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Links 3/29/2026

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Smarter, Faster, and More Human: A Leap Toward General-Purpose Robots TECHNOLOGY.ORG

Bell-bottoms today, miniskirts tomorrow: Math reveals fashion’s 20-year cycle PHYS.ORG

Mystery Deepens: Astrophysicists Say Dark Matter May Not Be One Thing SciTech Daily

Are Strings Still Our Best Hope for a Theory of Everything? Quanta Magazine

COVID-19/Pandemics

COVID Vaccines Did Not Raise Sudden Death Risk in Healthy Young People ZME Science

‘Worrying’ virus resistant to body’s defense system… as experts warn of looming ‘pandemic threat’ Daily Mail

Climate/Environment

Earth’s climate swings increasingly out of balance World Meterological Organization

Advocates call on U.S. Supreme Court to clarify climate laws The Center Square

South of the Border

Will U.S. pressure lead to regime collapse in Cuba? Defense Priorities

The keys to the long legal process facing Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in the US El Pais

Mexico says a third of 130,000 missing people might be alive, fueling criticism from families AP

China?


China Is Rapidly Overtaking the United States as the World’s Scientific Superpower Futurism

Shaun Rein: “The Longer Iran War Lasts The More China Wins” The Singju Post

China Is Planning Decades Ahead on Clean Energy. The U.S. Has Other Priorities. Council on Foreign Relations

Orban’s remarks that ‘China is simply unbeatable’ in interview draw attention on the Chinese internet Global Times

India

India’s delayed climate plan sets modest emission target Semafor

The Supreme Court of India Has No Spine Fair Observer

How crude oil benchmark volatility, refinery economics and a broken supply chain are testing India’s energy resilience The Times of India

Africa

Africa’s mobile money market hits $1.4 trillion Semafor

In Tangier, experts set to chart Africa’s innovation driven economic transformation UNECA.org

Africa’s nuclear power push faces big obstacles DW

European Disunion

EU ministers weigh oil price cap and windfall tax to rein in soaring energy costs Euronews

EU hopes for Orbán’s defeat but does not expect Hungary to change course – Reuters Ukrainska Pravda

EU lawmaker slams bloc’s ‘selective’ condemnations when ‘culprits are friends in Tel Aviv, Washington’ Andolu Agency

Old Blighty

Jaguar Land Rover halts production at its biggest car factory for a fortnight due to parts supply issue as wider UK vehicle outputs hit the rocks Daily Mail

UK ‘weeks away’ from medicine shortages if Iran war continues, experts say The Guardian

Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran


Israeli Sources Confirm Iranian Missile Strikes Have 80 Percent Success Rates as Air Defences Falter Military Watch Magazine

Iran-backed Houthis open third front against Israel as Tehran seeks leverage ahead of talks Fox News

This Week in Palestine: Israeli Forces Allegedly Torture Gaza Toddler to Force His Father to Confess Zeteo

Iranians Grapple With Grief While Observing Their New Year During War Scheerpost

New Not-So-Cold War

Ukraine needs 700,000 tons of fuel per month, Zelenskyy says Andolu Agency

Ukraine war briefing: Rubio stridently denies US is demanding Kyiv give up eastern Donbas to Russia The Guardian

Iran war diverts US attention as Russia launches spring offensive in Ukraine Scripps News

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

Trump Backs FISA Section 702 Extension, Drops Privacy Reform Reclaim the Net

“Once privacy is lost, it’s lost forever” California bill seeks to protect kids against content posted by influencer parents capradio.org

Imperial Collapse Watch

US interceptor stockpiles being depleted by Iran war, could take years to replenish Jerusalem Post

Clogged toilets, charred laundry, sailors sleeping on the floor: Snafus sidelined $13B US aircraft carrier NY Post

Trump 2.0

Analysis: Trump keeps saying ‘nobody’ knew or expected things lots of people knew or expected CNN

‘He’s lied about everything’: Iran war puts Trump on shaky ground with young MAGA men Politico

‘No Kings’ protests surge nationwide as Trump policies draw pushback The Hill

Trump considers pulling out US troops from Germany: Report Andolu Agency

Musk Matters

Elon Musk’s Orbital Data Centers Are Staggeringly Huge Futurism

Elon Musk loses big in court; X boycott perfectly legal ars TECHNICA

Elon Musk’s last co-founder reportedly leaves xAI TechCrunch

Democrat Death Watch

Rahm Emanuel on how the Democrats could blow it in 2028 GZERO

John Fetterman’s political shift draws ire of Pennsylvania Democrats goerie.com

Immigration

How Trump’s deportation campaign has changed tack after deep unpopularity The Guardian

Chicago’s ICE playbook spreads as cities challenge Trump’s crackdown Politico

Our No Longer Free Press

US government ‘chipping away’ at press freedom DW

Protecting the press: How Section 702 of FISA must be reformed Freedom of the Press Foundation

Mr. Market Is Moody

Iran’s oil shock triggers dual market crisis while Trump jokes about ‘Strait of Trump’ Cryptopolitan

Almost everything is going wrong for markets right now Yahoo Finance

Trump Panics as US Bond Yields Explode, Forcing Iran Delay! MEXC

Shipping costs surge as fuel prices hit near-record highs The Street

AI

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, the world’s most valuable company and the engine powering the AI computing revolution, talks to Lex Fridman 3 Quarks Daily

Alarming Study Finds That Most People Just Do What ChatGPT Tells Them, Even If It’s Totally Wrong Futurism

AI bug reports went from junk to legit overnight, says Linux kernel czar The Register

AI-driven framework uncovers new carbon structures—one thought to be harder than diamond PHYS.ORG

Wikipedia officially bans AI-generated content — relying on human editors for bot detection NY Post

The Bezzle

FTC reveals a record $15.9 billion in consumer fraud losses in 2025 Detroit Free Press

Wealthsimple called me to warn me about a scam. Turns out that call was the scam — how to avoid fraud even as it becomes widespread Money Canada

Guillotine Watch

Antidote du jour (via)

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here

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68 comments

  2. Bob from Kansas

    The first tweet, “It literally shredded the perfectly functioning machine.”, Grok is saying it is AI, and it gave me that not right feeling as well.

    “No, this is AI-generated. The video matches recent viral clips labeled as such on TikTok/Instagram (e.g., from accounts like timelinetiktok), showing impossible physics—an intact, running excavator self-driving into a shredder without an operator escaping. Real scrapyard shredders handle pre-dismantled metal, not whole machines like this. Cool visuals, but fake.”

    My daughter is giving me a crash course in spotting these things. You can see what looks like a driver in the cab who never got out.

    2. Irritable

      It’s blatant AI slop.

      Just check how the “chewing rollers” completely change shape from the first half to the second.

      Of course, maybe it’s the MIC doing this multiple times at multiple sites to create more invoices for 10 million dollar (sic) excavators.

    4. bob

      100% fake. I’m not sure there is a machine that could shred an excavator, to begin with.

      The tracks/track pads are made of steel that is as hard, or harder, than the shredding wheels.

      There is also no debris in the shredding wheels.

      It worries me that even a few people can be tricked by this. The perspective and relative sizes are changing constantly. SLOP

  3. The Rev Kev

    ” ‘He’s lied about everything’: Iran war puts Trump on shaky ground with young MAGA men”

    ‘A 66 percent majority of older MAGA men are willing to sacrifice American lives in order for the U.S. to achieve its goals in Iran, compared with less than half of younger MAGA men who say the same.’

    Maybe because younger MAGA men are the sort to be thrown into Trump’s war in Iran. Older MAGA men are saying that sacrificing American lives is a sacrifice they themselves are willing to pay. But afterwards they will thank them for their service.

    1. ilsm

      Trump the “get out of Ukraine in 24 hours” candidate is now Trump the war monger in chief.

  4. ilsm

    Out and about in southern NH town Saturday.

    Larger than expected “no kings” demonstration! Not enough antiwar!

    One memorable sign: “Epstein files not in Iran”.

    1. Lefty Godot

      The signs I saw on Saturday were mostly the usual anti-Trump and anti-ICE ones, with one or two random others, but it was a pretty small group that I saw, downhill from the center of town. On Friday I saw another group a few towns over with mostly antiwar signs (and one impeach Trump sign). In both cases, the majority (but not all) of the protesters were old people. I guess the purpose, as in the 1960s, is to get media coverage so that people all over will know there are others with the same opinions out there. But then what? Also, the media are neatly divided into blue and red now and will either amp up the coverage or dismiss the whole thing as more libtard nonsense. The media landscape has changed drastically from that of the 1960s but the tactics protesters use don’t seem to have adapted. If anything protests are more polite now, which is understandable (no one wants to get beaten up by cops running amok) but mutes whatever effect the protesters are aiming for. Or maybe it’s just me that doesn’t understand the genius of what they’re doing.

      1. Cat Fancier

        Younger people on Instagram are pointing out that No Kings is run by a top down organization, Indivisible, and ours locally was Dem Party affiliated. Real protesters are doing quieter, less well publicized actions of various kinds and are very aware of being under surveillance, that if your group is too big, it attracts infiltrators, etc. They tend to be in places w a history of community activism, like Seattle or Portland, or the like. My area was older, comfortable people who’ve never risked anything. And their beef was mostly w Trump, not general opposition to US foreign policy (a few antiwar signs).

    1. flora

      Turning and turning in the widening gyre
      The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
      Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
      Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
      The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
      The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
      The best lack all conviction, while the worst
      Are full of passionate intensity.

      – W.B.Yeats
      The Second Coming
      https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming

  6. The Rev Kev

    “Wikipedia officially bans AI-generated content — relying on human editors for bot detection”

    Yeah. Probably a very good idea this.You let in AI slop and don’t check what is being published, the next thing you know is that you have Elon Musk’s Grokipedia.

    1. Yves Smith

      This is actually sort of genius and may allow them to regain ground v AI summaries which as we know can be erroneous

      Plus confirms my priors so I hope it works.

    2. Craig H.

      Isn’t it too late? I have been seeing bot stuff in wikipedia for so long I cannot remember how long ago it started. At least a year.

      If you had an 99.9% reliable bot-content-detector-bot and set it running free on wikipedia it might be like painting the Golden Gate Bridge.

    3. brian wilder

      I got it into my head to edit Wikipedia in regard to the topic of “deflation” and some related topics like “Long Depression” last Summer and have been doing some desultory tweaking and occasional library research to support it since. I find I am a bit out of my depth, frankly, and have not made as much progress as I expected to. The Wikipedia “deflation” article is pretty bad and poorly rated by Wikipedia’s rating process, but I, personally, find it very difficult to overhaul and keep the necessary neutral voice. I try to make small insertions tied to better sources, mostly important books, but haven’t made much progress and the idea of trying to overhaul the article’s topic outline just makes me tired.

      Since launching, Grokipedia, which started out with duplicates of the Wikipedia articles, “deflation” and “Long Depression” and “The Great Deflation”, has been steadily grinding away at modifying and expanding the originals, while I have done very little.

      I did delete “The Great Deflation” from Wikipedia as redundant — it was barely a stub; other editors had previously deleted significant portions previously introduced by Austrian cranks leaving incoherence. I argued for deletion on the additional basis that the term, “the Great Deflation” was not in fact commonly used to refer to the period, 1873-96. After deletion from Wikipedia, Google Search results changed markedly within days to point primarily to other uses.

      Grokipedia’s texts have expanded. The English composition quality has markedly improved, with better topic outlines imposed. Grok does do a marginally better job footnoting and linking sources than Wikipedia on these topics. “The Great Deflation” on Grokipedia is now a lengthy essay. The “Deflation” article on Grokipedia has an improved outline.

      These topics are subject to political contests. There’s a long-standing effort to revise the history of the Depression 1873-79 to minimize or even erase the longest NBER recession on record. Also, never-ending controversies over proper central bank policy control targets include a dispute over whether inflation-targeting should fear deflation.

      It can be hard for Wikipedia to handle the political contesting of theory and fact, and Grok doesn’t do better, though maybe the Wikipedia editors argue with each other. It is hard to know, I guess, if Grok argues with itself or people.

      Grok, in its “Deflation” article, positions this assertion in the first paragraph, making it implicitly a thesis of the article:

      While deflation episodes are frequently linked to economic hardship—as in the U.S. Great Depression of the 1930s, where prices fell by about 25% amid banking collapses and monetary contraction—empirical analyses across 17 countries from 1870 to 1999 reveal no strong causal connection between deflation and depressions, with most historical deflations occurring alongside positive or stable output growth rather than severe contractions.

      A single NBER working paper is the source, Atkeson and Kehoe, DEFLATION AND DEPRESSION: IS THERE AND EMPIRICAL LINK? That source may have been prominent in the corresponding Wikipedia article when Grok initially duplicated it, but a human editor at Wikipedia may have questioned its usefulness since then. 😉

      I can see that propaganda campaigns of confident assertions could be an even bigger problem for AI than they already are for wiki’s.

  7. Ken Murphy

    Regarding fashion, while I do have a preference for long skirts on women (the way it sways to and fro while walking is rather beguiling), I am increasingly finding that what I really do not have a preference for are those confounded yoga pants.
    I just don’t grok them as a form of public attire. I’m sure my statement will be belittlingly ascribed to my own clearly warped and askew perspective, but I just don’t get why women feel it is necessary to display their mons pubis in public. Is it, like makeup, some kind of gynosocial warfare? I’m not talking about the beach or yoga class, but rather the mall or the grocery store.
    Or perhaps I need to just get with it, old man, and invest in biking shorts and a codpiece.

    1. JP

      You don’t understand the cycle of fashion. Get a burka.
      Titillation has to work from the subtle to the extreme and back again as well as from male to female.

    2. marieann

      I also don’t like yoga pants in public.I also know that fashion chart is so wrong….it’s only skirts and dresses. Pants are what I see young and old women wearing and they are not even shown. Where I live I only see skirts and dresses in the summer as they are suitable attire in the heat. That chart is totally ’50’s styles and I know as I was there.

      1. ACPAL

        I remember when young men started wearing long hair. People made up all kind of excuses why they did that and why it was wrong. And when women began going bra-less, oh how it was so shameless. And when a kid with a hoodie got shot some people said he shouldn’t have worn the hoodie because, you know, hoodlums wear hoodies. All of my new coats now come with hoodies. The YouTube video listing all the terrible reasons women wear those tight pants are completely predictable.

        Myself,
        I enjoy staring at
        beautiful sunsets,
        pretty flowers,
        and lovely ladies.
        That doesn’t mean
        I want to make love to each,
        I just appreciate the view.

  8. eg

    “Rahm Emanuel on how the democrats could blow it in 2028”

    Um, by listening to Rahm Emanuel? Ever?

  9. bob

    The guardian is in a tough spot, they can’t even afford editors for their subheads

    Kristi Noem was replaced by Markwayne Mullin as DHS secretary and Gregory Bovino was demoted, signally a change in tone even as arrests have continued

    Since Sat 28 Mar 2026 10.00 EDT

    1. Cetzer

      The poor drones only wanted to be as happy as the Finns, the unbetrodden World Happiness Champions of all fright categories. Or as the Swedes (too near to be fooled) like to say: They are happy as a shark fin.

  11. Tom Stone

    I keep seeing people claiming that today’s cannabis is much more powerful than what we smoked in the 1970’s.
    I was buying “Saigon Black” in 1968, opiated thai stick for $8 a “Three finger lid” and in August 1971 I shared a joint of very nice Sinsemilla spiked with honey oil with two friends.
    It depended on who you knew…

    1. Mark Gisleson

      Adulterated cannabis (Tiger sticks) is hardly a fair comparison. Current vapes are not adulterated, they are hyperconcentrated.

      I’m a heavy smoker but I’ve been waylaid by friends’ vape pens. You can smoke from a pipe nonstop all day and not get as “high” as you do from some vapes. The answer of course is to use much less of it but as with any judgment-impairing substance, it’s easy too vape way too much. Luckily, except for the panic-prone, overdosing on pot usually just means you get some very good deep sleep.

      Another big consideration that isn’t mentioned nearly enough are all the growth hormones being used to speed crops, none of which (to my knowledge) have been tested and OKed by the FDA or USDA.

  12. Mark Gisleson

    ZME Science’s exculpatory story about COVID vax and heart issues for younger males was premised on a bizarre theory of reducing the test population to exclude anyone with previous heart issues.

    Assuming the study was accurate, what I think they’re really telling us is that all the young guys who died after being vaccinated had preexisting heart problems. That probably wouldn’t have killed them at a young age if they hadn’t been vaxed.

    Science still working way too hard to let themselves off the hook for their extremely bad behavior.

      1. Mark Gisleson

        Not a scientist, ill equipped to assess the information given but as a lifelong marketing propagandist I find the reporting to be extremely “loaded” for an article on a new scientific study. The presentation’s use of language is far from casual, almost every subhed has an agenda.

        That is NOT how you present scientific findings, this is how you argue a case. Sorry to be distrustful but if there’s one thing Big Pharma has taught us, it’s that we should be more skeptical.

  13. Jason Boxman

    In this episode of America is a shit country, to deal with the catastrophe that diesel pricing is going to be, we’d nationalize the railroad industry. No more precision scheduling trash. Rail is a lot more efficient than long haul trucking. We’d have a crash program on long haul trucking electrification as well. Immediate mandatory 2 day remote work as well where possible.

    But no, because markets.

    America is going to emerge from this much weaker, Russia and China will be fine.

    2. upstater

      The rail industry may be further consolidating if Union Pacific is successful buying Norfolk Southern. Which means more cuts, not growth. Volumes have been stagnant for 2 decades due to poor service reliability and PSR. Employment is down by a third. Thousands of locomotives are stored and new locomotives are seldom purchased. Instead 25-40 yo locomotives are rebuilt to avoid tier 4 emission requirements. Diesel is a huge cost component. Look for fewer, longer underpowered freight trains.

      1. johnnyme

        And there are a lot of new eager buyers in Australia:

        Australian EV Sales Have Exploded Since America Went To War With Iran

        February’s VFACTS data tells a story that would have seemed absurd 12 months ago. EV sales jumped 95.9 per cent year-on-year, claiming 11.8 per cent of the new car market. That’s up from 8.4 per cent in January and nearly double the 5.9 per cent recorded in February 2025.

        Carsales reported a 76.7 per cent spike in EV searches after the war broke out. A Primara Research survey found 25 per cent of Australians are now considering buying an EV for the first time, up from just seven per cent before the conflict. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, that figure is 42 per cent.

    4. nyleta

      Quite a few owner-drivers of long haul trucks here in Australia are starting to park up. Diesel doubled practically overnight here and the system for trucking rates adjustment can’t cope. The freight companies won’t pay enough in the new circumstances for them to bother to leave home.

      In time either the trucks go back to the bank or freight rates skyrocket, and most freight here goes long distances on trucks. Oil, tires, service on top of that and it will be a perfect storm. Haven’t checked how ad-blue is going but it is urea based. Not many train lines here and the ones we have are very vulnerable to weather.

  14. Alex-Evidence

    Re: COVID Vaccines Did Not Raise Sudden Death Risk in Healthy Young People ZME Science

    Likely link to study, since the ZMEScience post author did not deem important to present it https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41855201/

    Actually it is a very well done study, and I am impressed that the study authors have considered explicitly the results in the first, second and third vaccine dose.

    However, the main concerns with the COVID mRNA vaccines were not ” sudden death syndrome” in people below 40 years in the first 6 weeks after administration of vaccine dose”, but rather health issues for this category of people in the first 6 weeks of administration of COVID mRNA vaccines, and also their health issues after 12-24 months of administering these COVID mRNA vaccines

    1. Yves Smith

      Your interest is impossible to satisfy. It can’t be parsed out from the effects of getting Covid, since an estimated at least half the cases are subclinical and the vaccines confer only ~6 months of immunity.

  15. ISL

    Re: The Rein interview – I stopped listening when he claimed China was not helping in any way Iran. How could he now know that China is at a minimum providing satellite ISR – its been all over the news. Either he is woefully ignorant and thus his opinions are irrelevant, or he is an agent of someone, and not worth the effort to try and filter his biases – I already have too little time to follow all the info sources in my trusted (and bias-characterized) source list. Was thinking of writing Cyrus and asking WTF?

    1. ciroc

      Beijing likely views Chinese private companies selling satellite images to Iran as simple business transactions, not as support for Iran. Although China officially maintains a neutral stance on the war between Russia and Ukraine, both countries are using Chinese-made military equipment.

      1. ISL

        Umm, ISR in real time is invaluable support, and it’s hard to imagine in China a private company doing anything with geopolitical implications without tacit (or more) government approval. Consider the ban on rare earths to the US MICC. I have watched a Chinese spokesperson dance around the question of whether you are supporting Iran directly, without answering the question, but indicating they had the right to help whoever, and they help their allies. I mean, why is that radar ship from China in the Gulf area now -collecting SIGINT and tracking info on US movements that are of interest to Iran, not China? Its been widely reported. Also, China was in the Gulf for military exercises with Iran, and I haven’t heard those ships return. This has all been widely reported. I would have hedged to show I am aware of various information, but not the specific (likely classified) details.

        Meanwhile, Alistaire Crooke reports enormous concrete support. I would not expect him to be familiar with Allistair Crooke’s reports, but I grow suspicious of those who skirt the obvious while acting as experts.

  16. Tom Stone

    Who will get the blame?
    “Obviously” America’s Military is the most powerful in the history of the world, the GREATEST EVER!
    When the good old USA loses WW3 someone will be blamed for “Stabbing the USA in the back” and it won’t be the Juice because Zionist $$$$ and blackmail.
    ANTIFA has some advantages because it doesn’t exist and I don’t see how immigrants can be framed for “Operation Epic Failure”.
    It can’t be Trump because he is a”Stable Genius” as are the Generals…maybe blame Grok AI?
    Or vaccines, vaccines would be good.
    It needs to be a group that can be punished harshly and visibly without upsetting the donors and there don’t seem to be many good choices.

    1. ISL

      Clearly it was the cartel del sol. Fortunately, the leader is a prisoner of war in the US (or betrayal). /snark

  17. Ann

    So, Avi Lewis was elected head of the NDP in Canada yesterday. He is against any further development of fossil fuels in Canada. I voted for him.

    Mark Carney congratulated him and said he looks forward to working with him.

    The heads of the NDP in Alberta and Saskatchewan (both oil-rich provinces) publicly denounced Avi Lewis and said they would not work with him because he would harm the oil industry and hurt oil workers.

    Trouble ahead.

  18. ilsm

    Worse than relying on Mom and Pop!

    If you have to splint an airframe part or if not reparable make anew airframe part they must use the aluminum alloy on the spec sheets. Some repairs must be done with engineering support from Boeing in case of B707 derivatives. FAA rules the 707.

    Some of which are rarely “mixed”. A repair facility should stock, but won’t bc carrying charges so some heavy maintenance takes months.

    1. rowlf

      Decades ago an airline I worked at had a 727 with a damaged wing that required significant repair. The Boeing Aircraft-Out-Of-Service team got Boeing engineering approval to use a 767 wing plank for the spliced in section. The Boeing team was impressive to watch in action. They liked that they got to do the work in a hangar instead of outside in the elements.

  19. Henry Moon Pie

    Robots–

    I have an admission to make. I’m getting so I enjoy Tim Dillon’s satire. Here’s Dillon talking about Melania’s little WH robot fest, co hosted with Mrs. Netanyahu and Mrs. Macron. The video of the event itself is worth watching, but Dillon’s satire hits the spot as far as I’m concerned.

    1. Cetzer

      On a recent behind-the-chips tour of a chinese robot factory Mrs. Macron seemed to be very interested in a robotic surgery unit, that is able to perform a complete castration in under two minutes, even if the male specimen puts up considerable resistance.

  20. Ann

    Found on Ian’s site:

    A model bill for states to pass, re: ICE. It’s in .pdf form. Get your state to consider.

    Model Bill: State Accountability for Federal Interference at Polling Places

    State laws can deter federal agents from intimidating voters, as state prosecutions are not affected by presidential pardons or Justice Department decisions.

    https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/model-bill-state-accountability-federal-interference-polling-places

  23. Cetzer

    the long legal process facing Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores

    In German (and French?) there is an old idiom: Ein kurzer Prozess und ein langer Strick ~ A short process and a long rope.
    In the USA it’s reversed: A long process to provide for the lawyers and a short rope, because a fattened kangaroo is bound to the convict’s feet, so his neck breaks anyway.

    1. Alice X

      Maduro and Flores are political prisoners on an international scale.

      Adjudicated by the prison guards.

      Their commanders will offer a long process, and if there is a rope, the rope of the process, they will sell it to you.

      The process is the punishment.

  24. NotDownUnder

    Wow, those watches are very timely!

    So appropriate for the epoch of Donald T…the world is a casino…

    that’d be the not so subtle message…
    but there’s a problem…
    at the cost displayed, not every Dilbert can afford to get one,
    but he/she/they can afford to go to a casino, and lose…repeatedly.
    In today’s Neoliberal parlance ‘going to the casino’ means doing almost every possible human activity and being ripped off at some or multiple points in the ‘transaction space’.
    Is there anything apart from communing with Gud that isn’t enshitified?
    Probably only the simple things in life.
    So much for high culture.
    What a mess!

  25. Tom Stone

    Thank you Ann, after reading the statute it seems that any armed ICE officer interfering with the election is committing a felony punishable by 5 years in prison, plus a fine.
    They should then be treated like any other armed felon while in the act of committing a felony, however making a “Citizen’s arrest” might be problematic.
    That might not be necessary, ICE has alienated Law Enforcement by their behavior wherever their undisciplined goons have been active…

  26. St Jacques

    Naked Capitalism and its commentariat have long been at the forefront in raising awareness over the critically limited stockpiles and production of the US’s hugely expensive weapons (exquisite weapons or wunderwaffen) and what this could mean in a drawn out high intensity war, but here HistoryLegends performs a useful run-down of the numbers at this point in time.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0234zEi1AG4

  27. vidimi

    re: string theory

    The problem most physicists have is that they need to assume 6 new, undetectable to us dimensions, so equivalent to assuming God. But I also think it’s the best attempt at explaining things.

    My own belief for our universe’s origins is that a star in some ancestor universe went through a supernova and became a black hole, sucking up matter and energy. This event was the big bang that created our universe from “nothing”. The inverse of a black hole is a white hole and the old universe is the fuel for ours. This would mean that every black hole contains in it another universe and thus ours is really only part of the universe.

    This idea illustrates the duality of stars: destroyers of one universe, creators of another. Our sun, which makes life possible at our time and space, will eons from now also destroy everything which comes into its gravitational pull. Perhaps the best thing that illustrates this duality is the YIn Yang.

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