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6 dead in passenger bus kaboom in Lower Shabelle
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
7 21:20 trailing wife [10] 
11 19:32 Super Hose [10] 
2 07:05 DooDahMan [11] 
12 22:09 Xyz [18] 
1 10:22 Frank G [7] 
2 14:12 swksvolFF [14] 
10 17:33 Rambler in Virginia [13] 
7 12:45 Super Hose [16] 
3 12:51 Besoeker [14] 
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2 22:29 DooDahMan [11] 
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Page 4: Opinion
8 13:17 Abu Uluque [17]
3 11:20 Super Hose [7]
7 16:03 Bobby [11]
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6 17:26 Rex Mundi [12]
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
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5 09:17 ed in texas [9]
2 12:45 Abu Uluque [7]
9 14:22 DarthVader [10]
Page 6: Politix
5 20:42 Thing From Snowy Mountain [16]
7 18:00 SteveS [15]
4 19:35 Super Hose [21]
6 12:14 Skidmark [18]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Shocking new video shows Rand Paul's staffer being stabbed while walking down the street in Washington D.C.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Blue cities — Washington, DC’s last Republican mayor left office in 1961
  • Staffer Phillip Todd was attacked in broad daylight in Washington D.C. about a mile and a half from the Capitol on March 25

  • Cops arrested and charged suspect, DC resident Glynn Neal, 42, with assault with intent to kill in the aftermath of the vicious attack

  • Neal had just been released from prison the day before
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:


#2  RAP SHEET

Note: He was released early for good behavior.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 08/10/2023 6:51 Comments || Top||

#3  Next time release him from prison in the middle of the Mojave in August.
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/10/2023 12:42 Comments || Top||


-Obits-
Robbie Robertson, Guitarist For The Band, Has Died At Age 80
[News9] Robbie Robertson, best known for his work as the lead guitarist for The Band, has died, his manager confirmed. He was 80.

At the time of his death, Robertson, along with Garth Hudson, was one of just two surviving members of The Band, which rose to prominence as Bob Dylan's backing band in the 1960s.

The Band played at Woodstock in 1969 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Robertson's manager Jared Levine said Robertson died following a long illness, "surrounded by his family."

Read the rest at the link
Posted by: badanov || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  always liked him. RIP
Posted by: Frank G || 08/10/2023 10:22 Comments || Top||


-Great Cultural Revolution
Disney to raise prices on Disney+ and Hulu streaming services
[10 News] That'll turn around those dropping numbers for Disney+. Charge more for crap.
Youbetcha

The company said it will also start cracking down on password sharing.

Disney is looking to join Netflix in raising prices for its streaming services and cracking down on password sharing.

During an earnings call Wednesday, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company is looking to increase profits by hiking prices by $3 for its ad-free Disney+ and Hulu, increasing monthly subscription costs to almost $14 and $18, respectively. He acknowledged that the price hikes are intended to steer customers toward the cheaper, ad-supported versions of its streaming services — whose prices are not expected to change — with Iger adding that it's a healthier business than traditional television ads.

The Disney CEO also said the company will adjust subscriber agreements later this year to cut down on account sharing. While Iger didn't provide details on the crackdown, he noted that Disney would benefit from the move in 2024.

The announcements came after Disney released its earnings for the fiscal third quarter that ended on July 1. The company reported substantial losses in both domestic and international markets, but acknowledged that problems in the Indian market played a large role.

Overall, the company reported a 4% increase in quarterly revenue, but saw a $460 million net loss from a year-earlier profit of $1.4 billion. Disney said its streaming services also lost about 300,000 subscribers from April through June, the same number it shed in the second fiscal quarter of this year.
Posted by: Frank G || 08/10/2023 10:22 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Don't use 'em anyway
Posted by: DarthVader || 08/10/2023 10:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Already got hammered for HULU.
Dropped it.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 11:25 Comments || Top||

#3  ...We don't have cable - ditched it ten years ago - and do strictly streaming. Even with the increases, we're still considerably cheaper than local cable. It's Spectrum here, and although they regularly spam me with ridiculous offers - as low as $17/mo - the terms and conditions are frankly insulting and once the offer expires, you're paying north of $175 for a decent cable tier.

Now, eventually somebody's going to realize just how much is being lost to streamers and the gravy train's gonna get derailed big time, but until then we're happy.

Disney+ is really kind of testing our patience, however. The Star Wars series have varied wildly in quality - The Mandalorian has been consistently great, but Boba Fett was okay at best, Kenobi should have been a lot better, and Andor was a snooze fest. Waiting to see on Ashoka.) And honestly, there's not a whole hell of a lot on there worth watching - the Marvel series have crashed, and the original series haven't been good (I'm looking at you, Willow.)

Mike
Posted by: MikeKozlowski || 08/10/2023 13:23 Comments || Top||

#4  Streaming amuses me. I get the idea that asynchronous viewing makes great sense. The pricing is approaching cable territory now as streaming becomes the big dog while cable TV is on the wane. One thing streaming is not, is green. This is no problem if A) Green does not matter to you (I certainly don't care) or B) You are a hip young kiddie and "kewel" trumps "green" every time (that's called hypocrisy, just sayin') As a hard-core capitalist, I say bring it, just don't try to sell it as anything it isn't.

Full disclosure: I subscribe to no streaming services or cable TeeVee. I do prowl flea markets for DVDs of classic movies that I rip to my NAS and enjoy ever after on my terms. I take the discs I'm done with back to the flea market and trade 'em for others. I do not violate copyrights by sharing the files around.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/10/2023 13:34 Comments || Top||

#5  It will be interesting to see whether the subscriptions tank enough for the increase to achieve a net loss. Disney announced the closing of the Star Cruiser Hotel and will be taking some kind of huge $1B to $4B write-off for it at some point. I have heard that they are likely to leverage the writers strike to cancel projects that look like losers. To me it looks like Anheiser Bus, a company seeking to make its customers more selective.
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/10/2023 14:16 Comments || Top||

#6  Problematic, perhaps, but anyone near a big pvblic library system is probably paying for it anyway. Can't abide Kanopy but have been amazed, spot-checking catalogs around the country, at range of dvds available.

Each day at the gate of the camp
An underweight Untermensch tramp
Applies to the cook
And the guards for a book
Or a film mag to borrow
And bring back tomorrow...
"Zu work on mein German!"
"Du scamp!"
Posted by: Spaiter Darling of the Pixies4165 || 08/10/2023 20:18 Comments || Top||

#7  :-)
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/10/2023 21:20 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Rapper Gillie Da King has issues with American Airlines
Contains understandably offensive language.
[Live and Let's Fly] This time, upon checking in at Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD) for his trip to Philadelphia (PHL), King was told that his seats had been given away. He was told that he had checked in too late. In Madrid, the check-in cutoff is 75 minutes, not the usual 60 minutes. King claimed he was not late to check-in and took to Instagram to complain (warning NSFW):
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/10/2023 06:12 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Upset over not being able to return to Philly? Very likely an omen. Re-book and buy a $55. train ticket to Cantabria and chill for another week, or two, or three.

Posted by: Besoeker || 08/10/2023 6:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Some people will do anything for attention and to stay "relevant".
Posted by: DooDahMan || 08/10/2023 7:05 Comments || Top||


The Birth of the Smithsonian Institution
[Epoch Times] In 1765, Elizabeth Hungerford Keate Macie moved to Paris from England to give birth to her illegitimate son in secret. James Lewis Macie was the son of Macie and her lover Hugh Smithson, the first Duke of Northumberland. There was, however, a caveat to his name. Elizabeth Macie made her son promise that when she died, he would change his last name to Smithson.

Eventually, the wealthy and successful scientist and bachelor would leave his money and estate to his nephew Henry James Hungerford. If Hungerford had children, the inheritance would be disseminated to them. If Hungerford did not have children, however, Smithson made the interesting and rather mysterious decision to bequeath all his wealth "to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men."

Posted by: Bobby || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  When last I was in DC, the exhibits in the rocket room were covered in plastic sheets like abandoned furniture. A seasonal leaky roof I was told.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 11:58 Comments || Top||

#2  There is quite the renovation project going on at the Air & Space museum currently.
Posted by: DooDahMan || 08/10/2023 22:29 Comments || Top||


Auction of Rare 1931 Duesenberg‐1 of 8‐Survived WWII in a Haystack
[Epoch Times] What was driven by Al Capone, actress Ginger Rogers, and kings, including Italy’s Victor Emmanuel III?

In answer, Duesenberg’s Model J was. It was a luxury car and status symbol in America and beyond, and of all the Model Js, Duesenberg’s designer Gordon M. Buehrig considered the rakish, 5-passenger Tourster his favorite.
All original parts restored; headlights replaced. Beautiful vehicle.
Posted by: Bobby || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The very definition of serendipity: finding a Duesenberg in a haystack.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/10/2023 11:13 Comments || Top||

#2  I want it but I'm afraid it's out of my price range.

I'm not the guy that one that Powerball lottery.

Oh well, 8^(
Posted by: AlanC || 08/10/2023 15:05 Comments || Top||

#3  They sure don't make them like that anymore. What a beauty.
Posted by: DooDahMan || 08/10/2023 22:23 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Moment Utah man Craig Deleeuw Robertson's home is surrounded by FBI agents who hurled a smoke bomb before shooting him dead after he posted 'credible' Joe Biden death threats
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • Craig Robertson, 75, was shot and killed by FBI agents at his Provo, Utah home at 6:15am on Wednesday morning, after making threats to kill Joe Biden that day

  • New footage from neighbors cowering behind their curtains shows heavily-armed agents throwing what appears to be a smoke bomb during a stand-off

  • Robertson's body was later seen outside the house: Sources told AP that he was armed when he confronted the agents sent to arrest him

The FBI attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at Robertson's house at 6:15am, but were met with resistance. Sources told AP that Robertson, who had a large arsenal in his home, was armed when they arrived.

The FBI began investigating Robertson in April, and the Secret Service was informed in June.

For months, Robertson had posted daily threats on what is believed to be his Facebook page, revealing his obsession with the president and fantasies about hurting him.

One post reads: 'There is only one creature in this universe I hate more than Joe Biden. It's Lucifer, Biden's brother!'

While conducting surveillance on Robertson's home on March 19, a special agent attempted to speak with Robertson about his posts, according to Fox13.

Robertson replied: 'I said it was a dream!'

He told the agent to come back with a warrant.

Robertson, who had a custom woodworking business, worked for 45 years as a structural steel and welding inspector before retiring and starting his own company.

His posts grew increasingly violent and threatening, and singled out Kamala Harris, Californian governor Gavin Newsom and Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg in addition to Biden.
This is why we don’t allow direct threats to Americans here at Rantburg. It’s just blowing off steam, but we don’t want something to trigger a response.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 05:32 || Comments || Link || [18 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sorry I have to agree, he crossed the line once he threaten the president.

However, given the way it was handled, I seem to get the feeling the outcome was preordained.

QUESTION:
Back in 2017 CBS news reported "...Threats against President Trump for his first six months in office are tracking about 6 to 8t per day, the new director of the U.S. Secret Service said on Thursday, CBS News' Pat Milton reports."

Kathy Griffin's posting photo and video showing her holding Mr. Trump's head and encouragement of others to take action never lead to an arrest.

How many arrests, or confrontations did we see?

I only remember 1.
A crazy guy outside the WH gates.



Posted by: NN2N1 || 08/10/2023 8:08 Comments || Top||

#2  They dropped someone two days ago in Albuquerque prior to Brandon visiting yesterday. No immediate explanation.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/10/2023 8:08 Comments || Top||

#3  Hey, who's that goat legged fellow ridin' Biden?
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 08/10/2023 8:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Killed while resisting arrest. Of course.
Posted by: ed in texas || 08/10/2023 9:06 Comments || Top||

#5  And where is Lon Horiuchi?
Posted by: Jerens Black9355 || 08/10/2023 9:27 Comments || Top||

#6  Glenn Beck interviewed Craig Robertson's friend from Craig's church about Craig being shot to death by the FBI on his radio show this morning about 6:30 AM (about two hours ago).
It sounded like a setup so the FBI could have an excuse to take drastic action against him.
The neighbor's are absolutely traumatized by the FBI actions if that was their intended effect.

Glen talked about de-escalation to help save the like of a man who was not an extremist according to the interviewee.
Craig's house was raided like they did to pro life activist Mark Houck holding him at gun point so they could terrorize his whole family.
The way Craig was killed by the FBI should be the top news story,
but for the Maui fire with all of the deaths.
Look for the media to spin this as one of those white supremacists threats that Biden always talks about as the biggest terrorism threat just like those who rioted on J6.
This is smoke screen for all of the terrorist crossing the southern border.
Posted by: boomerc || 08/10/2023 11:26 Comments || Top||

#7  Robertson right or wrong. Innocent until proven guilty. Surround the private residence, C4 the door, 'take out' the heavily armed citizen, and only one story is told.

Unarmed suspect arrested discreetly at Walmart or a gas station, bag-over-head (prisoner snatch) style, might be a different story. Private residence, likely no security cams. Again, one story told.

Lots of worldwide media 'happy snaps' of suspect's AR collection, always a plus. On-site LE briefing (foto 18 of 22) to late arrivers and smiling police cadets ("....and no shi* there I was").

It's going to backfire on these foks one day. Only a matter of time.

Again, nutcase or presidential assassin, 'innocent' until proven guilty in a court of law.

Posted by: Besoeker || 08/10/2023 11:46 Comments || Top||

#8  #7 Exactly. If what he did/said was so terrible it could come out in court.
Posted by: Cesare || 08/10/2023 11:54 Comments || Top||

#9  Trying to follow the RAB handbook but someone got ahead of themselves - how could they skip the return to the scene? Have they said how many rounds of bullet were recovered?
Posted by: bman911 || 08/10/2023 12:21 Comments || Top||

#10  6:15 AM raid, with flash-bangs and Armored Vehicle, full tactical gear and automatic weapons. Given the history of this guy's long term rantings online, his reported disability (neighbors described him as frail and walking with a cane), and his known extensive gun ownership, a disorienting early morning raid seems a poor choice to avoid a lethal reaction from the target.
Clearly he behaved stupidly, and invited a response for his obvious criminal threats to public officials. The unknown for me is if a local, more familiar and trusted law enforcement approach in a less threatening manner might have been the better choice. It almost feels like someone wanted to "make and example", the classic Waco mistake.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 08/10/2023 12:57 Comments || Top||

#11  If the guy was black all the usual suspects would be screaming bloody murder.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 08/10/2023 13:34 Comments || Top||

#12  I wonder how many of Robertson’s guns FBI agents have stolen?
Posted by: Xyz || 08/10/2023 22:09 Comments || Top||


Hawaii wildfires: Maui hospitals 'overwhelmed' and 911 services are disconnected due to downed cell towers
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
Poor visibility for the Directed Energy Directorate Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing team.
So these would be the boys from DED?
What an odd organization name.
  • Several fires have ripped through homes and buildings across Maui and Lahaina

  • Evacuation orders are in place in several counties as the fires continue

  • Strong winds from nearby Hurricane Dora are fanning the flames of the blazes
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:


Idaho man indicted on federal charges for allegedly shooting rifle at hydroelectric power stations
[FoxNews] From the continuing series "Attacks on America's Energy Infrastructure"
Randy Scott Vail accused of shooting at Hells Canyon Dam and Brownlee Dam power stations.

An Idaho man has been indicted on federal charges after prosecutors say he used a rifle to shoot at two hydroelectric power stations along the state’s border with Oregon, damaging both facilities.

Randy Scott Vail, 58, of Meridian, is now facing two counts of destruction of an energy facility following the alleged incidents in early June, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho.

"The indictment alleges that on June 8, 2023, and continuing into June 9, 2023, Vail used a rifle to shoot at the Hells Canyon Dam hydroelectric power station and the Brownlee Dam hydroelectric power station, causing damage to both," the attorney’s office said in a statement.

"The damage resulted in significant interruption and impairment of a function of the facilities," the statement added. "The dams are owned and operated by Idaho Power Company and produce, transmit, store, and distribute electricity to Washington, Idaho, and Oregon."

In court documents, a Washington County deputy said he was called to the area of the Brownlee Dam around 12:30 a.m. on June 9 to investigate a report of a man on a white motorcycle firing shots at that dam and at the Hells Canyon Dam, according to KTVB.

The station, citing a probable cause affidavit, reported that the deputy and a colleague then spotted the motorcycle heading east on Highway 71 and gave chase.

At one point during the pursuit, Vail, according to police and court documents, was allegedly traveling 80 mph in a 25-mph zone, KTVB also reported.

When Vail was brought to a stop, the deputy wrote in the affidavit that he was found carrying a pair of bolt cutters, two tire-repair cans "full of what smelled like gasoline" and a case containing two rifles, the station says.

The shootings in total caused more than $100,000 in damage, The Associated Press reports, citing an indictment.

Federal prosecutors say if convicted, Vail faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  carrying a pair of bolt cutters, two tire-repair cans "full of what smelled like gasoline" and a case containing two rifles

Quite a bit to carry, at speed.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 12:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Put him in a small cage with a transformer that will explode violently if shot, and then run around the perimeter of the fence about 50 yards back taking pot shots so that he has to play goalie with his arms and legs to prevent being immolated.
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/10/2023 12:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Hello McFly - when committing felonies, try not to speed. Duh.
Posted by: mossomo || 08/10/2023 12:48 Comments || Top||


-War on Police-
Shocking moment woman in dressing gown is shot dead by LAPD after wandering around the city whacking strangers in the head with a BARBELL
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • Footage shows the suspect, identified as Jessica Brown, 33, walking along Reseda Blvd on July 9 randomly hitting people over the head with a metal pipe

  • A total of four people were attacked and sustained serious head and face injuries

  • The officer that struck Brown was identified as West Valley Division Police Officer II Kyle Golveo, officials said
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 06:16 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Wow, the LAPD did that? GOOD!
Posted by: DooDahMan || 08/10/2023 7:14 Comments || Top||

#2  Likely to be reported using something like the following BLoM example headline.

"Innocent Black woman murdered by police, while defending herself from others"

Questions:
She did this back in early July also.
Was she confined to either mental ward, or a jail?
Or just released on the Calif Signature bond joke?

What were the color/races of her victim?
Because the media seems to have avoided those facts?
Posted by: NN2N1 || 08/10/2023 7:48 Comments || Top||

#3  Everything seems to shock those idiots at the Daily Fail. Every one of these articles is evidence that the Brits get nothing about America. I have several British friends and when they visit here they have baffled by just about everything we do.
Posted by: EMS Artifact || 08/10/2023 8:41 Comments || Top||

#4  Good. Take the trash off the streets
Posted by: Frank G || 08/10/2023 9:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Wow, the LAPD did that? GOOD!

There is the shocking part.

Speaking of shocking, we keep seeing stories of (alleged) perps getting tased to little or no effect. There have been reports of battery problems, but I wonder if the issue is improper use or maybe people being so drugged out/crazy that the fact of being tased just does not register with their brain.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/10/2023 10:36 Comments || Top||

#6  AND the probes have to reach the skin
Posted by: Frank G || 08/10/2023 10:54 Comments || Top||

#7  when they visit here they have baffled by just about everything we do.

Hell, I'm baffled!
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 11:28 Comments || Top||

#8  Ref # 5
The long standing police policy regarding use of force has always used an "escalation of force" baseline that emphasizes the minimal force needed to effect an arrest and contain any threat.

As the news media has become more visual, technology has delivered other tools like the taser and the public has become increasingly uncomfortable with displays of police use of force. Tragically a highly effective, intermediate-level tool has virtually disappeared from view. The old-school nightstick in all its variations, has been a mainstay of non-lethal use of force techniques, most often merely by the display of intended use. The presence in an officer's hand, even in an un-threatening manner, has amazing de-escalation effects, even on highly fractious suspects.

The Rodney King videotape disaster really spelled the end of that era, and I propose a reconsideration of that abandonment.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 08/10/2023 12:40 Comments || Top||

#9  Now we have 'the baton'.
Convenient to carry but no visual intimidation when collapsed.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/10/2023 13:23 Comments || Top||

#10  Ah, but with a flick of the wrist and that 'SNICK' sound it becomes very intimidating. Exactly why I carry one in my truck. More than one would be perp has changed their mind after seeing it.
Posted by: Waldemar Glereth6328 || 08/10/2023 15:46 Comments || Top||

#11  Had some woman who was not all there wander into my factory in the industrial section of Richmond, CA. I don’t remember what she was wearing, but she was out of it and still had the little EKG patches visible in her neck area. I have a couple of daughters so I know those weren’t in fashion. She booked it before the cops arrived, but she staggered off into Injun country. She needed help, but the ER isn’t a housing unit for crazy.
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/10/2023 19:32 Comments || Top||


Africa Subsaharan
World Bank freezes funding to Uganda over anti-gay law
Do they do this kind of thing often?
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Colonialism!
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/10/2023 9:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Black lives matter..., But not as much as the leftist agenda.
Posted by: EMS Artifact || 08/10/2023 9:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Wanna bet they fund other Islamic countries?
Posted by: Frank G || 08/10/2023 9:46 Comments || Top||

#4  Wanna bet they fund other Islamic countries?

Come on, man! These are our principles.
But if you don't like them, we do have others.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/10/2023 10:55 Comments || Top||

#5  NBC News via Insty:
“Iraq’s official media regulator on Tuesday ordered all media and social media companies operating in the Arab state not to use the term “homosexuality” and instead to say “sexual deviance” […] The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) document said that the use of the term “gender” was also banned.”
Posted by: Frank G || 08/10/2023 11:01 Comments || Top||

#6  I see American media on a collision course with their otherwise beloved "austere Islamic scholars."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/10/2023 11:16 Comments || Top||

#7  Could they up their Social Credit Score in other ways like farming without fertilizer so that they have enough cash to keep buying Powerball tickets?
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/10/2023 12:45 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Ecuador presidential candidate assassinated: Fernando Villavicencio is shot dead while leaving a political rally less than two weeks before the vote
[MAIL] Gunmen in Ecuador shot dead presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio as he was leaving a rally on Wednesday night, with less than two weeks to go until a bitterly contested election.

Footage shared on social media showed Villavicencio, 59, being escorted out of the rally venue at 6:20pm local time and into a waiting car. He was climbing into the back seat when gunfire rang out. The windows did not appear to be bulletproof.

Last week Villavicencio, a former journalist, said he and his team had been threatened by the leader of a gang linked to drug trafficking.

He was behind at least two other candidates, but had been gaining support in recent days, and was seen as the toughest candidate on organized crime.

General Manuel Iniguez, a deputy commander of the Ecuadoran national police, said a police officer was also injured in the attack, which happened outside a college in the north of Quito.
Courtesy of Frank G, Axios adds:
Fernando Villavicencio, an anti-corruption presidential candidate in Ecuador's upcoming election was killed after shots were fired at a campaign rally in the capital, Quito, Wednesday, the country's President Guillermo Lasso confirmed.

What they're saying: Lasso said in a statement he's "outraged and shocked" by the country's first-ever assassination on the campaign trail.

"I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished," he said. "Organised crime has come a long way, but the full weight of the law is going to fall on them."

The big picture: Former journalist Villavicencio was known for speaking out on connections between government officials and organized crime, the New York Times notes.

Violence related to narcotics trafficking has escalated over the past five years in the previously mostly safe country, per the NYT.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under: Narcos

#1  Will a similar situation happen herein 2024?

Because, as many have already seen, there is no limit to what the LSD's, the DC Swamp and Globalist Elites aren't willing to go to, to halt a MAGA agenda candidate from coming to power.

The LSD actions would likely be based on the fact a MAGA type winner would expose their coup, illegal activities, political corruption and actual deal out Constitutional Justice.


Of course this could be played another way.

Where the LSD's do a JFK to enact immediate autocratic controls to further their own agenda.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 08/10/2023 6:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Seems to be a lot of eliminating political opponents going on recently.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 08/10/2023 14:12 Comments || Top||


Government Corruption
Cook shortage at Army post shutters some mess halls, leaving hungry soldiers scrambling: report
[FOX] An Army installation in Texas has been struggling to put food on the table for its soldiers for months as the base faces a shortage of cooks to staff its dining facilities.

Fort Cavazos, previously known as Fort Hood, has struggled to provide its junior enlisted troops with meals for months, with the base only opening two of its 10 major dining facilities for much of the summer and with limited times, according to a report Tuesday from Military.com.

According to the report, the base has faced a shortage of cooks to man the dining facilities around base, with many Army cooks either on deployment or away on field training. Soldiers who depend on the dining facilities to eat have also faced confusing and conflicting opening schedules for the facilities as base officials attempt to move personnel around to staff the food service buildings.

Some of the dining facilities have only been opened during limited times, forcing some soldiers to drive a long distance across one of the military's largest installations in attempts to get food.

"For months, one [dining facility] was open and was a more than 30-minute drive for my soldiers," a noncommissioned officer who anonymously spoke to Military.com said. "All the soldiers were going to that one. It's unmanageable during the workday."

Many Army cooks have been pulled off the base for a rotation at the National Training Center and for support of a cadet exercise at Fort Knox, Kentucky, further straining the Fort Cavazos facilities, according to the report.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Not the only DOD related shortages.

Retired Family members are frequently telling us the Medical services are now minimalist at best.

In the last 30 days
We have had a Retired US-ARMY family member, who had physical checkups about seen every 6 months at the Fort hospital. That would not have known he had stage 3 Lymphoma. If he hadn't seen an outside Doc, at the wife's insistence, for a 2nd opinion and to get a correct diagnosed.

Have a US-ARMY extended family member, in Colorado Springs, who was sick, finally, got to see a Fort Hospital Doc. The Doc did a C-19 / Flu Test, and it took 3 days for results? Yep the same test that could have had done at CVS or Walgreens for free and get immediate results. She is now home on med's with Covid-19, delayed treatment and facing lung damage issues.

Insult to injury ....She got all the Clot shots and booster shots also.

Plus the Base Commissaries in their areas are running short on certain food items.



Posted by: NN2N1 || 08/10/2023 6:41 Comments || Top||

#2  Over 30 years ago, the services were switching to contractor personnel providing 'messing' operations on permanent installations. The same with fatigue duties (i.e. grass cutting, trash collection, et al). Is it the contractor that is having problems getting employees?

As for medical. Retiree support as always been on a standby category, depending upon the availability of manpower. Lot of retirees are not near facilities and have to rely upon facilities and providers who take Tricare. This includes the VA services for service connected afflictions. Upon reaching age 65, retirees move from Tricare to Medicare with Tricare picking up the some of the difference.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/10/2023 8:05 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/10/2023 8:19 Comments || Top||

#4  The thing you have to understand about Hood Cavazos: nothing is near anything else. And it's freaking huge.
Posted by: ed in texas || 08/10/2023 9:10 Comments || Top||

#5  Copperas Cove, Texas?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/10/2023 9:30 Comments || Top||

#6  Just recently the VA didn't give my wife a thyroid med she had been taking for 25 years. Caused her some liver issues. They are shit, couldn't take the time to look at the med records, pretty sure it was an affirmative action hire.
Posted by: Chris || 08/10/2023 10:01 Comments || Top||

#7  /\ Over 30 years ago, the services were switching to contractor personnel providing 'messing' operations on permanent installations. The same with fatigue duties (i.e. grass cutting, trash collection, et al). Is it the contractor that is having problems getting employees?

Never know where those skills might come into play and contributions to society might be made at some future date. The late Truett Kathy started his career as a mess cook at Fort Gillem, GA. during WWII
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/10/2023 10:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Copperas Cove is indeed about 45 mins from the base. Killeen is even closer. (This is assuming that they ever finish the highway construction.)
But a fresh prive shouldn't have to leave the base and drive 30 minutes to track down something to eat. Last time I was at Benning Moore, there were Subways and Burger Kings right at the barracks areas. Ditto Sill.
Posted by: ed in texas || 08/10/2023 13:54 Comments || Top||

#9  ...When I got to Wurtsmith AFB MI ('If there's a bright center to the Universe...this is the spot farthest from it') in '78, we were five miles outside of Oscoda, MI, a literal 1-stoplight town. The nearest city was Alpena, fifty miles north, and the nearest big city was Saginaw, 120 miles south...and even with that, there were places to eat within a couple minutes drive off base. Party and Food Center (still there, by the way), Wiltse's Restaurant, (ditto) Big Dave's Pizza, a couple taco places, the Au Sable Inn, the Pack House, McDonald's of course, and a A&W and Big Boy just south of town. And hell, ON base we had a killer chow hall, the NCO/Airmen's Club, a bowling alley that made some of the best burgers and sandwiches I've ever had, and a very good snack bar at the BX.

The point to all that is that if you can't make a go of a restaurant right outside of a military base - and Wurtsmith had fewer than 2500 people - the base ain't the problem. Honestly, the Army needs to man up and give these guys BAS until further notice, and make up some of that by flatly closing a couple of those chow halls and consolidating the teams of the others so you have more than a couple places to eat.

Mike
Posted by: MikeKozlowski || 08/10/2023 14:55 Comments || Top||

#10  Re #9: Mike, that's an AIR FORCE base. I'm surprised there weren't several 5 star restaurants both on and off base. Fort Hood Cavazos is an ARMY base. :)
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 08/10/2023 17:33 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Biden Admin Concedes No Evidence Behind Recommendation for 6 Annual COVID Booster Shots
[ZH] President Joe Biden's administration concedes that there is no scientific evidence to support an apparent recommendation to receive as many as six COVID-19 booster shots in a year.
After Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Biden appointee, wrote in a social media post on Nov. 29, 2022, that people should get vaccinated "if it’s been over 2 months since your last dose," the Functional Government Initiative (FGI) filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents supporting the statements.

The watchdog organization then sued after the administration didn't comply with timelines laid out in the law.

FGI asked for, among other documents: "Any scientific support relied on by Secretary Becerra when approving or issuing the tweet recommending that all Americans receive a booster shot every two months" and "any study, synopsis, or similar statement or document of scientific, academic, or government research on whether a bi-monthly booster shot will effectively prevent the transmission or susceptibility to COVID-19 and known active variants as of November 2022."

It also asked for internal communications regarding Mr. Becerra's statements.

In a new response, the government said it had no evidence to support Mr. Becerra's recommendation.

"The department reviewed 1,263 pages of potentially responsive records captured in the agency’s search for this FOIA request. After a careful review of these records, I determined the 1,263 pages were not relevant to your request," Alesia Williams, an official in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told FGI.

"The lack of a single of a single record supporting Secretary Becerra’s bold public health recommendation for six COVID boosters a year is a startling development," Pete McGinnis, a spokesman for FGI, said in a statement.

"It is tremendously irresponsible for the government’s chief health official to fire off tweets recommending frequent injections of a new vaccine booster apparently based on no academic or scientific support," Mr. McGinnis added.

"How can the public be assured that the agency is ’following the science’ on other important public health matters when it demonstrates such clear disregard for basic scientific integrity standards on an issue as important as COVID vaccine shots?"

The group noted that Mr. Becerra, a lawyer by training, lacks a background in health. Doctors typically lead that department.

BOOSTER RECOMMENDATIONS
As newer COVID-19 variants have emerged, the vaccines have performed increasingly worse. Federal officials inside HHS first cleared booster shots in 2021 due to the flagging effectiveness, and have since authorized and recommended additional shots.

In the spring of 2023, regulators had authorized, without clinical trial data, newly formulated versions of the vaccines aimed at Omicron subvariants. Federal officials had said that people should get a booster if more than two months had elapsed since their most recent shot. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said most people should only receive one additional shot, but that certain groups could receive more.

In another statement promoting vaccination, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that a single shot would protect people from COVID-19 for an entire year. There's no evidence supporting that claim.
Posted by: Frank G || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats

#1  Just say no!
Posted by: EMS Artifact || 08/10/2023 9:13 Comments || Top||

#2  They aren’t even bothering to lie anymore. It’s like watching BJ Honeycutt in the last two seasons of MASH. They are just mailing in their performance.
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/10/2023 12:48 Comments || Top||

#3  Easily identified.

Posted by: Besoeker || 08/10/2023 12:51 Comments || Top||


International-UN-NGOs
US accuses Sudan of banning UN representative from speaking at Security Council
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Sudanese authorities allegedly threatened to curtail the United Nations mission in this African country if Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sudan, speaks at a meeting of the Security Council . This was stated to journalists by the US permanent representative to the world organization Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

She called this fact "outrageous." The diplomat noted that no country should have the opportunity to cancel speeches of speakers, especially at the UN.

The meeting was held on August 9th. Perthes did not participate in it. The UN said they knew nothing about such ultimatums from Sudan.

In turn, Sudan's Permanent Representative to the UN Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed said that his country is in favor of Perthes leaving the post of special representative because of the diplomat's statements. Earlier, he publicly stated that the Sudanese government has lost the trust of partners in the region and can no longer maintain the unity of the country.

As reported by IA Regnum , on May 26, the spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric , said that the heads of the sovereign council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, called on UN head António Guterres to remove Volker Pertes from the post of special representative of the secretary general. Dujarric noted that this request shocked Guterres.

On July 26, Britain blocked the speech of the Russian speaker at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation around Ukraine. The event was supposed to hear the former bishop of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) Gideon . His speech touched upon the topic of persecution of the UOC in Ukraine, and the meeting was convened by Russia.
Posted by: badanov || 08/10/2023 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:



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Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2023-08-10
  6 dead in passenger bus kaboom in Lower Shabelle
Wed 2023-08-09
  Burkina: at least 20 dead in an attack by suspected jihadists
Tue 2023-08-08
  Two policemen among four martyred in North Waziristan, Peshawar attacks Dawn Report
Mon 2023-08-07
  Hamas sentences 7 Gazans to death by hanging for ‘collaboration’ with Israel
Sun 2023-08-06
  Al Shabaab big turban meeting in Hiiraan airstruck, dozens may be toes up
Sat 2023-08-05
  Three Al-Qaeda members killed in Abyan
Fri 2023-08-04
  ISIS leader confirmed dead - 4th Number 1 toes up, 5th Number 1 tees up
Thu 2023-08-03
  Renewed clashes in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, Lebanon on Wednesday
Wed 2023-08-02
  385 Pakistanis freed from traffickers’ warehouse in Libya
Tue 2023-08-01
  Clashes intensify in Ain al-Helweh as death toll climbs to 9 11
Mon 2023-07-31
  Suicide bomber suspected as explosion at Islamist rally in Pakistan kills at least 40, wounds more than 150
Sun 2023-07-30
  European Union Suspends Financial, Security Aid To Niger Republic
Sat 2023-07-29
  Niger coup leader calls for 'calm, vigilance and patriotism' in address to nation
Fri 2023-07-28
  Suspect in infamous ISIS massacre arrested in Sulaimani
Thu 2023-07-27
  Over 60 Al-Shabaab militants killed in joint op by SNA supported by local residents at El-Dhun Adegow in Bay region


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