Thanks Baker
Yeah buddy, but only if Flotus ok's it.
Secret Service Takes Delivery of 10 GM Vehicles
2025-05-06
The smell of burnt rubber and hot brakes quickly filled the air after a fleet of 10 vehicles was delivered this week to the driving pad at the U.S. Secret Service’s James J. Rowley Training Center (RTC) in Laurel, Maryland.
The vehicles arrived on Wednesday courtesy of an agreement with General Motors, which supplies some of the Secret Service’s most visible protective vehicles.
This includes presidential parade limousines and other armored SUVs often spotted in motorcades.
“One of the reasons RTC is so successful in our training mission is because of the relationships we have cultivated with other law enforcement entities and private-sector partners,” said Scott Simons, the Special Agent in Charge of RTC.
“This opportunity with GM will be another tool we can use to innovate and advance our dynamic training.”
The delivery included three large SUVs, four high-powered luxury sedans, two sports cars, and a pickup truck.
Constantine Gerukos, who has worked as an RTC driving instructor for the past 13 years, was among the Secret Service staff eager to “push these vehicles to their limit.”
Specifically, the vehicles unloaded included two Cadillac CT4 sedans, two Cadillac CT5 sedans, two Corvettes, a Cadillac Escalade SUV, a Chevrolet Colorado pickup, a Chevrolet Tahoe with a police package, and a Chevrolet Suburban SUV.
Gerukos said the instructors in the Protective Transportation Section have been asked to provide feedback on the technology integrated into the vehicles.
These modern improvements could prove helpful for Secret Service special agents and uniformed division officers behind the wheel.
“I think it is cool to try out all these different platforms to figure out what is going to fit, and what we can use,” Gerukos said.
“The times are changing, and so is the rest of the world. So, we have to do the same thing.”
He added that advanced driving is a perishable skill, and having a variety of vehicles on the campus keeps the students and instructors fresh.
This is particularly important for Secret Service agents who are sent all over the world and require proficiency in a range of driving skills and vehicle types.
Mark Armstrong has been an RTC driving instructor for 10 years and said two of the GM sedans have manual transmissions.
It’s unlikely that such a vehicle would ever be used for uniformed division officers on patrol.
Special agents assigned to foreign field offices or on protective visits, however, could be required to drive a vehicle with this type of transmission.
“Not everyone is able to operate a manual shift,” Armstrong said. “Having that platform here will enable us to give instruction on how to drive manual vehicles for overseas trips.”
Brandon Bohonek, a driving instructor at RTC for seven years, said students are put through various scenarios at RTC.
The suspect vehicles in these scenarios often are the same ones used for training, equipped with overhead light bars, eliminating the element of surprise.
“The students wouldn’t be expecting it,” Bohonek said of the vehicles new to RTC. “We won’t have these vehicles in view. So, they won’t know it is out there.
They may be expecting a (police) SUV, and all of a sudden, one of these vehicles rolls up. We try to make it as realistic as possible out here, which is not always easy to do.”
The large SUVs delivered Wednesday are particularly interesting to the instructors. Gerukos said these vehicles are the most likely to be used by the uniformed division officers and special agents in the field.
“Most companies aren’t making four-door sedans anymore that are police-capable,” said Gerukos, adding that large vehicles can carry more gear and have additional ground clearance for snow or other rough terrain.
Following the delivery, the mood at RTC was particularly upbeat. Simons was among those on the driving pad that day.
“Experience with different types of vehicles can help instructors teach students how to adapt their driving techniques based on the vehicle they are operating,” Simons said.
“Because each vehicle handles differently in any given situation, exposure to new cars will challenge instructors and give them an opportunity to develop more realistic training scenarios.”
https://www.secretservice.gov/newsroom/behind-the-shades/2025/05/secret-service-takes-delivery-10-gm-vehicles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WASM-1aRdXM
palindrome digits chekt
>palindrome
Not a palindrome btw, but still nice, and still chekt.
kek!
Can't blame her. Have you seen his fries? They're oh so crispy and golden.
Improving Flying Drones By Mimicking Flying Squirrels
May 6, 2025
With the ability to independently adjust the thrust of each of their four motors, quadcopters are exceptionally agile compared to more traditional aircraft.
But in an effort to create an even more maneuverable drone platform, a group of South Korean researchers have studied adding flying squirrel tech to quadcopters.
Combined with machine learning, this is said to significantly increase the prototype’s agility in an obstacle course.
Flying squirrels (tribe Pteromyini)) have large skin flaps (patagium) between their wrists and ankles which they use to control their flight when they glide from tree to tree, along with their fluffy squirrel tail.
With flights covering up to 90 meters, they also manage to use said tail and patagium to air brake, which prevents them from smacking with bone jarring velocities into a tree trunk.
By taking these principles and adding a similar mechanism to a quadcopter for extending a patagium-like membrane between its rotors, the researchers could develop a new controller (thrust-wing coordination control, TWCC), which manages the extending of the membranes in coordination with thrust from the brushless motors.
Rather than relying on trial-and-error to develop the controller algorithms, the researchers trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) which was pre-trained prior to first flights using simulation data followed by supervised learning to refine the model.
During experiments with obstacle avoidance on a test-track, the RNN-based controller worked quite well compared to a regular quadcopter.
A disadvantage is of course that the range of these flying squirrel drones is less due to the extra weight and drag, but if one were to make flying drones that will perch on surfaces between dizzying feats of agility in the air, this type of drone tech might just be the ticket.
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/06/improving-flying-drones-by-mimicking-flying-squirrels/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tckIF3KCJig
U.S. defense contractor Helix Defense launches programmable anti-drone system
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Helix Defense emerged onto the tactical defense scene this week, bringing with it a new anti-aircraft ammunition to give soldiers an upper hand against drones.
Helix Defense began operations Monday, bringing together veterans and former MedTech innovators to tackle the growing threat of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Helix Defense on Monday unveiled STING, a programmable and scalable airburst interceptor round that gives ground units a last-mile defense against drone swarms.
Helix says STING will improve survivability by focusing on proactive threat denial instead of reactive defense.
“Warfighters at the tactical edge need tools that match their urgency, clarity and decisiveness,” said Eric Sanders, chief strategy and growth officer at Helix Defense.
“STING is built for them — fast, modular and intelligent — to neutralize threats before they reach our forces.”
Airburst rounds are explosive ammunition, typically used to disable enemy aircraft or attack enemy personnel behind cover.
Helix’s STING has a typical 40mm case, but allows for a customizable payload and a programmable deployment mechanism.
The company said STING can be integrated into several mission scenarios, but the system was designed to address the growing “demand for agile, close-quarters counter-UAS solutions.”
Defense contractors around the world are working to develop anti-drone tools as unmanned aerial vehicles become staples of modern battlefields.
Last year, U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman developed a 30mm airburst round built to combat drone swarms.
The rounds are also meant to be used in conjunction with radar and other electronic warfare systems.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/may/6/helix-defense-us-defense-contractor-launches-programmable-anti-drone/
Vietnam’s 10,518 drone show sets Guinness World Record
May 6, 2025
Vietnam has marked the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification with a record-breaking drone show.
The display, which saw 10,518 drones take to the sky over Ho Chi Minh City on 28 April, has been certified by Guinness World Records as the ‘largest drone light show by number of drones flying simultaneously’.
It appears that the event which was certified was a rehearsal for a public event due to take place 24 hours on Reunification Day, which was cancelled.
Reddit users have speculated that the cancellation occurred because of a public backlash as a result of adverts paid for by a digital payment company featuring in a national holiday event.
The removal of the adverts were believed to have caused software issues with the drone choreography, causing devices to malfunction and collide during the event on 30 April.
As a result, a show scheduled to take place on 1 May was cancelled.
https://www.avinteractive.com/territories-news/apac/vietnams-10518-drone-show-sets-guinness-world-record-06-05-2025/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvb34ryUPMI
Drone carrying pipe bomb crashes in botched Dublin feud attack
Mon May 05 2025 - 21:25
A drone carrying a pipe bomb crashed at a house in a north Dublin suburb in the early hours of Monday.
The drone was being flown by one criminal faction to target another when the intended attack went wrong.
Detectives believe the pipe bomb, a viable explosive device, was to be detonated by hitting the ground at the intended target’s home in Finglas after being dropped from the drone mid-flight.
However, while the drone crashed in the area, beside an innocent family’s house, it did not explode and the emergency services were alerted.
The incident is being regarded by gardaí as a significant escalation in a local feud. Gardaí said it could have caused serious injury or loss of life.
The main figures in the feud are regarded as dangerous and volatile but do not have a national profile.
Gardaí believe the target of the botched drone bomb attack was a close associate of one of the two feuding gang leaders.
A Garda operation swung into action when the drone crashed. Defence Forces bomb disposal experts were called in to make the device safe.
Garda Headquarters said gardaí “attended a domestic residence following reports of a suspicious device in Glenties Park, Finglas, Dublin 11” in the early hours of Monday.
“The Irish Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team attended the scene and later declared the device safe. The device was subsequently removed for further analysis. Investigations are ongoing.”
Gardaí believe the attempted drone bombing was the latest incident in a worsening localised feud between the rival criminal factions. Several serious incidents took place in recent weeks, including shots being fired.
The main protagonists in the feud have been before the courts on serious charges, including relating to firearms. Both men have been involved in unrelated gangland feuds in recent years.
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2025/05/05/drone-carrying-pipe-bomb-crashes-in-botched-dublin-feud-attack/
Texas man reports UFO sighting near Okeechobee
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 1:58 pm
A Texas man is wondering if anyone else saw something in the sky over Okeechobee on Friday, May 2.
Thomas Coredell, 49, had been visiting Miami with his wife last week when they decided to drive up to Okeechobee to see the big lake.
He said around 9:15 p.m., as they near Pratt Whitney, he saw a line of lights in the sky.
Later, as they continued to travel towards Okeechobee, “I saw something I had never seen before in the sky.” He said they were on SR 710 a few miles south of SR 70 at the time.
Cordell said the reddish-orange object appeared to be an oblong "leaf shape" with one pointed end, suspended about 1,000 feet in the air.
The object appeared to be outlined by dots of light, he explained. As he watched, the object rotated and then disappeared, he said.
“Right after it twisted, it just evaporated,” said Cordell. “It was just gone. I have never seen anything like that in my life.”
He said the object never went up or down. The lights did not flicker.
The Texan said he considered the possibility it could have been a group of well-coordinated drones, but it would have taken some very skills drone piloting, “say 50 drones at one time, completely controlled by a computer.”
He said the object could have been a danger to airplanes. “The part where it disappeared was more dangerous than when it was illuminated,” he continued.
Cordell said his wife also saw the object but it all happened too fast for her to get a photo with her phone.
The couple stopped at a gas station in Okeechobee to ask if anyone else had seen it, but found no other witnesses.
He said he called the FAA, and an official suggested the first lights he saw could have been a satellite or satellites.
The FFA official suggested he contact the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC.org) about the second sighting.
The UFO center took the report and also suggested he tell the story to the local media to ask if anyone else had seen the UFO, or knew what it might have been
https://www.lakeonews.com/okeechobee/stories/texas-man-reports-ufo-sighting-near-okeechobee,74946
South Idaho Witness Reports ‘Egg-Shaped’ UFO To Investigators
May 6, 2025
A Washington State paranormal agency that has tracked and investigated cases of unidentified aerial phenomena in the United States for decades recently published its findings regarding an incident in late April in southwestern Idaho.
One Idaho witness reported an unusual object flying quickly above a wooded area just before noon last Wednesday.
An unidentified Idaho aerial phenomenon was described as "elongated" and silver, and was witnessed flying just above some trees recently.
Sightings of UAPs in Idaho have spiked in recent weeks. According to data shared by the National UFO Reporting Center, there have been more than a dozen reports of unexplained crafts in the sky over Idaho since January 1.
Ten of these alleged sightings took place within 20 miles of Idaho's capital city, with the most recent incident reported the afternoon of April 30.
An unknown object recently buzzed a tree line in southwestern Idaho at a high rate of speed, according to one witness.
An unidentified Idaho aerial phenomenon was described as "elongated" and silver, and was witnessed flying just above some trees.
The NUFORC investigates reports of UAPs throughout the country and is headquartered in Washington State.
The Boise area witness watched the object hovering above trees from inside the home, according to details shared.
Bright flashes were reported coming off the craft that was estimated to be between 30 and 50 feet in length.
Alien Spotted In Downtown Twin Falls
The grey guy was seen on the corner of Main and Hansen during the construction of the new Downtown Commons. Why was he there and where is he now? Also, is he wearing pants yet?
If you didn't go to Downtown Twin Falls during the construction of the new commons area, you wouldn't have seen this little grey guy standing on the street corner.
The alien was planted in the location where a different statue now stands. Why an alien was keeping the place safe remains a mystery.
The alien may not have been a family-friendly visitor. He was clearly never told that we wear pants on Earth.
Do you remember seeing this guy? Do you know why he was here and where he went?
https://1043wowcountry.com/ixp/97/p/south-idaho-witness-reports-egg-shaped-ufo-to-investigators/
https://nuforc.org/subndx/?id=lID
Ex-NASA Official Breaks Decades-Long Silence on 'Flying Saucer'
May 06, 2025 at 6:49 AM EDT
Aformer NASA flight surgeon has spoken out for the first time about a classified sighting he claims to have witnessed more than 30 years ago.
Dr. Gregory Rogers, who served as NASA's Chief Flight Surgeon and a U.S. Air Force major, revealed to the Daily Mail that in 1992 he viewed security footage of what he described as a 20-foot "flying saucer" inside a Cape Canaveral hangar.
Rogers said he kept quiet for over three decades but decided to come forward following his recent retirement from the Department of Defense.
Why It Matters
Rogers' claims add to a growing number of accounts suggesting the U.S. military has secretly developed or recovered advanced aerial technology.
He said the craft he observed appeared seamless, with no visible rivets or seams, and demonstrated movement capabilities beyond known human aviation technology.
"I know exactly what I saw that day," Rogers told the Daily Mail. "It was in no fashion a conventional flying vehicle."
He stated that his decision was motivated by ongoing testimonies from other military whistleblowers who allege the U.S. government has recovered alien craft.
What To Know
According to Rogers, he was shown the footage by another Air Force major who approached him unprompted while he was inspecting facilities.
The major locked a room and displayed a video feed showing the saucer-shaped object levitating. The craft was surrounded by personnel in lab coats and hazmat suits.
He added that the craft tilted in a way that indicated it did not rely on traditional propulsion methods, as there were no visible jets or propellers.
"All of a sudden it just lifted up, as smooth as could be," Rogers said in his interview with the Daily Mail. "It rotated clockwise, then counterclockwise, and tilted 45 degrees while hovering."
The vehicle bore "U.S. Air Force" markings, which Rogers found startling. "I'm thinking, this is ours? Someone had to design and manufacture the vehicle I saw on that video."
Rogers also claimed that astronauts he worked with during his NASA tenure confided that they too had witnessed UFOs during space missions, and that funding for such a craft should have been disclosed to Congress.
However, he declined to name the other astronauts, citing stigma within the space community.
Rogers' decision to speak publicly follows similar disclosures by other former officials. In 2023, former intelligence officer David Grusch testified to Congress about a secret crash retrieval and reverse engineering program.
"Other whistleblowers have given their own testimony to Congress…I am simply adding my voice," Rogers said.
On social media, Reddit users on r/UFOs have shared a range of reactions to Rogers' disclosure. Some expressed skepticism, questioning the timing of the revelation and the lack of corroborating evidence.
Others found the account compelling, noting that Rogers' credentials as a former NASA Chief Flight Surgeon lend credibility to his claims.
A few users speculated about the implications of such technology potentially being in the possession of the U.S. Air Force, while others called for more transparency and further investigation.
What People Are Saying
Reacting to the interview, one user said: "This is interesting! Also I find it kind of hilarious that anyone willing to break their silence would choose to do so on some weird YouTube paranormal conspiracy channel."
Another viewer said: "Ask any decent intel or opsec person - the best place to get a read on the street is the gossip pages and rags. Culture is usually blindly obvious, especially in the locally published stuff.
"I could put it another way - should he have gone to which major media outlet that you trust in America right now? In times of turmoil, read the graffiti."
What's Next
Now retired, Rogers has joined the board of the International UFO Bureau (IUFOB), a nonprofit that investigates unidentified aerial phenomena.
He hopes his testimony will encourage others to come forward.
https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-official-flying-saucer-ufo-aliens-2068382
https://www.internationalufobureau.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfKnpzu7b9I (Part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMyzIE62L3s (Part 2)
Former CIA Scientist Reveals US Has Recovered At Least 10 'Non Human Intelligence' Crafts
May 6, 2025
Renowned physicist Hal Puthoff, who worked on the US government's secret UFO program, has made some explosive revelations in a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience.
The scientist who once worked for the CIA revealed that the US has recovered at least 10 'non-human intelligence' crafts since the 1940s.
These crafts taken into possession by the US government were mostly those that crashed onto Earth's surface or oceans years ago.
According to Puthoff, some crafts were recovered perfectly intact which he claims are 'donations' from intelligent beings "to help us accelerate our forward motion."
While admitting that there are topics he cannot publicly discuss, he referred to one of the most famous cases of UFO crash from 1947.
The spacecraft reportedly recovered from the Roswell crash in New Mexico which became a global subject of speculation about aliens was, according to Puthoff, "a true non-human intelligence craft."
The scientist says that one of his colleagues confirmed the crash really happened.
"They say it was the real deal, that this was a real unidentifiable crash and these materials were really, really from out someplace," Puthoff told Joe Rogan.
He also stated that aliens exist and he has written a paper called 'Ultraterrestrials' describing them.
His statements bear immense weight as he was chosen by the CIA to lead a remote viewing program to investigate psychic phenomena for intelligence purposes.
Puthoff claimed that the debris recovered in New Mexico was taken to a military base in Ohio but refused to divulge details of the analysis.
Besides the US, there have been crashes in other countries as well, the scientist said, adding that they might have arrived on Earth 3,000 years ago and are now hiding under the ocean or in bases on the mountains.
There have been several reported sightings of UFO crashes including a popular one in Los Angeles, California.
Last year, reports surfaced about 87-year-old Jose Padilla claiming that a UFO crashed in his father's ranch in the 1940s and that he has evidence to prove it.
In April, a declassified file from decades ago claimed that Soviet soldiers shot down a UFO following which the extraterrestrial creatures attacked and turned them into stone in self defense.
https://in.mashable.com/science/93742/former-cia-scientist-reveals-us-has-recovered-at-least-10-non-human-intelligence-crafts
https://youtu.be/Gf_tKn9TaP8?si=z1oA7i92k9e945ds
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363346030_ULTRATERRESTRIAL_MODELS
https://twitter.com/joerogan/status/1918003637982273678
https://twitter.com/RedPandaKoala/status/1917795022197645507
https://twitter.com/RedPandaKoala/status/1918005736397001004
Dark tourists flock to 'alien island' you can only get to via WhatsApp
Updated 16:06, 06 May 2025
A beautiful island with alien trees and crystal blue waters is one of the hardest places to get to in the world.
Socotra Archipelago is unlike anywhere else. Sat 200 miles off the coast of mainland Yemen, close to the Horn of Africa, it is home to a unique array of plants and wildlife.
Tourists visiting the island can find respite under the shade of the dragon blood tree, a species native to the island known for its densely packed evergreen branches and named after the crimson-coloured sap it produces.
Along the coastline, you'll find long sandy beaches against a backdrop of emerald waters and up north, near the village of Qalansiyah, the Detwah Lagoon is surrounded by dazzling white sands.
UNESCO recognises Socotra Island as a site of universal importance due to its biodiversity, with nearly 40 percent of its plant species being exclusive to the island.
The surrounding islands, including Socotra, are also notable for their land and sea bird breeding spots and unique coral reefs, which are home to over 700 species of coastal fish.
Yemen, along with Somalia and Afghanistan, is typically viewed as one of the globe's most perilous nations.
The civil war in the country has made travelling there incredibly dangerous, with the UK's Foreign Office warning simply: "FCDO advises against all travel to the whole of the Yemen due to the unpredictable security conditions.
If you’re in Yemen, you should leave immediately."
While Socotora is covered by that advice—meaning visitors travelling there do so at their own peril and risk having their insurance invalidated—
the archipelago has a very low crime rate and has been little impacted by the 11-year war that continues to rage on the mainland.
The main difficulty for those dreaming of visiting is how to get there.
Janet Newenham is a professional traveller who has spent years visiting some of the world's most inaccessible places.
Since visiting Iraq several years ago, Janet has organised small group trips for women to some of these places. Including, in February, to Socotora.
"It's a paradise island off the coast of Yemen. People in the extreme travel community know about it, but a lot of people don't," Janet told the Mirror.
"It's hard to get to. There are two flights a week from Abu Dhabi, but you can't book them in a normal way. You have to book them through WhatsApp.
It's through Emirates Aviation, and it's a humanitarian charter flight. You have to WhatsApp them and then send a bank transfer.
"It was absolutely incredible. I never knew there were places like that in Yemen. It has bright blue water, white sand beaches, and dragon's blood trees. You won't find them anywhere else in the world."
Due to a lack of hotels on the island, the group camped on the beach and in the mountains during their seven-day trip.
"No hotels. No toilets. It was quite an extreme trip. It was like being on a desert island. You do see some tanks in Socotora, but they're not from a recent war."
Tour operator Socotra Island Expeditions describes the archipelago as "a benign security environment" which has not seen any acts of violence towards foreigners in recent years.
Adventure seekers will need to secure an appropriate visa for travel before arrival, however, most travel agents can support tourists through the procedure, in addition to outlining the best travel routes and seasons.
Janet, who lives in Bali, Indonesia but comes from Cork in Ireland, runs small group trips through her website Janets Journeys.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/asia-middle-east/dark-tourists-flock-alien-island-35179248