Wicked Blue
Wicked Blue's Journal
Gold coin proves 'fake' Roman emperor was real
BBC News
By Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent
An ancient gold coin proves that a third century Roman emperor written out of history as a fictional character really did exist, scientists say.
The coin bearing the name of Sponsian and his portrait was found more than 300 years ago in Transylvania, once a far-flung outpost of the Roman empire.
Believed to be a fake, it had been locked away in a museum cupboard.
Now scientists say scratch marks visible under a microscope prove that it was in circulation 2,000 years ago.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63636641
Making A Case That Breaking Twitter Was The Plan and Why
Daily Kos
bluedogsd
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Saturday November 19, 2022
I’m presenting a thesis: Elon Musk is breaking Twitter as a co-opted asset for the Putin Oligarchy with the purpose of disrupting or damaging the best information coming out of Ukraine to the public that bolsters support in NATO and the west.
Of course this thesis can and will never be proven but I want to make what I think is a compelling case.
I ask you to examine my points with a skeptical view and see if I can convince you. Even if the first thought is “That sounds crazy and conspiratorial” I ask you to remember that “Trump Russia” was real and the Mueller report showed that Vladmir Putin executed an extreme cyber attack on us in that case.
...
Fact #1 Musk used a talking point that is a direct construct of Vladmir Putin which isn’t a popular Russian talking point at that.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/19/2134141/-Making-A-Case-That-Breaking-Twitter-Was-The-Plan-and-Why
This is something I've suspected, without any factual basis, just instinct. - WB
Iran will help Russia build drones for Ukraine war, Western officials say
Source: Washington Post
After weeks of savaging Ukrainian cities with Iranian-made drones, Moscow has quietly reached an agreement with Tehran to begin manufacturing hundreds of unmanned weaponized aircraft on Russian soil, according to new intelligence seen by U.S. and other Western security agencies.
Russian and Iranian officials finalized the deal during a meeting in Iran in early November, and the two countries are moving rapidly to transfer designs and key components that could allow production to begin within months, three officials familiar with the matter said in interviews.
The agreement, if fully realized, would represent a further deepening of a Russian-Iranian alliance that already has provided crucial support for Moscow’s faltering military campaign in Ukraine, the officials said. By acquiring its own assembly line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems that, in recent weeks, have changed the character of the nine-month-old Ukrainian conflict.
Russia has deployed more than 400 Iranian-made attack drones against Ukraine since August, intelligence officials say, with many of the aircraft used in strikes against civilian infrastructure targets such as power plants. After being forced to abandon Ukrainian territory its forces captured early in the war, Moscow has shifted to a strategy of relentless air assaults on Ukrainian cities, using a combination of cruise missiles and self-detonating drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for millions of people.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/11/19/russia-iran-drones-secret-deal/
Massive explosion hits Russian Gazprom gas pipeline amid suspicions of sabotage linked to Putin's wa
Source: Daily Mail
An enormous explosion has hit one of Russia's major gas pipelines, sending flames and smoke billowing into the sky above and prompting fears it was a retribution attack for Vladimir Putin's continued invasion of Ukraine.
The fireball was visible for miles in every direction after hitting about 14 miles east of St Petersburg, the nation's second largest city and Putin's hometown.
One source said: 'Everything is automatic there, and such explosions by themselves, without external influence, are impossible.'
The blast is believed to have hit the main gas pipeline belonging to Gazprom Transgaz SPB, and could have potentially impacted up to one million people.
Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11447127/Explosion-hits-Russian-gas-pipeline-amid-suspicions-sabotage-linked-Putins-war-Ukraine.html
Video of blast from Newsweek.com
https://twitter.com/i/status/1593954688474517505
https://www.newsweek.com/videos-reportedly-shows-massive-fireball-blast-near-russias-st-petersburg-1760858
David Trone projected to win reelection in Maryland's 6th District
Source: Washington Post
By Meagan Flynn
November 11, 2022 at 2:33 p.m. EST
Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) is projected to win his reelection bid, holding off a challenge from Del. Neil C. Parrott (R) in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which for the first time in years emerged as the state’s most competitive congressional race, leading Trone to invest millions of his personal fortune in defending the seat.
Parrott called Trone to concede on Friday afternoon, both campaigns confirmed.
Trone’s victory allows Democrats to notch one more win in the still-closely fought battle for control of the U.S. House, which remains unresolved. Republican hopes of a big red wave collapsed spectacularly after Democrats defied expectations to hang onto seats in numerous tough districts while avoiding slews of upset-surprises in others, like Maryland’s 6th, where most political analysts considered Trone the favorite despite Parrott’s spirited challenge.
The rematch between Trone and Parrott was seen as Maryland’s most exciting congressional race, where Parrott hoped a strong grass roots game and broad dissatisfaction with the economy and President Biden could overpower Trone’s enormous personal wealth and incumbent advantage.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/11/maryland-6th-results-trone-wins-parrott/
How did the watermelon become a symbol of Kherson's liberation from Russian occupation?
Watermelon is recognized as a symbol of the Kherson region. During peacetime, the sweet berry played an important role in promoting tourism in the region. During the war, the watermelon became a symbol of the region’s liberation from Russian occupation.
The Kherson region is responsible for almost 50% of all watermelons farmed in Ukraine. Ukrainian watermelons are unique due to the temperature and soil in Kherson – their quality is so renowned that watermelons cultivated in other regions of Ukraine were frequently referred to as “Khersonian” by sellers since they had become a sign of taste and quality. Watermelons from the Kherson region were shipped to practically every city in Ukraine for sale.
Because of the war, most Ukrainians were unable to taste Kherson watermelons this summer. Kherson watermelons were only marketed in the occupied territory in Ukraine. Watermelons taken from the Kherson region were also exported to Russia.
https://www.weareukraine.info/38081-2/
Maryland 6th district race too close to call - Trone vs Parrott apart by 1277 votes
There hasn't been much reporting on the extremely close race between incumbent Democratic Rep. David Trone and Republican Neil C. Parrott in the redrawn 6th District in Maryland. All other congressional races in the state have been called.So I looked at the most recent numbers this morning (11/11) on NBC4 Washington's website, and there are only 1277 votes separating them, with 92% of the votes counted.
Parrott has a thin lead with 104,859 votes, while Trone trails with 103,577 ballots tallied as of today.
Source
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-elections/maryland-house-results
The five counties represented in the district are still counting mail-in ballots, according to the Frederick News-Post. This article was published November 9.
"As of 6 p.m. on Tuesday — two hours before the deadline that mail-in ballots had to be postmarked or dropped off — 72,025 mail-in ballots had been sent to voters in the 6th Congressional District and 46,375 ballots had been received.
By Election Day, local boards of election had tallied 13,203 of those ballots, leaving 33,172 left to be counted in the district.
Of the five counties included in the 6th District, all but one — Garrett County — started counting mail-in ballots before Election Day. Frederick, Allegany and Washington counties will resume counting on Thursday, and Montgomery County will resume counting on Saturday.
Garrett County will start counting mail-in ballots on Thursday."
https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/continuing_coverage/election_coverage/6th-district-rematch-between-trone-and-parrott-still-undecided/article_75c2c571-0e5c-5e39-8efd-72823f414073.html
I'm not sure how many uncounted ballots remain as of today, but there's still a chance that Trone could win if the mail-in ballots run in his favor.
WB
