RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 29, 2023

Israel-Gaza Update: Merkava Tanks Roll Down Gaza Beach. This line from today’s update was was noteworthy: Meanwhile, it is circulating that Hezbollah’s leadership is calling out Iran for inaction, including questioning why Iran has stockpiled weapons under Hezbollah’s banner if they do not use them now. We are trying to confirm the authenticity of this video, but this would be a bizarre fracture in this incredibly tight relationship if true.

Despite incendiary rhetoric, Iran walks tightrope to avoid direct Israel war

“Pro-Palestinian” Mobs Shouting “Allahu Akbar” Hunt Jews At Makhachkala, Dagestan (Russia) Airport. Related: ‘We’re not touching non-Jews today’. If I was a Russian, I would wonder what was meant by “today”.

China’s debt-saddled regions owe far more than they can pay back without Beijing’s help

Pakistan gives last warning to undocumented immigrants, many Afghan refugees, to leave

Hurricane Otis smashed into Mexico and broke records. Why did no one see it coming?

‘Pharmageddon’ is coming: Thousands of pharmacists plot next walkout over work conditions

Monstrous ‘zombie catfish’ are appearing in US waterways. What’s causing it?

Harvard’s Double Standard on Free Speech

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 27, 2023

Ukraine Situation Report: Signs Longer-Range ATACMS Will Be Sent Grow

As Bakhmut counteroffensive lags, soldiers burnt out from horrors of war

Israel-Gaza Situation Report: Major Expansion Of Ground Operation Into Gaza Underway

A New Wave of Anti-Semitism Sweeps Across Germany

EPA’s Proposed Refinery Regulation Could Shutter More U.S. Refineries and Significantly Increase Gasoline Costs

Maine mass killing suspect has been found dead, ending search that put entire state on edge

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 26, 2023

Israel-Gaza Situation Report: Israeli Armor Rolls Into Gaza For “Targeted Raid”

Gantz’s speech reveals the most of Israel’s grand strategy for Gaza to date

They do seemed to be focused on destroying fuel in Gaza lately. Israel is not allowing fuel deliveries into Gaza. When the fuel for generators is depleted, Hamas fighters will have to leave their tunnels and face Israeli armor and air strikes.

US strikes sites used by Iran militias in Syria after repeated attacks on its troops

The United Kingdom is experiencing a dramatic outbreak—unprecedented in scale and magnitude—of diarrheal illnesses from the intestinal parasite, Cryptosporidium, aka Crypto.

A closely watched jury trial underway in Kansas City, Mo., could upend a contentious cornerstone of the U.S. real estate market — broker fees.

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 25, 2023

Ukraine Situation Report: Ukrainian Pilots Have Begun F-16 Training In U.S.

The story of a woman who fled the war in Ukraine, only to become homeless as a refugee in Russia

Israel-Gaza Situation Report: Delay Of Ground Offensive Agreed To

Former chief of Israeli military intelligence Amos Yadlin on where the war goes from here.

Israel Delaying Gaza Invasion So U.S. Can Deliver Missile Defenses to Protect U.S. Troops

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s removal of four ministers and demotion of former foreign minister Qin Gang makes Xi look powerful, but actually is a symptom of weaknesses in his leadership, analysts say.

A rare sighting of people talking about the oncoming fiscal crisis. The biggest victim of Fed rate hikes is the US government as interest on massive debt soars, billionaire investor Barry Sternlicht says and Treasury bond supply could soon hit record levels as unsustainable deficits and high rates create spiral effect, Bank of America says

Personally I think all diet based explanations for obesity are wrong. Most people don’t understand how massive the drop in activity level has been and they think that if they can’t make up for it with 30 minutes of moderate exercise 3 or 4 times a week then it must be diet causing the problem. Having said all that, the fact that fructose might cause a drop in ATP is interesting to me as it would explain “why sugar makes you weak” which if you have eaten bunch of sweet stuff and then tried to lift you will know for a fact. Johnson and his colleagues undertook an exhaustive study of all the known contributors to obesity, and found that the metabolism of fructose in the body causes a drop in a compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy for your body’s cellular processes.

Johns Hopkins doctor’s bullying exposes whole profession

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 23, 2023

Ukraine Situation Report: Multiple Russian Attacks On Avdiivka Repulsed

Israel-Gaza Situation Report: Israel Conducts Limited Gaza Ground Raid

Pentagon to Restock Arms Depots for Israel Initially meant for Ukraine

Israel has shunned ground operations for decades. Is it still looking for a way out?

Saudi crown prince announces esports ‘world cup’

AI-Powered Chatbots and Audio Bibles Transform Worship in South Korea

Why Longer-Dated Treasury Yields Spiked. Related: Ten-year Treasury yields jump above 5% for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis as the bond-market rout drags on

In 2020, scientists decided just to rework the alphanumeric symbols they used to represent genes rather than try to deal with an Excel feature that was interpreting their names as dates and (un)helpfully reformatting them automatically. Yesterday, a member of the Excel team posted that the company is rolling out an update on Windows and macOS to fix that.

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 20, 2023

The dramatic debut of the ATACMS ballistic missile in Ukrainian hands may well result in Russia pulling back elements of its forces.

Young Adults’ Views on Middle East Changing Most

Some military experts believe Hamas’ attack and the scope of proposed US military assistance to Israel point to a vulnerability that is making Israel’s opponents rethink their positions.

With hundreds of thousands of troops amassed for an invasion of Gaza, Israel laid out a three-staged plan for the operation.

Hamas Release Two American Hostages, a Mother and Daughter From Chicago

An opinion from a member of the American elite— AMERICA’S FAILING IRAN NUCLEAR POLICY: TIME FOR A COURSE ADJUSTMENT

China To Curb Graphite Exports In Latest Trade Spat

Italy defending the important things.

US broadly eases Venezuela oil sanctions after election deal

Earth’s Core Appears to Be Leaking In the Arctic and Scientists Don’t Know Why

Statistics Norway, aka Statistisk sentralbyrå or “the national statistical institute of Norway and the main producer of official statistics”, has just published a paper “To what extent are temperature levels changing due to greenhouse gas emissions?” The awkward part isn’t trying to grasp the subtleties of Norwegian since it’s also available in English. It’s that the Abstract bluntly declares that “standard climate models are rejected by time series data on global temperatures” while the conclusions state “the results imply that the effect of man-made CO2 emissions does not appear to be sufficiently strong to cause systematic changes in the pattern of the temperature fluctuations.”

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 19, 2023

USS Carney Shoots Down Missiles, Drones Fired From Yemen

Officials involved say admin indicated US military will join IDF if Hezbollah starts new front; Biden denies ever saying that but spokesman says we’ll protect Israel ‘if we need to’

‘Major expansion’: China now has more than 500 nukes, Pentagon says

Inside the Chinese-Run Crime Hubs of Myanmar that Are Conning the World

The decline in China’s US Treasury holdings isn’t as big as it seems

30-Year Treasury Yield Spikes Past 5%, 30-Year Mortgage Rates Hit 8%, Mortgage Applications Plunge

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 limited the profits of health insurers to between 15% and 20% of collected premiums, depending on the size of the health plan. But it imposed no restrictions on what physicians or other intermediaries can earn. The law created an incentive for insurers to buy clinics, pharmacies and the like, and to steer customers to them rather than rival providers. As with all things medical related that are posted on Marginal Revolution, you will get the most benefit out of this by going through the comments and reading all the ones by “Sure”.

In a Huge First, Scientists Transfer Alzheimer’s to Healthy Young Animals

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 18, 2023

Destruction From Ukraine’s First ATACMS Strike Now Apparent

Almost this entire al-Ahli Baptist Hospital story is a massive lie started by Hamas and amplified by western media

Iran-backed Shia militias target 2 U.S. bases in Iraq

Dow drops 332 points as oil jumps and Treasury yields hit fresh 16-year highs

Comment on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Proposed Rule – Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks