R/P FLIP, the FLoating Instrument Platform, was a true one-of-a-kind, but it now lies in pieces at a undisclosed scrapyard.Measuring 108 meters (355 feet) long, FLIP was an oceanic research platform designed to be towed out to sea horizontally, just like any conventional seafaring vessel. Upon command, it would be partially flooded and flipped by 90 degrees, allowing it to stand vertically in the water with over 90 meters (300 feet) of its body submerged.As you can see in the video of its flipping below, which features some fabulously 80s "muzak," it pulls off this incredible maneuver in just 20 minutes with its crew of hardy scientists onboard. The giant upright instrument was developed in the post-war era by researchers at Scripps' Marine Physical Laboratory and operated by Scripps Oceanography on behalf of the US Navy. Its maiden flip was carried out on July 23, 1962, in a quiet fjord in Washington State. After proving its worth in a series of tests, it was towed to San Diego to start operations in September 1962. The axis-changing platform spent much of its working life in the Pacific, venturing as far as Hawai'i, but it even had one deployment in the Atlantic. FLIP was used for over 60 years to gather vital observations about oceanic and atmospheric phenomena. One of its specialties was acoustic research, uncovering the many ways in which sound waves are influenced by variations in the ocean, such as changes in temperature or salinity. It even helped scientists learn about the depths to which whales dive and the properties of the Earth's ever-changing crust.                   Like many great things, FLIP fell victim to government spending cuts in the wake of COVID-19 and the ensuing global economic downturn. Following some tough financial decisions, the US Navy pulled the plug on the platform.“It would cost about $8 million to make FLIP useable for another five or 10 years, but that funding could be better used elsewhere. We came up with lots of creative ideas, but there wasn’t enough inertia or funding to keep it going,” Rob Sparrock, a Program Officer at the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research, said in 2021, according to Sea Power Magazine.Sparrock added that he hoped FLIP would be put on display in a museum setting, given its scientific and engineering significance. However, it was ultimately scrapped. In August 2023, FLIP made its final journey towards a dismantling and recycling facility where it was taken to pieces.“R/P FLIP has existed for more than half the length of the institution’s entire history,” Scripps Oceanography Director Margaret Leinen said in a statement in 2023 about its retirement.“It was an engineering marvel constructed during an important phase of new technology for ocean exploration following World War II. The many discoveries from FLIP help set the stage for ongoing cutting-edge science to understand our ocean,” added Leinen.RIP FLIP. Gone, but not forgotten.

In a heartwarming tale of courage and compassion, a woman performed a remarkable act of kindness by saving a starving whale using her bare hands. This incredible story highlights the power of human compassion and the special bond that can form between humans and animals. The encounter began when a whale swam up to a... The post Diver sees struggling and choking whale and immediately uses ‘bare hands’ to save him appeared first on Animal Channel.

President Biden's newly announced pseudo-crackdown on illegal immigration caused the Associated Press to worry if it would help him: "Will Biden’s new border measures be enough to change voters’ minds?" AP reporters Jill Colvin, Stephen Groves, and Adriana Gomez Licon wrote Biden addressed "a major liability for his reelection campaign by taking executive action to significantly restrict asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border." But the labeling was comical:  Biden has shifted far to the right on immigration since his winning campaign four years ago, when he criticized Trump’s immigration priorities and promised he would restore asylum protections. Biden's almost Full MAGA?? And yet, when you are "far to the left" of Trump on border control, you're merely an "immigration advocate" to the AP linguists.  Sue-Ann DiVito, a 61-year-old realtor from the Philadelphia suburb of Jenkintown who became an immigration advocate during the Trump administration, says Republicans have been successful at spreading anti-immigrant messages in communities like hers, making some of her friends who are Democrat worry about the high number of people arriving in the U.S “I think that’s why we see people who would normally support immigrants are now more quiet,” DiVito said. The AP article ends with the "immigration advocate" warning that whatever Biden does on the Border, Trump will be "a million times worse."  Surprise! Sue-Ann is a Democrat donor.  At least the AP trio acknowledges the polling on immigration is brutal for Biden -- 56 percent of Americans say Biden’s presidency has hurt the country on the issue of immigration and border security, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in April. That’s far higher than the number (37%) who said the same about Trump’s time in office. Even among Democrats, only about 3 in 10 say that Biden’s presidency has done more to help the country on immigration and border security, while about the same share say it has hurt.  Hispanic adults are also more likely to think Trump’s presidency helped the country with immigration and border security, compared to Biden’s. About half of Hispanic adults in March said that Biden’s presidency had done more to hurt the country on immigration and border security — a potentially alarming number as Trump’s campaign works to chip away at Democrats’ advantage with Hispanic voters. Hence, he had to disappoint the radical left open-borders crowd:  “President Biden had no choice. He saw what was going on at the border. The numbers were higher than ever in terms of people trying to come here to seek asylum, and he knew he had to do something,” said Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist. The radicals were quoted, if not exactly labeled, to highlight splits among Democrats:  Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said she was “profoundly disappointed.” During a news conference with immigration advocates outside the Capitol, Jayapal pushed the administration to take action that would provide relief for immigrants already in the U.S.

True to its nature, the Biden administration has been emphasizing the need to combat “misinformation” in the media. But the administration is not alone. The United Nations is also cracking down any narrative that draws its own into question. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has adopted a concept in its “Disinformation Primer” called “prebunking.” According to them, “prebunking” is “an offensive strategy that refers to anticipating what disinformation is likely to be repeated by politicians, pundits, and provocateurs during key events and having already prepared a response based on past fact checks.” “Prebunking is drawn from Inoculation Theory, which seeks to explain how an attitude or a belief can be protected against persuasion and people can build up an immunity to mis/disinformation,” the primer explains. Glenn Beck is horrified. “We are dealing with people manipulating every aspect of your mind. This is beyond 4D chess. This is a psychological weapon being developed and promoted by our own government,” Glenn says. “They decide what is true, and then they will inoculate you and manipulate you so if you hear something else that disagrees with that, you’ll dismiss it,” he adds. Those behind the manipulation hope to keep people from adopting “extremist views.” “What are those views? I would imagine views like mine,” Glenn says. “Now, in a sane world you could see how a tool like this might be a good thing in helping to disrupt recruiting efforts by actual terrorists. But no, they’ve redefined what terrorists and what extremists are.” “The real danger here is who gets to decide what needs redirecting or ‘prebunking,’ and after they really master this, will you even know you’ve been manipulated?” Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

After WNBA star Caitlin Clark was flagrantly fouled by another player, Republican Congressman Jim Banks sent a letter to the commissioner of the WNBA asking what steps the league is taking to curb "excessive physical targeting" of players.The Indiana politician sent the letter to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert stating that he has watched Clark's team, the Indiana Fever, in "admiration" since she was drafted into the league as the first overall pick in 2024.He noted that "as a father," he has been pleased to see his three daughters become more interested in watching the WNBA.The congressman then remarked on Clark having "shattered on court and viewership records for women’s basketball.""Unfortunately, since joining the WNBA, Clark’s exceptionalism has been met with resentment and repeated attacks from fellow players," Banks wrote, per Outkick.'What steps is the WNBA taking to curb excessive physical targeting of specific players?'Banks pointed to Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter bodychecking Clark to the floor as teammate Angel Reese "visibly cheered."Reese was fined $1,000 by the WNBA for refusing to answer reporter questions after the game. The team itself was fined $5,000 for violating media availability rules, while Carter had her foul upgraded from a regular foul to a flagrant foul.The Chicago Tribune even likened the foul to "an assault" if it were "outside of a sporting contest."Banks then wrote what amounted to an argument about whether or not the individual player or the Chicago Sky team should be further punished for the foul."Indiana is a basketball state. We don’t wince at aggressive defense, but this was not an example of playing 'tough' it was a cheap shot that could have resulted in an injury and should not be tolerated. While the foul was retroactively upgraded to a flagrant, there appears to be no further punishment for Carter or the Chicago Sky organization beyond fines related to a lack of media appearances after the game. "The Republican then suggested that the WNBA "refuses to hold hostile players accountable," stating that it has been a "disservice" to the millions of female viewers who aspire to play in the league.He then positioned four questions to the WNBA commissioner:• "What steps is the WNBA taking to curb excessive physical targeting of specific players?"• "Will individual organizations be held responsible for allowing players with histories of violence to physically target their competitors?"• "Do you believe that WNBA players repeatedly diminishing the talents of their fellow players is beneficial to the leagues’ overall success?" • "Do you believe that it is inspiring to young female athletes to see players like the Indiana’s Caitlin Clark physically targeted for her success?"The congressman then thanked the commissioner for her work to grow women's basketball.The WNBA nor its commissioner has made a public response as of this writing.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Fox News anchor John Roberts is fighting back after the Biden campaign accused him of spreading a "blatant lie."The Biden campaign loves to remind voters that President Joe Biden instituted a $35 price cap on insulin for Americans on Medicare. But this week, Roberts undercut the Biden campaign's message and reminded Fox News viewers that it was then-President Donald Trump who first instituted the $35 price cap in 2020.'There are receipts to dispute the Biden campaign's claim about what I said.'"Maybe I'm misremembering that, but I think it kind of already happened," Roberts said.On Monday, the Biden campaign claimed that Roberts lied."This is a blatant lie. Trump did not cap insulin costs, President Biden did for seniors through the Inflation Reduction Act," the campaign said. "Trump’s Project 2025 wants to repeal it, which would raise insulin costs for over a million Americans." — (@) As it turns out, the Biden campaign — not Roberts — is guilty of spreading falsehoods.On Tuesday, Roberts responded to the Biden campaign's accusation."There are receipts to dispute the Biden campaign's claim about what I said," Roberts pointed out.First, Roberts cited a press release from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in May 2020 announcing the Trump policy. The press released explained the Trump policy would "provide Medicare beneficiaries access to a broad set of insulins at a maximum $35 copay for a month’s supply."Second, Roberts cited Tracey Brown, the then-CEO of the American Diabetes Association, who attended a Rose Garden event announcing Trump's policy. Roberts played a clip of Brown thanking Trump for helping Americans who need insulin. Roberts, moreover, explained that he attended that Rose Garden ceremony.Third, Roberts cited a Washington Post story that reported on Trump's policy. The newspaper reported at the time:The administration has brokered an agreement between insulin manufacturers and some Medicare prescription drug plans that would lower costs for some seniors beginning in 2021 by capping co-pays at $35 for a monthly supply — a figure that administration officials said would lead to roughly a two-thirds drop in out-of-pocket costs and would encourage seniors to continue taking insulin.Finally, Roberts cited a report from the Rand Corporation, a left-leaning think tank, that praised Trump's program."We invited a representative from the Biden campaign to come on the program with us to discuss the issue, but thus far they have made no one available," Roberts concluded.What Roberts did not include in his response is that another Trump order, Executive Order 13937, was designed to lower insulin costs. Biden later canceled it, then had essentially the same $35 insulin price cap developed by the Trump administration placed in the Inflation Reduction Act.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

When you think of the best Metroidvania games, a few obvious candidates come to mind. Hollow Knight, Ori, Tunic, Blasphemous - perhaps even newcomer Animal Well. But for the Castlevania die-hards, there’s only one real choice: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the spiritual successor helmed by Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi himself. Now, the exceptional action platformer is about to get even better with a new story DLC coming very soon. Continue reading Excellent Steam Metroidvania game announces new retro styled story DLC MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Bloodstained release date, Bloodstained demo

The long wait for Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is nearly over, but you'll need to download this new Nvidia driver to ensure your graphics card is ready for it. While the latest game out of From Software is still to add DLSS support, this new driver will ensure the game is optimized and ready for day one. The Shadow of the Edrtree release date is now just weeks away, after well over a year of anticipation, and hardware manufacturers are now gearing up for it. Ensuring your Nvidia GPU software is up to date, regardless of whether it's the best graphics card or not, is vital to ensuring you get the best performance. The driver is available to download right now from the Nvidia App, GeForce Experience, or the Nvidia website. Continue reading New Nvidia driver is essential for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards

There's no business like show business, and anyone with dreams of gracing the silver screen may think twice after playing Hollywood Animal, a game that combines the city-building elements of Cities Skylines 2 with the debauchery and sleaze of old Hollywood. The game has a free demo out now where you can try your hand at running a successful studio at the dawn of sound cinema. Get ready to get your hands dirty. Continue reading New Steam strategy game is Cities Skylines 2 but with Hollywood sleaze MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best strategy games, Best management games, Best building games

There’s something about pulling off a heist that calls to people. From Oceans series of films to the best missions in GTA 5 and entire games like the Payday series, getting in, grabbing loot, and getting out is an enduringly appealing concept. 2023’s Crime Boss: Rockay City revolves entirely around stealing stuff while being surrounded by a stellar cast, and it’s coming to Steam soon. Continue reading Payday 3’s bizarre FPS rival is finally coming to Steam with free DLC MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best co-op games, Best crime games, Best FPS games