Agree with every word, but Maine voters knew all this the last time and she won by 8 points. Why do they like her?
Pondering about a 4th culture-concept; Asia = shame-culture, Arab/muslim = honor-culture, West = guilt-culture, Russia = blame-culture. + 'Pathological Altruism' (Barbara Oakley, Oakland University) + Hanlon's Razor driven in Reverse, Biting you in the Ass
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Agree with every word, but Maine voters knew all this the last time and she won by 8 points. Why do they like her?
Susan Collins has performed this schtick since I was a mere boy. How have Mainers not figured it out before now?
I hope he is for real and not another Kyrsten Sinema, Fetterman, or Joe Manchin. I hope he also knows how to ignore the MAGA Russian Propaganda teams in Congress.
Riker's Razor is way more plausible. bsky.app/profile/wilh...
I just read the first sentence of that ("No one cares that you pretend to be remorseful as you sell out to lobbyists.") and I immediately thought of Susan Collins.
That number might very well be 666 though.
That number might very well be 666 though.
Platner: No one cares that you pretend to be remorseful as you sell out to lobbyists. Symbolic opposition does not reopen hospitals. Weak condemnations do not bring back Roe V Wade. Maine deserves better than Susan Collins.
BREAKING: MASSIVE RALLY FORMING IN MAINE AGAINST SUSAN COLLINS.
17/ Cemetery wars have been a feature of Russian life for at least a decade, but the huge increase of burials resulting from the war Ukraine has prompted a major increase in the cemetery mafia's activities, as they seek to profit from the flood of new burials. /end
16/ Naumov announced on 27 May that he had "decided to dismiss the deputy head of the administration, Gleb Seregin, and the head of the housing and utilities department, Aleksey Shumnik, in connection with the current situation in the sphere of providing funeral services."
13/ "In addition, citizens were misled about the real cost of the services provided by the municipal unitary enterprise (in terms of installing fences), for which the group members charged 39,000 rubles and up, while its actual market value was no more than 20,000 rubles."
12/ "In case of refusal... places were provided on newly formed plots located at a distance from the desired burial site."
11/ "When citizens applied for the allocation of a land plot, they were required to purchase a combination of funeral services from a municipal unitary enterprise, which included digging a grave and installing a fence...
9/ The Interior Ministry says that the perpetrators “under the guise of employees of municipal enterprises, which they were not, or were only formally on the staff,” scammed Vladimir residents by demanding payment for free plots in the municipal cemetery.
8/ …in the amount of more than 10 million rubles,” according to the the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Vladimir Region.
7/ Over the course of a year from May 2024 onwards, they are said to have "illegally organised more than 300 funerals, as a result of which citizens suffered material damage in the amount of at least 5 million rubles, and the municipal enterprise lost revenue…
6/ They are accused of having staged “ritual wars” at the city's Ulybyshevo cemetery, fighting with other funeral providers and driving them out of business to limit competition. They are said to have earned more than 5 million rubles ($62,000) from various scams.
5/ The arrest appears to be linked to law enforcement raids against alleged local members of the cemetery mafia on 23 May 2025. 10 people were arrested on suspicion of embezzlement from Vladimir's "Specialised Ritual Services Plant".
4/ Last Wednesday, FSB agents were reported to have broken down the door to Mayor Dmitry Naumov’s office and waited for him to show up for work. He has been arrested on charges of 'fraud on an especially large scale'.
3/ This has been done in conjunction with corrupt officials in local administrations, ranging from clerks to mayors. The latter have typically provided 'krysha' ('cover') to the cemetery mafia, protecting them from investigation in exchange for a share of the profits.
2/ Organised crime gangs have used violence and arson to drive legitimate funeral firms out of business and take over cemeteries and even entire hospitals, often fleecing relatives for things that are supposed to be free, such as burial plots. threadreaderapp.com/thread/18366...
I now get visions of the first-ever movie with Bud Spencer & Therence Hill together, a rather dark (non-slapstick) episode, the notable final scene being a shootout on an endless graveyard, where the treasure is hidden in one of the graves, but only one of them knows where, and can't be shot.
1/ An alleged kingpin of Russia's infamous cemetery mafia has been arrested. The Mayor of Vladimir is suspected of links to organised crime groups that have taken over Russia's funeral business, which is enjoying a boom due to the Ukraine war. ⬇️
I now get visions of the first-ever movie with Bud Spencer & Therence Hill together, a rather dark (non-slapstick) episode, the notable final scene being a shootout on an endless graveyard, where the treasure is hidden in one of the graves, but only one of them knows where, and can't be shot.
15/ Several members of the city administration were among those arrested, including Nikita Petrunin, former deputy director of the Central City Department of Criminal Investigation, and several other accomplices. They have been remanded in custody.
14/ At one point, a 'cemetery war' broke out during an ongoing funeral ceremony, in which a city employee was beaten up and a man, allegedly using a gas canister and an SUV, blocked the entrance to the cemetery for other funeral services.
26/ Although men with HIV and hepatitis are supposed to be discharged, in practice the Russian army is keeping them mobilised illegally. They say that they are told by commanders that if they or their relatives complain, they will be "zeroed out" (murdered). /end
1/ The Russian army has experienced a 20-fold increase in HIV cases compared to pre-war figures, according to Russian military doctors. Soldiers who have been infected with HIV and hepatitis C blame drug abuse and a widespread disregard for basic medical hygiene. ⬇️
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We have become evil.
For those who might want to put a face to those 600 to be expelled Guatamalan kids.
Ukrainian military intelligence operatives destroyed key infrastructure at the Tver railway junction, RBC-Ukraine reports. In a daring early-morning operation, explosives were planted beneath tanker cars and remotely detonated, severely disrupting rail logistics deep within occupied territory.
Heute morgen wurde in Twer, NW Moskau an der Hauptstrecke nach St. Petersburg, ein Tankzug durch einen UA Sabotagetrupp gesprengt Man darf gespannt sein, ob das der Auftakt zu großräumigen Angriffen auf die Treibstofflogistik wird, weit über den Frontnachschub hinaus
🧪 Yeap, this a much better and we scientists voted with our feet. arstechnica.com/science/2025...
Egypt and Greece Reject Turkish-Libyan EEZ Claim maritime-executive.com/article/egyp...
#3/3 >> Clarke’s Third Law from Profiles of the Future states: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Tinker’s Razor is a conditional form of Arthur’s Law and states: Any sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from evil. <<
#2/3 Also relevant, both Grey's source (Clarke's Third Law), plus Tinker's Razor, identical to Grey's Law: tinkeredthinking.com/index.php?id...
This one is even more to the point, of malice; Riker's Razor: bsky.app/profile/bob-... #1/3
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To complete the riddle: Grey's Law (neutral). ('any sufficient amount of stupidity is indistinguishable from malice') My favourite thusfar: Hanlon's Razor in Reverse. (in my bio for more than a decade (Twitter/BlueSky)) bsky.app/profile/josh...
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Let’s remember, this kind of extreme pro-Holocaust antisemitism is tolerated and fine for the Israeli govt, even within Israel. www.timesofisrael.com/likud-court-...
Rubio just admitted a detainee is only being deported because his criticism of Israel could incite anti-semitism down the road despite not haven broken any laws. That's policing ideas. This was intentional.
#19/19 bsky.app/profile/book...
Probably close pal of Henry Ford? bsky.app/profile/wilh...
Had to do a little googling; well-known Nazi-employer at his hotels (1940) and Hitler admirer JP Getty’s current Getty Org. acquired Getty Images in 2018. (from the “there are no coincidences just tortured connections” department).
'Hanlon's Razor in Reverse' Part of my bio (Twitter/BlueSky) since more than a decade....:)) But also this: bsky.app/profile/josh...
For this Administration, it's probably better to follow the Reverse Hanlon's Razor.
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Hanlon’s razor my ass. My money is on Riker’s Razor: “If someone’s incompetence is too staggering to be true, they’re most likely faking it and you should find out why.”
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Grey's Law. bsky.app/profile/josh...
Whether or not these people are actual foreign agents is almost irrelevant. Their actions are observationally equivalent to & indistinguishable from the actions actual foreign agents would be taking. The consequences of our total Article I constitutional crisis, right here:
Or they are just better crooks in falsifying the books.
Or they are just better crooks in falsifying the books.
“The decline in VTB's lending operation appears worse than at some of its major rivals… Sberbank's results show a rise in interest income over the last two years, a markedly better core performance than VTB.” Wouldn’t be surprised if Sberbank ends up owning VTB when it collapses! 8/8
“A 2022 rule means ‘banks cannot go after their assets in insolvent companies and have to continue issuing credit, masking the level of financial distress in the economy,’ said Anders Olofsgärd of SITE.” VTB also will need to be recapitalized, or it may go under. 7/8
“Officials have privately noted that when it comes to the corporate portfolio, loan restructurings and the lack of visibility on war-related debt means it is hard to get an accurate picture of the true state of the loan book.” VTB can’t measure its core business? Or is just hiding it? 6/8
‼️ ‼️ Russia’s VTB [2nd largest bank] sees lending income collapse amid war pressure From August 11, 2025 Really important article in light of recent bank financial reports. And Russia’s largest defense bank, Promsvyazbank, may be underwater now! 1/8 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Pig-eyes, that's it. Was thinking shark-eyes before, but that was just not it. bsky.app/profile/ukra...
"*Surgutneftegas, Putin’s piggy bank, has currency reserves worth of ~$70B (5.6 trillion rubles). The strengthening of the ruble devalued the currency, causing a net loss." - @ukrainewarpod Pig-eyes, that's it. Was thinking shark-eyes before, but that was just not it. bsky.app/profile/ukra...
"*Surgutneftegas, Putin’s piggy bank, has currency reserves worth of ~$70B (5.6 trillion rubles). The strengthening of the ruble devalued the currency, causing a net loss." Pig-eyes, that's it. Was thinking shark-eyes before, but that was just not it.
Putin doesn't have friends. Only assets, kompromats, sycophants & lackeys.
Putin doesn't have friends. Only assets, kompromats, sycophants & lackeys.
OMG....he got Trumps eyes👀
www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/P...
A German report on the huge problems of the Russian coal mines. I guess you all have a translator😊 bsky.app/profile/kars...
‼️ This article is really important. Russian oil companies reported a drop in net profits in 1H 2025 of 50%-67%. 🛢️Rosneft: -68% 🛢️Lukoil: -51% 🛢️Gazprom Neft: -54% 🛢️Transneft: Unpublished 🛢️ Surgutneftegas: Unprofitable* 🛢️ Tatneft: -65% 🛢️Russneft: -69%
Remember! Inflation in Russia is likely between 15-20%. If firms aren’t generating 15-20% growth in profits y/y, they’re losing money!
Is this with or without taking corruption into account? Even if only 'on a particular large scale'? Including moving such assets out of Russia? (otherwise it would just be a transition of GDP-construction to GDP-harlots)
Is this with or without taking corruption into account? Even if only 'on a particular large scale'? Including moving such assets out of Russia? (otherwise it would just be a transition of GDP-construction to GDP-harlots)
'Operation Boil the Frog'
'Operation Boil the Frog'
Sounds like Afghanistan to me
🇷🇺 Happy September, Russians! Reminder that new laws are effective today. 🏫 Education: - Educational activities for "foreign agents" are banned. - English language classes in grades 5–7 have been reduced to 2 hours per week. -Every new smartphone must have RuStore and the MAX messenger installed.
Kommersant and some other folks said Russian auto plants were on a “scheduled vacation” in August. I see no news articles that they’ve reopened. Why is the government proposing alternatives to workers being put on a part-time schedule? www.kommersant.ru/doc/8006594
🚔The head of the National Association of Builders and his lawyer have been detained in Moscow. They’re being kept in a maximum security prison because of the seriousness of the charges: bribery on an especially large scale. The construction industry is in free fall. www.kommersant.ru/doc/8007072
Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, presented the results of the military campaign in Ukraine, and behind him, a map of the occupation of foreign territories was noticed. t.me/c/1583655041...
Trump will not make a public appearance today either. His last televised appearance was as long as six days ago.
Darwin as clickbait.
Darwin as clickbait.
What’s more important, finding the cause of autism or September? Does anyone at this point not know what Kennedy’s cause for autism was well before this September?
#3/3 Probably got confused by this Bureau: www.npr.org/2025/02/10/n...
#3/3 Probably got confused by this Bureau: www.npr.org/2025/02/10/n...
Probably got confused by this Bureau: www.npr.org/2025/02/10/n...
1/ At least 250 Russian soldiers a day are being declared missing or dead by the courts, equivalent to the declared daily losses of the Russian army at the front. Although at least 50,000 men are missing, the Russian government is doing little to help relatives. ⬇️
A Watchful Eye 
Sacto_Steve 