Various interests & likes - which my follows & posts reflect. Pro-Democracy.
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By shutting down the Foreign Malign Influence Center, Gabbard stripped away America’s shield against foreign meddling. Moscow and Beijing couldn’t ask for a bigger gift. #NationalSecurity #Disinformation #Elections #ForeignInterference #counterespionage www.justsecurity.org/119653/wjh-d...
Chatham House experts and researchers are available to follow on Bluesky. Connect with our experts here and follow them for their analysis on key international events and global trends. ⬇️ go.bsky.app/UKHXrog
Tensions rise between Gabbard and CIA chief after her disclosure of undercover officer's name, insiders say www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...
In view of recent months disruption & ruination, it is surely reasonable to conclude that despite tensions...any wrongs will persist, and continue. Putting the officers name on the list, identified as surely as a full page advert in The Times. Naming connects dots etc. Hideous regime. IMO
Also, will they have to pay a $15,000 bond?
Shiroyama Azalea Festival transforms hillsides into pink carpets of blooming bushes, while Isoyama Shrine's Hydrangea Festival combines spiritual atmosphere with lantern-lit pathways through blue hydrangea groves, offering visitors peaceful evening strolls among the flowers.
Tochigi Prefecture showcases spectacular seasonal blooms through four major flower festivals. The Kanuma Satsuki Festival features vibrant azaleas and market atmosphere, while Kurobane offers serene hydrangea gardens with traditional Japanese tower views creating perfect summer scenery.
👏 🙂 A very long way...
"I am an advocate for [Traffic Analysis] being recognised as a discipline as important as cryptanalysis in Sigint; I want to see better informed works recounting British Sigint history ... There is a long way to go!" siginthistorian.blogspot.com/2025/08/reco...
Wagashi are traditional Japanese confections served with tea, crafted to reflect seasonal changes through color, shape, and ingredients. Made primarily from plant-based materials like sweet bean paste, rice flour, and sugar, these artisanal sweets balance aesthetic beauty with subtle flavors.
Oregon, California, and Washington — your turn!
Was so glad to be a co-author on this important piece!
As summer ends, we begin the next phase in the fight for democracy. Will the rule of law hold? How will the 2026 election unfold? Join Brennan Center experts for a virtual event on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 3 p.m. ET. RSVP: bit.ly/4lIUNtm
President Trump’s push to oust a Federal Reserve governor risks undermining a cornerstone of U.S. economic stability ahead of a critical interest rate decision in September, write Roger W. Ferguson Jr. and Maximilian Hippold.
Nobel Prize-winning economist slides into foreign policy/international security analysis and does an excellent job here. Well worth a read… open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Businesses are scrambling to rethink their global supply chains in the face of tariffs.
Article quote "The Trump government’s Made in America push has driven up demand for labour, but the US workforce is both insufficient and costly, and mass deportations of migrants are only worsening the shortages."
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Sand batteries are literally just silos of sand that retain heat exceptionally well -- so well that they can be tied to heat exchange systems to serve as proxy *electrical* batteries. Finland's new model can store enough power (100 MWh) to heat an entire town for a week. newatlas.com/energy/large...
Brilliant. Wonder if anyone pondered if it could be upscaled for sand dunes of the World's deserts. Imagine those "siloed" & each interlinked, until nearest might be economically "tapped". Maybe that would be unrealistic.
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*There was supposed to be an "is" after "yes it" 🙂
As this is really only the beginning, yes it Millions of $'s poured into it. Expensive expertise pored over it, All the miracle AI was to be. The reality? It seems flawed. Is it fatally flawed & what would be implications? Several neighbours had diasbled Gemini. Its breach still impacted them
Unfortunately the article seems to be unavailable outside the USA. However, it is a marvelous idea. It will be interesting to hear of its success & future growth - and of "chains" realizing the errors of their absence. All The Best 🏆👍😀
👍🙂 No worries. I read it as tongue in cheek humour. My remark merely reflected things I heard over years & thought noticeable at times now. I hope US democracy-loving folks efforts are successful & USA gets well * returns to the fold of democracies & it's possible to be allies & friendlies again
With plans to build a drone "shield" to defend Japan's southwestern periphery amid rising concerns over the Chinese military’s moves, Tokyo is seeking a record-breaking defense budget of about $8.8 trillion.
Cuts to USAID risk 1 4, 0 0 0, 0 0 0 deaths in 5 years. Why would anyone whose cuts or policies resulted in such, merit the award? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, aims to preserve American safety by detaining, deporting, and sometimes, convicting unauthorized immigrants." Yet, after investigating someone, it is not required to state if the person checked is a U.S. citizen? That is so bizarre. And then some.
While ICE agents can note in their database if someone they’ve investigated turns out to be a citizen, they are not required to do so. As a result, records are often wrong and left uncorrected even after agents have been told of a mistake. (Published March 2025)
Explore what the cost and distribution of lighting tell us about human development: ourworldindata.org/light-at-night
From candles to electrons: changing lighting sources in the United Kingdom
Further to earlier 👉 Reportedly "hackers have figured out a way to use Gemini – Google’s own AI – against itself,” he clarified. “Essentially, hackers are sending an email with a hidden message to Gemini to reveal your passwords without you even realizing.” alphaengr.com/gmail-users-...
The AI "bit" wasn't much help in protecting it then?
Acoba announces transition arrangements ahead of its abolition www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
Even if you never been in a union, you almost certainly have enjoyed protection of workplace safety rules and benefits unions fought for over decades (e.g., sick leave, overtime). But unions have also been key in battles for civil rights, environmental justice, etc. open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
What criteria does the USAF use to decide who receives that? The confederacy & its flag thing seems big in some southern States. Might it indicate why some elements of American populace seemed gleeful of what might seem to be being inflicted on the USA & the current World Order?
When those with power and influence bargain with authoritarians, they accelerate the demise of their own democracy, argues @dziblatt.bsky.social. “Democracy rarely dies in a single moment. It is chipped away via abdication.”
Listen to the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” featuring @himself.bsky.social and @abenewman.bsky.social on how the United States has weaponized economic interdependence for decades—and why the tables are turning today: https://fam.ag/45VUghA
"Other states—starting with China—have begun to weaponize their own chokepoints in the global economic infrastructure. As Farrell and Newman write in the new issue of Foreign Affairs, “The United States is discovering what it is like to have others do unto it as it has eagerly done unto others.”
The USA has @ 11,000,000 + employed cybersecurity workers - and still "nearly every American" got pwned.
FBI cyber cop: Salt Typhoon pwned 'nearly every American'
Perhaps summer break = freedom. Freedom from the grind & discipline of school life - having to learn whatever is taught, being tested & graded? Moments of freedom are few & far between in our lives. Millions before them got "used to it". School years are less than their eventual work-life will be
Only 40%? That's disappointing. I had hoped it would fall by 2.5 times that.
Reverberations would surely shake the World. How to destroy the financial world in one? Just imagine - a President having personal hands-on of such. Presumably without proper legal oversight & safeguards. A president who reportedly discussed why he might have purposefully crashed stock market
At the moment it seems so tempting to compare that, and a certain "other" nation.
China’s KylinOS Linux takes a great leap forward to v11 and kernel 6.6
Russia struck Ukraine with deadly missiles and drone strikes in a sweeping attack that the U.S. special envoy on Ukraine said undermined President Donald Trump's peace efforts.
Sinking island states face an uncertain legal future.
The status of their EEZ's is certain to be among the most important questions. However that may be, if a sinking island Were to be declared "lost", what then might be its status if another nation later "raised" even a bit of it...could it then lay claim to the island anew...and any EEZ "created"?
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I’m with him (for now). You should be too. 🇺🇸 @governor.ca.gov
is that why the 'people' in the picture are laughing?.
www.thelist.com/1550049/dona...
Case study: Erdogan replaced technocrats with loyalists and kept rates low when they needed to rise. Inflation soared to 86%, and is still painfully high. That’s the playbook Trump's floating. Keep the Fed independent if you want low inflation without the drama.
Not in my browser! Vivaldi capo doubles down on generative AI ban
It's a good moment to brush up on the economics of central bank independence. Fortunately this was the focus of a recent segment of "The Professor Is in," which has aged remarkably well. Trigger warning: Earnest, explainer-ish, presents competing arguments honestly. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBVu...
Interesting article. Can the U.S. scale up its counter-espionage capabilities. The current political will seems lacking. Also, some issues may soon increase... apnews.com/article/chin...
Article via Bank for International Settlements Note: 24 page pdf full text via article link near title. Origins and foundations of central bank independence www.bis.org/speeches/sp2...
A collective problem which surely requires collective actions. 2025 article 👇 Climate Migration: A Multidimensional Challenge Requiring Global Action Some of the currently pressing issues earth.org/climate-migr...
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👍 For sure. A very few continental nations would have sufficient territory. No nation's infrastructure & resources would be sufficient. However nations may decide to handle it then, it is all going to be very problematical. Planning & prepping cannot be "kicked down the road" forever.
🚨🧵New RUSI report, ‘An Integrated Air and Missile Defence Architecture for the UK: Options to Defend the UK from the Russian Missile Threat’ by Dr Sidharth Kaushal is out now!
If you're starting a postgraduate course in History this autumn, please do consider joining the Royal Historical Society bit.ly/41mTuck Postgraduate Membership brings access to research funding, events, publications and networks. You'll join an international community of more than 6500 historians.
Climate Change Could Force 216 Million People to Migrate Within Their Own Countries by 2050 www.worldbank.org/en/news/pres...
When all 18 intel agencies warn climate change will hit Americans “massively” in the next 20 years, and it’s buried on the last page, that’s not oversight- it’s denial. Security starts with facing reality. #ClimateChange #NationalSecurity #Intelligence thebulletin.org/2021/11/harr...
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Excellent article quote 👀👇👇 "It’s no exaggeration that it’s going to take all of us to save our democracy from being paved over by this person who doesn’t care about the Constitution."
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi ... a model in so many ways, an inspiration to fight, fight, fight open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
BREAKING: Akazawa's trip to Washington for a 10th round of tariff talks has been abruptly cancelled.
Online property ad reveals looted Nazi war art, triggers police raid
#WildSummitUK is coming - it takes place two weeks today in Bristol. Head along to celebrate nature in the UK and discuss the action which must be taken to help restore it Book tickets here: buff.ly/zjVp0Gl Photo by Rob Coleman
Toilet giant Toto — famous for its water-spraying, musical toilets — has launched a service allowing people to scan a QR code that shows restroom locations and live congestion levels.
Have to smile at that 😀 Destined to be a very convenient app.
That'll be hideous for affected users. Gmail recovery process can be frustrating & unsuccessful. Several neighbours lost accounts recently, and all cannot access their accounts now - because gmail process is repeatedly sending 2 step verification emails to the accounts users cannot access.
2.5 billion Gmail users exposed- ShinyHunters may have just pulled off one of Google’s biggest breaches ever. It’s a wake-up call: if they can hit Google, no one’s untouchable. #CyberSecurity #DataBreach #Hacking #google #securitybreach news.trendmicro.com/2025/08/26/g...
While big foreign carmakers like Toyota, have the profits to absorb U.S. tariffs, industry experts expect a devastating effect on the dense networks of auto parts suppliers that make everything from pistons to wiring. | via @nytimes.com
Japan plans to use state funds to help residents of areas at high risk of fire obtain earthquake-sensitive breakers to prevent blazes caused by short circuits.
BREAKING: Court throws out a lawsuit by the Trump administration against all federal judges in Maryland over an immigration order.
Have any federal agencies ever clarified why relatives & legal representatives of detained / deported persons are not timely informed of destinations or even why not informed at all? Surely any democracy would provide such details - as a gesture of decency & humanity?
What will the future of maths look like now that AI is beginning to reveal new and unexpected patterns? Join Yang-Hui He as he explores how machine learning is transforming both the practice and philosophy of mathematical research.
In Nazi Germany, this dynamic was called “working toward the Fuehrer.” Not waiting for Hitler’s direct orders, they took the initiative to enact what they thought he would want.
As Trump’s approval numbers sink under the weight of repeated failure and flubs and the Democrats race to a huge advantage in the generic polling, his panic has escalated, causing him to resort to ever more extreme authoritarian moves. Last 3 fascist moves show it open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
The department said it will explore establishing dedicated "sector offices" to support the industrial strategy's growth-driving sectors where there is "appetite from industry" www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
We welcome #JAXA's interest in participating in the Ramses mission to the asteroid #Apophis, which will make a safe but exceptionally rare and scientifically valuable flyby of Earth in April 2029.
A “tariff rebate check” is like setting your kitchen on fire and then mailing yourself a bucket of water. There's an easier way to avoid the burn.
Brennan Center experts @seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social and @larrynorden.bsky.social forecast how the Trump administration will undermine confidence in our elections in the months leading up to the 2026 midterms:
Bizarre isn't it? The much vaunted free-press of "the land of the free". Yet too few seem to be standing.
When they have run out of litter to pick, what next task may they be found? What if 'someone' then wants them to paint street litter bins, postal boxes, lamp-posts, fake tan orange or red? Would they do it?
The DG role has oversight for the delivery of the High Speed Two line and Northern Powerhouse Rail www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
Summer matsuri festivals bring Japanese communities together with food stalls, traditional games, and lantern-lit evenings. Street vendors serve yakitori, takoyaki, and kakigori shaved ice while festival-goers wear yukata and participate in bon dancing. Have you experienced a matsuri before?
Datacenters face rising thirst as Europe dries up
Site them near coasts, above projected climate change sea levels. Carefully several some desalination plants, to supply their water needs. The EU coastline alone was estimated to be nearly 66,000 km. That's a lot of access to a lot of water from seas & oceans. Surely it only needs desalinating.
"Public broadcaster DR reported Wednesday that government and security sources ... believe that at least three Americans with connections to Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in the territory". www.cnn.com/2025/08/27/e...
I pierce the soft sweet skin of daifuku, the puncture wound caves in, red fruit suppurates— a festering blush of flesh. #短歌 #tanka #poetry #poesia #haikufeels #ichigo-tsumi 📌 www.foodinjapan.org/kanto/tokyo-...
Who are you again? Infosec experiencing 'Identity crisis' amid rising login attacks
In theory, quantum physics can bypass the hard mathematical problems at the root of modern encryption. A new proof shows how. Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4d7R...
Why Shippers Around the World Are Suspending Deliveries to the U.S. At least 25 countries suspend deliveries. time.com/7312579/coun...
Earlier this year 👇 Belarus was "preparing its military to suppress potential protests ahead of the presidential elections". english.nv.ua/nation/belar...
Join us next Tuesday for our next #ArsLive unpacking how tech firms are responding to Trump's trade war, and how looming chip tariffs could pose the biggest hurdle yet for the industry. Find out more on what to expect / how to join the conversation as it happens: arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
