Links 10/2/2025

Subscribe to Post Comments

72 comments

1. AG October 2, 2025 at 7:23 am

   re: Germany v. free media

   JUNGE WELT daily

   machine-translation

   Dirty bombs
   The EU apparatus fights critical media with all means – even with right-wing fake news factories

   By Susann Witt-Stahl
   https://archive.is/hB1aM

   Reply ↓
2. Windall October 2, 2025 at 7:28 am

   There are many different kinds of small cats!

   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8QI5tZ14W64&t=4s&pp=ygUKU21hbGwgY2F0cw%3D%3D

   Reply ↓
   1. mrsyk October 2, 2025 at 8:36 am

      This one is the Fluffy-Pawed Bossy Cat, presumed to be a direct ancestor of the common house cat.

      Reply ↓
      1. ACPAL October 2, 2025 at 9:17 pm

         I believe this is a Pallas’ Cat.
         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas%27s_cat

         Reply ↓
         1. moog October 3, 2025 at 11:20 am

            I believe mrsyk is joking. I also believe manul sounds much better. :)

            Reply ↓
3. Balan Aroxdale October 2, 2025 at 7:35 am

   TikTok investor: ‘Embed the love and respect for Israel’ in the US Responsible Statecraft

   I am reminded of Orwell’s 1984, where the Party’s driving mission was to make Winston love Big Brother.

   Reply ↓
4. Steve H. October 2, 2025 at 7:49 am

   > Antarctic sea ice winter peak in 2025 is third smallest on record Carbon Brief

   Climate Reanalyzer still hasn’t started connecting dots on the recent Sea Surface Temperatures. It makes more sense if you go through the subset regions. Everywhere is running hotter, except Sub-Polar, and ENSO 3.4, which are below the normal bar, not just recent-normal. Could be La Niña kicking in. Just squirrely.

   Reply ↓
   1. Rui October 2, 2025 at 8:27 am

      Didn’t you hear that climate change is a hoax?

      Reply ↓
5. Wukchumni October 2, 2025 at 8:00 am

   Goooooooood Mooooorning Fiatnam!

   It’s 0420 hours somewhere. From the delta factor of reserve banking, to the DMZ (Donald Monetary Zone) of crypto, back to Bitcoin all in one byte. Today’s forecast calls for a hundred percent chance of clout crowding the market in the cloud, not that any of it exists except in fertile mind fields we’ve carefully laid utilizing furrowed brows pecking away furiously.

   Here’s a song coming your way right now for those of you back in the Banana-Split Republic. “Nowhere To Run To” by Martha and the Vandellas. Yes! Hey, you know what I mean! Too much?

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQRIOKvR2WM

   Reply ↓
6. Louis Fyne October 2, 2025 at 8:35 am

   >>>>The effects of plastic exposures on children’s health and urgent opportunities..

   N = 1 house: With the presumption that any impact is greatest (hence lowest hanging fruit) during ages 0 – 3, the kids had all their Costco/private-label powdered formula made with distilled water. Then they had cow milk and distilled water when they went off the bottle for fluids; and tap water when there was no alternative.

   No regrets and very happy with the results, though I can prove squat. Electric stills are (relatively) cheap and easy, but slow. other alternative is to go full reverse osmosis but more expensive upfront, and tougher to kèep track of filter expiry.

   Reply ↓
   1. .human October 2, 2025 at 8:58 am

      Making your own distilled water is a simple affair with an inverted pot lid over a bowl within the pot to catch the dippings from the generated steam. Ice on the inverted pot lid speeds up the process.

      Reply ↓
   2. none October 2, 2025 at 12:23 pm

      Did the distilled water come in plastic bottles?

      Anyway you can remove microplastics by filtering, distillation not needed. You can’t filter out dissolved minerals though. RO can do that.

      Reply ↓
7. mrsyk October 2, 2025 at 8:44 am

   Regarding Argentina, I’m wondering if a permanent US military presence is part of the $20B bailout deal.

   Reply ↓
   1. Alice X October 2, 2025 at 2:35 pm

      Where there is smoke, there is fire.

      Near Patagonia, Protests Begin Over New U.S. Military Base

      Context:

      In Argentina, protests erupt over a new U.S. “humanitarian” military base near Patagonia. Locals believe the base’s real purpose is to protect U.S. interests in the region’s natural resources.

      I should add, that is not the analysis piece I read the other day but now couldn’t find. Everyday, so much fresh hell.

      Reply ↓
      1. mrsyk October 2, 2025 at 8:41 pm

         Heh, it’s busy. I’m fond of saying “I’d rather watch this on tv”.

         Reply ↓
8. Kontrary Kansan October 2, 2025 at 9:03 am

   Iowans protest following kidnapping of Des Moines superintendent by immigration Gestapo

   This took a turn. The Guyanese school superintendent seems to have faked his PhD, according to a AP report in the Cedar Rapids Gazette:

   D.M. superintendent falsely claimed doctorate on resume
   https://cedarrapidsgazette-ia.newsmemory.com/?publink=1677e9ae5_134fb9e

   Reply ↓
   1. Louis Fyne October 2, 2025 at 9:31 am

      “Progressives” (or whatever they want to call themselves) pick the worst rhetorical hills to proverbially die on, while ignoring things like taxation of capital gains, etc.

      Reply ↓
   2. Chris Smith October 2, 2025 at 9:52 am

      Is this the same guy with all the illegal firearms in his car who ran from the police? I am beginning to think the Democrats are working with Trump – picking the worst people to back in order to discredit protests.

      Reply ↓
   3. Mark Gisleson October 2, 2025 at 10:27 am

      Many right wing sites have followed this one closely. The undocumented/falsely documented superintendent was hired by Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff. He has been registered to vote in Maryland for something like a decade.

      This case is not like any of the others.

      Reply ↓
9. Ocypode October 2, 2025 at 9:29 am

   AI-Generated Biography on Amazon Tries to Capitalize on the Death of a Beloved Writer Kaleb Horton 404 Media

   Somehow whenever I think things can’t possibly get any worse, they promptly do so. We live in ghoulish times.

   Reply ↓
   1. Art_DogCT October 2, 2025 at 12:50 pm

      I have been well-served by this guiding light of wisdom: Everything can always be worse.

      Combined with the powerful insight of Murphy’s Law and it’s lesser known corollary, The Perversity of the Universe Tends to a Maximum, one can be better prepared for navigating polycrises.

      Reply ↓
10. Jason Boxman October 2, 2025 at 10:04 am

    America is a failed state, but also, finally you can filter spam calls on iPhone. I don’t even want iOS 26 and I’m gonna install it just for this.

    We Finally Have Free Anti-Robocall Tools That Work (NY Times via archive.ph)

    A new feature for iPhones screens calls, similar to a technology available for Android users. Here’s how to activate it.

    I literally get 5-10 spam calls daily on my mobile; I use my Google Voice number, so with my phone on silent I never see these. But it’s ridiculous. I do see the spam texts, because for reasons unknown, some banks refuse to recognize GV as a legitimate number for SMS MFA, so I’m stuck giving out my never-used mobile number instead. Uggh. This has been getting worse in terms of more FI freaking out about this, most notably credit unions. Whatever backend provider they all use, that company hates GV numbers.

    Also, but probably not because of spam calls and broken telephony.

    Most Voters Think America’s Divisions Cannot Be Overcome, Poll Says

    Oops.

    Reply ↓
    1. Mark Gisleson October 2, 2025 at 10:30 am

       I got rid of my phone to stop junk calls a few years back.

       Not being chained to a phone is as close to real freedom as I have ever experienced.

       Now they couldn’t pay me to have a phone.

       Reply ↓
    2. Bugs October 2, 2025 at 10:45 am

       This tool seems like a sledgehammer to kill a fly-I happen to get plenty of calls from numbers that aren’t in my contacts and some of them are urgent and moreover in multiple languages so having a robotic voice answering calls in English (because “AI” can’t determine which language to use) is just a non starter.

       Reply ↓
       1. Jason Boxman October 2, 2025 at 12:22 pm

          Yes, I agree, and the story mentions that as well. Fixing our broken telephony system would be a better option. I don’t believe for a moment that users can’t be authenticated in some way to cut down on spam. Unlike email where any random can send an email, it should not be possible for any random to just spam the telephony network. Emergency calls alone are one such reason; maybe during a Pandemic you have a family member that’s hospitalized, ect.

          My guess is providers make tons of money letting users get abused, and money on providing helpful solutions to reduce such abuse.

          Reply ↓
          1. Ken Murphy October 2, 2025 at 1:42 pm

             Ever gotten a call from your own phone #?

             Kind of an odd experience, but easy to peg as spam

             Reply ↓
    3. none October 2, 2025 at 12:24 pm

       I got a lot of spam calls, complained to my MVNO. They offered me a new phone number, and surprisingly that worked.

       Reply ↓
       1. amfortas October 2, 2025 at 1:34 pm

          i got rather frustrate with those calls…and i never have my glasses on when i answer,lol.
          so i started asking the “women”(or ai or whatever) (and its always ‘women”, for some reason)what they were wearing.
          “be descriptive”
          “oh, and do you happen to speak french? that would be great…”
          havent had a spam call in months.
          only thing thats ever worked.

          Reply ↓
          1. Sean Gorman October 3, 2025 at 12:03 am

             ‘”Are you saved ?” has worked for me, in the past.

             Reply ↓
11. ChrisFromGA October 2, 2025 at 10:13 am

    Larry Johnson makes a solid case that the video of Tyler Robinson on the rooftop at the Utah college was tampered with:

    (Fast forward to 14:00)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_SauRjrK0g

    Also discusses the weapon claimed to be used by the suspect … the FBI’s story doesn’t add up.

    The prosecution will certainly have to produce evidence of the actual murder weapon at trial. Note that the FBI and the Feds aren’t running the show here; it is a state prosecutor, and so far we have zero information on what they will claim the murder weapon used by Robinson really was in terms of model, caliber, etc.

    Reply ↓
    1. Clwydshire October 2, 2025 at 11:44 am

       I follow Johnson’s blog and his appearances on other alternative media and do very much appreciate what he has to say. I think of him as one of the top 10 credible people in media today. I totally agree with what he says about the weapon. Nonetheless, his rather off-the-cuff analysis of this particular video irritates me.

       In the video, the figure identified as Robinson moves from left to right. At first, he is advancing across a midtone or mid-value surface. and on that background, his shadow is visible and precedes him. Then he steps off onto a much brighter surface, and at that moment, his shadow disappears. That does NOT mean, as Johnson seems to conclude, that the video has been altered at this point. The shadow may still physically be there, but the camera sensor may not be able to pick up the difference in brightness between the direct surface and the shadow on the much brighter surface because the ratio between the difference between the brightness of the shadowed and the open surface, and the total brightness of the open surface is now so much smaller than it was on the midtone surface. That amounts to saying the surface might be overexposed in the camera sensor. BUT, it also might be the case that the sensor did capture the difference, but it just is not visible to us humans who don’t see the differences in subtle tones of bright white.

       So the disappearance of the shadow is something to be investigated, not just taken as it appears. I’d bet that if you walked someone across that roof in the same light as the Robinson figure, and watched in person, the shadow would seem to “disappear” on the brighter surface, just because of the way human eyes work.

       And since I’m being persnickety, the Robinson figure’s shadow does reappear on a more vertical and darker surface that edges the roof, just before the figure jumps down from the roof. Nothing about that reappearance of the shadow seems faked to me.

       The second element that Johnson alludes to in arguing that the video has been altered is the alleged “disappearance” of a figure walking in the background. Once again Johnson is too casual in his analysis. There are actually two figures walking in the background, one walks to the left of the video frame, the other to the right. Toward the left edge of the frame, the figure walking left disappears in what looks to me like an area of trees and brush. In other words, that left-walking figure does not “just” disappear, he may be hidden by hard to discern objects. As the left walking figure disappears, the right walking figure continues to walk right, with no jerks or unnatural changes in color or tone. So this evidence also fails to convince me.

       For me, the significant thing about the video is that there is no way the weapon the FBI claims was used could have been fitted into the pack seen there, without a complex and time-consuming disassembly.

       The FBI is incompetent enough without us imputing errors to it that we ourselves have insufficiently considered. Johnson was too casual in his analysis of this.

       Reply ↓
    2. GF October 2, 2025 at 2:41 pm

       In Larry Johnson’s most recent post in links above, he states:

       “…the French Army Chief of Staff announced that French troops must be ready for the start of intense warfare as early as tonight. This may be in response to a report from Borzzikman today that the Russians struck a maritime target in Odessa and killed 20 French engineers.”

       Here is the link to the Borzzikman YouTube:
       https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUDnibnh5sM8eVAwSlUnf6Xw

       Reply ↓
12. Bugs October 2, 2025 at 10:16 am

    On Jane Goodall passing – a wag posted on one of the socials that she has a son. Thing is, his DNA is 98.8% chimpanzee. True story.

    Reply ↓
    1. mrsyk October 2, 2025 at 11:40 am

       Jane Goodall’s legend needs no hagiography. On global population (in the video embedded in the wide awake media tweet) she is not advocating for a 90% reduction in population, she is merely stating that the world would be a better place if there were way less humans. I agree. Saying “She was complicit in Israeli apartheid” because she established a local conservation effort based out of The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College overlooks the political realities of global conservation.
       Rest easy Ms Goodall. I was and remain a great admirer. You will always be one of my wife’s greatest hero’s.
       Here is an interview from when she was age 75, published in Wanderlust Magazine.

       Reply ↓
    2. Glen October 2, 2025 at 2:50 pm

       The Far Side – Jane Goodall: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b6/b8/b9/b6b8b9121055f1e4ce28f056e9386161.jpg

       She thought it was pretty funny.

       We’ve got the Far Side collection with that in it floating around somewhere in our library – she wrote the introduction.

       Reply ↓
13. Henry Moon Pie October 2, 2025 at 10:20 am

    I haven’t made it all the way through this video because I can only take it in small doses, but this is what hippie-hating Rod Dreyer is doing over in Hungary. He hosts Curtis Yarvin in a lie-fest with whoppers like this one from Yarvin:

    It’s like part of the fact that we can see that the sort of whole illusion of like debate in the town square. whatever whatever has been an illusion all along is that only one side [the Left] has been doing this for 100 years.

    So it was the Left that bombed those little girls in Sunday school in Mississippi, killed the Mississippi Freedom Summer workers, shot MLK? Anders Breivik was a Left-winger? Timothy McVeigh?

    Rod probably wants them to pick up Grace Slick.

    They’re a bunch of maroons, but dangerous maroons.

    Reply ↓
14. Jason Boxman October 2, 2025 at 10:25 am

    Definitely never COVID though

    Two Planes Collide on LaGuardia Airport Taxiway (NY Times via archive.ph)

    Two regional flights operated by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, collided on a LaGuardia Airport taxiway on Wednesday evening, injuring one passenger, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

    A Bombardier CRJ-900 jet was preparing to take off when it struck another Bombardier that was heading to a gate at 9:58 p.m., according to a statement from the Port Authority, which manages LaGuardia in Queens. Videos and photos posted on social media showed one of the planes missing a wing.

    Passengers were taken by bus to a terminal at the airport and one person was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, the Port Authority said.

    The cause of the accident was unclear as of early Thursday. Delta Air Lines did not immediately respond to an inquiry and representatives for Endeavor could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Reply ↓
    1. Louis Fyne October 2, 2025 at 11:13 am

       to respectfully disagree, we are living in the Golden Age of air travel. (including the bad headlines)

       The median first-worlder can fly further, safer, and at a cheaper after-inflation cost now than 50 or 25 years ago.

       I’m not on the 100% Pangloss train but this Louis CK, 10+ year old rant is more right than wrong when we look at air travel…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBLkX2VaQs4

       Reply ↓
       1. Milton October 2, 2025 at 11:53 am

          Well people who do gripe about the seat not reclining more than a few inches do have a point, though. ;}

          Good funny stuff.

          Reply ↓
       2. James Payette October 2, 2025 at 12:54 pm

          What if instead of measuring how safe air traffic is compared traveling by car one measured by miles traveled, one measured it by how many times one gets in a car and safely exits it compared to how many times one gets in an airplane and safely gets out of it?

          Reply ↓
       3. CanCyn October 2, 2025 at 4:49 pm

          What if we just look at the last 5 or 10 yrs instead of the last 50?
          “ The data in ICAO’s 2025 Edition Safety Report – State of Global Aviation Safety shows 95 accidents involving scheduled commercial flights last year, compared to 66 accidents in 2023. Ten of those accidents were fatal, with the total number of fatalities reaching 296, up from 72 the previous year. The global accident rate also rose, to 2.56 accidents per million departures, compared to 1.87 in 2023.” Via: https://www.icao.int/news/latest-icao-aviation-safety-data-reveals-need-renewed-focus-despite-continuous-long-term

          Also, the Louis CK bit is very funny

          Reply ↓
15. ADU October 2, 2025 at 10:26 am

    Ha! he Texas man shooting the cable reminds me of Jed Clampett.

    Reply ↓
16. ciroc October 2, 2025 at 10:37 am

    Netanyahu is probably the only person in the world who can use Trump as a telephone stand.

    https://news.antiwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/trump-netanyahu.jpeg

    Reply ↓
17. Jason Boxman October 2, 2025 at 11:03 am

    From At The Money: The Flood of New ETFs

    So these ETFs are hot for speculation:

    And, and for people who might be confused by that, it’s not that you’re buying an Apple ETF to invest in just Apple ’cause you can obviously just buy Apple to do that. You’re buying an Apple ETF that maybe gives you two x Apple exposure or minus. Two x apple exposure. So when it goes, you goes down, you go up, or you’re writing options on your Apple position so that you can get some extra income. Or you’re doing a combination of both so that you can only get, you know, you get 2X the upside and minus 1X the downside but with caps involved, ’cause you’re selling a lot of options along the way.

    Anyway you can imagine mixing and matching these kinds of patterns of returns. The combination of leverage. Income and protection around a single stock is going to be launched. If you think about it, we’ve got 500 stocks in the S&P 500. There are about six different flavors you can think of for each individual stock. That’s a couple thousand ETFs we’re gonna have to keep track of, assuming there’s only one of each flavor, and this industry loves to compete against each other. Legitimately, I think by this time next year, we could have several thousand more ETFs than we do right now.

    Because what we really need are 2x and 3x leveraged ETFs for individual mega cap stocks, yes? And what
    happens with these products is, if you’re long a 2x or 3x product, and the stock bounces around, you get chop.

    Why 3x ETFs Are Riskier Than You Might Think

    Back when I was on the Twitter, people on FinTwit were posting about getting hosed on SOXL:

    For example, in late August 2024, the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares (SOXL) plunged 22.5% in a single day as tech stocks stumbled—its worst performance since March 2020, the start of the pandemic. That was after the fund had dropped more than 60% from July into August 2024. The 22.5% plunge took place after a mid-month rebound, demonstrating the extreme volatility of SOXL.

    And people are selling puts against SOXL; The premiums are high because there’s so much volatility. But does that compensate you for your risk?

    Anyway, the short version is there’s no reason for retail to be buying or have access to these products. There’s no reason for these products to exist at all, in fact. 2x and 3x leverage products are just vehicles for speculation. Big operators can already derive this kind of stuff anyway in-house.

    America is a big Ponzi.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ken Murphy October 2, 2025 at 1:52 pm

       I saw the snowballing start back in the 90s with the introduction of 401Ks so that companies wouldn’t be so burdened by pensions.
       In an ideal world that flow of money would have been used by investment banks to fund a plethora of new businesses. But they found out with the dot.com bubble that creating new businesses is hard.
       So then the funds started going into real estate and the IBs were desperate for product. I reviewed one pool of mortgages that stunk to high heaven out of a closed bank owned by some guy whose name sounds like britzker or fitzker or something like that. Our bank pushed back so hard the FDIC redid their T&Cs for future pool sales.
       We all know how that ended up, so now everyone just invests in paper. So much easier…

       Reply ↓
18. flora October 2, 2025 at 11:15 am

    File under OpenAI:

    Edward Snowden Says OpenAI Just Performed a “Calculated Betrayal of the Rights of Every Person on Earth”
    “They’ve gone full mask off: do not ever trust OpenAI or its products.”

    https://futurism.com/the-byte/snowden-openai-calculated-betrayal

    Reply ↓
19. flora October 2, 2025 at 11:22 am

    File under AI:

    Edward Snowden speaking at the SuperAI 2025 conference. utube.

    Edward Snowden – Freedom in the Age of Intelligent Machines – SuperAI Singapore 2025
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91VRjkwoCCA

    Reply ↓
20. none October 2, 2025 at 12:14 pm

    What

    Warrant-less federal agents ransack a Chicago apartment building, abduct dozens

    https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/10/01/massive-immigration-raid-on-chicago-apartment-building-leaves-residents-reeling-i-feel-defeated

    Reply ↓
21. lyman alpha blob October 2, 2025 at 12:38 pm

    RE: Are we living in a stupidogenic society?

    Well yes, and it seems rather obvious at this point. If you want to blow a young person’s mind, go through a drive-through and hand the attendant a cash payment. I’m amazed recently at how long it takes so many younger people to figure out something as simple as proper change.

    The author tries to paint a somewhat rosy picture but I’m not buying it. I don’t agree that we have nicer lives now than a few decades ago, unless of course your goal was abject laziness. And I don’t agree with this –

    “I’d rather live in a stupidogenic society than one with no technology.”

    – at all. It reminds me of what a moronic colleague of my recently deceased math teacher friend once tried to tell her, that bad data was better than no data at all. No, it’s not.

    In honor of my friend who loved math and loved learning, always encouraged everybody to think for themselves, and died way too soon, I’ll end with some lovely music from Warren Zevon –

    Don’t let us get sick
    don’t let us get old
    don’t let us get stupid alright
    Just make us be brave
    and make us play nice
    and let us be together tonight.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ocypode October 2, 2025 at 1:54 pm

       Ivan Illich used to remark that it’s really strange how we’ve come to confuse knowledge with education, as if the mere act of sitting in a classroom made one skilled or knowledgeable about something (the corollary being that non-education forms of knowledge were demeaned as not being real; after all, do you get a degree for working a market stall? And if you don’t get a degree, did you really learn?) Ironically, knowledge has probably never been so accessible, but I suppose so are the means to avoid having to think. I for one often catch myself having a very difficult time thinking, and I wonder if my elders who have not been as thoroughly brain-rotted suffer as much. I’ve been considering ways in which I can force myself to not use (laziness-inducing) technology so as to practice useful skills, but at times it’s a tall order.

       Reply ↓
       1. .human October 2, 2025 at 2:14 pm

          “I never let schooling get in the way of my education.”

          – Mark Twain

          Reply ↓
       2. lyman alpha blob October 2, 2025 at 2:38 pm

          The stuff that gets to me is hearing people say how difficult it is to answer a phone vs. sending a text (it takes longer to text than to talk, and you lose something with written word over spoken), or how much easier it is now with mobile phones (is it really a game changer to press one button to call instead of seven or ten? Does the 3 seconds or so saved make that much of a difference?) – stuff like that where people pretend that using the slightly older but already pretty amazing technology was akin to working in a coal mine.

          As to the thinking, it’s not just you. All of our brains have been rewired with exposure to the internet. I used to be able to sit down and read a book for hours at a time, or I’d spend a couple hours reading the dead tree newspaper (and do the crossword for some brain exercise!). I find that a lot more difficult to do now after being habituated to reading internet articles for a few minutes at a time. Earlier there was a physical limit to what could be read at any given time – just what was in your immediate vicinity. Now you literally have almost limitless amounts of info available on the internet and it’s impossible to read everything that catches your attention, so skimming becomes more prominent and deep reading suffers. At least it has for me.

          Reply ↓
       3. Maritimer Adrift October 3, 2025 at 5:18 am

          One of the things that concerns me most about all this stuff is that offloading to the internet or other technologies could risk giving us all the impression that we know things when we don’t. Then when it comes time to actually think or make decisions, we might make our choices based on the assumption that we know certain things or have adequate information when none of it is actually in our working memories. Someone might protest that it’s no different than having access to books at a library, but I think the immediacy of the internet makes it a rather different kind of medium with extremely distinct cognitive effects.

          I’ve no idea if this is actually a common problem, but it is something that I’ve wondered about, especially given the general climate of craziness and stupidity we’re living in these days.

          Reply ↓
    2. CanCyn October 2, 2025 at 7:37 pm

       Lost a comment made earlier today to the ethers. I have always been skeptical of the Flynn effect. If IQ is progressively improving over time, that means that at some point in the past we were morons. IQ is a biased test and I think the Flynn effect, if correct, is measuring some adaptation to the test rather than actual increased intelligence. That said, cognitive offloading is a real thing and I also disagree with author. Give me smart folks able to use their brains over a high tech society any day. Our brain is a muscle, it needs to be made to work. We cannot use technology reliably if we don’t understand the basics behind the tech ourselves. Maybe we don’t need to know how to code in order to use a search engine but we dam sure need to know math to use a calculator. I have seen the results of lowered math skills and not just in youngsters who can’t make change. I once had to ask a young nurse to consult the doctor after watching her struggle to figure out how to increase the dosage on my Dad’s IV drip. The gods help us as reading skills go the same way as math skills.

       Reply ↓
22. wol October 2, 2025 at 1:19 pm

    Groves of Academe

    https://chapelboro.com/news/unc/unc-investigates-professor-over-ties-to-anti-racist-group-rally-held-in-his-support-criticizes-suspension

    “The University of North Carolina has informed Dr. Dwayne Dixon, professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, that he has been placed on administrative leave, effectively immediately, following recent reports and expressions of concern regarding alleged advocacy of politically motivated violence (bold mine). Placing Dr. Dixon on leave will allow the University to investigate these allegations in a manner that protects the integrity of its assessment.

    “Depending upon the nature and circumstances of this activity, this conduct could be grounds for disciplinary action up to and including potential termination of employment according to the standards set forth in the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and pursuant to UNC practice.

    “At this time the total length of the administrative leave has not been determined, as it will depend on the time needed to thoroughly assess the allegations and investigate if needed.

    “The University continues to reaffirm its commitment to rigorous debate, respectful engagement, and open dialogue in support of free speech. There is no place for or tolerance of inciting or extending sympathy toward violence of any kind within the UNC community.”

    Reply ↓
23. Wukchumni October 2, 2025 at 2:45 pm

    ICE officers to attend Super Bowl after Bad Bunny announcement, says Lewandowski The Hill
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I too was taken aback by the rabid response team responding to somebody i’d never heard of, livin’ la vida siloed.

    Imagine masked officers ala the Lone Ranger scooping up Bad Bunny on the stage, while the fans thought it was all part of the performance and roared their approval, in a game that was entirely 1-sided, with the Bills holding a 41-2 lead @ the half over the hapless Packers.

    Reply ↓
    1. Darthbobber October 2, 2025 at 4:51 pm

       All very plausible until you get to that part about the Bills

       Reply ↓
24. Alice X October 2, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    >Israeli capture of the US dot gov dot actual (Charlie Who edition)

    First was the realm of US peeps protesting Israeli genocide on humanitarian grounds (mainly on college campuses, but on a thousand points online). Crushed above ground, ignored by the M$M. Not much recognized by the right.

    Then there was MAGA peeps taking notice of the Israel Firsters (Charlie Who et al). Can’t have that.

    But that is a road to put road signs to. The left can find common ground. Am I cynical?

    Reply ↓
    1. ambrit October 2, 2025 at 4:56 pm

       One can never be too cynical.

       Reply ↓
       1. Alice X October 2, 2025 at 8:15 pm

          Certainly not when MTG is the lone one standing (¿well?) naming the genocide. To my previous point.

          Who you gonna call?

          Reply ↓
          1. ambrit October 2, 2025 at 9:16 pm

             Zeitgeist Busters!
             It feels like an example of the “Boiling Frog Method.” Now, just don’t tell me that this is ‘Trickle Down’ wetting my shoes.
             It all comes down to money in politics. AIPAC wouldn’t have a pot to trickle down in without political bribery being legalized.
             Stay safe.

             Reply ↓
             1. Alice X October 2, 2025 at 11:00 pm

                I laugh and I cry. Or in reverse.

                Though any laughter might be bitter, with maybe a touch, or thought of some sweet.

                Reply ↓
25. AndrewJ October 2, 2025 at 3:47 pm

    Here in Portland, I’ve been hearing the Blackhawks every night since the Oregon National Guard deployed to the ICE center in the city. They’re doing loops upriver.
    Way back in 2020, we found out that the Portland Police Bureau had a light aircraft circling the city doing who-knows-what because it was on civilian aircraft trackers. As it should be.
    That’s not the case this time. These helicopters aren’t visible to us civilians. That seems wrong. I’m sure there’s precedent for military craft not operating a publicly available transponder in civilian areas – but the national guard? In an American city? Is this standard operations, or is this one of those turning points – secret miltary operations against the public, physically out in full view to anyone with eyes and ears?

    Reply ↓
26. AG October 2, 2025 at 5:29 pm

    re: RU geopolitics

    RUSSIA IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS magazine

    new issue online
    https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/issues/2025/4/

    Content:

    EAST AND WEST, NORTH AND SOUTH
    Europe: A Bitter Parting
    Sergei A. Karaganov

    The Temptation of Civilizationism: Is It Possible to Resist the West without Bias and Reductive Thinking?
    Dmitry A. Davydov

    Russia’s Narrative of Sovereignty: What Makes It So Enticing for the Global South?
    Jens Stilhoff Sörensen

    Deconstruction of the South, Or Goodbye, Compass!
    Kirill O. Telin

    NEW TIMES, NEW CHALLENGE
    A Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the XXI Century
    Maxim V. Ryzhenkov

    Si Vis Pacem: How to Pay for Global Security
    Vlad Ivanenko

    Will It Get Worse? Expert Perception of Global Transformation
    Ivan A. Safranchuk, Alexander D. Nesmashnyi, Evgenia S. Komarova

    The Baltics Is Not the Balkans, But Apprehension Is Growing
    Konstantin K. Khudoley

    GREAT AND SMALL, GLOBAL AND REGIONAL
    Russia and China in the Great Strategic Triangle
    Mikhail S. Luchina

    The Tragedy of Regional Powers in the Middle East
    Lisa Issac

    BRICS as a Brand and Its African Dimension
    Mayya V. Nikolskaya, Alina A. Matveeva

    PAST POLITICS, PRESENT HISTORY
    More than the Great Game: The Origins of Anglo-Russian Imperial Rivalry in Eurasia
    Vladimir V. Degoev

    Ukraine: History Politics in Regional Identity-Building
    Alexei I. Miller

    Did Confucius Dream about the Balance of Power?
    Alexander V. Solovyov

    Reply ↓
27. none October 2, 2025 at 5:31 pm

    Massive Drone No-Fly Zone Imposed Over Greater Chicago Area

    The FAA is restricting drone flights at the behest of the Department of Homeland Security during a major ICE operation across Chicago.

    With a large-scale ICE operation now underway in the Chicago area, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has enacted a uniquely massive 15-mile radius prohibition against drone flights. The FAA told us the temporary flight restriction (TFR) for drones in this area was requested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The no-fly zone lasts through Oct. 12.

    https://www.twz.com/air/massive-drone-no-fly-zone-imposed-over-greater-chicago-area

    Reply ↓
28. AG October 2, 2025 at 6:24 pm

    re: US nuclear doctrine

    via Pavel Podvig´s TWITTER

    US Air Force Doctrine, Nuclear Operations Aug. 2025
    https://www.doctrine.af.mil/Doctrine-Publications/Doctrine-Primer/
    Homepage
    https://www.doctrine.af.mil/

    comment on this issue

    Catching Up on Nuclear Operations
    Because everyone loves talking about nuclear warfare
    by Al Mauroni
    Sep 22, 2025
    https://almauroni.substack.com/p/catching-up-on-nuclear-operations

    Reply ↓
29. Acacia October 2, 2025 at 7:02 pm

    State of the meme:

    Virgin AI apocalypse vs. Chad Global Warming
    https://www.reddit.com/r/EffectiveAltruism/s/4oODK4KzKK

    Reply ↓
30. Alice X October 2, 2025 at 8:11 pm

    ICE is running internet recruitment ads, with a $50k sign up bonus. FUBAR

    Reply ↓
    1. ambrit October 2, 2025 at 9:18 pm

       The soon to be stateless Azovs will fit the bill perfectly. They will even have had the proper training.

       Reply ↓
       1. Alice X October 2, 2025 at 9:29 pm

          Touché

          Reply ↓
31. Jason Boxman October 2, 2025 at 11:44 pm

    Hello COVID immune damage

    Norovirus Outbreak Sickens Nearly 100 on Royal Caribbean Cruise (NY Times via archive.ph)

    Almost 100 people came down with norovirus aboard a Royal Caribbean ship amid a 13-day voyage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this week.

    The ship, Serenade of the Seas, departed from San Diego on Sept. 19. The first reports of illness were made on Sept. 28, with four crew members and 94 guests falling ill. The number of sick passengers made up about 5 percent of the 1,874 cruisers on board.

    “The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit are our top priority,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said in a statement, adding that many of the rigorous cleaning procedures on board “far exceed public health guidelines.”

    Crew members were sanitizing and deep cleaning the ship as it was docked in Miami between sailings on Thursday.

    Deep. Cleaning.

    That’ll fix it!

    Amusingly, CDC doesn’t mention airborne transmission: How Norovirus Spreads

    But per this paper, it certainly is possible, if much less common: Aerosol Transmission of Norovirus

    Norovirus (NoV) is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. A comprehensive understanding of the transmission mode is of great significance for the prevention and control of the NoV infection. Currently, the transmission modes of NoV include contact, food-borne, water-borne and aerosol transmission. The first three modes are more common, while aerosol transmission is seldom reported. In this paper, the source, generation mechanism, infectivity, sampling and related outbreaks of NoV aerosol are summarized and discussed.

    But

    At present, most cases of NoV aerosols are related to vomiting, and diarrhea-related ones are less common. Further research is needed to investigate the role of diarrhea and toilet flushing in the transmission of NoV aerosols, including the concentration of aerosols in toilets and their infectivity. Recent reports have indicated salivary transmission as a new mode of transmission [74]. Therefore, it is essential to explore whether activities such as coughing, talking, sneezing and other behaviors of infected individuals contribute to the aerosol transmission of NoV. It is necessary to further explore the aerosol transmission mechanism of NoV to provide a theoretical basis for formulating prevention and control policies.

    (bold mine)

    Reply ↓
32. Kevin Smith October 3, 2025 at 10:50 am

    By posing and playing with monkeys, Jane Goodall set a very poor and dangerous example for other people, who emulated her behaviour and got injured or even killed. Those monkeys are VERY strong, can turn on you in a flash, and can very easily cripple or kill you.

    Reply ↓