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Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
24,422
31,637
Got enough pigs. Trying to kill off a bunch now. The state pays a shitload in research in how to get rid of them. Let them die.
 
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Gask

Bronze Baron of the Realm
11,744
44,118
Metal detectorist unearths gold hat pin from 1485 which may have belonged to King Edward IV
Lisa Grace, 42, spotted the Medieval jewel, which is in pristine condition, while searching a recently-ploughed field in Lincolnshire. It is believed the pin is linked to royalty as Edward IV and his circle wore strikingly similar pieces during his two reigns as King from 1460 until his death in 1483. Experts believe that the jewel was made in the late 15th century and is designed as a sun in splendour - the personal emblem of Edward IV. They believe that the piece may have been lost in battle. His first reign was filled with power struggle and conflicts, with many taking place in the area.

At the centre of the piece is a purple amethyst stone, another of the King's favourites, leading some specialists to speculate that it may have been lost by Edward IV himself. The pin closely resembles a very similar jewel depicted on Edward IV's hat in a portrait preserved in The Museum Calvet in Avignon, France.
204289
 
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Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
71,528
212,734
i love those stories, in the UK, treasure hunters get bad reps from the archaeologists. they always get accused of being grave robbers or just thieves. its actually illegal to find gold and not report it to the government, i think you have to give it to them and they get to decide if you can keep it. if you find like a few old coins in one spot its considered a horde. so people end up not telling anyone and then they become "thieves" as a result.
 
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a_skeleton_05

<Banned>
13,843
34,508
i love those stories, in the UK, treasure hunters get bad reps from the archaeologists. they always get accused of being grave robbers or just thieves. its actually illegal to find gold and not report it to the government, i think you have to give it to them and they get to decide if you can keep it. if you find like a few old coins in one spot its considered a horde. so people end up not telling anyone and then they become "thieves" as a result.

There's a fun little quaint series on Netflix called the detectorists that is worth watching about this hobby.
 
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Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
71,528
212,734
There's a fun little quaint series on Netflix called the detectorists that is worth watching about this hobby.
its a fun hobby, something i wish i could do myself. a decent detector is about 800 dollars and i would have to get far away from any urban area just to have a fair chance at finding something decent.
 
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Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
71,528
212,734

Girl had a shitty life. I am CONFIDENT some of you remember her.
lol, i got flamed to hell for defending her from you guys mocking her appearance.
 
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Bandwagon

Kolohe
<Silver Donator>
22,502
58,996
FAA Certifies Google's Wing Drone Delivery Company To Operate As An Airline

FAA clears Alphabet Inc's Wing Aviation for first U.S. drone deliveries

WASHINGTON — Alphabet Inc's Wing Aviation unit on Tuesday got the OK to start delivering goods by drone in Virginia later this year, making the sister unit of search engine Google the first company to get U.S. air carrier certification, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
This means Wing can begin a commercial service delivering goods from local businesses to homes, which includes flights beyond visual line of site and over people, the FAA and Wing said. Wing Aviation plans to start commercial package delivery in Blacksburg, Virginia, later this year.

Wing partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and Virginia Tech as one of the participants in the Transportation Department's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program.

"This is an important step forward for the safe testing and integration of drones into our economy. Safety continues to be our Number One priority as this technology continues to develop and realize its full potential," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

The certification is good for two years, the FAA said. One pilot can operate up to five drones at once and only during the day. Drones cannot carry hazardous materials or hover over people, the FAA said.

The FAA said Wing demonstrated that its operations met the agency's safety requirements, based on extensive data and documentation, as well as thousands of safe flights conducted in Australia. Wing plans to reach out to the local community before it begins a food delivery trial in order to gather feedback, the FAA said.

Wing has recently begun commercial air delivery service in the north of Canberra, Australia, and is also about to begin its first trial in Europe, delivering to homes in Helsinki, Finland.

Wing said its data shows a lower risk to pedestrians from drone deliveries than the same trip made by car.

In May 2018, Chao announced approval for 10 projects to help assess how to regulate drones and integrate them safely into U.S. air space. The United States has lagged other countries in experimentation with drones, something the program hopes to correct.

In January, the FAA proposed rules that would allow drones to operate over populated areas and end a requirement for special permits for night use. The FAA is also considering moving ahead with additional rules in response to public safety and national security concerns as it works to integrate drones with airplane traffic.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces FAA Certification of Commercial Package Delivery


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2019
Contact: Greg Martin
Phone: 202-802-0306, Email:
[email protected]

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded the first air carrier certification to a drone delivery company, Wing Aviation.
The certification paved the way for Wing Aviation to begin commercial package delivery in Blacksburg, VA. Wing partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and Virginia Tech, as one of the participants in the Transportation Department’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program.
“This is an important step forward for the safe testing and integration of drones into our economy. Safety continues to be our Number One priority as this technology continues to develop and realize its full potential,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.
Wing demonstrated that its operations met the FAA’s rigorous safety requirements to qualify for an air carrier certificate. This is based on extensive data and documentation, as well as thousands of safe flights conducted in Australia over the past several years.
Wing plans to reach out to the local community before it begins food delivery, to gather feedback to inform its future operations.
 
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pharmakos

soʞɐɯɹɐɥd
<Bronze Donator>
16,306
-2,239
 
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Gask

Bronze Baron of the Realm
11,744
44,118
Japanese to compensate victims of forced sterilization
Japan on Wednesday passed a law compensating tens of thousands of people who were sterilized, often without their consent, under a government program to prevent the birth of “inferior descendants” that remained in effect until 1996. Many of the victims were physically or cognitively disabled, and others suffered from mental illness, leprosy - now a curable affliction known as Hansen’s disease - or simply had behavioral problems.

The law, which states that “we seriously reflect and deeply apologize”, promises to pay each victim, many of whom were in their teens or younger when operated upon, 3.2 million yen ($29,000) in compensation. It was unanimously passed by the upper house of parliament, after previously passing the more powerful lower house. According to the new law, victims have five years to apply for compensation, subject to approval by a board of experts.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a statement apologizing and saying every effort would be made to ensure that society did away with discrimination against the disabled. “During the period the law was in effect, many people were subjected to operations that made them unable to have children based on their having a disability or another chronic illness, causing them great suffering. As the government that carried out this law, after deep reflection, I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

Japan’s “Eugenics Protection Law” came into effect in 1948 as it struggled with food shortages and rebuilding a war-ravaged nation, and was only revoked in 1996. During that time, an estimated 25,000 people were sterilized, with at least 16,500 not giving consent, which the eugenics board could order if it signed off on the procedures after an often cursory review. Few records remain. Sterilizations peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, with the last surgery under the law carried out in 1993.
 
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Gask

Bronze Baron of the Realm
11,744
44,118
Thai Navy Dismantles Floating ‘Seastead’ Home of Fugitive Bitcoin Couple
The outcome was very predictable but it's an interesting story.
Bitcoin trader Chad Elwartowski and Supranee Thepdet sought to be pioneers in the “seasteading” movement, which promotes living in international waters to be free of any nation’s laws. They escaped before the navy’s initial April 18 raid and remain in hiding. “The couple announced on social media declaring their autonomy beyond the jurisdiction of any courts or law of any countries, including Thailand,” Rear Adm. Vithanarat Kochaseni told reporters, adding they had invited others to join them. “We see such action as deteriorating Thailand’s independence.”

The floating home was set on top of a spar more than 12 nautical miles off the Thai island of Phuket. Elwartowski and Thepdet lived in the structure for two months before they left, ahead of the raid. They have both been charged with violating Thai sovereignty, punishable by the death penalty or life in prison. The territorial sea of a nation, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) from the baseline (usually the mean low-water mark) of a coastal state.

The couple wrote on their website that the floating home was anchored outside Thailand’s territorial waters, at least 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket. “It’s designed to ignite an entire libertarian movement of freedom seekers gearing up to live in permanent dwellings at sea—outside of the jurisdiction of any government,” wrote Thepdet. The claim is supported by an official statement released by Ocean Builders, the company who built the couple’s floating home: “Our AIS beacon is still displaying our position 13 nautical miles from Thailand, outside of Thailand’s territorial waters,” Ocean Builders wrote.

But a Thai deputy naval commander insisted the project was a threat. “This affects our national security and cannot be allowed,” Kotchaseni told Thai media on April 16, as cited by The Associated Press. He said the floating house also would pose a safety threat to navigation if it broke loose, because the area is considered a shipping lane. Thai authorities cited by Reuters said the structure is within the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone and on those grounds, its construction is a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
 
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