PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) — A large explosion at an oil refinery near the Texas coast on Monday shot plumes of smoke into the air and forced nearby residents to shelter in place, according to officials.

No one was injured in the explosion at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Houston, Mayor Charlotte M. Moses said. She urged residents in parts of the west side of the city to stay put, saying fire fighters had arrived.

“There's been an explosion, yes, but we're OK; everybody's OK," she said. "They're trying to put the fire out as quickly as possible.”

The explosion comes amid a spike in gas prices driven by uncertainty over the global oil supply because of the Iran war.

The refinery has about 770 employees and can process about 435,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Valero’s website. The plant refines heavy sour crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, according to the website.

Images and video posted online show a large plume of smoke and flames billowing out from the refinery. Some residents reported hearing a loud boom and seeing their windows shake.

“For your safety please remain in place until the ‘All Clear’ is given by emergency personnel,” the City of Port Arthur said in a post on its Facebook page.

Valero did not immediately respond to an email or call from The Associated Press seeking comment.___

Seven stolen village dogs in northeastern China captured the hearts of millions online after breaking free from thieves working for a dog meat shop and embarking on a journey home together, igniting calls for stronger animal protection laws.

On March 16, a netizen surnamed Lu recorded a video of seven dogs walking along a busy highway in Changchun, Jilin province.

In the footage, a group of dogs carefully surrounded an injured German shepherd, while a Corgi at the front repeatedly looked back to ensure none were left behind.

The group also included Golden Retrievers, Labradors and Pekinese dogs.

Lu told mainland media outlet Dahe Daily: “They resemble a band of little brothers in distress, moving in unison – nothing like stray dogs.”

Although he attempted several times to guide them to safety, the dogs ignored his calls. He then shared the video on Douyin, urging local authorities to step in.

Another passing road user captured footage of the dogs wandering through nearby fields.

The local Bitter Coffee Stray Dog Base reported that the dogs come from the same village, typically roaming freely together and having formed strong friendships.

In response, the base dispatched several volunteers and even a drone to track the dogs and facilitate their safe return home.

One volunteer claimed that individuals operating a dog meat shop had stolen the dogs, suggesting they may have escaped from a truck, though no witnesses saw their departure.

Despite the controversy, a few dog meat restaurants still operate in northern China. During the long, frigid winters, locals believe consuming dog meat provides warmth and sustenance.

The Dalian Animal Protection Association noted that dog farms are very rare, as raising dogs is costly. For many dog meat shop owners, stray dogs and stolen pets are the easiest and cheapest sources of meat.

Cities like Changchun, Harbin, and Dalian have reported numerous incidents of pet dogs being stolen.

On March 19, a volunteer informed Jimu News that all seven dogs had returned to their respective owners, who came from three different households.

The highway where Lu first spotted them was about 17 km from their village.

One owner expressed relief that his missing dogs – a German shepherd and a Golden Retriever – returned home, stating: “We are so lucky they came back, not to be eaten.”

Another owner proudly mentioned her Corgi, known for its cleverness and ability to find its way home.

As of now, no additional information has emerged regarding the dog thieves.

In China, dog theft is considered a criminal offence, with penalties that can include fines or imprisonment based on the value of the animal.

The dogs’ remarkable journey home has garnered widespread attention online, with videos accumulating over 230 million views.

Currently, Chinese law does not explicitly prohibit the consumption of dog meat, although Shenzhen became one of the first mainland cities to ban the eating of cats and dogs in 2020.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/8026234

Alhamdulillah, I was able to prepare some distributions and give them to orphaned children. I brought a bit of hope and smiles to their faces despite the pain and hardships they’ve been through. I hope you continue to support us and follow our efforts, because when your donations stop, hope and smiles fade away. https://chuffed.org/project/surviving-the-blockade

https://chuffed.org/project/surviving-the-blockade

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEFA_Indianerfilm

DEFA Indianerfilme ("DEFA Indian films") was a series of adventure and western films ("Red Westerns") produced by the GDR DEFA film studio. The name comes from the obsolete term "Indians" for Indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Gojko Mitić, at the Summer FIlm Days, 1971

Between 1966 and 1983 DEFA produced 14 films of this type, about the resistance of Native Americans against white invaders. A memorable actor in the series was Yugoslavian (Serbian) actor Gojko Mitić portraying fictional Native Americans ("Indians"), "Winnetou of the East", who played in 12 of these films.

The films are searchable in the PROGRESS film database.

Films:

Below are the 14 Indianerfilme and a parody. DEFA division "Roter Kreis"

1966: The Sons of Great Bear based on the novel The Sons of the Great Bear
1967: Chingachremoved, The Great Serpent
1968: Spur des Falken, Trail of the Falcon
1969: Weiße Wölfe, White Wolves
1970: Tödlicher Irrtum Fatal error
1971: Osceola
1972: Tecumseh
1973: Apachen, Apaches
1974: Ulzana
1975: Blood Brothers
1978: Severino

DEFA division "Johannisthal"

1979: Blauvogel, Bluebird
1983: Der Scout, The Scout
1985: Atkins

DEFA division "Berlin"

1982: Der lange Ritt zur Schule, children's comedy, parodying Indianerfilme

Other "Red Western" films of DEFA

1981: Sing, Cowboy, sing, a comedy Western
1988: Präriejäger in Mexiko [Prairie Hunters in Mexico] two-series TV film

See also:

Native Americans in German popular culture

I did the first one as a joke a few months back but it turns out I really enjoy making these things. I dont really expect people to actually use forum signatures but I wanted to show them off. They are in a single image cause the website wont let me upload 11 images at once.

Loading... https://ghostarchive.org/archive/gTESw

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - The Federal ‌Communications Commission said ‌on Monday it was ​banning the import of all new foreign-made consumer ‌routers, the ⁠latest crackdown on Chinese-made electronic ⁠gear.

Routers are boxes that connect ​computers, ​phones, ​and smart ‌devices to the internet, and lawmakers have raised security concerns about Chinese-made ‌routers. The ​FCC order ​does ​not impact ‌imports or use ​of ​existing models, but will ban ​new ‌ones.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fcc-banning-imports-chinese-made-211509122.html

Like that red priest who could, for some reason, revive Dondarrion (and only dondarrion for some reason) whenever he died. Gambo thrones would have been ten times the show if it had like, at least twice as much of that sort of thing going on

Instead we just got ten seasons of boring people making terrible choices and two spinoffs where they could have showed more magical nonsense but didn't (at least for knight of the seven kingdoms, i haven't watched all of Dragon House yet)

Capitalist countries have avoided Marx’s epidemic of overproduction because they have come to recognize that workers are also consumers. These governments have let wages rise to drive up demand.

I am sure labor pressure had nothing to do with it.

China should learn from this example. It must enrich its own citizens by encouraging collective bargaining, providing social security, removing caps on wage growth, and raising the minimum wage. Doing so could allow China’s consumption to eventually match its production prowess. If Beijing does not adopt a more pro-worker stance, its economy will become more lopsided, trade tensions will rise, and Chinese citizens will not be able to reap the full benefits of the economic miracle that they have created and rightly deserve.

This means America will do the same, right?

America will do the same, right?