News Blogs (3,095)

I sidestepped the blogs here about a train derailment in Ohio and it appears those blogs disappeared in the night. But, there are news stories daily about this and here's what I found so far... 44 had instituted safety regulations and 45 rolled back regulations. While the National Transportation Safety Board is examining the causes/reasons for the derailment, fingers are being pointed in different directions.
This issue has become political and Republicans are blaming the 46th administration for not showing up and 44 has become their hero as he shows up for the publicity stunt/photo opp with bottles of water branded with his name. Other than rallying the troops for reelection, I'm unsure what power or authority he actually has as an ex-president, if any to help the people of Ohio.


Lots of links about this:




As usual, the reader comments tell some important opinions about the situation:

speakeasy said:
"Trump was and is part of the problem and now he wants to throw the blame on Biden. He received 70 percent of those peoples vote, now this is part of what happens when you go all out on deregulations with no safeguards. Now they are crying."





“Buttigieg should’ve been here already,” Trump told reporters as he handed out MAGA hats after speaking alongside Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio). Trump also said Biden should “get over here.”

45 has been super busy this week calling out anyone who doesn't support him. He's feuding with Fox News for their support of Ron DeSantis, who actually hasn't announced a run for the 2024 presidential election. But that's tied into their realization his claims of fraud in the 2020 election are unfounded.



In other news, The Georgia Grand Jury have released their findings to the 2020 election and possible and indictments may be forthcoming.

I read the news the other day about a woman who lost her life by an alligator near her house in Fort Pierce, Florida. Photos were posted of the Florida Wildlife Commission taking the creature away.
The followup story shows surveillance video of the event. Well, most of it.
She was walking her dog along the sloped edge to a pond when the alligator came directly toward them. The dog was on a leash behind the woman. When the gator went for the dog, he ran forward putting the alligator at the feet of the woman.
A neighbor was an eyewitness and called 911 stating the alligator had already submerged the woman into the water.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement. "Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida."

...and chatillion who lives in Florida said "I know BS when I read it. Because, incidents with alligators happen a few times a year"





Story link:

The story mentions the alligator was killed and the dog survived.

I was working from home on Friday... well, that's what I told people. My goal was to finish some wardrobe drawings to a project I measured on Thursday. As usual, lots of texts and emails interrupted my morning. So my focus changed to music videos and my favorite, news stories. Some of those news stories were filled with comedy and that included Sarah Silverman and Bill Maher.

One common thread was about the politicians who have lied and continue to lie. There were stories about the Georgia Grand Jury and some indictments regarding the results of the 2020 election. I'm sure there's more to come about that.

I'm thinking... how could you get a pathological liar to tell the truth?
When I was a kid, we heard stories about Sodium Pentothal aka Truth Serum and secret agent movies about how they were able to get spies to reveal top secret information. I guess legally we (as a country) cannot do that and Lie Detectors can be fooled. So... other than torture with electric shock, there's really no easy way to make a liar confess.

One of the stories was about the 5 cops who were fired in the Nichols incident all plead not guilty in court Friday. Sorry, the video shows otherwise... get out the truth serum and let's hear the real story.

Let's just hope the legal system stays firm and gets all the facts straight so the liars stories can be debunked.

If that doesn't work, we'll have to summon the powers of Wonder Woman and her Lasso of Truth!


C'mere little politician, that's right... c'mere




The Big Liars | Real Time with Bill Maher

Breaking News...

You know who made a comment about entertainer Rihanna as having no talent. This was just prior to her performance at the Super Bowl this past weekend. Okay, then explain how since the age of 17, she put out eight albums in total, with 14 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She is one of the best-selling digital artists of all time and has sold 60 million albums and 215 million digital tracks. Musically, that put her as a multi-millionaire.

Her real success comes from a line of her cosmetics and in February 2023, her estimated net worth is $1.4 Billion... Yes, "B-illion" and Forbes ranked her No. 21 on their list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, becoming one of the youngest self-made female billionaires.



It's reported she didn't receive payment for her Super Bowl performance, but the appearance boosted her music career in more ways than one.

No-talent... I have to consider the source.

A 4th unknown object was shot down by USAF/NORAD tonight, Super Bowl Sunday. First objects shot down over US airspace since the formation of NORAD. All 4 in the space of a week. A Pentagon press briefing was held to brief the press.
Only 1 of the objects has been confirmed to be a spy balloon of Chinese origin. The others were Unknown Flying Objects (UFOs) of totally different construction and unknown origin.
First reports from the pilots sent on the last few shootdowns describe car sized objects moving slowly (under 100 MPH) and changing direction seemingly without any regard to angular motion or need to follow curved paths when doing so.
The reported shapes of the objects while flying vary. The objects had low radar reflectivity. Only enhancements to US radars and missiles made after the release and conclusions of the 2021 Report on Unidentified Aerial Vehicles (UAV) operating near sensitive US military operations and sites allowed detection of the objects.
The F22 pilot that shot down the one over Alaska reported experiencing electronic problems with his aircraft as he approached the assigned target. When shot down that UFO appeared to turn into a mist and vanished upon hitting the water. No debris of that was found (yet). No debris has been found (yet) for the next two either.
When a reporter from the CNN asked USAF asked if the objects had any effect on the sensors of the fighter jets. 3 star USAF General Vanherck (Commander of North American Airspace Defense Command (aka NORAD) refused to discuss the effect of the last 3 UFOs on the electrical systems of the fighter jets approaching them or what the pilots reported seeing and summarized that refusal by saying all relevant data and accounts is being analyzed and he will wait for a report of the analysis before deciding on the best actions.
A reporter for the NY Tiimes then pointed out that since it is admitted no one knows what the objects are, or who launched them, has the US ruled out their being of extraterrestrial origin? General Vanherck told her that at this stage 'he has not ruled anything out,' and it is hoped that analysis of all data and examination of any found debris will provide enough information for our intelligence agencies to make some determinations.
FBI C-10 (counter-intelligence) will take the lead for investigations on US Territory while the RCMP is the lead agency for the UFO downed in Canada. Both agencies will use military assets to recover any debris.
Assistant Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton advised it is highly probable some images of the UFOs will be released at some time in the future along with such other information as may become available.

Has a War of the Worlds begun? Grab your popcorn and sit back. Draw your own conclusions.

5-Year-old Who Emptied Piggybank for Earthquake Relief Now Wins $48Mil Lottery Jackpot at 18

A delightful story from northern Ontario saw a 5-year-old girl’s good Karma wait 13 years to reward her.

Juliette Lamour won the state’s second-largest lottery jackpot in history, CAD$48 million, on her first-ever try. Local news from her home city of Sault Saint Marie revealed a touching side of the story—that at 5 years old Lamour made a very big act of charity, and the suggestion that her generosity has been rewarded is impossible to resist making.

It was 2010 and the island nation of Haiti had just been ravaged by an earthquake. Aid organizations from across the world rushed to help the people of the obliterated country stabilize and recover. At the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds hockey team ice rink a branch of the Canadian Red Cross had set up a table to help raise money for Haiti, and Juliette and her sister Sophie were determined to help.

They upturned their big pink sharing piggy bank that day, out of which came $61.38. Then last week, Juliette stepped forward as a young woman to claim the $48 million prize at the Ontario lottery offices.

She told Soo Today that she was on her way to bring her grandfather some ice cream.
“I called him on the phone asking what kind of ice cream he wanted,” she recalled. “And he said to me: ‘You just turned 18, go buy a lotto ticket, test your luck.’ So I did.”
“I got to the corner store and I’m in my car—and I didn’t know how to buy it,” she said laughing. “So I had to call my dad. I said: ‘Dad, Grandpa wants me to buy a ticket. How do I do it?’ He’s like: ‘Oh, just go inside and get a QuickPick.’”

Fortunately for Lamour, her father is a financial advisor, so it’s unlikely to burn a hole in her pocket.

That's one lucky girl!!

I was shocked to see a recent photo of him and will always remember his vibrance of songs in the 1960's and beyond.
Burt Bacharach, the popular music composer is gone...

(WXYZ) — The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the discovery of the 144-foot Barquentine "Nucleus," which sank more than 150 years ago in Lake Superior.

According to the society, the "Nucleus" was found under 600 feet of water, about 40 miles northwest of Vermilion Point on Lake Superior.

The "Nucleus" sank on Sept. 14, 1869, when it was going downbound from Marquette with a load of iron ore. It had already sunk twice, and in 1854, it rammed and sank the S.S. Detroit in Lake Huron.

On Sept. 14, 1869, the Nucleus was caught in a bad storm on Lake Superior and started to take on water. The crew reportedly abandoned ship and took the lifeboat, with the "Nucleus" sinking shortly after.

Thankfully, the crew did not suffer loss of life after they were picked up by the schooner "Worthington," but another ship kept on steaming and left them behind before the Worthington showed up.





The "Nucleus" is one of the oldest ships to go down along the Lake Superior Shipwreck Coast.

"This is a pretty significant shipwreck…considering its age, the fact that it is a barquentine and we can’t overlook the vessel’s checkered past. The wreck site is littered with shovels too…and a few dinner plates, which speaks to their work and shipboard life," Shipwreck Society Executive Director Bruce Lynn said in a statement.

The society used a marine sonic technology side-scan sonar in the summer of 2021 and positively identified the wreck in 2022

"The stern was intact. It had a straight back stern and then the port side also was intact. And so, I was more excited about it because at first, I thought it was totally in pieces on the bottom," Society Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel Jr. said.

More pictures in link:

Harrowing footage emerged early Monday showing an apartment building in Turkey collapsing into a pile of rubble, sending terrified people running for their lives, during a monster magnitude-7.8 earthquake that hit central Turkey and northwest Syria.

More than 2,300 people were killed and thousands were injured in the natural disaster that knocked down apartment blocks in Turkey and devastated cities in Syria that were already heavily damaged by years of war.

Dramatic footage that was recorded in the daytime in the city of Sanliurfa in southeastern Turkey shows a seven-story building coming down as a result of the powerful tremors.

In the recording, curious bystanders initially gaze at the red and yellow building as it starts to shake. Moments later, the entire edifice crashes down, sending debris and billowing clouds of thick dust into the street, and prompting onlookers to flee on foot, in cars or on scooters.

The quake, the worst to strike Turkey this century, shook parts of the country in the early morning local time and was felt as far away as Cyprus and Lebanon, about 330 miles. It was followed by another 7.7-magnitude temblor in the afternoon.

It was not immediately clear how much damage had been done by the second quake, also felt across the region, as rescue workers were struggling to pull casualties from rubble in bitterly cold weather.

Read more: