The oxygen you breathe depends on a tiny ocean ingredient Science Daily (Kevin W)
#COVID-19/Pandemics
The Price of Denial Anthony Leonardi (fk)
Climate/Environment
Ocean Temperatures Just Hit a Dire New Record Scientific American
🌊🌡📈
Extratropcial Sea Surface Temperatures were record high in 2025 for both hemispheres again.
This is the third year in a row!Note the different y-axes. @ECMWF ERA5 data. pic.twitter.com/eq7zd06r2g
— Leon Simons 🌍 (@LeonSimons8) January 9, 2026
La Niña Collapse Begins: How a Major Pacific Flip will Reshape the 2026 Weather Patterns Severe Weather
HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN ASIA
Record heat from Middle East to Japan
In CHINA records are already falling:
23,1C Changyang, January hottest day everNext days several thousands of records will fall allover Asia,in the most record breaking event in Asian history. https://t.co/gMUWh7Rn94
— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) January 12, 2026
Climate, pests and pollution fuel crop losses across India SciDevNet
Scientists detect hidden plastic clouds hovering over Chinese cities Independent
Water
Drinking water crisis blows up in India after deadly disease outbreaks Independent
China?
China’s US embassy decries ‘coercion’ after Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Iran trade partners South China Morning Post (guurst)
Carney heads to Beijing as Trump’s America First agenda forces Canada into trade rethink Guardian (Kevin W)
Japan
Japan to dig deep-sea rare earths to curb China dependence Hurriyet Daily News
Koreas
North Korea warns of ‘terrible consequences’ after drone incursion The Times
North Korea slams Japan’s push to revise 3 key national security documents Korea Times
Africa
Pakistan’s Reportedly Planned Arms Deal With Sudan Presages Problems For The UAE In Africa Andrew Korybko
South of the Border
‘The real ringleader’: the Venezuelan security chief with a $25m bounty on his head Guardian (resilc)
Lula’s Investment in Anti-Fascist Brazilian Films Wins Big at Golden Globes Mike Elk
European Disunion
Greenland says it cannot accept US takeover ‘under any circumstances Guardian (resilc)
Republican introduces bill seeking to make Greenland 51st state The Hill (Kevin W)
We had said the military might constraint Trump on Greenland because NATO:
BREAKING: Trump Ordered the Military to Plan an Invasion of a NATO Ally
The Generals Said No.
The Mail on Sunday reports Donald Trump instructed the Joint Special Operations Command to prepare a detailed plan for invading Greenland.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are resisting.… https://t.co/RcaGJK9GAn pic.twitter.com/XNWczslEsc
— Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ (@shanaka86) January 11, 2026
Germany planning ‘Arctic Sentry’ Nato mission to protect Greenland Telegraph (resilc)
Tech billionaires behind Greenland bid want to build ‘freedom cities’ Responsible Statecraft
Trump is ready to grab Greenland. The EU should move first – and offer it membership Guardian. Micael T: “Germany’s Archidiot has an idea.”
* * * EU loans-for-arms payments to start in March, bloc defence chief says Financial Times
No end in sight for Germany’s economic crisis Telegraph
Marine Le Pen returns to court for appeal of graft conviction France24
Old Blighty
UK records ‘unprecedented’ surge in people seeking debt support after Christmas Tribune Online
Israel v. The Resistance
“Winter blankets for refugee children.” Patrick Lawrence
War has pushed Gaza’s children to the brink – “like the living dead” Science Daily
Israel launches new strikes in southern Lebanon after issuing evacuation order France24
Israel Is Still Demolishing Gaza, Building by Building New York Times
Yemen’s southern forces ‘refuse’ to unite under Saudi coalition Middle East Online
* * * US Cargo Planes Have Flooded the Persian Gulf Since the First of December Larry Johnson
Iranians rally in support of government as Tehran blames US and Israel for violence Middle East Eye (resilc)
Russia supplied the hardware.
China published the playbook.
Iran just proved it works.Starlink: 80% packet loss.
Expert monitoring Iranian internet for 20 years: “I have never seen such a thing in my life.”
The “LEO satellites are unjammable” consensus?
Dead.
Wall Street… https://t.co/nxVpXHE2GC pic.twitter.com/Jd9S7y0dOG
— Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ (@shanaka86) January 11, 2026
Seyed M. Marandi: Violent Riots & a Massive War Coming Glenn Diesen, YouTube. Important.
Regime Change Riots In Iran Fail Faster Than Expected Moon of Alabama (Kevin W)
The Economic Roots of Iran’s Protests>Project Syndicate via Zeteo
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine’s Power Grid Woes Worsen, + New Oreshnik BDA Simplicius
The Coalition of the Willing has achieved nothing Ian Proud
Erm, from Politico’s morning European newsletter:
GETTING INTO THE ROOM: The unthinkable is now being thought in the European Union: Should the continent begin peace talks with a war criminal? As Donald Trump intensifies his efforts to end Moscow’s war, the bloc is faced with choosing between opening its own diplomatic channels with Russian President Vladimir Putin, or risk letting the U.S. dictate the terms of an eventual peace deal in Ukraine.
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
LAWYER: Cops Have a NEW “Social Score” to Label You a Threat Hampton Law, YouTube. Usefully tells you which settings to disable/enable on your iPhone or Android to reduce data extraction. Even though I had told my tech woman to do that, she had missed some. Surprised it does not recommend turning off WiFi save when you specifically want to use it (yours truly is perfectly happy to pay for connectivity for the sake of my privacy, which I infer is a outlier practice). My ride share app asks I turn on WiFi to facilitate geolocation, which despite GPS, is pretty poor otherwise. I prefer to type in my pickup.
UK Expands Online Safety Act to Mandate Preemptive Scanning of Digital Communications Reclaim the Net (AG)
Imperial Collapse Watch
U.S. Attacked Boat With Aircraft That Looked Like a Civilian Plane New York Times (resilc)
One Big Downside of Trump’s Military Successes American Conservative. resilc: “Like in Yemen?”
From Ireland to Gaza, starvation has been normalised Middle East Eye
Trump 2.0
The Burger Reich Strikes Back Charles McBryde (Micael T)
New High of 45% in U.S. Identify as Political Independents Gallup (resilc)
Washington’s New Lobbyists: Paid Online Influencers With Few Rules Wall Street Journal
Trump v. Powell
Former Fed chiefs attack DoJ probe into Jay Powell Financial Times. Lead story
Gold and Silver Storm to Records as Fed Hit With DOJ Subpoenas Bloomberg
Trump’s latest assault on Fed is a gift to China Asia Times (Kevin W)
ICE on the Rampage
Many tweets with videos of ICE abuse are having embedding blocked like this one. But some can be more widely shared:
You know who else went door to door? Hitler's Nazis who arrested my friend Werner Reich when he was 14 years old and put him in 3 death camps. He lectured till the day he died to warn us about THIS https://t.co/YXDzVGZK9S
— Sandi Bachom 📹 (@sandibachom) January 13, 2026
My First 72 Hours in Minneapolis and How I Got an ICE Agent to Scream “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” Christopher Armitage
“PSYCHOTIC!” JD Vance vs Ryan BATTLE Over New ICE Video Breaking Points, YouTube. Punching down is a sign of weakness
Immigration Agents Terrified of ICE Backlash After Shooting Ken Klippenstein
“Stupod B*tch”: GoFundMe for Minnesota ICE Agent Is Chilling New Republic (resilc)
US Border Agents Intentionally Stepped in Front of Moving Vehicles to Justify Shooting at Them Nation
US trashed Somalia, can we really scold its people for coming here? Responsible Statecraft
Health Care
Republican Attacks on the Affordable Care Act Give Democrats an Opportunity to Court Small Business Washington Monthly
Democrats en déshabillé
This Rural Congresswoman Thinks Democrats Have Lost Their Minds. She Has a Point. New York Times
Our No Longer Free Press
California’s Palestine Exception to 1st Amendment is Fought in Courts by Progressives Juan Cole (resilc)
#Breaking. Adelaide Writers Festival has been cancelled for this year. And they apologise to Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah for how the decision was represented.
Full report to come in the @SMH pic.twitter.com/dsHgFpsJzV— Peter FitzSimons (@Peter_Fitz) January 13, 2026
Economy
Mr. Market is Giddy
Global Rate Paths Splinter as Trump Drives Change at the Fed Bloomberg
AI
Let’s be honest, Generative AI isn’t going all that well Gary Marcus
Malaysia and Indonesia become the first countries to block Musk’s Grok over sexualized AI images Associated Press
Class Warfare
Picking Workers’ Pockets: Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive Practices by Earned Wage Payday Lenders National Consumer Law Center
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus:
When your best friend is a steer 💙 (yes he’s been told many times to be careful) pic.twitter.com/bL90IYu9KJ
— Danielle Scheele (@ScheeleDanielle) January 10, 2026
A second bonus:
This marmot is letting his owner have him bathed pic.twitter.com/cEjO25Ey7w
— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) January 11, 2026
And a third:
Newborn baby tiger cub with its mom
— Science girl (@sciencegirl) January 11, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Iiuc, JSOC is beyond the purview of the Pentagon and the joint chiefs of staff and has no congressional oversight. So Trump can get JSOC to do something the regular military resists.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/03/the-reach-of-jsoc-the-presidents-private-army.html
JSOC, is not in the chain of command when it comes to operations.
Greenland has 1/2 the population of Grenada (remember that?)
funny how if the story fits a certain narrative, even the “Daily Mail” is deemed by people as a reliable source, lmao.
If anything….the White House would be happy if generals disobeyed, easy way to fire/isolate peeps.
be discerning of all stories.
…..and, hypothetically, Greenland is a perfect place to send the 82nd Airborne/101st (with little or no planning, even less resistance than Grenada—and Grenada was a dumpster fire of an operation): seize the airport and water port, hold until the cavalry show up.
Isn’t a major difference in circumstances between Greenland and Grenada that Greenland is a territory of Denmark? If we were to “take over” Greenland without Denmark assenting, would that not be considered an attack on a Nato ally? I understand that it would not be militarily particularly difficult.
<" Greenland is a perfect place to send the 82nd Airborne/101st"
or the 11th Airborne, given the terrain.
Creation of JSOC was a terrible mistake. Those forces should be under SOCOM and the SOCOM regional component commanders.
I do not think it much of a stretch to say that Joint Special Operations Command and all the different special ops groups that they command are America’s Praetorian Guard. More so when you consider that it ‘is beyond the purview of the Pentagon and the joint chiefs of staff and has no congressional oversight.’ And that at about 70,000 troops, that is a huge force that does not have much supervision.
AFAIK with current treaties between Denmark and US, Trump has right to send whatever number of soldiers to Greenland it wants. So don’t call it invasion, just some routine forces redeployment to protect Greenlanders, and all is legal.
What with European NATO members insane warmongering, including Denmark, the nice people of Greenland need protection.
It’s a while since I had anything to do with the baroque US military Chain of Command, but I recall that after the Rumsfeld reforms, all of the service chiefs and the combatant commanders reported directly to the Secretary for Defence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, so that the political leadership could play them off against each other. This includes JSOC. No military organisation can be outside the command chain altogether. In any event, in all of the countries that I know of, SF report directly to the top, because of the sensitivity and strategic importance of their missions.
CJCS is the principal military advisor to SecWar/Pres. JSOC of course is in the chain of command, but for proper C2 of forces for current ops SOCNORTH and SOCSOUTH should be in command. That is where “chain of command” issue comes from.
[This comment was by repeated violator of site Policies by sock puppeting. All comments will be overwritten or removed. Get another hobby rather than pollute this site]
It’s Mark Kelly’s fault. He said don’t follow illegal orders and JSOC is doing his bidding! Lock him up!!! /sarcasm
It’s Mark Kelly’s fault. He said don’t follow illegal orders, and JSOC is doing his bidding! Lock him up!!! /sarcasm
‘Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡
@shanaka86
Russia supplied the hardware.
China published the playbook.
Iran just proved it works.
Starlink: 80% packet loss.’
It’s funny how right after the internet, some phone communications and here Starlink communications were cut, that all those protests started to die away. It’s like the hard core elements of those groups losing the ability to contact each other much less Tel Aviv and Washington collapsed all their plans. I read that the Mossad imported ISIS fighters and the like to do the heavy violence that we saw on TV and I can believe it. If I were them, I would be skedaddling back to the nearest border.
The CIA/Mossad infiltrate-dens were hit in June 2025 after that attempted decapitation! Why try so soon?
What is interesting: the disdain for the Shi’a, yeah they should have finished Israel and al Udeid in June, to think a tiny band of paid terrorists could topple a regime that has been targeted since 1979!
Iran is not a banana republic where some ‘colonel’ can grab a radio station and say Trump “owns our oil”!
The starlink story started in Donbas where RF watched and recorded signal intel.
My understanding from people traveling in the region is that the Pakistan/Iran border region is very porous and the Baluchistanis co-operate to get people across. Special Operations and Mossad could be just posing as Western workers or adventurous tourists and get in and out. There’s also Armenia, where the US has been meddling lately, and the border is not heavily armed.
Yesterday it was BLACKOUT af first, then 90%. Today it’s 80%. It reminds me of Patriot effectiveness. :)
They should send that playbook, and Iranians, to Donbass ASAP (and Crimea, and Black Sea area).
Still in denial? The mechanism explained here.
https://www.jfeed.com/news/starlink-iran-china-jamming
Denial of what exactly? BLACKOUT, or 90%, or 80%? It’s hard to keep track with reports changing daily. Maybe it’s all three at the same time, in the mind of people that are not in denial. My engineering mind, works differently.
Well perhaps your “engineering mind” can explain why you are skeptical. Drive by snarking is little more than trolling–something often performed by engineered minds. You see we are all skeptical of everything until shown differently with an actual comment.
I’m just passing along what Crooke has said and now his link to what he calls a pro Israeli site.
Crooke can be wrong and has been at times in the past. But his comments on these things carry more weight than say mine.
Well, it is the opposition news, and as we know now, they have trouble to get their story synchronized…
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And Grok is owned by… the owner of Starlink?
[This comment was by repeated violator of site Policies by sock puppeting. All comments will be overwritten or removed. Get another hobby rather than pollute this site]
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/starlink-tries-to-stay-online-in-iran-as-regime-jams-signals-during-protests/
Sounds real to me.
“Republican introduces bill seeking to make Greenland 51st state”
I’m just guessing here, but I would suspect that Greenland would be a pretty blue state in electoral politics. Is that really what the Republican’s want or are they all just that dumb.
They are planning on all the migrant miners and oil workers from Texas and the Dakotas who are going to move there for the Trump jobs and make Greenland America Great oligarch support program overwhelming all the socialists who live in Greenland.
Can’t wait to see those workers from Texas and the Dakotas get hit by their first Greenland winter. Do they know what they are signing up for?
If they’re coming from the Dakotas, then yes, absolutely. If they’re coming from Texas, they’re hungry enough to survive whatever they have to in order to make money.
They might know about bleak in the Dakotas but they don’t know about kiviaq.
I think you may have underestimated how bleak the Dakotas can get pretty in the winter.
But in truth I don’t know that what I believe the Republicans think is going to happen will happen. If the Oligarchs continue being stupid, and despite some oil companies have already shown they aren’t entirely delusional in Venezuela, those willing to take the gamble will probably not offer enough benefit to the workers to do it. They will only plan on only so much for infrastructure and labor and the overwhelming infrastructure costs will squeeze down the labor costs. And I don’t think illegal immigration is going to solve that in Greenland.
IOW, as with so many of their failed plans this one will probably blow up in their face, but except for those who still think
IraqGreenland will welcome us with roses, cheers and open arms I really think this is how they believe those damn socialists will become a toothless minority.1974 to 976, I was posted in Alaska during the Alaska Prudhoe Bay pipeline boom.
The Okies quickly learned how to work in 50F below! Dark most of the day until late February.
Down parka with wolverine ruff, non-icing, around face on hood, forming a tunnel of sorts to keep face less cold. Add down this and that for pants and gloves and then some snowmobile or other boots. Just don’t be in a hurry to peel off the layers.
Those sartorial developments got modified for skiers, climbers and other outdoorsmen. Now the thinner puffy non-down jackets infiltrate cities, after a fashion.
This northern lad layers on the wool.
I wager most readers haven’t experienced sub-zero (f) weather. It hurts to breathe at these temperatures. I had nights when I would disconnect and bring the car battery inside. When I was in third grade school was cancelled three days in a row. The temps dipped below minus thirty. School officials didn’t want kids outside waiting for the bus.
Really. You think these idiots have an actual ‘plan?’
Wait, doesn’t the territory need to apply for statehood? This is putting the cart before the horse here. Or are the “Struct Constitutionalists” playing fast and loose with it again?
The Constitution doesn’t really lay out a process for statehood. The “Insular” cases in general have advanced a theory that the constitution doesn’t immediately follow the flag.
I speculate that the plan could be to ship in 50,000 or so “patriotic volunteers ” from cold weather non-battleground regions such as Alaska, eastern OR, E.WA, ID, MT, ND etc. This would then put a majority of “patriots” on the ground in Greenland allowing for “democratic” control and 2 more votes for the regime of chaos in the u.s. Senate.
Danish West Indies (Virgin Islands) were ceded in 1917 but an organic act wasn’t adopted until 1936.
‘Peter FitzSimons
@Peter_Fitz
#Breaking. Adelaide Writers Festival has been cancelled for this year. And they apologise to Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah for how the decision was represented.’
This is a story worth telling. The Adelaide Writers Festival is an annual gig that has international recognition. About a week ago the invitation to Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah was cancelled on the grounds her presence would pain Jewish people there because of what happened in the Bondi shooting last month. Turns out that Zionists were operating behind the scene to cancel a Palestinian voice and let’s just forget the fact that the Bondi shooters were ISIS maniacs and not Palestinians. At that decision, several members of the Board immediately resigned. And then the fecal matter hit the oscillatory rotary device. About 180 writers and guest speakers cancelled their appearances including ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern and economist Yanis Varoufakis at this injustice. With the whole thing sinking faster than the Titanic, they have now had to cancel the whole festival for this year and the whole board had to resign. Thanks Zionists. Trying to cancel a Palestinian voice has now blown up an international festival for writers and puts Jewish people in a bad light. No doubt during the upcoming Royal Commission, the Zionist will claim this as an example of antisemitism-
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jan/12/jacinda-ardern-pulls-out-of-adelaide-writers-week-as-fallout-over-randa-abdel-fattahs-axing-continues-ntwnfb
Damn Rev, you had me happy as a lark until that sober conclusion. Still glad to see the depth of the response was so big though.
For that conclusion, I should have stuck a big /SARC tag after it. :)
According to the New York Times story they had 240 writers on the program and 180 backed out which would be quite a show.
Good if the generals are resisting, I guess. Wake me up if they apply this to other illegal orders that have nothing to do with ‘allies’ like the NATO states.
RE Greenland: Looking back on Rob Reiner’s masterpiece, “North,” Elijah Wood is visiting prospective parents in Alaska when he discovers that they stick all the elderly on ice floes. I always thought this would be a fun thing to do to libertarians so they would no longer have society dragging down their greatness. Now it seems they are doing it to themselves!
You could start with Ezekiel Emmanuel…
The clown show with Powell is the kind of thing that gives me hope because they are so totally incompetent. No thousand year reich for these idiots. Powell will now stay for his full term as governor; SCOTUS won’t let Trump fire Cook; none of the other Biden appointees will even consider leaving during Trump’s term (not that they were); and they’ve basically made Hassett’s job impossible. Committee members all know he’s a total hack and are pissed by the way Powell and Cook have been treated. He will not be able to push through the big cuts Trump wants. The Fed chair has like dictatorial control over the inter-workings of the Fed, but for all policy decisions (Fed funds, IOR, discount rate) he only has one vote. They couldn’t have f-ed up more if they tried. I almost wonder if they f-ed up so much they won’t be able to get Hassett approved (that still might be a stretch though).
Exactly.
That’s how I know we are gonna win in the end because their propaganda and culture SUCKS BALLS while we sing to the people our political tunes!
Does it feel dystopian to anyone else to have reporting of such incredibly frightening events here followed by three feel-good videos that are antidotes?
Today I see the terrifying videos from Minnesota, but in the end I’m supposed to look at cute animal videos? It feels really weird to me, and has been bothering me for a while. Today just feels like too much.
For me, the feel-good videos are a moment for me to catch my breath, breathe and then consider the bad news with some sense of balance. Sort of like Lambert’s bird songs in his afternoon postings. T will be pres for another 3+ years.
I doubt very much that Trump will be President for another 3 years.
Look at a few recent video clips of him and contrast those with clips from 2 years ago.
His physical and cognitive health are failing rapidly.
And as to Vance, he does not have a cult following and I’m already hearing remarks about Opus Dei…there’s a history of anti Catholicism in the USA that runs deep, his marriage to a Hindu doesn’t help and again, he’s a Catholic, divorcing and marrying the widow Kirk isn’t in the cards.
It’s already lit on the 13th of January and it is going to get much crazier, stay safe and enjoy the show
Not here. It can get really dark doom-scrolling because of recent events. I miss the days myself when I could watch the evening news without one mention of Donald Trump. But those short videos short-circuit the gloom and doom and remind us that life and all its antics still carry on. We only have to look for it.
I don’t watch any of these violent videos.
Nope. Not me.
I love life and people and a good society.
I know it’s difficult to do, but I focus on the good IRL and not these dark af online divide and conquer snuff films.
understood. Also important to remember there’s beauty in the world, no?
For me it alleviates the dystopian doom that the news provides on a non-stop loop.
In fact for my own sanity, there are days when those are the only things I check out. And no I am not missing much, in case you haven’t noticed it is only occasionally a new atrocity, it is most often more information or an expansion about the numerous almost endless continuing psychopathic actions I have no means of stopping or correcting. Just as I have no means of helping my friends and neighbors in their continuing battle for adequate healthcare for incurable advancing conditions that are a drain on insurance company profits in a society that has placed more value on the latter than the former. And that is just one example of things outside of the national and international sewer we live in that people must deal with on a regular basis that means they need a break even if it just five seconds of a new born lion cub with a tired mom, some reminder that everything hasn’t yet been destroyed.
Yes these synchronies are odd.
I had discussions over this with newspeople 20 years ago who were working for national radio.
There was a show called “Jazz and Politics”. And it was just that: Gruesome political topics, although as decent analysis and not sensationalism, interrupted by Jazz numbers.
But enough listeners seemed to tune in.
Maybe it helps to think of the Shakespearean method of letting succeed scenes of fun upon scenes of murder and cruelty (Richard III. e.g.)
As far as we can tell, the live audiences for whom these plays were created enjoyed it that way.
For most of the history of popular movies this approach of “relief” has remained part of structuring stories, be it in US/European cinema, or in Asian traditions too.
Even such “totalitarian” blockbusters as the Marvel fare are operating with this relief-trick.
So maybe to be irritated as you are and yet have others who feel a desire for it is part of the, ahem, human condition.🙄
Expat, those videos of the animals made me feel better! The news on here has been frightening and beyond bleak, to the point I have been thinking of quitting reading anything. I already am having trouble sleeping at night.
Every day I know Israel is going to have done something heinous or are preparing to, as the world heats up out of control, followed by unconscionable statements by our leadership, after the usual atrocities perpetrated by them.
It always makes the news when a shark or a mountain lion kills a human, because its so rare…
I’ll take my chances with cute animal videos, even the AI ones!
I read a comment the other day explaining the difference between the IDF and the Mafia. The Mafia don’t kill kids because they follow a code of honour.
👍😂
I thought the difference was that the Mafia doesn’t do more violence than necessary: kind words with a gun gets a lot more than just a gun, according to Machiavelli or something.
I get a great delight in watching the videos of animals; I’m one myself, and hope to appreciate watching my betters until the day some insipid parrot tells me that israel has a right to defend itself.
Hence the term, antidote. You can choose to take its calming effect, or not. But I for one, will always enjoy these delightful distractions from the rest of the shitty goings on that we are forced to endure.
I usually scroll down to the antidotes first then work my way through the links from the top, but maybe I’m just weird :)
This is my habit as well. It’s an admittedly underpowered attempt at donning armor before battle.
No, it doesn’t feel like that to me.
We need rhythms and rituals to get through the stress in our lives. The antidotes are like going to church, having a good singalong and listening to a stirring, uplifting encouraging sermon. Or like taking a 5 minute meditation while your tea cools just the right amount. Or like belting out a power ballad while in the shower. Or a workout that requires all your concentration. Vacations and feast days used used to be part of the rhythm of re-creation too.
I know plenty of people that keep their spirits up by ignoring the news or only consuming the stuff they like. But I think NC Links readers are trying to inform themselves and understand what’s going on and that means dealing with some dispiriting stuff. The purpose is not to make us feel like crap, which would be counter-productive. Hence antidotes, or so choose to believe.
As a Minneapolis resident, I appreciate the antidotes now more than ever.
> Tech billionaires behind Greenland bid want to build ‘freedom cities’ Responsible Statecraft
If that means their permanent exile to their freedom cities then I’m listening.
re: twt with embedded video of ICE agents.
I’d be scared to death to go pheasant hunting with those yahoos. The way they’re all bunched up, waving their guns around this way and that. It looks like the guys in front are in some danger of getting accidentally shot by the guys behind them. No apparent awareness of safe long gun handling and barrel control. smh.
It’s as if they learned their trade on tv. Hmm.
Add this to Democrats en déshabillé:
Newsom Vows to Stop Proposed Billionaire Tax in California NYT
Gotta protect them donors, especially for future employment after spinning through the revolving door.
“Oh Gavin, you coulda been somebody. You coulda been a contender. Instead of a bum, which is what you are.” Overheard down on the waterfront.
We could wish Newsom would read the NC commentariat regularly, but he has a staff dedicated to ensuring that his delicate eyes never glimpse anything resembling reality. That’s one trouble with these guys (and gals) on both sides of the aisle: they’re surrounded by yes-men of every gender. Is there even an aisle anymore?
Elsewhere, good to see the comments by Anon and earthling on the Gluesenkamp Perez piece in the Times. I heartily concur.
Newsom is dyslexic and has great difficulty reading.
What he achieves is achieved through self-discipline and memorizing material largely.
For real. Look it up. It’s admirable in its way and even sympathetic. In other countries, it might be disqualifying. In the US, where Mencken’s dictum rules, he’s far from the worst.
Newsom recently vetoed a no-teflon cooking pans sold in California bill that reached his desk.
Newsom may have remembered that another CA Governor was known for his ability to avoid having scandals stick to him.
This was “Teflon” Ronald Reagan.
Gavin’s veto of the no Teflon bill might be to preserve a bit of political Teflon for him.
I’m baffled by the lack of reference anywhere to Iran’s water crisis when discussing the ongoing political crises the Iranians are facing. Sure, it’s not quantifiable, and lacks the immediacy of Mossad ops to destabilize the country, but it’s got to be a major stressor and hard to feeding into the economic discontent which is said to have spurred the current round of protests. The government itself is saying that the capital city of ten million may have to be moved: that’s some serious s*^#…
There was/is finally some raining in Tehran, so for now the crisis is no longer acute. But I guess it will explode again in summer.
The water situation is extremely critical. For various historical and geographical reasons, Iran is highly unusual in having its cities based in arid semi-uplands, rather than the coast or on major rivers. Water has always been an issue for the country, for as long as its existed. It is now suffering from what is a regional wide long term drought (probably, in reality, a long term shift in climate) – this extends from Turkey to Israel and across to the Caspian Sea. But Iran is suffering particularly badly due to horrible mismanagement over the past few decades – insufficient investment in dams and desalination, wholesale illegal extraction and, to make it even worse, uncontrolled sewage discharge to geology.
In all water stressed countries, controlling and supplying water (and protecting from floods) is the core raison d’etre of any government of whatever kind. Failing to do this is more likely to deliver complete disillusionment with a ruling class than anything else. So yes, its probably one of the key long term drivers of dissatisfaction with the government.
Their population growth by itself is a big stressor on water management even if they had no other problems like climate change to contend with:
Wikipedia historical population Iran
Tehran population 1956-2016
Res ipsa loquitor: the vast majority of Western reporting on Iran, in content, tone, & timing, is entirely about feeding the preconceptions of (mostly older) Western liberal & conservative audiences.
At best, there will be a small kernel of truth (Iran has been going through severe droughts and is still in water debt), but even that will be stripped of any real context or insight. For example, the government has been pushing to move institutions out of Tehran and shrink the city for decades; to imply they have no water planning and are abandoning the city in a panic is almost opposite of the truth.
In short, the media stopped reporting about the water issue because people outside Iran are now uncritically repeating that it’s a disaster, but it didn’t whip up any subversion in Iran beyond that. So the meme served its purpose and can be disposed for a new one like the exchange rate protests (which Western media also stripped of real context).
Now the really silly part is that most Iranians know this, and the government has mastered turning it to its own advantage (similar to how Russia baits the Ukrainians on the battlefield with their own propaganda).
The NYT article on the “Rural Congresswoman” Gluesenkamp Perez is interesting, packaging the “rural perspective” for NYT readers, but the presentation of Maine’s Jared Golden is extremely questionable. The article presents Gluesenkamp Perez and Golden as new iconoclastic representers of rural America… Golden, who recently said he was not going to run in the next election for District 2 here in Maine, is regarded as incredibly corrupt. He refuses to hold town halls, refuses to meet with his constituents, and generally seems to ignore his own voters altogether, while happily meeting with his wealthy donors. He takes an enormous amount of money from the Israel lobby (cf Aipac Tracker) and he and his family have taken multiple luxury trips to “the only Democracy in the Middle East.” I believe he’s gone a full term and a half without meeting with any of his voters, as someone from Arostook told me last summer. Frankly, I don’t understand how either Gluesenkamp Perez or Golden can justify raking in money from the Lobby while claiming to stand up for “real Americans.”
How the NYT perpetually manages to present long, long articles about political theories and actions, without letting corruption enter the discussion, used to mystify me. Now it’s just sad, and itself corrupt.
As a Mainer myself, I don’t see anybody despairing over him leaving Congress. The only decent thing I remember him doing was coming out for a ban on assault weapons. Of course this was only after 18 of his constituents were slaughtered, so not exactly a profile in courage – https://themainemonitor.org/lewiston-mass-shootings-changed-rep-goldens-mind-on-assault-weapons-will-it-change-his-state/
it’s a pretty clear that the author of the article was projecting more of what he wanted these candidates to be rather than who they are given how little of it is devoted to their actual populist bona fides. After reading through all of that I still have to ask, what does MGP stand for, again? Sure, “Right to Repair” is great and all, and these newer headlights are a scourge, but isn’t her shtick the same tinkering-at-the-margins neoliberalism that we’ve all come to know and love the last several decades?
Speaking as one of her constituents. I find Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to be a bit strange. She is constantly talking about ordinary people, but went to Reed, an elite liberal arts college, and wears designer jeans. When Israel attacked Iran last year she put out a statement saying that “folks in her district” understood the right to self defence that Israel was exercising, according to her. I left the ballot blank in her last election.
The article was supposedly about Democrats’ inability to understand ordinary people, but was itself almost incomprehensible.
MGP’s district is not just rural blue collar, as many articles imply. It includes Vancouver, soon to be the third largest city in Washington.
Interesting to see Europe move through their stages of grief with respect to Ukraine and Greenland. I’m sure there are better sources but Wikipedia suggests that the fighting numbers of the Bundeswehr are about 180k. There is currently about 50k US soldiers staffing Ramstein, not including civilian support. Germany doesn’t have the numbers to do anything. Neither does Denmark. I expect we’ll get to see the bargaining phase develop quickly.
Of the US troops in Europe, “fighting” troops number as few as only a few thousands (depending on how one defines “fighting.”) I have this suspicion that several NATO armies may already have been crippled by casualties in Ukraine where they are not fighting–casualties fall on “fighting troops” mostly, so, even during World Wrar II, thousand casualties on a division of around 15 thousand was pretty crippling. Now, the ratio of fighting troops is a lot smaller.
Yes, the US tooth-to-tail ratio is about 9 to 1, particularly since US assets are very maintenance-heavy. Not that NATO standard is going to be different from the Europeans – that said, the combat readiness of German troops is a running joke, with German soldiers showing up to training with brooms due to inadequate levels of rifles, which is illustrative – consider NATO took a hiatus on its tank challenge games (on paved roads) from 2017 – 2025. If one considers readiness rates across platforms – 50,000 troops yields only a few thousand – and not battle hardened.
I agree with both you and hk.
There is the assumption among various commentators that we can draw analogies from today to WWII. But things are so different. The allied nations of the world have nearly abdicated their military responsibilities to the US, and the US military isn’t anything to write home about. The US is also in debt to a variety of foreign countries and has decimated its industrial capacity. I can see where the US might try to do the things people are suggesting, and Europe might try to put up a fight, but neither are really capable of anything. The US could take Greenland but that’s about it. The EU could make it hard for US bases to operate in their countries, but that’s about it.
Unless Europe gets over its Russophobia and separates from the US, they can’t do much. Until the US gets serious about rebuilding our country, we can’t do much. So it appears we’re in for a season of stupid chaos while our brilliant leaders figure this out.
I cannot comprehend your logic—simply by “getting over its Russophobia and separating from the US,” a powerful European army would just fall from the sky?
No, it would not “fall from the sky”. Who said it would? I fail to see your point.
WRT ground forces in EU, yes the permanent force is relatively small with 2d Cav Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 41st Field Artillery Brigade, and 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. There is in addition rotational force as part of “Atlantic Resolve” representing about a division. Plus a few troops for Kosovo.
re: Iran Marandi/Diesen
Thanks for linking that. Listened to it last night.
Indeed important.
In the light of that DROPSITE´s news summary reads bit odd – (why should I care what Netanyahu says about all this?)
“(…)
Iran
Death toll in Iran’s protests may be as high as 544: The death toll from Iran’s nationwide protest crackdown has risen to at least 544 people, including 496 protestors and 48 security force members, with more than 10,600 detained, according to the U.S.-based group Human Rights Activists in Iran, which warned the figures are likely to rise. The Associated Press said it cannot independently verify the toll with the internet shut down and phone lines cut off. Iranian state media reports at least 109 security officials have been killed but has released no comprehensive casualty figures.
Unrest “under total control,” says Iranian foreign minister: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted on Monday that the situation has “come under total control,” though the claim could not be verified with an internet and telecommunications blackout still in place. Araghchi made the comments to foreign diplomats in Tehran. He also claimed that western powers had turned peaceful protests “violent and bloody to give an excuse” for military intervention. President Donald Trump had previously suggested that the U.S. might intervene militarily if protestors in the country were killed. Iranian state TV broadcast footage on Monday of tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators after the country’s president called for a “national resistance march.” Araghchi said earlier today that internet services will be restored in coordination with security authorities.
Iran’s army pledges to defend the country’s “national interests” amid protests: Iran’s army vowed on Saturday to defend the country’s “national interests,” with Iranian officials saying the protests are formally legal, while asserting that security forces are targeting arsonists and saboteurs rather than demonstrators. Authorities accused Israel and “hostile groups” of fueling the unrest, as security forces intensified the crackdown. Iran’s army warned in a statement that anyone suspected of arson could face capital charges as an “[enemy] of God.”
President calls concerns of the protestors “legitimate,” but denounces “rioters and terrorists”: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged the ongoing protests and said demonstrators have legitimate concerns in a statement on Sunday, while alleging that “rioters” and “terrorists” have killed security forces, emergency workers, and protestors. Iranian state media aired footage it claims shows attacks on police and acts of arson, including a deadly incident at a medical center. State television highlighted funerals held Monday—including that of a three-year-old girl in Kermanshah—while officials called for mass pro-government rallies Tuesday to condemn what they labeled “terrorism.”
A “very bloody” state clampdown in Iran: Iranian expert and Quincy Institute Vice President Trita Parsi said evidence of a “very bloody” state clampdown in Iran is emerging from people who have connected to the internet via Starlink or left the country with videos, noting that even Iranian state television is now reporting from morgues showing large numbers of body bags. “Perhaps most importantly,” Parsi said, the state TV reporter acknowledged that, while some of the dead may have been violent or armed, “the majority of them are ordinary people, and their families are ordinary people as well.”
Trump says Iran’s leaders have reached out to discuss a nuclear deal: President Donald Trump said aboard Air Force One that Iran’s leaders have reached out to the U.S.to discuss arranging a meeting for a new “nuclear deal,” while warning Washington could act first amid Iran’s violent protest crackdown. The comments followed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s return to Tehran on January 9 for talks with Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi. Oman hosted indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks that preceded the so-called “12-Day War.”
Netanyahu is “closely monitoring” the situation: Netanyahu said Israel “strongly condemns the mass slaughter of innocent civilians” in Iran. He said he is “closely monitoring developments in Iran,” and added that he hopes that the “Persian nation will soon be freed.”
(…)”
‘Trump says Iran’s leaders have reached out to discuss a nuclear deal’
Trump says a lot of stuff like that. Like he had a meeting with Putin who agreed on a lot of concessions when nothing like that ever happened at all. He just makes up stuff like that on the fly as he knows that no reporter will ever challenge him on it. The rule of thumb is that unless Iran confirms it, then nothing happened. Negotiating with Trump is dangerous in any case as last year proved. He will hold them only to try to sucker punch the other side when they are least expecting it.
That´s the entire confirmation bias problem of journalism as it is expected to operate in general.
Reporting what some government dudes are saying in public? Why should I believe that?
If at all I should be doing the opposite as a journalist and look into other “records”.
It´s strange that we have reached a point in time where I have to turn to a Jeremy Scahill who is not that bad but for most of the time I knew his work I regarded him as decent mainstream. Nothing more. Nothing special.
It´s not that difficult with Gaza to stand on the right side of history.
Which is why the entire leftwing press had apparently agreed on doing almost only just that, eclipsing Ukraine, Taiwan, Africa and other areas where you really have to dig and risk.
With the deterioration of Western rule it has become easier to seemingly be a good Western journalist.
What a demise of critical thinking.
Sure, the loss of advertisers and undermining of press in general is another reason.
On that subject, I see by the videos popping up on my Youtube feed that Democracy Now is providing their usual “progressive” cover for Empire regime change by hosting liberal “humanitarian” Iran experts who decry the horrible slaughter of protesters by the Iranian regime. Unlike Marandi, most of these “experts” do not live in Iran but are members of the liberal diaspora with jobs in Western academia or NGOs. I’m sure Amy Goodman and the crew will have many strongly worded criticisms for Trump and Netanyahu after they bomb the hell out of Iran again. Useful idiots or witting agents of Empire? Does it matter?
What happened to her??!!? I haven’t listened in years due to what you described. She arguably gained her credibility by pointing out the US-aided massacres in East Timor. Now she’s running cover for empire.
I lost a lot of respect for her during the Russiagate escapade, which she seemed to be willingly duped by. Her coverage of Gaza was an improvement, and yet I’m not surprised she’s be parroting a Liberal Intervention Lite narrative. This is the Left?
Quincy Institute Vice President Trita Parsi
Born in Iran, grew up in Sweden.
I note that media almost universally assumes that all of the dead who were not security forces were killed by the security forces. Given the violent nature of the “protests” this seems unlikely to be true.
re: lithium batteries / climate
DOUG HENWOOD´s good conversation with Thea Riofrancos about the problems of lithium batteries to solve transportation emissions.
1) Thea Riofrancos, author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, on the complications of using lithium batteries to green our future
Thea Riofrancos´s texts:
https://climateandcommunity.org/bio/thea-riofrancos/
followed by:
2) Alyssa Battistoni, author of Free Gifts, on the weird relationship between capitalism and Nature
December 18, 2025
53 min.
https://shout.lbo-talk.org/lbo/RadioArchive/2025/25_12_18.mp3
– ‘Lula’s Investment in Anti-Fascist Brazilian Films Wins Big at Golden Globes’ – Mike Elk
I am thankful whenever films like this gain some recognition against the usual mass of pap and propaganda Hollywood churns out. But I’m not sure how helpful Golden Globes recognition is in terms of public enlightenment. Seeing the clips of wealthy Hollywood types decry Trumpian fascism, I knew they would not serve to unite “the people” against the threat to liberty we all share. Rather, they would enable the usual divide and rule exercise by Megyn Kelly types as they hippie-punched privileged Hollywood liberals. Sure enough…
Which is why I find it fascinating to listen to how business Hollywood actually thinks behind the colourful and gimmicky PR fronts which is their actual commodity.
Totally different tone, realistic, strictly business, “a-political”.
Biden or Trump?
Paramount or Netflix?
Chinese or Saudis?
Doesn´t matter.
“LEO satellites are unjammable“? How on earth was there ever a “consensus” on this? This is the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a while.
The very largest of communications satellites uses ~20 kW of power (provided by solar panels and batteries), which is about 27 horsepower. And the transmitter has to be cooled by blackbody radiation.
In contrast, a portable jammer can use a fan-cooled transmitter that is powered by a 300-hp (225 kW) diesel engine. A fixed jammer that is connected to the grid (and utilizing a water-cooled transmitter) could easily approach a megawatt (1350 hp). This is 50X as much power.
Additionally, the LEO satellites are at least 120 miles away. The jammers may only be a few miles away. If signals follow the standard “inverse square” rule for signal intensity, you’re easily looking at another factor of 100 in signal strength.
The net result is that it’s fairly easy to swamp the airspace near satellite phones with jamming signals that are 5000X as strong as the signal from the satellites. I have a hard time envisioning how things would remain “unjammable” here.
It wasn’t a “consensus”, but a sales pitch of a tech-bro. Welcome to the Internet, where it’s easier to fool people than explain them that they have been fooled.
I would think that the attack used to disable Starlink was more subtle than just belting out power to saturate ground-based receivers. Starlink remains pretty tight lipped about their physical layer (radio) designs, but I imagine that it would be pretty straightforward, knowing something about the Starlink protocol, to overwhelm Starlink connection capacity by performing something akin to a DDoS attack. Iranians, like Russians, are constantly underestimated by Americans, etc., but are generally really resourceful and have certainly discovered how to exploit Starlink’s connection handshaking system to swamp the connectivity process. Other possibilities are available as well, such as hijacking the handoff process as satellites pass overhead, i.e. fooling earthbound terminals into disconnecting from existing connections. Electronic warfare is a vast subject that Mr Musk really does not know much about.
“I would think that the attack used to disable Starlink was more subtle than just belting out power to saturate ground-based receivers.”
Indeed, it may have been. I don’t know any of the details of the mechanism that Iran used to disable Starlink connectivity, but the method I described would likely work, and the DDoS-ish schemes that you described would also likely work. The phrase “LEO satellites are unjammable” almost certainly isn’t true.
That math is leaving out the high gain transmit antenna. It’s still a mismatch, but the jammer does suffer r^2 losses, while the downlink doesn’t. The jammer also has to cover a much wider frequency band unless they’ve broken the frequency hopping algorithm. (possible, since the terminals are readily available for reverse engineering)
“Trump is ready to grab Greenland. The EU should move first – and offer it membership”
Greenland going into the EU? God forbid, they would be much safer under Trump. I notice that one of the authors of this article is Robert Habeck – the man who personally helped steer Germany into a ditch, slashed the tires, punctured the fuel tank and then walked away. In any case, Denmark is already a long-standing member of the EU and Greenland is their autonomous territory. To be a member, it would have to be independent first. And Habeck suggests also offering EU membership to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway which shows Habeck’s true intent. The EU seeks to continuously expand and I sometimes think that it is so that they can consume those countries resources for themselves.
Norway voted no to EU membership years ago. I doubt they would vote yes were there to be a new referendum.
True but they are members of the European Single Market which is pretty close to being a member, but without having a vote. The main benefits to them of staying outside are that they can be even more generous to their farmers than the CAP and they get to control fishing in Norwegian waters.
Has the author noticed that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark? It is in the EU.
“My First 72 Hours in Minneapolis”
I used to live in Minneapolis, but can’t speak with too much authority on its local left protest scene. If it’s like the one in Milwaukee, then it is a scene, meaning that there are a couple of people, a couple of organizations which regularly put together protests and other campaigns. I know Freedom Road Socialist Organization (Maoists) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (Marxist-Leninists) are there and have a lot to do with the street stuff. The ‘legal observers’ are of a different tilt. First I should say that there are legal observers who are trained through the ACLU and other advocacy organizations (I’ve done a training myself) and then there are ICE watch/verifier groups which have sprung up organically across the country with no national coordination of which I am aware (I also did a training for one of these). The latter groups are called to confirm reports of ICE raids, as unverified rumors spread terror. If they confirm, then some communities’ groups have a policy of calling for community witnesses. I doubt that the article’s claim that there are 13,000 trained legal observers is correct. I think it’s more likely that the federal presence, violence, and attention to it has caused a swell of interest in such groups, but this does not mean that “the infrastructure of effective opposition already exists.” From experience, many will join a Signal group, some will contribute time, and many will attempt to highjack the movement by plastering their own ill-informed beliefs over it, as this author has done. I think the author made a number of assumptions without checking them, and editorialized freely, informed by his own wishful thinking.
What can actually be done about ICE presence? When agents are present, there isn’t anything to be done except to inform people of their rights, organize legal defense, and inform family members. I am told of instances in which community response has delayed or deflected a raid, but I think this is dangerous to wade into without thinking it through. Knowing the people involved in such actions locally, and assuming that there is high similarity, I have no confidence that they have done or will do so.
The mental approach I’ve taken to this for years is sometimes not appreciated by activists, understandably. I take the position that those things under our control ought to be our focus, such as our own thinking and actions. I waste little time moralizing about the State and its agents, because it doesn’t matter what I think about that, except insofar as it motivates me to some action. I hope it doesn’t come across as victim-blaming or punching down, which is far from my intention; I would just like to see some of the rigor and seriousness the moment demands. Bad analysis leads to bad strategy.
Thanks Vicky. I’ll be in Milwaukee later in the year for Pride. I’m always uplifted by what goes on there in so far as celebration of a victory of sorts, but deflated by the fear of continuing concrete action. It seems like the left in MKE just wants to “wait”. I’m sort of astounded that Minnesota, that we used consider more conservative than Wisconsin, is taking a lead in the insurrection.
Thanks, Bugs. In Minneapolis, the unrest in 2020 seemed to help build a self-identity as left-wing rebels. That’s some new flesh on old bones built by Trotskyists and the Farmer-Labor party. Here, we had our Socialist Party municipal and state officials, but that was mostly back in the 20’s. We then had our share of campus radicalism in the 60’s and 70’s (my dad was involved), but that New Left stuff never really blended with organized labor, and deindustrialization hit us hard. We’re reeling.
I hope you enjoy Pride, and Milwaukee!
working link to Ken Klippenstein’s article.
Immigration Agents Terrified of ICE Backlash After Shooting
Leaked documents show Border Patrol needs volunteers for Minneapolis surge
https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/immigration-agents-terrified-by-ice?triedRedirect=true
I also doubt that the 13,000 legal observers is correct and the author is most likely conflating “Legal Observers” with “Constitutional Observers”. There has been a lot of coverage on local news channels about Constitutional Observers and the numerous training sessions being held around the state to get citizens involved.
Here’s a good primer on Constitutional Observers and how they are being utilized here in Minneapolis.
Additional information can be found on the DFL’s website.
I think it would be great if the newest acting President of Venezuela would talk to the US President and let him know that the fastest way to kickstart Venezuelas oil industry would be to remove all the US Sanctions, allowing Capital to flow freely into that benighted Country.
Mentioning that many of the Donald’s friends would appreciate a bit of advance notice wouldn’t hurt…
re: LAWYER: Cops Have a NEW “Social Score” to Label You a Threat Hampton Law, YouTube
Weird, he perfectly describes Israel’s Lavender, which tracks movements, social media, associations, proximities and relations and assigns a threat score. But avoids mentioning it. And as we know, American law enforcement are quite cozy with Israel.
Microplastics above cities, is actually from ground level sampling near roads, and the authors – Chinese scientists which the Independent cannot name – they would certainly name non-Chinese scientists – never said anything about climate change (why would it)? As if critiquing a flu study for not addressing climate change!
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz7779
– not behind a paywall.
Yesterday’s links had another article on Covid induced brain damage, anosognosia.
I suspect that this is much more widespread than most believe, particularly among the “Leadership Class” who are constantly exposed to the virus.
It’s not just Trump, look at the behavior of this class as a whole and the lack of empathy and executive function is striking.
RE: My First 72 Hours in Minneapolis
From the article –
“Later in the day, someone in the crowd showed me video of an agent provocateur at that same location who had slipped in among the protesters. He walked up, burned an American flag, and immediately left. People followed him, asking questions. He refused to answer and disappeared. He was there for exactly one reason: to create a news clip for oligarch media to use as propaganda.”
– which demonstrates once again that “antifa” are cops.
Re: ICE Raids
Of the more than 20,000 ICE agents 7500 are vets, presumably returned from foreign wars. The empire has come home. The DHS is proud of their domestic “service”. Wonder how many Americans are?
“On Veterans Day [Nov. 11, 2025] we are thankful to the more than 7,500 veterans who bravely served in the US Armed Forces and now continue their service to our great nation as members of ICE law enforcement,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/11/11/dhs-gives-thanks-more-7500-veterans-serving-ice-law-enforcement-who-continue-their
Top post on Reddit is about “Iranian Holocaust”: https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1qbwtuc/iranian_holocaust_morgue_overflowing_after_12000/
Reddit tends to be anti-Iranian but it’s been a been stinky like psy-op the last few weeks with the protests happening.
The spooks are out in force
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/01/12/western-media-riots-iran-govt-regime-change/
I think it was a few years ago when reddit had their most addicted city list and it accidentally included Elgin Air Base as the number one on the list. Allegedly, the “7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)’s Psychological Operations team” is based there. It was subsequently removed from the list.
Idk but it always felt like reddit was some sort of psyop thing with how every popular thing on there really toes the US mainstream narrative for almost every topic. Russia bad. China bad. Iran bad. Etc, etc, etc, Only dissent is some variant of orange man bad which is hardly non mainstream. Whatever the state department is promoting, you will find as popular on the front page most of the time. Mods there also seem very strict on deleting comments and enforcing narratives. I suppose it wasn’t a surprise that Ghislaine Maxwell was an active mod there before she was arrested.
Yup, her Reddit account was the one of the biggest contributors to imo the most heavily astroturfed subreddits: https://www.reddit.com/user/maxwellhill/
Completely agree about the narratives found there. Some smaller niche subreddits go against it but any major subreddit and any subreddit dedicated to a country is heavily manipulated imo
At This Office Park, Scamming the World Was the Business (NY Times via archive.ph)
50% of the way down the page, the middle photo of the Asian model is the one that I’ve been seeing on online dating sites for at least 10 years now. I figured it was some kind of scam. Someone might have sent it via SMS once as well. It is a well trod photo.
This seems like a relatively safe way to make tons of money as a fraud boss. You aren’t robbing banks or running a drug cartel. And you operate somewhere where you’re probably never getting extradited anywhere for trial, if you even get caught.
And on the boss’s desk a fat book by (or about) one F. A. Hayek.
I find it interesting that articles that mention the unrest in Iran and the push to re-install the Pahlavi dynasty don’t mention that Pahlavi seems to have cemented his ties to Israel with what could be seen as a dynastic marriage. This year, his daughter married a Jewish-American entrepreneur who is “head of partnerships at commercial drone delivery company Matternet.”
https://www.thejc.com/news/world/iranian-princess-marries-jewish-businessman-in-lavish-paris-wedding-wqvzirys
The most dangerous elephants in the room.
Catastrophic climate change.
Apocalyptic climate collapse.
The last two El Niño
2015
2023
Have a look at the tweet with the ocean temp anomalies with those dates in mind. It appears that we are entering runaway temperature increases/truly fukked.
I hate being a doomer. It’s not a conscious choice.
“All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security, because we know that with sea lanes opening up there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active.”
According to UNCLOS, international waters and shipping lanes are open to everyone, no need permission from Uncle Sam or NATO or EU. Furthermore, in the Arctic, Russian have legal rights and control of everything between their shores to the ice shelf, area that grows wider and wider by the year…
Oh, the self importance and presumptiousness of that statement is nauseating…
Just watched today’s program by Danny Haiphong with Ray McGovern and Scott Ritter.
The really interesting bit at the very end was Ritter stating that he had just been “unbanked” by his Bank. All his money, he said was now “lost in limbo.” Starts at time 1:59.
The Power Elites are striking against their critics in America now. First, if I remember correctly it was the Trucker Convoy leaders in Canada. Then it was various antis in England. Now it comes home.
Consider it another form of Blowback. The Empire’s habit of using economic sanctions overseas is now domestic policy.
Stay safe. Stack deep.
Stay liquid.
I hate this effin timeline
Moon of Alabama put up a very short post which I will quote in full-
‘There is no Internet connection with Iran (except for a few white-listed officials). To whom then is this addressed?
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump – Jan 13, 2026, 14:43 UTC
Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
And what does it mean?’
I guess that the revolution has now been canceled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQIrvPeNtds
yanis holds forth
I normally like to blockquote a key paragraph or two whenever I post a link to a news item but in this case, I’d end up having to blockquote the entire article.
Five Native Americans detained by ICE during ongoing raids in Minneapolis
RE: COVID
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/school-absences-increasing-b-c-9.7040465
Excused (called in by parents) absences in BC schools (Canada) have doubled since 2020
@Jason Boxman
Tracks the Rand study
Chronic Absenteeism Still a Struggle in 2024–2025
It’s almost like something changed in 2020.
Markus notes:
Um, all of what LLMs do is just memorization. The so-called training process is just a matter of scanning works of text (or whatever) and storing the contents, along with indexing information, in memory. It doesn’t just store every other word, or words beginning with ‘b’ or anything like that. It stores every word. Then, at query time, the LLM can determine which sequence of words is the best sequence it has seen to extend the prompt it’s been given. So, the LLM has stored the entire copyrighted work, together with enough information to recreate it, and is charging people to reproduce the copyrighted work on demand. For my money, this is copyright violation.
Further, let’s consider the case of an LLM “coding assistant.” If the query is “code me a device driver for a Texas Instruments TL16C550C UART”, it will obviously have to spit out verbatim the code for such a device driver which it already has in memory that it lifted from some other company. It will have to spit it out with 100% accuracy and completeness if the result is to have any value. Emitting an approximation will be completely useless. I believe a complete and accurate reproduction is a requirement for most written output, whether medical, legal, technical, or whatever.
This Is What Convinced Me OpenAI Will Run Out of Money
Sebastian Mallaby, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, certainly thinks AI is for real, just not that OpenAI is going to survive.
Of course the technology itself is trash. Which doesn’t mean it can’t be monetized by Internet monopolies and used to exploit us.
Re; The oxygen you breath
This iron deficiency can also be seen in land plants. It is known as ‘chlorosis’, a yellowing of the leaves of green (chlorophyl) plants. Iron deficiency has the same effect in both algae (chlorophyl based) and the green plants you see on land and it reduces the photosynthetic process by ~25%. Algae in the vast waters of the nascent planet earth is what made the atmosphere oxygen ‘rich’ and allowed land animal evolution.