Asia characters speaking French with English sub-titles.. The movie is about an epic ancient battle where many many died by arrow and sword.

Not everyone's cup of tea but I found the movie well done and the action sequences believable.  Enjoy

Just shut up and buy a battery powered car you will not be allowed to charge.

Biden Punishes Drillers With 15-Fold Increase In Permitting Costs, Plans To Block Arctic Oil Extraction

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environmen...deral-land

Quote:Oil industry groups are already threatening to litigate because they argue the costs will drive oil companies away from federal land.



The rule is part of the Biden administration’s climate agenda to cut greenhouse gas emissions and conserve land and wildlife habitat while requiring oil and gas producers to pay fees that more accurately reflect the environmental impact of producing oil and gas on federal land.


“These are the most significant reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing program in decades, and they will cut wasteful speculation, increase returns for the public, and protect taxpayers from being saddled with the costs of environmental cleanups,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.


“This rule will help protect critical wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and recreational values, and it will ensure a fair return for American taxpayers,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a statement.

The bonding amounts are “excessive” considering there are only a handful of orphaned wells on federal land, said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance.


“The BLM rules will drive small producers off public lands and we will have to litigate,” she said.
Pollution from oil and gas is a primary cause of climate change, but the American Petroleum Institute said oil and gas are essential for energy security, and the rule threatens that.


“Overly burdensome land management regulations will put this critical energy supply at risk,” Holly Hopkins, API vice president for upstream policy, said in a statement.


Environmental groups hailed the rules as a win for wildlife.

Quote:One week after the Biden administration slapped new regulations on key power grid components, the Washington Post reports that US oil and gas companies will face a 15-fold increase in costs to drill on federal land, under a new rule released on Friday.


Under it, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management will require drillers to pay $150,000 per lease on federal lands, up from $10,000 - the first comprehensive update to the federal oil and gas leasing program in over three decades.


Fossil fuel companies will also be required to pay higher royalties to the government on oil and gas extracted from federal lands - jumping from 12.5% of revenue to 16.67%.
That's not all...


The rule comes as the Biden administration readies a sweeping plan to limit future oil drilling across roughly 13 million acres of Alaska's North Slope, which the US set aside a century ago as an emergency supply.
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That initiative, set to be finalized in the coming days per [url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-11/biden-plans-sweeping-effort-to-block-arctic-oil-drilling?sref=6uww027M]Bloomberg, comes as both oil executives and Alaska lawmakers have sounded the alarm over the plan - saying that it could thwart oil and gas development throughout the reserve, even on existing leases.


The Interior Department said in a preamble the regulation wouldn’t affect existing leases. But the proposed rule text doesn’t offer similar, explicit assurance. Instead, it proposes to give the government broad authority to limit or bar access to existing leases, “regardless of any existing authorization.” Oil leasing and infrastructure development would be presumed not to be permitted unless specific information clearly demonstrates the work can be done with “no or minimal adverse effects” on the habitat.


"This would be bad for America’s energy security," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said on X, adding "It would openly defy federal law while ignoring rising energy prices and growing global volatility. "
"It would yet again sanction Alaska instead of nations like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela," she added.
This would be bad for America’s energy security. It would disrespect Alaska Natives on the North Slope, who were ignored in a sham public process. It would openly defy federal law while ignoring rising energy prices and growing global volatility. It would yet again sanction…


— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) April 12, 2024
The Biden administration has argued that the changes are necessary to protect 'sensitive landscapes' that provide habitat for polar bears, migratory birds and caribou.


"We must do everything within our control to meet the highest standards of care to protect this fragile ecosystem," said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in announcing the measure last year, Bloomberg continues.
How very inflationary...

Why now? Hmmmmm

https://discernreport.com/another-insura...iii-looms/

Quote:Policyholders with The Cincinnati Insurance Companies are receiving notices about coverage changes pertaining to the threat of full-scale war.

Dr. Ben Tapper (@DrBenTapper1) shared an image on X – [i]see below[/i] – showing policy changes that “include a war exclusion.”

Is the insurance industry expecting World War III?

Though war exclusions are technically nothing new for insurance carriers, they do have ominous implications for what is soon expected. [i]Click For Cover[/i], now known as CFC.com, published a piece last year that explains why.
In the spring of 1937 when German bombs fell on Guernica, Spain, flattening 70 percent of the town’s buildings in less than three hours, property insurers were completely unprepared because they were not expecting such a thing to happen.



“They soon realized it wouldn’t take many Guernicas to wipe out the balance sheets,” CFC says. “They responded by adding exclusions to policies for acts of war – a move reflected in contracts to this day.”

CFC says that insurers “are moving to address war again” now that it is clear there are major developments taking place on the march towards World War III. CFC says cyber war specifically is at the forefront of the insurance industry’s worries, but anything could happen.
“This time the concern is cyber war – specifically, attacks so catastrophic that they cripple a nation’s ability to function,” CFC says. “Lloyd’s of London have mandated the exclusion of such scenarios from March 31st of this year. Some in the market are resisting the move.”
“Insurance brokers are suspicious when new exclusions appear. And rightly so; they usually signal a reduction in cover for policyholders. They present problems for brokers when clients discover they don’t have the cover they thought they did.”


Back in the day, cyber war would have had no meaning since there were no computers. Today, the definition of war has greatly expanded to include a lot of things that policyholders need to know about because it could mean that they will not be covered once the “bombs,” including cyber bombs, drop.

“Mainstream global security organizations now accept that modern war includes cyber-attacks,” CFC explains. “Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter prohibits the threat or use of force by one state against another. This applies to nation state conduct in cyberspace.”
“While armed attack is still considered the most serious use of force, cyber-attacks fall under this definition too. In 2019, NATO, the world’s largest military alliance, confirmed this. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that a ‘serious cyber-attack could trigger article 5,’ a reference to the collective self-defence clause at the heart of NATO’s founding treaty.”
Simply put, there are a whole lot of events that are now considered to be “war” in the eyes of both the government and the insurance industry. By adding war exclusions to policies, many policyholders will likely find themselves in a serious bind when they realize their assets are no longer covered.




“Imagine a company trying to pay out damages to infrastructure in Gaza right now,” one commenter wrote about current events.

“Imagine offering coverage on nuclear damages,” wrote another about how the insurance industry could never cover a nuclear attack and survive.
The latest news about the slow descent into another world war can be found at WWIII.news.

Originally posted on ATS October 2023

As an old student of history, I’ve got  a copy, of course, of Henry Kissinger’s White House memoirs. All three volumes. I’ve learned a lot of things from the great master of modern diplomacy. One of them is the value of being a mediator between two powers in a region. If you can broker an agreement between them, they are both accepting your authority, up to a point, and you have become in effect the diplomatic boss of the area.

That’s what he was achieving for the United States in the Middle East in the years following the Yom Kippur war. In theory, disengagement was being negotiated “under the joint auspices of the United States and the Soviet Union” at a conference in Geneva. In practice, Kissinger was doing his best to keep the Soviets out of it, as Sadat shrewdly noticed (I was hoping to quote that conversation, but I can’t track it down quickly enough). The strategy of his “shuttle diplomacy” was to make the Arab nations aware that he alone could “deliver” concessions from the Israelis. If the Arabs wanted any kind of settlement, they worked through him or not at all. That is how Kissinger succeeded in making America the diplomatic “boss” of the Middle East for several decades. That policy has now broken down, certainly in the present century.

A few months back I noticed a news story to the effect that China had brokered an agreement between the long-term rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. This should have set off alarm bells in the conspiracy theory community, but apparently it didn’t. The story has been buried in other news. I bet Henry Kissinger noticed.

I don’t often make predictions, but let me do a little predicting now. Let us suppose that, out of the blue, China comes forward with a peace initiative in the Middle East, promising that they will be able to hold back Iran and Hamas “and sitchlike” from their attacks on Israel and the West providing that Israel consents to certain restrictions. If Israel is obliged, in the end, to consent to a Peace Settlement on Chinese terms, that would be the first Chinese diplomatic coup.

If China went on to do the same thing, arranging a compromise agreement in the war between Russia and the Ukraine, that would be their second diplomatic coup. Such an agreement might call off the Russian attack dogs, while denying the Ukrainians access to the Crimea (to which, to be fair, they have no historic claim. Crimea was always the land of the Tatars).

Future historians might recognise the Peking Peace Settlements of 2024 as the moment when China became the diplomatic boss of the world.

Anyone well-read in history will recognise the significance of the year 1936. Besides being the year when Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland (which was supposed to be free of them), it also saw the opening of the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Civil war turned into a proxy battle between Fascism and Communism, in which Hitler and Stalin could try out their battle methods. It wasn't World War Two, but an important step in that direction.

Now we have two proxy wars going on, in the Ukraine and in Iran-Israel. (Future historians may see both Russia and Iran as proxies of China). Hitler had been able to practice the new techniques of air-warfare. Now everybody is learning about the effectiveness of drones. Both sides of the question, in fact. The Ukraine has taught us how damaging they can be. Israel has just taught us how they may be stopped.

Students of war will also recognise the name Dreadnaught. The original Dreadnaught was a state-of-the-art British battleship built at the end of the nineteenth century, which almost instantly made all the other battleships of the world obsolete. Including the rest of the British navy, which meant that a new and more expensive arms-race was starting from scratch. It seems to me that the deployment of drones has set off a new Dreadnaught era.

Was this the original Mothman? This is the story of The Hythe Mothman.

This episode looks at England's own encounter with the mothman, before the winged beast began to terrorise Point Pleasant 3 years later.



00:00 Point Pleasant
04:13 Intro
06:16 The Hythe Mothman
11:51 The Other Witnesses
16:50 The Saltwood Ghosts

Ah this guy always make me wonder how you can recognize the stupid but still support the stupid.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1778992192314376425

Damn shame when you have to go to church armed to the teeth due to nutcases.


18-year-old in Idaho planned to attack more than 21 churches on behalf of ISIS, feds say



https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati...260313007/

Quote:An 18-year-old student from Idaho was arrested for planning to attack churchgoers in his hometown on behalf of ISIS, according to federal authorities.

Alexander Scott Mercurio, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is accused of "attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS" and pledging his allegiance to the terrorist organization, a Justice Department news release said.
In addition to supporting ISIS, Mercurio allegedly conspired to attack individuals at over 21 churches in Coeur d'Alene on Sunday with various weapons — including knives, guns and fire, according to the release.
Mercurio has been charged with "attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization," the Justice Department said. He could receive a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. 
Court filings on Tuesday show Mercurio is without legal counsel for his case.



Alexander Mercurio intentionally planned to attack churches before the end of Ramadan, feds say

The FBI began looking into Mercurio when the 18-year-old reached out to "confidential human sources" online and revealed his support for ISIS and terrorist organizations, according to court documents filed in the District of Idaho. The confidential human source met Mercurio in person, and he again expressed his support for ISIS, the documents continued.
"Mercurio spread ISIS propaganda online and solicited ISIS's involvement in and approval of his propaganda efforts, discussed traveling from the U.S. to join ISIS, considered and planned ways to support ISIS financially, and most recently, set forth a plan to assault his father with a metal pipe, acquire his father's firearms and attack a local church," according to court records.
Mercurio's behavior "escalated" at the beginning of 2024 when he began planning a suicide attack on churches in Coeur d'Alene, the court records show. His plan involved using flame-covered weapons, explosives, knives, a machete, a pipe and firearms, according to the court records.
He chose a specific church and intentionally planned the attack to occur on April 7 because that meant it would happen before the end of Ramadan, court documents show.

This month from the 13th until the 15th is officially Songkran or the water festival (however it usually starts on the 12th and goes through the 16th).. It is a time of purification and when it is expected the monsoon will switch so for the next few months it will be the rainy season. Considering this week has been over 100F  with close to 80% humidity on several days and the morning temperatures at 0600 hovering around 80F it will be nice to get some rain and cooler weather.

I have gone to the golf course and the neighborhood and shot many many people with my high powered water gun that shoots a nice stream for at least 40 feet. I love the sound of squeals as they flee in panic !! Coming back home today two young girls on the side of the road throwing water onto everyone who passes. I let them throw and as they had no more water I opened my window and I let loose with a full auto stream and got them both as they fled in fear and squeals !! Ta Da!

So far I have stayed dry but my car is getting douched several times a day.. Not a good idea to be riding a motorcycle this time of year ! This is in Bangkok but it is pretty much the same in any village or city nationwide.

I started to put this in a humor thread but there may be to much truth in this to place it there...?

Quote:

Quote:Subject: Some Reasons Why Men Are Happier...

Quote: What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park.



Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks.



A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Two pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.



You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes - one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes. No wonder men are happier.



NICKNAMES



- If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.



- If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba and Wildman.



EATING OUT



- When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.



- When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.



MONEY



- A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.



- A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.



BATHROOMS



- A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel.



- The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.



ARGUMENTS



- A woman has the last word in any argument.



- Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.



FUTURE



- A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.



- A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.



MARRIAGE



- A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.



- A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.



DRESSING UP



- A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.



- A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.



NATURAL



- Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.



- Women somehow deteriorate during the night.



OFFSPRING



- Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.



- A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.



THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!