1/17 - ZEROHEDGE - Chinese Drone Firm Eliminates No-Fly Zones Before Inauguration
DJI, the world's largest civilian drone manufacturer and a Chinese-owned company, has reportedly announced it will replace its geofencing system with official Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data for all flight operations in the US. The changes, which took effect on Monday, come just one week before President Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C, as well as concerns about drones across US cities and hovering near US military installations.
[Drone geofencing uses GPS to create a virtual boundary around a location. This technology is used to keep drones from entering restricted areas. - OC Padrino]
The official DJI blog, "ViewPoints," provided more color on the geofencing policy change, which will now allow drone operators to fly in previously restricted 'No-Fly Zones':
The timing of this policy change is alarming.
[We all know what terrorists are responsible for. - OC Padrino]
Chinese Drone Firm DJI Eliminates Automatic No-Fly Zones One Week Before Trump's Inauguration
1/17 - ZEROHEDGE - Preventable Deaths And Vitamin D3
The inconvenient truth is that even at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a very simple, inexpensive and effective treatment was available that could have saved the majority of lives lost (1-3). All that the WHO and public health bureaucracy had to do was to recommend and support people taking sufficient Vitamin D3.
This failure to act traces back to the unscientific bias and pro-vaccine obsession of Dr. Anthony Fauci. And once again the legacy media, while being paid by the US government and the pharmaceutical industry to promote vaccination, acted by censoring, defaming and suppressing the ability of physicians to inform people of scientific truth. The disease you suffered, the loss of life among your family and friends, could have been greatly reduced by simply getting enough Vitamin D3. This is another example of what happens when unelected bureaucrats are allowed to control free speech. Crimes against humanity.
The effectiveness of Vitamin D3 as an immune system-boosting prophylactic treatment for influenza and other respiratory RNA viruses was first discovered in 2006 (4, 5). Despite that fact that this treatment is amazingly effective for preventing death (by strengthening your immune system), it has never been investigated by the NIH, promoted by the CDC or by the US government for the treatment of influenza. One major issue has been that uncontrolled variables of dosing, timing of dosing and disease status have resulted in inconsistent clinical trial results (much as we have seen with the Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine COVID trials). However, when Vitamin D3 is given prophylactically at sufficient doses, there is clear and compelling evidence that Vitamin D blood levels of around 50 ng/ml will substantially reduce symptomatic infection, severe disease and mortality.
Preventable Deaths And Vitamin D3
1/16 - THE PATRIOT NEWS - Peddling Nuclear Material on Black Market
Peddling nuclear material on the black market is a little over the top. Fiction writers have been raising the possibility for decades and today it’s a fact. This deal was intercepted but highly suggests there could be others which weren’t. Takeshi Ebisawa is a well known “crime boss.” In Japan, they call their version of the Mafia “Yakuza.”
The feds claim they didn’t entrap Takeshi Ebisawa into selling them nuclear material. He offered it to them on his own. They don’t say much about where or how he got his hands on it. The FBI does confirm he was selling the real deal.
He thought it would be going into the safely responsible hands of an Iranian general but the 60-year-old gangster had been tricked.
On Wednesday, January 8, Ebisawa “pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell nuclear material from Myanmar to Iran.” Authorities in the United States also had him dead to rights on “drug trafficking and weapons offenses.”
They physically hauled him into a Manhattan courtroom where he accepted his fate on six counts. The judge will decide what to do with him on April 9.
Crime Boss Caught Peddling Nuclear Material on Black Market
1/16 - TOWNHALL - Walgreens Closes 12 Additional San Francisco Stores
Walgreens has announced the shuttering of 12 additional brick-and-mortar locations in San Francisco, citing the unsustainability of continuing to operate them in the red. As this local news report points out, the company didn't explicitly mention endless retail crime as a contributing factor, but area residents say the issue is an unavoidable reality. The on-air package even referred to it as a "major crime spree." Remember, popular fast food chain In N Out shut a location in the Bay Area last year for the first time in the company's history due to nonstop crime.
That final [on-air] soundbyte from a woman worried about a diminished quality of life speaks to the real toll such closures take on communities. Leftists like to blame corporate greed, but when stores cannot operate due to failed policies and rampant crime, such conditions forces businesses' hand. The fallout impacts employees whose places of business no longer exist, as well as neighbors who rely on the locations for convenient access to life essentials and medications. "Progressive" urban rot has real, tangible victims.
Rot: Major Retail Chain Announces Closures of a Dozen Additional Stores in This Blue City
1/14 - RASMUSSEN REPORTS - Think Climate Change to Blame for L.A. Wildfires?
A majority of voters – including more than three-quarters of Democrats – think climate change explains the wildfire that has devastated Southern California.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters consider it likely that the recent wildfire in Los Angeles was caused by climate change, including 28% who believe it’s Very Likely. Thirty-nine percent (39%) don’t think it’s likely that climate change is to blame for the L.A. wildfire, including 21% who say it’s Not At All Likely.
[If you believe it, I have a nice reservoir I can sell ya. - OC Padrino]
L.A. Wildfires: 77% of Democrats Blame Climate Change
1/14 - THE PRESS PRESS - Pacific Palisades' Santa Ynez Reservoir Empty
The Palisades fire has, at the time of writing [Jan 11], burned over 22,000 acres, thousands of structures, and is still only 11 percent contained. It broke out in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, and by Wednesday at 3 a.m., firefighters were essentially out of water to fight it.
The Santa Ynez Reservoir holds 117 million gallons of water and is the water supply for the Pacific Palisades. When The Free Press’s Austyn Jeffs arrived at the Santa Ynez Reservoir to take a look on Friday morning, it was closed to the public, but he hiked around the perimeter. What he found was a completely empty reservoir.
It’s been that way since about February of last year, when officials say it was drained to allow repairs to a torn cover that prevents evaporation. Austyn saw no construction materials or vehicles around the reservoir on Friday.
Firefighters told Austyn that there was no communication from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) about any water supply issues. No one informed them that the reservoir was empty when they began fighting the Palisades fire. Instead, the LAFD had to use water supply from three backup tanks, each holding only about 1 million gallons of water. They blew through it in less than a day.
Why was the Santa Ynez Reservoir allowed to stay empty for nearly a year? When it became clear that the Santa Ana winds would coincide with this remarkably dry rainy season, why didn’t the DWP start refilling it?
Governor Newsom has ordered an independent investigation, while the DWP general manager Martin Adams said that the Santa Ynez Reservoir being filled with its 117 million gallons of water would have “helped” but not “saved the day.”
[Only a 40-day replenishable supply. Eh... the water would only have been wasted "helping" put out private homes and property. But don't worry... 22 miles away from the fires, Marty's house and family in Burbank are safe and sound. - OC Padrino]
WATCH: Why Is the Santa Ynez Reservoir Empty?
1/14 - NPR - Special counsel in Hunter Biden case denounces president
The Department of Justice on Monday released special counsel David Weiss' final report after his investigation of criminal allegations against President Biden's son Hunter Biden.
Biden last month signed a full and unconditional pardon for his son, after earlier promising not to do so, saying "raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice."
Weiss in the report called such accusations "gratuitous and wrong."
"Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations," he wrote.
Hunter Biden was convicted in June of federal gun charges for lying about his addiction to crack cocaine when he purchased a gun. Three months later, he entered a guilty plea to tax offenses for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. Sentencing was expected in December in both cases.
Both of the prosecutions were brought by Weiss. ...
In the report, Weiss said he brought the charges independent of any politics and purely because Hunter Biden broke federal laws.
[That's right... NPR]
Special counsel in Hunter Biden case denounces president for criticism of the probe
1/14 - THE MIDWESTERNER - Garbage truck from campaign to be in inaugural parade
A garbage truck from an Upper Peninsula company will be Michigan’s contribution to President Donald J. Trump’s inaugural parade next week.
A source with the inaugural committee tells The Midwesterner a truck from Loadmaster, a firm based in Dickinson County, population 25,937, will be one of 39 entries in the parade that runs down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.
The company provided the truck that sparked one of the most viral moments during the 2024 campaign: when a safety vest-wearing Trump climbed into the cabin for a spin around a Green Bay, Wisc. airport tarmac.
“How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,” [Trump] told reporters from the passenger seat. Trump seized on an ugly comment by Biden when he called Trump’s supporters “garbage”.
1/12 - WORLD TRIBUNE - Kash Patel on Judge Merchan
In an interview on the Alec Lace Show podcast, Kash Patel, selected by President-elect Donald Trump to head up the FBI, said House Republicans should issue a subpoena for Judge Juan Merchan, who on Friday sentenced Trump in the New York “hush money” case to an “unconditional discharge.”
Patel also will soon meet with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer to discuss how the new Trump administration plans to face down the Deep State.
“[Patel] and I are fixing to meet because with respect to him, they need to hold some people accountable for a cover up,” Comer said. “It’s a big deal to know that the president of the United States is on the take, and yet you do nothing — and I would go further, obstructed our investigation and coordinated with the media to write things that just weren’t true.”
Kash Patel on Judge Merchan and Republicans in Congress
1/8 - OC Padrino - Point to ponder:
Why didn't Biden give Obama a Presidential Medal Of Freedom?
1/7 - TOWNHALL - Trump Has a New Name for the Gulf of Mexico
In remarks on Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump revealed that he plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America when he takes office.
“Mexico’s really in trouble. A lot of trouble. Very dangerous place. And, we’re going ot be announcing a future date pretty soon… we do most of the work there… we’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring… covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name,” Trump said on Tuesday. “And it’s appropriate.”
[Baja California could become West Mexico]
'Has a Beautiful Ring' to It: Trump Has a New Name for the Gulf of Mexico
1/6 - OC PADRINO - I asked AI...
ME: What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
AI: The question often arises whether we are discussing an African or a European swallow.
[I swear]
1/6 - TOWNHALL - Mexican President Shifts Stance on Accepting Deported Illegals
In a surprising reversal, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has shifted her stance on accepting deported illegal immigrants from other countries— a move that could have had significant implications for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border policy. After months of resistance to taking in deportees, Sheinbaum now appears to be softening her position, signaling a potential new strategy for handling immigrants who are sent back to Mexico. Critics argue this change could further strain Mexico’s already overburdened resources and allow the flow of illegal immigration to continue unchecked as the new Trump Administration grapples with an inherited record surge in illegal alien crossings.
During a press conference, Sheinbaum reversed her previous stance and suddenly said that Mexico is not ruling out the possibility of taking in illegal immigrants deported by the U.S.— regardless of nationality. However, she did say she would request that the U.S. compensate Mexico for returning them to their home countries.
In November, Trump announced that he and Sheinbaum agreed to stop the massive flow of illegal immigrants into the United States by “strengthening collaboration on security issues.” The sudden change of heart came after Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico if it did not take action to stop illegal immigrants from entering America through its southern border.
[So let me get this straight. Immigrants illegally enter the U.S. unobstructed via Mexico and when deported back to Mexico, we're supposed to pay for their return to wherever they came from prior to entering Mexico. Mexico didn't seem to consider its "already overburdened resources" when allowing these new citizens into their country. If the immigrants have no intention of returning to their country of origin, wouldn't Mexico be their new home under any circumstance? Certainly the Mexican government wouldn't be involved in merely trafficking humans. That would be violating international law! So, how is the deportation of illegal imigrants crossing the same border back to their latest home country a problem? - OC Padrino]
Mexican President Shifts Stance on Accepting Deported Illegal Immigrants
1/5 - ARMY TIMES - US Military Task Force In Honduras
Over the past four decades a small outpost in Honduras has housed a mix of U.S. military forces, backed by aid organizations to do a Swiss Army-knife type mission of providing medical assistance, disaster response and military training for Latin American allies.
Joint Task Force Bravo contains between 500 and 1,500 U.S. troops at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, and hosts both permanent active-duty staff and rotating Guard and reserve troops for its regionally focused mission.
[I'm sure it has nothing to do with the location being a good interdiction choke-point... with reinforcements just a transport-hop away.]
[Thanks S.A.M.]
Deep in the mountains of Honduras, few know what this US military task force does
1/4 - RED STATE - Honduran President Warns Trump American Troops Will Be Kicked Out
American troops, when stationed abroad, spend a lot of money. They buy local merchandise, they eat at local dining establishments, and believe you me, in nations where it's a thing, they drink in local watering holes. Locals may approve or disapprove of the presence of American service members, but they will surely take their money.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro warned in a television broadcast message this week that she could decide to have the United States haul out its service members from the Central American country if Trump tries to deport Hondurans with criminal histories back to their home country.
“Faced with a hostile attitude of mass expulsion of our brothers [comrades], we would have to consider a change in our policies of cooperation with the United States, especially in the military arena,” Castro said during the Wednesday broadcast.
The U.S., Castro said, maintains military bases in Honduras “without paying a cent for decades,” though the country receives significant foreign aid from the U.S.
Now, let's take a stab at constructing the incoming Trump administration's response:
"Fine, fine, President Castro. Go ahead and decree that all American forces should withdraw from your country, and we'll pull them out. We will close the 10 bases we have in Honduras and bring home our 600+ service members. We'll pull out all the money they spend in your economy. There will be no more American service members buying local merchandise, dining in local restaurants, or spending any of their pay in any way in Honduras. Oh, and we will be cutting off the roughly $175 million annually in foreign aid to Honduras, as well. We are deporting people who are in the country illegally, and who have committed crimes in our nation or their nation of origin, including Honduras. We are sending these criminals back to you, where they belong, in your country, not ours. Your terms are acceptable; we will remove our people, we will cut off American aid to your nation, and regardless of what else happens, we will return your people to your country."
1/4 - THE PATRIOTIC VOICE - Antarctica Sea Ice Doesn’t Lie
Another one of the central tenets of climate alarmism has been debunked by actual scientific data. A team of researchers from Norway, Sweden, and the California Institute of Technology looked at the entire history of satellite data over the ice shelf in Antarctica, dating back to 1979. The ice shelf has slowly and gradually become thicker over the past 45 years. It’s not shrinking. It’s not melting because of cow farts or hair spray. Colorado is not going to become oceanfront property any day now. Once again, climate “scientists” have been caught with their pants on fire.
While the scientists did find that there are fluctuations in the amount of ice from year to year, the gradual trend shows that the ice in Antarctica is thickening. All the other climate scientists must have missed that little detail for 45 years. No biggie. [right?]
[Gotta keep that grant money comin'.]
[Thanks Dave L]
Antarctica Sea Ice Doesn’t Lie — But Climate Scientists Do
1/3 - TOWNHALL - Seattle Residents Are Refusing to Tip
In Seattle, a growing number of people are growing tired [that's a lot of growing] of tipping and are reportedly refusing to tip restaurant staff due to the city’s significant minimum wage hikes.
According to a Daily Mail report, residents in the Democrat-run city feel it is unnecessary to tip service workers. The minimum wage will increase from $19.97 to $20.76 an hour on January 1, 2025. Seattle’s Minimum Wage Ordinance requires the wage rate to reflect the city's inflation rise.
One Reddit user said they are “done tipping 10-20 percent come January 1st,” while another person claimed that with the minimum wage hike, food industry workers have “finally reach[ed] a level playing field.”
[$41,520/yr... ABSOLUTELY! For greater undeclared income, move.]
Why Residents In Seattle Are Refusing to Tip
1/3 - REDSTATE - Seattle Restaurant Closing Due to Mandated Wage Hike
The owner of a popular waffle shop in West Seattle said she had no choice but to shut down her business after the city’s new minimum wage law went into effect on New Year’s Day — hiking hourly pay to $20.76.
Bebop Waffle Shop, which was founded by a former New York City resident more than a decade ago, closed its doors for good on Monday.
“I’ve cried every day,” Corina Luckenbach, the waffle shop owner, told Fox 13 TV.
What's heartbreaking about this is the way it hits small, independent businesses - like the Bebop Waffle Shop. The big chains have resources; they can adopt technologies, like self-ordering kiosks and burger-bots to attenuate the fiscal damage done by mandated minimum wage hikes. Small businesses cannot, and while it's tempting to point out that the people of Seattle voted for this city government and likely will continue to support blue-city policies, this doesn't help Corina Luckenbach's former employees any.
The Real Minimum Wage Is Zero: Seattle Restaurateur Closing Down Due to Mandated Wage Hike
1/1 - TOWNHALL - Ready for President Chuck Grassley?
On Friday the House of Representatives will take a vote on who will be the Speaker for the 116th Congress. Current House Speaker Mike Johnson is hoping to keep his job, but a handful of Republicans are considering voting against him in an effort to seat someone new. Who that new Speaker might be is still a mystery.
The House cannot operate without a Speaker. That vote occurs Friday, January 3. The vote to certify the 2024 presidential election is just three days later on January 6.
But there are only two weeks between January 6 and January 20. If the House can't find a Speaker in time to get the election certified, President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance cannot take office...
With a non-functioning House, Trump, Vance and the House Speaker are out of the chain-of-command, which puts the Senate pro tempore in as acting president. On January 20, 2025, that will be Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
Are You Ready for Acting President Chuck Grassley?
2024 / December
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