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Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
IDF says it located the largest weapons production site since the beginning of the war
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
6 21:05 Secret Master [19] 
3 20:55 Deacon Blues [21] 
2 20:50 EMSArtifact [20] 
1 18:44 SteveS [16] 
6 16:32 jpal [18] 
9 21:26 NN2N1 [18] 
5 14:54 Besoeker [22] 
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4 13:31 Grom the Reflective [15] 
6 10:09 Procopius2k [14] 
10 11:00 M. Murcek [19] 
13 19:35 SteveS [19] 
5 14:17 Skidmark [32] 
6 11:48 Huputle Cherelet4131 [27] 
8 12:35 trailing wife [21] 
5 19:14 Frank G [32] 
1 06:08 NN2N1 [24] 
3 10:18 M. Murcek [11] 
5 13:32 NoMoreBS [13] 
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Page 6: Politix
2 12:04 Cleared Cookies Lost Nic [22]
1 11:54 Super Hose [13]
16 15:13 M. Murcek [20]
5 13:25 Rambler in Virginia [18]
5 11:44 Super Hose [22]
2 11:41 Super Hose [23]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Cops clash with dozens of Orthodox men in synagogue as riot breaks out over secret underground tunnel
[NYPost] A riot broke out in a historic Brooklyn synagogue when a group of rebellious Orthodox men tried to stop police and construction crews from filling in a secret tunnel they illegally dug to reach a closed-down women’s bath.

The enraged men, thought to be mostly in their teens and early 20s, were filmed tearing down wood panels and wooden support beams Monday at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights.

Other footage from the temple on Eastern Parkway showed cops trying to hold back dozens of Hasidic Jewish men as they pushed their way into the 20-foot-wide enclosure underneath the women’s section, toppling over wooden pews in their anger.

Synagogue leader Rabbi Yosef Braun condemned those involved, saying they arrived "ready to destroy and deface the Holy Walls" — calling it "mind-boggling."

Members of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement have reportedly been digging a tunnel under the Crown Heights synagogue for nearly a year.

It was apparently designed to reach an abandoned women’s mikvah — or ritual bath — around the corner and "expand" the synagogue, according to the Jewish outlet Forward, but it is unclear what motivated the members of the Chabad-Lubavitch community to start digging the passage.

Courtesy of Skidmark, the Daily Mail has more details and photos.
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/09/2024 11:01 || Comments || Link || [18 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It was apparently designed to reach an abandoned women’s mikvah — or ritual bath — around the corner and "expand" the synagogue, according to the Jewish outlet Forward, but it is unclear what motivated the members of the Chabad-Lubavitch community to start digging the passage.

My first thought is that they wanted to reopen the mikvah, some bureaucrat Downtown was going to make them jump through hoops to do so, and the congregation said (and quite reasonably, IMHO) "The hell with that."

NYC has not been an entirely friendly place to Jews lately. If this was the case, and this group decided this is where they were drawing a line, I'm on their side.

Mike
Posted by: MikeKozlowski || 01/09/2024 12:21 Comments || Top||

#2  On the other hand, Mike. Ultra-orthodox are sects - each with it's leader (a linear descendant of the founder), who's a supreme spiritual authority.
There are are Christian sects - are you surprised when you find something nasty about one of them?
Posted by: Grom the Reflective || 01/09/2024 12:40 Comments || Top||

#3  Not merely a sect, but a full blown leader-worshipping cult.

The Lubavichers are the ones who have have prayer rooms around the world for travellers as part of their outreach to the non-Chassidic Jewish majority, and put up gigantic Hanukkah menorahs next to community Christmas displays for the same reason. All the other Chassidic groups are entirely insular, as disconnected from the outside world as they were in the shtetls back in Eastern Europe.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2024 12:52 Comments || Top||

#4  Same people who think parents b belong in jail if they don't back "gender affirming care" freak out about how these groups treat their kids.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 13:22 Comments || Top||

#5  Maybe religious fanatics of all ilk have taken to tunneling.
Posted by: Penguin_of_the_Desert || 01/09/2024 16:23 Comments || Top||

#6  Never underestimate the ability of religious fanatics to gross out normies. I can remember when underground tunneling was considered cool.
Posted by: jpal || 01/09/2024 16:32 Comments || Top||


Felon who jumped at judge to attack her in court set to appear before her again Monday
[NYPOST] The Las Vegas felon seen in a wild courtroom video pummeling a judge after launching himself over her bench is scheduled to appear before her again Monday morning.

Deobra Redden,
...or Deobra Delone Redden when his mother is severely displeased...
30, is due to appear again before Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus, 62, to continue his sentencing hearing for an earlier baseball bat attack.

The original hearing was halted last Wednesday when he “supermanned over the judicial bench,” according to a description by Jerry Wiese, the court’s chief judge, of the now-viral attack.

Redden had desperately pleaded for Holthus not to give him prison time for the April baseball bat attack, telling the judge he was “a person who never stops trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it is.”

“I’m not a rebellious person,” he told her. “But if it’s appropriate for you, then you have to do what you have to do.”

Holthus rejected his request for probation given the three-time felon’s history.
...a history that includes charges for battery, robbery, assault, injury to property, and coercion.
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:


#2  Super Max, 1/4 rations. No sunlight. No visitors or parole ever.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 6:22 Comments || Top||

#3  With a name like Deborah he'll[?] have problems wherever he ends up.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 6:47 Comments || Top||

#4  Too bad security didn't just cripple this scum bag given his rap sheet with battery and assault. Quadriplegic for this turd would be just right...and prison time, of course.
Posted by: DooDahMan || 01/09/2024 12:46 Comments || Top||

#5  The Judge is simply going to re sentence him with the exact same sentence she was going to impose when he assaulted her. However, a totally new Judge will over see his new trial (brief as it may be) for assaulting a judge, bailiff, clerk, etc. That sentencing might well add a very long time as he is charged with 13 counts of assault/battery on a protected persons and felonious stupidity.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 01/09/2024 13:32 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Lloyd Austin treated for prostate cancer
[MAIL] 'On Dec 22 after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer,' the hospital said in a statement.

His cancer was 'diagnosed early and his prognosis is excellent.' But he also suffered complications on Jan. 1 that required an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

His complications included 'nausea with severe abdominal, leg and hip pain.' The early diagnosis was a urinary tract infection but further examination showed Austin, 70, had a fluid build up in his abdomen that was impairing the function of his small intestines.

The infection was treated by a tube placed through is nose that went down to his stomach. The infection has cleared, the statement said, and Austin 'continues to make progress.' He 'never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia,' the statement said although it also said Austin underwent anesthesia for the Dec. 22 surgery.

The announcement came as more lawmakers began to question why Austin was hospitalized and why it took the Pentagon four days to inform President Joe Biden and five days to inform the public. Senior administration and defense officials were not told for days about his hospitalization or his cancer.

Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 15:26 || Comments || Link || [19 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So complications from elective surgery is out?
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/09/2024 15:52 Comments || Top||

#2  Seems like a curious thing to cover up. Could just be routine Team Brandon incontinence incompetence. Or perhaps something more sinister and sneaky, like getting wounded during a missile attack on Kiev.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2024 17:30 Comments || Top||

#3  "The most transparent administration ever..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 17:49 Comments || Top||

#4  "Damaged his brain stem"
Posted by: Frank G || 01/09/2024 19:15 Comments || Top||

#5  I have since found out that having a prostatectomy in the very early stages of cancer is indeed elective surgery as there are other alternatives. However, we were not told how far advanced his cancer is.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/09/2024 20:53 Comments || Top||

#6  Poor bastard. I feel for him. (No sarcasm of any kind intended.)
Posted by: Secret Master || 01/09/2024 21:05 Comments || Top||


A brown bear became an army corporal during WWII.
[History] Standing in the shadow of Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle is a statue of a man and a bear. The placard next to them reveals they are Polish soldiers and World War II heroes — yes, even the bear. Named "Wojtek," the Syrian brown bear spent years in the Polish army before his journey ended in Edinburgh, where his statue’s nose now gleams gold from friendly pats. But that journey began thousands of miles away in Iran, in 1942.

Wojtek arrived at the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps by happenstance, when a young Iranian shepard traded the orphaned bear for a Swiss army knife, some chocolate, and canned beef. The Polish soldiers received a tiny cub in a burlap sack, who was placed under the care of a soldier named Peter Prendys. To everyone’s delight, the animal quickly assimilated, and in 1944 he became Private Wojtek, meaning "joyful warrior" in Polish. He was fed double rations, often washing it down with a beer. Wojtek’s antics provided much-needed entertainment, but he was more than just a pet.

The bear proved his worth on the battlefield when his company was reassigned to Italy. Eyewitness reports from May 1944, during the Battle of Monte Cassino, purport that Wojtek bravely carried artillery shells and ammo crates across the battlefield. After the battle, the company changed its insignia to a bear holding an artillery shell, and Wojtek was promoted to corporal. When the war ended, Wojtek said goodbye to his compeers and retired to the Edinburgh Zoo, where he lived from 1947 until his death in 1963, and where a statue now honors his extraordinary life of adventure and achievement.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 11:21 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A charming story about the right to arm bears.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2024 18:44 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Japan is rocked by powerful new 6.0-magnitude earthquake - as death toll from New Year's Day tremors and tsunami climbs past 200
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 05:45 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:


Caribbean-Latin America
The Cuban spying case that has shocked the US government
[BBC] When the former US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, was arrested in Miami recently and charged by his previous employer - the US government - with having spent more than 40 years as a Cuban agent, it amounted to one of the biggest spying scandals involving the communist-run island this century.

The US Attorney General, Merrick Garland, called Mr Rocha's alleged crimes "one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent".

While Manuel Rocha is yet to enter a plea, many observers remain baffled as to how he could have risen so high in the US diplomatic service while evading detection for so long, apparently honing a reputation as a hard-nosed conservative while secretly harbouring a deep-seated allegiance to the Cuban Revolution.

Evidence recorded by an undercover FBI officer, posing as a Cuban government contact, appears to show him describing the United States as the "enemy", praising the late Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, and boasting about having successfully maintained his dual identity for decades.

One man who was not entirely surprised, though, was James Olson, the former head of counterintelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He has years of first-hand experience of Cuba's intelligence service, the General Directorate of Intelligence (DGI).

"I would rank them as probably the most aggravating intelligence service I've ever worked against," he says. "That's not just because they're so devious and so ruthless, but because they're so good."

Former CIA agent Olson says the idea that Cuba allegedly "ran" Rocha for four decades is part of their modus operandi, especially with ideological spies as opposed to mercenary ones.

"They also ran our other major Cuban losses for many, many years," he explains, referring to a number of US citizens who were discovered to have spied for Cuba.

"They ran Ana Montes for 16 years, Philip Agee for 15 years, the Myers couple for 26 years." The Rocha case, he says, is in keeping with their work.

'THEY BEAT US'
Mr Olson says there is a common misconception that the DGI became blunted after the fall of the Berlin Wall once the KGB stepped back from the island.

Not so, he argues. In fact, he believes they are more sophisticated than ever.

"I consider the Cubans more disciplined and more effective pound-for-pound than the KGB ever was. The fact that the KGB - or the SVR, as it is today - maybe sponsoring them less than it had in the past, I don't think has affected their ability to carry out operations in any way."

"They've surpassed the KGB in terms of tradecraft and motivation and resistance to penetration," he says.

It's a point which came home to James Olson in June 1987, when a Cuban spy, Florentino Aspillaga, walked into the US Embassy in Vienna and defected. The testimony he gave to the Americans shocked US intelligence chiefs and revealed the extent and calibre of Fidel Castro's spying network.

"Aspillaga told me some very disturbing things", recalls Mr Olson. "He said that the Cuban DGI had successfully run 38 double agents against us. So every agent that we thought we'd recruited on the island was, in fact, being controlled by the DGI."

It still rankles the retired CIA man that, by his own admission, the Cubans got the better of him.

"They owned us. They beat us. That's one of the reasons I have this personal grudge against the Cuban intelligence service because they have been so successful in operating against us."
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 06:19 || Comments || Link || [22 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  The US Attorney General, Merrick Garland, called Mr Rocha's alleged crimes "one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent".

Yawn, Biden, Obama.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2024 10:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Even cursory OSINT news research intimates they have extensive connections to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico and other Latin American nations.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 01/09/2024 13:17 Comments || Top||


#4  "one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent"

Oh? Which one?
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 14:50 Comments || Top||

#5  "Aspillaga told me some very disturbing things", recalls Mr Olson. "He said that the Cuban DGI had successfully run 38 double agents against us. So every agent that we thought we'd recruited on the island was, in fact, being controlled by the DGI."

Nothing compared to the current internal network run by the Deep State.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 14:54 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
US Navy sailor sentenced to 27 months for transmitting sensitive military info to China
[FoxNews] Wenheng Zhao took around $15,000 in bribe payments, Justice Department says.

The punishment against Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, aka Thomas Zhao, a 26-year-old from Monterey Park, California, was issued Monday following his October 2023 guilty plea to one count of conspiring with the intelligence officer and one count of receiving a bribe, according to the Justice Department.

"Mr. Zhao betrayed his solemn oath to defend his country and endangered those who serve in the U.S. military," Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said in a statement. "The Justice Department is committed to combatting the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine our nation’s security and holding accountable those who violate our laws as part of those efforts."

The agency said between August 2021 and at least May 2023, Zhao, who worked and held a U.S. security clearance at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California, "received at least $14,866 in at least 14 separate bribe payments from the intelligence officer."

"In exchange for the illicit payments, Zhao secretly collected and transmitted to the intelligence officer sensitive, non-public information regarding U.S. Navy operational security, military trainings and exercises, and critical infrastructure," the Justice Department said. "Zhao entered restricted military and naval installations to collect and record this information.

"Zhao transmitted plans for a large-scale maritime training exercise in the Pacific theatre, operational orders and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system located in Okinawa, Japan," it added.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Zhao used encrypted communication methods to transmit the information and then destroyed evidence and tried to hide his relationship with the Chinese officer.

In addition to the sentencing, Zhao also has been ordered to pay a $5,500 fine.


Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 12:22 || Comments || Link || [20 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Ah, wasn't a member of the Hunter team.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2024 14:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Why was this tried in civilian court and not a court martial?
Posted by: EMSArtifact || 01/09/2024 20:50 Comments || Top||


China purges top army brass after US intel revealed they'd filled missiles with WATER instead of fuel and had a huge silo bunker with the wrong lids due to military corruption
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • The communist country's top lawmakers ousted nine senior military officers from the national legislative body on Friday

  • Many of these were from the Rocket Force - a key arm of the Chinese army overseeing tactical and nuclear missiles

  • News comes days after a startling New Years' message from ruler Xi Jingping, who warned that 'all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait' will be 'reunified'
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 05:04 || Comments || Link || [15 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Stupid move by U.S. intel.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/09/2024 11:39 Comments || Top||

#2  ^^ Yup.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/09/2024 12:12 Comments || Top||

#3  Or a head-fake trigger move to inflate the damage on the PLA by their own investigation?
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 01/09/2024 13:21 Comments || Top||

#4  I assume that the story is that US intel learned from their source AFTER the purge.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective || 01/09/2024 13:31 Comments || Top||


Economy
Boeing stock falls after company grounds 737 Max 9 planes
[Washington Examiner] Boeing’s stock nosedived on Monday after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded dozens of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes over the weekend.

Boeing was down more than 8% as the markets opened. The drop comes just after harrowing video from an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday showed a large panel on the side of the plane being torn off after the flight took off. Phones and other items were sucked out of the window as oxygen masks deployed.

It isn’t yet clear what caused the door panel to blow out, although the FAA ordered inspections for certain Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory. In total, some 171 airplanes will be affected by the grounding order.
planes assembled on Friday afternoons?
"The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes before they can return to flight," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. "Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282."

Alaska Airlines’s stock didn’t take too much of a hit on Monday following the incident and plane grounding. It was trading down about 1.6% by midmorning. Other major airlines were largely in the green as well.

Airbus, which is Boeing’s main competitor for commercial aircraft, saw its stock rise more than 3% amid news of the 737 Max incident.

Market Summary

Boeing Co
229.00 USD
-28.28 (-10.99%) past 5 days
Closed: Jan 8, 7:59 PM EST • Disclaimer
After hours 229.50 +0.50 (0.22%)
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 01:53 || Comments || Link || [19 views] Top|| File under:


#2 
Wait for it.....
Biden bails out airline industry.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/09/2024 6:03 Comments || Top||

#3  As if we needed yet another reason to avoid air travel.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 6:23 Comments || Top||

#4  Why are we scared of flying on planes?


When I started, I was a control freak and unwilling to surrender to the apparent whims of the pilot.

Sometime later, commuting daily for years, I found the flights a good time to nap and would knock off before the seat belt demo.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 6:44 Comments || Top||

#5  No worries.

Breastfeeding Pete is on the job!
Posted by: badanov || 01/09/2024 6:46 Comments || Top||

#6  United Airlines finds loose bolts and parts

Righty tighty, lefty loosie. It may be patriarchal, but it is still a thing.
Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2024 8:37 Comments || Top||

#7  Missing the point. Boeing stock will bounce when they announce the next sale of aircraft. Look at the 5 year trend. The stock is a sine wave. Buy it now, it will bounce back and you will make 10% in two weeks. No govt help none of that
Posted by: 49 Pan || 01/09/2024 10:18 Comments || Top||

#8  The MAX 9, like the 737-900ER, features a rear mid-cabin exit door on each side behind the wings that is required when used with dense seating configurations. On less densely configured aircraft, the exits are not required and plugs are installed in their place, as was the case on this aircraft. During the climb, the plug blew out, causing the decompression.[248]

Wikipedia
Posted by: Bobby || 01/09/2024 10:39 Comments || Top||

#9  Ref #7: Yep, buy the dip.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 10:50 Comments || Top||

#10  Planes crash from time to time. These days, we almost always know in painful detail why a plane has crashed. Identified problems are corrected pretty quickly.

It's still safer statistically to fly than to drive.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 11:00 Comments || Top||


BlackRock plans to lay off 600 employees — about 3 percent of global workforce
[NYPOST] BlackRock, the world’s largest money management firm, plans to announce layoffs in the coming days of about 3 percent of its global workforce, Fox Business has learned.

The job cuts of around 600 employees, which have yet to be reported, are being described internally as routine, according to a source familiar. Last year, BlackRock did a similar round of layoffs gauged on employee performance metrics, the source added.

Shares of BlackRock rebounded in 2023, up 6 percent after falling 21 percent in 2022. New customer money into BlackRock’s solid Exchange Traded Fund business went kaboom! last year with $187 billion of inflows into the products that follow a basket of securities and trade like stocks on major exchanges.

On Wednesday, BlackRock is expecting approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission for its new Bitcoin "spot" ETF — the first time a crypto investment product tracking the daily price of the world’s most popular digital coin will be approved by securities regulators to trade on a public stock market. Other asset managers are also expecting approval for their ETFs.
Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [24 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Here in Easteern GA. Acounting firms are trimming also. Mainly older more exp. More higher paid females it seems. Reason I am hearing: Business customer layoffs and reduced acct needs.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/09/2024 6:08 Comments || Top||


Europe
US fighter jets to fly over Bosnia in show of support for country as it faces secession threats
[FoxNews] The bilateral training showcases advanced military cooperation, according to the US Embassy.

Two U.S. fighter jets are set to fly over Bosnia on Monday in a demonstration of support for the Balkan country's integrity in the face of increasingly secessionist policies of the Bosnian Serb pro-Russia leader Milorad Dodik.

The U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons will fly as part of joint air-to-ground training involving American and Bosnian forces. The flyovers will take part in the regions of the eastern town of Tuzla and northern Brcko, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.

"This bilateral training is an example of advanced military-to-military cooperation that contributes to peace and security in the Western Balkans as well as demonstrates the United States’ commitment to ensuring the territorial integrity of BiH (Bosnia-Herzegovina) in the face of ... secessionist activity," the statement said.

"The United States has underscored that the BiH (Bosnia-Herzegovina) Constitution provides no right of secession, and it will act if anyone tries to change this basic element" of the Dayton peace agreements that ended the 1992-95 war in the country, the statement added.

The ethnic conflict in the 1990s erupted because Bosnia's Serbs wanted to create their own state and join neighboring Serbia. More than 100,000 people were killed before the war ended in a U.S.-brokered peace accord that created Serb and Bosniak-Croat entities held together by joint institutions.

Dodik, who is the president of the Serb entity called Republika Srpska, has defied U.S. and British sanctions over his policies. Backed by Russia, he has repeatedly threatened to split the Serb-run half from the rest of Bosnia.

On Tuesday, Dodik's government plans to hold a celebration of a controversial national holiday that Bosnia's top court has declared unlawful. On Jan. 9, 1992, Bosnian Serbs proclaimed the creation of an independent state in Bosnia, which led to the bloodshed.

Dodik has dismissed the U.S. jets' flyover, ironically saying it would contribute to Tuesday's celebrations, which routinely include a parade of armed police and their equipment.

The U.S. Embassy said that the mission also will be supported by a KC-135 Stratotanker that will provide aerial refuelling for the F-16s.

"U.S. aircraft will return to base immediately following mission completion," it said. "The ability to rapidly deploy, reach a target and return home demonstrates the United States’ ability to project power anywhere at a moment’s notice and operate alongside Allies and partners."

Western countries fear that Russia could try to stir trouble in the Balkans to avert attention from the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was launched by Moscow nearly two years ago. The U.S. Embassy statement said that "Bosnia and Herzegovina is a key U.S. partner with a shared goal in regional stability."

Bosnia is seeking entry into the European Union, but the effort has been stalled because of slow reform and inner divisions.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [27 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Bosnia's Serbs wanted to create their own state and join neighboring Serbia

Kinda like Oregon and Idaho.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 4:39 Comments || Top||

#2  We did more then that to stop the ethnic cleansing in the 90s. Maybe we can overfly Tel Aviv and send the same message.
Posted by: Vortigern Phert8938 || 01/09/2024 6:27 Comments || Top||

#3  MIC getting another woody...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 7:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Didn't work for Benghazi.
Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 7:23 Comments || Top||

#5  This is our business why, exactly?
Posted by: Secret Master || 01/09/2024 10:36 Comments || Top||

#6  #5 ask Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Posted by: Huputle Cherelet4131 || 01/09/2024 11:48 Comments || Top||


Government Corruption
Looks Like the Georgia RICO Case Against Trump Just Imploded
[PJ] The motion alleges that Willis hired private attorney Nathan Wade to act as her special prosecutor in her vast, convoluted RICO case against Trump and 18 others who dared pursue legal remedies for what they believed was a compromised 2020 election. She did this despite having more than one attorney within her own office who was perfectly capable of prosecuting the case. And she did it despite Wade being unqualified to handle the biggest case in Fulton County history, as he has never actually prosecuted a felony RICO case before. So why would Willis hire him?

The alleged answer is that the married father of two was tapping the dirty DA. And this opens up a whole can of big, fat ethical and legal worms that are now squirming exuberantly atop Fanis's prosecution house of cards.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the story Monday:
Whattamoron.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 14:07 || Comments || Link || [21 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now for the rest of the story.

  • Who did she meet with in Washington and when ?
  • What agreements were made ?
  • What financial benefits were derived ?
  • E-mails and telephone conversations ?
  • Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 14:14 Comments || Top||

    #2  Can't wait for George Conway's explanation of how there's no problem here...
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 14:27 Comments || Top||

    #3  It turns out he used a lot of the money to take Fani on lavish foreign trips and dinners.
    Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/09/2024 20:55 Comments || Top||


    Home Front: Politix
    Elon Musk advocates requiring ID to vote and holding in-person voting
    [BLAZE] Business magnate Elon Musk is advocating for in-person voting and for requiring a government-issued identification to vote.

    "We should require government ID and in-person voting (unless valid medical/ military/etc excuse), like other countries do or like if you want to buy beer," Musk tweeted.

    "Literally the same people who said voter ID was racist also demanded that you get a vaccine ID to travel anywhere or work!" Musk wrote in another post.

    "It's racist to claim that an adult is incapable of obtaining ID!" he has tweeeted. "Claiming that people can't figure out how to get ID is racist and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he wrote.
    Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 02:12 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  I would also recommend switching to proportional representation - if nothing else, it prevents the fringes taking over the major parties.
    Posted by: Grom the Reflective || 01/09/2024 4:16 Comments || Top||

    #2  This of course is fascism!!! (and mandatory in Germany)
    Posted by: European Conservative || 01/09/2024 5:49 Comments || Top||

    #3  Almost makes me wanna go out and buy a Tesla.
    Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 6:25 Comments || Top||

    #4  So why won't the blue states allow the purchase of alcohol and cigarettes by mail-in without ID?

    * voter registration should be done in the same manner and with the same requirements for a gun purchase.
    Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2024 7:29 Comments || Top||

    #5  vote in person on one day on paper ballot hand counted with ink-stained-thumb to signify 'voted'.
    as to govt-issued id...would you trust it today?
    Posted by: irish rage boy || 01/09/2024 9:21 Comments || Top||

    #6  ...well my paid property tax and income tax bills should qualify.
    Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2024 10:09 Comments || Top||


    Axel Springer launches probe into Business Insider's reporting on Bill Ackman's wife Neri Oxman's alleged plagiarism
    *Snicker* Hoist by their own petard.
    [NYPOST] Business Insider parent Axel Springer said it’s investigating the outlet’s "processes" after billionaire Bill Ackman questioned the motives behind its reporting that his wife Neri Oxman plagiarized in her 2010 doctoral dissertation at MIT.

    Axel Springer said it’s going to take "a couple of days" to "review the processes" around two Insider stories related to Oxman, a spokesperson for the German media giant told The Post.

    "While the facts of the reports have not been disputed, over the past few days questions have been raised about the motivation and the process leading up to the reporting — questions we take very seriously," the company said.

    "We will be transparent with our conclusions," Axel Springer added.

    The German media giant — which also owns Politico — also said "our media brands operate independently," in its statement.

    Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [21 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  If he's related to Jerry this could get amusing....
    Posted by: Mercutio || 01/09/2024 7:55 Comments || Top||

    #2  Gonna take a lot more than getting rid of Hank Blodgett to clean up Bidnesss Inslimer.

    And how bout WSJ's "Musk is a doper" article with nothing but anonymous "sources?"
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 8:27 Comments || Top||

    #3  ^ More proof that only the WSJ Editorial boarder has a hint of conservatism. The newsroom's full of lefty/Donk hacks
    Posted by: Frank G || 01/09/2024 9:28 Comments || Top||

    #4  Prediction - Axel Springer to shitcan a couple of fall guys by Friday afternoon (classic 'bad news' time frame) and hope that Ackman turns his sights elsewhere.
    Posted by: Raj || 01/09/2024 10:29 Comments || Top||

    #5  Hardcore Alinsky: Make them live up to their own rules.
    Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2024 10:45 Comments || Top||

    #6  Well. Actual, verified facts might not make for such snappy articles.

    It's hard enough to sell the rag as is...
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 10:48 Comments || Top||

    #7  And how bout WSJ's "Musk is a doper" article with nothing but anonymous "sources?" If Musk is a doper I want what he's taking. I'd like to be a multi-billionaire, too.
    Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/09/2024 11:44 Comments || Top||

    #8  The newsroom's full of lefty/Donk hacks

    Top of their class at the Columbia School of Journalism or the equivalent. They’re fine as long as they stick to financial matters and the occasional passion project — beyond that they are supremely successful creatures of their environment.
    Posted by: trailing wife || 01/09/2024 12:35 Comments || Top||


    Science & Technology
    Gates Vaccine Expert Warns of Possible Massive Population Plunge in ‘Highly Vaccinated Countries'





    A FEW CLOT SHOT PERCENTAGES:

    Share of people who received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine
    Total number of people who received at least one vaccine dose, divided by the total population of the country.

    WORLD 70.0%
    USA 81.3
    China 91.8%
    Europe 70%
    UK 79.7%

    But AFRICA only 38.9%
    Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/09/2024 06:56 || Comments || Link || [18 views] Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats

    #1  Wait, wait. I thought he was horribly concerned over overpopulation? So this is a good thing? Or maybe not? It's so hard to keep up.
    Posted by: Tom || 01/09/2024 10:20 Comments || Top||

    #2  He also notes that Covid is impossible to tackle with mRNA injections because it will always continue to mutate.

    History seems to support that premise.
    Posted by: Bobby || 01/09/2024 10:44 Comments || Top||

    #3  Lots of people jumping off the train before it derails, eh?
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 10:49 Comments || Top||


    #5  ...Starting to sound like the plot for Rainbow Six.

    Mike
    Posted by: MikeKozlowski || 01/09/2024 14:29 Comments || Top||

    #6  Women looking for unvaxxed sperm donors.
    Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2024 14:33 Comments || Top||

    #7  Clicking on the link gets "connection not private"
    Posted by: Grom the Reflective || 01/09/2024 15:38 Comments || Top||

    #8  Is this better?
    Rainbow Six
    http vs https
    Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2024 18:25 Comments || Top||

    #9 
    Not sure why the originally tested and posted "A Few Clot Shot Percentages" link does not work now.

    But use "This Instead" and pick which countries you're interested in seeing.
    Posted by: NN2N1 || 01/09/2024 21:26 Comments || Top||


    Scientists develop mini brains made out of aborted fetuses that could 'revolutionize neuroscience'
    [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Scientists have developed the world's first mini brains in a breakthrough they hope could revolutionize neuroscience.

    The 3D organs - which are about the size of a grain of rice - were grown in a lab using human fetal brain tissue from healthy abortion material.

    Scientists at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in the Netherlands aimed to grow a a brain in early-mid development and so used the brain tissue from aborted fetus' that were in the gestational period of weeks 12 through 15.

    The team was surprised to find that the fetal brain tissue was vital to growing a mini brain.

    Until now, when growing other mini organs, scientists would break down original tissues into single cells by using embryonic or pluripotent stem cells to grow and replicate specific areas of the brain.

    This discovery led scientists to consider using the mini-organ to model brain cancer and specifically focus on how it develops in children in the hope that it will lead to a cure.
    Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [19 views] Top|| File under:

    #1  Oh wonderful. Every horror SF with cyborgs.
    Posted by: Grom the Reflective || 01/09/2024 4:05 Comments || Top||

    #2  "You want a Smart Watch?
    I'll give you a Smart Watch!"
    Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 4:37 Comments || Top||

    #3  Is Austin recovering? When will Biden "disappear" for 5 days ?
    Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 6:35 Comments || Top||

    #4 
    Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 6:41 Comments || Top||

    #5  Go on, keep up with this abomination stuff. See how it ends.

    - M. Shelley
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 7:04 Comments || Top||

    #6  Things are waaaaaaaay outta line. We're in reboot territory.
    Posted by: Rex Mundi || 01/09/2024 8:26 Comments || Top||


    #8  ^^ Preloaded with 'correct thinking', Skid?
    Posted by: Mullah Richard || 01/09/2024 12:14 Comments || Top||

    #9  Battery packs for the Musk Brain Chip.
    Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 14:15 Comments || Top||

    #10  Fulton County, Ga., DA Fanni Willis joins implant waiting list.

    Posted by: Besoeker || 01/09/2024 14:19 Comments || Top||

    #11 
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 14:26 Comments || Top||

    #12  ..were grown in a lab using human fetal brain tissue from healthy abortion material. ..

    What kind of a monstrous mind can produce the phrase "healthy abortion"? It's a contradiction in terms. My mind hurts just from parsing that sentence.

    Remember the Unborn!

    God help us.
    Posted by: Chereger tse Tung2495 || 01/09/2024 19:03 Comments || Top||

    #13  ^ One could argue that abortion alone is monstrous enough, but the phrase in question here is "healthy abortion material", which is to say still living tissue from a medical procedure that could be grown in vitro. The adjective 'healthy' applies to the material, not the procedure.

    Posted by: SteveS || 01/09/2024 19:35 Comments || Top||


    US moon landing mission in jeopardy due to 'critical loss' of fuel
    [FoxNews] A U.S. lunar lander that launched from Florida on Monday in hopes of becoming the first American craft to touch down on the moon in more than 50 years is now suffering from a "critical loss of propellant," putting its mission in jeopardy, its maker says.

    Astrobotic Technology says its Peregrine Lunar Lander began the day lifting off on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:18 a.m. before separating approximately 310 miles above Earth about 50 minutes later.

    "Astrobotic-built avionics systems, including the primary command and data handling unit, as well as the thermal, propulsion, and power controllers, all powered on and performed as expected," the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company said.

    "Unfortunately, an anomaly then occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation," according to the company. Astrobotic says the lander is designed to have an onboard solar panel facing the sun for "maximum power generation" while traveling in orbit.

    Following a known communication blackout with the Peregrine Lunar Lander, Astrobotic said an improvised maneuver from its team "was successful in reorienting Peregrine’s solar array towards the Sun" and that "We are now charging the battery.

    "The Mission Anomaly Board continues to evaluate the data we’re receiving and is assessing the status of what we believe to be the root of the anomaly: a failure within the propulsion system," Astrobotic continued. "Unfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant. The team is working to try and stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing the science and data we can capture. We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time."

    NASA has paid Astrobotic $108 million to carry five scientific instruments to the moon, according to Sky News.

    "The NASA instruments aboard Peregrine will help NASA prepare for the Artemis program’s missions to enable a sustained human presence on the Moon," Astrobotic said in a statement.

    The Peregrine lander is also carrying remains of several "Star Trek" cast members and DNA of President John F. Kennedy, Sky News reports.

    Prior to the announcement of the "anomaly," Astrobotic said the Peregrine craft would attempt a landing on the moon on Feb. 23.

    "Peregrine could become the first commercial lander, and first American lander in over 50 years, to land on the moon," it said.

    The last U.S. mission to the moon was Apollo 17 in 1972.
    Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [32 views] Top|| File under:


    #2  Could we have a similar issue as the Chinese with water being used to fuel rockets instead of rocket fuel?
    Posted by: jpal || 01/09/2024 0:54 Comments || Top||

    #3  Navaho have powerful shamans?
    Posted by: Grom the Reflective || 01/09/2024 1:22 Comments || Top||

    #4  Well they could still technically "Land" on the moon. Much like a stormshadow lands on a Russian barracks, granted.
    Posted by: DarthVader || 01/09/2024 11:10 Comments || Top||

    #5  the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant

    Or, the Chinese launch techs filled it with water.
    Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 14:17 Comments || Top||


    First US lunar lander in more than 50 years rockets toward moon with commercial deliveries
    [NYPOST] The first US lunar lander in more than 50 years rocketed toward the moon Monday, launching private companies on a space race to make deliveries for NASA and other customers.

    Astrobotic Technology’s lander caught a ride on a brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan.

    The Vulcan streaked through the Florida predawn sky, putting the spacecraft on a roundabout route to the moon that should culminate with an attempted landing on Feb. 23.

    The Pittsburgh company aims to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished.

    But a Houston company also has a lander ready to fly, and could beat it to the lunar surface, taking a more direct path.

    "First to launch. First to land is TBD," to be determined, said Astrobotic chief executive John Thornton.

    Posted by: Fred || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [32 views] Top|| File under:



    #3  Pissburgh based company...
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 13:20 Comments || Top||

    #4  To be a lunar lander doesn't it actually have to land on the moon?
    Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/09/2024 16:08 Comments || Top||

    #5  ^ Context!
    Posted by: Frank G || 01/09/2024 19:14 Comments || Top||


    Native American tribes object to Moon burials.
    [CNN] "Notably, Peregrine will also carry human remains on behalf of two commercial space burial companies — Elysium Space and Celestis — a move that’s sparked opposition from Navajo Nation, the largest group of Native Americans in the United States.

    The group contends that allowing the remains to touch down on the lunar surface would be an affront to many Indigenous cultures, which regard the moon as sacred."
    I recommend the "Indigenous cultures" get together and launch their own space vehicle to collect the offending burials.



    Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 01/09/2024 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

    #1 
    Posted by: Skidmark || 01/09/2024 4:43 Comments || Top||

    #2  IIRC, Alice should already be there.
    Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/09/2024 10:10 Comments || Top||

    #3  Seems Peregrine ain't gonna make it anyway.
    Posted by: M. Murcek || 01/09/2024 10:18 Comments || Top||



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