tyb
Palantir Technologies sold by co-founder Peter Thiel: $504.78m-Feb 18
Transaction represents the conversion of Class B Common Stock into Class A Common Stock and sale
Palantir Technologies Inc. builds software platforms for institutions. The Company operates two segments: commercial, which serves customers working in non-government industries, and government, which serves customers that are agencies in the United States federal government and non-United States governments. It has built two software platforms, Palantir Gotham (Gotham) and Palantir Foundry (Foundry). Gotham is a software platform, which is constructed for analysts at defense and intelligence agencies. Gotham enables users to identify patterns hidden within datasets, ranging from signals intelligence sources to reports from informants, and helps the United States and allied military personnel. Foundry creates a central operating system for organization’s data. Individual users can integrate and analyze the data. Number of employees : 2 391 people.
PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel became a venture capitalist and early investor in Facebook.
He also cofounded CIA-backed big data startup Palantir, recently valued at around $20 billion. Thiel, the first big investor in Facebook, has sold most of his stake in the social network but still sits on the company's board. His Thiel Foundation gives a small number of young entrepreneurs $100,000 over two years to skip college and pursue their business dreams. Thiel moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco in early 2018 after calling Silicon Valley a "one-party state."
https://www.forbes.com/profile/peter-thiel/?sh=5771ae41533a
VC vampire: Peter Thiel wants to live forever
Just when you thought Peter Thiel couldn't become any more of a megalomaniac, the billionaire VC proves you wrong.
The man from Silicon Valley who supports Donald Trump, and who funded Hulk Hogan's sex tape legal saga to hurt the publication that widely outed him, has gone full rich-person-crazy and decided that he needs to live forever.
It's been known for a while that Thiel's own start-up funding company has shown unusual interest in age-defying technologies. Particularly eyebrow-raising was the millions of dollars provided to Aubrey de Grey through his SENS Research Foundation, which can most charitably be described as optimistic. De Grey edits his own journal called Rejuvenation Research and has written books about how humans may be able to live indefinitely. Having graduated with a degree in computer science, he got a PhD in biology and came up with a theory that if it were possible to prevent damage to mitochondrial DNA, you could hugely expand people's lifespans. Experts tend to disagree rather strongly, but his theory is "not demonstrably wrong," according to MIT's Technology Review. That was enough for Thiel, who has repeatedly railed against people's acceptance of death as inevitable and believes that we can "cure" it with sufficient technological advances. It's not been a one-off claim either – interviewers with Thiel going back years have been surprised to note that he keeps bringing up his plans to defeat death. Of course when you have billions in the bank thanks to being an early investor in both PayPal and Facebook, what's the harm in dreaming and throwing some of that money into pipedreams? Every billionaire is a little eccentric.
https://www.theregister.com/2016/08/01/peter_thiel_wants_young_blood_for_longevity/
https://www.finviz.com/insidertrading.ashx?oc=1211060&tc=7&b=2
C_A cash call
Leaks hint at new Fukushima plant damage
Cooling water levels have fallen in two reactors at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant since a powerful earthquake hit the area last weekend, indicating possible additional damage, its operator says.
New damage could further complicate the plant's already difficult decommissioning process which is expected to take decades.
Tokyo Electric Power Co spokesman Keisuke Matsuo said the drop in water levels in the Unit 1 and 3 reactors indicates that the existing damage to their primary containment chambers was worsened by Saturday's magnitude 7.3 quake, allowing more water to leak.
The leaked water is believed to have remained inside the reactor buildings and there is no sign of any outside impact, he said. Since the 2011 disaster, cooling water has been escaping constantly from the damaged primary containment vessels into the basements of the reactor buildings.
To make up for the loss, additional cooling water has been pumped into the reactors to cool the melted fuel remaining inside them.
The recent decline in the water levels indicates that more water than before is leaking out, TEPCO said.
More than 180 people received mostly minor injuries from Saturday's earthquake, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
The quake also triggered landslides, damaged homes and a high-speed train line and caused widespread power and water supply disruptions.
TEPCO initially reported that there was no abnormality at the plant from Saturday's quake.
Matsuo said the cooling water level fell as much as 70cm in the primary containment chamber of the Unit 1 reactor and about 30cm in Unit 3.
TEPCO wasn't able to determine any decline in Unit 2 because indicators have been taken out to prepare for the removal of melted debris, it said.
https://7news.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/leaks-hint-at-new-fukushima-plant-damage-c-2201552
RCH400 USAFSOC C-32B on descent for Rota NB, Spain from Bragg ground stop
Early morning arrival
TITAN11 US Navy Global Hawk east from Sigonella, Sicily
State Department going to Hawaii..
MC8742 USAF C-32A departed Phoenix, AZ Sky Harbor Int'l se after a ground stop
This AC departed JBA as SAM743 earlier today and is also a State Dept AC and used as AF2
Also had an additional State Dept AC depart Mather Airport
SAM593 USAF C-40B departed JBA earlier and had a ground stop at Mather Airport-Mather AFB just east of Sacramento after a ground stop, refuel and mebby a crew change.
RCH749 USAFSOC C-32B departed Ft. Bragg after a ground stop and heading to Eglin AFB
This AC had a busy week starting on Sunday
Arrived at Dallas-Love Field on Sunday from an Eglin depart.
Prior to Dallas arrival it had a ground stop just north of the Nevada Test and Training Range (most likely Tonopah)-bad coverage as soon as you get a little north of LV.
0215 depart se for ground stops at Eglin then ne to Bragg.
Across the pond to Rota NB Spain for a quickish turn around then east to Tel Aviv on the change to 0216 for arrival and ground stop.
Departed to Larnaca Int'l, Cyprus where it remained until today's departure back to Tel Aviv for another stop and ne to Ramstein AFB and on to Bangor, ME-a typical stop-voer for trans-Atlantic big bois
Must be loaded up as it stopped at Ramstein and is moar than capable of getting to Bragg w/o stopping.
good call for a backup
Good idea to increase the length now
say 400 hundy and play it from there.
>since we're being punished and all
France rejoins Japan in N. Korea surveillance in E. China Sea
A French Navy vessel will conduct surveillance activities in the East China Sea until early March as part of international efforts to block North Korea from engaging in ship-to-ship transfers of goods at sea in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
It will be the second time that France has carried out such activities in waters near Japan since 2019, the ministry said. Japan welcomed the dispatch of the frigate Prairial, with the ministry pledging to ensure "effective implementation" of relevant Security Council resolutions in partnership with France and other members of the international community.
The Japan Coast Guard and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are collecting information on the activities of "vessels suspected to be in violation" of the resolutions, and Tokyo will "work closely with related countries," the ministry said in a statement issued Thursday.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210220/p2g/00m/0na/049000c
Brazil's Bolsonaro to oust Petrobras CEO after fuel pricing spat
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro moved to replace the head of state-run oil company Petrobras, naming a retired army general with no oil and gas experience as CEO after weeks of clashes with the current chief executive over fuel price hikes.
In a late Friday statement from the Mines and Energy Ministry, first shared on Bolsonaro’s Facebook page, the government said it had decided to appoint former Defense Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna to run Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the firm is known formally.
Current CEO Roberto Castello Branco, backed by investors for his efforts to sell underperforming assets and cut debt, would be the second Petrobras leader in three years to fall over the political fallout from fuel pricing. In 2018, then-CEO Pedro Parente resigned when the government forced fuel prices lower in a concession to striking truckers. Parente vowed to set domestic prices in line with global markets, breaking with a policy that made Petrobras sell fuel below international parity, triggering some $40 billion in losses from 2011 to 2014. Similarly, Bolsonaro tangled with Castello Branco over his insistence on raising prices for diesel and other fuel as Brazil’s currency weakened and global crude prices surged. Petrobras ADRs traded in New York slumped 8.9% in after-hours trading on Friday, adding to the day’s drop of nearly 7% in its Brazil-listed preferred shares.
Petrobras has been raising fuel prices since a Feb. 5 Reuters report disclosed details of the company’s price policy, which led analysts to downgrade its shares on concerns of possible political interference.
https://www.reuters.com/article/petrobras-bolsonaro/update-6-brazils-bolsonaro-to-oust-petrobras-ceo-after-fuel-pricing-spat-idUSL1N2KP0XY
Bitcoin, ether hit fresh highs
Bitcoin hit a fresh high in Asian trading on Saturday, extending a two-month rally that saw its market capitalisation cross $1 trillion a day earlier. The world’s most popular cryptocurrency rose to an record $56,620, taking its weekly gain to 18%. It has surged more than 92% this year. Bitcoin’s gains have been fuelled by evidence it is gaining acceptance among mainstream investors and companies, such as Tesla Inc, Mastercard Inc and BNY Mellon. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and daily volume, hit a record $2,040.62, for a weekly gain of about 12%. Ether is the digital currency or token that facilitates transactions on the ethereum blockchain. In the crypto world, the terms ether and ethereum have become interchangeable.
https://www.reuters.com/article/crypto-currency-bitcoin/bitcoin-ether-hit-fresh-highs-idUSL4N2KQ060
https://www.coindesk.com/price/bitcoin
02-5001 USAFSOC C-32B departed Eglin AFB ws
morning
Singapore Police Probe 2 Firms in Alleged Metal Investment Fraud
Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department, a police unit for financial crime, is investigating two companies for alleged fraud related to a nickel investment scheme. Envy Asset Management Pte. and Envy Global Trading Pte. are suspected of using investors’ funds to finance trading activities in the metal, the police said in a news release dated Friday. A 34-year-old director of both companies was arrested for suspected cheating, according to the police.
Envy Asset Management has been on the Investor Alert List of the Monetary Authority of Singapore since March 2020.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/singapore-police-probe-2-firms-in-alleged-metal-investment-fraud-1.1566177
At least 2 protesters killed in Myanmar as police open fire
At least two people were killed in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, on Saturday when police opened fire to disperse protests against the military coup, according to local media. This brings the number of deaths among protesters to three, including a woman who died on Friday.
In Mandalay on Saturday, police opened fire and witnesses said at least 20 people were injured while 30 were detained. It was the bloodiest day since the armed forces seized power on Feb. 1.
Of the two dead, one protester was shot in the head, according to Reuters. The other was shot in the chest, the report said. Security forces reportedly clashed with striking shipyard workers and other demonstrators. Some of the protesters fired slingshots and police responded with tear gas. Gunshots were fired, though it was initially unclear whether live ammunition or rubber bullets were used. Demonstrators were already grieving over Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, a 20-year-old woman who died Friday of a shot to the head sustained at a protest in Naypyitaw on Feb. 9. She had been in critical condition, and on life support, for 10 days.
On Saturday, protests continued in Yangon, the country's largest city, while people mourned her death with wreaths and photographs. Some gathered outside the Chinese Embassy in Yangon for a moment of silence. "She was young and had a lot of opportunities, but now everything has been destroyed," one man said of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing. "The military is just [staying in power with] weapons, and it keeps threatening us." Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing's older sister said her funeral would be held on Sunday in Naypyitaw, the capital. "I really want the international community to help our country, rather than just watching," she said.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Myanmar-Coup/At-least-2-protesters-killed-in-Myanmar-as-police-open-fire
02-5001 USAFSOC C-32B on final approach for Houston, TX-Hobby Airport
Turkish AF TUAF401 C-130E Hercules inbound from Prestwick Int'l-Scotland depart on approach at Dover AFB
Departed Ankara on 0218 with a stop at Prestwick Int'l-Scotland for an overnight then depart on 0219
It went somewhere else in Canada or Greenland (mebby) as it doesn't take almost 24 hours to cross the Atlantic.
RCH722T USAF C-17 Globemaster departed Kalamazoo,MI se (with a load of equipment) and on approach for MCB Quantico
morning
Bitcoin and ethereum prices 'seem high,' says Musk
look out below!
Billionaire CEO Elon Musk said on Saturday the price of bitcoin and ethereum seemed high, at a time when the cryptocurrencies have hit record highs, with bitcoin crossing the $1 trillion market-capitalization threshold.
The chief executive of Tesla Inc, whose recent tweets have fueled the digital-currency rally, made the remark on Twitter while replying to a user who said that gold was better than both bitcoin and conventional cash. Musk, who earlier in the week remarked that he found the prospect of holding bitcoin adventurous for an S&P 500 company, said in a tweet: “Money is just data that allows us to avoid the inconvenience of barter …” “That said, BTC & ETH do seem high lol,” he added.
Bitcoin, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, hit a fresh high in Asian trading on Saturday, extending a two-month rally a day after the digital currency’s market capitalization exceeded $1 trillion. Ethereum or ether is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and daily volume.
Musk, an ardent proponent of digital currencies, has defended Tesla’s recent purchase of $1.5 billion of bitcoin, which has ignited mainstream interest in the digital currency.
https://www.reuters.com/article/crypto-currency-musk/bitcoin-and-ethereum-prices-seem-high-says-musk-idUSL4N2KQ0A5
RCH722T USAF C-17 Globemaster departed MCB Quantico after dropping the equiptment from Kalamazoo, MI-heading back to Charleston, SC and home base for this AC
SCORE77 US Navy P-8 Poseiden on the track over C-Bay out of Pax River
AE60D5 US Navy P-8 just up from Pax
and you know who that is….
Still think that is an exercise in futility but kudos to you for trying
o7
wasn't me muh fren
ACRID96 US Navy E-6B Mercury with a trip over Cheyenne Mountain from Kirtland AFB NM
se nao