𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐣𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐢 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫... 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 | Ariel view of the ground situation. Thousands of vehicles still stranded following heavy downpour.show more

In view of the ongoing heavy rains across Mumbai... and its suburbs, visited the माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC Disaster Control Room to review the situation along with Hon. Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Municipal Commissioner & Administrator Bhushan Gagrani. On-ground, मुंबई पोलीस Mumbai Police personnel are actively assisting माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC officials in providing support to Mumbaikars during this spell of heavy rains. #MumbaiRainshow more

BREAKING: 🇲🇽 Edmontonians are stranded in Puerto Vallarta after... cartel violence erupted following reports that Mexican forces killed alleged cartel leader El Mencho. The Government of Canada has issued a shelter-in-place advisory as roadblocks, burning vehicles, and armed clashes have been reported across the city. WestJet and Air Canada have cancelled flights into Puerto Vallarta, leaving travellers unable to leave as the security situation remains unstable.show more

𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞... 𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡... But admitted that the Rays' stadium funding situation is at an impasse. “𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫,” With NC's stadium funding plan making national news, Ron DeSantis was in Hillsborough County to announce $50M in the budget for a community college that would need to be relocated if the Rays were to finalize their stadium deal. But that doesn't solve the Rays' real issues, which are: 1⃣The Tampa CRA voted two weeks ago to delay consideration of a non-binding memorandum of understanding tied to the proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium project until at least August. 🔗 2⃣Tampa Sports Authority drawing a letter urging county leaders to prioritize the Buccaneers stadium renovation plans over the potential Rays Stadium. 🔗 3⃣Florida potentially doing away with property taxes, which Tampa’s Chief Financial Officer Dennis Rogero Jr said would be “catastrophic” to the Rays stadium deal. But here is why Desantis says a decision is coming to a head in Tampa... 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟖, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. North Carolina's discussion of a stadium funding plan is turning heads, and while it did not make it into this budget, 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭... ...𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬. This is something to keep a close eye on if you want to put #RaleighonDeck and bring #MLB2NC.show more

In Delhi's Uttam Nagar, the situation is spiraling out... of control following the murder of Hindu youth Tarun Kumar (26). What began as a dispute over a water balloon during Holi celebrations turned deadly, leaving Tarun severely injured and dead. So far, 8 people have been arrested (case filed under SC/ST Act), a bulldozer has demolished the house of one accused, heavy police and RAF deployment is in place, protests are ongoing, vehicles have been set on fire, and communal tensions are rising sharply. Hindus are furious - the family is demanding a CBI investigation and an encounter. Tarun’s family deserves swift and impartial justice! #JusticeForTarun #UttamNagar #Delhishow more

Today we remember World War II Medal of Honor... recipient Brig. Gen. Frederick W. Castle. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "He was air commander and leader of more than 2,000 heavy bombers in a strike against German airfields on Dec. 24, 1944. En route to the target, the failure of one engine forced him to relinquish his place at the head of the formation. In order not to endanger friendly troops on the ground below, he refused to jettison his bombs to gain speed maneuverability. His lagging, unescorted aircraft became the target of numerous enemy fighters which ripped the left wing with cannon shells, set the oxygen system afire, and wounded two members of the crew. Repeated attacks started fires in two engines, leaving the Flying Fortress in imminent danger of exploding. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the bail-out order was given. Without regard for his personal safety, he gallantly remained alone at the controls to afford all other crewmembers an opportunity to escape. Still another attack exploded gasoline tanks in the right wing, and the bomber plunged earthward, carrying Castle to his death. His intrepidity and willing sacrifice of his life to save the members of his crew were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service." Castle is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium. We continue to honor and remember his service and sacrifice.show more

🚨 BREAKING: MASSIVE FLASH FLOODING HITTING QUEENS, NYC RIGHT... NOW! PROOF OF WEATHER MODIFICATION?🚨 People, STAY AWAY from Bell Blvd and surrounding areas in Queens! Torrential rains have turned streets into raging rivers — cars are stranded, drivers being rescued from submerged vehicles on nearby Clearview Expressway and Northern Blvd. 📅 This is happening LIVE on July 31, 2025, with heavy storms dumping inches of rain in hours, causing chaos from DC to NYC. ⚠️ If you're in the area, seek higher ground IMMEDIATELY and avoid driving through floodwaters — TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN! 🌪️ What’s going on here? This isn’t just “bad weather” — it’s catastrophic, unnatural destruction. Flooding is swallowing intersections like Bell Blvd and Northern Blvd, with reports of semis stuck and evacuations underway. 💥 More proof of weather modification at play! You’re never going to convince me they aren’t manipulating the atmosphere to cause these massive storms — cloud seeding, HAARP, whatever they’re using, it’s engineered disaster. FROM: Emme 🇺🇸 🔥 Wake up, folks! Share this to alert others and stay safe! 🔁show more

Grok Imagine AI Tech Prompt A dramatic, epic cinematic... vertical video (9:16) of a massive 20-meter tall futuristic white and gray mecha robot with heavy armor, glowing blue energy core, and powerful weaponry, rampaging through a massive ancient Chinese battlefield. The giant robot fires intense bright blue-white energy beams and lasers from its arms, stomping the ground with enormous force, cracking the earth, and kicking up huge clouds of dust and debris. The scene is filled with chaos: thousands of ancient armored warriors on horseback and on foot charging and attacking, red and black banners waving, traditional East Asian pagodas and fortress buildings in the background. Massive orange fire explosions, smoke, flying debris, and destruction everywhere as the mecha dominates the battlefield. Dynamic camera movement: starts with a low-angle hero shot on the robot’s upper body, then tilts down to its powerful legs crushing the ground, orbits around the mecha during action, goes to wide battlefield shots showing the scale, and ends with a sweeping high-angle view of the robot standing amid smoke and chaos. Cinematic lighting with dramatic sunlight rays cutting through dust and smoke, intense motion blur on fast-moving horses and warriors, highly detailed, photorealistic, epic war movie style like Pacific Rim meets ancient warfare, 14 seconds duration, 4K, ultra-realistic textures, powerful sound design implied.show more

🚨 JUST IN: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia & Türkiye Sign... ‘Attack on One is Attack on All’ Defence Pact: What It Means for 🇮🇳 India 👇 Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye on Friday signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Mecca. The key point of the deal is simple: if any one of the three countries faces an armed attack, the other two will treat it as an attack on themselves too. 🇮🇳 India is watching the development closely. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government is “closely following” the pact and will share updates. While the agreement is officially defensive and not aimed at any country, Indian experts are studying how it could affect regional security balances. India’s strong economic and strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia remains intact and is expected to act as a balancing factor. Around the same time, 🇮🇳 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 🇮🇱 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone. They discussed the India-Israel special strategic partnership and the overall situation in West Asia. Some reports suggest the upcoming defence pact among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye also came up in the conversation. India and Israel continue to deepen defence and technology cooperation, which many see as an important part of New Delhi’s broader regional strategy. The full details of how the new pact will work on the ground are still emerging. India is monitoring the situation carefully while keeping its own partnerships strong.show more

🚨 KURSK COLLAPSE: UKRAINIAN TROOPS FACING TOTAL DISASTER 🚨... The battlefield situation in Kursk has taken a dramatic turn as Russian forces intensify their offensive, threatening to encircle up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops. With reports of U.S. intelligence support for Ukraine going dark, Kyiv’s forces are struggling to maintain situational awareness, allowing Russian troops to advance unchecked. 🔴 Key Developments: ✅ Russian forces entering Sudzha, a major stronghold. ✅ Precision drone strikes & North Korean reinforcements aiding Russian advances. ✅ Ukrainian brigades clinging to a 500-meter escape corridor. ✅ Ukraine's last supply route under relentless Russian bombardment. ✅ Reports of a chaotic Ukrainian retreat with heavy casualties. 💥 Strategic Implications: This collapse could be Zelensky’s worst military disaster yet, as his last leverage in negotiations with Russia evaporates before his eyes. If Russian forces succeed in cutting off the final escape route, thousands of Ukrainian troops could be trapped, forcing either surrender or destruction. 🔍 Western media remains largely silent, but the reality on the ground is clear: Ukraine is struggling without U.S. surveillance. Russian strategy is evolving, outmaneuvering Ukrainian forces. The tide of the war is shifting—but at what cost? 🔁 Share if you believe the world deserves the truth about this war. 💬 What’s next for Ukraine? Is this the beginning of a larger collapse?show more

Dear Baloch Nation and the World, I, along with... thousands of others, am still in Gwadar, with the internet shut down, roads blocked, and the city isolated with a complete media censorship imposed. Controlled media is continuously used to portray us as violent and unwilling to negotiate. From day one, we have been peaceful despite the state's brutal crackdown. Our national gathering on July 28 was turned into a sit-in due to the state's actions. State actions included blocking roads and highways, shutting down the internet, arresting peaceful protesters, and firing direct gunshots at them. Our clear, legitimate demands to create an environment of talks are: A. Registering FIRs against forces that used violence in Mastung, Gwadar, Nushki, Turbat, Talar and other parts of Balochistan by killing and injuring peaceful protesters. B. Lifting the blockade/curfew in Gwadar and other parts of Balochistan. State shall guarantee no further use of force or violence by the state security forces will occur. C. Stopping the harassment and arrest of BYC workers, supporters, and residents of Gwadar. Govt should admit it used force to crush a peaceful movement. D. Releasing all those arrested before, during, and after our national gathering. Bogus FIRS registered must be quashed. E. Compensate the public for financial damages caused by state military and intelligence agencies during the Baloch National Gathering by breaking into homes, vandalising property, burning vehicles and confiscating personal belongings. Instead of meeting our demands, the state is using more force, escalating the situation to find reasons to arrest me, my colleagues, and BYC leadership. The rest of the BYC leadership and I are at great risk and our lives are in serious danger. Now, all government machinery is being used to legitimize a crackdown on us, putting us at greater risk. The situation resembles the events during Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti's time, where negotiation was claimed, but force was used. This is being repeated now. We call on rights groups, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch, Mary Lawlor, United Nations Pakistan - اقوام متحدہ پاکستان, EUPakistan, and Riina Kionka to intervene and stop this political misadventure by the state of Pakistan. Sincerely, Mahrang Balochshow more

#BreakingNews #UrgentRescue Since the last few days, many of... you reached out to us about a viral video of an elephant in visible distress. Our team has been constantly on the ground, searching for him, working undercover, monitoring the situation closely and gathering critical information. After a lot of hard work, we have finally been able to locate him. This is a risky operation for our team and we can not divulge much information right now. Watching him is deeply traumatising. The bull elephant struggles to take unsteady, painful steps, yet he is still being forced to walk on harsh concrete roads. His right front leg appears badly damaged, and years of being used for begging and heavy labour have taken a painful toll on his body. He urgently needs immediate medical care and rescue. With the support of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, we are working to bring him to safety and begin critical treatment at our Elephant Hospital Campus (EHC) in Mathura. We have to act NOW. Please consider supporting us to help us carry out this emergency rescue and provide the intensive care he will need in the months ahead. Your support at this crucial moment could change, and save, his life: For people contributing from outside India: For Indian donors: We will share more updates on the rescue soonshow more

A Roman emperor ate his meals in a sea... cave, a few feet from a massive marble sculpture of the moment Odysseus blinds the Cyclops. Eventually it lay shattered in thousands of pieces on the floor of that cave, and stayed there until 1957... The emperor was Tiberius, who ruled Rome after Augustus, and the cave is at Sperlonga, on the coast between Rome and Naples. It was a natural grotto opening onto the sea, and he turned it into a private dining hall, with pools of water reaching into the mouth of the cave and a platform where he and his guests reclined to eat, the waves echoing off the rock around them... Definitely not a bad place to host dinner. The sculpture stood at the deepest point of the cave and it showed the most terrifying scene in Homer's poem, when Odysseus and his men are trapped inside the cave of Polyphemus, a one-eyed man-eating giant who has sealed them in with a boulder too heavy to move and is eating the crew alive, one by one. Odysseus cannot simply kill him in his sleep, or they will be entombed with the corpse forever. So he gets the giant drunk, waits for him to pass out, hardens the tip of an olive-wood stake in the fire, and drives it into the Cyclops's single eye. The sculptors depicted the instant just before the stake goes in... The colossal figure of Polyphemus sprawls backward, drunk and unaware. Odysseus, the one closest to the Cyclops, and three of his men strain upward with the spike. It was carved larger than life and set in shadow at the back of the grotto, so that as the lamplight shifted, the whole scene seemed to move over the emperor's dinner. The Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonius both record that in the year 26 AD, while Tiberius was dining there, rocks fell from the roof of the grotto, crushing several of his attendants and nearly killing the emperor, who was shielded and dragged out. In that collapse, or in a later one, the great marble scenes were smashed into thousands of fragments. There they lay, at the bottom of the cave, until 1957, when workers building a coastal road cut into the ground and found them. Among the rubble they pulled out the colossal head of the giant himself, and slowly, piece by piece, the scene was put back together. The cave gave up two more secrets: the first was an inscription, ten lines of Latin verse, praising the grotto and saying that only a new Virgil could do justice to its statues of Scylla and the blinding of the monster by the man from Ithaca. It told the archaeologists exactly what they had found. The second was carved into the base of the neighbouring ship: three names, Athenodoros, Agesander, and Polydorus, the same sculptors the Roman writer Pliny had named as the creators of the Laocoön, the statue I wrote about yesterday. Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest stories in the world, and it has outlived the emperor, the civilization that first told it, and every person who has ever loved it. Nearly three thousand years later, we are still telling the story of a man lost far from home, because some part of us always is... I started my newsletter because the past is full of stories like this one, and so few people ever stop to tell us why they matter. Every week I try to. If that is something you'd like to be part of, you can join through the link in my bio, and if you'd like to support my work, a paid subscription is what makes it possible. Thanks for reading.show more

🚨It’s 2:30 a.m. in Tehran, and here are my... 12 key observations from Day 15 of Iran’s protests (January 11): 1️⃣ On the fifteenth day of protests in Iran, following the fourth nationwide call by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, demonstrations and strikes continued across multiple parts of the country. A strike by truck drivers and shopkeepers in Shiraz began on Sunday morning. At the same time, people took to the streets in several cities, including Tehran, Bandar Abbas, Abdanan, and Shahsavar. Crowd sizes in Tehran remain notable and significant, but smaller than yesterday. 2⃣ Late last night, Iran International confirmed that at least 2,000 people have been killed in Iran—a figure described as conservative. At the same time, horrifying new videos and images emerged showing families of the victims gathered at forensic medicine centers, with hundreds of bodies laid on the ground. The scale of the killings has plunged Iranian society into deep shock and collective mourning. 3⃣ Following the release of these images, regime state media and officials implicitly acknowledged the occurrence of mass killings—without providing figures—while attempting to deflect responsibility. They claimed the bodies were “left behind by rioters” and denied the government’s role. Simultaneously, President Masoud Pezeshkian, the regime’s so-called reformist president, alleged that protesters had beheaded people and burned them alive. 4⃣ Field reports indicate large gatherings in Tehran neighborhoods including Punok, Shahrak-e Beheshti, Saadat Abad, Ashrafi Esfahani, and Pirouzi. In Shahsavar, protesters lit fires and chanted “Javid Shah,” while heavy gunfire can be heard in multiple videos. In Abdanan, large crowds attended the funeral of one of the victims, chanting “Death to Khamenei.” 5⃣ Protests continued across Iran until around 2:00 a.m. This morning, new videos emerged from Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, where families chanted “Death to Khamenei” during burial ceremonies. Regime forces responded by attacking mourners with tear gas and paintball guns. Meanwhile, strikes by truck drivers and shopkeepers continued in Shiraz. In Tehran, protesters reportedly renamed a square from the name of Khomeini’s grandson to Pahlavi. 6⃣ Iran’s internet shutdown remains in place. According to NetBlocks, more than 72 hours after the blackout began, national connectivity is still at around 1% of normal levels. Due to the outage, information is emerging slowly and with delay, and very few reports are reaching the outside world from smaller cities. 7⃣ Coinciding with the fifteenth day of Iran’s national uprising, solidarity rallies by Iranians abroad continued in hundreds of cities across Europe, the United States, Canada, and elsewhere worldwide, in support of the Iranian people and Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. These demonstrations, however, received limited coverage in major Western media outlets. 8⃣ Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei once again instructed prosecutors to show “no leniency” toward protesters. He further stated that authorities should even pursue individuals who have taken ambiguous or non-committal positions on the protests. At the same time, the head of Iran’s police announced that the crackdown has entered a new phase, while regime media reported widespread arrests in multiple cities. 9⃣ Despite widespread public outrage over the killing of protesters, the regime declared three days of public mourning for several of its own slain security personnel. In parallel, the Islamic Propaganda Coordination Council, the regime’s main propaganda body, called on regime supporters to gather tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., carrying Qurans and condemning the protesters. 🔟Internationally, as supportive statements from Donald Trump and Senator Lindsey Graham continue, some observers believe U.S. military action is becoming increasingly likely. Iranian activists, however, are calling for heavy strikes against the regime’s repressive institutions, urging Washington not to limit its response to symbolic actions. 11. Following yesterday’s revelations, a wave of condemnations from global politicians has emerged. Iranian diaspora activists argue that statements of concern are no longer sufficient, calling instead for concrete measures such as expelling regime diplomats, providing Starlink internet access to Iranians, and holding the regime accountable for crimes against humanity. 12. Outlook: The number of cities actively involved in protests has declined noticeably following the recent mass killings, and regime media are openly celebrating what they describe as a victory over the protesters. Nevertheless, significant gatherings continue in Tehran. As of this hour, no new call has been issued by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. It is likely that protests will persist in the coming days in certain areas, though in a more fragmented and localized form. The key question remains whether meaningful international intervention will shift the balance in favor of the Iranian people.show more

This post about bench press safety escaped containment and... got a lot of people commenting in disagreement that safeties/spotter arms would've saved him. And in truth, my language below was a little too absolute: safeties MIGHT have saved his life (though even if so, would not have prevented all damage), but it's far from certain that they would have, so I stand by the overall sentiment. I will explain in detail below. The spotter arms have to be set below the top of your arched chest or else they’ll interfere with every rep - you'll clang the bar on the safeties, which not only severely interrupts proper technique and performance, but can also be potentially injurious in its own right as the clanging against the safeties takes you out of the rhythm of the rep and leads to uneven and chaotic force application demands mid-rep. The safeties can’t be set a mere milimeter or even a half inch below the chest: both because most racks have 2-3 inch hole spacings that don't allow such finely calibrated setting, but even if they do - also because as a gross movement pattern, not a fine movement pattern, you can’t control the movement of the bar precisely and accurately enough not to clang the safeties if they’re so close to your chest. Human beings performing gross movement patterns simply lack such fine control: on heavy sets, the bar might be slightly uneven on one side, you might lose a touch of your arch over the course of the set, etc... and end up clanging the safeties anyway, if they're set so close to the top of your arched chest. These issues are not form errors that can be prevented with proper training, but are inherent limitations in the human capability to control gross motor pattern movements at a heavy weight. Thus, the safeties have to be far enough below your chest in order to not interfere with the set itself, such that they can’t possibly catch the bar before it hits your chest in the case of a sudden catastrophic drop. The proper placement for the safeties is far enough below your chest so as not to interfere with the normal execution of the set and so the bar never touches the safeties at all during the set, even with the inherent human limitations of gross motor pattern control. But high enough such tha - if you find yourself unable to successfully press the bar to lockout - you can bring the bar under control back down to your chest, exhale and drop your arch, and the bar will ideally now rest on the safeties instead of your chest and you can crawl and slither out from under it. Worst case, you can roll the bar slightly upwards and the safeties will soon take it, well before it would lie on your neck. I have an example of using the safeties this way in the video below, with 485 lbs. The ability to set this position with precision and accuracy depends on the equipment you're using: Some racks/benches have 1 inch spacings for this purpose, which is excellent and allows greater precision in safety placement, but most common racks have 2-3 inches between holes and thus people must often have the safeties a little lower than they'd ideally be. The main point is the proper use and purpose of safeties in the bench press is not really to catch a very rare catastrophic sudden drop onto your chest, but to allow you to survive the much more common situation of a normal failed rep. Could they theoretically save your life in such a situation where you drop it? Yes, they might. They won't stop the bar before it hits your chest but they might reduce the impact by stopping the bar from going further down and reducing the impact. This may or may not save your life in this rare catastrophic drop situation - it's good to have them there, set up anyway, but it's far from a sure bet. The most important things you can do are to learn and practice good technique, which involves stiff wrists in a very slightly bent back position, and thumbs around the barbell - NO SUICIDE GRIP. The safeties won't catch the bar and stop it from hitting your chest, so it's best to reduce the chances of dropping the bar on your chest from almost zero to even closer to almost zero. I've been bench pressing regularly for well over 20 years, always put my thumbs around the bar, and have never dropped it on myself. Nor has anyone I have coached to the best of my memory, over tens of thousands of sets and hundreds of thousands of reps. I have used safeties to successfully avoid getting trapped under the bar after a failed rep. In the video below, I tweaked my pec while pushing through a rep at 485 and had to set the bar on the pins to avoid getting trapped under it. This kind of situation is the primary use for the safeties. It's good to have them set up regardless - they might indeed save you if you somehow still manage to drop the bar, but they also very well might not.show more

Today I conducted several surprise oversight visits in the... Western Cape. The point of these visits is simple, to test the real conditions under which police officers are expected to serve, not only what appears in official presentations. What I saw again is that many police officers are doing serious, difficult and often dangerous work with far too little support. That must be said clearly. The problem is not the commitment of the cops on the ground. The problem is a system that too often expects results without providing the people, vehicles, facilities, equipment and basic support required to do the job properly. At Khayelitsha FCS, the unit is dealing with some of the most sensitive crimes in the criminal justice system, including sexual offences, child victims and family violence. The reported ideal staffing level is about 43 personnel. The current number is about 21. That means a specialist unit dealing with deeply traumatic cases is reportedly about 22 people short. This is not an administrative issue. Every shortage affects victims, investigations, court preparation, forensic follow-up and the ability of detectives to give proper attention to each case. FCS work cannot be reduced to moving dockets. It involves children, families, trauma, dignity and justice. At the FCS unit serving Kuils River, Kleinvlei, Mfuleni and Mfuleni Satellite, the same pattern emerged. The unit reportedly has only about seven to eight investigators and one administrative clerk, while receiving around 40 dockets per month. The D1 and D7 rape-kit stock was reported as sufficient at the time of the visit. That is important. The immediate problem there is not current rape-kit stock. The urgent pressure is too few investigators, too little administrative support and inadequate victim-friendly office space. Victim-friendly facilities are not a luxury. They are part of proper policing. A child victim or rape survivor should not be failed by an office environment that is not designed for trauma-sensitive work. At Khayelitsha SAPS, the vehicle situation is deeply concerning. The station recorded 38 vehicles, but 15 were at garages. That means almost 40% of the fleet was unavailable. This affects visible policing, complaint response, scene attendance, hotspot policing and detective work. Some vehicles have reportedly been stuck for long periods, including detective vehicles delayed for 88 and 121 days. A police station cannot properly serve a high-demand community if so many vehicles are unavailable. A vehicle in a garage is not a vehicle serving the public. SAPS must explain the repair delays, garage bottlenecks and fleet management failures. At TRT, the concern is structural and operational. These are police officers expected to perform high-risk specialist policing, yet there are serious concerns about structural certainty, vehicles, ICT, accommodation, equipment and deployment governance. Specialist policing cannot run on goodwill alone. If SAPS expects tactical units to confront gangs, violent criminals and high-risk threats, then those units must be properly formalised, properly equipped, properly housed and properly supported. Across all the visits, the pattern is clear: Police officers are doing too much with too little. FCS units are under-resourced while dealing with some of the most vulnerable victims. Vehicle shortages are weakening visible policing and investigations. Victim-friendly infrastructure is still not where it should be. Specialist units are being expected to deliver without the full structural and logistical support they need. SAPS must now provide formal written answers and time-bound corrective plans. Oversight is not about attacking frontline police officers. It is about making sure the system gives them what they need to serve communities properly. Citizens deserve effective policing. Victims deserve dignity and justice. Police officers deserve the tools and support to do the job. Feedback to follow ICshow more

SWITZERLAND TO OPEN SECRET MENGELE FILES AFTER DECADES OF... SILENCE JOSEF MENGELE LIVED IN ZURICH IN 1956 The Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) has announced that it will finally open long-sealed files on the Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele, although no date has been set for access. A historian who challenged the decision is expected to be granted access, subject to conditions that have yet to be defined. The decision marks a reversal of earlier refusals. The files, which were originally classified until 2071, had been withheld on grounds of source protection, privacy rights and national security concerns. Following a legal challenge and renewed internal review, the NDB now cites a changed assessment of the situation. The so-called Mengele dossier is believed to contain police reports, intelligence notes and international correspondence concerning possible movements of the Auschwitz camp doctor in Switzerland after the Second World War. Mengele, an SS physician at Auschwitz, became one of the central perpetrators of the Nazi extermination system, responsible for selections that sent hundreds of thousands to their deaths and for medical experiments on prisoners. A documented visit to Switzerland in 1956 is already known: Mengele spent a ski holiday in Engelberg with his son and partner. More contentious are indications from 1961. At that time, Austrian intelligence reportedly warned Swiss authorities that Mengele might be travelling under an assumed identity and could be in Switzerland. Around the same period, his wife is said to have rented an apartment in Zurich near Kloten airport and applied for residency. Zurich police are understood to have monitored the property and recorded the presence of an unidentified man whose description may have matched Mengele. Whether the fugitive war criminal actually entered Switzerland remains unresolved, as does the extent of the authorities’ knowledge at the time. Historians hope the files will clarify how Swiss authorities handled the information and what level of verification was possible. Critics argue that the continued secrecy has fuelled speculation rather than reducing it. The NDB had previously justified the prolonged classification by citing the protection of sources and informants, the privacy of relatives, and security considerations. Some historians, including Sacha Zala, have criticised this approach as overly restrictive, arguing that it hampers academic research and encourages conspiracy theories. The case also forms part of a broader debate on Switzerland’s handling of its Second World War legacy, particularly in the context of the Bergier Commission’s work in the late 1990s, which examined Swiss wartime and post-war policy and had access to extensive federal archives. While the planned opening of the Mengele file represents a shift towards greater transparency, it is expected to remain a controlled process with significant redactions. The timing of actual access for researchers remains unclear, as does whether the documents will provide new evidence about Mengele’s possible presence in Switzerland. The announcement comes after years of repeated requests from historians and a formal appeal that ultimately prompted the intelligence service to reconsider its position. Officials have indicated that access will be granted under conditions and requirements still to be determined.show more

REPORT: ELECTION RIGGING On Saturday 25 May 2024 it... was reported by the MK Party members on the ground that a truck was seen entering Moumalanga Township in Hammersdale unit 3 near Kwamagaba , the MK members kept an observation and noticed that the truck was carrying voting material which included ballot boxes , scanners and other sensitive material , these ballot boxes were estimated to about 400 boxed unit voting ballot papers and scanners The same was reported to the Provincial office of Umkhonto Wesizwe , A media hipe was activated which resulted from Mr Vincent Mdunge and Prof Mkhize to attend The following observations were made , members were angry and volatile and demanded that the three women and a truck driver be arrested immediately, senior commissioned officers from the SAPS General Sokhela and Brig Msimango were present at the crime scene , a sworn statement was obtained from the member of the MK Party who witnessed the incident and a case docket was opened at Mpumalanga SAPS The alleged stolen ballot papers were confiscated by the SAPS and loaded back on a truck which was later escorted to the IEC warehouse under the custody of the SAPS This emanated from the fact that ballot papers and scanners were a bit too many and that the local police station did not have proper storage facilities . All the material was escorted by the SAPS under lock and key The three women and the driver were questioned by the SAPS and statements were obtained from them to account for being found in possession of voting material All exhibits were entered into the SAP 13 Register and no arrests were made in the view that the SAPS had about 48 hours to investigate On Sunday 26 -05 -2024 around 01-00 another report of voting material was reported on a funeral pallor in Rd 1 Chesterville The SAPS was also dispatched and sealed boxes of directions were seized , one person was taken in for questioning by the police The IEC material was seized by the police It is concerning that too many reports of election rigging are prevalent this time. It is reported also that the situation was so voletile that it potentially would have led the police to resorting to force multipliers No further reports are known ENDshow more

🚨🚨🚨 It doesn't really get any more real than... this and you need to hear it 🚨🚨🚨 I want to introduce you to these two deadly units: The 1st FPV Strike Platoon PNK Group of the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Strike Unmanned Systems Platoon of the 47th Magura Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Both of these units are the pinnacle of the world's drone warfare and part of formidable and renowned brigades; their names echo through the ranks of the Ukrainian military and chill spines throughout the ranks of the Russians. These units unleash utter devastation and death onto the Russian forces; they turn the ground the Russians walk on into a living hell, a place in which their supplies, their troops, their back-up, every thing gets deleted, their every fucking hope and dreams turn into an unimaginable shitshow of despair. If it has a pulse, a heat signature, or a set of keys, it's getting turned into fucking fairy dust around these guys. The 1st FPV Strike Platoon PNK Group of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade provides close tactical strikes, reconnaissance, and direct-fire/loitering-munition effects in support of assault operations on the frontlines. The unit uses high-speed FPV strike drones and larger multirotor bomber drones, and is integrated with the brigade’s reconnaissance and assault companies. The Strike Unmanned Systems Platoon of the 47th “Magura” Separate Mechanized Brigade is a dedicated strike/attack unmanned-systems platoon. It conducts aerial strikes, close support to mechanized units, battlefield reconnaissance, and interdiction of light vehicles and enemy personnel using FPV strike drones and larger strike UAVs. These men work in the most dangerous areas, where they are needed the most; they oppose the biggest threats on the front lines, they cause the most devastation, but they need our help. Given the type of work that they do, they need to move fast, they need to be invisible, and strike before the enemy knows they are there and be back a camp drinking tea whilst the Russians are still collecting their comrades remains with a fucking carpet vacuum hoover. With your help I'm trying to send them 2 NAFO Truck 3.0's with the NAFO 69th Sniffing Brigade. These trucks are the 69th Brigade's newest and most kitted-out trucks made specifically for units like this. Above all, they are reliable; they have two fitted electronic-warfare drone jammers for different ranges and frequencies to protect the vehicle when it moves, it has night vision so the driver can watch a screen and drive in the pitch black as you cannot use headlights on the frontline, they have serious battery packs to run operations off when out for prolongued periods of time, they also include a spare set of heavy-duty off-road tyres to help them get through the mud to keep them mobile. These new NAFO Truck 3.0s even have FPV drone-spectrum scanners, which means if a Russian drone is in the air, they not only know it's there, they can see which type of drone it is and they can even watch the video feed that the Russians can see so they know exactly where it is. I really need your help to do this. I need you to help to spread the word, and I need you to think just for a second, is there is absolutely anything that you can donate? So many people will see this, and naturally, they will assume that everyone else will donate, but this is almost always not the case. If you want to make Russians hurt, if you want them to regret ever leaving their Russian infested shit swamps, then donate here and help these guys destroy these fucks: Pardom my French.show more