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Motorist fatally stabbed truck passenger who spit on his BMW: Police

By JOSIAH BATES

Apr 6, 2018, 4:07 PM ET

WATCHArrest made in deadly road rage attack

A Florida man was arrested late Thursday after a road rage confrontation in Tampa turned deadly.

Teddy Smith, 44, allegedly became enraged when Gilbert Serna, who was a passenger in a truck, apparently spit on his BMW Wednesday morning.

Serna, 56, had a habit of spitting out of the window, his sister told ABC station WFTS.

But when the truck and Smith's BMW were stopped on Fowler Avenue about 11 a.m., the spitting led to an argument.

That's when Smith allegedly stabbed Serna in the upper body, according to the police report.

A piece of East Africa is expected to break off the main continent in tens of millions of years. And if you need any proof, look no further than Kenya’s Rift Valley, where a giant, gaping tear opened up following heavy rains and seismic activity, according to Face2Face Africa.

The enormous crack in southwestern Kenya appeared March 19 and measures about 50 feet wide and several miles along, Face2Face Africa and other news sources reported. Moreover, it’s still growing longer.

The rift is probably a sign of things to come as the plate tectonics under Africa rearrange themselves. The majority of Africa sits on top of the African Plate. However, a long, vertical piece of eastern Africa lies on top of the Somali Plate. This juncture where the two plates meet is known as the East African Rift, which stretches an astonishing 1,800 miles, or about the distance from Denver to Boston.

To avoid confusion (given that Africa doesn’t sit on only one plate), researchers call the giant African plate the Nubian Plate. In essence, the Nubian and Somali plates are being split in two, according to a report last month in the Conversation by Lucia Perez Diaz, a postdoctoral researcher at the Fault Dynamics Research Group at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Here’s how two plates split apart: The lithosphere, which is broken up into tectonic plates, is made of the Earth’s crust and the upper part of the mantle. When the lithosphere experiences tugging forces, it becomes thinner, until it eventually ruptures, Perez Diaz wrote. This rupture has already led to the formation of the Rift Valley.

The rupture process is often accompanied by seismic activity and volcanism. In the East African Rift’s case, a large mantle plume under the lithosphere is weakening it, allowing it to stretch, Perez Diaz said.

Rifts lead to recognizable land formations — that is, a series of depressions surrounded by higher ground. The East African Rift has several rift valleys that can be seen from space. However, not all of these rifts formed at the same time. Rather, they started in northern Ethiopia about 30 million years ago and spread southward toward Zimbabwe at an average rate of between 1 and 2 inches (2.5 and 5 centimeters) a year, Perez Diaz said.

As the Somali and Nubian plates move apart, the region can experience earthquakes, as it did in southwestern Kenya recently. The giant crack tore the busy Mai Mahiu-Narok road in two and split apart houses, including the home of a 72-year-old woman who was eating dinner with her family when it happened, according to Face2Face Africa.

The Rift Valley has been called the “cradle of humanity” because of the many important archaeological finds there in the past.

— Live Science

(The Washington Post)

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/8/2018 4:25:14 PM
	A huge crack provides evidence that Africa is slowly splitting into two A tanker drives near a tear that opened up following heavy rains and seismic activity in Kenya’s Rift Valley in March. It measures about 50 feet wide and several miles along — and is growing longer. (Thomas Mukoya/Reuters) By Laura Geggel April 7 A piece of East Africa is expected to break off the main continent in tens of millions of years. And if you need any proof, look no further than Kenya’s Rift Valley, where a giant, gaping tear opened up following heavy rains and seismic activity, according to Face2Face Africa. The enormous crack in southwestern Kenya appeared March 19 and measures about 50 feet wide and several miles along, Face2Face Africa and other news sources reported. Moreover, it’s still growing longer. The rift is probably a sign of things to come as the plate tectonics under Africa rearrange themselves. The majority of Africa sits on top of the African Plate. However, a long, vertical piece of eastern Africa lies on top of the Somali Plate. This juncture where the two plates meet is known as the East African Rift, which stretches an astonishing 1,800 miles, or about the distance from Denver to Boston. To avoid confusion (given that Africa doesn’t sit on only one plate), researchers call the giant African plate the Nubian Plate. In essence, the Nubian and Somali plates are being split in two, according to a report last month in the Conversation by Lucia Perez Diaz, a postdoctoral researcher at the Fault Dynamics Research Group at Royal Holloway, University of London. Here’s how two plates split apart: The lithosphere, which is broken up into tectonic plates, is made of the Earth’s crust and the upper part of the mantle. When the lithosphere experiences tugging forces, it becomes thinner, until it eventually ruptures, Perez Diaz wrote. This rupture has already led to the formation of the Rift Valley. The rupture process is often accompanied by seismic activity and volcanism. In the East African Rift’s case, a large mantle plume under the lithosphere is weakening it, allowing it to stretch, Perez Diaz said. Rifts lead to recognizable land formations — that is, a series of depressions surrounded by higher ground. The East African Rift has several rift valleys that can be seen from space. However, not all of these rifts formed at the same time. Rather, they started in northern Ethiopia about 30 million years ago and spread southward toward Zimbabwe at an average rate of between 1 and 2 inches (2.5 and 5 centimeters) a year, Perez Diaz said. As the Somali and Nubian plates move apart, the region can experience earthquakes, as it did in southwestern Kenya recently. The giant crack tore the busy Mai Mahiu-Narok road in two and split apart houses, including the home of a 72-year-old woman who was eating dinner with her family when it happened, according to Face2Face Africa. The Rift Valley has been called the “cradle of humanity” because of the many important archaeological finds there in the past. — Live Science (The Washington Post)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/8/2018 4:42:49 PM
	Iran Hit by Massive Cyber Attack That Left the American Flag on Screens April 8, 2018 at 8:53 am Written by Middle East Monitor (MEMO) — Hackers have attacked networks in a number of countries including data centers in Iran where they left the image of a US flag on screens along with a warning “Don’t mess with our elections”, the Iranian IT ministry said on Saturday. “The attack apparently affected 200,000 router switches across the world in a widespread attack, including 3,500 switches in our country,” the Communication and Information Technology Ministry said in a statement carried by Iran’s official news agency IRNA. The statement said the attack, which hit internet service providers and cut off web access for subscribers, was made possible by a vulnerability in routers from Cisco which had earlier issued a warning and provided a patch that some firms had failed to install over the Iranian new year holiday. Cisco did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A blog published on Thursday by Nick Biasini, a threat researcher at Cisco’s Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group, said: “Several incidents in multiple countries, including some specifically targeting critical infrastructure, have involved the misuse of the Smart Install protocol…As a result, we are taking an active stance, and are urging customers, again, of the elevated risk and available remediation paths.” Iran’s IT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi posted a picture of a computer screen on Twitter with the image of the US flag and the hackers’ message. He said it was not yet clear who had carried out the attack. Azari-Jahromi said the attack mainly affected Europe, India and the United States, state television reported. “Some 55,000 devices were affected in the United States and 14,000 in China, and Iran’s share of affected devices was two per cent,” Azari-Jahromi was quoted as saying. In a tweet, Azari-Jahromi said the state computer emergency response body MAHER had shown “weaknesses in providing information to (affected) companies” after the attack which was detected late on Friday in Iran. Hadi Sajadi, deputy head of the state-run Information Technology Organisation of Iran, said the attack was neutralized within hours and no data was lost. Creative Commons / Middle East Monitor
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/9/2018 9:47:53 AM
	Dozens killed in apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians in Syria, rescue workers say Syrian doctors and rescue workers reported on April 7 that dozens of people had died in an apparent chemical attack in Douma in eastern Ghouta. (Reuters) By Louisa Loveluck and Erin Cunningham April 8 at 3:50 PM ISTANBUL — Syrian doctors and rescue workers said Sunday that dozens of people had died in an apparent chemical attack on a besieged enclave near Damascus as government forces escalated their offensive to recapture the last rebel strongholds near the capital. The attack, which killed at least 40 people in the city of Douma on Saturday night, many of them choking and foaming at the mouth, appeared to force the start of a final withdrawal of hard-line rebels from the most strategically important district to remain under opposition control. An agreement allowing them to pull out was announced by the Russian military command in Syria. More than 500 people “were brought to local medical centers with symptoms indicative of exposure to a chemical agent,” according to the Syrian American Medical Society, a Washington-based nonprofit group that supports health facilities in the area. Footage from the area showed bodies strewn across the floor of an air raid shelter. Among them was a young man who appeared to have died foaming at the mouth and clutching his child. Rescue workers at the scene said the smell of chlorine in the room had been almost overpowering. In a series of tweets on the morning of April 8, President Trump condemned an apparent chemical attack near Damascus on April 7.(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) President Trump responded to the attack on his Twitter account Sunday, describing it as an “atrocity.” “Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria,” he said. “Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price . . .” “Animal Assad” was an insult directed at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The attack came as Syrian government forces stepped up an eight-week-long offensive against Douma, outside Damascus, the last stronghold controlled by hard-line rebels from the Jaish al-Islam group. More than six years into Syria’s bitter civil war, Assad’s military has repeatedly been accused of using chemical weapons in densely populated areas, a tactic that experts say is intended to sow terror and break morale. As rescue workers counted the dead Sunday, pro-government outlets reported that a deal had finally been reached for the rebels to leave the area. That was confirmed by Russian Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, who said that 8,000 fighters would be allowed to pull out, according to the Russian news agency Tass. Jaish al-Islam did not respond to requests for comment. Syrian state media and Russia’s Foreign Ministry dismissed claims that Syrian troops were responsible for the deaths in Douma. Russia is a principal ally of Assad. This image released by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, shows a child receiving oxygen through respirators following an alleged poison gas attack in the rebel-held town of Douma, near Damascus, Syria. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets/AP) The allegations are “without basis” and are “designed to shield the terrorists . . . who reject a political settlement,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. But a network of flight monitors said they had observed a stream of Mi-8 helicopters departing a Syrian government air base and heading toward Douma between 8:25 and 8:45 p.m., shortly before doctors started to record mass casualties. Escalating U.S. rhetoric against Syrian and Russian tactics in Eastern Ghouta has done little to quell the violence. Late Saturday, the State Department singled out both governments, saying they “must be held accountable.” Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert described the reports from Eastern Douma as “disturbing” and “horrifying,” saying they required an “immediate response by the international community.” Gregory D. Koblentz, the director of George Mason University’s Biodefense Graduate Program, said the attack appeared to reflect how much the clout of U.S. policy has faded in Syria. “Assad is less concerned about Beltway politics, less concerned by who is in the White House. His calculation is based on whether it will help his chances in achieving gains on the ground, or punishing the rebels,” he said. Multiple reports, including from rescue workers and the State Department, said an initial attack had targeted a hospital. It was unclear, however, what type of chemicals might have been used. A representative for the United Nations said that Secretary General António Guterres was “particularly alarmed by allegations that chemical weapons have been used against civilian populations in Douma” but that the United Nations was “not in a position to verify these reports.” Syrian doctors and rescue workers on Sunday shared with journalists graphic images of men, women and children who they said had been killed or wounded in the attack. “We tried to send people to the area to rescue the injured, but even the rescue workers began suffocating,” said Mohamed Samer, a medical worker in Douma. Some of the footage showed piles of bodies inside homes or slumped in concrete stairwells, foam visible on their noses and mouths. In other videos, civilians are shown streaming onto a chaotic field clinic where workers were attempting to treat those affected. In one, doctors held an inhaler to the mouth of an infant whose body shuddered through ragged breaths. Another showed an ashen-faced man convulsing. [North Korea is quietly increasing aid to Syria’s chemical, missile programs, U.N. says] The images recalled earlier chemical weapons attacks on civilians in Syria, including those involving the nerve agent sarin. A year ago, nearly 100 people were killed in a strike on the northern town of Khan Sheikhoun that the United Nations has blamed on the Syrian air force. In 2013, also in Eastern Ghouta, a sarin attack killed more than 1,000 people — an event that prompted President Barack Obama to threaten military action against the Syrian government. More than 1,700 people have been killed in Eastern Ghouta, of which Douma is the largest city, since the Syrian army and allied Russian forces began a punishing assault in February to rout rebels from the area. A U.N. Security Council resolution failed to quell the fighting, and over the past month, more than 130,000 Syrians have left Eastern Ghouta as part of evacuation deals between rebels and government forces, the United Nations said. As many as 150,000 people remain in Douma, where the humanitarian situation is “severe” and food is “in short supply,” according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. A fragile cease-fire had shielded Douma’s residents for 10 days as Russia led talks with Jaish al-Islam to negotiate its withdrawal from the area after six years of control. But that respite was shattered Friday when government forces began a fresh round of air and artillery strikes after the rebel group showed little willingness to compromise. Jaish al-Islam launched volleys of rockets into densely populated Damascus districts as the fighting intensified, killing or maiming residents and striking terror in the broader community. “I am living the toughest moments of my life,” said one medical worker in Douma, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons. He said the bombardment has been so intense in recent days that he has been unable to reach his family in Douma. “Everyone is too scared to go out,” he said. A victory for government forces in Douma would effectively mark a death blow to the armed rebellion against Assad, whose government has wielded brutal force to snuff out a seven-year-long uprising. Eastern Ghouta was one of the first areas near Damascus to revolt in 2011. If it falls under full government control, only a handful of areas will remain under rebel control, none of them as strategically important. Suzan Haidamous and Asma Ajroudi in Beirut, Amie Ferris-Rotman in Moscow and Jenna Johnson in Washington contributed to this report. (The Washington Post)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/9/2018 10:25:42 AM
	Trump tweets condemnation of Syria chemical attack, saying Putin shares the blame In a series of tweets on the morning of April 8, President Trump condemned an apparent chemical attack near Damascus on April 7.(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) By Carol Morello and Jenna Johnson April 8 at 11:06 PM The likelihood of a military strike against Syria after a suspected chemical weapons attack increased Sunday as President Trump said there would be a “big price to pay” and officials in France vowed the country would “do its duty” in responding. France called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday to discuss the weekend attack, and eight other nations joined in the request, including the United States and Britain. In reference to a warning by President Emmanuel Macron last month that France would strike unilaterally if Syria used chemical weapons again, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the nation would assume its responsibilities. [Dozens killed in apparent chemical attack on Syrian civilians] Several prominent Republicans urged Trump to act — and to reconsider his plan to draw down the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) told ABC News’ “This Week” that this is a “defining moment” in Trump’s presidency that demands follow-through. Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) suggested that Trump change his mind about withdrawing troops from Syria, place more sanctions on Russia and consider targeted attacks on Syrian facilities, similar to one he ordered a year ago after a chemical attack on civilians. President Trump said he wants to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria where they're supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against the Islamic State. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) Even before the lawmakers spoke, Trump himself hinted that a military strike might be at hand if the use of chemical weapons by Syrian government forces is verified. As grisly images emerged, showing bodies of babies in basements and bloodied survivors at hospitals in Eastern Ghouta, Trump made a rare direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Putin shared blame for the deaths through Russia’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay,” Trump said in back-to-back tweets. “Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!” [Trump instructs military to begin planning for Syria withdrawal] Late Sunday, SANA, Syria’s state-run news agency, said that an air base in central Syria was hit by a missile attack and that the military shot down eight missiles. The report said the attack in Homs province “is likely to be an American aggression.” In a statement, the Pentagon denied the report, saying: “At this time, the Department of Defense is not conducting air strikes in Syria. However, we continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable.” The crisis in Syria is escalating at a pivotal moment for the White House’s national security team. John Bolton, a noted hawk on Russia and Iran, begins work as Trump’s national security adviser on Monday. On Thursday, CIA Director Mike Pompeo has a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination as secretary of state. Injured victims of an alleged chemical attack rest Sunday in rebel-held Douma, Syria. (Emad Aldin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) Trump also blamed his predecessor for not following through on his threat that Assad’s chemical weapons use was a red line that would not be tolerated, something that Trump suggested he would not repeat. “If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!” he tweeted. Echoing Trump, Vice President Pence tweeted that U.S. officials were monitoring the events. “The Assad regime & its backers MUST END their barbaric behavior,” he added. “As POTUS said, big price to pay for those responsible!” Syrian, Russian denials Syria and its main backers, Russia and Iran, are not only denying responsibility, they question whether there even was an attack. SANA said the reports originated with “terrorists” who are on the verge of collapse under an offensive by the Syrian army. “Such allegations and accusations by the Americans and certain Western countries signal a new conspiracy against the Syrian government and people, and a pretext for military action,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. And Russia’s Foreign Ministry released a statement claiming that information on the reported attack is a tactic being used to cover up for terrorists. “The goal of these false conjectures, which are without basis, are designed to shield the terrorists and the implacable radical opposition, who reject a political settlement,” the statement said. The crisis over Syria is likely to accelerate the downward spiral of the relationship between Russia and the United States, already at its lowest point in decades. On Friday, the administration placed economic sanctions on some Russian tycoons. The sanctions give the United States a potent weapon to pressure international financial institutions not to lend money or facilitate transactions by the well-connected Russians. “Whatever was driving Trump to leave Putin alone, it’s over,” said Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the Eurasia Group, an analytical firm. “Over the course of 48 hours, Trump basically sanctioned the Russian system and fingered Putin for backing the ‘Animal Assad.’ “If the U.S. confirms chemical weapons were used, I think we get a strike on Syria. As harsh as Friday’s sanctions were, they also set the precedent for sanctioning anyone who benefits from the Russian system.” Trump’s gradual shift Trump has come reluctantly to this crucible over Syria. Assad has never been a priority for Trump. Though he called him a “bad guy,” he repeatedly said on the campaign trail and in the White House that Assad is not a U.S. priority. He was willing to be involved in Syria as long as the fight against the Islamic State was going on, but not much more. His announcement that the U.S. military role in Syria was “coming to a rapid end” was a continuation of that belief. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is recuperating at home after last year’s brain cancer diagnosis, tweeted that Trump’s words may have set the stage for another chemical attack. “@POTUS’s pledge to withdraw from #Syria has only emboldened Assad, backed by Russia & Iran, to commit more war crimes in #Douma,” he tweeted. “@POTUS responded after last year’s chemical attack. He should do so again & make Assad pay a price for his brutality.” A year ago, Trump also had to do an about-face on Syria. Last week was the first anniversary of asarin attack that killed more than 80 Syrians in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. That occurred shortly after the administration said that it did not believe removing Assad from power was a priority. The Syrian government was deemed responsible in a joint inquiry by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The use of sarin at Khan Sheikhoun angered Trump and led him to reassess his attitude toward Syria and Assad. “It crossed a lot of lines for me,” he said. “When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies, with a chemical gas that was so lethal,” then it “crosses many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines.” Three days after the attack, Trump ordered a missile strike on the Syrian airfield that had been used by planes that dropped the sarin. White House homeland security adviser Thomas Bossert said that when he heard of this weekend’s attack, his first thought was the timing, coming one year after “the last time they made the mistake of using these weapons and pushing the rest of the world. This isn’t just the United States. This is one of those issues on which every nation, all peoples, have all agreed and have agreed since World War II this is an unacceptable practice.” Nothing, Bossert said on “This Week,” should be taken “off the table.” Sentiments of outrage over the most recent incident reverberated around the world. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called the attack an example of the Assad government’s brutality. The European Union issued a statement appealing to Assad’s allies Russia and Iran to “use their influence to prevent any further attack and ensure the cessation of hostilities and de-escalation of violence.” Turkey, which has been cooperating with Assad allies in talks for a political solution, called for international action to prevent what it called war crimes and crimes against humanity. Amie Ferris-Rotman, Louisa Loveluck, Sean Sullivan and Paul Sonne contributed to this report. (The Washington Post)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
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Motorist fatally stabbed truck passenger who spit on his BMW: Police

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