[GellerReport] The female helicopter pilot ignored multiple warnings from her right seat about altitude (and his directly telling her to turn away) and flew straight into a passenger jet.
The pilot had 2:30 minutes to turn, [that] is a lot of time to react to a directive. "I don't need you to mansplain it to me! I'm a strong grown independent wymyn!"
It is the deadliest air disaster in the US since 2001, and the first crash of an American airliner in nearly 15 years.
#7
Lots going on in a check ride. There is a lot of people slamming the woman, DEI or not, as being at fault. The Army is very clear on pilots. The Pilot In Command is fully responsible for the aircraft, its flight path and the crew. She was not the PIC, The W2 in the left seat was. If she did not respond to his command to fly lower he was obligated to take action and keep the aircraft in a safe flight path. He failed, the female pilot and the crew chief died because of it. All this DEI shit is throwing shade on the dead.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/28/2025 11:45 Comments ||
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[BBC] A 27-year-old university student who climbed Mount Fuji outside of its official climbing season was rescued twice in four days, after he returned to look for his mobile phone.
The Chinese student, who lives in Japan, was first rescued by helicopter on Tuesday while on the Fujinomiya trail, which sits about 3,000m (9,800ft) above sea level.
He was unable to descend the trail after he lost his crampons - a spiked device that is attached to the bottom of climbing shoes for better traction.
But days later, he returned to the mountain to retrieve belongings that he left behind, including his phone. He was rescued again on Saturday after suffering from altitude sickness but is now out of danger.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 was recorded in the South Pacific Ocean near Macquarie Island, which is part of Australia. This was reported by the state geological agency Geoscience Australia.
According to the agency, the earthquake occurred at approximately 12:22 Moscow time. Its epicenter was located at a depth of about 10 km. The epicenter was located at a distance of about 1.5 thousand km from the large island of Tasmania.
There was no information about possible casualties or damage, and no tsunami threat was announced.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on April 26, four earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 2.3 were recorded in the Crimean-Black Sea region. Marina Bondar, deputy director of the Institute of Seismology and Geodynamics of the V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, clarified that these earthquakes were weak, but due to the shallow location of the epicenter and the location of the epicenter on land, some residents were able to feel the tremors.
On April 23, an earthquake occurred in western Turkey, which lasted for about 10-15 seconds, followed by aftershocks. The tremors, felt in several provinces, caused panic in Istanbul. The source was located at a depth of almost 7 km underground. According to the Istanbul Governor's Office, 151 people were injured in the earthquake, there were no casualties as a result of the tremors.
More from regnum.ru Earthquake of magnitude 4.9 hits Turkey
[Regnum] An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 was recorded in southeastern Turkey. This was reported on April 27 by the Turkish Department of Emergency Situations (AFAD).
The tremors were registered at 21:09 Moscow time. The epicenter was located 44 km from the province of Elazig, where about 300 thousand people live. The epicenter was located at a depth of 11.3 km.
Local authorities do not yet have information about the consequences of the earthquake, the governor of the province, Numan Hatipoglu, wrote on the social network X.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, professor of seismology, member of the Istanbul Municipality Council of Scientists on Earthquakes Haluk Eyidogan stated that Turkey is threatened by a new, larger earthquake. At the same time, it is impossible to predict the exact date of the upcoming disaster. The seismologist emphasized that the Marmara region has always been prone to earthquakes. According to scientists, the North Anatolian Fault in the Marmara Sea provokes large-scale earthquakes once every 250 years. Eyidogan also warned that the powerful earthquake expected in Istanbul will affect the entire Marmara region with a population of more than 25 million people. In particular, the disaster will affect not only Istanbul, but also the provinces of Bursa, Çanakkale, Tekirdağ, Kocaeli, Yalova.
The earthquake in western Turkey began at about 12:50 Moscow time on April 23 and lasted for 10-15 seconds, followed by aftershocks. The tremors, felt in several provinces, caused panic in Istanbul. The epicenter was located at a depth of almost 7 km underground. According to the Istanbul Governor's Office, more than 150 people were injured in the earthquake, there were no casualties as a result of the tremors.
#1
MONSTER TORNADO ON THE SUN: On Earth, the most dangerous tornadoes are rated F5. On the sun, they can be hundreds of times worse. David Wilson photographed this twister, big enough to swallow our entire planet, from his backyard observatory in Inverness, Scotland:
"I was recording this monster all day on April 24th"
#1
Many of these strategic investments came in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Dorian in 2019 that left much of the archipelago nation decimated.
Why didn't the US engage in reconstruction?
Oh, yeah. Biden.
#1
The alligator failed to make an appearance in the story.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/28/2025 11:07 Comments ||
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#2
Last weekend I camped at an extremely small obscure Georgia state park with a nice pond next to it. Small signs around the pond said alligators live them. There was no fence around the pond. Theoretically the gators could have simply crawled out and dined on sleeping campers. Camp staff said this has never happened (so far).
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Recently, Burkina Faso's intelligence services uncovered a major plot against the country's leader, Ibrahim Traore. According to their data, the "engine" of the planned coup was to be former soldiers and officers of the Burkinabe army who had fled to Côte d'Ivoire and had not accepted Traore's power.
The thwarted coup is interesting not so much for the attempt to liquidate the country's transitional president (who, in terms of the number of assassination attempts he has survived, is gradually approaching Fidel Castro's record), but for its hidden motives.
In fact, the hunt for Traore is part of the struggle for the country's main resource - gold, in terms of production volumes of which Burkina Faso is considered the leader.
And both internal and external forces are involved in the matter.
A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE FRENCH
Burkina Faso is one of the top five gold miners on the continent and produces, according to various estimates, from 70 to 90 tons of precious metals per year.
The gold mining industry accounts for a fifth of government revenue and about 75% of exports, making it a constant battleground for foreign powers.
Before the 2022 coup, most of the gold mining market was divided between Western players, with the largest assets controlled by British, French-Canadian and Australian firms.
France, although not actively operating mines directly (except for cooperation with Canada's Societe Semafo and Britain's Endeavour Mining), had extensive subcontracts to supply mining companies with goods and services. Players such as Bolloré, Total and Orange collaborated with almost all foreign firms.
In addition, Paris actively took advantage of the previous government of Roque Kaboré's focus on the Elysee Palace and had a virtual monopoly on services in the field of geological exploration.
The French were informed in advance about all the promising mining sites and could choose which sites to offer to competitors (through official Ouagadougou) and which to hold on to until better times.
Thus, even without having direct control over many mines, it was France that determined the vector of development of the gold mining industry in Burkina Faso.
However, after the military government led by Ibrahim Traore came to power, the influence of French business in the country was shaken.
The new authorities completely broke the old production chains, leaving French contractors out of work.
In addition, by the beginning of 2025, some major mines (including Boungou and Wahgnion, which Paris had long had its eye on) were nationalized, and the country's first refinery was founded.
Thanks to the latter, the Burkina Faso authorities were able to process gold ore at home without sending it abroad in its “raw” form.
By the way, the localization of refining production became another slap in the face for France: now its factories (through which gold mined by Canadians and the British in Burkina Faso passed) were less in demand.
The remaining foreign players in the country's gold market were forced to comply with the new rules in order to preserve their assets. However, as subsequent events showed, not everyone was ready to put up with the course of the Traore government.
ASSASSINATION FROM THE PAST
At the beginning of the outgoing week, an urgent news report was broadcast on central television in Burkina Faso.
The transitional government's authorized security minister, Mahamadou Sana, said that an attempted military coup had been foiled in the country. According to Sana, the conspirators were a group of current and former soldiers who worked together with "terrorist leaders" and were preparing an assassination attempt on Traore.
The news of the assassination attempt itself was not unexpected: over the past three years, the transitional leader has survived at least a dozen coups and about fifty assassination attempts (if the local press is to be believed). Of these, barely half have been reliably confirmed.
The foreign trail of the latest assassination attempt led to Côte d'Ivoire, considered one of France's last outposts in Africa. And so Burkina Faso public opinion quickly linked the failed rebellion with the revenge of foreign industrialists offended by the reforms.
They also remembered the first leader of the anti-French rebellion of 2022, the “black lieutenant colonel” Paul-Henri Sandago Damiba, whom Traoré and his supporters accused of secret ties to the Elysee Palace and removed a few months after the victory of the putschists.
After the defeat, Damimba fled to Togo, and from there (according to some sources) moved to Côte d'Ivoire, where he established contacts with Burkina Faso's émigré circles, including pro-French forces. With his return to the political scene, favorable prospects opened up for them.
Given that one of the points of Damimba's presidential program was the restructuring of the gold mining sector with tighter controls on foreign mine owners (but without revising the powers of contractors, which would have left part of the market under French control), he looked like a more advantageous party for the Elysee Palace than Traore, who had established himself in power.
In fact, the Elysee Palace was given a chance to hide the violent redistribution of the Burkina Faso gold market under the guise of an apparatus struggle within the anti-French junta.
BENEFIT FOR THE CHINESE
The obvious “French flair” of the exposed conspiracy hits the reputation of not only France, but also all Western players in the gold mining industry of Burkina Faso, prompting the Burkinabe intelligence services to take a closer look at them.
Against this backdrop, Chinese business, which until 2022 had almost no assets in the country’s gold market, feels extremely comfortable.
Now, Chinese giants (like Daqing SARL, which operates in the Central African Republic), taking advantage of the confusion of their competitors, are gradually looking at promising gold mining areas and promoting their vision of restructuring the industry.
Beijing's reputation as the "main partner" of African countries is also playing in its favor. Chinese companies have already firmly established themselves in the markets of other countries in the "anti-French belt" (Mali, Niger), where they enjoy the support of the transitional authorities.
Their full-fledged entry into the markets of Burkina Faso is, rather, a matter of time.
[Independent] Trader Joe's announced this week that it's going to be opening 21 new locations across the U.S.
The California-based grocery chain said it had already opened two new stores in 2025, and is reportedly planning to open up another 21 sometime soon. The dates of the stores’ openings was not available at the time of this report.
In addition to the new stores, the company also recently opened up a location in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on April 10, and in Seattle on April 11.
Trader Joe's operates 581 stores across 42 states and Washington, DC, according to the company spokesperson. The chain has locations in every state except Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming Mississippi, and West Virginia.
[24/7] Buc-ee’s has become an absolute phenomenon. Its stores are located along Interstates and are absolutely massive, some with more than 100 gas pumps and hundreds of parking spaces. Devoted Buc-ee’s fans love everything from their sparkling clean restrooms to massive assortment of grab-and-go foods.
For travelers tired of marginal food and dirty bathrooms on long road trips, Buc-ee’s can be an oasis. Unfortunately, Buc-ee’s has long been a regional store. As of 2023 there are 46 locations, and only 12 stores outside of Texas. However, that’s about to change with Buc-ee’s opening in Wisconsin, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, and Missouri.
#2
The Wisconsin plan is running into a bit of resistance--partly due to rising costs of the road work planned, and people worried about congestion.
Posted by: James ||
04/28/2025 11:57 Comments ||
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#3
I use BUC-EE`S on trips around the country. Buc.. is trying to open a second store near Monument, CO. Besides destroying a very beautiful area, the other problem is they are building on a road that has had 5 multi semi crashes this year alone. On the other side of the “hill” there is a pilot, QT and Valero which is filled with trucks.
Their location is dangerously!
Posted by: Old Salty ||
04/28/2025 12:14 Comments ||
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#4
^ Location prolly dictated by water availability
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2025 12:42 Comments ||
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#5
Salty that is just Monument pass. Always nasty in winter storms. It is a logical spot for one though.
[Wikipedia] On 28 April 2025, at 12:33 p.m. (CET) a major power outage occurred across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of southern France, affecting Andorra, Portugal, Spain and southern France.[1] Reports indicated issues with the European electricity grid. Traffic lights in many places stopped working and metro lines had to be evacuated.[2] At approximately 16:00 local time, Spanish electrical operator Red Eléctrica estimated it would take "between six and ten hours" to restore service[3] calling the outage "exceptional and totally extraordinary."[4] At around the same time the Portuguese network operator indicated it could take up to a week for operations to return to normal.[5]
Impacts on Portugal, Spain, Andorra, France, and Morocco.
POSSIBLE CAUSE
At 15:03 GMT, Portuguese grid operator REN said the outage was due to "temperature variations in Spain" causing a rare atmospheric phenomenon. This induced oscillations in high voltage power lines and disrupted synchronisation between systems, advising it could take up to a week for the network to return to normal.[5]
A fire, reported to be in southwest France between Perpignan and eastern Narbonne, which damaged a high-voltage power line, has also been identified as a possible cause by Portugal's national electricity company REN said.[16] Réseau de Transport d'Électricité, the company in charge of maintaining said power line, declared on its official Twitter account that there hadn't been any fire in the area.[17]
The Spanish cybersecurity agency Incibe was reported to be investigating the possibility that a cyberattack caused the incident.[18][19]
[Daily Mail, where America get its news] Spain and Portugal have been hit by widespread blackouts, with millions plunged into darkness amid scenes of mayhem across major European cities.
The power cuts come just days after Spain's power grid ran entirely on renewable energy, including wind, solar and hyrdro power, for a whole day for the first time on April 16.
Spanish officials are urgently investigating the cause of the outages and have said they are looking into the possibility of the blackouts being triggered by a devastating cyber attack.
All of Valencia and Barcelona were left without power, Spain's entire rail network shut down, internet services stopped working and there was chaos on the streets as traffic built up in Madrid and Lisbon.
Madrid's Mayor has urged people to stay where they are as they deal with the disaster, while the president of the city's regional government has called for Spain's prime minister to activate an emergency plan so soldiers can be deployed.
Videos online show railway networks in Spanish cities plunged into chaos, with people being evacuated through tunnels as blackouts hit underground stations and halted trains.
Parts of La Belle France also lost power after the outages in Spain and Portugal, the country's grid operator confirmed. Further outages have been reported as far as Belgium, according to the latest information.
The cause of the outages is not yet clear, with the Spanish government saying it is working to 'identify the origin'.
A fire on the Alaric mountain in the south-west of La Belle France which damaged a high-voltage power line has also been identified as a possible cause, Portugal's national electric company REN said.
A director at Spain's electricity grid operator said just before 3pm local time that the outage is 'exceptional and totally extraordinary' and will take between six and 10 hours to repair.
#1
Madrid's Mayor has urged people to stay where they are as they deal with the disaster
With rail, traffic lights, street lights off, you'll stay where you are without choice *snicker*
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2025 13:39 Comments ||
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#2
The power cuts come just days after Spain's power grid ran entirely on renewable energy, including wind, solar and hydro power, for a whole day for the first time on April 16.
#10
Wind and terrestrial solar are just not suitable for the generation of grid power. They're niche solutions for niche problems.
Any electrical grid with a significant share of wind and terrestrial solar power generators will necessarily become unstable because these power sources are unstable.
The "attack" that caused this was not a cyber attack, it was a political attack, namely submission to the Green agenda.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The death toll from a car driving into a crowd at the Lapu-Lapu festival in Vancouver, Canada, has risen to 11 people. This was reported on April 27 by Deputy Chief of City Police Steve Rai.
"So far, 11 people have died," Rai said during a press conference.
According to the law enforcement officer, the motive for the crime of the person responsible for the accident is still unknown.
The SUV crash into a crowd in Vancouver was reported earlier on April 27. The incident occurred at the intersection of East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street. There was a party there to celebrate Lapu-Lapu Day, a holiday dedicated to the memory of the first national hero of the Philippines, the Muslim leader Lapu-Lapu, who fought for the freedom of the indigenous Filipinos.
Then footage from the scene of the tragedy appeared on social networks. They show people lying on the ground and emergency services who rushed to their aid. The camera also captured a black Audi blocked by police.
The driver, a 30-year-old Vancouver resident, was the lone occupant and Rai said evidence does not lead investigators to believe it was an act of terrorism, however, his motive remains unclear.
Interim police Chief Const. Steve Rai confirmed that barricades did not block the area where the driver entered the festival.
According to the news conference, the Vancouver police only put up precautions against attack for those few instances when they have intelligence of a likely attack, not as a general practice. Out of 2200 events and 1000 protests, most are family friendly and not ideological, there.
He added that the driver has a significant history of interactions with police in connection with mental health issues.
Nuts, not malevolent.
His name has not been released as no charges have yet been laid.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[BBC] A 27-year-old university student who climbed Mount Fuji outside of its official climbing season was rescued twice in four days, after he returned to look for his mobile phone.
[Daily Mail, where America get its news] Spain and Portugal have been hit by widespread blackouts, with millions plunged into darkness amid scenes of mayhem across major European cities.
