#Orange County extensions

[hairbyjessielu1]

Hair By Jessie Lu - Embark On A Journey Of Self-Expression And Beauty!

If you're passionate about your hair, then Hair by Jessie Lu Hair Services in Huntington Beach is your ultimate destination. Nestled in this vibrant coastal town, Hair by Jessie Lu Hair Services is home to a team of exceptionally skilled stylists and colorists who are genuinely dedicated to the art of hair care. Whether you're seeking a simple trim, a bold new style, or a stunning color transformation, the talented professionals at Hair by Jessie Lu Extensions in Orange County possess the expertise to bring your vision to life. Step into this haven of hair enthusiasts and prepare to embark on a journey of self-expression and beauty.

Customer Support: With a wealth of expertise in the hair care industry and deep roots within the local community, Hair color and extensions In Huntington Beach boasts an impressive history of transforming clients' appearances. This salon has become renowned for its exceptional customer service and unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of innovation, solidifying its status as a region's premier destination for hair care.

Dedicated Staffs: Hair by Jessie Lu Hair Services strives to deliver top-notch services and places utmost importance on ensuring customer satisfaction. Our dedicated staff goes above and beyond to create a warm and inviting atmosphere, making each client feel at home. We take pride in our ability to address any inquiries and provide valuable advice on maintaining the health and beauty of your hair.

Hygiene Protocols: Hair by Jessie Lu Hair Services prioritizes the well-being of its clients and team members by strictly adhering to stringent hygiene protocols. These measures include the meticulous sanitization of tools and equipment after each use and strict compliance with all local COVID-19 guidelines. Furthermore, we have implemented additional safety precautions, such as offering hand sanitizer upon arrival, to enhance further the safety of our valued clients and team members.

For a comprehensive list of Hair by Jessie Lu Hair Services, which includes haircuts, coloring, and conditioning treatments, please refer to our website. You can book an appointment by calling the salon or using our online booking system. Our staff is always ready to assist you with scheduling and selecting the best services to meet your needs. We offer adjustable scheduling prospects to accommodate busy clients and accept various payment methods for your convenience. If you have any queries, remarks, or directions, please do not hesitate to reach us directly.

[alymariehairartist]

Hi! I’m a hair artist based out of Orange County, California. I specialize in lived in balayage, blonding services, color corrections, hair extensions, and vivid color.

Follow my Instagram! @alymariehairartist

[miracolasalon]

A perfect hairstyle serves as the key factor in enhancing your looks and especially when it comes to women, that becomes even more needless to say. A professional stylist will provide you with the guidance and support you need to keep your extensions in tip-top shape, ensuring that you can enjoy your newfound mane magic for months to come.

[c0nnverse]

top TWO chains i will miss when i go back to California! 😭😱🫡

1. braum's

2. dutch bros. which, might i add, are LITERALLY everywhere in california except LA county because idk

[hairbyjessielu]

Finding the Perfect Hair Coloring Salon

Changing your hair colour can be a fun way to switch up your look and boost your confidence. However, finding the right hair colouring salon can be a daunting task. Don't worry. We are here to provide a perfect hair colouring salon. Visit our site for more details.

[unicefindia]

New York Front Yard

[gentlemensmuse]

Deck in Orange County

[commissions4aid-international]

Call for Charity Commission Sheets to be Shared at In-Person Events!

Hey everyone! I (one of the mods) have been working with others to run some in-person charity auctions in Orange County, California to help raise money for the Hana's GoFundMe linked below. We've already had one successful event, and were hoping to keep the momentum strong.

Since I know that there are a lot of people on here doing charity commissions, we were hoping that some of you might be interested in having your charity commission sheets shared at our next events in the form of flyers and handouts. We'd be more than happy to hand out the commission information of anyone doing any sort of commissions, not just drawing commissions.

If you are interested, you can reach out to me here at @ljuerlav, in our Discord server or Discord DMs (DM me here for my username), or over email at occharityauctions@proton.me!

Additionally, if you live in the area and are interested in attending or donating physical items, you can also reach out for more information.

-

We have been legally advised to only raise money for one family through our events so we personally cannot advertise a range of GFMs or charities to donate to on the flyers we hand out.

Hana's GFM is personally being run by someone that I met through other local organizers. She's spoken extensively to Hana, has her proof of identity, and has video calls with her. We are working on other forms of external verification and will update this post!

You can find Hana herself on Instagram at @hana._.almadhoun

[qqueenofhades]

Is it possible we could see a full blown conviction and lock up before the election?

It is, alas, unlikely, especially in the classified documents case, but that doesn't mean he'll succeed in getting the trial postponed until after the election (with the obvious idea that he will then be Dictator-for-Life and cancel all criminal cases against him). Even if Judge Cannon is too outrageously partisan to Trump and grants some degree of his nonsense delay requests, the DOJ is clearly wise to this tactic (see the scathing response they filed the other day) and won't put up with it forever. But if they then have to appeal to the 11th Circuit to get her reversed/recuse her/otherwise stop her from favoring Trump at every opportunity, that will still take time, and since Trump has clearly thrown all his chips at trying to save himself by being the aforesaid Dictator-for-Life, yeah. It might be going on by 2024, but I would still be very surprised if we had a conviction, much less anything else.

The good news, however, is that another federal indictment for January 6 is clearly very close to coming down the pike (possibly including Insurrection Act charges, if Trump's recent deranged Truth Socialing is any indication) and the Orange Führer will have MUCH less control over delaying that one, or luck in getting a favorable pool of jurors drawn from ruby-red Florida counties. For one thing, a J6 trial would take place in Washington DC, not Florida, where the judges would not be at all inclined to grant endless extensions, and the juror pool would be drawn from deep-blue DC and Northern Virginia. Not that the political views of a juror should really matter at all, and they secured a conviction for Trump in the NY sex abuse case with at least one Trump supporter on that jury, but since it's been brought up as some kind of factor for whether he'll be convicted or not, there's that. So it's possible that we could see him on trial for J6 before the Mar-a-Lago case, and this is still not to forget the also-clearly-pending Georgia indictment for election interference. So yeah, the Mar-a-Lago stuff is not our only egg to put into the Oh God Send Him To Jail Already and Preferably Forever basket.

[beardedmrbean]

A cross-county chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies ended with a Tampa man under arrest.

The suspect, Walter Medina, was wanted out of Hillsborough County for allegedly inflicting months of torture and abuse on a woman he held captive.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Florida Highway Patrol was advised of an active pursuit of the suspect traveling east on Interstate 4 heading from Polk County into Osceola County.

Investigators said the suspect, driving a gold Town and Country Ford van, attempted to get away from law enforcement by driving at high speed and weaving in and out of traffic recklessly, endangering other motorists.

FHP troopers, deputies with Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Lakeland Police Department continued to pursue the suspect who they say began driving on left shoulder at more than 100 miles per hour.

Law enforcement attempted several precision immobilization techniques (PIT) maneuvers but were unable to stop the suspect’s van.

At one point, investigators said the suspect hit another vehicle and drove off the exit ramp at John Young Parkway and then, after running a red light, crashed into a raised median.

After the crash, troopers said the suspect refused to comply with commands, so FHP K-9 Rico was deployed, who apprehended the fleeing suspect.

Medina popped up on law enforcement’s radar on Monday after Hillsborough County deputies responded to a gas station in Seffner after a caller reported an injured female had just escaped from a van and needed help.

According to deputies, the victim, who had been panhandling in the area since 2024, met the suspect, Walter Medina during that time. Investigators said Medina initially provided the victim with food and narcotics before his actions turned violent and “subjected her to months of relentless physical abuse and captivity.”

Deputies said that Medina repeatedly assaulted the victim using a wooden baseball bat and a flathead screwdriver, inflicting severe injuries including broken ribs, deep puncture wounds, and extensive bruising.

Medina allegedly threatened to kill the victim if she fled or sought help.

The victim had the chance to escape when Medina briefly left her unattended at Walgreens, deputies said.

“I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she felt when our deputies arrived,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “I have to commend the bravery of the victim for escaping her captor and seeking help. Our thoughts are with her as she recovers from this traumatic ordeal.”

“This suspect’s reign of violent terror is now over,” Chronister added.

Walter Medina was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center after his arrest. When he is released from the hospital, Medina will be taken to the Orange County Jail to be booked on multiple charges, including attempted murder and kidnapping.

[thegoddamnwordsmith]

Vote the EcoVivarium Reptile Rescue in the 2024 All-in 4 Change grant program!

Hello, everyone!

Harrah’s Resort Southern California has opened voting for their annual “All-in 4 Change” grant program, where fifteen non-profits in the San Diego, Riverside, and Orange County areas are awarded a portion of a $150,000 cash grant to fund their efforts in helping people and animals through the various programs they run. This year, the non-profit reptile rescue and living museum, the EcoVivarium Reptile Sanctuary, is one of the nominees. EcoVivarium is a cause very close to home for me – members of my family either work there or volunteer there, and we have adopted a number of animals through them, which is why I would like to ask that anyone interested please cast a vote for them. Each person can vote once per day, so if you’re so inclined, please help get EcoVivarium to the top slot! Voting is open until August 28th.

What is the EcoVivarium Reptile Sanctuary?

Located in Escondido, EcoVivarium is one of the largest reptile, amphibian, and arthropod rescues in the United States. Since 2009, they have been devoted to the health and well-being of the animals that come through their doors, and educating children and adults alike about these unique, often misunderstood and misrepresented creatures. EcoVivarium handles many educational programs, both on-site and abroad, as well as birthday parties and events, where people can learn about lizards, snakes, turtles, tortoises, frogs, and arthropods first-hand, even gaining hands-on experiences with some of them. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about these animals, and has the patience to help even the most misgiving of people the chance to understand these wonderful creatures. In addition to their extensive special programs, EcoVivarium hosts regular on-site tours, both for walk-in customers and advanced reservations. Visitors will get the chance to pet and even hold a variety of animals, as well as meet some of the Animal Ambassadors, such as Ed the Galapagos Tortoise or Mac the Giant Water Monitor Lizard.

On top of this, EcoVivarium also has limited adoption options you can explore if you would like to add a new member to your family and provide a forever home to one of these wonderful animals. As a reptile rescue, they receive many animals regularly, either due to owner neglect or inability to provide for them, or due to injuries and special needs. Many animals will end up calling EcoVivarium their home, due to factors requiring special care (injuries, trauma-related temperament issues, and/or permit-related legal issues regarding private ownership), but still many more are ready to find a permanent family beyond the facility, one who is ready to love and care for a unique, but incredible friend. As of this writing, there are over 400 animals in EcoVivarium’s care, and with so many of them needing special attention, finding homes for those who are capable of being adopted out is a high priority.

EcoVivarium is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, with all funds going directly back into animal care and facility maintenance. The organization is handled by a small staff of animal care professionals and educators, supplemented with a number of volunteers of all ages. For more information, please feel free to contact me, or you can contact them directly at Home - EcoVivarium.

Aside from this grant program, they can be donated to directly as well. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

[hairbyjessielu1]

Extensions in Huntington Beach

Welcome to Hair By Jessie LU, where you can find the best extensions in Huntington Beach at a reasonable price. As a hairstylist, I'm passionate about my clients, but I am also passionate about the fun, creative effort involved and seeing their giant smiles of confidence. Get in touch with us for further information.

[miracolasalon]

Transform your look with the best hair extensions in Orange County. Our premium selection offers unmatched quality and seamless blends. Elevate your style with our expertly applied extensions for a natural, stunning appearance. Discover the allure of radiant, flowing locks – your secret to confident beauty in Orange County.

[freedominthecircus]

To think that all color symbolism would be the same across the board in people’s cultures (and thus, their witchcraft) is laughable. What is anger and vengeance in one culture may just be luck or passion in another - and an individual themselves may have a completely out-of-left-field viewpoint due to their own lived experiences. There are as many different interpretations as there are people in the world. And while there are plenty of witches out there that don’t give a damn about color theory or symbolism and get along just fine without it - there are also plenty that do care and do want to learn, just are caught up in a more euro-centric view of the color spectrum.

Namely using this site as a jumping-off point, here are my personal views on the colors as of now:

RED

A color of passion in North American and European cultures, it is frequently associated with love (seen extensively along with Pink) in Valentine’s Day celebrations. It is also associated with anger or danger and as such I have personally used the color in more aggressive workings where it has worked well. The color red is also used in religious practices in Central and South America as Christianity associates red with the blood of Christ (of course) and the crucifixion. In China - and possibly other East Asian countries - red symbolizes honor and success. While American brides are more used to wearing white on their wedding day, Chinese brides more prefer red for this association. Wanting that success in their marriages as well as a long-lasting love.

As stated before: I use Red in workings where I feel the need to be more aggressive or passionate about what I am trying to convey. Whether that be screaming a warning at someone/something to back the fuck up, or whether the red wax is being used to seal the envelope of Lust Dust. I know some people who are die-hard about using red in their Love workings - but it has never really worked for me unless the end result was an intense romp in the bedroom rather than their heart being touched.

ORANGE

Very frequently associated with Autumn in North America and Europe. Halloween and the agricultural harvests are frequently thought of - as well as the color is known as a more royal color in the Netherlands. Counties in Central and South America view Orange as one of the more primary colors of nature, and it is almost always associated with the earth and sun. China and Japan also view Orange as a color of good things. From financial prosperity to making sure one is in good health - it’s also associated with a general happiness, courage, and other good fortunes. It is also known as a more sacred color in India.

I personally do not work with Orange much as I find it an off-putting color to me. I’ve never gravitated towards it and there have actually been a few times where once Orange was introduced to something - the “vibes” we all off and the spellwork had to have been done for the night. For what reason this may be I do not know.

YELLOW

A mixed bag of correspondences. From being seen as a color of wealth in Africa to being a color of mourning in the Middle East. (And apparently as a color linked to pornography in China - though this is a claim I have not looked into myself yet. In North America and Europe, we tend to associate it with sunshine and good weather which is usually how I personally incorporate it when it does get used - but it is also frequently known as a color of jealousy in Germany and France.

The color of the sun and associated with Summer more than Spring in my mind. Yellow gets used in my practice usually at two points in the year: Either during the Summer to celebrate the moments of sunshine that graces my Seasonal Depression with little pepper-light kisses - or dead in the middle of Winter to try to remind myself of those kisses.

GREEN

The green four-leaf clover did a lot in terms of minds in North American and Western Europe to associate it predominately with good luck. Even with other associations such as envy/jealousy or progress - luck tends to be the go-to correspondence. Even with countries in Asia and the Middle East viewing green with a more natural lens and corresponding it with fertility and prosperity also - it still remains a color of good fortune as well.

Green in the color in my head associated the most with money and financial prosperity. It is the color of the American dollar and is used in many, many, wealth spells and other work along those lines and I have used it exactly as such in the past. While this is the main way I personally use and view green, it should be noted that I have used the color in abundance workings as well.

BLUE

A strong color with the main association across cultures as one to ward off evil, as well as a color of strength thanks to the Hinduism deity Krishna - who is often (if not always) presented with having blue skin. Some other more Asian cultures also recognize blue as a color of long life, healing, and even immortality. That is not to say there are not other - more somber - connotations though. In more western cultures we tend to have a saying of “feeling blue” - which means extreme sadness or even mourning.

To me, Blue is a color associated mostly with a tranquil sadness or melancholy. I use it in a lot of grief work to guide me through and let loose the well of tears inside if I’m having trouble releasing them. I have also used it as a “booster” color of sorts though, usually in conjunction with other colors on the cool color spectrum, as mixing it with warm colors left me feeling very odd afterwards.

PURPLE

A general consensus throughout most of the world is that Purple is the color of wealth, and it’s a color usually reserved for royalty. The exception to this is found in Latin and South America where - in that part of the world - it means death.

This is the association I have with it. I have never fully viewed it as a royal or wealthy color, and instead have always viewed purple as a color of death and frequently use it in works with death.

BLACK

The color of death, mourning, and - curiously - formality in Europe and North America. Western funerals have featured black for centuries for it’s association with death and the dead, and some places in the Middle East also see it as a color of death and evil. India also views black as more evil than good. Other parts of the world have a different take. Black is a positive color in places like China and Japan and is a very popular color amongst young boys and girls. Some African cultures also see it as a symbol of maturity rather than anything associated with death.

Black is probably my most used “color” in my practice. Along with technically being a “color” comprised of all other colors - it’s used as a substitute for a lot in my practice. It’s a color I also use a ton for meditation, and I do use it as one of three colors I associate with death (the others being White and Purple). It’s never been a “bad” or negative color for me.

WHITE

The “color” that is the lack of all other color - its associated heavily with purity throughout most of the world. It is also associated with good luck and prosperity in some pockets of Africa as well. There are other places in Eastern Europe and Asia where it is associated with death in addition to purity. It can also denote bad fortune or general unhappiness.

I tend to skew towards the latter because of the fact that white is the “color” that is the lack of all others. Giving the general feeling of emptiness where there once was something. I do sometimes also use it to cleanse or purify because of it’s lack of all other color.

[usafphantom2]

The man who stole America’s stealth fighter secrets for China 🇨🇳

It’s not uncommon to hear people say that China’s most advanced stealth fighters, the in-service Chengdu J-20 and forthcoming Shenyang FC-31, incorporate stolen design elements from existing American and Russian fighter programs. Russian allegations of copycat technology are born largely out of overall similarities between the J-20 and Russia’s long-defunct MiG 1.44 program. However, although Russian allegations leave at least some room for debate the same can’t be said for China’s theft of American stealth fighter designs.

In March 2016, a 51-year-old Chinese national named Su Bin pled guilty to charges associated with what the American Justice Department described as a “years-long conspiracy” conducted in concert with high-ranking members of the Chinese military to steal American military secrets – most notably, the designs for advanced stealth fighters like the F-22 and F-35.

“Su admitted that he conspired with two persons in China from October 2008 to March 2014 to gain unauthorized access to protected computer networks in the United States – including computers belonging to the Boeing Company in Orange County, California – to obtain sensitive military information and to export that information illegally from the United States to China,” reads the Justice Department release.

Su Bin, who worked in Canada under the name Stephen Su, was a well-regarded businessman and entrepreneur in the aviation industry, serving as the sole proprietor of a small company that specialized in aircraft cable harnesses. This company, called Lode-Tech, was described by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations as a “small player” in the field, with only a handful of employees and limited access to broader aviation programs.

However, despite the minimal reach of Lode-Tech, Su Bin himself worked tirelessly to establish in-roads within the Canadian and American defense industries, forming an extensive network of business contacts that, over time, allowed him to gain increasingly unfettered access to internal networks maintained by a variety of American and Canadian defense contractors.

As Bob Anderson, the FBI’s former head of counterintelligence, put it, “he cultivates you over time.”

China began formal development on its first stealth fighter, meant to compete directly with Western jets like the F-22, in 2008, awarding the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation a developmental contract meant to mature its Project 718 design proposal.

Starting that same year, Su began working directly with two professional hackers employed by China’s People’s Liberation Army, using the information he’d gained through his business contacts to enable the theft of more than 630,000 files from Boeing – a massive 65 gigabytes of data – related to the C-17 heavy-lift cargo aircraft. But Su had his sights set on an even bigger prize: information regarding America’s stealth fighter programs.

Related: Beating China could mean bringing the C-130 back to aircraft carriers

A five-ship formation consisting of a C-17 Globemaster III and four F-22 Raptors fly over Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Heather Redman)

Over time, Su’s ability to win over business contacts enabled the theft of even more information mostly on the development of Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. While Su did not immediately have access to Lockheed Martin’s networks, these aircraft were not designed or built solely within the halls of Lockheed Martin. Both of these fighters represent the efforts of a chorus of contractors and subcontractors, with design specifications shared across firms for the sake of manufacturing.

When people took note of Su’s interest in these classified programs, he assuaged their concerns by pointing out that he was only asking about specific, seemingly unimportant things.

“Su would say, ‘I’m not asking you to give me the F-35, but what’s it matter if I get one system out of it that we could sell to a friend or a prospective client?’” said Anderson. “And then go from there, and it takes time.”

Over at least six years, Su and his hackers would gain access to tens of thousands of files associated with these stealth fighter programs.

Correspondence between Su and his team shows he not only provided overall direction and guidance for this effort, but he even worked to translate the stolen information into Chinese, going so far as to draft formal reports for the PLA’s General Staff Headquarters on the material they managed to steal.

A redacted image from the F-35 report Su Bin prepared for the PLA’s General Staff Headquarters. (Creative Commons)

Su and his co-conspirators may have worked tirelessly to gain access to this information, but they worked just as hard to cover their tracks. FBI counter-intelligence experts traced their work through multiple third-party nations, where they had established “hop points” – a term used to describe compromised or purchased intermediary networks meant to disguise the infiltration’s actual point of origin.

In 2009, six current and former government officials confirmed with the Wall Street Journal that the Joint Strike Fighter Program that produced the F-35 had been accessed multiple times by Chinese hackers, who had secured several terabytes of information regarding the aircraft’s design and systems. At the time, Pentagon officials explained that the hackers used a method that encrypted data as it was being stolen, making it difficult to assess what specific data had been compromised. However, it is worth noting that some of the most secretive systems being developed for the aircraft are kept isolated from broader network access to avoid these sorts of security breaches. Nonetheless, this revelation was the beginning of the end for Su and his team.

In one 2011 e-mail entered into evidence, Su bragged to his Chinese contacts that the information they stole from the F-22 and F-35 programs would “allow us to rapidly catch up with U.S. levels … To stand easily on the giant’s shoulders.”

Beginning in 2011, in what Chinese officials might describe as little more than coincidental timing, the J-20 fighter design that had been maturing since 2008 suddenly adopted several significant – and stealthy – changes. These changes wouldn’t manifest in a new prototype, however, for three more years.

By 2013, Su had also established connections with GE Aviation in Cincinnati – a firm renowned for advanced turbofan technologies that China has struggled to develop for its own stealth fighters. It’s worth noting that both the F-22 and F-35 are powered by Pratt & Whitney powerplants, but GE was responsible for competing designs meant for service aboard these jets. According to Defense Department insiders, GE’s YF120 turbofan proposal for the F-22 Raptor was actually the more advanced and capable design. Pratt’s YF119 engine ultimately won out due to its simplicity and the lower risk associated with relying on more mature and proven technologies.

In March 2014, China’s new and improved J-20 design finally emerged, incorporating modified diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI), redesigned vertical stabilizers, and more. When pictures of the new J-20 first reached the internet, multiple defense outlets highlighted the now even more pronounced similarities to Lockheed Martin’s stealth fighters.

Visible changes in China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype fielded in 2014 (bottom) versus its previous iteration (top). (Via the Chinese internet)

As well-known aviation journalist David Cenciotti reported at the time, the J-20’s newly redesigned nose, in particular, bore a striking resemblance to the F-22 and F-35. That same year, USNI News contributor Feng Cao also drew direct comparisons to America’s stealth fighters, even highlighting its change in color to “F-22 grey,” likely a sign of improved radar-absorbent skin. Defense outlet War is Boring was so taken by the improved features of the new J-20 design that they ran a story with the headline, “China’s Latest Stealth Fighter Prototype Has, Well, Actual Stealth Features.”

Now, it is important to note that not all of the design changes to the J-20 are easily attributed to espionage. Some changes and improvements can be traced to on-record developmental efforts within Chinese academia… but not all of them. Nonetheless, the new-and-improved J-20 could be seen as a massive victory for Su Bin and his espionage efforts… but he wouldn’t have much time to celebrate. At right around the same time the new J-20 prototype was revealed to the world, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint and subsequent indictment against Su for the theft of thousands of files associated with American defense efforts. Four months later, in July 2014, he was arrested by Canadian authorities.

Visible changes in China’s J-20 stealth fighter prototype fielded in 2014 (bottom) versus its previous iteration (top). (Via the Chinese internet)

While the FBI is traditionally responsible for investigating these sorts of crimes, the Air Force’s Office of Special Projects (PJ), a subset of the Office of Special Investigations, ultimately played a vital role in securing Bin’s arrest and extradition to the United States thanks to their ability to work directly with defense contractors and senior U.S. government officials, including members of the Air Force’s C-17 program office and others within Lockheed Martin itself.

American law enforcement eventually managed to access the messages exchanged between Su, his hackers, and Chinese military officials in which they wrote and revised formal reports for the People’s Liberation Army outlining their efforts and the data they’d managed to steal. The collection of stolen files combined with this correspondence left the charges all but irrefutable, and Su opted to wave the extradition hearing and be transferred directly to the United States.

Initially, Su was facing 30 years in prison for his crimes, but he quickly accepted a plea agreement, providing his full cooperation to American authorities in exchange for a much shorter 46-month sentence.

Despite the breadth of Su’s theft, many of the documents he and his hackers stole were not, strictly speaking, classified or even export-controlled. However, as the Air Force pointed out in 2016, even these less-significant thefts, in aggregate, allowed the Chinese military to reverse-engineer a wide variety of aircraft components that would otherwise have cost millions to develop from scratch, saving not only money, but a great deal of time associated with research and development.

Related: Pakistan wants to fly Chinese stealth fighters alongside its F-16s

F-35 (top) compared to J-20 (bottom).

“Su Bin admitted to playing an important role in a conspiracy, originating in China, to illegally access sensitive military data, including data relating to military aircraft that are indispensable in keeping our military personnel safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.

Su’s unearthed correspondence, the timeline of design changes incorporated into the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, and his subsequent admission of guilt, all point directly to China’s theft, and use, of Lockheed Martin design elements in its own fighter programs, though this idea remains the subject of debate within Pentagon and aviation circles to this day.

The J-20 is obviously not a direct copy of the F-22, and assertions that it would need to be to benefit from this sort of technological theft reflect a lack of understanding of fighter design. A tactical aircraft is, fundamentally speaking, not one thing, so much as a broad collection of components and design cues married to one another through functional form. Like a child bearing only a slight visual resemblance to her parents, genetic similarities run more than skin deep.

Comparison of F-22 (top) and J-20 (bottom).

Yet, the most conspicuous similarities between Chinese and American stealth fighters are, nonetheless, fairly easy to spot. Despite the J-20’s overall delta-wing and canard design resembling Russia’s defunct MiG 1.44 stealth fighter effort, the radar-reflecting design cues leveraged by the F-22 and F-35 are readily visible in the Chinese fighter.

Some have disputed this in recent years by alleging that these similarities are based not on theft, but physics, claiming that these shared design elements are the inevitable result of any fighter design meant to marry aerobatic performance to low-observability. This claim would seem to be substantiated by numerous other stealth fighter programs in development today that also bear a striking resemblance to America’s F-22 or F-35, like Turkey’s KAAN, South Korea’s KF-21, or India’s AMCA.

The truth, however, is that both the Indian and South Korean stealth fighter efforts saw direct engineering support from Lockheed Martin, and Turkey’s KAAN fighter began development in 2016, three years before the country was removed from the F-35 program. These fighters bear a resemblance to Lockheed Martin’s because they all have benefitted from access to Lockheed Martin’s design efforts.

The idea that all stealth fighter designs will ultimately mature in the shape of an F-22 can be easily dismissed by simply looking over the competing stealth fighter developmental efforts from other firms that ultimately didn’t see production for one reason or another. Boeing’s admittedly goofy-looking X-32 and Northrop’s legendary YF-23, both jets that competed and lost against Lockheed entries, were not only broadly comparable in terms of stealth, but it’s widely understood that the YF-23 was even stealthier than the YF-22 that matured into today’s Raptor.

Other stealth aircraft efforts like Northrop’s Tacit Blue, Boeing’s YF-118G Bird of Prey, NASA’s X-36, McDonnell Douglas’s A-12 Avenger II, and more all represent different approaches to low-observable tactical aircraft design that bear little resemblance to Lockheed Martin’s approach.

Related: Why stealth helicopters are so hard to design

Northrop’s YF-23 stealth fighter design. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Put simply, Lockheed Martin didn’t uncover the one-and-only approach to stealth fighter design in the early 1990s, leaving the rest of the world with no choice but to follow in its footsteps. Instead, Lockheed Martin offered the U.S. military the most viable combination of performance, stealth, and political support necessary to see its jets go into production. Since then, Lockheed Martin’s success with these designs has positioned it to support American allies and partners in their own developmental efforts, resulting in a great deal of similarity across some foreign designs.

China’s use of Lockheed Martin design elements in its stealth fighters, then, does not represent the inevitable result of radar and wind-tunnel testing, but rather a concerted effort to bridge the gap between Chinese and American fighter technology through a combination of direct theft and a fair bit of traditional domestic R&D.

So what does this ultimately mean for China’s J-20 or their new stealth fighter in development, the FC-31 (sometimes also known as the J-35)? Espionage has always played a role in the advancement of military technology and will continue doing so as long as wars are waged. These fighters do not need to match their American counterparts in all performance metrics to represent a potent threat to American security and interests, and indeed, they likely don’t. Their real value is as part of a broader defensive strategy and air warfare doctrine that China is still actively developing as we speak, and as such, the ultimate impact of these platforms has yet to fully manifest.

China’s operational J-20 (Wikimedia Commons)

It would be a mistake to dismiss these copycat fighters as little more than designer-imposter jets with no real combat prowess due solely to their use of stolen design elements. A Hi-Point pistol may look like a Glock run through a broken copy machine and may not offer the same accuracy, reliability, or ease of maintenance… but that’s little solace to anyone who’s been shot by one. And the truth is, a highly trained special operator armed with nothing more than a cheap pistol may be even more dangerous to an opponent than a dummy like me with the fanciest Sig money can buy.

Effective employment strategies and tactics can often offset technological shortcomings, and as such, China’s employment of stealth technologies in new fighter designs doesn’t need to be as refined as America’s. With the right strategy, training, supporting systems, and personnel, the underdog can always come out on top.

So, did China steal F-22 and F-35 designs to benefit its ongoing fighter efforts? The answer is unequivocally yes.

But is that a reason to dismiss the threat posed by these aircraft and others to follow?

The answer there is unequivocally no.

@Alexhollings

@SandboxxNews

[thechembow]

How soaked is Southern California? The astonishing rainfall totals

Feb. 7, 2024 - KTLA

Record-breaking rainfall has drenched Southern California over the past four days, leaving the entire region soaked and causing extensive property damage. 

According to National Weather Service reports, some of the highest rain totals in the entire region were in Los Angeles County.

Downtown Los Angeles saw the most rain over a two-day period since 1956, NWS said, adding that nearly half of the average seasonal rainfall for Los Angeles fell on Sunday and Monday alone. 

Rainfall totals for Southern California communities can be found below: 

Los Angeles County

Cogswell Dam (13.86 inches)

Topanga Canyon (13.48 inches)

Bel Air (13.04 inches)

Sepulveda Canyon at Mulholland Drive (13.02 inches)

Woodland Hills (12.62 inches)...

See article for more rain totals from Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties!