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speak easy's Journal
May 31, 2022

What happened in Lincoln, Nebraska - a "non intentional" car crash in only half the story

"Americruise" is an informal parade of parade of classic cars interspersed with regular traffic held on the Memorial Day weekend. Dangerous driving and stunts have led to several serious accidents, including a fatality in 2020.

Four remain hospitalized after two killed, 20 injured in O Street crash on cruise night

Two people are dead and 20 others injured after a crash on O Street late Sunday sent two cars into a crowd of bystanders gathered near the intersection at 52nd Street to watch the annual Memorial Day weekend cruise night..


O Street is annually a hot spot for cruisers over Memorial Day weekend. This year, the Nebraska State Patrol and Lincoln Police said they would strengthen their forces Friday through Sunday, with a special focus on O Street between 17th and 84th streets

Police said that some motorists attempt dangerous maneuvers to incite crowds gathered for cruise night, such as burnouts and speeding. Spectators often gather to watch from business parking lots along O Street.


In recent years, crowds of more than 5,000 people have gathered along O Street for the ["Americruise"] parade of classic cars interspersed with regular traffic. Police have described how some attendees have rushed into O Street to pour water on the tires of cars doing burnouts to create larger smoke clouds.

https://journalstar.com/news/local/watch-now-two-dead-19-injured-in-o-street-crash-on-cruise-night/article_bb7f9c24-a686-562f-bb46-bf9c75e0d6db.html

'none of the officers assigned to monitor cruise night witnessed the crash'
May 24, 2022

The 5th wave: Omicron BA.2.12.1 has become dominant among new U.S. COVID case

Another Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.12.1 has become the dominant version among new U.S. coronavirus cases

The development comes as the United States recently began averaging more than 100,000 new confirmed cases per day again

Another form of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 has become the dominant version among new U.S. coronavirus cases, according to federal estimates on Tuesday, a development that experts had forecast over the last few weeks.

There was no indication yet that the new subvariant, known as BA.2.12.1, causes more severe disease than earlier forms did. BA.2.12.1 made up about 58 percent of all new U.S. cases, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the week ending May 21.

For the first time since February, the United States recently began averaging more than 100,000 new confirmed cases per day again, according to a New York Times database. Newly reported cases have been rising in nearly every state, many infections go uncounted in official statistics, so the true number of infections may be higher. As of Monday, there were an average of more than 24,700 hospitalizations nationally, an increase of 28 percent over the last two weeks.

BA.2.12.1 spreads more rapidly than previous versions of Omicron including the form which sent U.S. cases soaring over the winter. The new version evolved from BA.2, which itself was more contagious than any variant that came before it. New York State health officials said mid-April that the Omicron subvariants known as BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 accounted for more than 90 percent of new cases in central New York State.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/05/24/world/covid-19-mandates-vaccine-cases#covid-omicron-cases--

With each new variant that takes over, SARS-CoV-2 comes closer to matching the infectivity of the measles. But unlike the measles, current vaccination provides virtually no protection against infection after 2 months. Any COVID infection, severe or otherwise, is bad news. The new nRNA vaccines, updated for Omicron, can't come soon enough.

NB. Keeping up to date on vaccination protects against severe disease. Everyone should get their shots, but keep taking precautions. Vice President Harris came down with COVID three weeks after her second booster.
May 21, 2022

6 days after Buffalo, Cawthorn says, 'It's time for the rise of the new right' to 'take command'.

Dark MAGA must 'take command' to defeat the 'cowardly and weak'.

“The time for genteel politics as usual has come to an end. It’s time for the rise of the new right, it’s time for Dark MAGA to truly take command. We have an enemy to defeat, but we will never be able to defeat them until we defeat the cowardly and weak members of our own party. Their days are numbered. We are coming.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/maddow-blog-following-defeat-cawthorn-says-dark-maga-must-take-command/

Dark MAGA is an alt-right online movement that likes the original Nazis
https://gnet-research.org/2022/04/05/from-orange-to-red-an-assessment-of-the-dark-maga-trend-in-far-right-online-spaces/

The glowing eyes were lifted from 'The Boys' series on Netflix - a superpower that can incinerate your enemies. The woman in the center is 'Stormfront'.


May 20, 2022

Russian Hypersonic Missiles Underperforming in Ukraine Conflict, NORTHCOM Says

The Kremlin’s most advanced missile systems are not operating effectively in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, U.S. Northern Command chief Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck said Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee.

The Russians have “had challenges with some of their hypersonic missiles as far as accuracy,” he told the panel.

“I will tell you, originally, we thought they weren’t working at a rate that was as good as ours. But what I would say is, they’re on par with our capabilities, not all of them, specifically their cruise missiles,” VanHerck said.

Despite Russia’s overall inaccuracy in firing all of its missiles, John Plumb, the assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said “the sobering reality” is that the estimated 1,500 missiles Russia has fired since the Feb. 24 invasion targeted Ukrainian civilians.

The witnesses agreed it was the largest employment of missile systems since World War II.

https://news.usni.org/2022/05/19/russian-hypersonic-missiles-underperforming-in-ukraine-conflict-northcom-says

The Russians have had a lot to say about their supermissles. The reality is they do not have an edge on the U.S.

The war in Ukraine has given NATO priceless intelligence about Russia's military capabilities.
May 20, 2022

US to give Ukraine Patriot missile systems - The Washington Post

The United States will transfer Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine. They will be part of a new $40 billion aid package recently approved by the Senate.

It is reported by The Washington Post .

The new aid package, approved on Thursday, May 19, provides for $20 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. According to the publication, the United States plans to finance the transfer of weapons systems such as Patriot and long-range artillery to the Ukrainian army.

In addition, the aid package included more than $8 billion in general economic support for Ukraine, almost $5 billion in global food aid, and more than $1 billion in support for refugees.

https://ukrainetoday.org/2022/05/20/us-to-give-ukraine-patriot-missile-systems-the-washington-post/

Presumably Ukrainian operators will be trained in handling the Patriot system. The Pentagon previously said such training could take months. I can't see that deploying 'volunteers' is an option.

Wahingtom Post link-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/19/ukraine-aid-senate/
May 20, 2022

'Kellyanne Conway says her husband was 'cheating by tweeting' disdain for former President Trump'

Kellyanne, 55, said in her book — which is set to be released on May 24 — that her husband, an attorney, spent long periods of time in New York for work while she and the kids were in DC.

"During this time, the frequency and ferocity of his tweets accelerated. Clearly, he was cheating by tweeting," she wrote. "I was having a hard time competing with his new fling."

George Conway, 58, frequently used his platform to criticize Trump, who he'd introduced to Kellyanne Conway before later disapproving of his political stances and actions.

"Don't assume that the things he says and does are part of a rational plan or strategy, because they seldom are," George Conway tweeted once in 2019. "Consider them as a product of his pathologies, and they make perfect sense."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/kellyanne-conway-says-her-husband-was-cheating-by-tweeting-his-disdain-for-former-president-trump-in-her-new-memoir/
May 19, 2022

U.S. is considering supplying Ukraine with NSM anti-ship missiles to break Russian blockade.

The NSM - Naval Strike Missile is a stealth cruise missle in service since 2012. It can be used in land attacks, as well as against naval vessels.
https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/naval-strike-missile-nsm/

I imagine operators will require considerable training. The simpler Harpoon would also be 'shipped' as well.

The White House is working to supply Ukraine with powerful anti-ship missiles. They will allow the naval siege of Ukrainian ports to be removed because Russia will have to withdraw its ships.

The US is currently considering sending two types of missiles: the Harpoon with a range of 300 kilometers and the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) with a range of 250 kilometers. They can either be delivered directly from the United States or taken from European partners.
-Ukraine Now Telegram feed

May 19, 2022

George R.R. Martin: "The Winds of Winter" may be "the longest book in the series"

https://www.salon.com/2022/05/08/george-rr-martin-the-winds-of-winter-may-be-the-longest-bookin-the-series_partner/

I am really started to dislike this guy. Why can't he say: 'I am not going to finish the books, there is more money / acclaim doing scripts'.
May 19, 2022

Madison Cawthorn's Defeat 'Good News' for Ukrainians: Former Ambassador

It is some sort of 'achievement' when a freshman Congressman's demise is celebrated in the wider world.

Madison Cawthorn's Defeat 'Good News' for Ukrainians: Former Ambassador

North Carolina Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn's defeat in the state's primary was celebrated by a former Ukrainian ambassador on Wednesday, following Cawthorn's past comments toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In a tweet Tuesday night, Olexander Scherba, Ukraine's former ambassador to Austria, wrote, "Good news, Ukrainians! US Congressman Madison Kothorn [sic], one of Ukraine's biggest haters in Congress, lost the primaries. One Putin's agent will have less influence."

The comments by Scherba came shortly after Cawthorn conceded to state Senator Chuck Edwards in North Carolina's Republican primary for a seat in the House of Representatives.

In March, Cawthorn made headlines for calling Zelensky a "thug" in a speech.

"Remember that Zelensky is a thug...remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies," Cawthorn previously said.

https://www.newsweek.com/madison-cawthorns-defeat-good-news-ukrainians-former-ambassador-1707860
May 17, 2022

Russian catastrophe at Bilohorivka river crossing makes invaders contemplate defeat

While attempting to bridge the river in the Donbas, which is close to the village of Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast, the Russians lost dozens of tanks and armored cars, and almost 500 troops, according to estimates by military experts.

The scale of the defeat in this one incident has had such an impact that even pro-Russian bloggers are bewailing the incompetence of Russian generals, the NYT article says.

Moreover, news of the disaster is even leaking into the Kremlin’s tightly controlled information space, which usually isolates Russians from any negative news about the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.



https://news.yahoo.com/russian-catastrophe-bilohorivka-river-crossing-121900557.html

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