these people who pop up to spread conspiracy theories? We have the entire genome of this virus.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 01/26/2020 12:41 Comments || Top||

#6  Why is it always one of these people who pop up to spread conspiracy theories?

Uh... the kind that eat a lot of bagels? Or am I taking your statement the wrong way?
Posted by: Secret Master || 01/26/2020 14:55 Comments || Top||

#7  Uh... the kind that eat a lot of bagels?

I (poppy) seed what you did there!
Posted by: SteveS || 01/26/2020 15:02 Comments || Top||

#8  How did the Chinese have the virus genome so fast, Herb?
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 01/26/2020 15:08 Comments || Top||

#9  Wait, according to section 48, paragraph 14, clause 3.4110, the use of 'these' or 'those' or any other demonstrative word in front of 'people' is an insult.

Example: Why is it every time China fvcks up, one of you people come apologizing and deflecting?

Cross referencing with the Pyramid of Shame, you are in violation of level 1, bucc-o.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 01/26/2020 16:13 Comments || Top||

#10  The reason 'we' have the genome is that the Chinese published it - after they isolated the infectious organism and sequenced it.

How did they sequence a new virus so fast? A interesting question. Some speculation, in no particular order:

1) It was their research pet from the start and got away. Stuff happens and you only need to get it wrong once.

2) They had a head start. The outbreak may have started back near the beginning of December and there was a Level 4 bio-lab conveniently just down the road.

3) Sequencing is faster and cheaper than ever before. You can buy an off-the-shelf desktop sequencer and play with DNA in your own kitchen. A well-equipped bio-lab (just down the road!) would have multiple sequencers which could be run in parallel.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/26/2020 16:27 Comments || Top||

#11  Hoping it wasn't your #1, SteveS.

Knowing the Middle Kingdom's lack of forthrightness, would not be surprised by your #2. #3 is a given.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/26/2020 17:11 Comments || Top||

#12  Why on earth did anybody think that this shitty corrupt dictatorial shithole nation could possibly be a partner, let alone an indispensable tightly-integrated one, to our reason-based and scientifically-advanced democracy?

Who are those idiots who pushed the elevation of China from third-world shithole - hellhole, actually - to near co-equal and rival to America?

How did we allow this to happen?

Crime of the century.
Posted by: Lex || 01/26/2020 18:50 Comments || Top||

#13  Ah, so I'm not alone in detecting the occasional emanation from the pyramid. Got a little pharaoh in him, our Herb?
Posted by: Chinegum the Great4821 || 01/26/2020 23:53 Comments || Top||


Down Under
Soldiers risking their lives to fight devastating bushfires use their rest time to help feed recovering koalas and provide them with vital nutrients
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/26/2020 07:49 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Watch the Dirty Tail.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 01/26/2020 19:07 Comments || Top||


Europe
Three women who were part of a quiet resistance against the Nazis in Berlin
[BBC] In the heart of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, ordinary people worked tirelessly and at great risk to themselves to help those whose lives were threatened.

Among them was Ruth Winkelmann, who witnessed 16 members of her family being taken away to concentration camps. She managed to live in a garden shed for two years, hiding her Jewish heritage.

Elisabeth Charlotte Gloeden ‐ known as Liselotte or "Lilo" ‐ along with her husband Erich, hid Jews in their home in Berlin, before arranging safe passage for them out of Germany. The couple’s efforts went undetected until 1944 when they took in General Fritz Lindemann, who was being hunted by the Gestapo for being part of the plot to assassinate Hitler.

And finally Felicitas Narloch, who provided shelter to a Jewish woman who arrived on her doorstep asking for help. She was was just a teenager, but says "anyone would do the same."
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 03:38 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Islamophile of Opportunity, George Soros Attacks Indian Govt on Nationalism
In India, a democratically elected Narendra Modi is creating a Hindu nationalist state, imposing punitive measures on Kashmir, a semi-autonomous Muslim region, and threatening to deprive millions of Muslims of their citizenship," he said.
Bloody good you'd say. But some arseholes...
PS: Can we have 'Hand of Sorros' or something as an option in the Organization ? Just a suggestion.
Billionaire meddler philanthropist George Soros delivered a speech in Davos, an annual event in which he addresses an array of global, political and technological issues.

On the U.S. economy: President Trump's economic team is overheating the economy. "An overheated economy can't be kept boiling for too long," he said. "If all this had happened closer to the elections, it would have assured his re-election. His problem is that the elections are still 10 months away and in a revolutionary situation, that is a lifetime."

On nationalism: "Nationalism, far from being reversed, made further headway." The biggest and "most frightening setback," he said came in India "where a democratically elected Narendra Modi is creating a Hindu nationalist state, imposing punitive measures on Kashmir, a semi-autonomous Muslim region, and threatening to deprive millions of Muslims of their citizenship."
If 'the Sorrow(s)' attacks you, you know you're doing something right.
On President Trump: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist who wants the world to revolve around him. When his fantasy of becoming president came true, his narcissism developed a pathological dimension. Indeed, he has transgressed the limits imposed on the presidency by the Constitution and has been impeached for it."

On U.S.-China relations: Trump "is willing to sacrifice the national interests for his personal interests and he will do practically anything to win re-election. By contrast, Xi Jinping is eager to exploit Trump's weaknesses and use artificial intelligence to achieve total control over his people."
According to Sorrows, probably all the free worlds' leaders are crooks, tyrants and backstabbing bastiches except for liberal suicides like Trudeaux, Merkel and Macron.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 01/26/2020 03:11 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What do you expect from former Nazi collaborator.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/26/2020 4:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Given the ubiquity of his evil intent, why is this SOB still wasting oxygen?

I'd think that an international force would have taken him out by now.
Posted by: AlanC || 01/26/2020 9:10 Comments || Top||

#3  The good news is that he has apparently lost touch with reality.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 01/26/2020 13:02 Comments || Top||

#4  If you view Soros as an Anarchist, Assange in an expensive banker's three piece suit, much of his behavior makes sense. He seems to want to see all nation states burn to ashes.
Posted by: magpie || 01/26/2020 13:19 Comments || Top||

#5  The economy is at its normal pace, and there are still plenty of people to pull into the workforce, and plenty of illegals to send home, but this Nazi thinks it's "overheated" ?!
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 01/26/2020 15:06 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Republic Day: UP police bids adieu to British-era .303 rifles after 75 yrs
[Business Standard] As the sun dawned on the Republic Day on Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh police bid adieu to legendry British-era .303 rifles after over 75 years of service.

The decommissioning of the weapon marks the end of an era.

The .303 Rifle, often carried by policemen, was a magazine-fed bolt action repetitive rifle that served as the main firearm used by the military forces of the erstwhile British Empire. It could fire one shot at a time after which the barrel needs to be reloaded by pulling the bolt for the next shot.

Former director general of police (DGP) Brij Lal said, "The .303 rifles were the workhorse of UP police, always giving the desired result, ever since they were introduced in UP Police in 1945. If there was an award for guns on the basis of their performance, the .303s or bolt action rifles would have certainly bagged one."

Brij Lal said, while he was in service, he had led several operations and had neutralized dreaded dacoits and gangsters. "The main reason behind success of this weapon could be its ability to sustain UP's rough terrain and work well even in mud, water and other extreme conditions we often face," he recalled.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 07:38 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hey, if it was good enough to kill Von Richtofen, why change.
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/26/2020 14:54 Comments || Top||


This is Palmetto State Armory's affordable MP5 alternative
[Gear Scout] Let’s face it ‐ the MP5 might very well be one of the most legendary firearms of all time.

Having equipped military forces and law enforcement agencies worldwide since the 1960s, it’s no surprise that the civilian gun market constantly clamors for Heckler & Koch’s 9mm machine pistol.

While MP5 clones can run up an incredibly lofty price tag, South Carolina-based Palmetto State Armory seeks to change things up by offering firearms enthusiasts an affordable alternative that looks and functions virtually the same.

After years of teasing an MP5-inspired build, the company finally debuted the final version of their PSA5 at this year’s SHOT Show in Las Vegas, NV.

Gear Scout got up close and personal with the gun.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 02:45 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...These folks are based just down the road from me, and they have an amazing reputation. I've got no problems recommending them.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 01/26/2020 7:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Mike ~ You ever visit the Rivertown Bisto in Conway? Excellent family owned place.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 7:56 Comments || Top||

#3  Well now.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 01/26/2020 14:15 Comments || Top||

#4  #2 Mike ~ You ever visit the Rivertown Bisto in Conway? Excellent family owned place.
Posted by: Besoeker 2020-01-26 07:56


Beso,

Heard of but not been. For sentimental reasons, we are huge fans of the River City Cafe in MB.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 01/26/2020 14:55 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Sunday sermon - The problem is not abortion.
[The Federalist] The following is a sermon given before Divine Service ‐ the service of the Word and Sacrament ‐ before the listeners participated in today’s March for Life in Washington, DC.

"This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live" (Acts 7:19). "So that they might not live." That’s the first martyr, Stephen. Recounting the slaughter of Hebrew babies, Stephen uses an interesting expression. "So that they might not live."

It’s the same expression used in today’s epistle: "I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things." "Who gives life." It’s all built on the word Zoē‐like the girl’s name Zoe, or zoology. You go to a zoo to see living things.

When that word is used about humans, it means a decision about leaving someone alive. Pharaoh exposed the Hebrew babies, "So that they might not live." He didn’t leave them alive.

But whenever it means to give life, God is the subject, the doer. "I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life." Man cannot give life, we can only let live‐or not let live, a.k.a. murder. Only God can give life. Only God has the power of life in himself.

St. Irenaeus said, "God makes, man is made." Deus facit, homo fit.

That’s the problem, that we have forgotten we are made. Made by God. Yes, yes, you believe in creation. But don’t run so quickly past it. Psalm 100 hints at the implications: "Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves."

The godless philosophy of our age has cast aside God for the myth of mutation. And make no mistake, that’s not science, that’s philosophy masquerading as science. "It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves"‐but we ourselves cast aside God with every act of covetousness. We rebel against our Father when we calculate how much money a child will cost, as though He who gives life will not give us our daily bread. We rebel against our Father when we look at evil images, as though a human body is an object to be used and discarded. We rebel against our Father when we worry about tomorrow, as though He does not order our days.

When we put off praying, we confess, "He has not made me, but I make myself." With every thoughtless bite of food; with every evening that ends without confession and thanksgiving; with each consent to greed, gossip, revenge, lust; with every lie we believe the lie, that we can be as God. In a thousand small, insidious ways, our lives say, "It is not He who has made us, but we ourselves."
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/26/2020 02:31 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  One one hand, I don't believe that somebody incapable of taking elementary precautions should reproduce. On the other hand, it's this "women should not have to bear any responsibility for their acts" current thing.
Maybe we should start with this #MeToo thing - "You went to his hotel room at 10 pm, dear? To see etchings?"
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/26/2020 3:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Maybe that's what Obama was thinking when he said, "You didn't build that." He was thinking, The Big Guy did it.
Posted by: Bobby || 01/26/2020 7:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Sure, Bobby.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/26/2020 17:13 Comments || Top||


Short North bar employees to be trained on inclusion, diversity after dress code controversy
[10tv WBNS] The owner of a Short North business accused of discrimination says it's working on a plan to educate all of its employees about diversity and inclusion.

Last week, someone spotted a dress code sign outside the door of the Short North Food Hall which appeared to target African American males by the type of clothes they wear.

Since then, the owner Chris Corso issued an apology.

10TV has learned it is working on developing mandatory diversity and inclusion training for all of its employees that is designed by the Columbus Urban League.

The owners said they dress code sign was an attempt to address security issues inside the bar like patrons being unknowingly drugged and physical assaults.

A neighborhood violence intervention program is also in the works to assess what security issues are need in the Short North.

Corso released a joint statement on Jan. 23 with Nana Watson, Columbus Branch President of the NACCP; Chris Cozad, Chair of the Columbus Community Relations Commission; and Stephanie Hightower, President and CEO of the Columbus Urban League:

"The Dress Code was clearly a mistake. Sadly, it raised a number of concerns about racism and bigotry that, while never intended, are clearly understandable. Chris Corso and his entire team are truly sorry for the error.

"That said, the motivation behind the signage stemmed from a sense of urgency to better protect customers, employees and the entire Short North community. Over the last year, Corso and his staff have become increasingly concerned, hearing a nearly continuous series of reports of stolen cell phones, patrons being unknowingly drugged and actual physical assaults. They know many young people flow through the dark area alleys late at night and sometimes alone.

"These very real and valid issues led us to collectively move forward and ask the Neighborhood Intervention Specialists from the Columbus Urban League to undertake a safety assessment. We look forward to hearing their guidance and insights based upon their vast experience with gangs and crime and their extensive community contacts.

"We also have reached out to the Short North Business Association to convene community conversations around safety and inclusion. The issues at stake extend far beyond just one establishment or block.

"Finally, though the 400 people who work for Corso Ventures are very diverse, we all benefit from reminders about how to demonstrate greater tolerance, compassion and respect for one another. All Corso Ventures staff will participate in diversity and inclusion training in the near future.

"This is a teachable moment. Our intention is that it galvanize diverse leaders to collaborate, find common ground and create a safer and more welcoming Short North."

Below is the offending sign I lifted from a post that is literally headlined "Short North Food Hall Literally Just Googled 'How to Keep Black People Out of Bars'" - literally....:



Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 01/26/2020 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/26/2020 8:08 Comments || Top||

#2  There's a half dozen or more Thou Shalt Not's on that list that would get me 86'd. Why the hell would ANYONE want to go to a joint with that attitude anyway?
Posted by: Mercutio || 01/26/2020 14:53 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2020-01-26
  JeM’s Kashmir chief among 3 killed in Pulwama encounter: Army
Sat 2020-01-25
  AlSadr orders his followers to withdraw from #TahrirSquare and dismantle the tents
Fri 2020-01-24
  PLA mobilized to deal with Wuhan
Thu 2020-01-23
  UN calls for strengthening international support for the Palestinians
Wed 2020-01-22
  IRGC Commander & "Soleimani Ally" Shot Dead By Masked Assassins On Motorcycle
Tue 2020-01-21
  Several civilians killed by female suicide bomber in western Chad
Mon 2020-01-20
  Iraqi counter-terrorism forces arrest high-ranking ISIS official in Fallujah
Sun 2020-01-19
  Protesters burn the Hezbollah headquarters in Iraq
Sat 2020-01-18
  Taliban open to 10-day ceasefire with US troops in Afghanistan
Fri 2020-01-17
  Iraqi police arrest ISIS religious official in eastern Mosul
Thu 2020-01-16
  Five killed as Sudan crushes revolt by security agents
Wed 2020-01-15
  Pelosi Names Impeachment Managers
Tue 2020-01-14
  Project Veritas #Expose2020 Part 1: Bernie Sanders Field Organizer Suggests Gulags to Help ‘Nazified’ Trump Voters
Mon 2020-01-13
  Corey Booker Throws In The Towel
Sun 2020-01-12
  Detention of UK's ambassador to Tehran (released an hour later)


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