IAF Ops over Europe
Aussie's C series, 1 out of UK, other out of Lebanon
Sending a message: U.S. Army to hold live-fire drills 70 miles from Russian border
The U.S. Army will hold live-fire drills about 70 miles from the Russian border over the next 10 days, Pentagon officials said as they announced another show of force on Moscow’s doorstep.
U.S. Army Europe’s 41st Field Artillery Brigade will conduct the Rail Gunner Rush drills in Tapa, Estonia, in partnership with Estonian Defense Forces. It’s the 41st Field Artillery Brigade’s first live-fire training event outside of Germany, officials said. About 70 soldiers will take part in the exercise.
While the Pentagon said the drills aren’t a direct response to any recent Russian aggression, it’s clear the U.S. military is taking calculated measures to send a message to an increasingly brazen Kremlin.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/aug/31/us-army-hold-live-fire-drills-70-miles-russian-bor/
Amazon wins FAA approval for Prime Air drone delivery fleet
Amazon received federal approval to operate its fleet of Prime Air delivery drones, a milestone that allows it to expand unmanned package delivery, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday.
The approval will give Amazon broad privileges to “safely and efficiently deliver packages to customers,” the FAA said. The FAA certification comes under Part 135 of FAA regulations, which gives Amazon the ability to carry property on small drones “beyond the visual line of sight” of the operator.
Representatives from Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amazon began testing delivery drones in 2013, aiming to drop off packages at customers’ doorsteps in 30 minutes or less. Last August, the company submitted a petition for FAA approval of those plans. In its petition, Amazon said deliveries would occur in areas with low population density and packages would weigh 5 pounds or less.
The company debuted a new, electric delivery drone at its re:MARS conference last year that’s capable of carrying packages under 5 pounds to customers within a half-hour and can fly up to 15 miles. Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO of worldwide consumer, said at the time that the drone could be used by the company “within months” to deliver packages.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/31/amazon-prime-now-drone-delivery-fleet-gets-faa-approval.html
Air Force Research Lab to accelerate local tech and space work
The Air Force Research Laboratory this year aims to accelerate tech work with industry partners, which may signal more contract opportunities among high-tech defense firms in Orlando.
The AFRL, based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Based outside of Dayton, Ohio, specializes in the development of technologies used by the Air Force’s air, space and cyberspace forces. The group's focus is on ramping up the development of disruptive military technology, said Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle, AFRL commander, during a recent event hosted by Orlando Business Journal's sister publication the Dayton Business Journal.
"What we want to do in AFRL is to arm our war fighters with leap-ahead technology and accelerate the pace of science and technology, providing them with a steady stream of disruptive technologies for the foreseeable future," Pringle said.
https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2020/08/31/brig-gen-pringle-says-these-are-her-top-priorities.html
That was notable a few weeks ago..surprised it hasn't been changed yet…
Submarine Scare Off Alaska May Have Been U.S. Navy, Not Russian
There has been speculation about the identity of a submarine that reportedly surfaced off Alaska last week. U.S. Northern Command tweeted that they were monitoring the situation. Analysis of potential Russian Navy submarines pointed to the Omsk, an Oscar-II Class cruise missile submarine. A submarine had been spotted by crews of Alaskan fishing trawlers, who had also seen Russian warships in the area. But now a photo of the alleged submarine has emerged, at least the one seen by the fishing vessels. And it is not Russian.
The submarine in the photo provided to Alaska Public Media is a U.S. Navy Los Angeles class nuclear-powered attack submarine. Close examination of the photo suggests that it is a Flight-II boat, although it is difficult to be sure given the lighting conditions. What looks like the dive planes can just be made out on the sail. This is a recognition point of the Flight-II sub-class when compared to the Flight-III, aka the Improved Los Angeles Class. The latter has its dive planes mounted much lower on the hull, below the waterline, and they are retractable.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/08/30/submarine-scare-off-alaska-may-have-been-us-navy-not-russian/#3c2a124832f0
Crazy bogus thing called coronavirus death counts
MSM starting to pick up on it now
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out some new statistics and statements that have set the social media and medical worlds on fire — in large part, because of the agency’s conclusion, that went like this: “For 6% of the deaths” due to the coronavirus, “COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned” by authorities.
There’s an “are you kidding me!” screaming moment for ya. Just the type of thing shut-down, closed-down, bankrupted restaurant owners in New York City might say after reading that little bit of comorbidity information.
And quite rightly so.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/aug/31/crazy-bogus-thing-called-coronavirus-death-counts/
google search Donald Trump okay and see what you find…not trying to be a bearer of bad news, but it's a common hand gesture
Maryland official fired after Facebook posts showed support for Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse
A Maryland state official was fired on Saturday after sharing social media posts supporting Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse. Arthur "Mac" Love IV served as deputy director for the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives, which is responsible for outreach to diverse ethnic groups and faith communities.
Many people drew attention to Love's Facebook posts last week. One of the images he reposted showed a picture of Rittenhouse cleaning graffiti with a caption, written by the original poster, that said: "I'm grateful that conservatives are rallying behind this kid. He genuinely seems like a good person." According to the Baltimore Sun, Love made this and several other posts in a Facebook group called Inside Maryland Politics.
Rittenhouse, 17, is charged with killing two protesters and wounding another when he opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night. He has been charged as an adult with two counts of first degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide, and also faces charges of recklessly endangering the safety of two other victims and possessing a weapon while under the age of 18.
He shared a screenshot of another of Love's posts, a meme of a smiling White police officer with the words, "Don't be a thug if you can't take a slug."
Luedtke, who is the majority leader for Maryland's House of Delegates, later tweeted that Love had been fired, "as he should have been."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maryland-official-arthur-love-iv-fired-facebook-post-supporting-kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-shooter/
What Is the Benadryl Challenge? Latest TikTok Trend the Alleged Cause of One Teen's Death Already
dumbass kids
A new TikTok challenge was blamed for the death of a 15-year-old girl in Oklahoma.
Dubbed the Benadryl Challenge, the latest craze to sweep the app encourages participants to take excessive amounts of the allergy medication in effort to trip out from the drug and experience a high that could bring about hallucinations.
Although it is unclear exactly how many Benadryl pills the teenager took to cause her overdose, the challenge generally calls for users to take a least a dozen pills. Scott Schaeffer, director of the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information, told Oklahoma Fox News affiliate KDVR that "the dose [that] can cause a hallucination is very close to the dose that can cause something potentially life-threatening."
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Newsweek logoWhat Is the Benadryl Challenge? Latest TikTok Trend the Alleged Cause of One Teen's Death Already
A new TikTok challenge was blamed for the death of a 15-year-old girl in Oklahoma.
Close-up of Cepacol sore throat drops, a product of parent company Reckitt Benckiser in a bathroom setting, San Ramon, California, August 25, 2020.© Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Close-up of Cepacol sore throat drops, a product of parent company Reckitt Benckiser in a bathroom setting, San Ramon, California, August 25, 2020.
Dubbed the Benadryl Challenge, the latest craze to sweep the app encourages participants to take excessive amounts of the allergy medication in effort to trip out from the drug and experience a high that could bring about hallucinations.
Although it is unclear exactly how many Benadryl pills the teenager took to cause her overdose, the challenge generally calls for users to take a least a dozen pills. Scott Schaeffer, director of the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information, told Oklahoma Fox News affiliate KDVR that "the dose [that] can cause a hallucination is very close to the dose that can cause something potentially life-threatening."
"Large doses of Benadryl can cause seizures and, particularly, problems with the heart," he added. "The heart tends to go out of rhythm and not pump blood effectively."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/what-is-the-benadryl-challenge-latest-tiktok-trend-the-alleged-cause-of-one-teens-death-already/ar-BB18yhH0
That's a crazy flight path
U.S. Navy sends a warship through the Taiwan Strait for the second time in two weeks - days after an American destroyer sailed near disputed South China Sea islands amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing
A U.S. Navy warship has transited the narrow and sensitive Taiwan Strait for the second time in two weeks.
Taiwan's Defence Ministry confirmed the operation on Monday amid rising tensions between China and the United States.
The ministry said a U.S. destroyer, which it did not name, had sailed in a southerly direction through the strait and was continuing to sail south.
The ship was on an 'ordinary mission' and the situation was 'normal', the ministry added, without giving details.
The U.S. Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin sailed through the strait on August 18, in what China's military called an 'extremely dangerous' move.
Both China and the United States have been stepping up their military activities in the region, both around Chinese-claimed Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned last week of the risk of accidental conflict from the rise in military activities.
China claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8681413/U-S-Navy-sends-warship-Taiwan-Strait-second-time-two-weeks.html