RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 23, 2024

Toll in Moscow terror attack up to 133; US intel official: We warned Russia of a plot

Video circulates showing Russian security agent cutting off the ear of an apprehended terrorist suspect and forcing him to eat it

Ukraine rejects claims of Western pressure over attacks on Russian oil facilities

Vessel Struck By Projectile, Catches Fire Off Yemen’s Coast

Attacks on Iranian gas lines effective, but not enough

Link refers to the UK. All poultrykeepers will be required to log their flocks on the national register this autumn – even if they own just a few birds in a backyard flock.

Over the last 50 years, American ice cream consumption has plummeted.

The Republican majority in the House will soon be down to just 1 vote

New York High Schoolers Stage Walk-Out Protest Against Transgender Agenda

And by 2100, almost all countries (97%) are expected to have fertility rates below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, the same report concludes.

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ cosmic explosion set to light up the night sky, NASA says

An old link but since I refer to this law from time to time it is a useful reminder of what it is about. Freddie Finds The Law Of Merited Impossibility

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 22, 2024

ISIS claims responsibility for Russia attack that killed at least 40 killed and injured dozens in shooting at Moscow concert hall

‘The crowd ran and they opened fire’ Meduza shares eyewitness accounts of the deadly concert hall shooting outside Moscow

Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv Denies Any Involvement In Terror Attack Near Moscow

In photos: Concert hall on fire outside Moscow after terrorist attack

US has urged Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, FT reports

Russia’s Reprisal Attack On Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure Was The Biggest Yet

Houthis Agree to Give China and Russia Ships a Pass in Red Sea

China’s birth rate has fallen so much that many hospitals are simply giving up on delivering babies

In today’s installment, we talk to Alex Dehgan about his time in Iraq, as Science Advisor for the Bureau of Near East Affairs, and as Chief Scientist at USAID.

The nationwide crafts and fabrics retailer Joann filed for bankruptcy on Monday but expects to remain open as it attempts to pay down its ballooning debts.

Warren Buffett’s favorite market gauge hit a 2-year high, signaling stocks are heavily overvalued and could crash

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 21, 2024

Automated Terminal Attack Capability Appears To Be Making Its Way Into Ukraine’s FPV Drones

Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion has entered a new phase, pitting homegrown drone technology against a 2,000 kilometer (1,200 mile) swathe of largely Soviet-era oil facilities. At least nine major refineries have been successfully attacked this year, currently taking offline 11% of the country’s total capacity by some estimates.

Hezbollah ramps up terrorist activity in ‘unprecedented’ Beirut-area deployment

Scottish Police Trained To Target Actors And Comedians Under Hate Crime Laws

Biden Finalizes Regulation for Electric Vehicles Mandates: Two-Thirds by 2032

‘Vigilantes’ try to evict squatters at $1M Queens house after homeowner who confronted them is arrested in tense standoff

Over 100 migrants break through razor wire, knock down guards as they illegally cross El Paso border in wild scene

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 20, 2024

Ukraine’s drone attacks on energy facilities have taken a bite out of Russia’s oil exports, industry insider says

Eilat Port to lay off half its staff due to Houthi attacks stymieing shipping trade

Israel’s Gas Exports to Egypt Soar Despite Political Tensions

Heavily Armed Militants Storm Pakistan’s China-Operated Gwadar Port, 7 Dead

German birth rate drops steeply against backdrop of unease

Banks in Cuba run out of paper money, workers unable to cash their paychecks

India stares at summer water crisis as reservoir levels slide

“Disabling cyberattacks” are hitting critical US water systems, White House warns

“It’s Enraging”: NYC Homeowner Arrested For Changing Locks After Squatters Take Over

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 19, 2024

The push to curb farm imports could cost Ukraine €1.2 billion in lost revenue.

Hamas Internal Security Chief Killed During IDF Raid On Shifa Hospital

Bank of Japan announces first interest rate hike in 17 years

I am always amazed at the never ending foreign appetite for US debt. Not enough to keep the rates sub 1% like they used to be but enough to keep them spiraling for now. Stellar 20Y Auction Sees Surge In Foreign Demand

Less interesting then the title would lead you to believe. How to Run a CIA Base in Afghanistan

More interesting then the title would lead you to believe. AWOL from Academics

Chrysotile asbestos finally banned in the US after decades of EPA efforts

Google Censorship: AI Run Amok Threatens Demonetization Over a Navigation Page with No Ads

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 18, 2024

Ukraine Situation Report: Putin Now Talking About Creating A “Buffer Zone”

A Ukrainian soldier said that Ukraine’s losses are so heavy where he’s fighting that they struggle to recover the bodies

Chartbook 270: How Russia makes missiles

Russia May Attack a NATO Country in Two Years: German Intel

After Pakistan Conducts Airstrikes in Afghanistan, Taliban Retaliates by Firing Across Border

Germany struggles to fix its pension system

Why auto insurance costs are rising at the fastest rate in 47 years

Our Strange TikTok Odyssey

U.S. economy faces 1970s-style stagflation as inflation sticks around

Nationally, the number of outages from 2019 to 2023 was 93 percent higher than in the previous five years.

Second Kuiper Belt? Planets Beyond Neptune?

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 17, 2024

Israel said to complain of slowdown in US arms deliveries amid growing rift

Residents of Africa’s richest city, Johannesburg, are experiencing a severe water shortage in the middle of a summer heat wave.

US Intelligence Report Warns of Potential Armed Conflict Between India and China

UNICEF Says Essential Aid Container Looted At Haiti Port

U.S. Drivers Warned to Brace For Jump in Gasoline Prices

Sophisticated ‘burglary tourists’ fly from South America to rob wealthy homes, LAPD says

Edit: I hit publish early by mistake. Which is a change from the normal mistake where I forget to hit it at all. But I will not stop adding to this until tonight sometime.

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 16, 2024

Qatar emir proposed expelling Hamas officials in meet with Blinken days after Oct. 7

Indian Navy Rescues Hijacked ‘Ruen’ from Somali Pirates

Democrats are hemorrhaging support with voters of color

New York Budget Fight: They do agree on some things: providing billions to manage the influx of asylum seekers, for example, and overhauling the way kids learn to read. But in many areas, they differ sharply, like on what defines a hate crime and how much to spend on clean water projects.

US Spent More Than Double What It Collected In February, As 2024 Deficit Is Second Highest Ever… And Debt Explodes

Tick-killing pill shows promising results in human trial

CDC Responds to FOIA Request on Myocarditis Data for Covid Vaccinations With Over 100 Blank Pages

According to the Washington Post, Northern Virginia needs the equivalent of several large nuclear power plants to serve all the new data centers planned and under construction. Texas also faces the same issue despite having the most wind capacity in the country. An analysis by the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie found that the energy needed by crypto operations aiming to link to the grid in Texas would equal a quarter of the electricity used in Texas at peak demand. In Georgia, demand for industrial power is surging to record highs, with the projection of new electricity use for the next decade at 17 times what it was only recently.