text:
What the Physicist saw:
"A Night test at S4:" an artist's conception. (Copyright Lee Krystek, 1997)
The General frowned as he examined the accident report. Three men dead and an underground lab destroyed. This was a setback, but things were under control. The explosion had been explained away and cover stories were being fabricated to handle the disappearances of the men. The General's main concern was to get back on schedule. For that he would need a replacement physicist, fast...
If the claims of Robert Lazar are true, the above represents how he came to be involved in one of the most secret, and bizarre, operations of the United States government.
In November of 1989 Robert Scott Lazar gave a series of interviews to George Knapp on KLAS-TV in Las Vegas. Lazar claimed that while employed as a physicist by the U.S. government, he had worked on a super-secret project located in the restricted Nellis Range near Rachel, Nevada just south of the famous "Area 51." At a hidden base there, referred to as "S4," Lazar had been employed to "reverse-engineer" a disc-shaped flying machine. The machine, which Lazar refers to as the "sport" model, was one of nine (each of a different design) parked in interconnecting hangers at S4.
Based on the technology, the size of the seats in the craft, and material he had read at the base, Lazar said he believed the machines had not been built on Earth and represented some kind of alien science. He never learned how they had been "recovered," nor did he clearly see any extraterrestrial beings at the base.
According to Lazar, he saw the "sport" model demonstrated during a night test. The craft, which measured some 35 feet in diameter, lifted and hovered while its belly glowed blue. The machine used a propulsion system that amplified gravitational waves. One of Lazar's chief contributions to the project was to determine how the engine used "ununpentium," a super heavy metal with the atomic number of 115, to generate the gravitational waves.
During one night test, says Lazar, he took friends out to a location that overlooked the base. Using a telescope they were able to observe a distant glowing object flying in a peculiar pattern.
Lazar said he got the job at S4 through Edward Teller, famous physicist and "father of the H-bomb." Lazar left S4 after only working there a few months when he discovered his birth certificate had disappeared from public records. Fearing the government was going to erase his identity and perhaps kill him after he'd served their purpose, Lazar went public with the series of television broadcasts.
So what do we make of his story? Does the U.S. government really own extra-terrestrial flying saucers? Or is Lazar being less than truthful? Or is there some other reasonable explanation for his tale?
Even some of Lazar's critics admit that he "seems so believable." Despite this they have gathered a sizable pile of facts and records that undermines Lazar's story. Lazar's supporters have built a wall of defensive counter-arguments, and for years the veracity of his story has been debated at the "alt.conspiracy.area51" newsgroup on the internet.
Since the reported location of the S4 base is in a restricted area, it is impossible for anyone outside of the government to directly visit the place and confirm or deny Lazar's story. Therefore most of the debate has centered on Lazar's life and credentials as a scientist before 1989.
Even one of Lazar's staunchest supporters, Gene Huff, has admitted that the incident that first spooked Lazar, the missing birth certificate, was a misunderstanding. Lazar was adopted as a child, and this made his birth certificate more difficult to obtain than normal. Eventually he did get one.
According to Lazar he attended both MIT and Cal Tech, receiving a Master's degree from each. At MIT he studied physics, at Cal Tech electronic technology. Later he worked as a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
Investigators checking at both MIT and Cal Tech could find no record of his attendance. Lazar's supporters argue that this is the result of the government plot to erase Lazar's records and discredit him. Lazar failed, though, to produce witnesses, such as professors and student advisors, that remembered him. Researchers have checked student directories, degree lists and alumni records and Lazar's name was not found. Some of these records, maintained on micro film and at scattered locations, would seem to be difficult, if not impossible, to tamper with.
No record was found of Lazar's employment at Los Alamos National Laboratory, either, but his supporters have produced a phone book from the lab in 1982 that lists his name. Critics of Lazar note that the phone book covered not just LANL, but also the Department of Energy and various private vendors. The phone book designation indicates he worked for a vendor at LANL, but not for the Laboratory itself. A former friend of Lazar's, who knew him while he lived near LANL, contends while he was there he was employed only a technician, not a physicist, as Lazar later claimed.
In a newspaper article from that period about a jet car Lazar owned, he is refered to as "...a physicist at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility." This seems to support Lazar contention that he was employed there, but his critics point out the reporter undoubtedly took Lazar's own word for his profession and employer.
George Knapp, the TV reporter who originally broke the Lazar story, was impressed by how well Lazar knew the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He also compared Lazar's story about his experiences at Area 51 (the secret base where Lazar boarded a bus to go onto the super secret S4 location) with accounts of people known to have been employed at area 51. Lazar seemed to know quite a bit of mundane information about the place, including details on how you paid for your lunch at the local commissary.
One of the strongest evidences for Lazar's story comes from friends whom he took out near the NTS to observe the "sport" model tests. Somehow Lazar knew something would be visible that night. How could he if he didn't work there?
Also, there's the question of a polygraph test (lie detector) Lazar took to prove his claims. Unfortunately, administering and interpreting a polygraph test is as much an art as a science and the results can be inconclusive and occasionally wrong. Lazar did well on the test, but the administrator couldn't say for sure that Lazar was being completely truthful.
What about the science Lazar describes behind the alien flying saucer technology? Does it check out? Most professional physicists dismiss his description of how an alien anti-gravity drive might work. Lazar supporters state that scientists do not understand gravity as well they think they do, and as they learn more they will see that Lazar's alien technology really does work.
The above is just a fraction of the arguments raised to support or detract from Lazar's story. How do we know which side is right?
Lazar's story is almost impossible to prove, or disprove. Why? Because part of the story predicts that efforts will be made to tamper or destroy evidence that might support Lazar's case. Therefore it isn't surprising that no evidence is found. Also any evidence that is found that denies the story's legitimacy can be said to be planted.
In this situation it may be necessary to employ one of the late Carl Sagan's favorite rules: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof." Lazar's claims are indeed extraordinary, but his story, though well told and surprisingly consistent, has little proof associated with it. Until more proof is offered, and perhaps this means another S4 scientist going public, neither the scientific community or the general public is likely to give his tale much credence.
For those who want more information about the Robert Lazar story, check the sites below. You can also purchase a model of Lazar's "sport" disc from the Testor Corporation.
Ancient Astronauts
Roswell Crash
Mystery Airship
UFO Hoaxes
Mistaken UFOs


Arturo Toscanini is one of the most acclaimed musicians of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, beginning his career as a cellist then becoming world- renowned as a conductor. Known for his intensity, perfectionism, ear for orchestral detail, and photographic memory (he could conduct 160 operas from memory), he was appointed music director of La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at different stages in his career.
Published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Toscanini?s birthday (March 25, 1867), this book provides insight into the legendary conductor?s genius through never-before-seen photos focusing on key moments of his extraordinary private and public life. Toscanini is a celebrity beloved both in the United States and overseas, and this book is a celebration of his integrity, talent, and relentless pursuit of perfection.


text:
US Military Construction Standards Require Climate Security Update
Posted By Alexandra Hackbarth on Nov 22, 2019
Over the last decade, the US has witnessed some of the most damaging storms ever recorded. These storms cause billions in damage and are a threat to US national security. As the climate continues to change, storms are predicted to intensify. To prepare for stronger storms, the Department of Defense (DoD) is updating its construction standards for military installations.
In May 2019, ASP President, Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.) toured Camp Lejeune in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Months after the storm, he witnessed tarps still covering rooftops and the on-going repairs to a large percent of the buildings. Hurricane Florence is estimated to have caused $3.6 billion in damage to North Carolina military infrastructure. US Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller was forced to curtail or cancel several training exercises to free up funds for hurricane repair.
Severe flooding at Offutt Air Force Base, in May 2019, caused extensive damage. In October 2018, Hurricane Michael hit Tyndall Air Force Base. Experts predict it will take years to rebuild both bases and cost billions of taxpayer dollars. In part due to the damage at Tyndall and Offutt Air Force Bases, the Air Force requested supplemental funding for this year, and an additional $3.7 billion for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Without the additional funding, the Air Force may need to forego regularly scheduled facility maintenance, ground combat aircraft, and cut flying time for non-deploying squadrons. Such cuts will affect military readiness and put U.S. national security at risk.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in June 2019 calling for DoD to assess risk and provide guidance on climate projections in installation master plans and facilities designs. In its report, GAO made many recommendations, including that the Secretary of Defense issue guidance on incorporating climate projections into facilities project designs; the DoD concurred with GAO's recommendation, and all the others.
In October 2019, Robert H. McMahon, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, testified before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services subcommittees on readiness and emerging threats and capabilities. In his testimony, he said,
"We take the lessons we learn from each of these installations — whether it is the construction, whether it's the roofing, what we are doing on one floor versus another — and roll that in on an annual basis to continuously update what those standards are to ensure that, as we get to the next either rehab or new construction, that those standards are, in fact, reflected in the way that we build the facility."
Additionally, McMahon explained,
"As we look out over the last decade or two decades, the challenges and threats we face within our installations have grown dramatically."
"It's climate. It's the challenge we also face with regards to natural disasters, whether that be earthquakes, whether that be forest fires, whether that be deforestation or drought," he added.
McMahon argued DoD must acknowledge that the climate is changing, and military installations must be resilient and ready.
"We look at the way that we proactively put together our standards, our building standards, they need to be continuously updated as we learn about what is occurring with these natural disasters," he said.
While DoD is proactively updating its construction standards, Congress has proposed codifying this procedure to take into account future threats, like climate change. Section 2805 of H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, directs the Secretary of Defense to:
"amend the Unified Facility Criteria related to military construction planning and design to ensure that building practices and standards promote military installation resilience, energy resilience, energy and climate resiliency, and cyber resilience."
In doing so, the legislation directs the Secretary of Defense to consider historical data, current conditions, and sea level rise projections. Additionally, the Secretary is required to conduct a review of military installation building standards, beginning in 2022, and annually thereafter, to ensure that military construction is keeping up with resilience standards.
The Senate has included similar language in its version of the NDAA (S. 1790). The House and Senate are currently working to resolve issues pertaining to other provisions of the legislation.
DoD's proactive approach to ensuring military installations are resilient in the face of future threats is good, and the language included in the NDAA to codify that is a step in the right direction. The US' ability to project power abroad requires military installations at home and around the globe to be resilient and ready when disaster strikes. The military cannot afford to be crippled by damaged infrastructure or the inability to train. ASP launched a new website in September that examines climate threats—sea level rise, extreme storms, extreme heat and drought, and Arctic ice melt—their impact on military installations and makes recommendations on how best to prepare. DoD's new construction standards are a step in the right direction.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
India Naval Ambitions and Strategic Stability of South Asia
Syeda Saiqa Bukhari
For a long time, India has held the ambition of becoming one of the greatest military powers in the world. For this purpose, India spends significant amounts of money to modernize its armed forces including its land, air and naval forces. Since the last few years India's major focus has been to convert its existing navy into a 'blue-water' navy. The possession of submarine ships is one of the most important requirements for projecting power as a blue water navy. The Indian navy's submarine fleet comprises of the indigenously developed nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) INS Arihant, four French origin Scorpene class submarines built in India and Akula class submarines leased from Russia.
On 6thMay 2019,the Indian navy launched yet another Scorpene class submarine termed as the INS Vela to further enhance its maritime capabilities. This submarine is the fourth of six overall units that will be delivered to the navy through a transfer of technology (made in India Initiative) agreement (Project 75) with France. The Scorpene class INS Vela has the capability to stay submerged for a week which makes it difficult for it to be tracked by its adversaries. This class also has the capability of undertaking several types of mission such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, area surveillance and intelligence gathering operations. The INS Vela has top-end stealth features which include acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels and the capability to launch a potentially decisive attack on an adversary by using precision guided weapons. Furthermore, the Scorpene class is also equipped with Weapons Launching Tubes (WLT) that can carry weapons on board that can be efficiently reloaded at sea. With these capabilities, India aims to considerably improve its war fighting capabilities and to project power as a blue water navy across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
With the induction of Scorpene class submarine, India has two objectives. The first is to that to pressurize Pakistan under its regional hegemonic designs. The second is to become a great power by increasing its naval presence in the region while staying at par with China's extensive naval power.
The Feb-March 2019 short lived military engagement between India and Pakistan has however raised significant questions regarding India's power projection capabilities vis-a-vis Pakistan. On 5th March 2019, Pakistan navy detected and prevented an Indian submarine from infiltrating Pakistan's maritime borders. This clearly showed Pakistan's capability to thwart any surprise Indian naval intrusions into Pakistan, despite the billions spent by India on its military upgrades. Hence, even though, Pakistan's naval fleet may lack in numbers vis-à-vis India, Pakistan has an efficient naval defense and surveillance system, whose capabilities are evident from this recent episode. A naval force with a larger submarine fleet can create serious challenges for its adversary, but in this case, the detection of the Indian Scorpene class submarine raised glaring questions regarding India's self-purported capability to ambitiously dominate the Indian Ocean.
India still retains a powerful desire to build up a naval force capable of fulfilling its strategic goal of emerging as a major global player. However, it has also so far focused more on increasing its fleet of submarines rather than improving their efficiency. Based on the historical enmity between India and Pakistan, South Asia has witnessed growing insecurity because of these trends. . As a result, Pakistan's major security threats are largely from its eastern neighbor. Keeping in view of this prevailing security environment, India's growing naval spending and extensive build up are adversely affecting the strategic balance of the region. While Pakistan has been successfully able to deter India's hegemonic designs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to directly compete with India's blue water ambitions in the long-run with its relatively stagnant economy.
In order to overcome these challenges that may be posed by Indian naval advancements in the future, Pakistan can develop closer ties with Russia and China to enhance its early warning and maritime defense capabilities. Pakistan has always acted as a responsible nuclear power and has tried to maintain its strategic balance with India without indulging into an arms race. This however, is becoming increasingly difficult for Pakistan to maintain without the support of outside powers, particularly within the changing dynamics of the Indian Ocean Region.
Related Topics:DefenseIndiaPakistanSecurity
21 years of Nuclearization of South Asia: Current Doctrinal Trends
The Encroaching Impact of Arms Trade on South Asia's Geopolitics
Research associate at Strategic Vision Institute Islamabad.
Is India fearful of internationalisation of the Kashmir dispute?
Amber Afreen Abid
In recent years, the technological advancements by India in the domain of counterforce military capabilities have increased the vulnerability of the South Asian region. While trying to disturb the strategic stability in South Asia, India through its adventuresome counterforce posture against Pakistan is on the verge of becoming a rogue state. Notwithstanding the repercussions, India is voyaging towards destabilization in the South Asian Region.
India's enhanced strategic nuclear capabilities which includes-the development of Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), Ballistic Missile Defence System (BMD), Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles, and acquisition of nuclear-capable submarines- indicate that India is moving away from its declared policy of 'No First Use' (NFU) towards a more aggressive, counterforce posture against Pakistan. The BMD and MIRV technology along with the provision of an advanced navigation system under BECA would embolden India to go for the first strike against Pakistan. While having reliance on BMD, as to be sheltered in return. These technological advancements made by India are sprouting a new era of counterforce posture, which would further make the South Asian region volatile and vulnerable to conflicts.
India's urge to acquire counterforce capability is strongly associated with its doctrinal shift. As the stated posture requires flexibility in the use of nuclear weapons, which fortifies the first strike capability, and thus a deviation in India's declared policy of 'No First Use' (NFU) has become more significant, particularly concerning its impact on regional stability. India's declared policy of NFU, set out in Draft Nuclear Doctrine in 1999, followed by its first amendment in January 2003 has since then been into hot debates. Pakistan has long doubted the Indian policy of NFU, as the actions and statements by the officials of the latter have always been aggressive and protruding towards the former. India, now, is drifting away from its policy of NFU with the acquisition of counterforce capabilities, particularly against Pakistan. This is further evident from the statement issued by India's Defense Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh, back in August 2019. It stated "Till today, our nuclear policy is 'no-first-use' (NFU). What happens in the future depends on the circumstances." A change at the doctrinal level is evident in the Indian strategic enclave. Notwithstanding the challenges and repercussions caused by the counterforce strategy and with an attempt to destabilize the nuclear deterrence in the region, India would go unjustifiably low to attain such measures.
In the same vein, India has been enhancing its nuclear capabilities for strategic flexibility against its regional rivals. By the same token, it wants to attain nuclear dominance, which would ultimately result in chaos in the region. The counterforce capability by India would compel its adversaries to heed towards the preemptive strike, in case of a crisis, out of the fear of the use of Nuclear weapons first by the patent enemy. Moreover, the counterforce capability pushes the enemy to put the nuclear weapons on hair-trigger mode, which is directly linked with the crisis escalation. The acquisition of counterforce capability by India would likely provoke a new arms race in the region. This would further destabilize the already volatile South Asian region. The far-reaching destabilization which India is trying to create, just to have an edge on the nuclear adversary, would be back on India's face, faster than she knew it.
On the contrary, Pakistan has been maintaining a posture of Credible Minimum Deterrence (CMD) and does not claim to have a No-First Use (NFU) policy. Moreover, Pakistan's nuclear capability is defensive in principle and a tool for deterrence. Given the Indian evolved notions of counterforce preemption, even now Pakistan would be left with no choice but to leave room for carrying out a 'first strike' as a feasible deterrent against India. Nevertheless, with the advent of technological innovations, its countermeasure arrives soon, too. Presently, there are two aspects that Pakistan should take into consideration; the growing Indo-US nexus and India's concealed innovations in the nuclear posture. Though India is far from achieving counterforce strikes against Pakistan's nuclear targets, concrete steps are required for maintaining future deterrence stability. With that intention, Pakistan might need to look towards its allies for getting hands-on the modern capabilities which includes- advanced communication and navigation systems, sensors, and advancements in artificial intelligence and otherwise, is essential for strengthening its deterrent capability. Pakistan should heed towards the development of absolute second-strike capability; as, what is survivable today, could be vulnerable tomorrow. Therefore, advancements in technology should be made for preserving nuclear deterrence in the future as well.
Summarizing it all, the existence of Pakistan's nuclear deterrence has created a stable environment in the region, by deterring full-scale wars on multiple occasions that might have resulted in a nuclear exchange. With the revolution in nuclear technology, the threat of nuclear war has emerged again. Instead of going towards the attainment of peace and stability in the region, India has been enhancing its counterforce capabilities. This would likely remain a significant threat to the deterrence stability in the region. Moreover, any kind of failure to maintain nuclear deterrence in South Asia could result in an all-out war, without any escalation control. India, in its lust for power and hegemonic designs, has been destabilizing the region. Both the nuclear states in South Asia need to engage in arms restraint and escalation control measures. This seems to be a concrete and more plausible way out; else the new era of destabilization could be more disastrous.
A pig in a poke of Lithuanian Armed Forces
Adomas Abromaitis
The proverb "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" perfectly reflects the situation in the Lithuanian armed forces. It is it unclear how the army will carry out its tasks, if everything that happens there runs counter to common sense.
The conscription took place in Lithuania. The recruits once again were revealed by an electronic lottery on January 7, 2021. 3,828 recruits were selected from the list of 38 thousand conscripts aged 18 to 23.
The idea of using electronic lottery in such a serious procedure arises a lot of questions among Lithuanians. Young people are suspicious of this method and fully admit the possibility of corruption. Nobody could check the results and so nobody could be blamed for random selection. The more so, the armed forces could get weaker recruits than in case of using usual ways of choosing among candidates. So, the army buys a pig in a poke.
This approach to recruitment in Lithuania results in presence of those with criminal intents and inclinations. Сases of crimes committed by Lithuanian military personnel have increased. Incidents with the involvement of military regularly occurred in Lithuania in 2020.
Thus, a soldier of the Lithuanian army was detained in Jurbarkas in October. He was driving under the influence of alcohol. A Lithuanian soldier suspected of drunk driving was detained also in Siauliai in December. Panevėžys County Chief Police Commissariat was looking for a soldier who deserted from the Lithuanian Armed Forces and so forth.
Such behaviour poses serious risks to public safety and leads to loss of confidence in the Lithuanian army in society.
Lithuanian military officials have chosen a new way to discourage young people from serving in the army, which is already not popular.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." The ministry of defence decided to run a photo contest that would reflect service in the country's armed forces. It is doubtful that such pictures will attract to the army, but the real situation is provided.
Usually, popularization is the act of making something attractive to the general public. This contest served the opposite goal. Look at the pictures and make conclusions.
Fatah-1: A New Security and Technological Development About Pakistan's Indigenous GMLRS
Uswa Khan
Islamabad: It seems like 2021 has been a good start for Pakistan specifically with regard to stepping up its missile testing. On the 7th of January, the Pakistan military has successfully conducted a purely indigenously developed missile test flight known to be Fatah-1. As stated by various reports, Fatah-1 is an extended-range Guided Multi-Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) which itself is a developed variant of the guided MLRS family.
According to the recent statement given by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) about the newly developed rocket, it was stated: "The weapon system will give Pakistan Army capability of a precision target deep in the enemy territory." Director-General of Pakistan Army, Media Wing, major general Babar Iftikhar on 7th January tweeted: "Pakistan today conducted a successful; test flight of indigenously developed Fatah-1, Guided Multi Launch Rocket System, capable of delivering a conventional Warhead up to a range of 140 km."
Defense analyst Mr. Syed Muhammad Ali also stated in his capacity: "the new system was very fast, accurate, survivable, and difficult to intercept". A video was also shared by ISPR on their official website, in which the missile launch can be seen while being fired from the launcher however, the details on when and where the test flight has taken place, along with the specification of the rocket system are yet to be announced.
Currently, Pakistan Army owns a wide range of Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBM), Medium-Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBM), Battlefield Ballistic Missiles (BBM), Rocket Artillery, and Surface to Surface Cruise Missile (SSCM). In the previous year, Pakistan had also maintained prime success in conducting the Ra'ad-II cruise missile and Ghaznavi surface-to-surface ballistic missile (SSBM). Besides, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on 30thDecember made apt progress when it comes to the national air defense arsenal as it was announced that PAF is beginning the production of the State-of-the-art JF-17 Thunder Block 3 fighter jets, at the same time acquiring the 14 dual-seat Jf-17 aircraft.
According to various reports, the JF-17 Thunder Block 3 will be said to have a new radar operational capability which will be far better in the practical domain as compared to the Raphael aircraft acquired by India. Whereas, the exchange of 14 dual-seat aircraft, manufactured with Pak-China cooperation were also given to the PAF which will be used for extensive training.
The recent successful testing of Fatah-1 has been considered to be another milestone for Pakistan as it tends to be a fitting response to the recent developments in the conventional capabilities carried out by India and also to India's Cold Start Doctrine.


text:
Act fast! HP's 10th-gen Core i5 laptop is only $420 right now for Presidents' Day
By Louis Ramirez 09 February 2020
This laptop deal seems too good to be true
We know: Valentine's Day comes first on the calendar, but Presidents' Day sales start today at HP headquarters. The PC manufacturer is slashing the price of dozens of its laptops as part of its Presidents' Day sale.
One of the best money savers you'll find is the HP Laptop 15t on sale for $419.99. That's $330 off and one of the cheapest HP laptops you'll find in HP's sale. And while you may think a machine this cheap would be underpowered, the 15t sports some respectable specs for its price.
Shop the entire HP Presidents' Day sale
Take 5% off $599+ with coupon "5PDS2020"
Take 10% off $999+ with coupon "10PDS2020"
Up to 52% off monitors
Up to 35% off Omen gaming accessories
Up to 61% off printers
Up to 66% off McAfee Live Safe
50% off mice and laptop bags
HP Laptop 15t: was $749 now $419 @ HP
Save big on this 15-inch HP laptop for Presidents' Day. The HP 15t comes with a powerful 1GHz Core i5-1035G1 quad-core CPU, 12GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for just $419.99. We recommend upgrading its display to 1080p, which still comes in at just $479.99, an excellent price for a mainstream machine.View Deal
The 15t on sale sports a 1GHz Core i5-1035G1 quad-core CPU, 12GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The 15.6-inch display is only 1366 x 768 resolution, so we'd spend an extra $60 to upgrade to the 1080p display. That would bump the total price to $479.99, which is still under $500 and an excellent price for a 10th-gen Core i5 laptop.
If you're looking for a gaming rig or 2-in-1, you can take 5% off purchases of $599+ via coupon code "5PDS2020" or 10% off purchases of $999+ via coupon code "10PDS2020". (You apply the coupons during the checkout stage).
Make sure to check out our laptop deals page for more discounts ahead of Presidents' Day.


I put the following code into a must-use plugin having replaced 'yourtheme' with the name of our theme and nothing happens.
I would say there is a good chance of it. Does it contain what versions those templates are from?
Depending on your host a lot offer some type dev environment or staging environment that you could copy the site to and test without chancing the live site.
if you know anything about doing local sites you could copy it and set it up there to test as well.
There is also the WP Staging plugin that allows you to create a staging copy straight from your admin. It's highly recommended to try these types of tests.
This kind of problem is usually caused by either a conflict with your theme or with another plugin.
The best way to determine if the issue is being caused by a theme and/or plugin is to temporarily switch your theme to Storefront and disable all plugins except for WooCommerce. If you can install plugins, install Health Check. On the troubleshooting tab, you can click the button to disable all plugins and change the theme for you while you're logged in to that session without affecting normal visitors to your site. Note that Health Check may not count Storefront as a default theme, so you can also use Twenty Seventeen as well.
If that resolves the issue, then one-by-one you can switch back your theme and re-enable your plugins, testing in between, until you find the one causing the conflict.
When a new version of WooCommerce is released, we sometimes update the default templates.
This applies to major releases but also to minor releases and themes may break because they override WooCommerce's default templates. Most theme authors fix their themes in a timely manner, so you only need to update your theme to get the updated templates.
If the themes are not updated, or if you modified the templates yourself or are using a child theme, you need to update the templates yourself.
The topic 'Lightbox not working despite added code' is closed to new replies.