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☆ A Christian pop-up nightclub in Nashville plays Jesus rap and forbids twerking, drinking, and smoking
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewThe young crowd at a Nashville nightclub was ready to dance under the strobe lights to a throbbing mix of hip-hop, rap and Latin beats. The last unspoken rule seemed obvious by then: No secular music — the playlist would be all Christian. Word quickly spread around that a couple had traveled 9,000-plus miles from their home in Brisbane, Australia, to the Christian club in the Tennessee capital known as Music City. Whispering, someone in a small group asked God "to keep away negative suicidal thoughts." "It sounds oxymoronic — a Christian dance club," said Nicholas Oldham, who manages the club's business.

Persons: —, Eric Diggs, Jordan Diggs, Jesus, Jade Russell of, Jessie Wardarski, Aaron Dews, Benji Shuler, Garrett Bland, Donald Lawrence, God, Nia Gant, Gant, Kim Posala, Darin Starks, Haynza Posala, Jessie Wardarski Mic, Carlton Batts Jr, Batts, Caleb Gordon, Kirk Franklin, don't, Shem Rivera, Noah Moon, Rivera, Nicholas Oldham, Oldham Organizations: Service, Business, Ivy League, Nike, Adidas, Pepsi, Jordans, Christian, Club Locations: The, Jade Russell of Louisville , Kentucky, Grand Rapids , Michigan, Brisbane, Australia, Tennessee, Music, Kansas, Nashville

☆ Britain says it developed and test-fired a futuristic laser cannon that can shoot drones out of the sky
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The UK has tested a new laser weapon for shooting down drones. AdvertisementBritain has tested a powerful new laser weapon that can take out swarms of drones, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The DragonFire laser weapon fired at several aerial targets for the first time at a range in the Hebrides in Scotland, according to a press release. The DragonFire laser weapon system. Russia also claims to have used laser weapons to take out Ukrainian drones, though their effectiveness is unclear.

Persons: —, Houthi, Paul Hollinshead, they've Organizations: Ministry of Defense, Service, Britain, Ministry of Defence, MoD, The Times, MoD's Defence Science, Technology Laboratory, UK's Ministry of Defence, Times Locations: Hebrides, Scotland, Red, Russia

☆ Fact Check-Blue lightning video not proof of lasers used during Tropical Storm Idalia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Satellite imagery from Aug. 27 showing blue lighting strikes inside Tropical Storm Idalia has been shared on social media alongside false claims that they are evidence of laser attacks or Direct Energy Weapons (DEW). We are being terrorized on the daily.”The video does show lightning during Idalia and not man-made lasers or weapons. Examples of previous satellite imagery by CIRA depicting lighting artificially colored in blue amid tropical storms are viewable (here), (here), (here). Reuters previously addressed false claims of lasers or direct energy weapons, or DEWs, causing extreme weather events (here), (here) and explosions (here). The blue lighting strikes viewable in the satellite imagery are a result of false color used by weather mapping organizations for visibility purposes.

Persons: Idalia, “, Matt Rogers, CIRA, Rogers, Read Organizations: Energy Weapons, Reuters, Outreach, Communications, Cooperative Institute for Research, Colorado State University, Environmental Locations: Florida, Bend

☆ Fact Check-Green lights in Hawaii sky came from satellite, predate 2023 fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A night-time video showing streaks of green light in the sky over Hawaii predates the August 2023 wildfires in the U.S. state by several months. The lights were filmed by Japan’s Subaru-Asahi Star Camera in January 2023 and emanate from a Chinese weather satellite launched in April 2022. The 2023 wildfires in Maui, killed over a 100, making it the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century, Reuters reported (here). Green lights captured over the night sky in Hawaii in January 2023 predate the August 2023 wildfires. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts (here).

Persons: Japan’s, DEWs, Read Organizations: Japan’s Subaru, Asahi, “, Office, Reuters, Subaru, of Japan, YouTube, Asahi Shimbun Locations: Hawaii, U.S, Maui, Kea, NAOJ, Dqui

☆ Fact Check-Video shows lights in Florida, not Maui amid fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video filmed at a Florida beach during a thunderstorm showing lights in the sky is being falsely shared as footage captured moments before the fire in Lahaina, in Hawaii’s Maui County, in August 2023. “Looks like a direct energy weapon to me,” reads a Facebook post sharing the video, which shows streaks of lights in the sky filmed from a shore (here). It was also shared on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption “What’s that in the Maui sky... just before the ‘fire’ #MauiFire” (here). Reuters has fact-checked similar false claims that DEWs or other secret attacks are to blame for the wildfires (here), (here). Video filmed at Florida beach predates Lahaina, Maui, fire in August 2023.

Persons: ”, Carmen Rich, Read Organizations: Reuters, Office, Naval Research, Google, YouTube, Media, Dogtooth Media Locations: Florida, Lahaina, Hawaii’s Maui County, Fort Lauderdale, Hawaii, Maui

☆ Fact Check-Photo of beam striking Hawaiian church is altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of the hall of Waiola Church in Lahaina, Hawaii in flames amid wildfires has been edited to add a laser beam. Posts on social media feature a burning structure with an orange beam hitting it on its roof ((here), (here), (here). The altered image suggests that the wildfires were caused by Direct Energy Weapons (DEW). The posts on social media flipped the image and digitally added what looks like a laser beam. An image showing a church in Lahaina, Hawaii on fire has been digitally altered to include a laser beam striking the building.

Persons: Read Organizations: Reuters, Direct Energy Weapons, Naval Research, Maui News Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, Hawaii, United States, Lahaina

☆ Fact Check-Clip of 2014 Russian gas station explosion edited to add light beam
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip of a 2014 explosion at a gas station in Russia has been edited to make it appear as if a light beam was responsible for the fire. The earliest iteration Reuters could find of the unedited video was uploaded by a Russian news agency RIA Dagestan on Aug. 9, 2014 (timestamp 1:10) (youtu.be/-zvo7xXs-T0?t=72). The explosion was caused by a gas leak in the city of Makhachkala in Russia’s Republic of Dagestan, an RIA Dagestan report said (here). Reuters located the video to Prospekt Imama Shamilya, Makhachkala – the same location listed in the RIA Dagestan report (bit.ly/3saxAtT). The video has been online since at least August 2014 where no such beam can be seen before the explosion.

Persons: Read Organizations: Naval Research, Reuters Locations: Russia, Russian, Dagestan, Makhachkala, Russia’s Republic of Dagestan

☆ Fact Check-Louisiana video of electrical explosions not ‘direct energy attack’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video from 2018 of electrical explosions in Louisiana is being shared online as footage showing a “direct energy attack”. Direct energy weapons (DEW) are an emerging technology that uses concentrated electromagnetic energy to combat enemy forces and assets. People have claimed online that June 2023 wildfires in Canada, and August fires in Hawaii were caused by direct energy weapons. In another instance, social media users claimed a 2018 video of electrical explosions in Louisiana was evidence of DEWs in use in Hawaii (see Facebook users here), (here) and users on X, formerly known as Twitter, (here) (here). The video shows electrical explosions, not a “direct energy attack”, in Louisiana in 2018.

Persons: Kenner, Read Organizations: U.S . Department of Defense, Reuters, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Louisiana, Canada, Hawaii, Kenner , Louisiana, Local, West, Big

Crop Watch corn and soybean fields were stressed last week under mostly dry conditions, but multiple rounds of rain over the weekend prevented yield expectations from declining. Last week’s Crop Watch rain totals were mostly concentrated over the weekend, though not all areas received the needed soaking. More than 3 inches of rain were observed in South Dakota, Nebraska, western Iowa and western Illinois, and Indiana picked up 2 inches. For example, the western Iowa producer this week described his beans as phenomenal while the Ohio field was said to look incredible. The North Dakota corn is in Griggs County and the soybeans are in Stutsman County.

Persons: Dane Rhys, dews, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Crop, Crop Watch, Producers, Crop, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ravenna , Ohio, U.S, NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota , Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio , Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota , Nebraska, government’s, Ohio, Kingsbury , South Dakota, Freeborn , Minnesota, Burt , Nebraska, Rice , Kansas, Audubon , Iowa, Cedar , Iowa, Warren , Illinois, Crawford , Illinois, Tippecanoe , Indiana, Fairfield , Ohio, The North Dakota, Griggs County, Stutsman County

NAPERVILLE, Illinois, July 24 (Reuters) - Crop Watch condition scores have somewhat steadied after rising for three straight weeks as the latest week’s dry weather was offset by cooler temperatures. CONDITIONS AND YIELDIn the latest week, corn condition and yield contracted slightly while soybean condition edged upward, and soy yield stayed unchanged. Crop Watch producers have been rating crop conditions and yield potential on 1-to-5 scales. WEATHEROhio was the wettest Crop Watch location last week with around 2.75 inches of rain in two events, one with some damaging hail. Photos of the Crop Watch fields can be tracked on my Twitter feed using handle @kannbwx.

Persons: Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Crop Watch, Producers, Crop, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, U.S, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, The Ohio, North Dakota, government’s, Eastern Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Kingsbury , South Dakota, Freeborn , Minnesota, Burt , Nebraska, Rice , Kansas, Audubon , Iowa, Cedar , Iowa, Warren , Illinois, Crawford , Illinois, Tippecanoe , Indiana, Fairfield , Ohio, The North Dakota, Griggs County, Stutsman County

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