Latest news with #SAW
Spectator
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
A lovely album: Saint Leonard's The Golden Hour reviewed
Grade: A+ The kids with their synths and hip producers, dragging the 1980s back: I wish they would stop. It was, in the main, an awful decade for music, the bands trite yet portentous, the stupid burbling bass guitars, hubris-stricken vocals and tinny drums. The kids retread all the dross. Yet if you were actually around and sentient in that avaricious decade, as was Saint Leonard, you could find a certain chill beauty in hidden corners. Not the New Romantics, not Japan, not SAW. Just small niches here and there of inventiveness and clever pop. Saint Leonard – Kieran Leonard to his mum – draws down all that was good about the cool side of the early 1980s: the motorik beats, the synths that were only three steps above a theremin, the primitive stuttered drums appropriated from Germany. You can find Cabaret Voltaire, Berlin-era Bowie and very early Ultravox within here. And the later part of the decade? David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti's lush, minimalist, collaboration with Julee Cruise. Maybe a little debauched Gina X. The good stuff, in other words. It helps, of course, that Saint Leonard can write a tune – both 'Martini Symphony' and 'Threshold' are simply great pop songs – but also has the confidence in his melodies to allow room for them to breathe, such as the Sprechgesang on the beautiful 'The Florist'. This is a lovely album, but it is too clever, too sincere, too knowing in its musical pedigree to grab the attention of the radio programmers. Which is, I think, a great shame. Because bad though the 1980s were for music, they were always better than naive retreads of Depeche bloody Mode and the scarifying Kylie.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
YMCA raising awareness and supporting Water Safety
HONOLULU (KHON2) – It was last year when Gov. Josh Green had established Hawaii Water Safety Day. Honolulu park video surveillance could expand This year, we are acknowledging it once again because we have very uncomfortable statistics. Hawaii has the second highest drowning rates in the nation. Drowning is the leading cause of death for Hawaii children 1-15 years of age. So, to learn more about this and to see what is taking place to improve these stats, we are hear at YMCA Nuuanu branch with Leigh Ann Landreth, VP of Marketing & Healthy Living and Aquatics Expert at YMCA of Honolulu. Being that this is Hawaii Water Safety Day, what is YMCA doing to help to bring awareness to this and to hopefully better the statistics? 'Well, as you know, water safety is a year around priority but during national and local water safety awareness month, its a great time to elevate and uplift this topic,' says Landreth. 'Another statistic is that nation wide, 88% of child drownings happen with an adult nearby. And in response to that, YMCA launched its 'Phones Down, Eyes Up' campaign. You can find out more at We are asking folks to go to the website, take the pledge, and when you do, you get to access to free resources including Water Watcher badges as well free graphics for your phone screen lock to just help remind parents to stay vigilant around the water.'Bringing back to swimming lessons, I didn't know that YMCA was the one who created group swimming lessons back in 1909 and you continue to do that. So, what are you doing today? 'That's right, we have been teaching people how to swim for over 100 years now at the YMCA,' says Landreth. 'We offer swim lessons for ages 6 months and up and financial assistance is available. People can find out more and sign up for a swim lesson at I understand, too, that there has been some recent donations which will help financially for some families, but tell us a little bit about this because its good to know that through negative circumstances, something positive comes from it. 'Absolutely, so the YMCA offers a unique program and its called 'Safety Around Water,' the SAW program and that program is designed to, within 5 lessons, help a child know what to do when they fall in the water unexpectedly and the skills include floating and getting back to the wall safely,' says Landreth. 'So, we did have a very generous donor who came forward to help fund a SAW session right here at our Nuuanu location this summer in July. Unfortunately, this family lost their niece at just 3 years old. Her name is Juliette Ortega and they lost their niece years ago in a drowning accident at her birthday party, so this family just wanted to help prevent that tragedy from happening to other kids by sponsoring a SAW program and to inspire others to make a donation if they are able to do so.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Click here to learn more about Hawaii Water Safety Day. Click here to learn what other opportunities and services are available here at the YMCA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Yahoo
The century-long reign of the machine gun is over, a Russian strategist argues
Infantry's heaviest weapons like mortars and machine guns are obsolete, a Russian strategist argues. He believes drones will replace them, making infantry units smaller and lighter. Light machine guns are the centerpiece of infantry squads. Infantry troops today typically carry machine guns, an automatic grenade launcher, mortars and anti-tank missiles. Yet everything but their assault rifles is about to be functionally obsolete as infantry small units get lighter and faster, a Russian military strategist argues. First-person view, or FPV, drones "will essentially displace all group infantry weapons, all anti-tank weapons, and will take on most of the tasks of artillery," argued Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies think tank, in an essay for the Russian state-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Pukhov believes that combat will be waged by squad-sized units comprising FPV attack drone operators and infantry, backed by reconnaissance UAVs and electronic jammers. "Accordingly, the most important area of military affairs will also be the fight against enemy FPV drones," he warned in a provocative reassessment of land warfare. What the drones can't reach, such as targets deep in the enemy rear, will be targeted by long-range guided missiles. Since the First World War, when riflemen were decimated assaulting enemy trenches and machine gun nests, the infantry have been armed with their own portable heavy weapons to reduce their dependence on artillery and other external fire support. Starting with light machine guns around 1915, grunts have been equipped with light mortars, anti-tank rocket launchers, grenade launchers, guided anti-tank missiles, and most recently drones. Light machine guns such as the US M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) made by FN Manufacturing LLC or the World War II German MG42 are the centerpieces of infantry squads. With their high rate of fire, they form a base of firepower for riflemen to maneuver. However, these are typically direct-fire weapons that require a line of sight to the target. The problem is that if you can see the enemy, they can see you, which invites counterfire. However, tactical drones can be launched and operated from miles behind the front line, out of sight of the enemy. In Ukraine, troops don't maneuver much in the open anymore, especially in large groups. Instead, the combatants stay under the protection of their entrenchments, while launching thousands of drones every day to patrol the front lines for targets, and what they spot is targeted with exploding drones and artillery. "For centuries, line-of-sight fire was the basis for destruction in combat, and the foundations of tactics were built around ensuring the effectiveness of such fire," Pukhov wrote. "Now there is no need to see the enemy directly in front of you." "They can theoretically be seen from any distance and destroyed with the same high accuracy. The survivability of remote dispersed platforms for destruction from closed positions and their crews is much higher than any weapon for conducting line-of-sight fire." The thought of infantry giving up their machine guns and mortars — and relying exclusively on drones — leaves American defense experts aghast. "If someone had told me, 'Hey, we'll give you all these drones, and you've got to give up your .50-caliber and M240 machine guns,' I would have told them they're crazy," Gian Gentile, a RAND Corp. researcher and a retired US Army colonel who commanded armored cavalry in Iraq, told Business Insider. Drones are vulnerable to jamming and aerial attack, and are hampered by bad weather or smoke. An infantry squad whose only heavy weapons were drones would be putting all its eggs in one basket. But those eggs are expendable: Ukraine reported losing 10,000 drones per month in 2023, mostly to Russian jamming. A heavy machine gun that fires more than 100 rounds a minute, by contrast, makes two soldiers able to create a killing zone within 2,000 feet of their position. Pukhov also believes that drones and other indirect fire weapons have made tanks obsolete. "All fire missions performed by a tank in combat can now be assigned to much cheaper, more effective and covert means of high-precision destruction from closed positions — from FPV drones to guided artillery shells and tactical over-the-horizon missile systems," wrote Pukhov, citing weapons such as Israel's non-line-of-sight Spike tactical missile. Drones will also replace artillery, Pukhov argues. "They are already capable of operating at the full range of artillery." Indeed, FPV drones controlled by fiber-optic cables — which can't be electronically jammed — have been hitting targets 10 miles behind the front lines, which historically has been a zone covered by artillery. In theory, this creates a devastating double punch. Massive numbers of cheap FPV drones can flood the front lines. Longer-range weapons, such as the American-made ATACMS ballistic missile (200 mile range) and HIMARS guided artillery rockets (50 mile range) can hit targets farther in the rear. However, Gentile is dubious that small drones dropping small bombs or grenades are equivalent to the firepower of howitzers and multiple rocket launchers. "The kind of mass effects that you can create with artillery" is what enables the attacker to create decisive penetrations of enemy defenses, said Gentile, who also believes that tanks can still be effective if properly supported by air defenses and jammers. Still, most experts would agree that drones are transforming warfare. Pukhov predicts that operations will devolve to "the use of troops in small groups, subdivisions, and individual vehicles, dispersing them as much as possible. The impossibility of concentrating forces overturns all the foundations of military affairs." This has grave implications. The concentration of force is considered one of the basic principles of war. Great commanders like Napoleon achieved stunning victories because they massed their troops where the enemy was weak. If Pukhov is right, and the future is highly dispersed operations by small units, then armies may have difficulty achieving decisive results. Yet the history of military affairs suggest the dominance of drones may be fleeting. The longbow, the armored knight, and the tank all seemed ascendant for a time until some other weapon or tactic ended their reign of terror. Drones have revolutionized warfare, but they won't be the last revolution. Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. Read the original article on Business Insider
Express Tribune
10-03-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Decades-old Sehri tradition fading away
People dine out in the cool evening breeze in Karachi on Thursday. Many eateries stay open till Sehri to serve people enjoying dining out - the only nightlife permissible in the country. Photo: express A 150-year-old tradition in the subcontinent of waking people up for Sehri during the holy month of Ramazan by banging empty tin cans and drums is now gradually fading away in the country. In its place, social media and telephone alerts have taken over. A century ago, the practice of waking people up before Sehri by banging tin cans and drums at the doors of houses and streets seemed effective, but now, after scientific advancements, if drums are beaten near houses or streets even an hour before Sehri, people, who fast, now get upset and irritated. Every Muslim country has its own method of waking people up for Sehri. When fasting was made obligatory in the 2nd Hijrah year, Hazrat Bilal bin Rabah (RA) would roam the streets of Madinah, calling out in his beautiful voice to wake people for Sehri. A few years later, more companions of the Prophet (SAW), young people and children, joined him. Within a few years, this practice spread to Makkah and then to all Islamic states. In the early days of Islam, since there were no loudspeakers, mosque imams would light red lanterns or lamps on the minarets, chimney tops, or high places two hours before Sehri. The Muslims would wake up upon seeing the light. Around one and a half centuries ago in the subcontinent, Muslims began using large empty tin cans to wake people up for Sehri. Soon after, drums were added to the practice, and the rhythmic beating of the tin cans and drums would announce, "Rozedaro utho Sehri ka waqt ho gia ha" (Rise, O fasting ones, it is time for Sehri). People would wake up upon hearing it. After the creation of Pakistan, this tradition continued, and groups also started roaming the streets reciting naat to wake people up. However, this practice has now completely vanished. The beginning of the new century in 2001 marked the gradual end of this custom. Occasionally, a drum can be heard in some streets during Sehri time, but now, it is met with harsh words from the fasting people. In today's Ramazan, the tradition of going to bed at night is almost extinct. In most homes, people stay awake until Sehri, and children can be seen playing cricket on the streets until Sehri time. The practice of sleeping after Sehri is now on the rise. Mosques used to announce "It's time for Sehri " and also sound sirens to wake people up, and these sirens are still used for Sehri and iftar times. In Pakistan, the practice of waking people up with drums during Sehri turned into a business. After waking people for a month, people would collect "Eidi" (gifts) on the day of Eidul Fitr from all over the city, which would include cash, flour, sugar, wheat, and rice as offerings from the people. Abdul Shakoor, a 41-year-old man in Rawalpindi who still wakes people up with drums, says his grandfather, father, uncle, and other relatives had been doing this since before his birth. "We've been doing this since the creation of Pakistan," he said. However, this practice is now near its end because people get upset if drums are played in some streets. Moreover, they no longer give gifts on Eid. Despite this, Abdul Shakoor has been continuing the family business out of necessity and as a means of earning spiritual reward.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Porsha Williams' Ex Simon Guobadia's Citizenship Denied: Details
Real Housewives of Atlanta viewers met as shocking love interest. All fans really knew about him was he was a Nigerian businessman who couldn't keep a marriage together. Simon and Porsha have been going through a messy divorce which will play out on RHOA. However, Simon is back in the news due to the President's crackdown on immigration. News broke that he was being held by ICE. Here's what we know. Since 2007, the 59-year-old has made his money as the founder of Simon & Company — now called Simcol Petroleum Limited Company. Simon's company supplies refined fuels in the southeast United States. Before becoming his own boss, the father of five worked as a CPA. Court documents showed that Simon had been denied American citizenship multiple times after the government learned he was a Nigerian scammer with multiple convictions for credit card fraud and identity theft. It was reported that Simon moved to the USA on a six-month visa in 1982. But he returned to Nigeria in 1985 after overstaying the same visa. Simon then went on to marry his first wife, an American citizen named, Karron English. He then applied for 'Adjustment of Status' in 1985. However, Simon was denied citizenship because the government believed the marriage to be a sham after his ex told INS they never lived together or consummated their marriage. Simon left the country voluntarily. But he re-entered the U.S. again in 1986 on another visitor's visa, and once again, he overstayed his six-month visa. The hits kept coming for Simon, who, in 1987 was arrested for bank and credit card fraud. He pled guilty to all the felony charges. Still in the country in 1989, Simon was arrested again, but this time for unauthorized use of a vehicle, and in 1990 for fraud. Finally, the Immigration and Naturalization Service started deporting proceedings against Simon. In 1991 he was accused of committing credit card fraud. And in 1992, he was forcibly removed from the United States by a judge's order. Simon's story gets messier. In 1988, he applied for temporary resident status under a special Immigration program called Special Agricultural Worker (SAW). However, he used a fake identity for the application and did not reveal he has a criminal history. The program allowed Simon to get a green card in 1992 but under fraudulent circumstances. This happened just 26 days after he was deported from the country under another identity. Fast forward to 2016 when Simon applied for 'naturalization under his second identity.' When he went to submit an application to transition his green card status to U.S. citizenship, he was denied because 'his temporary resident status was unlawfully granted.' Us Weekly reported that Simon had been detained amid mass deportations that took place all over the country. According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security's records, Simon is being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Simon's status is listed as 'in ICE custody,' which means he is being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. President Trump signed a mass deportation plan when he came into office. Under the order, 'illegal immigrants could be deported back to their home countries.' After being denied citizenship in January 2024 for the final time, Simon seemed unphased as he posted on social media. While playing golf, he wrote, 'Happy Tuesday to all who ever overcame and persevered in life. You are winning?????? #42yearsLivinginAmerica' The businessman's Instagram profile still reads 'global citizen' in an attempt to be cheeky. Simon's estranged wife, Porsha is distancing herself from the news. In an Instagram Story, she wrote 'It's disheartening to see my estranged husband make choices that have led to this outcome. At this moment, my priority is moving forward with my family.' There is no doubt that Porsha and some of Simon's story will play out on the newest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. The Real Housewives of Atlanta is available to stream on Peacock. TELL US – DO YOU THINK SIMON SHOULD BE DEPORTED? The post Porsha Williams' Ex Simon Guobadia's Citizenship Denied: Details appeared first on Reality Tea.
