Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 9, 2025

Trump says US has ‘just about’ ended pause on Ukraine intel sharing

Clashes in Syria kill more than 1,000 people in 2 days

As Bangladesh’s factories turn to surveillance and automation, garment workers feel the pressure

In India, buying a gun is a WhatsApp message away

US credit card defaults soar to highest level in 14 years

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 8, 2025

Poland seeks access to nuclear arms and looks to build half-million-man army

Worst Fighting In Syria Since Fall Of Assad Regime

Ontario Premier Threatens to Cut Off Electricity to 1.5 Million Americans. While Canadian power exports have declined since a 2020 peak, several US cities still benefit from it significantly, including Buffalo, New York; Ogdensburg, New York; Pembina, North Dakota; Seattle, Washington; Great Falls, Montana; and Portland, Maine.

Younger Americans today do not recall a time when people actually took broken watches and TV sets to a repair shop and paid someone to fix them. A decade or two from now, young people may not recall a time when we still fixed automobiles.

Blood Typers is a terrifically tense, terror-filled typing tutor

Gene Hackman’s Wife Died of Rat-Borne Virus, Then He Succumbed to Alzheimer’s and Starvation

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 6, 2025

Special Report on AWOL Numbers and Casualty Ratios in Russia and Ukraine

Germany fact of the day

50 Thoughts on DOGE

They wanted to save us from a dark AI future. Then six people were killed

Do weekends really affect surgical outcomes?

Aspirin, ibuprofen might help protect against dementia, new study suggests

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 5, 2025

US Tariffs on Imports from Canada, Mexico and China Take Effect

I am a little confused about this case. I have read some reports saying that the contractors already did the work. If that is the case, it is normal for a judge to rule even if it does involve a lot of money. If it forced the payment for work that has not been done, that would be little more clear cut. Roberts and Barrett side with the liberals, Alito “stunned” by ruling: “As the Nation’s highest court, we have a duty to ensure that the power entrusted to federal judges by the Constitution is not abused. Today, the Court fails to carry out that responsibility….”

Troublingly, America’s fiscal imbalances have grown so large that balancing the budget is likely out of reach in the medium term. It would take nearly $17 trillion in ten-year savings to balance the budget by 2035. For context, the largest savings package in the past dozen years, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, saved $1.5 trillion over a decade.

Of interest to anyone who read the story that Rundy sent around about the journalist who was scammed. Two Americas, one bank branch, and $50,000 cash

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 4, 2025

The 720,998 babies born in Japan in 2024 was a drop of 37 thousand, or 5%, from the previous year, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry. It was the lowest number of births since Japan started taking the statistics in 1899. The result, which includes babies of foreign nationality born in Japan, is 15 years ahead of the forecast for reaching that level. The birth rate for just Japanese nationals is expected to fall below 700,000 for the first time when it is published later this year. The faster-than-predicted decline suggests government measures have completely failed to address the country’s fast-aging and declining population.

Chaos Erupts as Serbian Parliament Members Throw Smoke Bombs, Flares

Trump’s 25% tariffs take effect;

Lumber Prices Up 7% YoY

Your showerhead is lying to you

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 3, 2025

Conservative lock step on this is depressing. Putin has been saying things casting doubt on any peace but nobody is getting excited about that. What exactly do they expect Ukraine to agree to? If it is a complete acceptance of all Putin demands then why does the US need to pretend to be involved? Trump Pausing, Reviewing Military Aid to Ukraine

Mexico’s new tariffs hit Shein — and millions of local resellers. The government hopes the 19% tax will push Asian e-commerce giants to grow their operations in Mexico, and make up for 79,000 textile jobs lost to fast fashion.

TSMC to invest $100B as Trump demands more US-made chips, report says

Americans Sharply Divided by Age Over Support for Israel

The Martuscello Dynasty: Power and Patronage in New York Prisons

Head Of NY FBI Office Forced To Resign Amid Epstein File Controversy

Wildfires rage across the Carolinas; South Carolina governor issues state of emergency

Gemini Live will learn to peer through your camera lens in a few weeks

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 2, 2025

Lebanon seizes funds bound for Hezbollah at Beirut airport

Thousands flee after Japan’s biggest wildfire in decades

African countries must urgently start the process of ending aid dependency

Bizarre Great Power Triangle

California Policymakers Ponder State Ownership of Oil Refineries

Never trusted them or wanted to have anything to do with them after they drove Brendan Eich out. Firefox deletes promise to never sell personal data, asks users not to panic

Remembering 1995, the year of the world wide web.

Hidden in the story is a truth that shows up over and over again. The bell curve for men is a lot flatter then it is for woman. The fewest words per minute in the survey was a man. The most words per minute was a man. Only in the average were did woman talk more. Women Talk More Than Men After All, And By Quite a Lot

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 1, 2025

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo enters race for NYC mayor

Educating the Stupid on How Audits Work In Real Life

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 28, 2025

Washington-Kyiv Relations Implode Spectacularly (Updated)

Christian town in Syria keeps Aramaic alive, amid fears for future under new regime

WHO Is On the Verge of Collapse

New York Advances Gas Ban, Sidelines Other Green Building Rules. The state is pushing ahead on all-electric buildings, but a draft update to the building code leaves out other key recommendations from the state’s climate plan.