Tag Archives: tea party

U.S.

Great Reneger: Maryland Militia deploys to Africa

“We are a small piece of IO and intel in the grand scheme of U.S. Army force structure, but we make a world of difference through each one of our team members supporting these global missions.”-Lieutenant Colonel Kristin L. Henry, 11FEB2019

“We are going to have to stop being the policemen of the world.”-Donald Trump, August 2015 interview with Hugh Hewitt

Maryland National Guard IO Field Support Team (110th Information Operations Battalion) deployed to Djibouti in support of the Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa.

Many of the personnel are full time cyber security workers, some of them deployed to Africa previously.

Great Reneger: OHIO MILITIA DEPLOYS TO KUWAIT

U.S.

Great Reneger: Ohio Militia deploys to Kuwait

“On behalf of a grateful nation, we want you to know we recognize that without you, there would be no democracy.”-Major General John C. Harris Jr., Ohio National Guard, 08FEB2019

“We are going to have to stop being the policemen of the world.”-Donald Trump, August 2015 interview with Hugh Hewitt

More than 100 personnel with Bravo Company, 638th Support Battalion (Aviation Support) Ohio Army National Guard deploying to Kuwait.  To prove this is actually a continuance of the ancient ‘christian’ Crusades, the taxpayer funded deployment ceremony was held in a church (like many other deployment ceremonies around the U.S.)!

It’s the unit’s first deployment as a company in its 71-year history.  They will be joined on the deployment by units of the Massachusetts and Indiana National Guards, and the Army Reserve’s 244th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade from New Jersey.

GREAT RENEGER: LOUISIANA MILITIA DEPLOYS TO MIDDLE EAST

U.S.

Great Reneger: Louisiana Militia deploys to Middle East

“We’ve been in this war for almost 19 years, and I know that a lot of you have been involved from day one. I would ask the old guys to take care of the young ones who haven’t deployed. Mentor them through the deployment and let them know that everything will be ok.”-Major General Glenn H. Curtis, Louisiana National Guard, 16FEB2019

“We are going to have to stop being the policemen of the world.”-Donald Trump, August 2015 interview with Hugh Hewitt

Louisiana National Guard’s 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment deploying 70 of its personnel to the Middle East.

Some of the personnel are siblings. It’s the 1-244th’s fourth overseas deployment since 9-11.

GREAT RENEGER: IDAHO & NORTH CAROLINA MILITIAS DEPLOY TO AFGHANISTAN, AGAIN!

U.S.

Ghost ships washing ashore on secluded Navy base!

Video

18 February 2019 (15:44 UTC-07 Tango 06) 29 Bahman 1397/12 Jumada t-Tania 1440/14 Bin-Yin 4717

On 14FEB2019 a ghost ship washed ashore, at the end of a U.S. Navy runway on the secluded Naval Air Station North Island (part of Naval Base Coronado), off the southern coast of California.  According to the official report this was not the first time, it’s the sixth mystery boat to come ashore and block the runway since the beginning of the Gregorian year!

While Air Station North Island belongs to the USN (U.S. Navy), it’s airport runway is used by all branches of the U.S. military.  On 01JAN2019, the USAF (U.S. Air Force) deployed V-22 Ospreys, AC-130Ws and MC-130Js for special ops Exercise Emerald Trident:

The USA (U.S. Army) also deployed MH-47 Chinooks for Exercise Emerald Trident. 

On 09FEB2019, USN-Reserve Coastal Riverine units conducted launch and recovery training.  

Is there a connection between the mystery ghost ships and all the military activity around Naval Air Station North Island?

The official report concerning the latest ghost ship says Navy personnel found that the fuel tank in the ship had ruptured.  Other unnamed ‘hazmat’ materials were found.

Since 2014, Naval Base Coronado has removed more than 60 boats, 90 tons of debris and 6-hundred pounds of hazmat at a cost of more than half a million dollars to federal taxpayers.  The USN blames the city of San Diego for the mystery debris, saying the city’s Zuniga Shoal area has become a dumping ground for abandoned ships because the city doesn’t police the area.

International, Technology

Hi-Tech Fail: NATO Germany proves Mules still rule Mountain Warfare

Video

One of the most economically powerful European Union member, and a powerful NATO member, Germany still uses mules in mountain warfare because they’re still the most efficient way to transport weapons and supplies to Gebirgsjäger.  So much for hi-technology.

World War Two

It’s not just the Germans, U.S. MARINES TRAIN RESUPPLY TECHNIQUES WITH PACK ANIMALS

U.S. Army Special Forces and Pack Animals – Info and Pubs

HI-TECH FAIL: CLIMATE CHANGE BIGGEST THREAT TO BILLION DOLLAR WEAPON SYSTEMS!

Kit Bashing, Reviews

1/144 Boeing 777: Eastern Express v Minicraft

Image

I’ve been able to get some 1:144 scale Boeing 777-200s (United Nations-International Civil Aviation Organization B772) for cheap; some Minicraft kits (made in China) being offered in an ‘as is’ grab bag sale (turned out they were complete, but one had a broken fuselage), and a two-for-one sale that got me Eastern Express issues (made in Russia) in both the -200 and -300 versions.

My biggest complaint about airliner kits is how much they cost versus what you get, that’s why I buy them only when I see them offered at great discount (and It’s really amazing that aftermarket decals can cost more than the kit, depending on the manufacturer).  Airliner kits are basic, and even the nicer Revell Germany kits have fit problems.  While the Minicraft airliners have fit problems the Eastern Express kits take the cake.

The Eastern Express Group kit requires a lot of pre-assembly sanding down of parts due to the amount of flash and other problems.  You must dry fit the parts in order to avoid nasty surprises, such as the lower wing trailing edge needs to be thinned down to size in order to fit, however, the trailing edge of the flaps/ailerons are molded as part of the upper wing, giving a nice sharp trailing edge. The Minicraft Model Kits’ wings have blunt trailing edges, you’d have to spend time thinning down both wing halves to get a sharp trailing edge.  The wings of the Eastern Express and Minicraft kits are very close in shape, size and detailing.  Eastern Express has no mounting points to attach the wing to the fuselage, you’ll have to make your own spar.  Minicraft uses interlocking fingers, apparently their engineers thought it was a good idea but the fingers actually interfere with getting a tight fit against the fuselage, they have to be thinned down or removed.

The Eastern Express fuselage is in three sections, allowing for different length mid-sections to model the -200 or -300 (you only get the sections described on the box). I lined up the competing kits’ fuselages starting at the tail end, the vertical tail tip on the Eastern Express is more angled, the overall diameter and length of the Minicraft kit’s fuselage is larger.  The Eastern Express nose section is smaller than the Minicraft kit, but it looks more Boeing-like to me.

The horizontal tails/elevators look similar in shape and detail, but Minicraft’s are noticeably larger.

While the Eastern Express fuselage is smaller than Minicraft’s the opposite is true for the turbine nacelles. I’m considering swapping the very large Eastern Express nacelles with the Minicraft nacelles, the size difference is painfully noticeable when you compare the diameter of the intake lips.  Minicraft’s nacelles will need just a little work to fit them onto the Eastern Express wings, but the Eastern Express nacelle pylons will need to be thinned down to fit into the Minicraft slots.

Here’s some pictorial evidence, which you can see more of the image by clicking on it:

I didn’t mention landing gear, most airliner kits do a bad job of representing them anyway (example; the Minicraft’s doors don’t come close to matching the wheel well openings, as if they were meant for a different aircraft), plus I normally build airliners wheels up and condemn them to eternal flight by hanging from the ceiling.

Update, December 2022: I finally finished building the Minicraft Boeing 777.  I marked it with aftermarket decals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The aftermarket decals look good from a distance, up-close you can see how thick they are. I had to remove a couple of the smaller markings, because they curled-up and refused to lay down, no matter how much clear I coated them with.

It was going to be a gift for the couple who had spent big money reserving airline tickets, hotels and tickets to various Olympic venues.

The Minicraft turbine nacelles definitely look too small.

Of course, due to The Pandemic hyperbole, first the Japanese government delayed the games by a full year, then banned foreigners from coming into Japan altogether!  The highly disappointed couple did get their money refunded, and this year they finally get their very own 777 Tokyo Olympics airliner.

1:72 F-100 SUPER SABER KIT KLASH, OR MORE REASONS WHY YOU CAN’T TRUST SCALE DRAWINGS

VEHICLE I-D: NEW KC-46A PEGASUS (Boeing 767)

U.S.

‘just another nail in the coffin’: U.S. Food Crisis, October 2018

Video

Incomplete list of announced United States food supply shutdowns, emergencies, outbreaks and recalls for the month of October, 2018:

how America treats its black farmers

Trump boosts dairy industry

Farmers struggle to store crops

Grains try to avoid market meltdown

Ag Economy Barometer falls to lowest reading since October 2016

Agricultural damage from Hurricane Michael forecast to top $1.3 billion

Farmers face ‘new normal’; hurricanes

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

President Trump is correct! In this official U.S. Marines Corps video you’ll learn that your tax dollars are going to support the local food economies of NATO member countries in Europe:

ALABAMA: USMCA trade deal impact on Alabama farmers

cotton farmer devastated by Hurricane Michael 

ALASKA: Can pot save the pumpkin farm?

Muskox transported from Greenland to Alaska

ARKANSAS: Hog Haus Brewing forced to shutdown after the building was sold-off

Arkansas farmers, politicians welcome new trade deal

ARIZONA: Impasse Over Who Loses Water, and How Much, Could Sink Arizona

Arizona meat processor recalls 6.5 million pounds of beef

self-driving tractors 

CALIFORNIA: Switzerland based Nestlé issued massive, yet supposedly temporary, layoff WARNs, at least 1-thousand California jobs suspended right after Thanksgiving!  Los Amigos Harvesting issued a shutdown WARN for its Watsonville ops, 175 jobs gone by April 2019!  Bon Appetit food magazine issued a shutdown WARN for its San Francisco office, 91 jobs gone four days before xmas.   Jack in the Box issued a layoff WARN for its San Diego HQ, 66 corporate jobs gone in January 2019.  Also in San Diego, Phils BBQ issued a temp-shutdown WARN, 118 jobs suspended in January 2019!  Pepsi Bottling Group issued a shutdown WARN for its ops in Buena Park, 95 jobs gone right after xmas. Stockton Spaghetti Restaurant issued a shutdown WARN, 51 jobs gone by the end of the year.  Popular restaurant Mexicali West issued a shutdown WARN for its Bakersfield location, 55 jobs gone by the end of the year due to the property being sold to a secretive developer.

America’s first autonomous robot farm replaces humans

Hemp farming in California plagued by roadblocks

Agriculture Checkpoint Moved to Ease Traffic Delays

New California law aims to protect pollinators

Pluto’s restaurant in downtown Chico is shutting its doors after 15 years, due to recent 10% crash in customers

Zacky Farms (aka Zacky & Sons Poultry) suddenly shutdown its 47 years old poultry factory in Fresno, (323 jobs lost without proper warning, according to the days late WARN), the local mayor said Zacky Farms promised him they were going to expand the operation!

And without warning Zacky & Sons Poultry also shutdown its Stockton location, the WARN said 142 people suddenly lost their jobs!

Starbucks closing a Folsom store

La Victoria bakery closing shop after 67 years

Camino is closing after 10 years in Oakland

Lagunitas Brewing Cuts More Than 100 Jobs due to being taken over by Heineken!

U.S. Marines and Sailors helped supply 23-thousand pounds of apples to more than 4-hundred food pantries in the San Francisco Bay area, 04OCT2018!

COLORADO: 45-year-old Lakewood chicken restaurant closing

Denver-based frozen fruit snack firm files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

CONNECTICUT: IMCMV Connecticut issued a shutdown WARN for its Margaritaville restaurant in Uncasville, 59 jobs lost by January 2019 due to not being able to justify renewing the lease.

After 40 years Black Duck Cafe Announces Closing: “In the last 6 months, we’ve been experiencing slower business and now have fallen on significant financial hardship…”

Anthony’s Sub Shop closing after more than 30 years 

DELAWARE: Destructive spotted lanternfly spreading south through Delaware

two more cases of West Nile Virus in horses

FLORIDA: Without warning Blackfinn permanently closes its doors 

Crestview Hooters restaurant closing after 15 years

At Eglin AFB, U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) helped distribute more than two tons of food to local families, 17OCT2018!

Tyndall AFB video showing food distribution after Hurricane Michael:

Florida National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2-124 Charlie Company, provided food and water to at least 750 citizens in Panama City, in just one day, as a result of Hurricane Michael.

GEORGIA: Georgia National Guard distributes food after Hurricane Michael, 12OCT2018.

GUAM: 

Stacks of donated pet food await the U.S. Coast Guard, 26OCT2018, to be delivered to Saipan as a result of Typhoon Yutu.

HAWAII: Wailana Coffee House closing after 48 years due to skyrocketing costs just to maintain the operation

IDAHO: Confusion in Boise as a vindictive food vendor started a rumor that Fatty’s Bar was bankrupt and shutting down, it was news to the new owner of Fatty’s

Idaho ranks as top U.S. producer of four commodities

ILLINOIS:  CherryBerry self serve yogurt in Springfield closing

Last Bonanza steakhouse in Illinois closing

Treasure Island Foods suddenly shutdown remaining stores after 55 years, official WARNs put job losses at 486!

INDIANA: Brown County’s Nashville House Restaurant Closing After 91 Years

Papa Roux shutting down after 11 years due to everything: “Too much constant issues and problems with everything from the city, the landlord, the facilities, my vendors, the employee pool in this town is actually not what it was 11 years ago.”-Art Bouvier

IOWA:  New North American trade deal good for Iowa 

KANSAS: Farmers Frustrated by Winter Wheat Planting Delays

KENTUCKY: Mellow Mushroom shutdown its Lexington Green pizza joint

LOUISIANA: “This is the worst agriculture crisis to hit Louisiana in my 53 years of farming.”-James Guillot

MAINE: organic farmers’ group gets $600000 to train beginners

MARYLAND:  Brio Tuscan Grille closing its downtown Baltimore restaurant

Ellwood Thompson’s closing grocery store

MASSACHUSETTS: See inside the marijuana facility 

MICHIGAN: Mexico based Bimbo Bakeries issued a shutdown WARN for its Bays Bakery, 50 jobs gone by January 2019.

GR’s Marie Catrib’s closing for good

Baby food maker Gerber laying off 50 people

Tumultuous markets in its seed, pesticide and herbicide businesses have wiped $4.6 billion off DowDuPont’s agriculture division

MINNESOTA: Hemp could become a leading Minnesota crop

Wet weather worries farmers

MISSOURI:  Tanner’s Bar & Grill closing 27 years old Waldo location

Price Cutter grocery store on Division & Glenstone To Close 

Coffee Cartel closing after 22-years

MONTANA: record 22000 acres of hemp planted in 2018

NEBRASKA: Chef fired after serving kangaroo meat to students (I don’t understand, people in Australia eat it, isn’t there a food crisis going on?)

NEVADA: Wildflower Café in Incline Village closing after 3 decades 

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Six months after opening in Portsmouth, 900 Degrees Pizzeria shutdown claiming there are not enough people willing to work there

NEW JERSEY:  Acme grocery in Park Ridge to close

Yet another Pei Wei restaurant closes in N.J.

NEW MEXICO: State requests public input on future growth of hemp

Farm Credit invested $1.3 million in Junior Livestock

NEW YORK: Nathan’s Famous issued a shutdown WARN for its Brooklyn-NYC restaurant, 20 jobs gone by January 2019.   It was revealed by a WARN that Molloy College suddenly canceled its contract with food service provider Compass Group-Chartwells, 26 jobs gone.  Food service contractor Jan Services-Gourmet Garage issued a shutdown WARN for multiple locations, 92 jobs gone by the end of the year.

Stewart’s Shops closing two low-volume grocery stores

Tortilla Flats in West Village closing for good

Tonarlo’s Pizza and Restaurant in Conklin will shut down after 15 years

Hinerwadel’s clambake closing after 104 years

NORTH CAROLINA: Less than seven months after its opening Dapper Doughnut shutdown its Morganton location

100 years old restaurant’s closing leaves residents heartbroken

Wrightsville Beach Eatery Closing After 32 Years

Sugarland bakery files for bankruptcy suddenly closes shops

02OCT2018, U.S. Coast Guard C-130 drops a weeks worth of food to a disabled cargo ship that was heading for Haiti, from Greece.

NORTH DAKOTA: Over 17 Inches of Snow Fell in North Dakota and It’s Only October

Snow Storm Hammers Grain Farmers

OHIO: Renick’s Family Market closing after nearly 60 years

Just Pies closing 2 central Ohio stores

Tremont General Store announces its closing

Red Restaurant Group (Red, The Steakhouse, Moxie The Restaurant) chapter 11 bankrupt busted

Union Street Grille in Bryan closing “Due to circumstances way beyond our control”

Seven crew members and a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Ohio Army National Guard’s Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, deployed to Florida to help deliver food and water in support of Hurricane Michael recovery efforts.

OKLAHOMA: Department of Ag. suspends all pending & expanding poultry farm operations

OREGON:  Alameda Brewhouse closing doors

PENNSYLVANIA:  After 47 years Barn Door Food & Spirits closing, no reason given

PUERTO RICO: A Local Food Revolution

After Hurricane Maria, farmers struggle to rebuild

RHODE ISLAND: 2 People Die While Fishing

council OKs zoning change for ‘farm brewery’

SOUTH CAROLINA: More than $100 million in damages to crops after Florence

researchers optimizing pulse and cereal crops for organic production

SOUTH DAKOTA: volatile Per Pair and Yearling Monthly Pasture Rental Rates 

Farmers back in the field after harvest delays

TENNESSEE: Changes coming to Industrial Hemp Pilot Program

University of Tennessee serves food made with insects

TEXAS: Italian restaurant is closing in Fort Worth, and it won’t be the last, More than 600 chain restaurant locations are expected to close this year 

Fuego Burger is closing one of its locations, due to the greedy landlord refusing to fix a roof leak that’s literally flooding the restaurant 

El Fenix Mexican Restaurant shutdown its Wichita Falls location without warning

Iconic Chu-Mikal’s Cafe shutdown

Mid-County creamery closing after only two years

Albertsons, Tom Thumbs closing 4 North Texas grocery Stores

Three Houston-area Randalls grocery stores closing in December

UTAH:  drought emergency declared for all of Utah

Plans to tap more Bear River water raise concerns

VERMONT: Keurig-Dr Pepper laying off about 500 employees!

Perfect Wife closing Saturday after 23 years

VIRGINIA:  Kroger closing Wards Corner Norfolk location, going against original plans

WASHINGTON: Twin City Foods issued a shutdown WARN for its Stanton location, 65 jobs gone by December.

Washington DC: Capitol Hill cocktail bar files for bankruptcy

WEST VIRGINIA: Excessive rainfall soaked apple harvest

DNR and Dept. of Agriculture team up on Hunters Helping the Hungry

WISCONSIN: Mexico based Bimbo Bakeries issued a shutdown WARN for its bakery in Madison, 159 jobs gone in January 2019!

Soggy weather delaying fall harvest is ‘just another nail in the coffin’ 

WYOMING: Lift is grounded, restaurant is closing after sale

Controversial Wyoming agriculture lawyer joins Interior Department

Wyoming court rules controversial ag-gag law violates free speech

U.S. FOOD CRISIS, September 2018:  “SIGNIFICANT CHANGES”

Business/Economics

“we kind of need to do something besides die at our desk”: U.S. Mining/Industrial/Logistics layoffs, October 2018

Incomplete list of U.S. Mining/Industrial/Logistics job loss/shutdown announcements made in October 2018.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

Holy weapons malfunction Batman! An ongoing type of taxpayer rip-off was finally revealed by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in the form of ‘suspended stock’, which are parts paid for by taxpayers for use in maintaining expensive military weapons systems, except that they’re mislabeled by the corporate unAmerican manufacturers, rendering the parts useless!  The chief of DLA Troop Support’s Industrial Hardware Division, José Pereira, said the amount of mislabeled parts is “eye opening”.   The parts cannot be used until their true intended use is identified.  A specialized Industrial Hardware team has been assembled to literally sort through the massive problem.

CALIFORNIA: Window coverings maker Century Blinds issued a shutdown WARN for its operations in Corona, 59 jobs gone the day after Thanksgiving.  Heavy construction contractor Brinderson issued layoff WARNs, 324 jobs gone by December!  Carpet maker TDG Operations issued a shutdown WARN for its Los Angeles ops, 60 jobs gone December.  Clothing maker (‘wearable art’) Providence Industries issued a shutdown WARN (supposedly temporary) for its Long Beach location, 96 jobs lost the day after xmas.  Clothing maker/distributor MD2 Industries issued a shutdown WARN (supposedly temporary) for its Long Beach ops, 158 jobs lost the day before xmas!  Clothing maker PVH Neckwear issued a ‘permanent’ shutdown WARN for its Los Angeles ops, 94 jobs gone after xmas.  Iconic clothing maker Levy’s issued a ‘permanent’ shutdown WARN for its Inglewood factory, 272 jobs gone by January 2019!  West Coast Warehouse issued a shutdown WARN for its Fontana location, 18 jobs lost the day after xmas. Metal Partners International issued a shutdown WARN for its Bakersfield location.  Davis Wire Corporation issued a ‘temporary’ shutdown WARN for its Irwindale location, 109 jobs gone the day before xmas!  Construction supplies maker Burke Industries issued a layoff WARN for Its San Jose locations, 61 jobs gone by the end of the year.  Insulation maker Thermal Structures issued a shutdown WARN for its Corona location.  Material handling ‘simplifier’ Symbotic issued a shutdown WARN for its Oceanside location.  Contracted manufacturer Jabil issued several ‘temporary’ shutdown WARNs, more than 1-thousand jobs lost the week before xmas!

UTC Aerospace to end aircraft systems manufacturing in Chula Vista, cutting 300 jobs!

COLORADO:  Major Mountain West Coal Producer Files For Bankruptcy

CONNECTICUT: Building-materials distributor Builders First Source issued a shutdown WARN for its East Hartford location, 46 jobs gone by the end of the year.

INDIANA:  JD Norman Industries shutting down its facility in Muncie, 130 jobs lost!

Cardinal Metal Finishing eliminating 80 jobs, blaming a “key customer.”

IOWA: Germany based Siemens issued a shutdown WARN for its Burlington ops, 125 jobs gone by the end of 2019, due “to competitive pressures in the energy market”!

KENTUCKY:  Japan based Hitachi eliminating 100 jobs in Harrodsburg!

HVAC company Trane shutting down its 55 years old factory in Lexington, 600 jobs lost!

MARYLAND: The company that owns and operates the Maryland Airport now chapter 11 bankrupt busted due to county officials changing the zoning laws

MICHIGAN: Spectrum Industries Decorative Finishes issued a shutdown WARN for its factories in Kentwood and Grand Rapids, 134 jobs killed by consolidation ops! Hartman International Industries issued a shutdown WARN for its operations in Novi, 42 jobs gone by the end of the year.

Metal stamping supplier to close Westland plant, lay off 70, “As a result of this unexpected business circumstance, the company expects that it will be forced to imminently shut down and is unable to give 60 days notice of closing”

China based Yanfeng Automotive Interiors suddenly laid off 55 employees 

Ford warning of more job cuts 

MINNESOTA: Hand crafted leather products maker JW Hulme issued a layoff WARN, 28 jobs gone in November.

NEBRASKA: Omaha based Union Pacific killing 5-hundred jobs!  (and that is just the first round of layoffs)

NEW MEXICO: ONE Aviation now bankrupt busted after failing to pay almost one million dollars in back-due rent

NEW JERSEY:  Bankrupt NSC National Wholesale Liquidators issued a shutdown WARN for its Lodi ops, 152 jobs gone by January 2019!

NEW YORK: Bankrupt NSC Wholesale Holdings-National Wholesale Liquidators issued a massive shutdown WARN, 458 jobs gone at a date “to be determined”!  Vinyl sign/packaging maker Royal Industries issued a shutdown WARN for its ops in Brooklyn-NYC, 77 jobs gone in time for xmas.  Fake fingernail company Ivy Enterprises issued a shutdown WARN for its warehouse ops in Port Washington, between 24 and 132 jobs affected as the company gets the hell outta New York!

NORTH CAROLINA:  Rail car maker Vertex shutting down after only four years, employees told local news media “They told us that they lost all their customers, lost all their contracts, investors pulled out.”  

Huntersville-based American Tire Distributors (ATD) files for bankruptcy

High Point based furniture maker Heritage Home Group eliminating at least 145 jobs!

OHIO: Germany based Siemens issued a WARN for its Mount Vernon/Knox location, 57 jobs gone by the end of the year.

MPP shutting down its metal injection ops in Solon, 55 jobs lost

PENNSYLVANIA: CEVA Logistics issued a shutdown WARN for its Bedford location, 73 jobs gone by the end of November.  Bankrupt NSC Wholesale Holdings-National Wholesale Liquidators issued a shutdown WARN for its Philadelphia location, 42 jobs gone by December.

RHODE ISLAND: Pawtucket based toy maker Hasbro eliminating at least 540 jobs due to the death of Toys R Us!

TEXAS:   Taxpayer funded military tech company L3 cuts 62 positions at Waco plant

WISCONSIN: Sunlight Plastics suddenly laid off 58 people in Germantown.  Trucking company Black Horse Carriers issued a shutdown WARN for its ops in Kenosha, 107 jobs gone by the end of January 2019!  In Pleasant Prairie, Southwire/Coleman Cable issued a shutdown WARN, 65 jobs gone by December.

Hi-Crush shutting down in Whitehall, 37 jobs lost due to crashing demand for sand

WYOMING: After 25 years Trout Machinery shutting down: “We’re deciding that we kind of need to do something besides die at our desk…”

U.S. INDUSTRIAL/MINING/LOGISTICS SHUTDOWNS, September 2018:  “MANY JOBS WILL BE….ELIMINATED”

Business/Economics, Idaho

More decline for Idaho: Payless to kill remaining 2,500 stores!

15 February 2019 (12:49 UTC-07 Tango 06) 26 Bahman 1397/09 Jumada t-Tania 1440/11 Bin-Yin 4717

The writing has been on the wall since Spring 2017, now it’s final, about 2-thousand-5-hundred (here’s a map) Payless shoe stores to be shutdown as part of the company’s plan to file for bankruptcy.

Payless in struggling Pine Ridge Mall, employees swear they've been told no shutdown for them

Payless in the struggling Pine Ridge Mall, Chubbuck, Idaho

In Spring 2017, employees of the Payless store in the Pine Ridge Mall, in Chubbuck, Idaho, survived a sudden Payless store shutdown operation which resulted in hundreds of stores across the U.S. being permanently closed almost over night. Just a few months later Payless administrators, based in Kansas, conducted another round of shutdowns as part of it’s first bankruptcy filing.

This final Payless shutdown is the result of a second, and obviously terminal bankruptcy filing, and comes just days after the Chubbuck ShopKo store, also on the Pine Ridge Mall property, fell victim to a massive nationwide shutdown.

International

“It isn’t like the movies”: Pacific Ring of Fire, January 2019

Video

Incomplete list of seismic/natural disaster reports from around the Pacific Ring of Fire, January 2019.

CANADA: A strange, low-intensity hum near Vancouver Island

CHILE: Strong mag. 6.7 earthquake – Near Coast of Central Chile

Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Buenos Aires warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 14000 ft (4300 m) altitude or flight level 140.

CHINA: Taiwan earthquake: Magnitude 5.7 quake

COLUMBIA: Moderate mag. 5.5 earthquake

Light mag. 4.5 earthquake – 50km SE of Mountain

ECUADOR: Light mag. 4.6 earthquake 

Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Washington warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 15000 ft (4600 m) altitude or flight level 150.

GUATEMALA:  Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Washington warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 20000 ft (6100 m) altitude or flight level 200 and is moving at 10-15 kts in NE direction.

HONDURAS: U.S. Army personnel tested water purification systems, and electrical power generators, at Soto Cano Air Base, 17JAN2019, in preparation for a natural disaster.

INDONESIA: Strong mag. 6.0 earthquake – Sumba Region

Strong mag. 6.4 earthquake – Sumba Region

Moderate mag. 5.9 earthquake – Aru Islands Region

Minor mag. 3.8 earthquake – MOLUCCA SEA

Light mag. 4.4 earthquake – SOUTH OF JAVA

Minor mag. 3.7 earthquake – NORTH OF HALMAHERA

Light mag. 4.9 earthquake – 72km SSW of Bogorawatu

Merapi volcano: growing lava dome

JAPAN:   Moderate mag. 5.5 earthquake – Off East Coast of Honshu

Light mag. 4.7 earthquake – 217km N of Chichi-shima

Light mag. 4.3 earthquake – 87km ENE of Hachinohe

Strong mag. 6.3 earthquake – Kyushu

Volcano in southern Japan erupts

Camp Zama boosting earthquake preparedness

U.S. Marines and Sailors conducted disaster relief response training at Kin Red beach, Okinawa, 28JAN2019.

MEXICO: Light mag. 4.0 earthquake – OFFSHORE GUERRERO

Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Washington warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 20000 ft (6100 m) altitude or flight level 200.

Popocatepetl volcano: very strong explosion 

MICRONESIA: Light mag. 4.7 earthquake – 166km NNE of Rumung

 NEW ZEALAND: Strong mag. 6.0 earthquake 

Minor mag. 3.5 earthquake 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Light mag. 4.7 earthquake – 156km SSW of Lorengau

 Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Darwin warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 50000 ft (15200 m) altitude or flight level 500.

PERU: Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Buenos Aires warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 27000 ft (8200 m) altitude or flight level 270 and is moving at 10 kts in SW direction.

RUSSIA: Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Tokyo warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 15000 ft (4600 m) altitude or flight level 150 and is moving at 35 kts in N direction.

SOLOMON ISLANDS:Light mag. 4.8 earthquake – 81km WNW of Honiara

TONGA: Moderate mag. 5.0 earthquake – 101km NNE of Hihifo

Light mag. 4.6 earthquake – 155km W of Neiafu

UNITED STATES: 

Alaska; Moderate mag. 5.2 earthquake – 77km ESE of King Salmon

Midtown Anchorage commercial center temporarily closed due to earthquake damage

7.0 earthquake spurs calls for more building oversight

 Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Anchorage warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 20000 ft (6100 m) altitude or flight level 200 and is moving at 20 kts in N direction.

California; Northridge quake thrashed Los Angeles 25 years ago 

Minor mag. 3.4 earthquake – 3km SSE of Brawley

Minor mag. 3.6 earthquake – 104km W of Petrolia

Bay Area Wakes to Earthquake for Second Straight Morning

National Guard units from four states took part in disaster response training in San Francisco, during the last week of January, which included responding to ‘chemical incidents’.

‘Selfless’ California National Guard video promoting what they did during the 2018 wildfire battles:

What happened to all those pets made homeless during the 2018 wildfires?  California National Guard shows you their first time ever pet rescue ops:

Hawaii; Five explosive things the 2018 eruption taught us about Kilauea

U.S. Air Force Reserve conducted Exercise Patriot Palm at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 26JAN2019, in an effort to integrate emergency responders from federal, state, and local agencies, and the military, in the event of a ‘regional emergency’ or natural disaster.

Northern Mariana Islands; Moderate mag. 5.0 earthquake

Oregon; ‘Silent slip’ along fault line serves as prelude to big earthquakes

State government declares Cascadia Preparedness Day

Washington;  Redmond preps for Cascadia Rising Solutions 2019

Washington National Guard began preparing for 2019 flooding by meeting with 10 county emergency managers, and planners from the Washington Emergency Management Division, 04JAN2019: “It isn’t like the movies, we don’t just roll into a situation. We need to know what you need and, most of the time, it starts with knowing what we have.”-Brigadier General Jeremy Horn, Washington Air National Guard

Wyoming;  more than 2500 earthquakes last year, Yellowstone National Park was the epicenter

VANUATU: Strong mag. 6.5 earthquake

Strong mag. 6.0 earthquake

Moderate mag. 5.2 earthquake – 57km SSW of Sola

PACIFIC RING OF FIRE, December 2018: “THIS MUST BE WHAT HELL LOOKS LIKE.”