By not surrendering, Hamas sacrificed and abused the Gaza population as shields and cannon fodder

That is the sad truth/fact about the coward and savage killers of Hamas!

Hamas committed outrageous war crimes!

Hopefully, this will be a lesson  for the people living in the Gaza Strip and other Arab people of what happens when fanatics take control.

Donald Trump 'stopped $50m. taxpayer dollars funding condoms in Gaza'. Really!

Would these condoms not have diminished future recruitment of Hamas killers? Caution: Satire!

Donald Trump 'stopped $50m. taxpayer dollars funding condoms in Gaza' - Israel News - The Jerusalem Post

Warum sind Kiffer schlechter im kopfrechnen: So schadet Cannabis dem Arbeitsgedächtnis

Gute Frage!

Warum Kiffer schlechter kopfrechnen: So schadet Cannabis dem Arbeitsgedächtnis "Bei jungen Menschen, die viel Cannabis konsumieren, sind im Hirn Bereiche weniger aktiv, die zum Arbeitsgedächtnis gehören und für das Lösen von Problemen zuständig sind."

Deutschlands größter Arbeitgeber: Über fünf Millionen Bürger im öffentlichen Dienst beschäftigt

Wenn der Staat wächst und wächst und zur erheblichen Bürde wird! Und die Staatsschulden und -defizite geraten außer Rand und Band!

Mehr als 10% aller Erwerbstätigen arbeiten für den Staat! Der Weg zur Knechtschaft!

Die Bananenrepublik D bedarf einer dringenden Kurskorrektur! Entschlackung ist extrem angesagt!

"Laut einer kürzlich veröffentlichten Untersuchung des Deutschen Beamtenbunds, dem „Monitor öffentlicher Dienst 2025‟, sind in Deutschland insgesamt 5,2 Millionen Menschen für Bund, Länder und Gemeinden tätig. Davon sind 1,9 Millionen Beamte, während 3,3 Millionen als Angestellte beschäftigt sind. In den vergangenen Jahren ist die Zahl der Beschäftigten im öffentlichen Sektor deutlich gestiegen. Im Jahr 2010 waren es noch insgesamt 4,7 Millionen Beamte und Angestellte. ..."

Deutschlands größter Arbeitgeber: Über fünf Millionen Bürger im öffentlichen Dienst "Überbordender Staatsapparat. Bund, Länder, Kommunen – Der deutsche Staat ist der größte Arbeitgeber des Landes. Die Überbesetzung in den Verwaltungsbereichen sorgt für einen Anstieg der Bürokratiebelastung und langwierige Entscheidungsprozesse. Auch der Steuerzahler wird zunehmend belastet."

Transgender is made for male sexual predators and voyeurs

Food for thought! Who is attracted to become a transgender female? Is there a better way to get close to victims?

Unfortunately, this temptation is for real and can not be ruled out! Cui bono!

P.S. Of course, not all transgender males are sexual predators or voyeurs.

Trump aims to finish what Reagan started, a missile defense system for the U.S.

Good news! Great headline!

When will Trump adopt the Iron Beam?

Yes, President Trump is well on his way to become the most consequential US president since Ronald Reagan, the comedian, film actor and talk radio commentator.

Trump aims to finish what Reagan started, a missile defense system for the U.S. | Just The News

Israel's Iron Beam set for deployment this year

Good news! LaserAway incoming, flying threats! (Pardon my plug for cosmetic surgery!) 😊

"Israel's Iron Beam laser air defense system is set to become operational in the second half of 2025, and now the "National Defense" website has published comments about the system from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems chairman Yuval Steinitz. ..."

Israel's Iron Beam set for deployment this year - Globes "Rafael chairman Yuval Steinitz told US website "National Defense" that the laser air defense system is continuing to improve its range."

Against women wearing pants | Blaze Media. Really!

What an utterly ridiculous article! An example of junk journalism!

Scottish men are crossdressers? The bagpipe is a large lipstick? 😊

Perhaps, male ballet dancers ought not to wear leotards anymore? 😊

"... A century ago it was considered "cross-dressing" for a woman to wear pants. No longer. ..."

Against women wearing pants | Blaze Media

Israel als Vorbild für mehr Wehrhaftigkeit und wirtschaftliche Stärke

Gute Idee! Natürlich kann die Bananenrepublik D. Einiges von dem sehr dynamischen, multikulturellen und wirtschaftlich sehr erfolgreichen Israel lernen.

Israel als Vorbild für mehr Wehrhaftigkeit und wirtschaftliche Stärke "Will Deutschland zurück zu wirtschaftlicher Stärke und zugleich seine Wehrhaftigkeit stärken, sollte es von Israel lernen – auch mit Blick auf die Finanzpolitik. Für sie ergeben sich neue Anforderungen, doch diese lassen sich bewältigen."

Banks Are red flagging your transactions Because Congress Forces Them To

Food for thought! How serious is the issue? Are there better ways to identify financial transactions by criminals?

How much does it help to catch real criminals or their collaborators?

"The Bank Secrecy Act has morphed from its originally intended purpose into an overreaching surveillance tool. It inadvertently gathers information on Americans who make legitimate banking transactions and then secretively transmits those details as “red flags” to the federal government for review. It’s time for Congress to end this decades-old practice of forcing banks to act as informants by repealing this law and restoring financial privacy."

Caveat: I did not read the article!

Banks Are Narcing on You Because Congress Forces Them To | Cato Institute "The Bank Secrecy Act regime forces banks to report customers to the government for an ever-growing list of “red flags.”"

Cato Today

Most Hamas terrorists were drugged, completely inhumane, rescued hostage says

Is this part of the reason why Hamas terrorists are so disinhibited, coward and savage?

Unfortunately, the article contains very little related to the claim that Hamas terrorists were drugged according to this freed hostage.

Personally, I suppose it is very plausible that some or many of the coward and savage suicidal killers of Hamas were drugged.

"... Har said the captors’ treatment of the hostages varied. "There were some moments of humanity, but not the majority. Most of them were either drugged or completely inhumane." ..."

Released Gaza hostage Luis Har warns of suffering of captives - Israel News - The Jerusalem Post "Har, who was abducted on October 7 from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was later freed in a daring military operation in Rafah in February 2024."

Jerusalem Post website annoyances

Every time you open an JP article in Google Chrome browser it attempts to run hundreds if not thousands of videos within a few minutes.

It slows down the responsiveness of the browser, the web page browser tab shows a spinning wheel etc. My laptop starts to make sounds like the CPU is in distress. Very annoying!

The only Jew in Oświęcim, Poland, can see Auschwitz from her bedroom window

Macabre! Why would anyone do that?

Is this woman just trying to draw attention to herself using the Holocaust?

The article lacks a photo showing the view!

"... Hila Weisz-Gut, 34, moved from Israel to Oświęcim, the Polish town where the Auschwitz memorial and museum is located, in 2023 to join her boyfriend, a Pole whom she met on a Holocaust education trip.

Since then, she has drawn attention from international journalists and townspeople alike for being the only Jew living in the town that most starkly symbolizes the Nazis’ murder of millions of people just like her. ...

“For me, it’s a statement that they tried to break us and exterminate us, but they failed,” Weisz-Gut told CNN this week about living in Oświęcim, where she can see Auschwitz from her bedroom window. “We are the generation that is here to say ‘you didn’t succeed. No more. Not again.’”"

The only Jew in Oświęcim, Poland, can see Auschwitz from her bedroom window - Jewish Telegraphic Agency "Hila Weisz-Gut’s grandmother survived Auschwitz. In 2023, Weisz-Gut moved to the town where the concentration camp is located."

Pete Hegseth's bodyguard seen wearing a Kippah

Nice camouflage! 😊

Pete Hegseth's bodyguard seen wearing a Kippah - The Jerusalem Post

EU Proposes Cutting 15 Russian Banks From SWIFT in New Sanctions Package

What took so freaking long!

Can EU states still act individually or only unanimously with all EU members on critical issues of war and peace? We all should be so glad about Brexit!

"The European Union (EU) has proposed to disconnect around 15 Russian banks from the SWIFT international banking system as part of the EU’s 16th sanctions package, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources.

The proposed package also allegedly includes a gradual ban on Russian aluminum imports and restrictions on more than 70 ships in Russia’s “shadow fleet.” These ships are accused of transporting Russian oil at prices above the $60-per-barrel cap set by Western countries.

However, the sanctions package must be approved by all EU member states before it can take effect. ..."

EU Proposes Cutting 15 Russian Banks From SWIFT in New Sanctions Package "The discussions come just before the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022."

How much did Karine Jean-Pierre cover up the severe mental decline of the 46th President?

Presumably a lot! As I have blogged here before this job was way above her qualifications and capabilities!

How much did she know about who is actually running the White House?

According to Wikipedia, she also "a senior advisor to President Joe Biden since October 7, 2024". Can you believe it!

At least she got to present herself with a lot of different hairstyles!

How did her moral integrity and consciousness cope with the truth that she so actively helped to conceal from the American public and the world?

Her predecessor Jen Psaki (in office January 20, 2021 – May 13, 2022)! Did she quit, because of her boss's unfitness for office?

Texas-Based Company Wins Pentagon Contract for 3D Printed Explosives

Explosive news!

"... SD&S has secured an initial $2 million Pentagon contract to develop and prove its cutting-edge 3D production system. ...

VLM, which will allow it to safely, cost effectively and consistently manufacture both conventional and innovative explosive material for use in artillery ammunition, solid rocket motors, aircraft bombs, pyrotechnics and small arms propellant. ..."

From the company's website:

"VLM™ (Viscous Lithography Manufacturing) is a lithography-based additive manufacturing technique that uses a transparent film to transfer material onto a build platform, where they are cured by light to form 3D printed parts.

When applied to energetic materials, VLM™ offers an innovative approach to producing high-performance components. ..."

Texas-Based Company Wins Pentagon Contract for 3D Printed Explosives "The technology start-up “Supernova Defense & Space” based in Austin is developing a patented VLM-assisted 3D processes that will allow it to produce military grade energetic materials."

‘Big Problem for Kim’: DPRK Troops Suffer Heavy Losses From Ukrainian Drones

Let's hope and pray this huge mistake by the North Korean dictator to send troops to be sacrificed in the Russian meat grinder will accelerate his downfall! 

May the Korean peninsula soon be reunited! Putin the Terrible is a  loser!

"... Pyonyang’s troops, described as highly disciplined and determined - “completely brainwashed,” in Puls’s view - have faced severe losses. British defense intelligence estimated 4,000 casualties had been suffered by mid-January, with a quarter of that figure killed in action, significantly weakening their contribution to support Russia’s offensive. ..."

‘Big Problem for Kim’: DPRK Troops Suffer Heavy Losses From Ukrainian Drones "The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation reports that North Korean troops in Kursk have temporarily withdrawn to review their mistakes with their and Russian commanders."

English for trippers: A loser is not a looser

I have just caught myself still confusing these two words.

You snooze, you loose, but you are not a looser!

According to Google AI: ""Loser" is not spelled "looser" because "loser" is a noun referring to someone who has lost, while "looser" is the comparative form of the adjective "loose," meaning something is not tight or is less restrictive; essentially, the "s" sound in "loser" is pronounced with a "z" sound, indicating the past tense action of losing, whereas the "s" in "looser" has a standard "s" sound signifying comparison. "

Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Government Support for Irreversible Child Sex Changes

Bravo President Trump! This horrific practice has to end! 

Many doctors involved in this mostly quackery are comparable to Dr. Josef Mengele!

Most likely there are very few, rare cases where this kind of sex change is justified and necessary!

How many teenagers want to transition because it is cool? How many reckless adults are tempting or seducing children to have a sex change?

"“Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions,” the order says. “This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.

The order says children will “regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding.” ..."

Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Government Support for Irreversible Child Sex Changes

Altadena’s Black community disproportionately affected by Eaton Fire, report shows. Really!

Demagogues don't let a crisis go to waste! Incredible!

What an obsession with or fanaticism about black skin color! Pure Racism!

Of course, Black community is spelled with a capital B!

"Key takeaways

• 61% of Black households in Altadena were located within the Eaton Fire perimeter, compared with 50% of non-Black households, according to a data brief from the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. Nearly half (48%) of Black households were destroyed or sustained major damage, compared with 37% experienced by non-Black households.
• 57% of Black homeowners in Altadena are older than age 65, and may be especially vulnerable to incomplete or insufficient insurance coverage or predatory financial scams as they navigate the process of rebuilding or restoring their homes.
• Rising property values and preexisting barriers to homeownership for Black buyers could prevent younger Black people from buying in the area and accelerate the decline of Altadena’s Black community.

... "

Notice, the key takeaways do not even mentioning "redlining"!

Eaton Fire's generational impact on Altadena’s Black community | UCLA "UCLA study shows systemic inequalities and redlining practices contributed to fire vulnerability and impacts"

As electric vehicles become bigger in size what is the climate impact

How environmentally friendly are actually EVS? Are we finally learning more about the truth?

So larger EVs are admittedly not good for climate? What an admission!

Will government force its citizens to drive smaller EVs to save the planet like it tried before with so called gas guzzlers?

"... But as EVs get bigger, so does the amount of resource needed to make them. An electric SUV is a less “sustainable” vehicle than a smaller car, because of its gargantuan battery. ..."

From the abstract:

"Electric vehicles (EVs) are growing in size along with their increase in market share. At the same time, auto producers are responding to range anxiety by increasing battery capacity. The mean weight of the lithium-ion batteries in the most common vehicles sold in 2023 were 68% heavier than the models sold 5 years earlier. Larger size EVs with greater range require heavier lithium-ion batteries with more energy intensive inputs and greater lifetime carbon emissions.

Consumer messaging glosses over the energy and environmental impacts of increasingly larger EVs with heavier batteries. Government subsidies and tax incentives should be better aligned to account for greenhouse gas emissions over the vehicle lifecycle."

Big EVs: what do large cars mean for the climate?

Super-sized electric vehicles (EVs) will not solve the climate crisis (open access)

Trump's ‘clean out Gaza’ plan puts Middle East stability at risk. Really!

What a nonsense video headline! Trump Derangement Syndrome?

Middle East stability????

Caroline Kennedy Urges Senate To Reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Nomination. Really!

Wow! This appears to be a smear campaign! She appears to wash phony or exaggerated dirty family linens in public!

She calls her relative is a "predator", a purveyor of drugs and tempted other family members to use drugs??? She claims her relative profited of some vaccines while denying others to be vaccinated? That he exploited his family's tragic history for his own benefit.

This seems so disingenuous and politically motivated! Why now? Why did she not come out when he was still a presidential candidate in 2024?

Why did she not split from her relative a long time ago if he was so bad?

Anne Boleyn’s Dangerous Move That Changed English History

Recommendable!

Greg Kelly: Pentagon holding 'White Rage' General Milley accountable and Trump cancels all support for LGBTQ and gender affirming care

Very recommendable! Milley might be demoted!

Denmark's $2 billion defense Deal a move to Deter Trump's Greenland Bid? With Palki Sharma

Good news! Denmark is suddenly scrambling to defend Greenland against Russia and China!

Moment Mexican cartel gangsters shoot at US Border Patrol drones while they are busy trying to cross the Rio Grande in Texas

Drones will do the job! Next time the drone might as well return fire!

'Masterclass' moments from Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in 1st White House briefing

Great briefing! Feisty! So much better than by Karine Jean-Pierre! Refreshing!

Ukraine’s Largest Drone Strike on Russia – How It Happened

Recommendable!

Rwanda Advances in the DR Congo: What Next?

Recommendable!

Witness Tells Ted Cruz 'Shocking' Actions U.S. Can Take If It Finds Panama Has Violated Canal Treaty

Very recommendable!

NASA’s X-59 jet ready to transform supersonic travel with flight over the continental US in 2025 without the sonic boom

Good news!

Ukraine Uses US-Supplied remote artillery-delivered ADAM Anti-Personnel Landmines

Hopefully, Putin the Terrible is fuming and dies of a heart attack!

When will the lethargic, apathetic, and Russian Slav(e)s finally get rid of their last tsar, the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible! How many more young Russian men have to die or be maimed because Putin the Terrible has conducted a “special military operation” in the Ukraine since February of 2022!

Ukraine Uses US-Supplied ADAM Anti-Personnel Landmines "OSINT social media is abuzz with images that show Ukrainian using the remote artillery-delivered mines and Russian forces encountering the mines scattered on the battlefield."

The area denial artillery munition (ADAM) 155mm delivery system and M67 anti-personnel landmine.

Image of the day

Now they are getting married! Life is a journey! The cross-continental  American Dream! From Colombia to Texas!

Harris County [Texas] Judge Lina Hidalgo [born in Bogota, Colombia 1991], became engaged to Houstonian David James, a 35-year-old civil rights and personal injury attorney in January 2024.

Credits: New Vogue article features wedding of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo

Vogue magazine featured article

UAE's Edge Group buys 30% stake in Israeli defense company Thirdeye

Good news! An eye for an eye? 😊 The Abraham Accords keep on giving!

"In an unusual defense industries collaboration between Israel and the UAE, Thirdeye Systems (TASE: THES), which develops electro-optical recognition systems for drones integrated with AI capabilities, today announced that it has signed an agreement and established a joint venture with Abu Dhabi's Edge Group.

As part of the agreement, Edge will invest $10 million for a 30% stake in the Israeli company and will become Thirdeye's biggest shareholder. The deal will require approval by Israel's Ministry of Defense. ..."

UAE's Edge Group buys 30% stake in Israeli defense co Thirdeye - Globes "Thirdeye develops electro-optical recognition systems for drones integrated with AI capabilities."

Getting [junk] mail to your door is just one part of what the postmaster general does. Really!

When a nutty professor of law defends the US Postal Service!

The obsolete and anachronistic USPS might very well be on the chopping block of President Trump! Divestiture from its vast ownership of real estate properties might be a great opportunity for development and construction etc.

How much of today's daily mail is kind of junk mail in your mailbox like commercial or political party advertisement? A lot!

Let me guess that basically every argument this professor lists in favor of retaining the USPS could also be more efficiently, better and more cheaply done by private businesses.

"The US Postal Service processes millions of passports, employs thousands of people and ensures the health of all Americans with last-mile delivery in rural areas." Soure

"... I’m a law professor who has studied the United States Postal Service and the role of the postmaster general. ...

The postmaster general overseas a vast operation.

Over 44% of the world’s mail is processed and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, making it the largest delivery service in the world. ...

In 2023, USPS owned or leased 22,873 properties around the country. To place this in perspective, the General Services Administration – known as “America’s landlord” [???] – owns or leases only 8,800 properties. ..."

Caveat: I did not read the whole article!

Getting mail to your door is just one part of what the postmaster general does

Jena Martin, Professor and Katherine A. Ryan Chair for Global and International Law

In asking Trump to show mercy, Bishop Budde continues a long tradition of Christian leaders ‘speaking truth to power’. Really!

This article is a piece of junk journalism!

A naive and dumb bishop using exclusively certain ideological preferences is a joke and a disgrace!

From Budde's speech: “gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families,” across the country “who fear for their lives.” ... immigrant workers, including those who may not “have the proper documentation”" and so forth.

"... As a specialist in medieval Christianity, I was not surprised by the bishop’s words, as I know that Christian history is full of examples of people who have spoken out, unafraid to risk official censure, or even death. ..."

Caveat: I did not read the whole article.

In asking Trump to show mercy, Bishop Budde continues a long tradition of Christian leaders ‘speaking truth to power’ (the author of this article appears to be a nuty professor)

What a smirk!

Österreich zeigt, dass die Brandmauer fallen kann

Bravo! Politiker bei Verstand und mit Augenmaß vereinigt euch gegen ideologische Vollidioten Politiker!

"Herbert Kickl saß bei der Videoschalte locker hinter seinem Schreibtisch in seinem bescheidenen Büro hinter dem Parlament in Wien und lieferte der AfD, was die Wahlkämpfer dringend brauchen: Worte der Zuversicht, dass auch in Deutschland die sogenannte Brandmauer gegen Rechts fallen kann. Kickl wörtlich: „Die AfD ist die einzige Partei, die auf das Volk hört und es nicht bevormundet. Die Ampelregierung ist krachend gescheitert, aber der Schaden, den sie angerichtet hat, der bleibt. Die deutsche Wirtschaft ist mit Vorsatz geschädigt worden. Aus Angst vor der Realität, vor der Wahrheit, haben diese Ampelparteien eine Mauer errichtet. Eine undemokratische Mauer. Diese Mauer – sie wird fallen, denn die Realität lässt sich nicht auf Dauer verleugnen.“ ..."

Österreich zeigt, dass die Brandmauer fallen kann "177.000 Menschen sahen alleine auf Youtube die Video-Botschaft von FPÖ-Chef und Fast-Bundeskanzler Herbert Kickl für den AfD-Parteitag in Halle an der Saale - schon länger war das Interesse in Deutschland an einem österreichischen Politiker nicht so groß, zuletzt hatte Ex-Finanzminister Karl-Heinz Grasser 2008 derart viel Aufmerksamkeit. Von Richard Schmitt"

Helion raises $425M to help build a fusion reactor for Microsoft

Good news! 

Wind power is a heavily government subsidized greatest scam of our time! Solar power is an environmental disaster!

Since Western governments have failed spectacularly for decades investing billions of dollars to make it happen! Perhaps, it is time for private businesses to take over!

"Few fusion startups have been as closely watched as Helion. The 12-year-old company is backed by Sam Altman, rumored to be in talks with OpenAI, and has a deal to supply Microsoft with electricity by 2028 — years earlier than its competitors. 

The company’s unorthodox approach to fusion power and relative secrecy has earned it plenty of fans — and critics. But don’t count its investors among the naysayers. 

Helion announced Tuesday a $425 million Series F raise that pushed its valuation $5.245 billion. The startup also flipped the switch last month on its latest prototype, Polaris, which it anticipates will be the first fusion reactor to generate electricity.  ..."

Helion raises $425M to help build a fusion reactor for Microsoft | TechCrunch

Google Maps will soon rename Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' for the US only. Really!

This will be interesting! Maps for thee, but not for others?

Is this a case of anticipatory obedience (vorauseilender Gehorsam) by Google?

Why does Google not wait and let President Trump sue over his weird idea to rename the Gulf of Mexico? "The name "Gulf of Mexico" (Spanish: golfo de México; French: golphe du Mexique, later golfe du Mexique) first appeared on a world map in 1550 and has been the most common name since the mid-17th century" Wikipedia

"Google Maps will soon rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” following Trump’s executive order to change the names of some geographic landmarks. Google will only do this for the U.S., which is where Trump has the power to do such things."

Google Maps will soon rename Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' | TechCrunch "Google will rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Denali mountain in Google Maps once a federal mapping database reflects changes ordered by the Trump Administration, the company announced Monday."

Kurz zur sog. Brandmauer in der Bananenrepublik D: Mauerfall endlich

Die Brandmauer wurde doch hauptsächlich nur kreiert, damit ein rechtes Bündnis und somit eine Machtverschiebung von Links nach Rechts dauerhaft verhindert werden kann!

Falls der Merzel keine Lusche ist wird er sich nicht daran binden lassen!

Höchste Zeit diese Brandmauer einzureißen! Fall der zweiten Berliner Mauer!

Eine islamische Frau, die Vollschleier trägt, darf nicht Auto fahren – das Grundrecht auf Religionsfreiheit muss zurücktreten. Wirklich!

Neues aus der Bananenrepublik D! Ein vollschleierte Frau in D. ist sicherlich immer noch gewohnheitsbedürftig.

Aber duerfen z.B. orthodoxe Juden nicht auch Vollbärte, Hüte und lange Zöpfe tragen etc.

Etwas schleierhaft! Warum nicht Autofahren mit Vollschleier? Wer braucht die Nase zum Autofahren, oder den Mund?

Ist das alles nicht mehr Aufregung als alles andere? Man sollte vielleicht die Kirche im Dorf lassen.

"Schon um den Gerichtssaal als Klägerin vollverschleiert zu betreten, brauchte Nancy A. eine besondere Erlaubnis des Gerichts. ..."

Gesichtsverhüllung beim Fahren: keine Ausnahme für Islam wegen Religionsfreiheit "Eine junge Ostdeutsche, die zum Islam übergetreten ist, klagte gegen das Land Berlin auf eine Ausnahmegenehmigung und unterlag. Der Prozess wird von einem Islamverein finanziert, der bis zum Bundesverfassungsgericht gehen will."

Die Klägerin Nancy A. ist vor acht Jahren zum Islam übergetreten und kämpft nun vor Gericht dafür, vollverschleiert Auto fahren zu dürfen – hier am Montag vor dem Verwaltungsgericht Berlin.

Ein orthodoxer Jude

Not on the same wavelength: Trump inherits wireless spectrum fight between DoD, commercial industry

The civilian versus military use of wireless spectrum!

Or when the civilian use can negatively impact the military use and mission!

How much of the available and useful spectrum is already utilized? How much is still available for future use? Do we need better technologies to avoid conflicting use?

"... For years the Defense Department and commercial providers have tussled over usage of mid-band spectrum  — between 1 GhZ (gigahertz) to 6 GHz usage, which makes up the 3.1-3.45 and 3.5 GHz S-band — widely considered to be the “Goldilocks” zone of the spectrum. 

The DoD long has contended that this part of the spectrum band is essential for its various satellite communications, radars and navigation systems. However, US and foreign commercial companies covet those frequencies for providing high-speed wireless service to civilian and military users alike. ..."

Not on the same wavelength: Trump inherits spectrum fight between DoD, commercial industry - Breaking Defense "Here's everything you need to know about the spectrum battle between DoD and industry, which offices control the issues, and which way the Trump administration may be leaning."

English for trippers: A bash for a a stash of cash

What is the hash code for it?

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!

Pardoned and armed J6 defendant shot, killed by a law enforcement officer after a traffic stop on a vehicle during arrest attempt

Did this man not handle his pardon very well?

"... At around 4:15 p.m. on Monday, 42-year-old Matthew Huttle of Hobart was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy of Jasper County, located in the northwestern part of Indiana less than an hour south of Gary. The reason for the traffic stop is unclear, but it seems that tensions escalated quickly when the deputy attempted to place Huttle under arrest. ..."

From the police report:

"... Preliminary investigations by the Indiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division Lowell Post revealed that today, at approximately 4:15 p.m., a deputy with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department performed a traffic stop on a vehicle on S.R. 14 east of C.R. 475 E. This location is near the Pulaski County line on S.R. 14. During the traffic stop, the officer attempted to arrest the suspect when the suspect resisted. An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect. The investigation also shows that during the traffic stop, the suspect was in possession of a firearm. ..."

J6 defendant shot, killed by law enforcement days after Trump pardoned him | Blaze Media

Three lawsuits were filed against DOGE before the inauguration ceremony had even concluded

President Trump has his work cut out for him! Or did he cleverly trigger the opposition to expose them? 

There are clearly too many laws on the books! A significant number are frivolous and/or superfluous. We need more pruning and sunset legislation! For every new law, at least one old law need to be rescinded.

"The Trump Administration was only a few minutes old when it was hit with three lawsuits, all concerning the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The suits were filed before the inauguration ceremony had even concluded and President Trump had signed an executive order establishing DOGE. The suits argue DOGE doesn’t comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which requires advisory committees to meet certain requirements, like politically balanced membership, publicly accessible meetings, and a public charter. ...

Later on January 20, Trump signed and released the Executive Order “Establishing and Implementing the President's ‘Department of Government Efficiency.’” The document makes clear that rather than a traditional “advisory committee,” DOGE will instead repurpose an old Obama-era office – U.S. Digital Services – which is housed in the Executive Office of the President. ..."

DELETE, DELETE, DELETE, DELETE - OpenTheBooks

A total of seventy-five agencies listed in the Federal Register are defunct, many for decades!

A job for DOGE! We urgently need limited and small government!

"... Thirty-nine of those agencies were temporary commissions, created to study a single issue and produce a report, usually after the end of a year. The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry and Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission are two such examples.

Twelve agencies have closed but have had their duties merged with another agency, for example, the Valles Caldera Trust and the Oklahoma City National Memorial Trust, once separate entities, are now integrated into the National Park Service.

More rarely, agencies were terminated by an act of Congress or administrative reshuffling. So went the National Institute for Literacy and the Resolution Trust Corporation.

Record keeping within the Federal Register, which is supposed to be the definitive guide to government policy, is shockingly bad. Not only are agencies listed that are long-defunct, but records of those agencies are often not updated, so members of the public must conduct deep research to ascertain the composition of their own government. ..."

DELETE, DELETE, DELETE, DELETE - OpenTheBooks

Romanian fossils are earliest evidence of hominins in Europe, predating other finds by up to half a million years

Amazing stuff!

"The bones are at least 1.95 million years old but could be up to 2.2 million years old. They may help build a picture of when early human ancestors left Africa and reached Europe and Asia, and the route they took. This has been an area of debate for decades.

The previous oldest evidence of hominins in Europe – stone tools found in Ukraine in 2024 – are just 1.4 million years old. In Dmanisi, Georgia – at the border of Europe and Asia – finds have been dated to 1.85–1.77 million years. ...

Cut marks that could only have been made by stone tools used by early hominins were found on the [animal] bones. High-precision uranium-lead radiodating  showed the bones were at least 1.95 million years old. ..."

From the abstract:

"The timing of the initial dispersal of hominins into Eurasia is unclear. Current evidence indicates hominins were present at Dmanisi, Georgia by 1.8 million years ago (Ma), but other ephemeral traces of hominins across Eurasia predate Dmanisi. However, no hominin remains have been definitively described from Europe until ~1.4 Ma. 

Here we present evidence of hominin activity at the site of Grăunceanu, Romania in the form of multiple cut-marked bones.

Biostratigraphic and high-resolution U-Pb age estimates suggest Grăunceanu is > 1.95 Ma, making this site one of the best-dated early hominin localities in Europe. Environmental reconstructions based on isotopic analyzes of horse dentition suggest Grăunceanu would have been relatively temperate and seasonal, demonstrating a wide habitat tolerance in even the earliest hominins in Eurasia. Our results, presented along with multiple other lines of evidence, point to a widespread, though perhaps intermittent, presence of hominins across Eurasia by at least 2.0 Ma."

Romanian fossils are earliest evidence of hominins in Europe, predating other finds by half a million years "Analysis of bones butchered by ancient human ancestors shows they represent the oldest direct evidence of hominins in Europe."

Hominin presence in Eurasia by at least 1.95 million years ago (open access)

Fig. 1: Map of fossil localities showing evidence of hominins (either hominin fossils, lithics, or cut-marked bones) in northern Africa and Eurasia prior to 1.0 Ma.

Fig. 2: Selected images of high-confidence cut-marked specimens from the Olteţ River Valley assemblage.

Floating solar increases greenhouse gas emissions on small ponds. Really!

What moron puts solar panels on the surface of ponds, lakes or other bodies of water anyway? It must be an elite university like Cornell!

As sign of climate change insanity! Plant some trees for God's sake!

"While floating solar – the emerging practice [???] of putting solar panels on bodies of water – is promising in its efficiency and its potential to spare agricultural and conservation lands [???], a new experiment finds environmental trade-offs. ..."

From the abstract:

"Floating photovoltaic (FPV) solar energy offers promise for renewable electricity production that spares land for other societal benefits. FPV deployment may alter greenhouse gas (GHG) production and emissions from water bodies by changing physical, chemical, and biological processes, which can have implications for the carbon cost of energy production with FPV.

Here, we use an ecosystem-scale experiment to assess how GHG dynamics in ponds respond to installation of operationally representative FPV. Following FPV deployments of 70% array coverage, daily whole-pond GHG emissions increased by 26.8% on a carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2-eq) basis, and dissolved oxygen availability rapidly decreased. Despite increased emissions following FPV deployment, FPV-derived GHG emissions from water bodies are likely lower than landscape GHG emissions associated with terrestrial solar and hydropower production on a CO2-eq kWh–1 basis. Adaptive management strategies like bubbler installation may reduce the magnitude of FPV impacts on GHG and dissolved oxygen dynamics."

Floating solar increases greenhouse gas emissions on small ponds | Cornell Chronicle

Immediate Effect of Floating Solar Energy Deployment on Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in Ponds (open access)

Seventh Term of a Dictator: Lukashenko’s 7th ‘Election’ Unveiled at age 70

Sham elections and a friend of Putin the Terrible! Surreal!

Will he die in office!

What the heck is going on with his little, white dog! Did the dog vote too? 😊

Javier Milei: Röpke Prize of the Liberal Institute in Switzerland

Congratulations!

Muni Long - Made For Me (Official Music Video)

This seems to be a very popular music video. However, her voice is totally overrated!

Bill Gates admits having Autism Spectrum disorder if he had been diagnosed in the past

Recommendable! Bravo!

Megyn Kelly on if 46th President's Pardongate Can Be Undone if It's Determined He Was Mentally Unfit and Unaware

Hopefully, there is a way to undo Pardongate!

Rudi Giuliani on Biden family: Biggest bribery, corruption, sale of America case ever

Recommendable!

[음악감상] 한국 최초 미국 진출 성공! 김시스터즈 'All shook up'

Enjoy! Some funny pronunciations! Caveat: I have no idea what these supposedly Korean characters mean.

Laura: Democrats ought to be very careful here about deportation of illegal immigrants

Recommendable!

1973: Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir gives a poignant history lesson.

Very recommendable! She was quite a lady comparable to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher!

Still very relevant for the current situation! Among other things, she explains how the Arab refugees are used for decades like pawns and useful idiots to fight Israel.

She also seriously questions what is Palestine!

Another cargo ship cuts underwater cable in the Baltic Sea with Maltese flag owned by a Bulgarian shipping company now held by Sweden

Disturbing and concerning!

Donald Trump's "Ice Maiden" Keeps Elon Musk at Bay with Palki Sharma

Recommendable!

NASA Launching Rockets into Northern Lights with Palki Sharma

Recommendable! We still know so little about the sun, solar activity and its influence on earth.

Why and how Serbia is Quietly Moving Away from Russia

Very recommendable! Putin the Terrible is a loser!

Hamas Recruits 15,000 Fighters Despite Gaza War with Palki Sharma. Really!

Palki screwed up big time here! Lousy journalism! She quotes bogus Hamas statistics about casualties. She praises the incompetent, corrupt Palestinian Authority as a solution.

Chinese DeepSeek wipes out Tech Stocks on Track for $1 Trillion with Palki Sharma

Bad news! A reckoning! 

Some Israeli hostages recently released by Hamas had shrapnel in their bodies from untreated wounds suffered in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack

More on the coward and savage mass killers of Hamas!

As I blogged here, among the hostages still held are at least one baby and one toddler.

"The seven women received poor medical care while in captivity and face complex mental-health issues, according to an Israeli medical official. He said that some had spent eight months in tunnels and that all suffer from malnutrition and metabolic problems. ..."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

Johns Hopkins University: Beyond Borders: Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the Israel-Palestine Divide. Really!

Incredible! An elite university suggests a (false) equivalence between Antisemitism and Islamophobia! What a nonsense!

So the Arabs are just Antisemitists and the Israelis are Islamophobists? Nice try! What a demagoguery!

"... will examine the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia, particularly in light of current events surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict. ..."

Johns Hopkins conversation series aims to foster dialogue on difficult topics | Hub

Beyond Borders: Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the Israel-Palestine Divide

Portraits of demagogues: Sarah Wildman, Michelle Goldberg, and Samer Sinijlawi

Reversing 46th President's pause, Trump to deliver 2,000-pound bombs to Israel

Good news! Make Iran and terrorists think twice!

Reversing Biden's pause, Trump to deliver 2,000-pound bombs to Israel - Jewish Telegraphic Agency "The decision removes a hold [46th President] had placed on the bombs due to concerns about the way Israel would use them."

Präsident Trump: Das Recht des Stärkeren kehrt zurück. Wirklich!

Diese Schlagzeile ist wieder mal ein Hinweis auf schwachsinnige Kommentare in der deutschen Presse zu Präsident Trump!

Oder wurde diese Schlagzeile nur gewählt, um Interesse beim Leser zu erzeugen?

Trump verschwendet keine Zeit die vielen, schweren Versäumnisse und das vier Jahre lange, krasse Versagen des 46igsten Präsidenten zu korrigieren.

Zu viele Jahre haben die Europäer als Trittbrettfahrer (free rider, freeloader) die USA ausgenutzt (siehe z.B. Verteidigung) usw.

"Noch ist die Wucht des Wandels, die von Donald Trumps Inaugu­ration ausgeht, nicht überall angekommen. Sie wird abgeschwächt von der irrigen Annahme, dass „Populisten“ mehr reden als tun, und auch von der Erfahrung, dass der Mann ja schon einmal vier Jahre regierte, ohne dass sich die Welt fundamental verändert hätte. Trump 2.0. wird tiefere Spuren hinterlassen, auch hierzulande. ..."

Das Recht des Stärkeren kehrt zurück "Donald Trumps nationalkonservative Agenda ist international salonfähig geworden. In atemberaubendem Tempo schwingt das Pendel zurück, das lange auf der linken Seite fixiert war."

Is abortion a reproductive right?

It is an oxymoron and a terrible euphemism! It is a horrific and too often repeated demagoguery!

Killing of an unborn human life can never be a right!

The legalized, restricted abortion permission is a societal compromise about a controversial issue in many Western countries. E.g. there is no or little question that abortion should be allowed in case of rape, incest, underage, or serious health risks for the pregnant woman. But what about e.g. late term abortion?

2025 is the 80th year of the liberation of Auschwitz! What have we learnt from the Holocaust? The dignity and sanctity of human life is a supreme right!

Navajo Nation: Navajo citizens are reporting being questioned and detained in immigration raids. Really!

Alarmism and hysteria builds up quickly against Trump's deportation of criminal, illegal immigrants!

Once more propaganda and demagoguery trumps fact finding! (Pardon the pun!)

Even indigenous people are being abused by the usual, biased news media!

How long were these 15 individuals actually detained? Were they stopped for other reasons?

"At least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico have reported being stopped at their homes and workplaces, questioned or detained by federal law enforcement and asked to produce proof of citizenship during immigration raids since Wednesday, according to Navajo Nation officials.

The reports, which have caused panic amongst tribal communities in both states, come amid the Trump administration’s attempt to ramp up undocumented immigrant arrests nationwide and amass a larger force to carry out the president’s deportation pledge. ...

It is unclear if Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other law enforcement entities were conducting the apprehensions. ICE has not responded to CNN’s request for comment. ..."

Navajo Nation: Navajo citizens are reporting being questioned and detained in immigration raids | CNN

Credits: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Global Health NOW

New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals and could save billions of dollars globally

Good news! Desalination is salvation!

"Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking water. ..."

From the abstract:

"Selective removal of trace contaminants from water remains a crucial challenge in water treatment. Boron is a trace contaminant that is ubiquitous in seawater and has been widely detected in groundwater.

Current boron removal methods, such as multi-stage reverse osmosis and ion-exchange adsorption, are chemical and energy intensive, necessitating the development of more sustainable technologies.

Here we address this challenge by developing surface functionalized microporous electrodes that enable boron-selective bipolar membrane-assisted electrosorption.

Our study demonstrates that micropore functionalization with oxygen-containing (hydroxyl, lactone and carboxyl) and boron-selective (dopamine, 3-methylamino-1,2-propanediol and N-methyl-d-glucamine) functional groups substantially improves electrode performance for boron removal and selectivity.

The functionalized electrodes exhibit a boron removal selectivity that is an order of magnitude higher than that of the pristine electrode, facilitating energy efficient boron electrosorption.

We identify hydroxyl groups as the key factor in enhancing boron removal performance and selectivity during electrosorption.

Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate the underlying mechanisms of boron selectivity, highlighting the role of hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups and boron in governing the boron-selective electrosorption process."

New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals

New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals (original news release) "Cutting acid and base treatments from conventional desalination plants could save billions of dollars globally, making seawater a more affordable option for drinking water"

A highly selective and energy efficient approach to boron removal overcomes the Achilles heel of seawater desalination (no public access)

This diagram shows how boron is removed by the researchers’ electrodes.

First a majority of the salt ions are removed with reverse osmosis.

Then the water flows into a cell containing a membrane with positive (pink) and negative (orange) layers. Similarly charged electrodes face the membrane layers, and when a current is applied, water molecules at the interface of the membranes split into hydrogen and hydroxide ions. The hydroxide ions stick to boron, causing it to stick to the positive electrode.

Challenging the Axon’s Classic Shape

Amazing stuff! Function follows form or vice versa. Could be a breakthrough.

"... Their findings ... contrast with the classical view of tubular axons. ...

“... To see nanoscale structures with standard electron microscopy, we fix and dehydrate the tissues, but freezing them retains their shape — similar to freezing a grape rather than dehydrating it into a raisin,” ...

The researchers studied three types of mouse neurons: ones grown in the lab, those taken from adult mice and those taken from mouse embryos. The neurons were nonmyelinated (they were without the myelin insulating cover that surrounds the axon).

The researchers found the bubbly, pear shape of axons among all of the tens of thousands of images taken of the tissue samples.

The scientists named the pearl-like structures in which the axon swells “non-synaptic varicosities.”

“These findings challenge a century of understanding about axon structure,” ...

The scientists also used mathematical modeling to see if the axon membrane influenced the shape or presence of the pearl on a string structure. They found that simple mechanical models could be used to explain these structures very effectively. ..."

From the abstract:

"Axons are ultrathin membrane cables that are specialized for the conduction of action potentials. Although their diameter is variable along their length, how their morphology is determined is unclear.

Here, we demonstrate that unmyelinated axons of the mouse central nervous system have nonsynaptic, nanoscopic varicosities ~200 nm in diameter repeatedly along their length interspersed with a thin cable ~60 nm in diameter like pearls-on-a-string.

In silico modeling suggests that this axon nanopearling can be explained by membrane mechanical properties.

Treatments disrupting membrane properties, such as hyper- or hypotonic solutions, cholesterol removal and nonmuscle myosin II inhibition, alter axon nanopearling, confirming the role of membrane mechanics in determining axon morphology.

Furthermore, neuronal activity modulates plasma membrane cholesterol concentration, leading to changes in axon nanopearls and causing slowing of action potential conduction velocity. These data reveal that biophysical forces dictate axon morphology and function, and modulation of membrane mechanics likely underlies unmyelinated axonal plasticity."

Challenging the Axon’s Classic Shape | The Scientist "Forget the traditional tubular shape—researchers are investigating a pearl-on-a-string formation for axons, unlocking new insights into neural signaling in health and disease."

Study May Reverse Century-Old Understanding of The Shape of ‘Arms’ on Mammals’ Brain Cells (original news release)

Membrane mechanics dictate axonal pearls-on-a-string morphology and function (open access)

Fig. 1: Axons are pearled, not tubular, under homeostatic conditions.

Fig. 2: Membrane mechanics dictate axon nanopearling.