How SOS Became the Universal Distress Signal Laughing Squid
Dictionary.com’s word of the year is ‘6-7.’ But is it even a word? AP
Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation Phys.org
Climate/Environment
The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink BioScience
Global tree cover loss due to fires surged by 370% compared to 2023 Down to Earth
2 dead after being found in flooded basements as New York City sees record rainfall CBS New York
IMF ready to help Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa if needed The Gleaner
Bill Gates calls for ‘strategic pivot’ in climate change fight away from curbing emissions NBC News
I wanted to offer some thoughts on the Gates climate memo that has been circulating this week. While I can’t directly speak for others, I can say that my own response is one of dismay & deep frustration (and that this view is shared by many climate/Earth scientists). [1/n]
— Dr. Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) October 30, 2025
Pandemics
Asymptomatic Human Infections With Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Confirmed by Molecular and Serologic Testing JAMA Network
‘Suck it up, keep going’? A critical disabilities analysis with strategic recommendations for supporting the wellbeing among people living with long COVID Critical Public Health
Wave of RSV, particularly dangerous for babies, washing over U.S.; doctors urge vaccination Los Angeles Times
Monkeys on overturned truck were not infected with hepatitis C, herpes and COVID, university says WLBT
Historians smell a rat over beaked plague doctor masks The Times
China?
Trump-Xi Face Off for All the Marbles in South Korea Simplicius
Trump no-show at big Asian economic forum may risk US reputation in region AP
The Koreas
South Korea pledges $350bn investment in the US Intellinews
South Korea’s 30-year quest for nuclear subs pays off. What comes next? Breaking Defense
India
India races to reform financial sector as foreigners pull $17 billion Economic Times
India’s $3.9 billion plan to help Modi’s mogul ally after U.S. charges WaPo
Old Blighty
Toxin levels in fish lead to calls for UK-wide ban on mercury dental fillings The Guardian
Syraqistan
Israel bombs Khan Younis despite affirming ceasefire commitment New Arab
Rafah hoax: Netanyahu’s pretext for Gaza bloodshed Al Mayadeen
Classified U.S. report finds backlog of hundreds of possible Israeli human rights violations WaPo
🔴 Breaking: Israeli Army Launches Criminal Investigation Into Whistleblowers Who Exposed Detainee Rape at Sde Teiman
The Israeli army has opened a criminal probe into the leak of footage from the Sde Teiman detention camp showing a Palestinian detainee – blindfolded,… pic.twitter.com/F4hoWjcye6
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 29, 2025
⚡️🇮🇱JUST IN:
Israel’s ex-Mossad Chief brags they have spread “boobytrapped & manipulated equipment” like Hezbollah’s pagers in “all countries you can imagine”
pic.twitter.com/6J9w1rL1Mj— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) October 29, 2025
India to approve deals worth $3.7b for Israeli defense missiles Globes
US Envoys Put Lebanese Army Under Watch Al Akhbar
Moscow restarts military flights to Syrian air base amid efforts to strengthen Damascus alliance The Cradle
L’affaire Epstein
European Disunion
EU carmakers ‘days away’ from halting work as chip war with China escalates The Guardian
New Not-So-Cold War
China Stands By Russia; Russia Closes In On Trapped Kiev Pokrovsk Troops; Syrsky Gives Up; Poseidon Alexander Mercouris (Video)
Russia offers temporary ceasefire for journalist access in Ukraine Yeni Safak
Moscow says it tested Poseidon underwater drone, another nuclear ‘super weapon’ Euronews
Burevestnik – Part I Black Mountain Analysis
Leaked: Britain’s Ukrainian Sniper Training Plot Kit Klarenberg
The US Can’t Break Russia Larry Johnson
Where Is the West Heading? Valdai Discussion Club
War? Don’t do it Edward Slavsquat
At Least They’re Not Talking. Aurelien
South of the Border
U.S. Eyes Striking Venezuelan Military Targets Used for Drug Trafficking WSJ
US strikes another drug vessel in Eastern Pacific: Pentagon chief Anadolu Agency
How Miami hawks hijacked Trump’s foreign policy UnHerd
US debt trap: How libertarian Javier Milei is selling Argentina to Wall Street – for $82 billion Geopolitical Economy Report
Africa
US Urged to End Arms Sales to UAE as It Backs Genocidal Paramilitary in Sudan Truthout
More than 2,400 young Moroccans face prosecution over Gen Z protests France24
Curfew, Blackout as Tanzania Poll Protest Chaos Continues All Africa
The Belgian prince, the national park, and the bitcoin mine The Continent
Mali revokes over 90 mining exploration permits Mining.com
U.S. urges citizens to flee Mali amid jihadi blockade and fuel shortages Face2Face Africa
Spook Country
“Liberation Day”
US Senate passes resolution to end Trump’s global tariffs Anadolu Agency
How We Lost the Trade War Paul Krugman
Trump 2.0
Trump and Nuclear Threats Accuracy.org
Police State Watch
National Guard in each state is ordered to create ‘quick reaction forces’ trained in civil unrest AP
ICE Is Now Wandering the Streets, Scanning People’s Faces to Check If They’re Citizens Futurism
Our Famously Free Press
North Carolina GOP Official Uses ‘Connections With the Trump Admin’ to Threaten ProPublica Journalist Common Dreams
God’s Chief Justice ProPublica
Healthcare?
OIG Says There Are Ghosts in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Plans HEALTH CARE un-covered
Immigration
US will limit number of refugees to 7,500 and give priority to white South Africans The Guardian
Democrats en déshabillé
Imperial Collapse Watch
Losing the Swing States Foreign Affairs
Arms companies pay shareholders more cash than they generate Stephen Semler
Historic U.S. Civil War Ship Decaying Due to Fungal Invasion Maritime Executive
AI
‘They Are Trying to Maximize the Amount of Money They Can Get Any Given Consumer to Pay’ FAIR
Immediately After Ditching Its Nonprofit Roots, OpenAI Is Already Preparing to Go Public Futurism
How artists behind Marvel, Alien, and the Matrix movies are fighting AI Blood in the Machine
Meta readies $25bn bond sale as soaring AI costs trigger stock sell-off FT
AI layoffs to backfire: Half quietly rehired at lower pay The Register
Economy
Where Have All the New Jobs Gone? Dollars & Sense
How Bible Sales and Chipotle Explain the Economy Kyla Scanlon
Class Warfare
Yes, Everything Crashed–Just Not For You Charles Hugh Smith
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
“Dictionary.com’s word of the year is ‘6-7.’ But is it even a word?”
Dictionary.com needs to use Google.com I think. It sounds like a cool sort of buzzword from the now generation but you have the phrase ‘at sixes and sevens’ that goes back many, many centuries so this is just a new variation of a very old phrase-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_sixes_and_sevens
One of my favorite authors titled one of his works of amazing short stories: ‘Sixes and Sevens’
Enjoy some timeless tales of O. Henry therein:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2851/2851-h/2851-h.htm
Another recent thing kids said, skibidi, also sounded very like a certain type of old time comedy – Ish Kabibble, for instance.
Vaudevillians and hep cats never made it to the dictionary. Copacetic being a rare exception.
Then a long gap until enbiggens and cromulent. Now these stunts.
I don’t really care.
In my elementy school, we used an otherwise perfectly normal word in a similar way for a couple of years. I’d imagine we were not unique among fourth and fifth graders.
It was kind of like the soup time meme kids were doing a few years ago.
Joke from my childhood:
Why is six scared of seven?
Because seven ate nine, of course.
National Guard in each state is ordered to create ‘quick reaction forces’ trained in civil unrest AP
Border Patrol takes lead role in Trump administration’s Chicago crackdown, carrying out more arrests than ICE CBS News
ICE Is Now Wandering the Streets, Scanning People’s Faces to Check If They’re Citizens Futurism
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything is going down in lefty Big Smokes, feel pretty safe here in Tiny Town where we are politically right smack dab down the middle and surrounded by a sea of red down in Godzone.
A local wag calls us ‘Caucasian Island’ as Haoles make up 91% of the population.
That said, i’m reading reports in regards to ICE/NG being seen on the streets in nearby Woodlake, which has about 10k people and is 87% Hispanic.
I drive by orchards all the time, and how can you tell in a drive-by how the workers are feeling, but it doesn’t seem any different-the way they go about doing things, there’s about 25 cars parked in front of the orchard, a few port-a-potties, a couple of 10×10 popup shade structures and a mess of ladders to be able to pick oranges on high.
It’d be so easy to round them up~
Trump has got over three more years in office. Plenty of time for ICE to eventually get around to smaller places like those orchards near you unfortunately. Once you create a monster organization like ICE you cannot keep them idle but must be always be sending them off to new areas to harass.
They had a veteran’s parade yesterday in Fayetteville NC. “All the forces were represented”. Well no. there were no face covering ICE agents waving from the floats. That little detail escaped the TV coverage….
So no future ‘Thank you for you service’ coming anytime soon?
The 97 year old owner of a cabin near me passed on last year and his 30 something grandson inherited it from him, and over the summer he’s been up half a dozen times, and each sojourn he tells me that he’s a military combat veteran about 4 or 5 times.
On one side 99% of the population has nothing to do in terms of being in the military, and on the other side the 1% never lets you forget it.
“Thank me for my service”
Thank him for letting himself be used.
Wondering if the airlines will include announcements for ICE & CBP in their preboarding of :Active Duty US military “
More likely that sooner or later that Trump will declare a national ICE Day so they know that they are appreciated.
That one is worthy of starting a pool !!
Vegas Book—What day/ year will the holiday be created?
I’m thinking Labor Day will be repurposed too, and any expectant mother that delivers on that day, gets a $100 gift card from Amazon.
It is widely known that more people die from cold than heat. According to ScienceDirect, “In most epidemiological studies, excess cold deaths far outnumber heat deaths.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519625000543
Thus, the report from BioScience which mentions rising temperatures will be harder to convince those who are more comfortable as temps rise, to do something now, only for it to be too late to do much when extreme temperatures arrive in the future.
” Historic U.S. Civil War Ship Decaying Due to Fungal Invasion ”
I think that there is only one real long term solution here. Remove the old planking and arrest any fungi, perhaps by having those planks frozen for future research. Then replace those removed planks with hardy timber treated to resist any future fungi infestations. Of course eventually that may leave you with the Ship of Theseus quandary-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus
Remember too that this ship was built during the US Civil War as a temporary class of ships and would normally have been scrapped after war’s end-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cairo
The scientists working on the restoration might want to look into using Chlorine Dioxide as a fumigant. A ship is sort of a building, sort of. / ‘)
Effect of Chlorine Dioxide Gas on Fungi and Mycotoxins Associated with Sick Building Syndrome
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1214660/
As a person who lives very close to the border in Imperial County CA and has regular interactions with the Border Patrol agents, I can tell you that we are all happy to see these a–holes going somewhere else.
I am sorry for the people inland who they harass, but at least they are not here in the constitution free zone causing traffic accidents (they drive like maniacs) and annoying the locals, many of whom have family on both sides of the wall.
The BP here are overstaffed, no one is crossing in this area, so the agents mostly sit in their cars where there is a signal and watch porn. Occasionally they get restless and go forth to bother whoever they can.
God protect us from bored cops.
Please see:
https://jennbudd.substack.com/p/border-patrol-achieves-its-goal-of
Where Is the West Heading? Valdai Discussion Club
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a charter member in The Pyrite Billion, you can sense the fools goal is to effectively put an end to 500 years of being all that.
What would an isolated America look like that has 800 military bases within the country to hold the people in check?
“Losing the Swing States”
Would that everything the authors dread come to pass — a consummation devoutly to be wished …
Interesting headline on this Axios article, paywalled.
Democrats’ rift with unions erupts as shutdown pain worsens
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/30/democrats-unions-labor-trump-shutdown-airlines
Teamsters, too, once true-blue.
South Korea needs nuclear subs even less than Australia.
re: Yes, Everything Crashed–Just Not For You Charles Hugh Smith
An American physician with nearly 50 years of experience brought me up short when he reported that for many Americans, the healthcare they receive is equivalent to what third-world residents receive.
Daniel Swain is a weatherman’s weatherman, there is really nobody like him, truly a climate savant (and I mean that in the nicest way) and so widely respected.
Any kind of weather related event happens on the left coast, and he’s always quoted-as he’s the expert.
Now aside from nabbing an operating system and calling it his own, what does Gates know about the climate in order to make such a declaration?
Gates seems to know his own mortality. Just can’t get ‘enough’…?
Re; New Not-So-Cold War/War? Don’t do it
“In reality, it is neither Westerners nor Putin who are primarily responsible for the hold of “anti-Russians” over Kiev.”
Umm… NED efforts since 1990s? “Yats is our guy”? (Nuland)
That antidote looks suspiciously like a Lyle Lovett tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4evzpIVnMVs
It looks like a horse that’s into Water polo.
AI layoffs to backfire: Half quietly rehired at lower pay The Register
Uh…what do you mean “backfire”?
Literally this. Far from the worst-case scenario, this is pretty much the next best thing.
re: “Mass hunger approaching” and “National Guard in each state”….
Seems like I’m watching an orchestrated effort – by both parties – to run the Cloward-Piven strategy. The poor will be hurt…. again. The political question or calculation is: which party will be blamed for the pain and failure? Is this all about next year’s midterm elections? A game of political chicken?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloward%E2%80%93Piven_strategy
At some point, after then Dem Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill worked with Reagan to raise the SS retirement age to ‘pay for’ Reagan’s tax breaks to wealthier citizens, after Bill C ended “welfare as we know it” which increased poverty, and after Obama traded away an extension of unemployment benefits during the GFC to get a win on another issue, I began to think the Dem party no longer gives a toss about the poor, the unfortunate, or the mistreated.
Scary interpretation is to brace for more horrible revelations about Dem spying, scandals, Biden dementia denial, self-dealing and so many other festering sores will lead to pitchforks and torches. The do-nothings just talk and line their pockets, like head grifter Pelosi, while constituents worry about getting food. You don’t hate all politicians enough.
Re: With mass hunger approaching as food stamps expire Saturday, huge price increases revealed for Obamacare healthcare plans
Looks like family member’s plan has 50% increase in premium and the deductible doubled!!!
awful — how is this cluster(care) not befouling Saint Obama’s image?
rhetorical ?
smh
“Russia offers temporary ceasefire for journalist access in Ukraine”
Putin is playing it smart here. The Ukrainians have downplayed how serious it is in Pokrovsk and Kupyansk so by inviting journalists in, they would be able to report the true situation. Only it is not going to happen. The Ukrainians have said ‘I also remind all media that any visits to Russian-occupied territory without Ukraine’s permission are a violation of our legislation and international law. They will have long-term reputational and legal consequences. We are watching closely’ so they are threatening any journalists that might think of taking up the offer-
https://www.rt.com/russia/627171-ukraine-journalists-safe-passage/
So something on the order of about ten thousand Ukrainian soldiers are about to fall into the Russian bag. And the Zelensky regime will demand that they must fight to the last and to sell their lives dearly or else it will make Zelensky look bad in the media.
IMF is ready to ‘help’ Jamaica indeed. The carrion feeders probably froth at the mouth everytime any kind of crisis threatens outside of the G20.
Also, the gleaner is a terrible outlet with a history of emotive reporting. They have articles that sound more like the excerpts from a YA crime thriller than actual news. That said, it might be impossible to find impersonal, worse critical, reporting in any Jamaican paper. The same seems to go for impartiality as well.
There are plenty of non-profits stepping up to help. There is no need for these ghouls. They will likely demand austerity and charge interest on loans to the Jamaican government. Just say no!
They will absolutely demand austerity but whether or not the govt cares to avoid it is anybody’s guess, I can only hope.
One optimistic note is that the Clinton faction probably won’t be anywhere near Jamaica.
Thanks for adding the quotation marks. My first thought when I saw the headline…
“US Envoys Put Lebanese Army Under Watch”
Those US envoys can say what they want but the Lebanese are not going to start a civil war by going after Hezbollah just to keep these goofballs and the Israelis happy. For a start, Hezbollah is better equipped than the Lebanese army because the west has always kept the Lebanese army weak so as not to worry the IDF. Same as in Jordan. In addition, Hezbollah has combat experience which the army does not really have. Another factor is that you have may families that have members in Hezbollah and the army so they won’t want to see any fighting. Finally, the Lebanese know that once Hezbollah is disarmed, that will be the signal for Israel to invade the country and occupy at least the southern half so that they can set up their Settlements there and make it part of Greater Israel. Those US envoys can pound sand.
As predicted here on NC, one of the few LLM success stories. It’s working exactly as intended.
Per the House calendar, over the past three months, these jokers have only been in session for a grand total of 12 days. They took off the month of August, then worked a few days in September after Labor Day. Since September 19th, Mike Johnson has shut down the House to avoid swearing in Adelita Grijalva, the 218th vote for the discharge petition to force the release of the Epstein files.
Maybe they should just stay home. It’s not like they care about the Constitution, or governing.
Tools are Out for Summer
Sung to the tune of “School’s Out for Summer” by Alice Cooper
Well we got no choice
You House girls and boys
Making all that noise
Cause they’re Bibi’s toys
Well they like salutin’
The Israeli flag
If that don’t suit ya, that’s a drag
[Chorus]
The tools are out for summer
Tools are out for ever
The tools sold out for silver pieces
[Bridge]
No more motions, no more rules
They get paid while we eat gruel … ow!
[Guitar]
Well they’ve got no class
And they’ve got no principles
And they’ve got no innocence
I can’t even think of a word that rhymes!
[Chorus]
No more motions, no more rules
More day-trading, just for lulz
Out for summer, out for fall
They might not come back at all!
Bibi’s tools are out forever!
The tools are out, for summer!
Bibi’s tools have AIPAC fever!
The tools … sold out completely!
Melody
…a classic!
…inspired!
Bravo
“How SOS Became the Universal Distress Signal”
‘Endlessly versatile, SOS can be tapped out on a telegraph key or spoken aloud over voice radio, flashed using a signal mirror or flashlight, written out in the snow or sand, or – if you happen to be held under duress – blinked out with your eyelids.’
That last bit would be referring to a US POW in Vietnam that used that method-
‘In 1966, he was forced to participate in a televised press conference by his North Vietnamese captors. He used the opportunity to send a distress message confirming for the first time to the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence and Americans that American POWs were being tortured in North Vietnam. He repeatedly blinked his eyes in Morse code during the interview, spelling out the word “T-O-R-T-U-R-E”.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Denton
NC Team,
Are you going to post a take on the recent Dutch elections?
“The US Can’t Break Russia”
I found a very notable section in this article. So the CIA under Ratcliffe was giving Trump all those rosy evaluations that he wanted to hear but then analysts at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research cleared their throat loudly and tried to give a more reality-based assessment. When Trump read their dissenting notes he was not happy. So analysts were fired or resigned and the organization disassembled with the remnants folded into other groups. With those dissenters gone, Trump was happy again as Ratcliffe once more spun him the latest fables. Idjut!