In Other News

[Broken_Erika]

I have had a firearm since I was 10. Started with a shotgun and worked up to a .22 at 12. A firearm is not a complex tool to learn to use properly. It DOES take good guidance and supervision. An automobile, otoh, is a complex machine that is by its very nature to be used around others. Of course, I was driving a pick up truck on the family farm at 14, but since it was private propert...no license required.

In the country it's okay, in a big city, not so much.

[pchang]

I think things would be much better if we replaced everyone’s guns with swords instead.

[Dinner]

Naw, guns are much more valuable and far more needed.

[PLATO]

In the country it's okay, in a big city, not so much.

I can agree with that. The key though is "Responsibility." The country has seemed to have forgotten that you must teach responsibility with rights...and then you must monitor and regulate. A simple formula that worked for a couple of centuries before people forgot the "responsible" part of it....

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

"Responsible" is important beyond words for a society to function, as is cooperation.

[Stantroll]

[Stantroll]

[police line do not cross]

[BeBMan]

Shape-shifting robot melts itself to escape lab jail

It's not exactly T-1000 standard yet, but I found the vid rather impressing still

[Dauphin]

I prefer the Mr Blobby Terminator. Needs sound on, and an appreciation of the British Television institution that is Mr Blobby.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqn_blSavko

[BeBMan]

Dunno if this is interesting for anyone, but I just found out about.... the Handfish! Wondering if the handfish is using his handfishhands to handfish other handfish. Or somesuch However, I like this thing

https://theconversation.com/photos-from-the-field-diving-with-tasmanias-rare-and-elusive-red-handfish-your-new-favourite-animal-180962

[Broken_Erika]

Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels


Two top Spanish transport officials have resigned over a botched order for new commuter trains that cost nearly €260m ($275m; £230m).

The trains could not fit into non-standard tunnels in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria.

The head of Spain's rail operator Renfe, Isaías Táboas, and the Secretary of State for Transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera, have now left their roles.

The design fault was made public earlier this month.

The Spanish government says the mistake was spotted early enough to avoid financial loss. However the region of Cantabria has demanded compensation.

Renfe ordered the trains in 2020 but the following year manufacturer CAF realised that the dimensions it had been given for the trains were inaccurate and stopped construction.

The rail network in northern Spain was built in the 19th Century and has tunnels under the mountainous landscape that do not match standard modern tunnel dimensions.

The mistake means the trains will be delivered in 2026, two years late.

Renfe and infrastructure operator Adif have launched a joint investigation to find out how the error could have happened. Earlier this month, Spain's transport ministry fired a Renfe manager and Adif's head of track technology over the blunder.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64717605

[Dinner]

My understanding is that high speed rail in Spain has been just a money pit and financial disaster.

[Meticulous Man]

The most recent news from Snap's home country

[Meticulous Man]

https://youtu.be/a2yvH6QW1Nk

[Broken_Erika]

Royal Navy F-35 pilot tells of ejecting seconds before crash


The pilot of a British fighter jet that rolled off a Royal Navy aircraft carrier has spoken of his relief at managing to eject from the £100m F-35.

Speaking soon after the incident in November 2021, the pilot, known as Hux, recalled having only seconds to react.

An official investigation concluded the sudden loss of power on take-off was probably caused by a cover being left on one of the aircraft's jet intakes.

His story is included in a BBC series called The Warship: Tour of Duty.

The documentary also reveals how the Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth ship was harassed by Russian aircraft and how it played a risky game of hide-and-seek with the Chinese Navy.

The Royal Navy pilot spoke to the film-makers shortly after he was rescued and was still suffering from cuts and bruises caused by the high-speed ejection.

He describes how the jet suddenly lost acceleration: "I tried for emergency power - that didn't work, then I tried to slap on the brakes - that didn't work either… so I kind of knew it was going to roll off the ship."

• Investigation after UK F-35 fighter crashes in sea
• Video appears to show UK F-35 fighter crash
• Why the RAF's new F-35 jets matter

Hux's life was saved by his ejector seat - which he describes as the most advanced in the world. That and extremely good luck.

As his parachute activated, he says he saw the sea beneath him "and then a second later I could see the flight deck of the ship starting to appear beneath me".

He just managed to make it on to the deck - by a few feet - before being pulled to safety. If he had not landed on the carrier, he risked being dragged under the 65,000-tonne warship.

Leaked video from the ship's on-board camera showed the moment the F-35 fell into the sea.

An official investigation concluded that the sudden loss of power was probably caused by a blockage - a cover mistakenly left on a jet intake.

The aircraft - the most advanced stealth fighter in the world which is operated jointly in the UK by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force - was later recovered from the sea bed to ensure it did not fall into the wrong hands.

Chris Terrill, who filmed the documentary, said the F-35 crash was "a shock to everyone", but said the response of the ship's company was "as immediate as it was extraordinary".

"An aircraft might have been lost but there was a pilot, a shipmate, who had to be saved," he said.

"Training kicked in but there was an extra energy and urgency to the sailors' execution of their emergency procedures. It was terrifying but inspiring to see."

The six-part series follows HMS Queen Elizabeth's eight-month, 49,000-nautical mile voyage to the Pacific Ocean and back last year.

It shows how the carrier was harried by missile-armed Russian aircraft in the eastern Mediterranean. F-35 jets are seen intercepting them to stop them getting too close to the carrier.

The documentary describes it as one step down from real combat. In the operations room a warfare officer suggests putting the Russian aircraft in their sights for a "theoretical kill" to warn them away.

F-35s are also put on standby when another ship from the carrier strike group, HMS Defender, has an even closer encounter with the Russians while sailing in the Black Sea.

In the South China Sea, HMS Queen Elizabeth engages in a game of cat and mouse with the Chinese Navy.

A Royal Navy frigate and helicopters try to find a Chinese submarine before it is able to get close enough to take a photograph from its periscope.

It is the kind of image that could be used for propaganda purposes - showing how easy it would be to target a large ship. But the submarine is successfully located using sonar before it gets too close.

Warship also tells the story of life on board during one of the Royal Navy's longest deployments during the Covid pandemic, where at the height of the outbreak about 400 sailors - more than a quarter of the crew - were in isolation with either confirmed or suspected infections.

Watch episodes one to five of The Warship: Tour of Duty now on BBC iPlayer. Episode six is on BBC Two this Sunday, 26 February, at 21:00 GMT.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64722723

[BeBMan]

Bill Gates continues his humanitarian efforts by buying a stake in beer production:

Bill Gates buys stake in Heineken Holding worth €883m

Wondering if BingChatbot will be amused?