Free Republic

The Memphis Police Department Saturday announced that it has "permanently deactivated" its SCORPION unit, one day after the release of shocking video which showed the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols earlier this month. All five former officers involved in Nichols' arrest, who have since been charged with second-degree murder in his death, were part of that unit. The decision came after Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis met with members of the unit Saturday "to discuss the path forward for the department and the community in the aftermath of the tragic death of Tyre Nichols," police said in a statement....

Some of the five ex-officers in Memphis charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols were part of an elite crime-fighting unit that is now under scrutiny. Scorpion - which stands for "Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods" - is a 50-person unit with the mission of bringing down crime levels in particular areas. The police chief has now ordered a review of all specialised police units. This is not the first time the Scorpion unit has attracted controversy. It was launched in October 2021 with a focus on high-impact crimes such as car thefts and gang-related offences....

It's just me in the business so I can help a friend who is a building contractor. 5-10 hours a week. So I don't want to pay large setup or annual fees. I just don't want 87,000 heavily armed IRS agents battering my door down. I'm in North Carolina if that matters.

CAIRO (AP) — Heavy rain and flooding in a southern province in Egypt have left three people dead and more than 500 others hospitalized from scorpion stings, state-run media reported. Downpours, hail and thunder in the province of Aswan over the weekend forced local authorities to suspend school classes Sunday, Gov. Ashraf Attia said. The storms forced scorpions from their hiding places into many houses across the province, Attia added. He said at least 503 people were hospitalized after suffering scorpion stings and that all of them were discharged after they were given anti-venom doses. Acting Health Minister Khalid Abdel-Ghafar...

Scorpion venom may hold the key to stopping the coronavirus pandemic, a new study reveals. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen say the potentially fatal toxins the animals produce can help scientists create a “fascinating cocktail” which destroys germs — such as COVID-19’s grow list of new variants. Animal venom has been an ingredient in traditional medicines across the world. These potent neurotoxins — which can kill other animals and even humans — also have antibacterial and antiviral properties too. Researchers collected scorpions from the Egyptian desert and took samples of their venom before releasing them back into their habitat....

Meet the Arizona Bark Scorpion -- the most common scorpion in the Phoenix area out of the 45+ species of scorpions found in Arizona. It also happens to be the most venomous and only lethal scorpion in Arizona. In fact, the bark scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda) is the only scorpion species with venom strong enough to cause severe symptoms in the entire United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. Oh, and it is frequently found in homes, especially during the summer months. Watch the video above to see what the Arizona Bark Scorpion looks like when it hunts! Didi and Megan...

Oldest Scorpion Stings Darwin January 27, 2020 | Jerry Bergman Oldest Known Scorpion Tells a Lot about Science and Speculation: Much Promised, Little Delivered by Jerry Bergman, PhD In searching for data on the evolution of body organs and structures, one of the best sources is small organisms trapped in amber. Every now and then, though, fossilized creatures in rock contain soft tissue impressions, revealing evidence of organs or organ structures. The evidence is often indirect. Recently, paleontologists found what they call the oldest known scorpion ever uncovered: two fossil specimens of a scorpion named Parioscorpio venator. They claim it...

The unidentified woman, who was flying from San Francisco to Atlanta, said she was stung by the venomous creature while midair. She felt a stinging sensation on her leg, prompting her to go to the restroom, TMZ reports. The woman said a live scorpion then dropped out of her pant leg and crawled across the floor before being caught by flight attendants.

As Saudi Arabia continues its multi-billion dollar international arms shopping spree, it appears to have begun evaluating Textron AirLand’s Scorpion light attack jet. The firm has previously said that the Kingdom is interested in the aircraft, but growing American political opposition to its brutal and protracted intervention in Yemen might slow or scuttle actual purchases. Online flight tracking websites caught one of the Scorpion demonstrators, which presently carries the U.S. civil registration code N532TX, flying from the Royal Saudi Air Force’s King Faisal Air Base (KFAB), which is co-located with the Tabuk Regional Airport, earlier in November 2017. Though the...

Textron AirLand’s Scorpion light attack fighter has demonstrated its close air support capability for the first time during a weapons exercise at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Operating from Holloman AFB in New Mexico, the developmental aircraft launched three different munitions during tests that ran from 10-14 October. Under evaluation were Hydra-70 unguided 2.75 in rockets, the BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, and Lockheed Martin AGM-114F Hellfire missile. Weapons guidance was supported by the aircraft’s L-3 Wescam MX-15Di sensor and a ground-based laser designator, Textron says. The time taken from design and integration to flight testing...

“I started scorpion smoking in the mid-'60s,” recalls 74-year-old Sohbat Khan. It was during General Ayub Khan’s era, and Khan was only 20 years old. He would frequent the famous Jalil Kabab house in Peshawar, which is how he met the vendor who sold scorpions worth Re 1 or Rs 2 right next to the eatery. The men got their supply from the Matani area, which is rich in scorpions because of its insufferably hot weather. Khan says he has quit smoking scorpions. His eyes are sunken from years of addiction, and his pale face and hollow cheeks betray a...

After asking state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to stop work on the intermediate jet trainers (IJT), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is now keen on the US offer of Textron’s AirLand Scorpion light-attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. The IAF badly needs an IJT due to delays by HAL, which has been working on an IJT since 1997. Senior IAF officials believe that the twin-seat platform of the Textron’s ISR aircraft can also be used as an intermediate jet trainer. Sources have indicated during the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US from September 22 to...

Is "The Donald" in for the long hall, or is he going to "Pull Out" at the last minute -- like he has done so many times before? http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/16/donald-trump-us-presidential-race I don't think he has demonstrated that he is in for the long haul. Therefore I have taken the liberty to give him the handle of Trumpus Interruptus! I confess that I was excited (as was his collective base) when he announced in 2012 that he was considering a run for the republican nomination for President of the United States. I was thus willing to overlook the fact that he was...

IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly is reporting that U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s scheduled visit to India in June may include an offer of Textron’s new Scorpion jet. The Jane’s story said Carter will sign a 10-year India-US Defence Framework Agreement and fast-track the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative, which provides for the two countries to jointly develop and produce military equipment in India. The story said under the DTTI, the U.S. could offer Textron AirLand’s Scorpion to the Indian Air Force, which is in need of an intermediate jet trainer. The two-seat Scorpion jet was developed in Wichita, which also...

After more than four decades in service, the A-10 Warthog is due for a replacement. So says the U.S. Air Combat Command. What's more, ACC says it's already "thinking about" fielding such a replacement. But what might that replacement be? Last week, we got a clue. As reported by Reuters, the Air Force has recently begun evaluating Textron's Scorpion fighter jet as a potential 21st-century replacement for the 20th-century Warthog.

When Textron AirLand first announced the Scorpion—a lightweight surveillance and strike aircraft—last year, it raised a few eyebrows. Now the American company is talking about the first two potential customers for the diminutive jet. Namely, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Neither country has bought the Scorpion … yet. But the company is pitching the aircraft as a solution for featherweight and middle-size countries looking for an advanced combat plane that doesn’t break the bank. This is especially the case for countries that need eyes in the sky—and the ability to go after insurgents.

The United Arab Emirates is in serious discussions with Textron AirLand about buying the new Scorpion jet, sources told Defense Daily. The Scorpion, designed and built in Wichita, is in flight testing. The plane was designed to be an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance airplane with strike capabilities, Textron officials have said. But sources told Defense Daily that the UAE is considering the Scorpion for its aerobatic squadron Al Fursan, which flies the Alenia Aermacchi MB-339. A purchase for Al Fursan would be a first step in a larger relationship, the report said. Textron’s policy is not to comment about possible...

Textron AirLand's new military jet prototype, the twin-engine Scorpion, is breezing through the development phase and is now ready to make its international debut. With more than 105 hours of flight-testing on its prototype, the Wichita, Kansas-based company plans to send the Scorpion on its way on a multi-day, 4,700-nm flight from Wichita to RAF Fairford-Gloucestershire today. The prototype will be shown off to potential customers attending the Farnborough International Airshow and The Royal International Air Tattoo, both set to take place in the United Kingdom in the middle of this month. Textron AirLand president Bill Anderson said the airplane...

An underground black market and smuggling ring fuels the budding industry.KARACHI: The black scorpion is one of the most feared anthropods in the country, an animal that used to be killed on sight as a defence reflex. Now, there are people that hunt and capture the fearful animals; catch a few big ones and you are set for life. The black-market trade of black-and-yellow scorpions is at its peak in Sindh. Catching them is not an easy task; capturing a poisonous scorpion that often scurries away at the slightest of movements. People in the coastal belt of Sindh, however, still...

A dangerous scorpion shocked passengers as it nipped into a Tube station and tried to pinch a ride on a man’s bag.The man screamed when he saw it clinging to his bag at Victoria Underground station in central London. London Underground staff were quickly on hand after hearing the commotion, British Transport Police (BTP) said. They managed to capture the scorpion and placed it in a plastic lunchbox, which they pierced with air holes, while they called the police. Specialist wildlife crime officers from BTP went to the station to remove the creature, which had been put on a shelf...