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March 26, 2022
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police are warning people that wearing expensive jewelry in public could make them a target for thieves — a note of caution as robberies are up citywide.
The police department’s suggestion Tuesday came as robbers smashed the front window of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in broad daylight and fled with millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise.
Passersby recorded video of Tuesday’s robbery, the latest in a long string of brazen smash-and-grab thefts and robberies of people wearing expensive watches or jewelry in the Los Angeles region.
In the city of LA, robberies are up 18% year-to-date compared to 2021. Robberies with a firearm are up 44% in the same time period across the city.
(Excerpt)
LA police: Wearing expensive jewelry could make you a target
https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-theft-34d7ca9317d422bc35aeeb9c4b0e8bd0LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police are warning people that wearing expensive jewelry in public could make them a target for thieves — a note of caution as robberies are up citywide.
The police department’s suggestion Tuesday came as robbers smashed the front window of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in broad daylight and fled with millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise.
Passersby recorded video of Tuesday’s robbery, the latest in a long string of brazen smash-and-grab thefts and robberies of people wearing expensive watches or jewelry in the Los Angeles region.
In the city of LA, robberies are up 18% year-to-date compared to 2021. Robberies with a firearm are up 44% in the same time period across the city.
(Excerpt)
March 26, 2022
Everyone has a theory about the decline of the Academy Awards, the sinking ratings that have led to endless Oscar reinventions. The show is too long; no, the show is too desperate to pander to short attention spans. The movies are too woke; no, the academy voters aren’t diverse enough. Hollywood makes too many superhero movies; no, the academy doesn’t nominate enough superhero movies. (A querulous voice from the back row: Why can’t they just bring back Billy Crystal?)
My favored theory is that the Oscars are declining because the movies they were made to showcase have been slowly disappearing. The ideal Oscar nominee is a high-middlebrow movie, aspiring to real artistry and sometimes achieving it, that’s made to be watched on the big screen, with famous stars, vivid cinematography and a memorable score. It’s neither a difficult film for the art-house crowd nor a comic-book blockbuster but a film for the largest possible audience of serious adults — the kind of movie that was commonplace in the not-so-distant days when Oscar races regularly threw up conflicts in which every moviegoer had a stake: “Titanic” against “L.A. Confidential,” “Saving Private Ryan” against “Shakespeare in Love,” “Braveheart” against “Sense and Sensibility” against “Apollo 13.”
That analysis explains why this year’s Academy Awards — reworked yet again, with various technical awards taped in advance and a trio of hosts added — have a particular sense of an ending about them. There are 10 best picture nominees, and many of them look like the kind of Oscar movies that the show so desperately needs. “West Side Story”: Steven Spielberg directing an update of a classic musical! “King Richard”: a stirring sports movie lifted by a bravura Will Smith performance! “Dune”: an epic adaptation of a science-fiction classic! “Don’t Look Up”: a big-issue movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence! “Drive My Car”: a three-hour Japanese film about the complex relationship between a widowed thespian and his young female chauffeur!
OK, maybe that last one appeals to a slightly more niche audience. But the point is that this year’s nominees offer their share of famous actors, major directors and classic Hollywood genres. And yet, for all of that, almost nobody went to see them in the theaters. When the nominees were announced in February, nine of the 10 had made less than $40 million in domestic box office. The only exception, “Dune,” barely exceeded $100 million domestically, making it the 13th-highest-grossing movie of 2021. All told, the 10 nominees together have earned barely one-fourth as much at the domestic box office as “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
(Excerpt)
We Aren't Just Watching the Decline of the Oscars. We're Watching the End of the Movies
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/25/opinion/oscars-movies-end.htmlEveryone has a theory about the decline of the Academy Awards, the sinking ratings that have led to endless Oscar reinventions. The show is too long; no, the show is too desperate to pander to short attention spans. The movies are too woke; no, the academy voters aren’t diverse enough. Hollywood makes too many superhero movies; no, the academy doesn’t nominate enough superhero movies. (A querulous voice from the back row: Why can’t they just bring back Billy Crystal?)
My favored theory is that the Oscars are declining because the movies they were made to showcase have been slowly disappearing. The ideal Oscar nominee is a high-middlebrow movie, aspiring to real artistry and sometimes achieving it, that’s made to be watched on the big screen, with famous stars, vivid cinematography and a memorable score. It’s neither a difficult film for the art-house crowd nor a comic-book blockbuster but a film for the largest possible audience of serious adults — the kind of movie that was commonplace in the not-so-distant days when Oscar races regularly threw up conflicts in which every moviegoer had a stake: “Titanic” against “L.A. Confidential,” “Saving Private Ryan” against “Shakespeare in Love,” “Braveheart” against “Sense and Sensibility” against “Apollo 13.”
That analysis explains why this year’s Academy Awards — reworked yet again, with various technical awards taped in advance and a trio of hosts added — have a particular sense of an ending about them. There are 10 best picture nominees, and many of them look like the kind of Oscar movies that the show so desperately needs. “West Side Story”: Steven Spielberg directing an update of a classic musical! “King Richard”: a stirring sports movie lifted by a bravura Will Smith performance! “Dune”: an epic adaptation of a science-fiction classic! “Don’t Look Up”: a big-issue movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence! “Drive My Car”: a three-hour Japanese film about the complex relationship between a widowed thespian and his young female chauffeur!
OK, maybe that last one appeals to a slightly more niche audience. But the point is that this year’s nominees offer their share of famous actors, major directors and classic Hollywood genres. And yet, for all of that, almost nobody went to see them in the theaters. When the nominees were announced in February, nine of the 10 had made less than $40 million in domestic box office. The only exception, “Dune,” barely exceeded $100 million domestically, making it the 13th-highest-grossing movie of 2021. All told, the 10 nominees together have earned barely one-fourth as much at the domestic box office as “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
(Excerpt)
March 26, 2022
The Russian military has thousands of tanks, and all of them are vulnerable to Ukranians wielding Javelins and other anti-armor weapons. Before the escalation of its war in Ukraine, Russia tried to get ahead of the problem by welding improvised slats to the top of some of its tanks. Dubbed “cope cages” by outside observers, the strange additions to Russian tanks don’t appear to be helping stop the penetrating power of Ukrainian munitions.
The first cope cages were spotted on Russian T-80 tanks rolling into Crimea in November 2021. A TikTok video from the time showed a T-80 struggling through some mud. Its turret was covered with a strange metal slat roof that looked like a garden table. Pictures of the strange tanks started circulating among users of National Security and war Twitter. The cages were not uniformly designed, and people speculated that the Russian military was experimenting to see what worked. The experiment hasn’t worked out.
Over at The Drive, Thomas Newdick noted that the cope cages were probably a response to the destruction of tanks in the recent conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia. During the war, Azeri forces devastated Armenian equipment using weapons now in the hands of Ukraine. A month after the tanks were spotted in Crimea, Ukraine posted a training video on its Facebook page showing Javelin-wielding troops destroying stationary tanks coated in cope cages.
It’s hard to get an accurate count on just how many tanks Russia has lost. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, Russia has lost around 1,500 armored vehicles of various types as of this writing. But that number is probably inflated and independent OSINT analysts think the number is around 800 tanks.
(Excerpt)
'Cope Cages' on Busted Tanks Are a Symbol of Russia's Military Failures
https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdkbw/cope-cages-on-busted-tanks-are-a-symbol-of-russias-military-failuresThe Russian military has thousands of tanks, and all of them are vulnerable to Ukranians wielding Javelins and other anti-armor weapons. Before the escalation of its war in Ukraine, Russia tried to get ahead of the problem by welding improvised slats to the top of some of its tanks. Dubbed “cope cages” by outside observers, the strange additions to Russian tanks don’t appear to be helping stop the penetrating power of Ukrainian munitions.
The first cope cages were spotted on Russian T-80 tanks rolling into Crimea in November 2021. A TikTok video from the time showed a T-80 struggling through some mud. Its turret was covered with a strange metal slat roof that looked like a garden table. Pictures of the strange tanks started circulating among users of National Security and war Twitter. The cages were not uniformly designed, and people speculated that the Russian military was experimenting to see what worked. The experiment hasn’t worked out.
Over at The Drive, Thomas Newdick noted that the cope cages were probably a response to the destruction of tanks in the recent conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia. During the war, Azeri forces devastated Armenian equipment using weapons now in the hands of Ukraine. A month after the tanks were spotted in Crimea, Ukraine posted a training video on its Facebook page showing Javelin-wielding troops destroying stationary tanks coated in cope cages.
It’s hard to get an accurate count on just how many tanks Russia has lost. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, Russia has lost around 1,500 armored vehicles of various types as of this writing. But that number is probably inflated and independent OSINT analysts think the number is around 800 tanks.
(Excerpt)
March 25, 2022
A woman shot and killed her ex-boyfriend following an early morning break-in at her home, Las Vegas police told news sources.
The mother of three called 911 at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, to report her ex-boyfriend had shattered a window to break into her home in the 2900 block of Seasons Avenue, police told KLAS. Dispatchers heard the man break another window.
Her ex-boyfriend saw she was armed with a handgun and briefly left, then returned minutes later with his own firearm, police told KVVU.
The woman’s three children and current boyfriend were in the home at the time, police told KLAS. They were not injured.
The ex-boyfriend held the gun to her current boyfriend’s head, police told KTNV. The woman fired one shot, killing her ex-boyfriend.
(Excerpt)
Well done.
Mom of three shoots and kills her ex-boyfriend after break-in, Nevada police say
https://amp.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article259701045.htmlA woman shot and killed her ex-boyfriend following an early morning break-in at her home, Las Vegas police told news sources.
The mother of three called 911 at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, to report her ex-boyfriend had shattered a window to break into her home in the 2900 block of Seasons Avenue, police told KLAS. Dispatchers heard the man break another window.
Her ex-boyfriend saw she was armed with a handgun and briefly left, then returned minutes later with his own firearm, police told KVVU.
The woman’s three children and current boyfriend were in the home at the time, police told KLAS. They were not injured.
The ex-boyfriend held the gun to her current boyfriend’s head, police told KTNV. The woman fired one shot, killing her ex-boyfriend.
(Excerpt)
Well done.
March 25, 2022
The Mongolian Boys Society was out for revenge. Six members of the Fresno, California, criminal gang huddled in a vacation rental in November 2019, cleaning their guns in preparation to retaliate against the Asian Crips for the suspected killing of one of their own.
According to court records, one of the “triggermen” carried a Glock pistol outfitted with an auto sear, a small device the size of a thimble that transformed his semiautomatic weapon into a machine gun capable of firing 20 rounds per second. Around 8 p.m., the crew drove across town to a palm tree-lined street. Moments later, in one of the backyards, they opened fire on a gathering of people. Bullets sprayed through the crowd, killing four and wounding six.
But the house was not a rival gang den; police later determined the gathering was a family that had gotten together to watch football. Six members of the Mongolian Boys Society were arrested for their alleged involvement in the mass shooting. Three face the death penalty.
With VICE News, we document the rise of the auto sear, a small, cheap device that converts a semiautomatic firearm into an automatic one. Court records show that auto sears have been used in robberies, homicides, and extremist attacks.
An auto sear — the most common automatic conversion device — transforms a semiautomatic gun into a weapon capable of emptying an entire magazine with a single pull of the trigger. Also known as switches or chips, auto sears have been around since the ‘70s but are exceedingly tough to acquire legally in the United States, where machine guns cannot legally be owned without a special license. In recent years, these small metal or plastic devices have exploded in popularity on the black market and gained a particular cachet among criminals and anti-government extremists. Last year, members of the Boogaloo Boys, an accelerationist movement that hopes to spark a second civil war, used weapons equipped with auto sears to attack a federal courthouse.
(Excerpt)
While there are mitigations to this problem, I don't see a practical solution as such. As the article points out, the authorities can intercept some of these sears as they're being imported, but surely not all. And given that a sear is just a piece of plastic that can be 3D printed, there's virtually no way to prevent anyone who's willing to risk the quite substantial legal penalties from simply cranking out as many as they wish.
And for those who say we should simply take everyone's guns (pardon me, 'gunz'), you and I both know that's not going to happen.
The Return of the Machine Gun
https://www.thetrace.org/2022/03/auto-sear-gun-chip-glock-switch-automatic-conversion/The Mongolian Boys Society was out for revenge. Six members of the Fresno, California, criminal gang huddled in a vacation rental in November 2019, cleaning their guns in preparation to retaliate against the Asian Crips for the suspected killing of one of their own.
According to court records, one of the “triggermen” carried a Glock pistol outfitted with an auto sear, a small device the size of a thimble that transformed his semiautomatic weapon into a machine gun capable of firing 20 rounds per second. Around 8 p.m., the crew drove across town to a palm tree-lined street. Moments later, in one of the backyards, they opened fire on a gathering of people. Bullets sprayed through the crowd, killing four and wounding six.
But the house was not a rival gang den; police later determined the gathering was a family that had gotten together to watch football. Six members of the Mongolian Boys Society were arrested for their alleged involvement in the mass shooting. Three face the death penalty.
With VICE News, we document the rise of the auto sear, a small, cheap device that converts a semiautomatic firearm into an automatic one. Court records show that auto sears have been used in robberies, homicides, and extremist attacks.
An auto sear — the most common automatic conversion device — transforms a semiautomatic gun into a weapon capable of emptying an entire magazine with a single pull of the trigger. Also known as switches or chips, auto sears have been around since the ‘70s but are exceedingly tough to acquire legally in the United States, where machine guns cannot legally be owned without a special license. In recent years, these small metal or plastic devices have exploded in popularity on the black market and gained a particular cachet among criminals and anti-government extremists. Last year, members of the Boogaloo Boys, an accelerationist movement that hopes to spark a second civil war, used weapons equipped with auto sears to attack a federal courthouse.
(Excerpt)
While there are mitigations to this problem, I don't see a practical solution as such. As the article points out, the authorities can intercept some of these sears as they're being imported, but surely not all. And given that a sear is just a piece of plastic that can be 3D printed, there's virtually no way to prevent anyone who's willing to risk the quite substantial legal penalties from simply cranking out as many as they wish.
And for those who say we should simply take everyone's guns (pardon me, 'gunz'), you and I both know that's not going to happen.
March 25, 2022
As many countries lift coronavirus restrictions and entry rules for travelers, some international airlines are also easing requirements for the journey.
Dutch airline KLM will no longer enforce a face mask requirement onboard starting this week, despite government rules in the Netherlands, along with other carriers. The Netherlands lifted its mask mandate for public transit Wednesday, but it still requires them for air travel.
As many countries lift coronavirus restrictions and entry rules for travelers, some international airlines are also easing requirements for the journey.
Dutch airline KLM will no longer enforce a face mask requirement onboard starting this week, despite government rules in the Netherlands, along with other carriers. The Netherlands lifted its mask mandate for public transit Wednesday, but it still requires them for air travel.
(Excerpt)
International airlines are dropping mask mandates. Are U.S. carriers next?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/international-airlines-dropping-mask-mandates-171421622.htmlAs many countries lift coronavirus restrictions and entry rules for travelers, some international airlines are also easing requirements for the journey.
Dutch airline KLM will no longer enforce a face mask requirement onboard starting this week, despite government rules in the Netherlands, along with other carriers. The Netherlands lifted its mask mandate for public transit Wednesday, but it still requires them for air travel.
As many countries lift coronavirus restrictions and entry rules for travelers, some international airlines are also easing requirements for the journey.
Dutch airline KLM will no longer enforce a face mask requirement onboard starting this week, despite government rules in the Netherlands, along with other carriers. The Netherlands lifted its mask mandate for public transit Wednesday, but it still requires them for air travel.
(Excerpt)
March 25, 2022
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia police say a would-be robber was killed inside of a dollar store on Thursday night.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. at the Dollar General located at 9th Street and Girard Avenue.
Police say a man tried to rob the store when he was shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The store manager, who is licensed to carry, shot and killed a man who said he had a gun and ordered the cashier to empty the register, according to investigators.
(Excerpt)
Would-be robber shot dead inside Philadelphia dollar store: Police
https://6abc.com/philadelphia-shooting-robber-shot-girard-street-dollar-store/11678913/PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia police say a would-be robber was killed inside of a dollar store on Thursday night.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. at the Dollar General located at 9th Street and Girard Avenue.
Police say a man tried to rob the store when he was shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The store manager, who is licensed to carry, shot and killed a man who said he had a gun and ordered the cashier to empty the register, according to investigators.
(Excerpt)
March 24, 2022
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi iNoem on Tuesday signed a bill to wipe away state and county fees for concealed firearm permits.
The Republican governor brought the proposal this year as a way to both tout her support for gun ownership rights and cut government fees. She initially proposed eliminating state business filing fees as part of the bill, but lawmakers struck that portion from the legislation. They argued it would have created a flood of out-of-state entities applying for business registrations in South Dakota.
“It will not cost you a penny to exercise your Second Amendment rights in South Dakota,” Noem said in a statement announcing the bill signing.
The bill is estimated to cost the state about $110,000 annually in lost revenue. The Secretary of State’s office will reimburse counties for the revenue they will lose from being unable to collect permit fees.
(Excerpt)
(SD) Noem signs bill wiping away fees for concealed gun permits
https://apnews.com/article/business-kristi-noem-south-dakota-sd-state-wire-7d0bc4a38e2087f117da472428c916dePIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi iNoem on Tuesday signed a bill to wipe away state and county fees for concealed firearm permits.
The Republican governor brought the proposal this year as a way to both tout her support for gun ownership rights and cut government fees. She initially proposed eliminating state business filing fees as part of the bill, but lawmakers struck that portion from the legislation. They argued it would have created a flood of out-of-state entities applying for business registrations in South Dakota.
“It will not cost you a penny to exercise your Second Amendment rights in South Dakota,” Noem said in a statement announcing the bill signing.
The bill is estimated to cost the state about $110,000 annually in lost revenue. The Secretary of State’s office will reimburse counties for the revenue they will lose from being unable to collect permit fees.
(Excerpt)
March 23, 2022
JERUSALEM -- A knife-wielding Arab man on Tuesday killed four people and seriously wounded two others in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba before he was shot dead by armed residents, police said.
Police said the attacker careened his car into a cyclist and stabbed five people across a swath of the city center. Amateur video footage posted online appeared to show armed bystanders shooting and killing the attacker at the scene.
Israel police chief Kobi Shabtai told reporters at a press briefing at the scene that the incident was “an abominable killing spree by a terrorist known to security services” who had previously served prison time. He said the attacker appeared to have acted alone.
Shabtai declined to comment further on the suspect, but Israeli media identified the attacker as a 34-year-old Arab man from the nearby Bedouin town of Hura. Reports said he was imprisoned for four years after admitting he intended to join the Islamic State group in Syria in 2015.
(Excerpt)
Police: 4 Israelis killed in stabbing attack, suspect shot
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/police-israelis-killed-stabbing-attack-suspect-shot-83602313JERUSALEM -- A knife-wielding Arab man on Tuesday killed four people and seriously wounded two others in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba before he was shot dead by armed residents, police said.
Police said the attacker careened his car into a cyclist and stabbed five people across a swath of the city center. Amateur video footage posted online appeared to show armed bystanders shooting and killing the attacker at the scene.
Israel police chief Kobi Shabtai told reporters at a press briefing at the scene that the incident was “an abominable killing spree by a terrorist known to security services” who had previously served prison time. He said the attacker appeared to have acted alone.
Shabtai declined to comment further on the suspect, but Israeli media identified the attacker as a 34-year-old Arab man from the nearby Bedouin town of Hura. Reports said he was imprisoned for four years after admitting he intended to join the Islamic State group in Syria in 2015.
(Excerpt)
March 22, 2022
Indiana Governor Signs Bill Eliminating Handgun Permits
Source: NBC Chicago
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law Monday a bill eliminating the need for handgun permits, effectively making Indiana the 24th constitutional carry state in the nation.
Holcomb previously sidestepped giving his stance on the contentious bill, which was pushed through by Republican lawmakers but opposed by Indiana's top law enforcement official, county prosecutors and the state's police chiefs association.
In a statement following the signing Monday afternoon, Holcomb said "the Second Amendment has been debated for years, yet time and again our U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed this important constitutional right that I fully support."
"...HEA 1296, which I've signed today, entrusts Hoosiers who can lawfully carry a handgun to responsibly do so within our State," he added.
Read more: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/indiana-governor-signs-bill-eliminating-handgun-permits/2788824/?amp
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