XCR1250

Border state lawmaker sounds alarm on bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang entering US: ‘They have no rules’ Adam Shaw Fri, April 19, 2024 at 1:38 PM CDT·3 min read A congressman whose district is along the southern border is warning about the dangers posed by a bloodthirsty Venezuelan street gang whose presence has grown in the United States amid the ongoing migrant crisis. "This gang in several years is going to be the dominant transnational criminal organization throughout the United States. There's no doubt in my mind," Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview. Last month, a CBP source provided Fox with an internal intelligence bulletin revealing tattoos and identifiers for Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan street gang. Members of that gang have been entering the U.S. illegally through the southern border. The gang drew additional attention when it emerged that the brother of the suspect in the killing of Georgia student Laken Riley had ties to the gang. Both are Venezuelan illegal immigrants. OPINION: VENEZUELAN GANGS ARE IMPORTING NEXT-LEVEL BRUTALITY, FEAR TO OUR STREETS These images from a CBP intelligence bulletin show tattoos and identifiers for Tren De Aragua. TdA is said to specialize in extortion, kidnapping, murder and sex trafficking. Federal authorities have been warning that the gang is trying to establish itself in the U.S., where police are already linking it to organized crime. The FBI has also warned that the gang could team up with the bloodthirsty MS-13. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS "They're very vicious. They have no rules. They gobble up territory almost like a cancer," Gonzales said. Gonzales, who represents a majority Hispanic district, says the arrivals are part of a change in the flow of immigration across the border. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, outside the U.S. Capitol as the House voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act June 24, 2022. "Immigration isn't new to us. We've lived it for decades, but it's no longer Mexican nationals coming over looking for work," Gonzales said. "It's no longer passive people just trying to kind of mosey about their business. It is a different element of people. "They're more aggressive, they're demanding and they're culturally not the same. And that's why, once again, a district 70% Hispanic, the people in my district had enough. They're like, 'To hell with these people. They're coming over. I don't feel safe. They're very aggressive.’ And you know what? If someone knocked on my door and they had face tattoos with teardrops … I probably wouldn't feel safe either." BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA SETS UP SHOP IN US AS BORDER AUTHORITIES SOUND ALARM On visits to the border in the El Paso Sector, he said, officials had told him migrants will be afraid of TdA members when in detention. He also pointed to oil thefts in other parts of the border. He said the response should be "immediate repercussions." "So Border Patrol has to have the tools where they can vet some of these people far more than what is happening," Gonzales said, warning that people are just "cycling through." He also said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has to be strong and nationally present. "You have to have ICE have the ability to go around and actively hunt these criminal aliens that have committed crimes, hunt them down and deport them," Gonzales said. "That has to happen. And when it does happen, it can't happen in a vacuum. People have to know what's happening. And it can't just happen in one part of the country. It has to happen throughout the country." He also called for a "seamless" mission and cooperation between local, state and federal officials. "And I think the communities that do that, I think Texas will be at the forefront of this," Gonzales said. "The communities that do that will be the ones that do not have this issue years from now." Original article source: Border state lawmaker sounds alarm on bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang entering US: ‘They have no rules’

Perhaps he was just cold and looking to warm up a little bit.

So you believe they are lying? https://www.ecoticias.com/en/mobility/

The title is from the article.

https://news.yahoo.com/man-stands-motorcycle-while-driving-154902356.html

Wildland fire danger at that time?

I edited my post..my sister died at 63.

Most of my family died from smoking, my mom at 62 and my sister at 63, many other relatives died young too. Dad & I never smoked, he died at 85. As most here know smoking was promoted years back even on TV, magazines & even some newspapers, it was pretty much considered ok to smoke. As a kid I used to Puke out the car window when my mom smoked in the car, that smoke has an aweful stink to it made me sick.

Should be $700 a pack.

Carmakers say goodbye to EVs: this is the new engine that changes everything by D. García 04/17/2024 in Mobility Credits: hydrogencentral.com This is the new ultrathin hydrogen fuel cell: extremely compact and boasting 175 kW of power The first non-polluting combustion engine: 440 HP of power and only emits water vapor Goodbye to gasoline and diesel: more than 1,000 miles of autonomy with these cars The carmakers have just made an unexpected decision, taking the ecological transition much further than ever imagined. EVs have just been pushed into oblivion by a record-breaking hydrogen engine. The best part? It has solved the perennial problem of zero-emission cars and will now boost sales, but not with the ones you’ve known before. Legendary brand to forget about EVs: a better fuel has been found While hydrogen fuel is the focus for BMW now as opposed to battery electric vehicles, the German company has also been keeping up with the trends. Leading in the green technology, the German manufacturer revealed a project to manufacture limited copies of the iX5 Hydrogen, that is, the hydrogen fuel cell driven SUV. Ultimately, the iX5 Hydrogen will be compatible to the same platform like the all-electric iX5. Nevertheless, the BMW’s prototype hydrogen-powered car will set walnut battery pack aside in favor of the latest fuel-cell electric powertrain technology. As hydrogen gas is kept in tanks, that are located inside the SUV. There is also a reference to the fact that BMW is fifth generation of fuel cells that would give it 400 horsepower or even more of continuous power to work with. The hydrogen gas tanks takes less than half a minute to be full, which result in a range of 300 miles/refill. It is the particular feature that makes hydrogen a leader in the EVs. The iX5 – the official name of the Hydrogen – will start production with limited numbers of the model by the end of 2024. BMW intends to manufacture 100 e-ICVs for testing and demonstration purposes as a first step. The business perceives hydrogen as a zeer realize the word zero-emission alternative to batteries. The new hydrogen engine, in detail: what BMW has achieved Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles call for several major advantages over battery electric vehicles. In addition to this, you will get an opportunity to fuel a hydrogen vehicle only within 3-5 minutes, similar as in case if it concerns the gasoline vehicles. It can’t be compared with an electric vehicle’s charger. Hydrogen cars, in addition, will need one refuel less since their range on the full tank is much longer. BMW Group’s approach is to demonstrate that their i Hydrogen NEXT concept can drive further than most EVs 374 miles compared to 300 miles respectively. Largely, hydrogen is a flammable, propellant gas having greater energy density; therefore, its distribution is similar to the other fuels as chains. Unlike EV chargers, the EV stations don’t need to source their supply from hydrogen generators or hydrolyzers, making the installation process of hydrogen dispensers easier. Speed of refilling, range, and availability for the convenient hydrogen are the major benefits for this fuel because they make themselves the alternative with environmentally friendly. A hydrogen powered cars transfer version comes in smoothly as it needs less time to refill than the cycle needed to charge an EV. BMW must face a challenge: attention to this almost-solved problem The hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are undermined by two common problems which is the high cost of hydrogen generation and the absence of an infrastructure to refuel. The majority of hydrogen is got from natural gas by the process of steam methane reformation mechanism today. This steps is prohibitively costly that makes hydrogen cost $5-$10 in the result. As per comparison, the costs of measuring fossil fuels vary from $3 to $4. The most important factor preventing hydrogen-powered cars from being successful against ICE vehicles is definitely the lack of affordable hydrogen production. It is clear that this hydrogen engine will be a historic milestone in sustainable mobility, not only in the United States but also in the rest of the world. The carmakers have decided to back away from EV development, with brands that are leaving them for good. Will we see Tesla do so as well? Perhaps Elon Musk is too proud to go back on his words.

MC was 19 back in 2013?

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, US official tells CNN, as region braces for further escalation Alex Marquardt, Helen Regan, Hamdi Alkhshali, Artemis Moshtaghian and Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Fri, April 19, 2024 at 6:31 AM CDT·6 min read 5.7k Israel has carried out a military strike inside Iran, a US official told CNN Friday, a potentially dangerous escalation in a fast widening Middle East conflict that Iranian government officials have so far sought to play down. The United States was given advance notification Thursday of an intended Israeli strike in the coming days, but did not endorse the response, a second senior US official said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later confirmed the US “has not been involved in any offensive operations,” but was focusing on Israel’s defense and de-escalation. Iran’s air defense systems were activated in the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz after three explosions were heard close to a major military airbase near Isfahan, state media reported early Friday morning. Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s army, said the explosions in the sky above Isfahan were related to anti-aircraft systems shooting at what he called a suspicious object, which did not cause any damage, Iranian state news IRNA reported. Other Iranian officials said air defenses intercepted three drones and there were no reports of a missile attack. Iran has not identified the source of the strike. Multiple state-aligned news agencies reported that sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program were secure and the attack appeared to be limited in scope. Iranian media appeared to further minimize the scale of the attack on Friday, broadcasting calm scenes from Isfahan showing residents walking through parks and visiting landmarks. Traffic was reported as normal and the airport was also reported to have reopened after flights were briefly canceled or suspended early Friday. Reports of Friday’s strike came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN that if Israel takes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.” “If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them,” he added, noting that this warning had been communicated to the White House via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran. Tensions across the Middle East remain on a knife edge, following Iran’s unprecedented direct strike against Israel late Saturday. The attack, during which Iran launched more than 300 drones and cruise missiles toward Israel, came in response to a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on 1 April, which killed a top commander, and several others. Separately, “material losses” were reported in southern Syria after an Israeli strike, targeted “our air defense sites in the southern region,” Syrian state media SANA reported Friday citing a military source. The Israeli military said that it does not comment on reports in foreign media. The Israeli military said it was unable to provide a comment on Friday, when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran. At the end of a three-day meeting in Capri, Italy, the Group of Seven (G7) nations urged all parties in the region to “prevent further escalation.” Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also warned the strikes risk “dragging the region into further conflict,” adding that the “Israeli-Iranian retaliations must end.” Iran warned of ‘maximum’ response hours earlier Israel’s action in Iran is the latest escalatory move in a region that has been rocked by Israel’s devastating war in Gaza following Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack. That attack killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw more than 200 others taken hostage. Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials, caused widespread destruction of the enclave and sparked a humanitarian crisis where more than 1 million people face ‘catastrophic’ levels of hunger. Prior to Friday’s Israeli strike, the US expectation was the country would not target Iran’s civilian or nuclear facilities, the senior US official told CNN. CNN has previously reported that Israel told the US its response to the weekend attacks would be limited in scope. US intelligence had suggested Israel was weighing a narrow and limited strike inside Iran because they feel like they have to respond with a kinetic action of some kind given the unprecedented scale of the Iranian attack The range of targets was “never specified in precise terms but nuclear and civilian locations were clearly not in that category,” the senior official added. Calls for restraint Israel’s Western allies have both rallied to its defense in the wake of Iran’s attack Saturday, while also urging restraint. US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he should consider Iran’s strikes a win, since they had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s ability to defend itself. Biden had already made clear to Netanyahu that the US would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran in response, a senior administration previously told CNN. Benny Gantz, a key member of Israel’s war cabinet, had pushed for a swift response to the attack, two Israeli officials told CNN, arguing that the longer Israeli delayed its response, the harder it would be to garner international support for it. Some hardline officials have gone further. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Israel should “go crazy” in response. Ben Gvir appeared to criticize Israel’s reported strike, publishing a one-word response on X early Friday morning – a slang word meaning “lame” or “weak.” Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid called Ben Gvir’s comment “unforgivable.” “Never before has a minister in the security cabinet done such heavy damage to the country’s security, its image and its international status,” Lapid said. Jasmine El-Gamal, a former Middle East adviser to the US Defense Department, told CNN that Israel and Iran’s tit-for-tat strikes were about “posturing and messaging.” “Neither side, obviously, is willing or ready to escalate into an all-out war. The Israelis in particular cannot get into an all-out war without the full support, both military and political, of the Americans, which President Biden made it clear he was not willing to give,” she said. El-Gamal said Israel’s reported strike was meant to tell Iran, “We can get to your nuclear sites if we want to. We know where they are, and even though we didn’t hit them this time – we can do it.”

NW Wisconsin, 100's of miles of interconnecting trails.

https://www.unilad.com/technology/nasa/nasa-asteroid-16-psyche-earth-billionaire-028883-20240418

Few more:

Pics from the trails here.

Biden's the worst Potus in US history.

Crap, I only have S&W's & Rugers now.

SETI chief says US has no evidence for alien technology. 'And we never have' By Leonard David published 10 hours ago "The idea that the government is keeping something like this secret is just totally absurd. There's no motivation to do so." The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array is a radio astronomy observatory located in the Plains of San Agustin in New Mexico. (Image credit: Getty Images/Feifei Cui-Paoluzzo) If all the reports of mysterious objects buzzing our skies are taken as true encounters, the Earth appears to be under assault. But spoiler alert: For the chief leader of the SETI Institute, established to search for and understand life beyond Earth, there's a need to step back and cuddle up to a cup of cosmic reality. "We don't have any evidence of any credible source that would indicate the presence of alien technology in our skies. And we never have," said Bill Diamond, president and chief executive officer of the SETI Institute, headquartered in Mountain View, California. "The idea that the government is keeping something like this secret is just totally absurd. There's no motivation to do so." SETI is a key research contractor to NASA and the National Science Foundation, and collaborates with industry partners throughout Silicon Valley. Space.com caught up with Diamond for a close-encounter with his own thoughts and counterpoints to claims of alien visitation and to ask whether there's any signal in all the UFO noise. Bill Diamond, president and chief executive officer of the SETI Institute. (Image credit: Bill Diamond) Thought experiment Diamond said that, while we should not outright rule out the possibility that we might someday discover evidence of alien technology in our skies, "we should equally not jump to the conclusion that UFOs are alien technology in the absence of any compelling evidence to that effect. And there is no compelling evidence," he contends. To help visualize why, Diamond urges people to try a thought experiment. The fastest spacecraft that humans have ever built and continues to head outward from Earth is NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. It was hurled outward back in January 2006, cruising by Pluto and is still adding mileage to its odometer. "If you sent that spacecraft to our closest neighbor star, Alpha Centauri, it would take 80,000 years to get there," said Diamond. "Any civilization that has mastered the ability to traverse the incomprehensibly vast distances of interstellar space would have technology so far advanced from our own as to be beyond our comprehension." The closest star system to the Earth is the Alpha Centauri group at a distance of 4.3 light-years. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope snagged this view of Alpha Centauri A (on the left) and Alpha Centauri B (on the right), appearing as cosmic headlamps in the dark. (Image credit: ESA/NASA) It would be much like a smartphone to a Neanderthal, Diamond suggested. "If such beings exist, they would likely send hardware here first and not biology, and they certainly wouldn't crash-land in our deserts," he said, like the alleged and highly acclaimed 1947 nose-dive of a UFO and its accident-prone occupants near Roswell, New Mexico. In short haul language, that's a long way to travel and run out of braking fluid. Where's the mothership? "Long before they sent any craft into our sky they would have some understanding of what they were dealing with," Diamond observed, "as they would already know everything about our atmosphere, our airspace, our technology and more." It just wouldn't happen, Diamond emphasized. "And if it did they wouldn't leave them behind. And by the way, if you have a small craft zipping around in our airspace, where is the mothership? And if they didn't want to be observed, they wouldn't be!" For many, the SETI logo signals a universal question of 'are we alone?'. (Image credit: SETI Institute/Trevor Beattie) Connective tissue All the same, in the public mind, is there some kind of connective tissue between SETI and UFOs? "There is definitely connective tissue," Diamond responded. "Why do people have these beliefs? It is because they want to believe. Nobody really wants to think that this Earth is the only place in the vastness of space where life has emerged. Even that idea is also kind of absurd." For example, Diamond points to the revelations cranked out by the NASA Kepler mission, lofted in March 2009. That hunter/data-gatherer spacecraft discovered more than 2,700 planets beyond our solar system. Compiling deep space data for nine years, the message from Kepler: there are billions of unseen planets, indeed, more planets than stars. Statistical probability "Statistically speaking, every single star in the sky has one or more planets around it," Diamond pointed out. Furthermore, 50 percent or more of these are Earth-like (rocky surface and similar size) and in the habitable zone of their host star, he said. "That implies the existence of tens of billions of potentially habitable worlds in our galaxy alone," Diamond said. "So indeed, the statistical probability that we are alone in the Universe is zero. Surely there is life beyond Earth!" But the presence, both in space and time, as well as proximity, of advanced alien civilizations is another matter completely, Diamond continued. "There are innumerable variables, all of which in the sciences of astrobiology, planetary science, astronomy and astrophysics, we are trying to figure out." Accidental observations The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array is the first radio telescope to be designed from the ground up to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. (Image credit: Seth Shostak, SETI Institute) Diamond questions why any alien civilization would send biology when they could isntead send hardware. "The farthest things we have sent into space are hardware. And that's logical," said Diamond. "But if you did send beings and the most interesting thing you can do is draw circles in crops … come on!" One other scoop of skepticism Diamond added is that every single UFO — now tied to the term Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) — are all "accidental observations." RELATED STORIES: "Therefore, they are highly unreliable. They don't have instrumentation, technology, or methodology to discern what they are looking at," said Diamond. Lastly, the SETI Institute leader said if the government actually believed in ET buzzing our planet, where's the study money? "The lack of government funding to study UAP/UFO is evidence of either the government being quite certain that there's nothing to these accidental observations — or — the government preferring that we not use available technology to closely watch our skies because of our own human technologies that are being developed — in secret," said Diamond. "I think that's the most compelling bit of evidence against the idea that we've got visitors in our skies," Diamond concluded. For more information on the SETI Institute and its programs, go to https://www.seti.org/

You got hemorrhoids?

Must be LexGuard.

Haven't for years now, but I used to make and sell solar panels, still have lots of new glass here. They were for heat, not electricity. Insurance was very expensive so I never insured them.

The hail damage we saw on some solar panels south of here must cost many $ thousands to replace.

I can't stand Trump.