Author Archives: The Editor

Links For Today

Posted on by
Reply

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 27, 2025

Russian ultranationalism, inflamed by the killing of the hooligan commander ‘Spaniard’

Somalia Set to Lead UN Security Council in January

Defense Ministry hands IDF first combat-ready Iron Beam laser interception system

High-Pressure NatGas Line Ruptures Outside Los Angeles, Forcing Major Highway Shutdown

“Where Are the Children?” Minnesota Daycare Fraud Caught on Video. 99 children paid $1.9 million this year in CCAP funding. Where are the children? Were they kidnapped? Did they run away? This is the State of Minnesota.

How gut bacteria could help to diagnose depression. The team observed a lower balance of bacteria in the gut of teens with depression, as well as a prevalence of a bacterium known as Collinsella, which was linked to inflammation and changes in the gut’s barrier.

Links For Today

Posted on by
Reply

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 26, 2025

Why bomb Sokoto? Trump’s strikes baffle Nigerians

7.0-magnitude earthquake rattles Taiwan

China eyes mastery of EUV lithography, bolstering AI chip ambitions, analysts say

A year under water: Record floods sweep Vietnam from megacities to tourist hubs in 2025

Why Britain has a deer problem – leaving damage that costs millions

‘Super flu’ sends NYC cases to highest level in a decade — and ‘we haven’t hit the peak yet’

Wild hogs wreak economic havoc for Mississippi agriculture. “Farmers have enough stress as it is. They don’t need this modern-day locust.”

O Come, O Come Emmanuel In More Traditional Styles

Posted on by
Reply

One thing about the more traditional styles is that I find I have to listen to them louder then I would the more modern pop type treatments to really get the musical complexity and talent. Admittedly, that is because the first of these does not have the best recording compared to studio products. But the last one has excellent sound recording and I still needed to raise the volume higher then I normally have it to really appreciate it.

Links For Today

Posted on by
Reply

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 23, 2025

Chinese Researcher on US Visa Charged with Smuggling E. Coli Into the Country. Meanwhile, other Chinese researchers arrested for smuggling biological materials into the U.S. earlier this year have been released and sent back to China.

Big Boxships Return to Suez After Two-Year Hiatus

Third-Quarter GDP Grew at an Annual 4.3% Rate, But With a Catch

Tesla Doors That Won’t Open Have Led to 15 Crash-Related Deaths

Scientists find hidden placental changes linked to gestational diabetes

Links For Today

Posted on by
Reply

Russian officials tell Meduza that mobile Internet blackouts and blocked messaging apps are undermining their ability to manage public sentiment

New Bird Flu Strains Appear to Target Dairy Cattle More Effectively. Meanwhile, hundreds of snow geese have been found dead in Pennsylvania from suspected bird flu.

MapsMapped: Recession Risk by State in 2025

Marijuana use has surged among Americans 65 and older.

One Protein Is a Better Predictor of Heart Disease Than Cholesterol

The LinkedIn job scam is global. The hook is local

Links For Today

Posted on by
Reply

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 21, 2025

Netanyahu Expected to Brief Trump on Possible Iran Missile Strike During Visit

Japan must have renewed discussions about the country’s long-held three non-nuclear principles, a senior Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker said Sunday, as Tokyo continues to rely on the U.S. “nuclear umbrella” — the latest signal that revisions could be on the horizon.

In 1950, Europe had about 12 million births versus 1.7 million in Nigeria. In 2023, that relationship had reversed, with Nigeria recording more birth each year than all of Europe (including Russia) combined! I checked that claim here and it seems to hold up. The world is changing more then even those of us who think we are paying attention to demographics can grasp.

Water, a ticking time bomb for Mexico. The San Juan River offers a way to deliver the promised volume of water to the United States, but the prolonged drought is forcing the countries to reform their agricultural models to comply with the bilateral agreement in the medium and long term

“The average U.S. car commuter is spending a record 63 hours annually stuck in traffic. That’s the most since 1982, when the dataset begins.”

The most cited reason for using AI is Therapy/Companionship. The second most commonly cited use is “organizing my life”. The third most cited is “finding purpose”. Fourth most commonly cited use of AI is “enhanced learning” (which I cynically take to mean cheating but maybe it is just using AI as a better search engine). It is only when you get to #5 that maybe you get to “generating code”.

Scientists Warn Tramadol May Do More Harm Than Good

Links For Today

Posted on by
Reply

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 19, 2025

The End of the Road for Japan

Little-Known Issue Contributing to Deadly Muslim Attacks on Christians in Nigeria

Trump Orders Blockade as U.S. Seizes Second Oil Tanker Near Venezuela

Substation Fire Knocks Out Power Across Parts Of San Francisco. The power outage in San Francisco has caused Waymo’s self-driving cars to come to a halt, leading to traffic disruptions across the city.

Why Are 50,000 New York City Apartments Vacant?

Brand-New BMW X3 SUV Steering Wheels Have a Mind of Their Own. According to a new recall submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, several thousand 2025 and 2026 BMW X3 crossovers have a problem with their steering system software that could cause the wheels to move unintentionally.

A long article on how gift cards work from a technical perspective and how that impacts common scams. The American Association of Retired People (AARP, an advocacy non-profit for older adults) has paid for ads on podcasts I listen to. The ad made a claim which felt raspberry-worthy (in service of an important public service announcement), which they repeat in writing: Asking to be paid by gift card is always a scam. Of course it isn’t. Gift cards are a payments rail, and an enormous business independently of being a payments rail. Hundreds of firms will indeed ask you to pay them on gift cards! Gift card scams are also enormous. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received $16.6 billion in reports in 2024 across several payment methods; this is just for those consumers who bothered reporting it, in spite of the extremely real received wisdom that reporting is unlikely to improve one’s direct situation.