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A former guitarist for the San Francisco death metal band Possessed was shot and killed by South San Francisco police last week after shooting at a neighbor and then shooting at responding officers. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that 60-year-old Brian Montana “became enraged over tree debris spilling over from a neighbor’s yard.” An argument with the neighbor ensued and soon escalated into shots being fired. The Los Angeles Times reported that Montana armed himself with various guns as officers arrived on scene and fired at police. A press release from the South San Francisco Police Department says: “The armed...

Washington -- America’s craft brewers already have enough problems. Hard seltzers and cocktails are muscling into beer sales. Millennials and Gen Z don’t drink as much as their elders. Brewpubs still haven’t fully recovered from the shock of COVID-19 five years ago. Now there’s a new threat: President Donald Trump’s tariffs, including levies of 25 per cent on imported steel and aluminum and on goods from Canada and Mexico. “It’s going to cost the industry a substantial amount of money,” said Matt Cole, brewmaster at Ohio-based Fat Head’s Brewery. Trump’ trade war “will be crippling for our industry if this...

It turns out, your protein powder might not be as healthy as you think. A new report from the Clean Label Project reveals that popular protein powders—especially plant-based, organic and chocolate-flavored varieties—may contain high levels of lead and cadmium. The report highlights an alarming finding: Nearly half (47%) of the 160 products tested exceeded California's Proposition 65 regulatory limits for lead, with 21% containing levels more than twice as high as those allowed under the law. The investigation revealed that: —Plant-based powders, like those made from soy, rice and peas, contained three times more lead than products based on whey,...

Ancient texts speak of a strange and valuable metal known as orichalcum. The mystical material was often dismissed as a fantastical invention – until they discovered a large cache of the stuff in the Mediterranean Sea. Orichalcum’s name is derived from the Greek for "mountain copper.” One of its most prominent mentions comes in the legend of Atlantis by Plato, in which it is described as “more precious [...] than anything except gold.” The dialogue, called Critias, explains how the mythical citadel of Atlantis was adorned with walls, pillars, and floors that were coated in orichalcum, endowing the building with...

ROME — President Joe Biden has awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an honor the pontiff shares with George Soros and former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards. “Today, President Biden spoke with His Holiness Pope Francis and named him as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction,” states the White House in its Jan. 11 announcement. “The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,”...

Legendary Grand Funk Railroad frontman Mark Farner opens up about the day he died - TWICE - and what he saw on the other side. Farner shares his near-death experience (NDE), describing in vivid detail what it was like to "leave his body" and cross over into the afterlife. This is Mark Farner like you've never heard him before—reflecting on life, death, and his incredible journey back.Mark has a brand new album, Closer To My Home, his first new release since 2006, available to pre-order now, check it out!Grand Funk Legend Died & Saw the Afterlife – Mark Farner Tells...

People with higher levels of metals found in their blood and urine may be more likely to be diagnosed with—and die from—amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a study suggests. Researchers have known that ALS, a rare but fatal neurodegenerative condition, is influenced by genetic and environmental factors, including exposure to pesticides and metals. This latest study examined the levels of metals in the blood and urine of people with and without ALS, finding that exposure to individual metals and mixtures of metals is associated with a greater risk for ALS and shorter survival. Goutman's team measured metal levels in plasma...

Urban metal theft has risen to new levels following the pandemic, with thousands of feet of wiring from streetlights, hundreds of fire hydrants, and even mausoleum nameplates being stolen to flip for small amounts of money all over the country. *** In St. Paul, Minnesota, a man was “recently hit by a car and killed while crossing a street near his home where streetlights had gone out,” the report stated. Laurellee Wirtz was widowed on Christmas Eve 2023 when her husband and dog were struck by a truck on the “pitch black” road that she and her neighbors had reported...

Across the country, copper and other valuable materials have been stolen from streetlights, statues and even gravesites, costing millions to repair. The 6th Street Bridge in Los Angeles has been cast into darkness after its wiring was stolen.Credit... The 6th Street Bridge in Los Angeles is wired to glow with colorful lights celebrating the city’s spirit. But the bridge, known as the “Ribbon of Light,” goes dark at night now. So do stretches of the busy 405 freeway and dozens of street blocks across the city. In St. Paul, Minn., a man was recently hit by a car and killed...

Lake Merritt is one of Oakland’s loveliest spots, especially during the evening golden hour when the “Necklace of Lights”comes to life around the lake. But over the last few weeks, the 126 ornate lampposts that anchor the lake’s signature circle of lights have been the target of vandalism. The city believes thieves are toppling and stealing the almost century-old lampposts and ripping out the wires from the boxes at the bases. It’s a local chapter of a story happening around the country as valuable metals inside the lampposts are harvested for later resale. Jean Walsh, a spokeswoman for the Oakland...

The president made the announcement in an address to union workers in Pennsylvania.President Joe Biden called for tripling tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum Wednesday when he spoke to union members in battleground Pennsylvania. In remarks at the headquarters of the United Steel Workers, Biden said that China was "cheating" in its steel trade practices and that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative — the federal agency charged with developing U.S. trade policy — is investigating the Chinese government's practices tied to the trade of steel and aluminum. "If that investigation confirms these anti-competitive trade practices, then I’m calling...

Scientists say they have created a new method of testing materials that allows predictions to be made about their ductility, which could lead to the production of virtually “unbreakable” metals for use with components in a variety of applications. Drawing from quantum mechanics principles, the new method allows for significant improvements by enhancing predictions about metals’ ability to be drawn out into thinner shapes while maintaining their strength. According to researchers involved with the discovery, the new method has proven very effective for metals used in high-temperature applications and could help industries like aerospace and other fields perform tests of...

A hardcore metal band in Nashville, Tennessee has gone viral for ditching their lead singer from the band for attempting to ‘force a transition’ on his bandmate. A post on X sharing the band’s Instagram Story post has over 10 million views and over 100,000 likes. Relatively unknown band Llorona shared the story on its Instagram page, which has since been deleted. The post claimed that a bandmember named ‘Diego’ tried to ‘force a transition’ on his friend, who is later named as ‘Sixx,’ by giving him powdered protein supplements laced with the female hormone.

Scientists applied a simple approach for growing hBN films on the surface of ubiquitous steels and other metal alloys to “armor” them and thus increase their capabilities. Credit: Adam Malin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hexagonal boron nitride coatings on metal alloys enhance durability, reduce friction, and protect against harsh conditions, paving the way for improvements in solar panels, semiconductors, and aerospace components. Researchers demonstrated that stainless steel and other metal alloys coated with hexagonal boron nitride, or hBN, exhibit non-stick or low-friction qualities along with improved long-term protection against harsh corrosion and high-temperature oxidation in air. Metal alloys —...

An international team of chemists has set a new world record for tying the world’s smallest knot, which they say consists of only 54 atoms. Remarkably, researchers involved with the achievement say it happened by accident, and are unable to account for how it occurred. Chemists Zhiwen Li, Jingjing Zhang, Gao Li with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, and research colleague Richard J. Puddephatt with the University of Western Ontario, Canada, were attempting an entirely different process in the lab when the record breaking discovery was made. Their achievement is described in a study that...

A distressing video shows the moment a goon carrying a metal rod struck a woman as she was pushing a baby in a stroller along a street in Southern California — just hours before cops say the same attacker bludgeoned a 60-year-old woman in the head. The back-to-back assaults occurred Thursday in Long Beach, leaving one of the victims bleeding profusely from a head wound. The first incident took place shortly before 10 a.m. and was caught on surveillance video. The footage showed the suspect running up to a woman walking with a child and smashing her in the back...

File this under 'That's not supposed to happen!': Scientists observed a metal healing itself, something never seen before. If this process can be fully understood and controlled, we could be at the start of a whole new era of engineering. In a study published in July, a team from Sandia National Laboratories and Texas A&M University was testing the resilience of the metal, using a specialized transmission electron microscope technique to pull the ends of the metal 200 times every second. They then observed the self-healing at ultra-small scales in a 40-nanometer-thick piece of platinum suspended in a vacuum. Cracks...

Kinda like johnny cash doing 'hurt' this is what makes bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden so great, they are actually classically trained and super talented musicians.

The Biden administration is considering a new set of tariffs on some steel imports that would increase food prices for consumers already reeling from the recent run of high inflation. The Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission are considering a petition that would impose tariffs of up to 300 percent on tinplate steel, a key component in tin cans like those commonly used to pack food products including tuna, soup, baked beans, and more. If the administration decides to implement those tariffs on imports from eight countries, it would be a blatantly protectionist maneuver aimed at benefitting a single...

This is Sabaton’s cover of Motörhead’s War epic “1916”. This is an emotional song and video about the Battle of the Somme. You may need some tissues handy. Sabaton also honors Lemmy and Motörhead in the video. Classy.