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Links 9/13/2025

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Why Blue Eyes Aren’t Really Blue (And What Makes Green So Rare) ScienceAlert (Chuck L)

The Da Vinci Bloodline: Living Descendants Provide Clues to the Genius’s Genetic Secrets SciTech Daily (Chuck L)

The Earliest Known Appearance of the F‑Word Open Culture (Micael T)

#COVID-19/Pandemics

U.S. Officials to Link 25 Child Deaths to COVID Shots, Report Says MedPage

Climate/Environment

Is Earth’s climate in a state of ‘termination shock’? New Scientist (Dr. Kevin)

The Ocean’s Most Abundant Life Form May Not Survive Global Warming SciTech Daily (Chuck L)

Water Crisis in Asia: Why the World Cannot Afford Inaction Earth.org

How Europe Lost an Area the Size of Cyprus to Wildfires This Year Insurance Journal

China?

Chinese Supercarrier Makes First Transit Through Taiwan Strait During Sea Trials Military Watch

China’s dual-use asteroid-collision research threatens satellites Asia Times

Philippines protests China’s plan for a nature reserve at a hotly disputed shoal ABC

China’s Ministry of Commerce has warned Mexico of countermeasures as the country plans to hike tariffs on Asia-made cars to 50% CNBC

India

India rupee sinks to record low, US tariffs keep outlook fragile Reuters

“That’s A Big Deal. It Caused Rift With India”: Trump On 50% India Tariffs NDTV

Koreas

Please click through to read entire tweet:

Myanmar

Wars, disasters, displacement, hunger’ continue to burden Myanmar UN

Nepal

Military curfew brings an uneasy calm to Nepal’s capital after violent protests Sky

From Discord To Bitchat, Tech At the Heart of Nepal Protests France24

Africa

Ebony and ivory: why elephants and forests rise and fall together in the Congo Basin The Conversation

Ebola cases in Congo rise as authorities race to contain spread of outbreak, health agency says Independent

South of the Border

US vs Venezuela: a new Caribbean Crisis Black Mountain Analysis

European Disunion

European are mostly against Ursula and Trump International Affairs (Micael T)

Germany’s army needs to more than double in size, commander says Reuters (Micael T)

France’s Financial Misery Is a Bad Omen for Other Countries Daily Economy

Brussels Bans Hungary from Building Paks II Nuclear Power Plant Reactors with Russia’s Participation TopWar (Micael T)

Here it is, Swedishness – if it doesn’t suit you, you can leave Arbetsvarlden via machine translation. Micael T: “Relevant for all countries where the nationalists are rising.”

Old Blighty

U.K. economic growth flatlined in July, according to data published Friday, adding to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ headache ahead of the Autumn Budget CNBC

Why Labour and Sir Keir Starmer May Have the Last Laugh Russia in Global Affairs (Micael T)

Israel v. the Resistance

Qatar to hold emergency summit with Arab countries after Israeli strike on Doha Independent. Not holding my breath.

Qatar to ‘re-evaluate security ties’ with Washington after Israeli attack: Report The Cradle (Kevin W)

Strikes on Media Offices Kill At Least 25 Journalists in Yemen Antiwar.com (Kevin W)

Amid Gaza war, Israeli filmmakers battle international condemnation and isolation Times Of Israel (Kevin W)

New Not-So-Cold War

Brief Frontline Report – September 12th, 2025, Marat Khairullin and Mikhail Popov

A Better Way for Europe to Guarantee Ukraine’s Security: How European Forces—and NATO Resources—Can Make the Country Stronger Foreign Affairs (Robin K)

Sikorsky admitted drones arrived in Poland from Ukraine Vzglyad via machine translation (Micael T)

Armenia Refused to Be Russia’s “Little Brother” Vzglayd via machine translation (Micael T)

Trump 2.0

Feds allege Bolton mishandled classified info and was hacked by “foreign entity” Axios. Sounds like very weak tea.

Intel Talent Bleed Continues The Register

Tariffs

Coffee Prices Post Largest Annual Jump Since 1997 CNN

Immigration

Hyundai battery plant faces at least 2-3 month startup delay following US raid, CEO says Reuters

Trump’s Korean Ice Fallout Karl Sanchez

Memphis next US city to see National Guard troops, Trump says BBC (Kevin W)

In D.C., a moped on the ground, an SUV full of US marshals and a mystery Kansas Reflector (Robin K)

L’affaire Epstein

Epstein’s Inbox: A Trove of Emails Reveals Ghislaine Maxwell’s Secrets Bloomberg (Micael T)

Charlie Kirk

My right-wing-o-sphere news hound says there is widespread skepticism about the Tyler Robinson story and continued belief that the operative(s). I cannot verify any of these views, but they include 1. Netanyahu commented on the shooing before Trump did; 2. Even though the shot was technically easy, it usually takes a seasoned sniper to pull it off, since most are not cold blooded enough to control agitation, and Robinson was not that; 3. There was no ambulance at the site, when one is normally present at large events; 4. Those who heard the shot said it did not sound like a Mauser; 5. Men behind Kirk were making hand signals right before Kirk was hit; 6. (Yes, this one is circulating) If Kirk died from a shot to the neck, it would have been from hitting the carotid artery. That would have produced a big spurt of blood. That did not happen. The way he bled on camera more consistent with being shot from behind

But what matters is what Trump believes, not what big swathes of MAGA believe. And since he believes what he is told about Project Ukraine, I see no reason for him to doubt the official story, particularly since it justifies a purge of the left. And seeing Israel as having murdered Kirk would be extremely uncomfortable for Trump, personally and politically

Also as to why Kirk was important: he was responsible for Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin.

FWIW, Kirk is not one of the top three featured stories at Politico.

European ruling class mourns Charlie Kirk, embraces far-right WSWS (Micael T). Wellie, but not their own.

Why the Kirk shooting is being charged as a state, not federal, crime — and what that means for an eventual trial Politico

Utah governor Spencer Cox turns heads with Charlie Kirk address: ‘Choose a different path’ The Hill

* * *

Charlie Kirk refused Netanyahu funding offer, was ‘frightened’ by pro-Israel forces before death, friend reveals Grayzone (Chuck L)

Nothing about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson seems to be adding up Ricky Hale and Council Estate Media

Is There Something More Nefarious Behind the Murder of Charlie Kirk? Larry Johnson

US Vice President JD Vance escorts remains of Charlie Kirk, flown to Arizona Nine News (Kevin W)

Our No Longer Free Press

Proton Mail Suspended Journalist Accounts At Request of Cybersecurity Agency Intercept

US Condemns Prosecution of Finnish Lawmaker Over Bible Verse Tweet Reclaim the Net

a href=”https://archive.ph/OtSRz” rel=”nofollow”>Absolute Values Point Magazine (Micael T)

Police State Watch

A General Air of Anxiety Boston Review

Economy

Subprime Auto Lender Collapse Delivers Blow to Risky Debt Market Bloomberg

Labor Hoarding Looks Close to a Painful End Bloomberg

Mr. Market is Moody

How government debt stress could roll across world markets Reuters

AI

What if the $3trn AI investment boom goes wrong? Economist

A.I. Valuations Reach La La Land Moon of Alabama (Kevin W)

Is A.I. Going to Remedy Medicine’s Problems? Eric Topol (Robin K)

How thousands of ‘overworked, underpaid’ humans train Google’s AI to seem smart Guardian (Kevin W)

Elon Musk Appears to Now Be Firing the People Behind Grok Futurism

Spotify Peeved After 10,000 Users Sold Data To Build AI Tools ars technica

Microsoft, OpenAI Reach Non-Binding Deal To Allow OpenAI To Restructure Reuters

The Bezzle

153 tons – that’s how big the garbage pile at Tesla became after the blockade Dagensarbette via machine translation. Micael T: “How Tesla-employees turned into garbage men.”

US EV sales smash records in August as Tesla loses ground Elektrek

Antidote du jour (via):

And a bonus (Chuck L):

A second bonus (Chuck L):

And a third (Chuck L):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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261 comments

    1. Steve H.

      > My right-wing-o-sphere news hound says there is widespread skepticism about the Tyler Robinson story

      > John Robb, The Red Tribe Activates

      The Robb interview from yesterday was still based on the assumption of a left-wing perp. (Even he didn’t see the Groyper thing coming.) He re-iterates the notion of open-source warfare, that someone can declare themself a part of a group and take action, ala The Pulse nightclub shootings.

      Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly had multiple phones and was active on Discord. That implies communication. With who?

      I have to admit my perspective was influenced by some old spy thriller, where a government employee thought he was stealing documents for South African intelligence, but it turned out to be Russians, pretending. You don’t know who you’re talking to on the web without confirmation, and these young assassins could be easily gaslighted. FBI techniques involve finding a gullible activist and setting them up to do something stupid.

      Which is why, even if Robinson aligned with his actions, the question is who wound him up? I saw a clip saw of Fuentes frantically repudiating use of violence, so he is concerned that his words led directly to the action, or at least that he could be held liable. Kirk was apparently considered insufficiently conservative by that faction. ‘Moderates from the perpetrators’ own group are most able to stop genocide, so are the first to be arrested and killed.’ [Gregory H. Stanton]

      Kirk saying he was worried about being killed by (a foreign government) will hang in the air like the dead space of Building 3. There will be those who will believe that’s what happened, regardless of the truth. The lack of disclosure about Crooks’ phones is an accelerant.

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev

        ‘some old spy thriller, where a government employee thought he was stealing documents for South African intelligence, but it turned out to be Russians

        That’s gotta be “The Fourth Protocol” by Frederick Forsyth where the best part was the agent proving the secret identity of the suspect and traveling to the high velds in South Africa to do so. Pure detective work. Now I want to read that part again.

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      2. Victor Sciamarelli

        @ Steve H. I have to admit being surprised that Tyler Robinson has gone from promising student to deadly assassin without so much as a misdemeanor on his life card.
        Charlie Kirk is not particularly controversial. I can only assume Robinson snapped in much the same way that some people who once supported Bernie Sanders now accuse him of betrayal or selling out. Why Robinson feels betrayed to the point that murder was necessary might take time to discover.
        I can only assume the police booked him on multiple charges to eliminate Mr. Squeaky Clean’s chances being let go on bail. Of course, when it comes time for jury selection in Utah, who knows how smooth that will go.
        And there is a chance Trump will be unable to keep his mouth shut to the point Robinson can’t get a fair trial.
        As for other actors involved, I don’t think so but if Robinson dies in jail I’ll rethink the entire episode.

        Reply ↓
    2. Wukchumni

      The thing that got me, was the approx 20 foot drop from the roof onto the grass. First of all that’s a most excellent way to hurt yourself, and secondly if he had a rifle on him there would be a rather sudden jolt when he hit the ground, but I didn’t see bupkis.

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev

        I saw that too and wondered at that 20 foot drop myself. Can’t remember now but didn’t he just jump it without holding onto the side of the building first to reduce the height he had to jump? If I tried that I would still be there a week later. Who was he? Captain America?

        Reply ↓
      2. ChrisFromGA

        Young knees. Plus, landing on grass helps. I once did a similar jump of around 10-15 feet off my elementary school rooftop onto concrete, and boy did that hurt (I walked away from it unhurt, though.)

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        1. mrsyk

          All this plus that was a ten foot jump, not twenty. Have a look at the video, his last foothold is the sill of the upper window. If the shooter is six feet tall that’s a ten to twelve foot leap.

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          1. ChrisFromGA

            An impressive leap, no doubt. Good form – he used the ground as a shock absorber, and he did not have to resort to falling/tumbling at the end.

            I still maintain that being 22 and in the prime of your physical condition helps a ton. The kid looks athletic in all the pictures I have seen. What a shame. Two lives utterly destroyed.

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      3. danpao

        I didn’t recall seeing a gun in that security footage either and that backpack seems too small to hold a rifle unless it was dismantled. Is that possible and or quickly done?

        Reply ↓
        1. marku52

          No and that’s a big problem to me of seeing Tyler as the true perp
          Rifle too big to fit in the back pack going in
          No rifle when he jumps (No time to disassemble it if that was how it fit in the back pack)
          And rifle later found assembled in the woods.

          WHAAATTT?

          Reply ↓
          1. GF

            Some older war rifles are “sporterized” to reduce length and weight for hunting. I had a 30-40 Krag that had the barrel shortened. I haven’t seen a photo of the gun.

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      5. bertl

        There seems to be a significant lone gunman demographic with a surprising ability to take out political figures less supportive of the Zionazi settler colonists than they might be.

        What interests me is what did Tyler Robinson witness and will he be able to identify the perps? What information do he pass on to his father, and is he being held in a form of protective custody to save him from being the next victim?

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    3. LateDoomer

      Kim Iverson has a youtube video in some of the same direction (Israel potentially). Useful to compare notes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYTPkLVTEbA

      I’d like to be able to wrap my head around the use of patsies more if anyone cares to elaborate. Why would a young man willingly be a patsy?

      As far as keeping up with Israeli Hasbara techniques, Indie Nile makes really interesting content, loads of references, history etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pppYfCzwYW0

      Reply ↓
      1. pjay

        Yes, this is very helpful in explaining the gamer/groyper meme issue. See also the reference posted by raspberry jam in yesterday’s post on Kirk:

        https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/09/inflaming-tensions-trump-threatens-political-left-with-retribution-over-killing-of-charlie-kirk.html#comment-4281693

        Of course the mainstream discourse will coalesce around the “Okum’s razor” response: accept the simplest “lone nut” explanation, stuff all these puzzling questions down the memory hole, and move on. Remember all those unanswered questions about Thomas Crooks, including those addressing his motives or political beliefs? Me neither.

        Reply ↓
        1. Wukchumni

          Usually the same day, we’ll hear about what made the latest mass murderer tick-after dispatching 9 lives, but information is quite scarce so far-narratives of a video gamer ne’er-do-well killing 1 person are sketchy, and if there was some blue meat, you know it’d be out toute suite.

          Reply ↓
    4. Yves Smith Post author

      Thanks, I am about to smash my pretty new MacBook Pro into the wall. Highlighting, copy and paste are working about 1x in 4. Even trying to click fails a lot. Open windows regularly resize to full screen when I did nothing to trigger that, and navigating is also regularly pulling windows that are “behind” forward.

      Reply ↓
      1. Bugs

        It’s kind of a fiddly thing to mess with but I’ve found that you can get the new Macs to respond much more intuitively to the trackpad and mouse by going into the Accessibility settings and adjusting a few things to turn on or off snap to grid stuff and automatic window sizing, animation, etc. The trackpad settings themselves have also become much more complicated and you might want to tweak those. Ymmv.

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    5. Wukchumni

      I’ll make note than Charlie Kirk’s last speaking engagement before Utah was right here in Godzone @ Visalia First Church-the name of which has vexed me for 20 years as it’s like Razzles, is it a bank or a MAGAmegachurch?

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    6. fjallstrom

      Notice the swift change in rhetoric now that the suspect appears to be a white man from a conservative background. Then it is no longer about hateful speech (against the right) causing violence, but instead a young disturbed man. Perhaps he played too much games on the computer?

      Violence from the right is treated as expected. It’s not accepted in that it isn’t legal (except when it turns out it is by the courts bending backwards to take into account the fear an armed white man has of unarmed men), but it is like the weather, it’s something that just happens. Same for violence from the state. Fundamentally, it’s violence that upholds the economic-political system, which is based on violence.

      Violence that threatens the system on the other hand is so very violent that the mere fear of violence is enough for repression, as amply demonstrated in the repression of anti genocide speech.

      And now we can in real time see it morph from one category to the other.

      Reply ↓
    1. Wukchumni

      For Unlawful Consonant* Knowledge

      * yes Virginia, i’m aware there is a vowel movement in there, but acknowledging it would ruin the acronym.

      Reply ↓
          1. ambrit

            Now, I’ve been accused of being a crispr critter before, but this…
            I will sometimes base my punk-tuation on Webster’s American English laxicon.
            Sta saf!

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    3. ilpalazzo

      Look ma, I’m speaking Proto-Indo-European!

      Polish, Russian and possibly other Slavic languages speakers will be very familar with these phrases.

      Reply ↓
    4. Lazar

      Ineresting to see Slavic languages being so close to the Proto-Indo-European. English lost a lot of nuance that is present in Slavic languages (that is inherited from Proto-Indo-European, I guess), and in swearing.

      WARINING: Adult language below, for scientific purposes. I don’t know if it’s allowed on a family blog.
      Some corrections to the article. Jebem ti, means ‘I fuck yours’. ‘I fuck you’ is jebem te. Fuck you, or fuck youself, is jebi se (se being shortend sebe, meaning self). J is pronounced as y (similar as in Russian yebat, yebal).

      Reply ↓
  3. The Rev Kev

    ‘PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE
    @Protect_Wldlife
    #DidYouKnow 🤔
    When a Crow feels sick, it goes to an Ant nest and deliberately disturbs it. The Ants get angry and start climbing on the Crow.’

    Alright, I am seriously impressed here. Did it learn it in the nest on or is this some sot of ancestral memory here. Amazing.

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    1. amfortas

      during my almost 7 year wait for a hip replacement, and after the compensating for dead hip had helped ruin my back, and exacerbated all the other injuries to my bones, i was compelled by penury to change my own oil,lol.
      so i crawled, shirtless under the truck…and right into a fire and bed.
      by the time i crawled back out, i had been stung all over my back and the back of my legs.
      what i immediately noticed was that my arthritis was suddenly a whole lot better…the many stings hurt like hell…but my bones felt remarkably better.
      i assume that this was Nerve Blocking…which is how things like Icyhot work.
      not a recommended treatment option.

      Reply ↓
      1. Grateful Dude

        I heard a long time ago how people (in Poland?) use honeybees to sting arthritic joints, and voila, the arthritis goes away, or at least gets a lot better.

        Reply ↓
        1. ilpalazzo

          Yes that’s a thing. My brother has people come and pay money to get stung. They come back again so it has to work, also there’s some literature about therapeutic use.

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        2. Wukchumni

          I was walking on the trail in the National Park about a decade ago and must have stepped on a wasp nest, as suddenly a dozen or so came at my noggin in V-Pak formation, oh the humanity!

          I was stung a number of times and was brushing away thoraxes of Kamikazes that crashed into my hair.

          I immediately went and had MSG laden Chinese food~

          Reply ↓
      2. Retired Carpenter

        Amfortas,
        My sainted grandmother would get a few of her honeybees to sting her on her wrist when the pain got bad. She claimed it worked much better than pills (which cost money). Must have been the same mechanism.

        Reply ↓
        1. amfortas

          i have…and i remember a scifi short story(in Analog, i think, long ago) about a planet of beekeepers that featured that very treatment..so i looked it up. yes, its a Thing,lol.
          but i have determined that i cant keep bees until i have full control over the pasture(which means when mom dies)…and the wild ones seem to have signed on to the truce i maintain with the wasps, and dont pester me, at all.
          and, needs further research…since my arthritis is pretty much jaw and below,lol…where would be the most effective place to sacrifice the bee?
          (they die after stinging)

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      4. Bugs

        There’s a fantastic scene in Ken Russell’s The Devils where Oliver Reed is being treated by stinging bees held under glass domes on his skin. Heck of a movie, that one.

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    3. Lee

      Crows being both highly social and intelligent, it could be a learned behavior, perhaps initially acquired accidentally, that has been transmitted intergenerationally. I fully expect Corvids to persist well beyond our own species’ tenure which we might describe as Jane Austen did a visit with a neighbor as being “perfect in that it was much too short”.

      Reply ↓
  4. Michaelmas

    Re: ‘Why Labour and Sir Keir Starmer May Have the Last Laugh’ in ‘Russia In Global Affairs’

    Hah!

    In the first year of a purportedly Labour government purportedly committed to cleaning up UK government: –

    The Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali has had to quit over rent hike claims as landlord on her house rental;
    ·
    The Anti-corruption Minister in the Treasury, Tulip Siddiq, has resigned over an anti-corruption investigation taking place against her in Bangladesh; ·

    The Transport Minister (ex-police) has resigned over lying to Police in a historic theft case;

    Angela Rayner, the Housing Minister, has been caught not paying sufficient stamp duty on a house purchase and resigned;

    Lord Mandelson, the BritIsh Ambassador to the USA has been fired because of his association with a convicted sex offender.

    This is alongside the constant grabbing of freebies by Keir S.,his family, and much of the Labour front bench; Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s flatlining of a UK economy that at least when Sunak and Hunt relinquished it was showing minor signs of growth; and the aggressive combination of incompetence and arrogance which the Starmer government consistently demonstrates when anyone questions it.

    So, while Labour is notionally in power till 2029, since the Starmer government particularly demonstrates its aggressive incompetence and arrogance towards the rank and file of its own party members in Parliament, who are consequently unhappy and increasingly rebellious to the point where they’ve failed only to settle on who Starmer’s replacement should be, it seems likely that Starmer will not be in 10 Downing Street when 2027 rolls around.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Frankly it won’t matter if Starmer goes before the end of this year. Rest assured that they have already chosen his replacement who waits in the wings and will be just as bad if not worse than Starmer. But the corruption that you listed is something to behold.

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        1. Yves Smith Post author

          While I normally very much appreciate your comments, please read with greater care.

          First, this post is almost a month old and is mainly about the dead horse of the US providing security guarantees, which was na ga happen, yet has still been flogged by UK and European leaders for over six months.

          Second, the BlackRock comment is one UK person’s fantasy. I know Murray is hyping it but recall that we predicted all the talk of a BlackRock fund for Ukraine was a hollow mandate, and that proved to be the case. This isn’t even at anything dimly resembling the mandate stage.

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      2. Michaelmas

        Rev Kev: Rest assured that they have already chosen his replacement who waits in the wings

        No. I suspect that Labour’s disarray and cluelessness is such that they have no ‘they,’ and factions are fighting it out.

        Simultaneously, the apparently obvious candidates face technical difficulties. Wes Streeting won his seat in the 2024 UK general election by a razor-thin 528 votes, and Andy Burnham is mayor of Manchester currently and must become an MP again before he can be PM.

        Consequently, while next May’s elections could resolve those impediments, in the meantime the internecine Labour fighting will likely continue.

        But we will see.

        Reply ↓
  5. The Rev Kev

    “Elon Musk Appears to Now Be Firing the People Behind Grok”

    What if, now stay with me here, what if Elon Musk himself asked Grok which members of the Grok team could be sacked? He is at the best of times kinda random with the people that he chooses to fires and the appeal of using Grok would have intrigued him.

    Reply ↓
  6. Wukchumni

    Gooooooooooooood Mooooooooorning Fiatnam!

    Our methodology in the platoon was strictly unorthodox, so we welcomed them into our ranks and promised we’d come up with camo that befitted their chosen black & white wardrobe, and even though penguins are seldom seen in the holy land, we bestowed that moniker on them-and nobody expects that color scheme in the desert, the element of surprise being on their side.

    Headgear was problematic, but we solved it by creating a shtreimel helmet made out of kevlar with mock fur covering the outside, you wouldn’t know the difference.

    Jheri curls was where we had the biggest issue, as how can you sight an Uzi when ringlets get in the way all the time and a hairnet just won’t encompass them?

    Solved that one by just letting ’em spray & pray…

    Reply ↓
  7. AG

    re: Korean brothels

    Anybody who paid attention to Classical Hollywood movies knew about this culture in that part of the world which had been the bone of contention in the Pacific Wars with Japan.
    In Germany you only did not find it addressed because they were Europeans (so it was pictured as “racially normal” even though the practice as such was as awful) and then there were those Russians who you could stick any lie to.

    Reply ↓
    1. hk

      Military brothels have been atound practically since the beginning of time, though–I believe the French had theirs going in Metropolitan France into 80s and I think they still have one in Djibouti, for example.

      The power relationship in brothels are almost invariably uneven and those in military ones even more so. Prostitution in such places is hardly ever really voluntaty. Tbh, without meaning to discount the suffering of those affected, making a big issue of “forced prostitution” on behalf of military was going to be a bomb that was going to blow up in everyone’s face: it should be condemned as an evil that practically EVERYONE was and still is guilty of in some form, or it shouldn’t be mentioned at all. I obviously preger the former, but I can understand why this topic tends to be suppressed. I think SK screwed up wjen they tried to weaponize the issue against Japan and there will have to be a reckoning soon, espwcially since it’s probably not even much of a secret: literature set during the Korean War and its aftermath are replete with stories about women forced by circumstances into prostitution. It’s not much of stretch to think that they were “guided” there by those in official capacities and that the institutional infrastructure lasted longer than people think.

      Reply ↓
      2. Daniil Adamov

        I’ve read that the Americans and local collaborators also arranged such a system in US-occupied Japan right after WW2… which makes me wonder if they didn’t just bring over the same practices and organisational knowhow to Korea.

        Reply ↓
        1. Cat Burglar

          According to John Dower’s history of the US occupation, Embracing Defeat, the Japanese government proactively collaborated with underworld groups to organize the brothel system for US troops. There was at least tacit approval by the US occupiers.

          But my Dad was in the first wave of occupation troops for a few weeks in Hiratsuka, before being rapidly shipped home for demobilization. At one point he was given authority over a number of facilities in the city, for just a few days, including a big house. He had no idea what was going on there while he was in command, but a few days later found out he had been in command of a brothel.

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          1. Daniil Adamov

            Ha, that’s the book I got it from, though I was hazy on the details since it’s been a while… Thanks for the family history as well.

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        2. Acacia

          Re: Japan, there is a recent-ish film about this that does a fairly good job of disentangling the various claims and denials about the comfort women:

          https://www.shusenjo.com

          Various Japanese right-wingers dragged the director into court, claiming that he misrepresented them, but the courts ruled against them. Their intent was likely to just harass him, anyway.

          Reply ↓
  8. MicaT

    Transponder.

    It’s possible to turn off, but you can’t just do it without telling ATC

    There will be enough people who actually follow this stuff to post if true. I have doubts

    Reply ↓
    1. Neutrino

      Someone helping an alleged assassin flee may not be concerned with the niceties of ATC or FAA rules.
      I expect that there will be some curious details about helpers all along the route from the woods to the airport to the house 250 miles away.
      As with so many events, initial raw data are notoriously unreliable and require confirmation.

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    2. Victor Sciamarelli

      Radar is a simple technology. The radio wave will bounce off an airplane and return, and an image, as a small dot, will appear on the air traffic controller’s radar screen.
      Of course, this is useless especially if the controller’s radar screen is filled with 50 dots; you don’t know who is who or anything else.
      Every flight, public or private, requires an ATC clearance at which time you are given a transponder code, say 3456. The transponder is a device that displays real time info next to your particular dot on the controller’s screen such as UA19 M80 FL330 etc, which means, United 19 airspeed .80Mach FL (Flight Level) 330 or 33,000 feet, etc. Thus, every aircraft is identified and if two planes are on a collision course the controller instantly knows who to warn.
      The transponder can be turned off or the proper circuit breaker in the cockpit pulled and your dot on the controller’s radar screen will remain.

      Reply ↓
      1. scott s.

        <"Every flight, public or private, requires an ATC clearance at which time you are given a transponder code, say 3456. "

        This is incorrect. The requirements are complicated, and based on:

        Rules for the specific type of operation, usually referred to by the FAR "Part" (set of regulations) covering the operation (eg private aviation Part 91, charter aviation Part 135, commercial aviation Part 121).

        Air space in which flight is conducted (given letter designations A B C D E. Class A is the flight levels above 18,000ft. B/C/D/E is generally air space around larger airports with Class B, the most restrictive, at major airports).

        If flight is under IFR or VFR rules.

        In general VFR flight under Part 91 (and in some respects UAS/drone flight under Part 107) is most permissive. But since 2020 in much more airspace ADS-B Out is required (not the same as "transponder"). There's plenty of non-towered air strips/fields in the US used by GA and coordination is by self-announced radio communication on a common frequency known as CTAF (refer FAA AC 90-66B).

        FAA does provide a service for VFR flights having transponder equipped aircraft known as "flight following" on an "as available" basis.

        See the AIM FAA for more info.

        Reply ↓
        1. MicaT

          All true
          And flight above FL 180 ( 18000’)
          Requires ATC approval requiring an active flight plan and require constant ATC communication and a specific transponder code.

          So either they flew under the radar literally, or they were actively tracked and once they landed they would not be allowed to depart before fixed the issue or the whole thing is a fake.

          Reply ↓
          1. hk

            Are there restrictions on who is allowed to fly “under the radar”? I mean, I’d asdume it would not be normal for a 777 to cruise several hundred miles under the radar, but, say, a Gulfstream biz jet? I figure it would be pretty normal for a twin prop and I was surprised to find that these things have surprisingly high endurace. Of course, I figure that there’d be exceptions for “law enforvement” or “nat’l security” types…

            Reply ↓
            1. MicaT

              If you fly under a specific altitude and speed and you are flying under the correct flight FAR regulations and in certain airspace yes you can fly without telling anyone.

              When I was training I flew a piper cub, no electrical system, no radio nothing. Best fun ever.

              But a biz jet at 41,000’ oh yea you have a whole set of regulations and rules you have to follow. So no I don’t believe this plane somehow evaded the system, leaving from Utah.

              Reply ↓
        2. Victor Sciamarelli

          Nothing I wrote is incorrect. You merely introduced a lot of irrelevant information. The relevant Link was a post on X, “BREAKING: A PRIVATE JET DISABLED it’s location monitoring system while departing from Provo Airport (12 minutes from Utah Valley University) one hour after CHARLIE KIRK was ASSASSINATED.”
          There is a photo of the private jet which, like commercial aircraft, will operate in the same environment. Restricted airspace near airports, VFR flight rules, the AIM, etc are all irrelevant.

          Reply ↓
  9. Henry Moon Pie

    Some anecdata about the impact of tariffs. Our daughter’s fiance is a mechanical engineer who works for a company that manufactures machinery used in auto mass production. They laid off several long time employees yesterday because the bottom has dropped out of auto manufacturers’ demand. The company attributed it to the tariffs’ effects and future uncertainties. Our daughter’s beau escaped for now, but it was his fellow engineers getting the ax.

    Reply ↓
  10. Wukchumni

    Shades of Benedick Donald in the Central Park Five gig in getting it all wrong… does he just shrug it off, and turn the assassination into yet another chance to take away freedoms?

    Reply ↓
      2. Alice X

        Read the comments on the link. Kirk should have read up on the facts of the case, as should have the commenters.

        Wiki is not the final source (of course) but it is a start, and there are plenty of court documents if one would want to go all in:

        Central Park jogger case – wiki

        Trump has never recanted his infamous ad.

        Reply ↓
  11. William Beyer

    Regarding, “Why the Kirk shooting is being charged as a state, not federal, crime — and what that means for an eventual trial Politico”

    Question for any lawyers out there – The why was the murder of the Hortmans charged as a federal crime?

    Reply ↓
    1. ChrisFromGA

      I think it is because the Hortmans (at least one of them) were public officials. But I could be wrong (Law student, not practicing lawyer.)

      Reply ↓
    1. Ignacio

      Very educative and well done. Near the end the author wishes that reporters should be able to do their job “just a little bit more carefully”. That na ga happen. Their salaries do not depend on careful reporting but on following a given script. I believe he is just trying to be polite and probably he knows as well that the script is the “truth” that has to be reported, no matter the facts. Good job in the video with the facts.

      Reply ↓
  13. Hank Linderman

    I maintain the F word has its roots in the very common Latin verb “facio, facere, feci, factus” – to make, do, drive, force, compel. “Facere” – to force YOU!

    WTF
    FU
    AreYyouFKM
    FThisS
    FYFF
    FYes, FNo

    Movie with the most F bombs, “The Big Lebowski”.

    Best…H

    Reply ↓
    1. Robert Gray

      I’m not familiar with Open Culture but I immediately surmise that they must be American. Why? Few other places in the English-speaking world (maybe Canada?) in a quasi-serious social-historical-linguistic post would they feel compelled to use ‘F*ck’ instead of saying it like it is.

      Reply ↓
  14. Henry Moon Pie

    Eye color–

    I have green eyes. I also have AB+ blood. When the surgeon came by just before I was wheeled in to the OR to get my right adrenal removed because it contained a rare pheochromocytoma, I told him I was a trifecta of long shots.

    The article contained a surprise for me: eye color can change. Perhaps the old Crystal Gayle song wasn’t metaphorical.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Of course it should be noted how green-eyed, blonde women can be very striking. And yes, I am green-eyed myself which never meant anything over the course of my life.

      Reply ↓
      1. Ignacio

        The lyrics of the Galicisch song Na beira do mar:

        ollos verdes son traidores,
        azuis son mentireiros,
        os negros e acastañados
        son firmes e verdadeiros,

        green eyes are trecherous,
        blue are liars
        black and chestnut eyes
        are firm and truthful

        I am a blue-eyed liar myself and my wife knows it.

        Reply ↓
    2. Michaelmas

      The article contained a surprise for me: eye color can change.

      Sure. I’ve had acquaintances who’ve had one black and one white parent and had blue eyes when they were young that have since turned brown.

      Reply ↓
    7. raspberry jam

      I also have green eyes, although when I was young they were closer to hazel. As I get older they have continued to get lighter and are now close to grey. Like my hair, dark brown at birth, which keeps lightening to nearly red now. In my case there is clearly a loss of melanin effect ongoing with age, not sure if that truly qualifies as an eye color change as much as simple aging.

      Reply ↓
    8. Laughingsong

      Mom had beautiful green eyes, I was always sad that I didn’t get them (mine are blue).

      I had an acquaintance whose eyes were such a light brown that they appeared to be yellow! Probably the most striking eye color I remember seeing….

      When my grandmother was in hospital infected by a nasty virus, they discovered that the virus had a concentration in the fluid of her eyes so they drained them! As they reinflated slowly with fluid, the color went from light blue, then darker, then finally returned to hazel.

      Reply ↓
  15. Carolinian

    From the Grayzone story

    According to Kirk’s friend, who also enjoyed access to President Donald Trump and his inner circle, Kirk strongly warned Trump last June against bombing Iran on Israel’s behalf. “Charlie was the only person who did that,” they said, recalling how Trump “barked at him” in response and angrily shut down the conversation. The source believes the incident confirmed in Kirk’s mind that the president of the United States had fallen under the control of a malign foreign power, and was leading his own country into a series of disastrous conflicts.

    While it’s true that Biden also let Netanyahu have his way, Trump is a different personality who surely wouldn’t be such a doormat unless Mossad truly has the Epstein goods on him. And while there’s no proof, we might as well proceed on that assumption until proven otherwise.

    And here’s suggesting that’s a much scarier prospect than the more popular lefty notion that Christian nationalists are taking over the US (which I don’t believe in the least). Of course it’s quite possible that the rapture preachers are themselves being bribed and controlled by a foreign govt, but they have little real power whereas Trump has the worst kind of power. Meanwhile the current Israeli leadership seems drunk with power and given the 12 day war result are clearly deluding themselves. How will it all end??

    Reply ↓
    2. Yves Smith Post author

      I am generally not keen about Gilbert Doctorow save when he is reporting on political TV in Russia. Nevertheless, if I heard this right (this was Larry Wilkerson reporting on what Doctorow said on Judge Nap, so we have telephone risk), a German colleague said that Netanyahu had told Trump he would nuke Iran and Trump said no, let us handle this.

      Reply ↓
      1. Carolinian

        Like you I’ve come to see Doctorow as unreliable given how he bends over backwards to give Trump the benefit of a doubt. Doctorow has lived in Belgium for years and Russia before that. How much does he really know about America at this point?

        Myself I doubt that particular story.

        Reply ↓
    3. ChrisFromGA

      I do not like the term “Christian nationalists.” To me, it makes no sense and confuses things.

      I would suggest “Political Christianity” instead. Hat tip to a commenter over at MoA, Giyane, who introduced me to the term Political Islam.

      Political Christianity puts politics and ideology over Christ. In doing so, it breaks the first commandment (“Thou shalt not have any other God above me”) right out of the gate.

      If you notice, all these Israel-flag-waving people who happen to call themselves Christians have fallen into the oldest trap in the book. Some of Jesus’ disciples were disappointed in him for not being a political messiah. The Roman Empire was oppressing the Jews at the time of Christ’s ministry, and many longed for a warrior messiah who would free the Jews as Moses and other heroes of the faith had in the past.

      Christ taught us to “render unto Caesar as is his due” and never advocated for overthrowing the Roman empire. He always pointed us towards a different path – one involving sacrifice, love, and serving others.

      These punk-ass political Christians have missed the point. Looking for salvation in this world is foolish.

      Reply ↓
      1. Carolinian

        But we’ve always had “political Christianity” going back to the Moral Majority etc and before.

        Chistian Nationalism is a supposedly new thing where the Christians are out to take over the nation in the way Israel is Jewish.

        And to say that many Christians are violating Christ’s teachings is to say welcome to history! Many Jews think Israel has little to do with that religion either. And all religions have various sects and interpretations.

        Reply ↓
        1. ChrisFromGA

          I dunno, nationalism to me is a separate concept. You can be a nationalist and be an atheist, Jew, Hindu, Wiccan, etc.

          To me, mixing faith and politics is stupid. Knowing that my faith and happiness does not depend on my particular candidate winning an election is immensely liberating.

          Reply ↓
          1. mrsyk

            Sadly, mixing faith with politics is potently effective. Invoking “God” is a self-writ of authority. That may be the oldest trick in the book.

            Reply ↓
            1. Geo

              Not only potent but also an easy sell as results are mostly intangibles or payout in the afterlife and “God works in mysterious ways.”

              From Trump being saved by God from an assassin (while a fireman/father in the audience was not saved) but Kirk being a martyr, to Kash Patel saying “I’ll see you in Valhalla” regarding Kirk’s passing, all the way back to W. Bush calling the war on terror a “crusade” just one day after Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell (one-time GOP king-makers) said “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularise America, I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen.'”

              Of all people, Barry Goldwater may have said it best: “I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in ”A,” ”B,” ”C” and ”D.” Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?”

              https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/16/us/excerpts-from-goldwater-remarks.html

              Reply ↓
              2. Munchausen

                Speaking of quotes, and God, here’s my favourite one:
                The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.

                Reply ↓
      2. Samuel Conner

        Thank you for this reading of the Synoptic Gospels.

        My private theory is that Jesus intentionally got himself arrested and executed as “King of the Judeans” (at Passover, at Jerusalem, in the sight of “all Israel”) to defuse the political situation that was heading toward war with the occupying power.

        His sacrifice delayed the war for a generation, saving (or at least prolonging) the lives of many people.

        Prince of Peace, indeed.

        Reply ↓
      3. scott s.

        I don’t know anyone in the Christian right who “puts politics and ideology over Christ”. Now there probably are those who seek to co-opt Christians for their own political purposes. Mostly what I hear is along the lines of “America must put Christ first to receive His grace”. Of course we can argue what it means to “put Christ first”.

        I was at a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Kuhio Beach at Waikiki last night. Didn’t hear any “punk-ass political Christians”.

        I did hear the chair of Hawaii Young Republicans and chair of Turning Point UH chapter. Not “punk-ass” by any means.

        Reply ↓
        1. anahuna

          For Scott s: I’m glad that you have found a religious community that is free from political rxcess. But now that you’re here, I can’t resist asking what, as a follower of Jesus, you think of Charlie Kirk’s references to George Floyd and Eric Garner as “scumbags,”

          Reply ↓
      4. hunkerdown

        Christianity is more likely the myth and ideology constructed by aristocratic Hellenic Jew and Roman families to keep the ethnic-nationalist Sicarian rebellion down and bowed to Caesar, than the grassroots construction that myth would have us believe. There is simply no reason for slaves to flock to a slave religion without it being imposed on them from above.

        It just happens that Christians have many nations under their thumb and believe themselves tasked to judge everything and everyone that exists. It really should be suppressed as a terrist ideology on that basis alone, had terrism ever been an honest classification rather than a tool to perpetuate the aforementioned named idiocies.

        Reply ↓
        1. Glenda

          Remember when they added “Under God” to the US pledge allegiance? I still can’t add it, when I’ve thought I needed to blend in.

          Reply ↓
          1. Wukchumni

            It was added in 1954, and ‘In God We Trust’ was added to paper money in 1957.

            We had to be a bulwark of dogma against the godless commies!

            Reply ↓
    4. raspberry jam

      While it’s true that Biden also let Netanyahu have his way, Trump is a different personality who surely wouldn’t be such a doormat unless Mossad truly has the Epstein goods on him. And while there’s no proof, we might as well proceed on that assumption until proven otherwise.

      While there is certainly a lot of Trump/Epstein collateral in the public domain already and I am not disputing that Epstein may have had some relation to Mossad, I don’t know that Netanyahu and Trump’s dynamic hinges on this. Israeli interpersonal power dynamics in general revolve around what was explained to me (by an Israeli) as a sheep vs wolf classification: those who aren’t wolves are sheep and meant to be herded where necessary. If you don’t demonstrate openly that you are a wolf, you will be manipulated and pushed around. Trump’s personality type is such that when the typical Israeli dominance tactics of yelling and insults come into play I have no doubt that he yells and insults right back – he is not a sheep.

      If Netanyahu has to threaten (or more realistically, send one of his trusted enforcers to threaten one of Trump’s enforcers) with the Epstein material it would be more discrete/indirect/non-obviously tied to a specific action item. This would allow for things like what Yves proposes above, Netanyahu telling Trump he would nuke Iran and Trump saying no, let us handle this, without there being an obvious loss of respect between either of them (Netanyahu for asking and being rejected, Trump for not taking the most maximalist attacking position).

      Reply ↓
      1. Carolinian

        First of all by my view (and we are all just speculating, no?) Trump isn’t a wolf at all. He just likes to pretend to be macho as part of his public image. That’s why I suggest that Bibi openly jerking him around means they know Trump will deny them nothing and there must be a reason. I also don’t think any threat of Israel using atomics for tactical purposes is remotely credible. And as I said I don’t think Doctorow seems very credible pundit wise either.

        Of course the fear is that Trump is giving Israel enough rope to hang themselves, the US, and all of us. You like to think all this is very rational. It isn’t. None of it.

        Reply ↓
        1. raspberry jam

          That’s why I suggest that Bibi openly jerking him around means they know Trump will deny them nothing and there must be a reason.

          I think if we’re speculating on Trump’s motivations re: Israeli requests it is more likely that his US Zionist mega donors (eg Miriam Adelson and Isaac Perlmutter + who knows who else who was combined in all the big super PACs that made up Trump’s top ten) have more to do with him agreeing to Netanyahu’s requests than anything related to Epstein.

          My point with the wolf vs sheep thing was that ‘openly jerking people around’ is just a common interpersonal power dynamic with Israelis, even I have to deal with it in the business/tech realm.

          Reply ↓
        2. Afro

          Why is it not credible for Israel to threaten atomics? Iran would be gone, the next day they’d trade with Russia, China, and the US, Germany would thank Israel for doing their dirty work, etc.

          Reply ↓
            1. raspberry jam

              Who would nuke them in response except Iran? The whole point of Israel attacking first, including and up to using nukes, is to remove the perceived threat of a counter attack while it is still an option. FWIW I think the last few days of the 12 day war, when normal residents of Tel Aviv were fleeing for the suburbs/countryside after residential blocks began being hit directly during the missile barrages, Israel was close to doing so if they had the capability. I think that until Iran displays their own nuclear weapons and launchers it remains a possibility especially with the current individuals making up Netanyahu’s government.

              Reply ↓
              1. ambrit

                I think you give the Netanyahoo governing clique too much credit for being rational. The Samson Option is just perfect for fanatics who are facing the prospect of total defeat.
                I call it the Yahwedammerung.
                Sta saf.

                Reply ↓
                2. raspberry jam

                  Ben Gvir isn’t going to fly the plane to Rome (or wherever) to drop the bomb though. Immanetizing the Samson Option will kick off a military coup in Israel. There are enough believers in the command structure of the IDF to preemptively nuke Iran though, I think. Especially in conditions like were present the last few days of the 12 day war. We talk a lot here about Israelis fleeing but in my exposure to them that was the only time I saw genuine fear.

                  Reply ↓
              2. Carolinian

                You miss my meaning. If Israel is allowed to nuke Iran then Europe would be under threat, not by Iran but by Israel.

                Just to repeat there’s nothing rational about any of this and the most irrational thing of all is the notion that Israel might be free to unleash the nuclear genie and get away with it. They are already facing increasing world condemnation in both Europe and the US. True that’s public but not elite condemnation but as we saw in Utah elites are the few and vulnerable.

                Wolf versus sheep is a descent into barbarism. Tell your friends who seem fine with it.

                Reply ↓
                1. hk

                  Not just Europe. Every country that is currently not nuclear will be under threat from, well, any of their enemies, nuclear or latent nuclear. Many of these countries, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iran(!–I don’t think Israel, even with nukes, can actually “destroy” Iran that easily–Israel is not US or Russia. It’s not even France or, possibly, UK.), Brazil, Nigeria, etc will be nuclear armed in months or weeks, and some of them will be eager to use them on Israel as soon as they are ready. This is not going to do anyone any good.

                  Reply ↓
              3. Pat

                They don’t have to be nuked to be destroyed. Taking out Iran would be too much of a threat to the entire Middle East. Well unless they have enough nukes to destroy pretty much every other country in the area destroying all military capability in the area. Mind you that will make all their newly acquired property from the river to the see uninhabitable.

                So yes, I do believe that Israel would be flattened by conventional weapons within 48 hours coming from every corner of the Middle East because every other country in the region would know that they are next and that an Israeli occupation would mean death for them and their children. (The more iffy question would be who besides the UK and US might be stupid enough to back Israel, some of the EU might but I think most would just be thankful for not having to deal with the problem beyond the level of expressing dismay.)

                Reply ↓
    5. ilsm

      Political Christian’s include those who allow for “just war”. As if state sanctioned murder can be guiltless.

      In a broader sense as you say, political Christian’s can pick mammon as often as God.

      Been there repenting and converting.

      Turn the other cheek was not metaphor and love thy neighbor has same meaning in the original language

      Reply ↓
      1. hunkerdown

        Yeah, it’s all basically the continuation of the Roman Empire and we really should take on the multigenerational effort to cancel Neoplatonism and Christianity so that the conditions of their imaginary friends can no longer exist.

        Reply ↓
      2. bertl

        The concept of a Just War was developed in an attempt to establish effective rules/moral constraints on one aspect of human failure. It was not an attempt so justify war, let alone sanctify it.

        Reply ↓
        1. The Rev Kev

          The Responsibility to Protect aka R2P was developed to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Turned out that it was developed so that major countries could just do more wars and invasions.

          Reply ↓
        2. hk

          It was developed so that some wars can be defended as more “just” than others, or, in other words, to justify wars. It was then turned into a crass “lawyers’ game,” (apologies to real attorneys) where people engage in hypocritical sophistry to justify their wars. I count “just war” theory as a possibly good idea in theory that would not only fail, but even worse than not existing in the first place in reality.

          Reply ↓
  16. hazelbee

    That first “pool noodle fights with strangers” video wins links for me today.

    Nothing further for me to read today. I can go and buy food for dinner with a smile.

    it is somehow charming, bizarre, silly and surreal all at the same time. lovely find.

    Reply ↓
    1. Mass Driver

      I absolutely love this! ❤️ The world needs more pool noodle fights with strangers… and less fear, violence, and hate. 🥹
      — This Account Makes You Happy (@FeelYouHappy) September 10, 2025

      I would like to see these “ballsy” pranksters try this on someone that could punch back.

      Reply ↓
      1. hazelbee

        Watch the whole video.

        it is not just prankster and woman. there are men pranked in there too i.e. ones that could “punch back” as you suggest.

        keep in mind that video is an edit.

        We don’t see the ones that walked on by, or ran away, or kicked the noodle away, or squared up to him, or just didnt really engage at all, or looked quizical saying “what on earth are you doing?” .

        we don’t hear what he says at the start of each… nor whether those are all just friends of the prankster and the whole thing is staged.

        We see the amusing ones. It is entertainment.

        Reply ↓
        2. Mass Driver

          I did watch the whole video before making the comment, and chose words carefully (and hence did not write men). Those that you see in video do not look like men that could punch back, and I believe that they were chosen for that reason.

          The video being heavily edited only makes it worse. It’s a feelgood lie. I personally prefer the real deal, and would like to see these “ballsy” pranksters try this on someone that could punch back, as an
          entertainment.

          P.S. This converation just reminded me of the OG, from the yesteryears, Rémi Gaillard. No editing, setups, or other malarkey.
          https://www.youtube.com/@nqtv/videos
          Yes, he did get punched back on occasion. :)

          Reply ↓
          1. mrsyk

            I note that the instigators are careful to aim their blows below the waist with a few to the lower back. I also note the enthusiasm of the challenged. Looks fun.

            Reply ↓
  17. dingusansich

    Operative assumption re l’affaire Kirk: less Mossad than Jackass. Ditto Butler and Mar-a-Lago, with the latter most likely to flare a nostril from the scent of conspiracy. It’s as if we’re in a Sartrean waiting room where we can’t turn off an attention economy version of America’s Ghastliest Home Videos.

    Reply ↓
    1. pjay

      The ‘Jackass’ motif might fit Butler. But it certainly does not fit Kirk’s alleged assassin in my view. I suppose it is possible that he was a clueless idiotic stumble-bum who was just *very, very lucky*. If so, Netanyahu and his Zionist supporters seem to be very lucky as well, as least according to some reports on the left (Grayzone) and the right (Tucker Carlson et al.). Instead of the Butler comparison, Tyler Robinson’s profile appears to be strikingly similar to that of Thomas Crooks, the first would-be Trump assassin. Of course he is “luckier” than Crooks in that he was not killed and cremated and memory-holed immediately. So we can just ask him what his motives and political beliefs and actions on the day of the shooting were. Simple, right?

      I hope there is broad access to those interrogation tapes. Better keep an eye on those cell monitors as well.

      Reply ↓
  18. griffen

    US consumers taste and preferences continue a migration towards both convenience and price points. That long ago period pre – 2021 when a McDonald’s drive thru could be stacked with cars in line about 8:30am is seemingly in the dust.

    Having tried a breakfast pizza slice on occasion from a nearby QT it’s acceptable for cheap breakfast fare but that’s been a few years. One day there’ll be a Bucee’s station near enough on I 85 to stop and pay a proper visit but a site in question, once promised now no longer seems too likely. You’ve gotta create proper on ramp and stop lights for such a location. I always hear it’s like a mecca of gas station and food and associated wares.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/13/convenience-stores-are-eating-fast-food-chains-breakfast.html

    Reply ↓
    1. Carolinian

      I’d say fast food, like shopping malls, increasingly in the rear view mirror. Some have closed stores and others like KFC have gone way downhill.

      I’m not sure that applies to McD though. I’ve read it’s the country’s second largest employer after Walmart. If you travel around it’s still ubiquitous.

      Or maybe it’ll just be the last to go.

      Reply ↓
  19. The Rev Kev

    “Trump’s Korean Ice Fallout”

    I saw those workers returning to South Korea and they were being treated like heroes with lots of clapping. The crowd wanted to let them know that the South Korean people had their backs. Fortunately they were not sent aboard a plane wearing handcuffs and ankle-bracelets. A South Korean official said that Trump encouraged released South Korean workers to stay in the US to train Americans. Can you believe that? Of course they outright refused and there would be a lot of South Koreans changing their plans to visit or perhaps work in the US. The idea of sending money to invest in the US will now be seen as very risky, and that plant will be delayed opening for a coupla months extra. For Trump and the US it is straight losses right across the board with no redeeming factors. So why did Trump do it? The only reason that comes to mind is that he was putting the South Koreans in their place and letting them know that he regards them as vassals. It is that simple – and that stupid.

    Reply ↓
    1. Wukchumni

      We are dealing with a fully grown up Anthony Fremont here, who does what he wants (with apologies to Eric Cartman) and is a wrecking ball in that regard.

      Reputations can get wrecked in a nanosecond these days.

      Reply ↓
      1. Carolinian

        But Making America Wrecked isn’t catchy and doesn’t fit well on a cap. He had to go with Great.

        One does wonder if the MAGA base is buying this stuff. Working people may have a better sense of reality than Republican operatives or lobbyists turned department heads.

        Reply ↓
        1. Geo

          “One does wonder if the MAGA base is buying this stuff.”

          I’m in Los Angeles so not exactly MAGA country but the Trump lovers in my orbit still think he’s a selfless saint doing good for the world out of the kindness of his heart and a shrewd businessman who negotiates like a 4D chess master so us mere mortals cannot comprehend the complexity of his wisdom. Not their exact words but not too embellished either. I don’t see their minds changing until some of this impacts them directly – and even then it can always be blamed on others (ie. Pam Bondi being blamed for the Epstein files delays, Jerome Powell for inflation, etc).

          Reply ↓
            1. Wukchumni

              Leavitt to Believer

              In this week’s episode Karoline’s friend Eddie Haskell convinces Believers that the “library police” will soon come to arrest them after Believer ignores the must return! notices for a now banned library book he checked out with his library card.

              Reply ↓
                1. Wukchumni

                  I’ve seen Karoline tempting god’s wrath on the dais, as according to the Old Testament Book of Leviticus it prohibits wearing a garment made of two different kinds of fabric, specifically wool and linen.

                  Reply ↓
        2. Giovanni Barca

          That sense of reality often stops dead ar Trump. I think the hatred of Democrats supersedes all. (And who can blame them for the latter?)

          Reply ↓
  20. Screwball

    Coffee Prices Post Largest Annual Jump Since 1997 CNN

    From on the ground in Ohio. Small town IGA, a Maxwell House 27.5 OZ jar of coffee is $35.99.

    About 20 miles away, slightly larger town, the same coffee at Kroger is $15.99. $12.99 if you have a Kroger card.

    Somebody is getting seriously ripped off.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Maybe it is because in part coffee from Brazil is headed to China now instead of the US. After Trump imposed those huge tariffs on Brazil, a huge delegation of Brazilian coffee growers took a plane to China. But Maxwell House and Kroger may have different suppliers hence the difference.

      Reply ↓
    2. Carolinian

      Both Aldi and Lidl are holding the line at $10 house brand. At the regular grocery store the name brands are $20.

      Perhaps those German stores have warehouses full of the stuff and are coasting on inventory. They are also extremely price competitive with each other and the Benton Behemoth.

      Reply ↓
      1. bertl

        German grown GM acorns to compensate for the loss of exports due to Putin’s cunning plan to de-industrialise the f*ckers.

        Reply ↓
    3. griffen

      I just returned from a nearby SC grocer and yes the prices on coffee are up, but savings can be had with a customer loyalty card.

      Eggs up too…~ $3.70 a dozen on this SC/NC regional store brand but it wasn’t on the list…I guess the importing of eggs from, oh Brazil I think, got impacted. Or we still have this sticky inflation that will likely linger into year end.

      Reply ↓
    4. Mikel

      Earlier this year, the local Trader Joe’s where I shop reduced their selection to only a Trader Joe’s coffee brand.
      It seems to have kept the price down relative to these posts.

      Reply ↓
      1. Carolinian

        Trader Joe’s is owned by one branch of Aldi is it not? Maybe the same warehouse.

        Someone here said that TJ and Aldi share the same wonderful Austrian dark chocolate bars (in the red wrapping).

        Reply ↓
  21. Jeremy Grimm

    Today’s antidote looks Presidential. I also like his speeches as long as they are brief. If he runs in the next race he has my vote.

    Reply ↓
    1. Wukchumni

      I appreciate the cheek by jowls look, and the glasses bring an air of erudite.

      Picking a cat for a running mate would cover most all bases, but if it went with a ferret all bets are off.

      Reply ↓
      1. ambrit

        I’m getting tired of modern-day politicos trying to evoke the memory of Churchill, as this dog in the antidote plainly is. Unless he or she is trying for a Teddy Roosevelt look. Is this a trial balloon for a revivified Bull Moose Party?

        Reply ↓
  22. moog

    While everyone focuses on the Charlie Kirk story, this deserves at least equal attention: the U.S. military, in collusion with the South Korean government, maintained during decades a system where tens of thousands of women were forced into sexual servitude for U.S. soldiers,…
    — Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) September 11, 2025

    That’s just the great USA keeping local traditions. /s
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women

    Reply ↓
  23. The Rev Kev

    ‘Beauty Of Nature 🌳
    @ShouldHaveAnima
    Incredible close encounter with a humpback whale.’

    I think that we just go a demonstration of the origin of the Leviathans legend. From a small, sailing boat, it would have been colossal.

    Reply ↓
  24. principle

    Qatar to hold emergency summit with Arab countries after Israeli strike on Doha Independent.

    First they came for Iraq, and I did not speak out, because I was not Iraq.

    Then they came for Libya, and I did not speak out, because I was not Libya.

    Then they came for Syria, and I did not speak out, because I was not Syria.

    Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.

    Reply ↓
    1. Lee

      The export of internal contradictions through imperial expansion and exploitation becoming less viable, the state’s national security apparatus increasingly turns its baleful gaze inward to ensure its own survival and that of the elites it serves.

      As for the Arab summit, meh.

      Reply ↓
  25. The Rev Kev

    ‘Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil
    @ivan_8848
    ‘Greater Israel in Ukraine?’ Douglas Macgregor delves into theory NO ONE else is talking about
    “Now we’re also seeing settlements in southern Ukraine emerge, places where the population has been either denuded, or is very, very thin. And we’re seeing large numbers of Jews establish themselves in new communities,” the retired colonel and former top DoD advisor told Judge Napolitano.’

    So what happens if the Israelis build themselves a colony in the Ukraine and then sneak a coupla nukes in? Not only could they not be removed but in case of the Samson Option, they would be a lot closer to their European targets.

    Reply ↓
    2. Lee

      King Abdulaziz ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia in his 1945 meeting with Roosevelt told him that Israel, rather than being created in the Middle East, should be set up in Bavaria. Given the givens, that would have been fair. Perhaps the European option is now looking better—colonial settler chickens coming home to roost.

      If not familiar with it, check out 2008 speech linked in a comment above by principle, wherein Ghaddafi excoriates other Arab leaders for their willingness to accede even the 1967 borders to Israel.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMLmA4lnxXo

      Reply ↓
    3. Mikel

      Just spitballin’…
      What if NATO attempts a hail mary and moves them further north? They might attain a ceasefire that “NATO peacekeeping troops” could not achieve.

      Reply ↓
  26. Ben Panga

    Stephen Miller on Fox News

    https://xcancel.com/RapidResponse47/status/1966703759737647439#m

    “The last message that Charlie Kirk gave to me before he joined his creator in heaven was that he said, we have to dismantle and take on the radical left organizations in this country that are fomenting violence.”

    “And we are going to do that. Under President Trump’s leadership. It could be a RICO charge. It could be a conspiracy charge. Conspiracy against the United States, insurrection… We are going to do what it takes to dismantle the organizations and entities that are fomenting riots, doxxing, that are trying to inspire terrorism and committing acts of violence,…”

    “You want us to live in fear. We will not live in fear. You will live in exile. The power of law enforcement under President Trump’s leadership will be used to find you, take away your money, power, and freedom if you break the law.”

    BP: what a convenient last message to have given ;)

    Reply ↓
    1. Wukchumni

      Could required internal passports to get around the country be a next step in our continued march to collapse ala USSR, using Bizarro World rules?

      Reply ↓
      1. ambrit

        We already need Gold Star IDs or Passports to board purely domestic air flights now. Next step will be random highway ID stops, for the safety of the Public of course.

        Reply ↓
    2. OIFVet

      I will take “Messages Charlie Kirk never sent to Stephen Miller for $2,000, Alex.”

      Martyrdom sure does allow all slime to drag Kirk’d supposed legacy of “Moderation and reaching across the aisle” through the mud for their own political ends.

      Reply ↓
      2. Carolinian

        At least you are now in BG where things are normal?

        And a crackdown on the American left seems redundant at this point since they’ve already been neutered in the pet care sense. I see Berkely has sent Trump a list of Palestinian sympathizers among faculty and students. Shorter Ivy League and others: “please don’t hurt us.”

        Reply ↓
        1. Wukchumni

          I noticed the always reliable in that regard NY Post quickly made the assassin assertion that he was ‘indoctrinated With Leftist Ideology’.

          Goose steppers used this murder as a pretext for Kristallnacht, wonder what hair furor has planned?

          Herschel Feibel Grynszpan (Yiddish: הערשל פײַבל גרינשפּאן; German: Hermann Grünspan; 28 March 1921 – last rumoured to be alive in 1945, declared dead in 1960) was a Polish-Jewish expatriate born and raised in Weimar Germany who shot and killed the Nazi German diplomat Ernst vom Rath on 7 November 1938 in Paris. The Nazis used this assassination as a pretext to launch Kristallnacht, “The Night of Broken Glass”, the pogrom of 9–10 November 1938.

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

          Reply ↓
        2. pjay

          Yep. Lists of Gaza protesters will have to stand in for all those “radical left organizations” that killed our Charlie, since there are no “radical left organizations” that I know of in the US.

          I think Trump mentioned Soros. He deserves condemnation for a lot of reasons, but the idea that he represents the “radical left” is pretty funny. It’s starting to seem like the closest thing to “radical left organizations” are groups of juvenile, amorphously anarcho-libertarian gamers whose alt-reality might lead them to do some actually disruptive stuff. This stuff might then be used by whichever side in our Game of Thrones battle for power is able to control the narrative. Utah Governor Cox claimed that Robinson had been clearly immersed in “leftist” political ideology. I’d really like to know what the evidence is for this claim.

          Sounds like Kirk’s widow has already been pulled into the fight against “them,” which is among the most disgusting aspects of this whole thing.

          Reply ↓
        3. OIFVet

          Things are very far from normal here, but at least it’s not awash in guns and crazy people willing to use them. Don’t get me wrong, though – just because I no longer live in the US doesn’t mean than I don’t very much care about it. It will always remain my home.

          As far as crackdown on campus, I think we are seeing only the beginning. Here’s an example of where they want to go. MAGA and woke liberalism at the end are basically the same thing, but in different wrappers. I just now had a BG MAGA acquaintance from the Chicago suburbs become mortally offended when I told him that if one semester in a conservative Utah university brainwashed Tyler Robinson, then he better not send his sons to college at all, why risk them returning with sons-in-law in tow? They really don’t like it when their BS gets taken to its logical conclusion.

          Truly, identity politics in combination with neoliberal corporatism have made America hell.

          Reply ↓
    4. Ghost in the Machine

      I feel sorry for Kirk’s wife, but what she says or doesn’t say in the coming weeks and months is going to be exceedingly consequential.

      Reply ↓
  27. Es s Ce Tera

    re: Proton Mail Suspended Journalist Accounts At Request of Cybersecurity Agency Intercept

    The article does not report on the fact that Proton Mail is Swiss, legally based in Switzerland, and so not subject to the laws of the US or EU, kind of what the Swiss are famously known for, the very reason people use them for email – namely security. If a Swiss company priding itself on its neutrality, encryption and digital safe harbor took down journalists email accounts at the request of some foreign government, then isn’t that a bit like a Swiss bank giving foreign governments access to accounts and financial information? How can we trust Proton, then?

    Another dimension is banks across the world disallow gmail accounts for account setup precisely because Google is well known to shut down email accounts for no reason or explanation whatsoever. People around the world have had bank accounts locked up on account of this, it became such a problem that banks implemented a worldwide gmail ban. Many of these same banks which refuse gmail accounts *recommend* Proton as an alternative. And yet here we have an instance of Proton doing exactly what Google has been doing.

    Reply ↓
    3. AG

      Thanks!
      As I said last year or so: The truth over Protonmail unraveld when 1) Greenpeace France was busted by French police after latter forced Proton to hand over the key of the activists´ private Proton account used for their confidential communication 2) after the crazy guy who had threatened Fauci FBI contacted Bern in order to get the necessary info about the “perp” who had used his Protonmail for the threat emails to Fauci.
      After these incidents became public Proton did include in their small print that they do follow authority requests. So to my knowledge the only truly safe provider is Swedish Mullvad proven per real pressure – when Swedish police 2023 or 2024 busted Mullvad´s HQ but couldn´t find anything because Mullvad does not collect/log, unlike Proton e.g. And what they do not have they cannot hand over. Also they do not keep payment info for their services. It´s all anonymous. I do not know if Mullvad is a good bet since that happened or whether Swedes are closely monitoring their mail (you can send cash anonymously to Mullvad for payment.)

      Reply ↓
    4. Carolinian

      Gmail over time has become much stricter about security and spam detection so maybe that’s it. Me I “refuse” the bank’s offer of online banking. Guess that’s pretty retro.

      Reply ↓
  28. mrsyk

    Subprime Auto Lender Collapse Delivers Blow to Risky Debt Market Bloomberg

    Fellow readers will not be surprised to find out that fraud, by the means of double pledging collateral, is at the heart of this. Texas subprime car lender Tricolor Holdings is the bad actor. JPMorgan Chase & Co., Fifth Third Bancorp and Barclays Plc are among banks bracing for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in combined losses (BBG).

    Further, Tricolor’s business model is at odds with Trump’s immigration policy. Founded in 2007, Tricolor has focused much of its business on the low-income Hispanic community in states such as Texas, California and Nevada. It previously estimated that over two-thirds of its borrowers were undocumented, based on their lack of Social Security numbers. By 2024, lending surged to about $1 billion, close to five times its volume in 2020, according to a report from Kroll Bond Rating Agency.

    Reply ↓
    1. griffen

      I intended to comment sooner but made a conscious effort to find diversions yesterday. And a few closely contested college football games fit the need on a wild Saturday.

      I’m familiar with that world and the financing of such a business model. If the alleged fraud can be proven, the banks as the main lenders, who are on the hook for $XX million, should essentially have a catbird position on bankruptcy proceeding as will the securities investors. All dependent on how much fraud there actually was, which wouldn’t be rocket science to sort out.

      There are or ought to be all manner of credit agreements in place for both types of lenders and investors. Added, that’s a dreadful way to lend money but thanks to the ZIRP interest rate setting from 2009 to 2021 not surprising it works, until it doesn’t any longer.

      Reply ↓
  29. ChrisRUEcon

    Thanks for the Kirk list. It really covers a lot of the skepticism around what really happened.

    On X, things I have been seeing suggest that MAGA is really becoming more divided. The reasons for this division are:

    • A feeling that Trump – or those with whom he has surrounded himself – is not really America first. We’ve all seen even staunch MAGA people like MTG (Marjorie Taylor Green) suggest that the US Govt should not be aiding Israel to the degree it is, especially when things are bad domestically, and Trump’s policies are directly responsible.
    • A feeling that Trump is controlled by Israel/AIPAC. I have seen more than a few very online MAGA accounts flying a “I won’t die for Israel” banner, or having a pinned tweet that says, “If you take money from AIPAC, I won’t vote for you”. Oddly enough, the latter is also popping up on #VBNMW (vote blue no matter who) profiles as well!

    I’ll throw one more link over the fence: Propaganda & Co + GrayZoneNews (via X)

    The MAGA schism over Israel is real. And it’s really interesting to see the reactions of people like Laura Loomer after Kirk’s death, when they were not all too happy with him talking negatively about Israel.

    Gonna get even more interesting if/when Robinson ever opens his mouth.

    Reply ↓
      1. ChrisRUEcon

        Yep. I’ve thought about that too … or maybe suicided “Epstein’d” in his cell. Would not be surprised at all.

        Reply ↓
    2. gf

      I do not think he ever gave a rats about the genocide.
      He just did not want division in the regime. So he attempted to mollify it.

      He used to at least some of the time share a program with Sebastian Gorka
      and they would pontificate about how Jews and Israel would be F’ed if Harris
      was elected.

      Reply ↓
      1. ChrisRUEcon

        > I do not think he ever gave a rats about the genocide.

        Agreed. Did he actually care about dead Palestinian journalists, doctors, entire families??!

        Absolutely not.

        But as I said, this has to do with “America First”. This has to do with America’s sovereignty (in their minds). Also, notice what appears to be also a schism along generational lines. Younger acolytes of the right appear to be more open to “purity tests” as it were – i.e. you can’t claim to be “America First” if you are (seen as) tacitly or explicitly controlled by a foreign power.

        And this is why Trump and the Stephen Miller’s of the world are desperate – even in aftermath of Robinson’s arrest – to still portray this as a “radical left” fight. But they will fail – that ship has sailed. Kirk’s death at the hands of young white man from Utah has laid bare the now open wound on the right. Trump’s economic chaos has decimated white farmers who voted for him; taken jobs from federal workers who voted for him; taken Medicaid from white seniors who voted for him; his tariffs have hurt small business owners who voted for him; and through it all, including the conspicuous DOGE cost cutting, Israel has continued to receive aid at all levels.

        When you’ve lost MTG …

        Reply ↓
  31. GC54

    We’ve been to two independent pharmacies in suburban Durham NC seeking Novavax after no CVS or Walgreens stock it or can even order it. Was told there that even independent pharmacies are hostage to the same wholesalers and no you can’t get it from them presently despite state govt allowance. Spouse & I and 90 YO mother in law currently qualify. Although I’ve had no reactions to MRNA, I took Novavax early last year and want it again for late October masked travel. Online links to the so-called Novavax Vaccine Finder now just go to its corporate web page, useless. Vaccines.gov asks for ZIP then says the 5 digits you’ve entered are invalid on multiple browsers, devices, and zips; thank you Big Balls.

    Reply ↓
    1. MaggieNC

      We had luck with Costco for Novavax availability in prior years. I spoke with the pharmacy just now and was told they are not sure if they will get it. Suggested I keep checking back. So my “go to” for Novavax in SE NC may or may not carry it.

      Reply ↓
  32. Jason Boxman

    Financial literacy much?

    They Had Money Problems. They Turned to ChatGPT for Solutions. (NY Times via archive.ph)

    When Myra Donohue’s father, who is a financial planner, offered to help her with her finances, she politely declined.

    With a background in accounting, she didn’t want anyone else’s help managing her $5,000 of credit card debt, not to mention car payments and other bills. But once Ms. Donohue, 28, sat down with her finances, she realized how overwhelming the process would be, especially with two young sons and her partner recently laid off from his electrician’s job.

    I dunno, you shouldn’t need a financial planner for this. Isn’t neoliberalism great?

    Reply ↓
  33. David in Friday Harbor

    Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many antisemitic tropes in Links as there are today. Not endorsed by our host, obviously.

    I normally find Larry Johnson to be quite credible, but I’d sure like to see some corroborating evidence of this “Greater Khazan” allegation. Disturbing if true.

    Reply ↓
    1. pjay

      “Antisemitic”? Depends on your definition. As far as I see, that is only the case if ‘antisemitic’ = criticism of Israel. Could you provide an illustrative example?

      Also, I am unclear what you mean by Johnson’s “Greater Khazan” allegation. Do you mean his Kennedy assassination reference?

      Reply ↓
      2. Alice X

        “Antisemitic”? Depends on your definition.

        Well, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA – A World Without Genocide in their banner) definition includes any criticism of Israel. A definition adopted by a number of the several states and the US Congress.

        And other Nation/States.

        There is a business as usual angle here.

        Reply ↓
        1. Alice X

          And if the IHRA and the Zionists manage to convince the whole world that they represent all Jewry, the world is going to start thinking that Jews are baby killers, just like the Zionists. That would be real antisemitism.

          I’m not buying it, but who am I?

          Reply ↓
          1. The Rev Kev

            For the Zionists they would count that as a win. It would help normal Jews in many countries start to feel unsafe and unwelcome. And they would think about moving somewhere else. Guess where that would be? After the Charlie Hebdo attack in France about a decade ago the Israelis said see, you aren’t safe in France. You must move to Israel for your own safety.

            Reply ↓
  34. lyman alpha blob

    RE: today’s Kiriakou video

    On a very related note, he was also on Dialogue Works yesterday and gave a great interview – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbOKQqFcexU

    Of particular interest is how he describes the infiltration of Iranian intelligence by Mossad. According to him there are Israeli spies everywhere in Iran. One method is to approach poor and desperate people who live near a potential target and pay them to simply report back on a person’s movements, letting them know whenever the target comes and goes from a home or office for example. The informant likely does not know who is paying them or the larger reason why – they just know they need to put food on the table.

    Definitely worth giving the whole thing a listen.

    Reply ↓
  35. Jason Boxman

    From How thousands of ‘overworked, underpaid’ humans train Google’s AI to seem smart

    So Google does something similar in ways with Search, in that at least back in ~ 2013 they were using Leap Force as a contract cutout, where workers had to rate the quality of Search results against a quality rubric, completing these tasks in as little as a minute or two per query. The offer was something like $15/hr, but in practice it was piece work, like this:

    The pressure to complete dozens of these tasks every day, each within 10 minutes of time, has led Sawyer into spirals of anxiety and panic attacks, she says – without mental health support from her employer.

    Sawyer is one among the thousands of AI workers contracted for Google through Japanese conglomerate Hitachi’s GlobalLogic to rate and moderate the output of Google’s AI products, including its flagship chatbot Gemini, launched early last year, and its summaries of search results, AI Overviews. The Guardian spoke to 10 current and former employees from the firm. Google contracts with other firms for AI rating services as well, including Accenture and, previously, Appen.

    (bold mine)

    What’s asked of these people is certainly worse.

    As I recall, in 2017 Google was using contractors to rate and test their Google voice assistant, and you can imagine they possibly had access to snippets of people’s conversations, to train it to understand different voices correctly. Privacy much?

    “AI” at scale is powered by exploited workers; surprise. We know the same is true of content moderation and web search.

    And there’s too much data to ever really get this right; it’s always going to be whack-a-mole to try to prevent “bad” responses from leaking out

    Google has clawed its way back into the AI race in the past year with a host of product releases to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google’s most advanced reasoning model, Gemini 2.5 Pro, is touted to be better than OpenAI’s O3, according to LMArena, a leaderboard that tracks the performance of AI models. Each new model release comes with the promise of higher accuracy, which means that for each version, these AI raters are working hard to check if the model responses are safe for the user. Thousands of humans lend their intelligence to teach chatbots the right responses across domains as varied as medicine, architecture and astrophysics, correcting mistakes and steering away from harmful outputs.

    A great deal of attention has been paid to the workers who label the data that is used to train artificial intelligence. There is, however, another corps of workers, including Sawyer, working day and night to moderate the output of AI, ensuring that chatbots’ billions of users see only safe and appropriate responses.

    Basically this:

    Despite their significant contributions to these AI models, which would perhaps hallucinate if not for these quality control editors, these workers feel hidden.

    “AI isn’t magic; it’s a pyramid scheme of human labor,” said Adio Dinika, a researcher at the Distributed AI Research Institute based in Bremen, Germany. “These raters are the middle rung: invisible, essential and expendable.”

    And meanwhile we’re burning up the planet for this stuff. This timeline is stupid.

    Reply ↓
    1. Cat Burglar

      Last week Google AI told me that the 40,000 acre fire down the road from my house did not exist. There’s your direct evidence for how stupid it is.

      Reply ↓
    2. Mikel

      “The pressure to complete dozens of these tasks every day, each within 10 minutes of time…”

      The obsession with time instead of accuracy.
      There appears to be zero value assigned to the importance of reflection and maybe even a fear of memory.

      Reply ↓
  36. Wukchumni

    What becomes of the Edifice Wrecks all over the Big Smokes, where the employees got raptured during the pandemic, and there’s no place like home, Toto!

    They apparently can’t be repurposed as living quarters all that easily, do they become vertical ghost towns?

    Reply ↓
  37. Yeti

    Ballistics

    Thought I would put my .10c worth as I have some related experience. Did a lot of reloading in my past and currently use a Savage 30.06. I just went out last week to sight in for hunting season and it still shoots 3” high at 100 yds. That is my preferred sighting as I can hold on the vitals of a deer or elk out to 250 yards. A 100 yd zero will be 1.5” low at 150 yards and almost 3” low at 200 yds. This is at a muzzle velocity of 2800 fps and 165 grain bullet. Given that the Utah shooter was somewhere in the 150-200 yd range it seems he was aiming for Charlie Kirk in the head with a 100 yd zero. If indeed the shot came from there.

    Reply ↓
    1. ThirtyOne

      What do you make of the sound of the shot from videos? I heard it as a sharp crack. Is that consistent with your experience with a 30.06?

      Reply ↓
      1. scott s.

        Seems like exact bullet/loading would need to be known? eg 180 gr vs 150 gr. Remington offers a “Hypersonic 150 gr Core-Lokt” cartridge advertised at 3035 fps.

        Reply ↓
      2. Yeti

        Just listened for 1st time. Yes it sounds like a crack from a high powered rifle. You can hear a quick echo that may be from nearby buildings. At 2800 fps it would take a quarter second for the bullet to travel 200 yds. It is hard to tell where shot came from due to video but my guess would be it came from behind the camera. As far as the perp carrying the gun from rooftop If he had the gun with him leaving off the roof that means he removed the stock from the barrel/action assy. Not hard to do but takes time and if they found gun intact that means someone put it back together as I don’t believe it was in one piece when he jumped off roof. Picture of the rifle looks to have maybe 24” barrel which is common for that calibre.

        Reply ↓
        1. moog

          There are multiple videos (at least one from the front, and his left side). The shot came from his “10 o’clock”, give or take.

          Reply ↓
      3. Brian Beijer

        I’d like to take a minute to suggest Paramount Tactical YT videos for sniper related assassinations in the US. The YTuber is very right wing, but my god, does he know his stuff when it comes to snipers! For me, he 100% conclusively showed that the bullet actually hit CK’s chest but ricocheted off of the body plate he was wearing which caused the bullet to tear threw his throat. It was a very graphic, but convincing, video to watch. Although I haven’t watched his more recent videos over the past couple of days, I am certain that this guy will provide every detail about the gun model and even sound analysis videos of the gun shot. He did an amazing job dissecting the Butler assassination attempt of Trump. Again, I don’t agree with the guy’s political opinions, but he absolutely knows his s*** about guns and snipers.

        Reply ↓
  38. Mikel

    What if the $3trn AI investment boom goes wrong? – Economist

    At the end, the article hits real close to the truth behind the climb of the wall of worry:

    “And households are more exposed to stocks than they were in 2000; if prices fall, their confidence and spending could take a knock. The poorest would be spared, because they tend to hold few stocks. But it is the rich who have fuelled consumption in America over the past year. Robbed of its sources of strength, the economy would weaken as tariffs and high interest rates take a toll.”

    Outside the short-lived stimulus during the early days of Covid, I’d venture to guess this has been the defining feature of the QE and sort of post-QE era.

    Reply ↓
  39. Mikel

    “The report makes it clear that Israel’s survival in June hinged on U.S. intervention at every layer…” – Thomas Keith

    But events of the past two years, in numerous countries, hints at a high level of cooperation and investment from a host of global allies.

    Reply ↓
  40. OIFVet

    It’s amazing that after Dubya’s islamofascist thing abroad didn’t pan out, the far-right is now rolling with the danger of islamomarxists, only this time they are in America, instead of in the Middle East. It’s kind of curious, given the charges of fascism leveled at them.

    Reply ↓
  42. none

    widespread skepticism about the Tyler Robinson story

    It could end up being hard to deny that Robinson was the one who pulled the trigger. Of course that still leaves plenty of room for interesting possible backstories. But it also gets rid of a lot.

    Reply ↓
  43. Wukchumni

    One thing i’ve noticed is evangs hate hate hate anything trans with a burning passion, an affront to their religious backing!

    NY Post is leading the charge solely asserting that the shooter was in a Dog Day Afternoon-like relationship…

    Any validity to this, and its open season on trans.

    Reply ↓
  46. AG

    re: Kirk / political violence

    JACOBIN
    Political Violence Is Wrong. Charlie Kirk Didn’t Think So.

    By Branko Marcetic

    The murder of Charlie Kirk was a moral travesty. We can recognize that without ignoring that he repeatedly fanned the flames of political violence himself.

    https://jacobin.com/2025/09/kirk-posobiec-political-violence-far-right

    What I find more interesting is the general condemnation of political violence as such.
    Mamdani too identified political violence as the main issue.

    I know that methods to reach popular political goals may change over decades and centuries.
    Yet it appears almost as if the left condemns political violence the more the left is on its backfoot.
    And the more imperial society turns to violence to enforce “solutions” the more the progressive forces within that realm distance themselves from it.

    No left candidate would survive today´s media landscape if they endorsed some form of violence – once well known and respected as militant resistance – however a media which is so rabidly rightwing that America This Week poses as indie when some activists turn on ICE and ATW decries it as unnecessary “violence”.

    What if – looking back in 100 years – we will realize that being so calm and “civilized” and media-aware in fact turned out to be the leftists´ demise?

    Why should imperial force yield simply because domestic progressives are asking nicely.
    I assume strikes are the middle path. But what if strikes are outlawed, or even worse, deplatformed by a rightwing “counter-culture”?

    What if one day it will turn out that the left lost simply because it was too pacific, too benign, too much against political violence?
    And perhaps the people beyond movement discipline one day will break the levees and conduct their own fight for political change forcing the political left to make a choice, take a stand and see itself fored into its luck, using force because the people demand it to.

    Reply ↓
    1. hk

      This is a little bit analogous to the problem of military brothels in an odd way, isn’t it? It is a fundamentally evil institution, like political violence, if the question were simply that of morality. It cannot be redeemed in any form if the measuring stick is “justice.”. It is, however, extremely common and some forms of it are worse than others–like that created by Imperial Japan. I don’t think the latter can be condemned on universal moral terms without the question blowing up in the faces of the accusers themselves on the account of their own analogous misdeeds.

      My solution, personally, to this has been to deny moral absolutes under almost all conditions and try to evaluate things in terms of how well those actions served the doers at what cost. I’ll confess that this has made me appreciative of a lot of “successful cynics” (like FDR, who was an absolutely evil and manipulative bastard the more you learn about him.., and for that matter, Vladimir Putin.) and contemptuous of moralizers, whether they are actual charlatans or not.

      Reply ↓
      1. fjallstrom

        It’s the violence inherit in the system, innit? Invisible under a cloud of propaganda and narrative management on an ordinary day, it sometimes breaks through in all its gore.

        I think acknowledging the immorality of the system is crucial for any change. Which is why the opposition acceptable to the system mustn’t acknowledge it, or it becomes unacceptable.

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    1. Ben Panga

      I have very low hopes

      Murray: “I have spoken to scores of people, including some very directly involved. The avoidance of debate and of votes is a deliberate policy to maintain the control of a small group of people. In what would already be the UK’s biggest political party if they had allowed people actually to become members.”

      Corbyn is a relic; the UK left is a co-optable shambles.

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  48. mrsyk

    To be filed under Acceleration, London.

    London protest organized by far-right activist exceeds 100,000 as clashes break out, PBS, the first paragraph,

    A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 100,000 people and became unruly on Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters.

    Elon Musk calls for dissolution of parliament at far-right rally in London, Guardian, the lede,

    US-based tech boss was addressing the ‘unite the kingdom’ protest organised by Tommy Robinson via video link, more,

    He said: “There’s so much violence on the left, with our friend Charlie Kirk getting murdered in cold blood this week and people on the left celebrating it openly. The left is the party of murder and celebrating murder. I mean, let that sink in for a minute, that’s who we’re dealing with here.”

    Reply ↓
    1. Ben Panga

      From same Guardian piece

      Musk’ “This is a message to the reasonable centre, the people who ordinarily wouldn’t get involved in politics, who just want to live their lives. They don’t want that, they’re quiet, they just go about their business.

      “My message is to them: if this continues, that violence is going to come to you, you will have no choice. You’re in a fundamental situation here.

      “Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die, that’s the truth, I think.”

      I agree with your filing recommendation :(

      Reply ↓
    2. The Rev Kev

      And of course they won’t charge Elon Musk with inciting violence or tell him where to get off. But if he went on to say that perhaps they shouldn’t drop so many bombs on Gaza, you can bet that Starmer would be all over him like a bad rash.

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  49. amfortas

    9-13-2025
    Rejunion de familias
    para mi esposa.

    But i had to drop of Eldest’s lawnmower, first…hitch stuck…ended up pulling a new muscle in my right shoulder…after beating on the chingadera with a 4# ball peen.
    And them folks still love me,lol.
    Because I was good to Her, especially at the end.
    One of 3 out of four gueros en las familiar, there(Bob never comes)

    Reply ↓
    1. amfortas

      and.. i was thankin:
      whats the closest mcdonalds to the white house?
      might be a place to watch..
      betcha ten bucks that dude eats 3 bigmacs and fries, most nights,
      even, or in spite of, the white house chef and staff.
      (which by all accounts are among the best in the world)

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev

        That’s kinda of a security risk isn’t it depending on an outside food source? Perhaps MacDonalds should just set up a Maccas branch in the White House instead. I’m not saying that they should raise a golden ‘M’ flag from the WH roof but it would be an option. They take their flags very seriously-

        https://www.splinter.com/flying-the-guantanamo-bay-mcdonalds-flag-at-half-staff-on-9-11-for-charlie-kirk-is-the-most-dril-thing-to-ever-happen

        Reply ↓
      2. Alice X

        Woah Bro’… Hair Furor would not deign to mix with the masses, but their Corporate Drool for the Masses™ might? wend their way to his ingestion. Maybe having resided there well before.

        I dunno, it’s such a low bar. The mind is what matters and it is not capable.

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  50. SZ

    > That would have produced a big spurt of blood. That did not happen.

    It did, though. Drenched half his t-shirt in 2 seconds. It’s quite visible in the angle taken directly head-on from the front seats.

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    2. thrombus

      That spurt of blood is the most striking part of the video. Also, carotid artery.is just below jugular vein. I am inclined to belive that jugular was struck because venous blood is darker, and under lower pressure. Also, severed artheries result in faster death than veins, and he reportedly died later in hospital.

      Reply ↓
  51. Jason Boxman

    Smashing things does work

    Mass Firing of Probationary Federal Employees Was Illegal, Judge Rules (NY Times via archive.ph)

    A federal judge late Friday ruled that the Trump administration’s mass firing of probationary employees earlier this year was illegal, a victory for the labor unions and nonprofit groups that had sued the government over the terminations.

    The ruling did not call on the government to return the fired probationary employees to their jobs, as would be the “ordinary course,” Judge William H. Alsup of the Northern District of California wrote in a 38-page opinion. Because the Supreme Court allowed the administration to continue its purge for months while the case proceeded, he said, “too much water has now passed under the bridge.”

    (bold mine)

    And they get away with it.

    In Friday’s opinion, Judge Alsup chided the administration over its conduct in the monthslong case. He said the government’s evidence was a “sham” that included documents unrelated to the case, leaving a reader “with the feeling that he is being led, blindfolded, along a carefully plotted path through a dense, unseen wood.”

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  52. hk

    One consequence of the Qatari fiasco that I don’t think has been raised too often is its potential impact on the US MIC. The ME is a huge market for US military gear–Egypt, the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. All of them are also potential adversaries of Israel as well, however. So how will they regard US military personnel and contractors who are stationed in their countries, who allegedly support and service their gear? The answer is that they would and should regard every one of them as likely Israeli saboteur and/or spy. All their US made military gear and/or US personnel based on their territory is, at best, junk or, worse, malware actively subverting their potential military efforts should they be necessary against Israel or, “Israel’s interests” (especially if the so-called “British” aircraft took off from Qatar to actually assist an attack on Qatar as has been reported.) Even if they don’t (and they probably won’t) cancel their relations with the US military and armaments manufacturers outright, they are likely to find ways to subvert and undermine them in some fashion, and find ways to macguyver the gear so that they can be kept under their autonomous control when it counts. Whether they can actual do these (with exception of Turkey) seems dubious–they never did seriously develop autonomous military-technical capabilities, but it does mean that the potential monetary effect in the long term for US MIC from this single crazy Israeli adventure has to be huge. Am I misreading things?

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    1. thrombus

      What are they gonna do? Send USA off, and completly rearm with Russian/Chinese stuff? Not even Turkey can do that. Qatar made its bed, and will have to lie in it.

      Reply ↓

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