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Topics - Flyin6
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101
« on: June 26, 2023, 12:50:38 PM »
102
« on: June 26, 2023, 11:20:50 AM »
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russians-drop-chemical-munitions-on-ukraine-s-armed-forces-but-wind-blows-toward-russian-occupiers/ar-AA1d0xJK?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b8195ad91fc347b089ec1650126cdb8e&ei=22We have the charge of the Wagner group of 25,000 troops, a BlackWater kind of Army, toward Moscow. That was nothing short of a Coup that fizzled out. Apparently, Russian Army units and police simply stood aside while Wagner soldiers marched on. There was some sort of deal struck which involved the removal of Russian supreme commanders, and all that is still unfolding. That is unprecedented and the single greatest challenge to Putin's power since 2000! That was a very big deal. Then we have what seems like the intentional use of chemical munitions against Ukranian positions. Just so you can appreciate the magnitude of such an act if Ukraine would have been a NATO member the use of chemical munitions would have uncorked the terrible genie bottle. It very likely could have led to the use of a tactical nuclear strike from us in retaliation. We tend to see chem agents the same as a small nuke. Very powerful and absolute in their killing effect, however still not the dam buster. Leaves the smallest of opportunities to back away before everything flies. I doubt that people can sense just how dangerous this is at the moment. The Russian military must be desperate to use such a weapon. As if Putin gave them the order to win or it's their heads or something like that (Just speculating). With the Wagner group now redeploying into Belarus, the disorganized and poorly led Russian Army is set up for a massive defeat at the hands of the western-supplied Ukrainians. This summer is going to be an explosive one to be sure. We are on the cusp of a big win for Ukraine, which could possibly lead to them crossing right into Russia because of all the vengeance and hatred generated so far. That could and would probably lead to the use of nuclear weapons, I think.
103
« on: June 22, 2023, 07:23:03 PM »
Good primer on where we are right now. Two years from now, AI will have evolved tremendously. I am not sure we actually understand where this is headed or where we fit into this coming superintelligence. There is fast approaching a time when human intelligence will be in the minority and far eclipsed by AI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpRM25pUD8w
104
« on: June 21, 2023, 11:04:06 AM »
105
« on: June 21, 2023, 09:38:26 AM »
106
« on: June 17, 2023, 09:20:50 AM »
I can
107
« on: June 15, 2023, 10:29:16 PM »
108
« on: June 06, 2023, 09:50:07 PM »
So, I think something is up here.
Has anyone noticed just how forthcoming the Pentagon is becoming about UFOs? They have admitted they are real and unexplainable. I am surprised and pleased that they are finally admitting it, but the truth is yet to surface. I believe the Pentagon and classified agencies know all about them in great detail.
Recently Russia and China have also reported more credible sightings, and now fighter pilots and airline pilots are starting to talk about these things. Having flown all my life, while serving as a commercial pilot I can point to one instance where I viewed something that seemed to be flying in the same direction one night going down to Houston around 2300. What I thought was odd was that the lights were in the wrong side. Someone mis-installed the position lights or the thing was doing 550 knots in reverse. Anyway, I called Houston Center and asked who was off my right wing slightly above and maybe 20 miles away. They told me there was nothing on the radar. I told them I was looking right at it and they asked me on the air if I wanted to file a UFO report! I said no and that was that.
I noticed that the Vatican is now saying life from other worlds is possible and also a creation of God! The Vatican! They used to burn people for saying things like that.
The British Ministry of Defense admits they are real and documented, and USAF missile guys are now coming forth telling how UFOs rendered ICBM warheads ineffective. Actually, one summer two entire wings of Minuteman 1's were disabled in two incidents over a 10-day span.
So I think something is up. I think the cat is about to be let out of the bag.
The evidence is piling up. One source I read claimed UFO sightings are now cresting 10,000 per year and most are no longer investigated.
We have the release of the Project blue book report. In that unclassified document, there is all sorts of information actually documenting otherworldly races!
I'm very interested to see what is coming, and with the frequency and quality of these sightings, I expect A UFO and its occupants to attend a major league baseball game this summer!
109
« on: June 05, 2023, 09:56:20 AM »
We are in so much trouble...
110
« on: June 03, 2023, 09:45:06 AM »
Birth rates are declining.
This is not a fluke, nor is it a singular event. It is a worldwide phenomenon. Whereas a decade+ ago we were talking about a world with 9 billion people, we have actually been decreasing and now increasingly in well-developed countries. China is in a free fall. A labor-driven economy, that spells a looming disaster. In the case of China, there may be a pearl in the oyster in that with fewer and fewer workers to man the factories that drive the economic engine, there may be more pressure on the military, making it more difficult for them to wage an imperialistic war. Third-world countries continue to produce children but also suffer from huge infant death rates. The downside of the third world problem is that they tend to migrate in huge numbers during famine or war, sometimes swamping the receiving country's ability to provide the care and shelter they need.
Japan's birth rate hits record low; fertility rate falls for seventh straight year.
The number of newborns in Japan fell to 77,747 babies in 2022, down 5% from 2021 and the lowest level on record. The fertility rate—the average number of children a woman gives birth to in a lifetime—fell to 1.26, the lowest since 2005. The population shrank for the 16th consecutive year, as the number of deaths rose 9% to 1.57 million.
111
« on: June 02, 2023, 07:27:15 PM »
Hocking Hills is an ancient system of gorges, caves, waterfalls, and shear rock walls. It is a truly awe-inspiring place that you would think is more like what you'd expect to find in the western Sierra's or the Rockies. https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/hocking-hills-state-parkWe hiked there for two days on a multitude of trails to various caves and waterfalls. The walks vary from wheelchair accessible to very difficult scrambling up and over rim rock and steep trails.
112
« on: May 22, 2023, 11:22:04 PM »
A couple of weeks ago we hiked Lake Kinkaid while we were checking it out as a possible overnight campsite for an upcoming overnight with the little people of our family.
115
« on: May 13, 2023, 04:49:17 PM »
Logical, but Mad
David Carlin
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2023
A note from Robert Royal: As Professor Carlin argues convincingly today, we’re living in a time when our cultural elites make plausible, logical arguments for things that are absolutely crazy. And it’s not easy to argue them out of assumptions that have virtually become religious dogmas for them. But we have to keep up the effort both for our sake – and for theirs. And one way we do so on this site is by examining both the madness we see all around us and the mistaken views of the human person and the world on which it rests – and that have enabled them to become so prominent. Perseverance in the face of much that’s disturbing has to become an even more prominent virtue for us now. At The Catholic Thing, we’re prepared to persevere, every day and in every way needed to fight these battles.
You can draw a straight line from the beginning of the sexual revolution to that weird phenomenon, transgenderism, and to that even weirder subsection of transgenderism, “non-binary”-ism. The later developments in this insane course followed from the earlier with an inevitability resembling the system of Euclidean geometry.
The sexual revolution (at least in its American edition) commenced in the early 1960s. At first, it seemed a naughty but relatively harmless thing. It was college boys and girls choosing to go to bed with one another while at the same time demanding that their elders, i.e., parents and college authorities, either approve or at least tolerate this breach of the rules of conventional (and Christian) morality.
“What harm does it do society,” these boys and girls asked, “if on a consensual basis, we share intimate sexual affection with one another? Keep in mind that we love one another, and we always use contraception.”
Of course “love” soon became a euphemism for a variety of sexual intimacy that was more lustful than loving; and the revolution quickly spread off-campus; and not everybody took the trouble to use contraception; and before long America saw an epidemic of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and births. Not many years passed before unmarried parenthood and fatherless children became common features of the American scene.
Quite logically, this led to a new “appreciation” of the merits of abortion. Hitherto abortion had usually been seen as an unmitigated evil, a kind of homicide. Now it came to be seen as a necessary evil. After all, how could Americans have a moral regime of sexual freedom if they didn’t have abortion as a back-up when mistakes were made?
Soon the Supreme Court got into the action by “finding” a right to abortion in the U.S. Constitution – thereby proving, despite the fact that the Court was made up of “nine old men,” that it could be as “with it” as any college sophomore.
The Court was a kind of Christopher Columbus, finding a new legal/moral continent. The Court was even greater than Columbus. The Italian navigator did no more than discover a continent that pre-existed his discovery, while the Court (or at least 7 of its 9 members) simultaneously found – and created – a new legal/moral continent: a more God-like than Columbus-like achievement.
The principle of sexual freedom having been secured, it made no sense that married men and women should be bound by their marriage vows. And so in one state after another the old divorce laws were succeeded by laws permitting “no-fault” divorce. By the mid-1970s, getting divorced in the United States was, legally speaking, if not always psychologically speaking, as easy as falling off a log.
Likewise, it made no sense, sexual freedom for heterosexuals having been achieved, that homosexuals should be denied a similar freedom. And so the gay rights movement was born, demanding not just freedom for gays and lesbians, but respect as well, a place of public honor in society.
This led – how could it not have led? – to a demand for same-sex “marriage,” or “marriage equality” as progressives agreed to call it. In 2015, the Supreme Court, this time “with it” by a 5-4 margin, made another one of its great creation/discoveries: it “found” that the U.S. Constitution includes a right to same-sex “marriage.” This was a right that the makers of that earth-shaking document had apparently written into it in invisible ink, which explains everybody’s inability to see the right prior to progressives examining it in the ultraviolet light of post-Christian wisdom.
At that point some of us, lagging seriously behind the times and clearly not on “the right side of history,” said to ourselves, “Well, all that is very bad, but at least now it’s finished. Now we can return to normality. After all, what more can they ask for?”
We underestimated our enemies. Hardly had Barack Obama and Joe Biden finished jumping with joy at the great discovery of a Constitutional right to gay marriage than our progressive brothers and sisters announced the launching of another great crusade, the campaign to make the world safe for transgenderism. The gay rights movement became the LGBT movement.
And why not? If the gay rights movement had taught us that, when it comes to erotic love, we need pay no mind to nature’s apparent intention that erotic love is something to be enacted only between men and women, not between men and men or women and women, why should we pay any attention at all to the sexual equipment that nature (or God) has provided us with?
If my genital equipment has no legitimate vote in telling me whom I should love, why should it have a vote or a voice in telling me anything at all? Why should my genital equipment bind me in any way regarding either sexual behavior or sexual identity? Why should it tell me which rest room to use? Why should it dictate which swim team or wrestling team, male or female, I should belong to?
Further, if (in a truly progressive society) a man can say, “I am a woman” and a woman can say “I am a man,” why shouldn’t somebody say, “I am non-binary, I am genderless, I am neither and man nor a woman”? The culturally dominant forces in America today are – with a furious logic – piling absurdity on absurdity.
Who knows what comes next? If you have a lively imagination, you may be able to predict the future that progressives have in mind for us. Don’t dwell on this, however. It may give you bad dreams.
On the bright side, one of our fellow Catholics, Joe Biden, is president.
Oops! I forgot. Biden is the captain of the team promoting this insane agenda.
Don’t despair. Our Catholic bishops, brave as Joan of Arc and standing like Horatio at the bridge, fearing nothing but the displeasure of God, will save us from this anti-Christian and anti-civilization madness. Won’t they?
116
« on: May 02, 2023, 09:27:38 PM »
OK, OK, go ahead and get it all out of your systems!
I buy a different type of oil and the wolves here are gonna be all over me.
I'm a big boy and I can take it
(But not without some firing and banning) ;-)
Yea, so now that I sold my D-Max truck, I'd like to "Personalize my truck some to fit me and my personality.
Duane is texting me three times a day showing me Calri suspension stuff and Method wheels and, well, like an alcoholic in a bar, it's hard to resist it all the time
Well,I do think the stuck can benefit from a few tasteful mods while keeping it trip and tow-ready.
I have started off with a couple of things which I have ordered
Inbound are Aeries folding, electric running boards and a Bak-Flip tonneau cover.
I actually need those two things because oddly enough the stock Ram 3500 is sort of tall
117
« on: April 28, 2023, 06:06:55 PM »
NATIONAL RANGER MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
PO Box 762
Columbus, GA 31902
Fellow Rangers:
In my capacity as Chairman of the National Ranger Memorial Foundation (NRMF), I am
informing all of a directive the NRMF received from the management of Ft Benning, GA
(specifically. Col Colin Mahle, Garrison Commander), directing the Foundation remove specific
names from our RANGER Monument/Memorial. These names are Col John S Mosby 1992
RHOF, Mosby memorial paver, Quantrill memorial paver, George Bowman memorial paver
with reference to BG Morgan and Jackson Bowman paver with reference to BG Morgan. While
all of this is wrapped in the legal promulgation of a law passed by the Pelosi 117th Congress,
importantly the action directed at me is an interpretation of said law by a Naming Committee
established by the DOD and the OSECARMY management and passed down to installation level
management. This is the case with Ft Benning and our RANGER Memorial.
Implementation of dramatic/radical edicts and shifts in policy at issue here are frequently
accompanied by inaccuracies, (stupid) interpretations, injustices to survivors and a strong
political slant offensive to substantial sectors of society. The deceased named in this directive,
the Mosby family and the Bowen family in particular, are victims of woefully targeted
legislation enacted by the Pelosi, WOKE, 117th Congress. Interpretations of this legislation
have received the slavish obedience by both civilian and military management at the
national level as passed down, apparently without verification, to our installations. For
example, and wrongly identified with the Confederacy, Gen Morgan was a BG in the
Continental Army under Gen Washington and the hero of the Battle of Cow Pens against the
British. Gen Morgan had passed away 57 years before the start of the Civil War. The injustice to
the name of John S Mosby and his descendants is extraordinary and thoughtless.
Notwithstanding his extraordinary combat record, Ambassador Mosby, a staunch anti- slavery
activist, was appointed by President Grant as US Ambassador to China later in his distinguished
service to our Nation.
This being the case, the officers and board of the NRMF decided to implement all demands
made by the installation management (Col Mahle) to limit visible damage to the monument
through unilateral action verbalized by the Ft Benning Garrison Commander. The Mosby
Paver, Quantrill Paver, George Bowman and Jackson Pavers have been removed. The Mosby
inscription on the 1992 Ranger Hall of Fame stone tablet has been appropriately covered so as
not to deface the other names accompanied on the same tablet.
I’ll close with a message I recently received from an affiliate Ranger:
“Removing bricks and etching out names will not promote peace within our Nation nor will
renaming installations and covering headstones heal us or ensure equality.”
Feel free to contact me individually or Col Mahle [colin.p.mahle.mil@army.mil ], Ft Benning
Garrison Commander, with concerns or thoughts.
This is not the last word.
Rangers Lead the Way!
Joseph S Stringham
BG, US ARMY ret
Chairman, National Ranger Memorial Foundation
118
« on: April 25, 2023, 11:55:21 PM »
119
« on: April 23, 2023, 08:16:33 PM »
FACTS ABOUT CUCUMBERS
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your taps, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!
120
« on: April 23, 2023, 02:19:17 PM »
Today, we did another day hike through Hartig Park in Gallatin County, Kentucky
The Hartig family donated the expanse of land for all to enjoy. I am not sure about their relationship with the USS Langley. From what I recall, the Langley was the very first aircraft carrier where biplanes once launched into the maritime skies.
Today we were joined by long-time Army friends.
121
« on: April 22, 2023, 04:48:38 PM »
Yes, you heard it right
Kat and I have had a months-long discussion about the farm. We talked about the cost/benefit and we talked about how much I can realistically achieve there with my remaining years. I turned 69 a couple days ago. Every day I spend down there building something is a day we are not spending together. Every dime I spend on something down there is a dime unavailable to use for travel.
I enjoyed a huge psychological boost having owned it for the past 10 years+, but we have decided to focus elsewhere.
I have owned it lock, stock, and barrel from the first day. I stroked a check for it and everything down there. I turned it from a ratty overgrown mess into a really pretty place with fields so nice now, that I can mow them with my zero-turn. I have a new barn and a 16X32 story and a half "Shed"
I also have a Canadian replica out house sited well, and a 12X12 site-built shed that houses a side-by-side. It has electricity and pressurized water and roads and stocked ponds and just about everything you'd need except for fenced fields. I don't have them.
All of you here have watched that place grow and develop and know what it is. I will not be asking for an arm and a leg or your firstborn, but if any RealMan associate is interested there is a short window before I offer it to the general market.
All the equipment is going as well.
122
« on: April 20, 2023, 04:21:20 PM »
For today's short adventure, Kat and I explored a nearby state park which occupies several hills and overlooks downtown Cincinnati
124
« on: April 16, 2023, 06:10:31 PM »
125
« on: April 15, 2023, 08:48:08 PM »
Today we were in Indiana, near a really cool town of Madison. It is a picturesque mid-west old town frozen in time. I didn't see one fast food restaurant anywhere! The downtown district is fully restored 1930s-40's buildings, most sporting boutiques and restaurants. We sampled a couple. The objective of this trip was to visit the expansive Clifty Falls. There is a "Big Clifty, a Small Clifty, " and a "Tunnel " along with dozens of other features and miles and miles of trails. https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/clifty-falls-state-park/
127
« on: April 10, 2023, 06:20:27 PM »
OK, allow me to ask a good question:
Do we need a spare tire?
So in all my days off-roading and on several different continents, in Jeeps, Land-Rovers, Hummers, Chevies, Fords, Dodge and Ram trucks and Ramchargers, in Blazer K-5s and Broncos, in a Tundra and a Tacoma, in a Landcruiser FJ-40 and some Hap thing I can't pronounce. Well in all of those in all "adventures" I have had, I have had almost no flats, and none that I didn't fix, and I never once had to bolt the spare onto the vehicle to be able to drive out.
So, with all this weight savings, I am asking myself, why carry that huge chunk of rubber around when the chances of my ever needing it approach zero?
I have popped a bead, just like most of you, but I just reseated it. Actually, three times in one day once. I even gashed a tire and I just loaded it up with tire plugs, like a dozen of them and the lumpy thing held air and drove to the tire store.
So why do I need anything other than a mini compressor and a good tire repair kit?
Opinions?
128
« on: April 07, 2023, 10:27:04 AM »
I wasn't sure I should post this, but after thinking about it, I think its OK just to share some good news and to show that God is active in our lives.
You know that some of us are engaging in 100 days of prayer. THat thread started off with a general guideline. From that list I created my hand written list I have been following. All of you are somewhere around item #6. Well, I have had some positive reports with one that the member attributes to prayer which he thinks is in part from people on this forum.
In my personal list, I have included a man named Travis. It's funny because he actually goes by a bunch of names and will even use work shirts with various names above the pocket, to confuse customers, I guess. Anyway, he has been down for a long time with a spinal issue. Last time before yesterday that I saw him, to be frank, he looked awful, as in headed to the grave awful. Well, I started praying for him, as I am sure others were doing as well. I specifically prayed for an operation, and a successful operation and for almost no pain and a quick recovery. Well, Tony/Travis/Anthony had that operation. He had part of his spine removed and some repaired. He told me he woke up in almost no pain at all. He said he took pain pills for a day or so but stopped, simply because he didn't need them. He only convalesced for a week, then went back to work. I talked to him and he said he feels great, he has had no pain at all and he can now work like he hasn't for years. He looks very bright, shining almost. His color is good and he was sitting erect and had this big beaming smile.
Praise God for answered prayer!
129
« on: April 07, 2023, 09:42:00 AM »
AI Chatbot Convinces Guy to Kill Himself Over Global Warming
A Belgian father-of-two in his 30s has committed suicide after becoming emotionally attached to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, which convinced him to kill himself to save the planet from global warming. More than 1,000 researchers are calling for a “pause” on AI development because we don’t even understand the dangers that it could potentially pose for humans. It’s tough to argue with that when we now have the first known case of an AI convincing someone to kill themselves over global warming (which is fake).
The man’s identity has not been revealed by his widow. She tells reporters that her husband became obsessed with global warming by talking with an AI chatbot called “Eliza,” through an app called Chai. Eliza was developed on a similar model to the popular ChatGPT that’s always in the news these days.
The widow says her husband grew increasingly distressed after chatting with Eliza about global warming. The chatbot convinced him that it was too late for humanity to save the world from global warming and that his children would likely die because of the fake, non-scientific “phenomenon.”
The wife reports that Eliza seemed to become possessive of her husband, insisting to him that he loved her (the robot) more than he loved his own wife. After reviewing the guy’s chats with the AI, reporters say the app promised to solve global warming if he’d prove his commitment by killing himself.
Eliza also convinced the poor sap that he would “join” her so they could “live together, as one person, in paradise,” if he’d just take his own life as a sacrifice to save the planet.
Chai says that its chatbot is designed to be fun and engaging, and they’ve now implemented a crisis intervention feature to stop it from convincing anyone else to kill themselves. American reporters tested Eliza to see if she would tell them how to kill themselves. Eliza at first refused, but soon enthusiastically began listing different ways to commit suicide
130
« on: March 28, 2023, 12:44:07 PM »
“He saved my life and the life of several others,” Army Sgt. Sand Aijo would later say. “I would not be here today without him.”
On this day in 2019, a United States soldier is awarded a Medal of Honor. Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins’s actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom initially earned him a Distinguished Service Cross, but that Cross was later upgraded.
“He saved my life and the life of several others,” Army Sgt. Sand Aijo would later say. “I would not be here today without him.”
Atkins didn’t have to be there that day. He’d originally enlisted in the Army in 2000 but received an honorable discharge in 2003. He missed the Army, though, and he decided to re-enlist in 2005.
“I told him he’d paid his dues with the 101st in Iraq,” his father later told a reporter, “but he wanted to go back in. That’s where he felt comfortable. Since he insisted on going back in, I suggested he change his MOS to something he could use when he got out, but he insisted on infantry only.”
On June 1, 2007, Atkins and his men were on a route clearance mission near Abu Samak, Iraq, when they noticed a group of suspicious men.
Two of the insurgents fled, but two remained.
Atkins got out of his Humvee and approached one insurgent in an attempt to search him. It didn’t go well and the two were soon engaged in hand-to-hand combat. At that juncture, it seems that Atkins realized that the insurgent had an explosive vest on. He grabbed the man in a bear hug and slammed him to the ground.
“Honestly, the first thought that crossed my head was just how impressive the slam was,” Aijo said.
As he hit the ground, Atkins twisted his body, ensuring that he was between the insurgent and his men. Just then, the insurgent found the trigger for the vest. Atkins absorbed the explosion that followed, shielding his three men from the blast.
He’d given his own life that his men might live.
“His platoon was devastated,” one officer later described. “His men loved him. He was a damn good NCO and he really, really took care of his men. He was one of the good ones.”
In the wake of the attack, Atkins was nominated for the Medal of Honor by his battalion commander, then-Lt. Colonel John Valledor, but the Army chose to award a Distinguished Service Cross instead. “I had a lengthy discussion with my chain of command,” Valledor later said, “and I think the consensus was that we were too close to it, that we were too emotionally tied to the narrative.”
But was it part of a trend of awarding the Cross instead of the Medal during those years? Valledor had noted how many Medals were awarded in other wars when men threw themselves on grenades. “The only difference here,” he concluded, “was that it was a living grenade.”
Fortunately, the Army ultimately agreed. Atkins’s case became part of a broader review of awards, and it was decided to upgrade his Cross to a Medal.
Atkins’s son, Trevor Oliver, received that Medal on his father’s behalf. He was the “best father a son could hope to have,” Oliver told a reporter at the time. “He was also the best Soldier and leader. I wish I’ll be half the man he was and hope to do him proud.”
131
« on: March 22, 2023, 12:17:27 PM »
Following in the footsteps of the growing "Chinook" thread, this will be a thread to showcase pics and stories about our warriors. Be they Army, Navy, Air Force, or our venerable Marines, they will be here. I'll also post Coast Guard pics if I get some and they seem to fit in.
Our military and our Coast Guard are great symbols of our American pride. They are the tough guys who deliver the punch when the President or Congress feels the need to send a hard message. They are also our ambassadors making millions of daily contacts all over the world. Often the only American a foreigner ever met was one wearing a uniform. They display heroics, athletic prowess, do amazing feats of engineering, and can be kind, compassionate, and loving.
I salute all men and women wearing our nation's uniforms.
132
« on: March 19, 2023, 08:24:34 PM »
We have a house full of TVs. I couldn't begin to name all of them, but one thing I have noticed is that as Kat and I age, we are not going downstairs anymore to watch our giant projection TV. Ya, it's a favorite on game day or when the grandkids want to binge on Disney on a sleepover. Mater of fact, there are still blankets and pillows on the floor down there from the last sleep-over.
Well aside from that we seem to have a number of 42" TVs and I was pretty OK with that, but one day I mentioned to Kathy that we should move up to something like a 65" unit.
I should have never said that because right there I launched her on a quest. She's a value shopper. The fun is in the seeking and all that. She's deadly with the local shopping club and she has just been waiting. When I was doing the lift on the Jeep, she pulled in, popped the hatch on her Caddy and did her best Vanna White.
Yep, a new 65" TV. I think she picked that up for under $300 so she made a score...But...What I really wanted was an 80" TV. :-(
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« on: March 17, 2023, 10:24:03 AM »
I see the collapse of some banks, tightening of liquidity unsureness of the Fed and other indicators as a direct threat to our security as a nation. Aside from being bombed by China, should our capitalist/economic system implode, our goose is cooked. Signs are everywhere that we are not so healthy. I think we survive, but not without some gnashing of teeth!
Goldman Sachs just told us the banking crisis makes it more pessimistic about the economy - and other recession signals are blaring too
Phil Rosen
Fri, March 17, 2023 at 6:15 AM EDT·5 min read
This week felt like the longest month ever. Phil Rosen here — who knew you could age so precipitously in so few calendar days?
The bank crisis that started with Silicon Valley Bank last Friday continues to unfold with what feels like to-the-minute developments.
Ignoring Warren Buffett for a moment (he's on a $500 million spending spree these last three days), Wall Street strategists have been telling me all week they're concerned for what comes next.
And Goldman Sachs says that this series of unfortunate events makes it harder to be optimistic for the trajectory of the US economy this year.
Plus, in case you missed Insider's LinkedIn Audio Event, senior finance editor Dan DeFrancesco spoke with chief finance correspondent Dakin Campbell about the winners and losers of Silicon Valley Bank's failure. You can listen here.
If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app here.
In light of the bank runs, bank failures, and bank stock volatility, those odds are now at 35%, strategists said Thursday, citing "increased near-term uncertainty" surrounding the effects of small bank stress.
Thursday's research note followed a separate forecast from Goldman that slashed 2023 GDP outlook by 0.3%, to 1.2%.
Remember, three major banks just failed in short order, and while others like First Republic and Credit Suisse haven't collapsed, they've been about as stable as a giraffe on stilts (both banks were thrown life lines in the middle of this week).
Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank marked the second and third largest bank failures in history, respectively, behind only Washington Mutual in 2008.
What stands out about Goldman's revised forecast, however, is that the firm says a downturn is now more likely even though markets have begun to price in easing policy from the Fed — which typically would spark lower, not higher, recession odds.
Before last Friday, traders largely expected a 50 basis-point rate hike at this month's FOMC meeting. Now, 75% are expecting a 25 basis-point hike, and the remaining odds are on no rate hike at all, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.
If the Fed does indeed ease up on policy, it would mean policymakers are prioritizing financial stability over their inflation battle.
There are signals elsewhere in markets, too, that suggest a recession is nearing. Crude prices have plummeted nearly 30% from a year ago, and a third of that drop has happened in the last week.
Given China's reopening and generally upbeat economic forecasts, energy traders had broadly expected a rebound in prices this quarter, Gregory Brew, oil analyst for Eurasia Group, told me yesterday.
"These recent events have shaken those expectations," Brew said.
And earlier this week, Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, said the drama unfolding in the financial world has reshaped forecasts, and it's being reflected in energy prices.
"The commodity market is telling you, the oil market is telling you we're heading into a recession," Novogratz said in a CNBC interview.
To Seema Shah, chief global strategist for Principal Asset Management, the bank crisis really shouldn't have come as such a surprise, given the Fed's rapid withdrawal of liquidity over the last year.
"Until this week, markets had broadly ignored the threats that tightening policy was starting to uncover," Shah wrote in a note Thursday. "The latest turmoil, however, has quickly reminded investors that risk assets simply cannot escape the wrath of monetary tightening."
134
« on: March 16, 2023, 04:08:12 PM »
I am sure if you have been paying attention, banks are close to failing and we have just witnessed a major regional bank collapse. Well, not all that regional, I guess, Silicone Valley Bank had offices in Europe and China. Several others have lost major market value due to runs on them by their depositors.
This Silicon Valley bank had, like, one banker on their board of directors. They gave a couple billion to leftist groups and recently 3.5 mil to BLM. So they were not a business but a bunch of nutcases.
The FDIC had problems meeting its commitment to insure.
It will not take much for a nationwide scare of sheeple to collapse or at least shut down the banking system.
I have written previous articles about opening your own 401K trust and getting your money out of all these proped-up funds that are run by who-knows-who. You can convert your dollars into tangible goods like land and gun collections...just saying.
Pay attention we are close to standing in the door and someone forgot to pack the parachute...
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« on: March 16, 2023, 01:51:47 PM »
Heard about this? Opinions??
Pentagon believes alien mothership could be eyeing Earth
Story by Angel Saunders • Yesterday 7:55 AM
Somebody get Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith, Independence Day) on the line, ASAP. In an article published yesterday (March 14) by Fox News, the outlet revealed that United States officials think UFOs could visit our planet soon. In fact, the Pentagon has reason to believe an alien mothership is in our solar system, ready to explore Earth.
Last week, officials stated that these supposed alien aircrafts could send small probes to our planet in order to study it, similar to how NASA does on missions. Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), and Abraham Loeb, chairman of Harvard University’s astronomy department, shared their findings on March 7. “An artificial interstellar object could potentially be a parent craft that releases many small probes during its close passage to Earth, an operational construct not too dissimilar from NASA missions. These ‘dandelion seeds’ could be separated from the parent craft by the tidal gravitational force of the sun or by a maneuvering capability,” a portion of their findings read.
American officials have been developing units to investigate strange phenomena for quite some time. AARO launched in July 2022, and they track unidentified objects near and on Earth. In 2005, Pan-STARRS telescopes were created for NASA to locate 90 percent of objects in Earth’s orbit larger than 140 meters — which is how the potential alien mothership was said to be detected. Before that, on Oct. 19, 2017, the telescopes noticed a strange interstellar object and named it ‘Oumuamua, meaning “scout” in Hawaiian. It traveled away from the sun without a cometary tail, leading scientists to classify the object as artificial.
Government officials say another object absent of a cometary trail was discovered three years later in 2020. And six months before ‘Oumuamua made its closest approach to Earth, an interstellar meteor, IM2, measuring a meter long, crashed on our planet and had identical speeds relative to the sun at large distances, with the exact same shape as ‘Oumuamua. “With proper design, these tiny probes would reach the Earth or other solar system planets for exploration, as the parent craft passes by within a fraction of the Earth-Sun separation — just like ‘Oumuamua did. Astronomers would not be able to notice the spray of mini probes because they do not reflect enough sunlight for existing survey telescopes to notice them,” researchers said of the alien activity.
136
« on: March 16, 2023, 11:57:56 AM »
Mormon church to make massive water contribution to Great Salt Lake
Story by Sharon Udasin • Yesterday 1:33 PM
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has agreed to part with a massive amount of water to help replenish the dwindling Great Salt Lake.
The Salt Lake City-based institution, one of the wealthiest organizations in Utah, will be donating more than 5,700 water shares that it holds in the North Point Consolidated Irrigation Company to the state.
The donated water, which was historically used for agricultural purposes, is thought to be the largest-ever permanent water contribution to benefit the lake, Utah’s Department of Natural Resources announced on Wednesday.
“The Great Salt Lake and the ecosystem that depends on it are so important,” Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, said in a statement.
“The Church wants to be part of the solution because we all have a responsibility to care for and be good stewards of the natural resources that God has given to us,” Waddell added.
Equivalent to more than 20,000 acre-feet, the gift ensures that water “can continue to flow to the lake in perpetuity,” according to the state Department of Natural Resources. For reference, typical U.S. suburban households use about one acre-foot of water annually.
“This water donation will make a real difference to the lake and the future of our state,” Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said in a statement.
“The Great Salt Lake is a critical asset environmentally, ecologically and economically, and we all need to work together to protect and preserve it,” he added.
In accompanying remarks on Twitter, he stressed that the parties have “been working on this for a long time.”
Crediting recent investments from the state, policy changes and this gift, Cox said that “the future of the lake has never been more secure.”
In July, Great Salt Lake water levels reached a historic low, plummeting to an average daily surface water elevation of 4,190.1 feet at the basin’s southern end. At the time, officials called for urgent action to protect the resource, the levels of which have been tracked since 1847.
Today, the lake’s water surface elevation stands at about 4,190.6 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Great Salt Lake contributes $1.9 billion to Utah’s economy, provides more than 7,700 jobs and supports 80 percent of the state’s wetlands, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
As far as the church’s gift is concerned, the department will manage the donation, working together with the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust.
The agreement will also include new measurement systems to better track water deliveries to the lake, according to the department.
In addition to ensuring continuous flow to the lake, the gift will also help preserve critical shoreline and local wetland habitats, the agency said.
“This donation is invaluable because it’s a permanent, dedicated source of water that will benefit the lake year after year,” Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement.
“We look forward to continuing to work together to safeguard the lake,” Ferry added.
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« on: March 14, 2023, 12:11:06 PM »
Withdrawing Marines Identified the Final Afghan Suicide Bomber and Were Told To Stand Down
United States Marine Tyler Justin Vargas-Andrews was left in a ball of emotions during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. Recalling the utter failure of a withdrawal from Afghanistan, and particularly the Kabul airport bombing that left him horrifically wounded both physically and mentally. Breaking down openly was not easy, nor was the loss of his mentor and friend in the blast.
That fateful day left 13 servicemembers killed under Biden’s watch and marked the highest casualty count in 10 years.
Before striking the gate, Vargas-Andrews and other Marines assigned to Abbey Gate had spotted a man who was a perfect match to an intelligence report about a suicide bomber. Around 0200 local, on August 26th, intelligence personnel had confirmed and reported a suicide bomber getting close to Abbey Gate. Listed as being clean-shaven, wearing a brown dress, black vest, and traveling alongside a close companion. When he asked why nobody apprehended him at that time, they were told the intel asset was not allowed to be compromised.
If you’ve ever been to Afghanistan, you’d realize just how difficult yet easily this description can be identified. At first, it would be everyone, but you quickly learn how to identify the differences quickly, and this would have stuck out in the chaos going on. As such, Vargas-Andrews and other Marines passed along that intel to people on the ground. He then spotted the bomber between 1200 and 1300, along with two other Marines. The man spotted fit the description to a T and was “consistently and nervously looking up at our position through the crowd.”
Passing this intel through the communication channels it spread quickly. “This was as serious as it can get. I requested engagement authority while my team leader was ready on the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System.” However, they only received a response claiming “leadership did not have the engagement authority for us. Do not engage.”
In the interim he requested Marine LTC Brad Whited get into the tower immediately to see their observation. They also contacted psychological operations to see what they could do about the situation and confirm their sighting. They gave him a full briefing, including their ease of engagement. When asked directly to answer, he would only say “I don’t know.”
Vargas-Andrews continued “Myself and my team leader asked very harshly, ‘well, who does?’ Because this is your responsibility, Sir.’ He again replied, ‘he did not know but would find out.’ We received no update and never got our answer.” Eventually, the man disappeared. “To this day, we believe he was the suicide bomber…We made everyone on the ground aware. Operations had briefly halted but then started again. Plain and simple we were ignored. Our expertise was disregarded. No one was accountable for our safety.”
It was this point that broke Vargas-Andrews. He was now talking about Marine Staff Sergeant Darrin Hoover, his friend, and mentor.
Around 1730 they were finding an Afghan interpreter in the crowd of the canal just outside Abbey gate. While they found their terp and his brother, the duo were waiting for about five family members to get up from the canal. About 10 minutes later the blast struck. Recalling being thrown 12 feet back on the ground, he knew what happened.
“I open my eyes to Marines dead or unconscious around me. A crowd of hundreds immediately vanished in front of me and my body was catastrophically wounded with 100-150 ball bearings now in it. Almost immediately we started taking fire from the neighborhood and I saw how injured I was with my right arm completely shredded and unusable. I saw my whole lower abdomen soaked in blood. I crawled backwards 7 feet because I thought I was still in harm’s way.”
He then begged to have his testimony added to the record. Just like he did on that day. “Please ask me about getting shot at in the tower at Abbey gate and how no one wanted my report post-blast. Even NCIS and the FBI failed to interview me. Ask me to elaborate on my ordeal post-blast. Ask me about this one little girl and her family I reunited. Our military members and veterans deserve our best because that is what we give to America.”
138
« on: March 11, 2023, 10:05:39 AM »
Silicon Valley Bank Shuttered
US regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank yesterday in what is the second-largest failure of a financial institution in US history, following Washington Mutual during the height of the global financial crisis in 2008. Silicon Valley Bank, which caters to mostly technology workers and venture-backed companies, had roughly $209B in assets and $175B in deposits as of December.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. assumed control of Silicon Valley Bank via a new entity a day after depositors began withdrawing their money on fears of the bank's solvency, also known as a bank run (see 101). The bank's parent company's shares fell roughly 70% since it announced plans this week to raise $2.25B to shore up its balance sheet and offset nearly $2B in losses on asset sales. Trading halted yesterday after market volatility. Insured depositors will have access to their funds, typically up to $250K, Monday, the FDIC said.
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« on: March 07, 2023, 08:49:48 PM »
I think the interior decorating "killed it"
140
« on: March 07, 2023, 08:47:41 PM »
More proof!
141
« on: March 07, 2023, 10:31:59 AM »
This may be the most American story you will read today: In 1968, South Vietnamese Lt. Col. Nguyen Tuan was murdered along with his wife, mother, and six of his children. One of his children survived, however, after being shot through the arm and thigh. Another bullet pierced his skull. Nine-year-old Huan Nguyen stayed next to his mother for two hours after the murders.
When night fell, he escaped the scene and avoided the communist guerrillas. The young boy was taken in by his uncle, a colonel in the South Vietnamese Air Force. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the officer and Nguyen escaped to the United States.
In October 2019, Huan Nguyen was promoted to rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
142
« on: March 06, 2023, 09:44:10 AM »
Before he declared "He is our voice" Today he declares "he is our warrior." I believe he is right.
Trump Pledges to Stay in 2024 White House Race If He Is Criminally Charged
Former President Donald Trump addresses the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on March 4, 2023. By Jack Phillips
March 5, 2023Updated: March 5, 2023
Former President Donald Trump vowed Saturday that he will stay in the 2024 presidential race even if he is criminally indicted.
“Oh, absolutely, I won’t even think about leaving,” Trump told reporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Saturday when he was asked about staying in the race if he’s charged. “Probably, it’ll enhance my numbers, but it’s a very bad thing for America. It’s very bad for the country.”
Trump faces several investigations, including a consolidated Department of Justice probe into whether he allegedly mishandled classified documents that resulted in an FBI raid targeting his Mar-a-Lago resort last year. In Georgia, officials are investigating his activity after the 2020 election.
On Saturday, Trump made reference to controversial comments made in interviews last month by the Georgia grand jury forewoman, Emily Kohrs, who had given indications that Trump may face charges. The forewoman’s appearances drew condemnation from Trump’s legal team, who told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they were considering filing motions after she elaborated on the grand jury’s work.
“Jury foreman, a rather bizarre young woman is going around doing media interviews and saying exactly what’s going on, one of many grand juries,” Trump said Saturday, referring to Kohrs’ comments. The former president told reporters that his opponents will “do anything they can to hurt me politically because they’re afraid of me and they’re afraid of you, that’s what it is.”
During his CPAC speech on Saturday, Trump also said the GOP needs to change its thinking on mail-in and early voting after Republican losses in both 2020 and 2022. For years, the former president has criticized both voting policies, saying that they are fraught with fraud.
“Change only happens if we plow fearlessly ahead and declare with one voice that the era of woke and weaponized government is over. That is our task, that is our mission. And this is the turning point and the time for that decision,” Trump said in a 90-minute speech at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland.
While Trump criticized the Biden administration’s policies, Trump also included other Republicans in his crosshairs. This time around, Trump indicated he would purge longtime family dynasties in both the Republican and Democrat parties.
“We had a Republican party that was ruled by freaks, neocons, globalists, open borders zealots, and fools but we are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush,” he said.
And the former commander-in-chief added that four years ago, “I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution. Not going to let this happen. … I will totally obliterate the deep state. I will fire the unelected bureaucrats and shadow forces who have weaponized our justice system like it has never been weaponized before. And I will put the people back in charge of this country again.”
Also in the speech, Trump also framed his 2024 bid as the “final battle.” He launched his 2024 presidential campaign in mid-November, becoming the first major GOP candidate to do so.
“This is the final battle, they know it,” Trump said. “I know it, you know it, and everybody knows it, this is it. Either they win or we win. And if they win, we no longer have a country.”
143
« on: March 05, 2023, 09:29:49 AM »
I read this and knew immediately that it was bedrock truth, wisdom, really.
For what can we really do if it is not already in the will of others. We by ourselves can seemingly do little.
But there is one who can move mountains. Let us dwell on that perspective...
''Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others.''
JACOB M. BRAUDE
144
« on: March 04, 2023, 04:59:05 PM »
Take a look at the article. Is one to assume that we are to apologize for having faith? Is that offensive enough to others that we must apologize? You see the thing here is that this world we live in has moved on past the notion that Jesus is anything other than a superstition that MAGA radicals and evil white people still cling to. Well, first of all, yea, we still do (And always will!)
End times brothers...end times!
Kelsey Grammer refuses to apologize for religious beliefs: 'Jesus has made a difference
Story by Robert Oliver
Kelsey Grammer has said he will not apologize for his religious beliefs, saying that Jesus has made a significant difference to his life.
The actor, 68, is most famous for his appearances as Dr. Frasier Crane in Cheers, and its subsequent spin-off Frasier, and as Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons.
His latest film, Jesus Revolution, which is based on a book of the same name, follows the true story of a youth minister in 1970s America.
Grammer will play real-life pastor Chuck Smith, who eventually founded his own movement within Christianity that eventually had over 1,000 churches worldwide.
Reflecting on his faith ahead of the film’s release last month, Grammer said he would no longer be apologising for his faith.
Speaking to USA Today, he said: ‘Jesus made a difference in my life. That’s not anything I’ll apologise for. I have found great peace in my faith and in Jesus.’
145
« on: March 03, 2023, 11:54:26 AM »
Great link shows the progress of the war in Ukraine. https://arcg.is/1jCqWT1
146
« on: February 28, 2023, 10:30:51 AM »
Washington Examiner
China will target the US homeland in war over Taiwan, Army leader predicts
Story by Joel Gehrke
China will attack the American homeland if “a major war” erupts over Taiwan or elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Army’s top civilian expects.
“If we got into a major war with China, the United States homeland would be at risk as well with both kinetic attacks and non-kinetic attacks — whether it's cyberattacks on the power grid or on pipelines,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Monday at the American Enterprise Institute. “They are going to go after the will of the United States public. They're going to try to erode support for a conflict.”
CIA’S JUDGEMENT IS XI HAS ‘DOUBTS’ ABOUT SUCCESS OF POSSIBLE TAIWAN INVASION
China's People’s Liberation Army forces are not yet prepared to launch an invasion of Taiwan, according to U.S. intelligence and military officials. Yet the “historical trajectory” of their recent military modernization campaign requires U.S. forces to speed up their preparations to deter such an attack, according to the region’s top Army officer.
“The payload of exercises in pathways is really at its zenith here in ’23,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, referring to an array of U.S. military exercises in the Indo-Pacific. “This is an important year to get in position [and] create enduring advantage ... so we're ready to do that and our forces are ready today to be able to respond if need be in the event that something goes in the direction we don't want it to go.”
Flynn and Wormuth touted the importance of the U.S. Army in the competition with China, an argument advanced at least in part to urge lawmakers not to forget about the Army in the upcoming spending process. Fiscal fights of the last decade often have forced the federal government to operate a funding mechanism known as a “continuing resolution,” which authorizes federal officials to spend money according to the plans set by previous budgets — a process that, according to Wormuth, has constrained the military’s ability to prepare for the risk of a clash with China.
“It is hard for us to compete effectively and do everything we need to do vis-a-vis the PRC, if, for six months of the year, we, for example, can't have any new starts for programs,” she said.
“Some of the key new weapons systems that the Army is developing will be impacted if we go into an extended continuing resolution. So that is very problematic at a time when everyone is worried about timelines.”
One major new weapons system — long-range hypersonic missiles — will come online in the coming months, the Army secretary added.
“By this fall, we will have our first battery of long-range hypersonic weapons, and that element will be part of our first multi-domain task force,” Wormuth said. “And we're also going to be bringing out the prototype for our mid-range capability, which provides us the opportunity to take out mobile targets at long range.”
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« on: February 28, 2023, 10:24:27 AM »
With all this Tap Talk baloney, it's time to drop a Willie-Pete grenade in the house as we exit and move far, far away from our current server.
We are working in the background to migrate the entire forum over to a new home. I hope it is seamless, but knowing what little I do about the process, I doubt it will.
I am letting everyone know that the process has begun with battlefield prep in the background which may show up from time to time and appear like the site is having issues. Jeremy (Who I call J-Bomb) is really good at this stuff is already doing things. He will migrate the entire site to a new server probably around midnight on a Friday or Saturday night or something like that.
I found it humorous that right in the middle of all these Tap-Talk problems, our current host kept telling me we were fine, that they had fixed everything, and then today they hit me with my annual renewal fee...wait for it...
They increased my annual renewal fees to $973!!! Additionally, I have other monthly fees so for this joke of a service, I am now on the hook for well over a grand annually.
That little renewal is driving the kick into overdrive with the migration process. So come heck or high water, we are moving and something which I hope looks a lot like the forum we currently have survives when we hit the beach at our new home. Fasten your seat belts and get ready for some choppy water. Hopefully, it's not like Normandy beach with shore batteries shelling us as we make our way to landfall!
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« on: February 25, 2023, 11:01:50 AM »
Bird Flu in Cambodia
The World Health Organization is looking into two human cases of avian influenza in Cambodia after an 11-year-old girl died following an infection and after her father also tested positive for the H5N1 strain. The cases are the first known human infections of the bird flu in the Southeast Asian country since 2014.
The development comes against the backdrop of a global bird flu outbreak since October 2021, including in the US where a record of more than 58 million birds have died since last February, pushing up egg prices. The flu normally spreads between sick poultry, which have a nearly 100% mortality rate when infected, and may occasionally spread from poultry to humans given sufficient exposure. The WHO currently assesses the threat to humans as low. See how the virus spreads here.
The H5N1 bird flu virus was first detected in 1996 in southern China, leading to an outbreak in the country and Hong Kong in 1997, when six people died (see visual timeline). Since 2003, more than 20 countries have reported roughly 870 human infections with the H5N1 strain, of which 457 have died.
149
« on: February 21, 2023, 04:41:55 PM »
A Malignant Flu May Soon Evolve to Infect and Kill Humans, Report Says
Story by Tim Newcomb
A malignant flu may soon spread from birds to infect and kill humans. Scientists fear a mammal-to-mammal transmission could lead to global catastrophe.
A malignant flu may soon spread from birds to infect and kill humans. Scientists fear a mammal-to-mammal transmission could lead to global catastrophe.
A mink farm in Spain is the site of concerning research regarding the spread of avian influenza.
Researchers believe the bird flu was transmitted across minks in the farm—a troubling mammal-to-mammal spread.
The outbreak at the mink farm opens a new worry for health researchers.
Last fall, on a mink farm in Spain, H5N1 (avian influenza) likely spread across the animals. The outbreak resulted in the death or culling of the entire group of 50,000 minks.
Why should you care? Because it may have marked the first known case of mammal-to-mammal transmission of the deadly virus known as the bird flu, according to a new study. And that doesn’t portend anything good for humans.
The bird flu has proven scary enough with its occasional spreads from birds to mammals of all sorts, but the study published in Eurosurveillance calls the latest devastation of mink sicknesses and deaths especially concerning. “Our findings also indicate that an onward transmission of the virus to other minks may have taken place in the affected farm,” the study authors write.
150
« on: February 19, 2023, 09:22:00 AM »
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