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Today: 47 articles and 166 comments as of 11:35.
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Syrian Army surrounds Jaysh Al-Islam stronghold in East Ghouta
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
7 15:44 AlanC [1] 
3 18:14 Skidmark [6] 
12 18:12 Skidmark [5] 
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3 14:52 M. Murcek [1] 
1 11:46 Skidmark [] 
7 20:40 Zhang Fei [8] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
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5 23:29 Lumpy Groluper2322 [14]
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12 18:04 Skidmark [13]
3 15:38 AlanC [16]
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Page 2: WoT Background
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2 14:54 Skidmark []
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3 10:58 Besoeker [2]
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4 10:16 Frank G [1]
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Page 4: Opinion
8 21:48 Classical_Liberal [9]
7 22:32 rjschwarz [12]
2 18:13 Seeking cure for ignorance [5]
1 03:38 Besoeker [6]
5 08:46 Besoeker [2]
21 23:23 trailing wife [6]
4 12:09 Skidmark [4]
Page 6: Politix
9 18:30 Skidmark [7]
7 18:06 Alaska Paul [3]
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15 22:25 Anguper Hupomosing9418 [6]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Florida Man Avoids Millions in Taxes by Hiding Illegal Aliens From Payroll
[Townhall] This story is a little over a week and half old, but it remains topical. A Florida man avoided paying millions in social security, federal, income and Medicare taxes by failing to report a number of illegal aliens working on his payroll. However, his story also shows the potentially dangerous work environment that exists for illegal aliens when immigration laws are neglected.

Mac Johnson owns several roofing, tree services, and dumpster businesses. According to WCJB ABC 20 News, he "devised a scheme to conceal the amount of wages earned by his undocumented alien employees to avoid paying more than $1.7 million in federal income, Medicare, and social security taxes, as well as more than $1 million in Florida worker’s compensation premiums."

"Johnson concealed the wages from the State of Florida by inaccurately and incompletely identifying all employees, representing that lower wages were paid than the true amounts, and paying by cash or a non-payroll check in amounts of less than $10,000 to avoid reporting requirements," the local media added.

According to the United States Justice Department, Johnson pled guilty on Tuesday February 27th to "tax fraud, wire fraud, structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, and harboring undocumented aliens." Johnson also rented several properties to the illegal aliens working for him and deducted money from their paycheck to supplement rent.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/12/2018 09:22 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The importation and exploitation of cheap labor, such an amazing success story.

[sarc off]
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/12/2018 9:28 Comments || Top||

#2  ...to avoid paying more than $1.7 million in federal income, Medicare, and social security taxes, as well as more than $1 million in Florida worker’s compensation premiums

Think about that and its impact upon the creation of new jobs and businesses. Now scroll down to the article about the Donk tax increase. Never do they contemplate the negative consequences of spend, spend, spend and tax, tax, tax. Programs and regulations have impact. How about in the next Constitution the requirement for Congress and the Bureaucracy to submit a 'economic impact statement' with every new piece of legislation or regulation that carries with it a 'death switch' if what happens isn't reflected in the impact statement.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/12/2018 9:43 Comments || Top||

#3  Bring in the culture of corruption
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/12/2018 9:44 Comments || Top||

#4  Is this the reason Dems like "Open Borders" and "Sanctuary Cities?" Cheap labor and votes.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/12/2018 10:35 Comments || Top||

#5  ...well, they were always partial to the plantation system.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/12/2018 11:06 Comments || Top||

#6  When my sister ran a retail store in NYC in the early 80s, there was a constant parade of people through the door asking to be "exploited" by being paid off the books...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/12/2018 14:06 Comments || Top||

#7  Seasonal gardeners are a big market segment here in MA. Lots of Brazilians and some Asians.

Many of them do have green cards so it's hard to tell unless the employers have to make account.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/12/2018 15:44 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Texas Antics: High school's Chick-fil-A dance video
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/12/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Some places kids are still kids.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/12/2018 11:46 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
I Could Do This, I Just Don't Feel Like It Right Now: Texan Breaks Marksmanship World Record With 3-Mile Shot
Bill Poor of Tuscola using a custom built rifle and a .408 CheyTac round.
Posted by: charger || 03/12/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm good for 3 feet. If there's no wind ...
Posted by: Adriane || 03/12/2018 0:08 Comments || Top||

#2  3 miles? What in farks name did he use for a scope? The only thing I could hit at that distance is the ocean if I was standing on the shore.
Posted by: AlanC || 03/12/2018 8:10 Comments || Top||

#3  This is crazy stuff. I love it. I snagged a quote from the article:

“It’s a 14-second flight time,” Poor said. “It’s 10 seconds before the spotter downrange can hear the boom of the rifle going off, and another four before the bullet hits the target. You have that much time and you’re thinking ‘This is it.’”

14 second flight time. Boggling.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 03/12/2018 8:27 Comments || Top||

#4  Oh, and the previous record holder is going to try to beat the new 3 mile record with a 6 mile shot.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 03/12/2018 8:28 Comments || Top||

#5  And when I shot a caribou at 500 yd at -40F(C) I thought I was hot stuff. 3 miles is starting to be artillery range.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/12/2018 9:42 Comments || Top||

#6  When you have to worry about not just bullet drop but Coriolis force...
Posted by: SteveS || 03/12/2018 10:42 Comments || Top||

#7  I couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/12/2018 10:45 Comments || Top||

#8  Prolly a good thing, Deacon. He might be a little upset if you did.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 03/12/2018 11:34 Comments || Top||

#9  Nice, what kind of rig AP?
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/12/2018 11:44 Comments || Top||

#10  Cva .58 ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/12/2018 13:55 Comments || Top||

#11  It would be difficult or nearly impossible to target a shot without a good scope, a lot of skill and some luck.
Posted by: JohnQC || 03/12/2018 16:05 Comments || Top||

#12  It's already got me a thing going about a digital link between the spotter and shooter scopes, lased ranges from spotter to target, shooter to target, shooter to spotter, and a horizon model.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/12/2018 18:12 Comments || Top||


Arabia
First Saudi tablet with 100% local OS to be launched soon
[ARABNEWS] The first tablet in the Kingdom with the Saudi hardware "KTAB" is soon to appear after seven years of research. It is made in blue and produced by King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).
Suggested marketing theme: "You can tell it's new, it's blue."
KTAB was produced in partnership between KACST and Mesbah Saudi Technology Company, a large team of engineers and developers. The team who helped to make this innovation a success is headed by Yasser al-Usaifir, CEO of Mesbah Tech.
The picture at the link shows what looks like an Arabic language tablet. The Home, Back, and Windows buttons are identically placed to the ones on mine. It is in fact blue and the logo has a stylized pair of wings and the (Latin) letters KTAB.
The specifications and details of the first Saudi tablet "KTAB" (Kitab is Arabic for "book") were revealed to Arab News in a special interview with al-Usaifir.
Among recognizable icons are a calendar, popup notes, contacts, and Google translate. There's a red one that says English, and a yellow one that says Learning.
The idea behind KTAB arose from the passion of creating a platform for smart devices in the Kingdom to be a research and development base for future technology projects.
Unless it is Android-based, which I'm pretty sure it is, the apps won't transport. That's what killed Blackberry's excellent Playbook.
First, many analyses and surveys were carried out regarding students’ problems and needs regarding carrying heavy devices that did not support all educational aids.
If the KTAB should go the way of the Commodore 64, and you really, really need one, buy an Acer or Samsung. You can change your display language to Arabic from the Settings app. You can also change the keyboard settings so that you can type with Arabic characters. If you use "OK, Google," you can adjust the voice settings to recognize and speak Arabic. Probably, if you own a KTAB, you can do about the same thing in reverse, only to Saudi software engineering standards.
The product also aims to reduce the consumption of paper used in printing. "KTAB is an educational channel, not a substitute for the teacher or the books, but a complementary and supportive educational tool, especially for young students as it aims to encourage them to use technology in a useful way," said al-Usaifir.
Or if you have a granddaughter, she can spend lots of time watching Peppa Pig on YouTube.
Pigs are forbidden to Muslims, as I recall...
KTAB includes all the tools that the student needs before, during and after class, at home and at school, including assignments, tests, e-books, daily lessons, visual and audio libraries. It includes applications for parents to follow up their children’s activities both inside and outside the school.
I use my Androids mostly as book readers. I do have a nicely tactile Logitech Bluetooth keyboard, and I used to have a Bluetooth mouse until one of my grandchildren lost it. It turned the tablet into a Qualcomm processor-powered PC. KTAB has Bluetooth as well.
It includes an educational encyclopedia, educational browser and contains dozens of educational sites and application videos with tutorials and explanations. "Note that these applications and their content can be customized according to the needs of the user," al-Usaifir said.
By golly, that's something you can't find on an Android!... No. Wait.
Never mind.

"It is a Saudi tablet, but there are partnerships with foreign international companies to build the tablets in a suitable way until the technology is properly settled and localized."
So they've made it China. If you really want one, go to Alibaba and order it, with free shipping.
KTAB supports 4G and quad-core processor, 2G RAM, 16 GB internal storage capacity, 128 GB capacity, 6000mAh battery, 10x 1920x1080 high-resolution display, 8MP front camera and 2GB front end.
My latest tablet ($64.00, free shipping, natch) also supports 4G. They call them Phablets, because calling them Tlones is linguistically clumsy unless you're an Aztec. I could pop in a SIM card, sign up or prepay with Cricket or AT&T or somebody and it would be a seven inch phone as well as my e-reader. I've got a 128GB mini-SD in it with eight or ten movies my granddaughter likes and lots of room for more.
"Currently, it is sold to government and private agencies and is not available to the public," al-Usaifir said.
Check with Alibaba anyway. They'll sell anybody anything, as long as the credit card goes through.
The technology is wide and can be re-used as needed. The device can be re-allocated for use in many areas, including civil defense, traffic, passports and many government departments. "We are ready to work and develop any hardware or software specialized in a particular area with high security and quality," said al-Usaifir.
In other news, Saudi Arabia has invented what they call a "wheel." I have no idea what it does.
Posted by: Fred || 03/12/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I don't think we have much room to snark, we get all our stuff from China and don't know what's lurking in the BIOS.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 03/12/2018 0:07 Comments || Top||

#2  I would make fun, but jeez, they're tryin'. I'll give 'em that.
Posted by: ed in texas || 03/12/2018 8:34 Comments || Top||

#3  The first tablet in the Kingdom with the Saudi hardware

Made of stone using base60 math.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/12/2018 18:14 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Khaleda bail hearing deferred to Monday
[Dhaka Tribune] A bench consisting of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahid Karim gave the order for the date to be rescheduled
Posted by: Fred || 03/12/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies


China-Japan-Koreas
China's Parliament Puts Xi on Course to Rule for Life
[AnNahar] China's Xi Jinping on Sunday secured a path to rule indefinitely as parliament abolished presidential term limits, handing him almost total authority to pursue a vision of transforming the nation into an economic and military superpower.

The move reverses the era of "collective" leadership and orderly succession that was promoted by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to ensure stability following the turbulent one-man rule of Communist China's founder Mao Zedong.

The historic constitutional amendment breezed through the rubber-stamp parliament with 2,958 in favour, two against and three abstentions despite an unusual bout of online criticism that censors have scrambled to extinguish.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/12/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  He may regret signing up for the ‘ruler for life’ program as the ‘new leader’ program requires him to be killed.
Posted by: Airandee || 03/12/2018 10:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Yeah, the retirement plan is always a drawback.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 03/12/2018 11:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Beijing-based activist Hu "Gulen" Jia, who says authorities forced him to leave the capital during the congress, called the amendment "illegal".
Posted by: Frank G || 03/12/2018 12:47 Comments || Top||

#4  "The benefits are terrific. The trick is not to get killed. That's really the key to the benefit program."
Posted by: SteveS || 03/12/2018 12:51 Comments || Top||

#5  When do the Mongols come back?
Posted by: AlanC || 03/12/2018 15:48 Comments || Top||

#6  To me, Xi's doing this unlimited term change points to a serious flaw in the chinese govt. Like an achilles heel. I do not see good coming of it.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 03/12/2018 18:42 Comments || Top||

#7  The presidency used to be a ceremonial, head of state-like, title - much like the Governor General of Canada. The real power behind the throne was the Chairman of the Central Military Commission - essentially the commander of the Party's Army, the PLA. Hu Jintao became president in March 2003. But it wasn't until September 2004 that Jiang Zemin handed the reins of power to him, by letting him assume the title of CMC Chairman.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/12/2018 20:40 Comments || Top||


Government
Best Buy’s Geek Squad has been working with the FBI for a decade
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/12/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A forensic capability obviously reserved for the outside the beltway, non-politically connected.
Posted by: Besoeker || 03/12/2018 4:13 Comments || Top||

#2  A retired guy in the little town I live in opened a PC fix & upgrade shop, just as thing to do. Registered his business as per.
Told me he got a peculiar phone call after about a month, from the federal courthouse in Houston. They said they just wanted to confirm his name, address, and phone number for the records. I'm guessing that if they decide to fire off any warrants or such they want to have all the blanks filled in.
Posted by: ed in texas || 03/12/2018 8:44 Comments || Top||

#3  In all my time doing mom n pops, I always left the outboard backup at their site. I didn't want anything to do with any of their data.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 03/12/2018 14:52 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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4Moslem Colonists
2Commies
2Govt of Syria
2al-Nusra
2Sublime Porte
2Islamic State
1Jaish al-Islam (MB)
1Narcos
1Taliban
1Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)
1Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
1Govt of Pakistain Proxies
1Haqqani Network
1Hezbollah
1Houthis

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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2018-03-12
  Syrian Army surrounds Jaysh Al-Islam stronghold in East Ghouta
Sun 2018-03-11
  First group of militants surrender arms & leave East Ghouta after Russia-brokered talks
Sat 2018-03-10
   Tuareg militias again clash with Islamic State-loyal militants in northern Mali
Fri 2018-03-09
  Mullah Fazlullah's kid killed in drone strike in Afghanistan
Thu 2018-03-08
  Accomplice of Paris attacks mastermind held in Poland
Wed 2018-03-07
  Kirkuk Klean up: 33 turbans permanently unwound
Tue 2018-03-06
  Paramilitary troops repulsed Islamic State suicide attack, north of Babel
Mon 2018-03-05
  20 Islamic State militants killed in clashes with Iraqi forces in Hawija
Sun 2018-03-04
  Teacher found guilty of grooming children to launch terror attacks in London
Sat 2018-03-03
  Mosul Clearances Continue: 30 turbans tied up or permanently unwound, ISIS chemicals concern, Saddam Hussein mass grave found
Fri 2018-03-02
  Attack underway in Burkina Faso's capital, police say
Thu 2018-03-01
  Nigerian-Cameroonian Troops Eliminate 35 Boko Haram fighters, Recover Large Weapons
Wed 2018-02-28
  US designates 'Daesh-Egypt', other ISIS affiliates as terrorist groups
Tue 2018-02-27
  Drone strike kill 3 militants, injures 3 more in Laghman province
Mon 2018-02-26
  Police arrest widow of Jemaah Islamiyah leader Marwan
Sun 2018-02-25
  UN Security Council unanimously votes in favor of Syria ceasefire resolution


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