News & views not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine …
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January 29, 2026
Open (Neither Ukraine Nor Palestine) Thread 2026-025
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An attack on Iran will mean that the Iranians and the Houthis will attack the Haifa industrial zone again, just like they did in 2025, causing billions in damages to the docks, shipping, chemical and petroleum tank farms and IDF naval assets.
This is so dumb………no justification for this action other than to please the Bibi war mongers alliance, and to give the IDF cover for more genocidal actions in Gaza and the West Bank……..
Its ominous to see RC 135 recon planes, and aerial tankers gathering in the ME……….
Posted by: tobias cole | Jan 29 2026 19:18 utc | 101
Posted by: S Brennan | Jan 29 2026 19:15 utc | 100
#######
The TDS/Dembots/Blue slurs don’t work. Many of us are not Americans and don’t particularly care for retarded American internecine arguments.
I only pointed out what a hypocrite you are for siding against the Revolution and on behalf of the King.
Based on the flak, I was clearly over the target dropping FABs on your Nazi hideout.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 19:19 utc | 102
Posted by: Me | Jan 29 2026 16:48 utc | 33
Looks like Trump won after all in Venezuela
Posted by: Savonarole | Jan 29 2026 17:23 utc | 42
All the changes to Venezuela’s oil laws were already being drafted before Trump’s election in the United States.
This was a task specifically assigned by Nicolás Maduro to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
This is one component of a broader set of economic and social reforms, comprising 29 laws that have been in preparation for a long time.
Even the release of prisoners, which Trump wants to present as having been imposed by him on Rodriguez, had been decided by Maduro well before his abduction.
To present these reforms as a Trump victory is pure propaganda.
The evidence is readily available: no reform of this magnitude can be implemented in a matter of days, especially since the article itself states that it is already being debated in the National Assembly.
But nevertheless here is a link for examples, a presentation of the (long) list of reforms involved :
https://www.telesurenglish.net/jorge-rodriguez-underground-oil-must-be-converted-into-schools-hospitals-and-roads-2/
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 29 2026 19:24 utc | 103
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 29 2026 19:24 utc | 103
Some other links:
Rodriguez explain that the reform have been experimented through 2025 and give good results :
https://www.telesurenglish.net/venezuela-promotes-hydrocarbons-law-reform-to-consolidate-investments-and-energy-sovereignty/
About the release of prisoners decided by Maduro himself :
https://www.telesurenglish.net/acting-president-rodriguez-confirms-406-prisoner-releases-in-venezuela/
Enough with the lies.
Trump isn’t ruling Venezuela. He is blackmailing the country, and the leadership team is maneuvering to avoid being bombed to the stone age by a fool just to hide his failure.
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 29 2026 19:30 utc | 104
Relatives of Civilians Killed in US Caribbean Missile Strikes Sue Trump Administration
https://orinocotribune.com/relatives-of-boatmen-killed-in-the-caribbean-sue-the-trump-administration/
Posted by: arby | Jan 29 2026 19:31 utc | 105
@john | Jan 29 2026 15:34 utc | 10
If you have 4 hours to spare and sufficient curiosity into the subject of 911, I suggest this video I remember seeing almost 20 years ago.
Dimitri Khalezov – WTC underground nuclear demolition
Posted by: Norwegian | Jan 29 2026 19:36 utc | 106
ICYMI:
Tucker: Merz says Germany can’t raise an army because it’d be majority Muslim.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uLXkS9iXrms
Posted by: Sticker | Jan 29 2026 19:36 utc | 107
@Old Microbiologist | Jan 29 2026 17:30 utc: For the back-up and links re: Gold price implications, I say “Thank you and well-done.”.
and to Psychohistorian and others that thought the burgeoning USG bond holdings in the UK and the Caymans might be simply a warehouse to store USG debt that others wouldn’t buy …
the thought did cross my mind. The other thought was “in the last 10 years, what has changed? Well, concentration of wealth in the US has increased, and a whole lot of wealth has been drained out of US companies via dividends and stock buy-backs, etc. and where’d all that go?”
But mostly I wonder why all that money isn’t being put to work. There’s a reason for that; the fact that the money is in Western hands – Caymans, UK … suggests that the money originated in the West (not conclusive, but suggestive). So how come we Westerners aren’t using our own capital to invest in ourselves?
What’s in the way?
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Jan 29 2026 19:38 utc | 108
@58 Me.
Polls?
So looking at the links you provided about President Trump’s Approval Rating.
The polls said his Approval Rating has gone from 56% last January. Now to 46% this January?
If that is not a collapse. It sure seems like quite a fall.
A Compilation of More polling for President Trump’s performance below.
https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin
Posted by: golddigger | Jan 29 2026 19:44 utc | 109
@ Tom Pfotzer | Jan 29 2026 19:38 utc | 108
been meaning to mention this to you for some time.. removing the number of the post is not helpful… leaving the time stamp is good, but the number is a much quicker reference for others, even if it is off by one or two numbers…. i don’t imagine you’ll change your approach, but i was curious to see old microbiologists post @ 45… consider including the number… thanks..
Posted by: james | Jan 29 2026 19:51 utc | 110
On AI
I spent a good deal of 2025 worrying (like my employer) about the rapid and almost total uptake of AI by undergrads in the humanities. In good Platonic fashion I expressed scandalised rage at the reduction of content to form, especially in the way AI seemed to assault the very foundations of a liberal arts education. Etymologically we lead or draw the student ‘out’ of… childhood? adolescence? ignorance? AI obviously undermines every effort to bring any of this about. It goes without saying that AI is a form of cancer. So, how to resist it?
On top of my usual senior classlit classes I also teach into history and offer a survey unit on Mediterranean antiquity for 1st-years fresh from HS. We had endless meetings in faculty and beyond to discuss ‘AI strategy’. It all proved futile when we realised the tumours were beyond treatment. I put a lot of thought into attempts to ‘AI-proof’ the written assessment. I may as well have tried to stop the sea coming in. The only solution was surgical: unseen closed book exams, pen and paper. The results were catastrophic. Students panicked, their handwriting was illegible, childlike; many failed embarrassingly after scoring well in written assessments (almost all of which were produced with some AI). They howled in protest.
This year I’m not going to care. I’m returning to old form assessments. A question, sources to evaluate, scholarship to read, an argument to be made. Everyone gets a low mark (50-60%) as a base on the assumption that they’re not responsible for their own work and everyone is cheating. The true task of the assignment is to convince me in their case that my assumption is wrong. How they do that is their call. I’m done trying to outwit intellectual criminality.
In the end the final exam, worth 50%, will sift the capable students from the frauds. It’s the university version of shoot ’em all and let God sort ’em out. In the meantime I let it be known that AI is heroin and cancer rolled into one and that any UG using it deserves the early dementia it causes. If I suspect it I fail it. If you appeal you sit a 30 min interview on the subject. But I can’t—and won’t—police it.
The choice is the assessment. And who would choose to mortgage their humanity? What chess master would have the computer choose her moves? What painter would delegate colour choice to chatgpt? Once it’s recognised as cheating, then an ancient ethics can be brought to bear.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 19:53 utc | 112
@76 james
” that was depressing.. so freedom is not all it’s cracked up to be…”
No, just getting eaten isn’t.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M7kGPMCke5Q
Posted by: Ornot | Jan 29 2026 19:54 utc | 113
@ Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 19:53 utc | 112
makes sense what you are doing as a response to AI..
@ Ornot | Jan 29 2026 19:54 utc | 113
eat or be eaten?? nice song ornot.. thanks…
Posted by: james | Jan 29 2026 20:04 utc | 114
Bruce Springsteen has released a new song dedicated to Minnesota’s largest city as a response to “the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis” and the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in the city.
In a message shared on social media, Springsteen explained: “I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 20:09 utc | 115
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 20:10 utc | 116
Exile@212 high rises? NopeWTC7 collapsed without being hit by any plane.
Posted by: Merkin Scot | Jan 29 2026 19:07 utc | 97
Yep and anyone believing a plane hit the pentagon…….Is just a muppet.
Posted by: Tannenhouser | Jan 29 2026 20:20 utc | 117
I’m an older retired American. US “elites” have nothing left to offer Americans, especially young Americans. The middle and working classes are basically dead and buried in deep debt, no benefits, shitty low wage jobs, and high unemployment. Nobody who knows a damn thing would come to the US unless they are completely destitute, running from something, or already very wealthy. You keep living in 1980 while shit collapses around you.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 29 2026 17:01 utc | 36
Amen.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jan 29 2026 20:22 utc | 118
China and Russia continue to effectively reassure Trump that another Venezuela outcome would save everyone a lot of trouble…
Posted by: Paul | Jan 29 2026 20:38 utc | 120
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney explicitly invoked Václav Havel’s The Power of the Powerless and its greengrocer parable
He used this to urge countries and firms to “take down their signs”
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 14:32 utc | 1
Yes. Quite powerful imagery…and yet I reflect on his character.
Is it also true that Mark was the Governor of the Bank of England (2013-2020)- when he recognized Venezuelan Gold belonged to Juan Guido and not the current government of Venezuela? We see the Venezuelan Child mortality from that time period- and other health indices. If he was responsible for withholding Venezuelan State wealth from the legitimate owners- with the ensuing ramifications…then no amount of scrubbing will wash his Lady McBeth bloody hands clean…(hence, my query about his character)
Posted by: Original Newbie | Jan 29 2026 20:38 utc | 121
In response to “Ahenobarbus” ( Jan 29 2026 20:22 utc | 118 ):
Europe too.
I’m convinced anything that still works (or stumbles along) after the last fifty years is despite the “elites” and the abuse of power in general, as well as the insane levels of constant nagging noise everywhere about everything from the “big” issues “everywhere” all across the globe and all the way down to peeling bananas “right” or wiping your bum “right”… …and do not say “touché” XD
Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 29 2026 20:40 utc | 122
Patroklos@112:
Re AI as cheating, I’ve never understood this. It’s like my old calculus or engineering classes outlawing using calculators because doing the calculation is part of the course. This is simply nonsense. Using tools is part of humanity. AI is simply a tool.
When you assign a research and writing assignment to your students, what you are asking for is their best response to your question. It is incredibly presumptuous to think that you are actually in the business of teaching these adults “how to think” or “how to write” …
As you noted, the easy way to test how well they understand the subject matter is in person oral questions and in class written tests … otherwise, when you assign a paper to be done on their own time, the Whole Point is for them to use all tools available to come up with their best and most complete answer … like in real life? This “cheating” bs needs to end.
Posted by: Caliman | Jan 29 2026 20:44 utc | 123
@ b re the deceased pigeon: I guess it’s true that freedom ain’t free …
Posted by: Caliman | Jan 29 2026 20:46 utc | 124
@114 james
“eat or be eaten??”
I’m not sure obesity puts off predators, and certainly I haven’t seen creatures being force fed under such penalty.
I have heard farmers threatening to turn unruly animals into stew, and in fact “eat and be eaten” seems more realistic a moto as far as mankind is concerned, not as a warning but as a logical conclusion… applicable only to other animals of course.
Equally, every now and then people lose their position at top of the food pyramid, but they don’t eat the creatures responsible, if anything just try to eradicate them.
So maybe “eat at your own peril” is more the rule regarding humans, which is honest enough and requires a certain humility to admit; We aren’t even good as scraps.
Posted by: Ornot | Jan 29 2026 20:50 utc | 125
@James: I stopped using the post number because … for a while, b was screening out a lot of posts. However, if it’s more convenient to include post number, hey, I can handle it.
🙂
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Jan 29 2026 20:51 utc | 126
Patroklos@112: bravo.
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 29 2026 20:32 utc | 119
Agreed
Posted by: Tannenhouser | Jan 29 2026 20:53 utc | 127
Posted by: Original Newbie | Jan 29 2026 20:38 utc | 121
True. On the other hand “cometh the hour, cometh the man”: crises often expose or elevate the “grey man” because flashy types falter under prolonged strain.
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 20:53 utc | 128
Sebgo, if you’re about, any comment on the arrest and pending trial of Damiba?
Did you hear about the attack on the international airport in Niamey, or are they keeping that hush-hush?
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 20:54 utc | 129
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 20:09 utc | 115
#####
More likely that Springsteen’s song was written by Palantir in Tel Aviv, IMO.
He is a big fan of the occupation. Ironically, the king of “American heartland rock”.
Can’t make this stuff up.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 20:59 utc | 130
@Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 19:53 utc | 112.
GD that was freakin’ good, Patroklos. Badge of honor, bottle of the Bar’s best spirits, and a hearty thump on the back for you.
While you’re at it, require the undergrads to carry you around campus on a four-poster palanquin, wherefrom you can taut them: “dare come to my class, I will test thee”.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Jan 29 2026 21:00 utc | 131
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 20:54 utc | 129
No, I have not good information about the incident in Niamey, Niger.
Just that some civil aircraft have been damaged.
I am looking forward to know more.
Concerning Damiba, it’s different because it is a long history still unfolding.
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 29 2026 21:06 utc | 132
Salaam,J S Von Oberndorf@18- I am looking forward to gold being $6K per Troy ounce and the fatalities to reach 6,000,000-thats right six million,then I know we are onto something!
Posted by: 4q8 | Jan 29 2026 21:09 utc | 133
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 20:59 utc | 130
Such a huge disappointment. Very few of the entertainers of my generation kept their integrity. I’ve grown to hate a few of them.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 29 2026 21:11 utc | 134
Can’t make this stuff up.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 20:59 utc | 130
Yes you can and you just did. Bruce isn’t a ‘fan of the occupation’—no statements, no support, no donations ever. He played Tel Aviv twice (non-politically), blocked his song from a Jerusalem event promo, and stays silent on the conflict specifics. His bandmate Van Zandt defends Israel, but Bruce? Crickets. Can’t make up wild claims like that without facts—nice try though.
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 21:13 utc | 135
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 19:53 utc | 112—
In the end you will only slow the downfall. Let us hope for a new medieval Baghdad. And sufficiently protected library cellars.
Posted by: MorePain4Cakes | Jan 29 2026 21:17 utc | 136
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 20:54 utc | 129
First, nothing happened “on the ground” in Burkina Faso in the recent weeks.
In January 2022, the current military group in power staged a coup.
They chose Damiba, a lieutenant colonel, as their leader.
In September 2022, there were internal disagreements, shootings, and Damiba was replaced by Ibrahim Traore, a captain from the same group.
The defeated Damiba went into exile in neighboring Togo.
The significant event in January 2026 is that an intercepted phone call from Damiba, made public that day, seems to show that he was trying to stage another coup to regain power.
Aside from this release, no other action has taken place. Ibrahim Traore’s supporters took to the streets to demonstrate their support, and this received widespread media coverage.
The attribution to France is an interpretation, always the same, of the regime’s political messaging.Although this is very possible that France support Damiba, there is no obvious link for now.
Our judiciary asked Togo for the extradition of Damiba, and he was transfered to Burkina. He is waiting for his trial.
My personal opinion is that this trial seems unlikely soon
Because Damiba and Ibrahim Traore have prepared and realised the first military take over in 2022 together, we are several to think maybe some uncomfortable truths can leak in a public hearing.
But it’s just an opinion, I can be wrong.
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 29 2026 21:19 utc | 137
Salaam,denk@38- gotta add what the firetruck is taking them so long- get it done already.
Posted by: 4q8 | Jan 29 2026 21:26 utc | 138
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 21:13 utc | 135
Somebody should ask him. He hasn’t been exactly quiet about other issues. I have the impression that he supports the bullshit kind rhetoric wing of the uniparty monster. At least he hasn’t been to Kiev….. right?
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 29 2026 21:26 utc | 139
Trump isn’t ruling Venezuela. He is blackmailing the country, and the leadership team is maneuvering to avoid being bombed to the stone age by a fool just to hide his failure.
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 29 2026 19:30 utc | 104
But the fundamental purpose of the Venezuelan adventure was to disrupt oil supply to China and from that perspective, Trump got a win. It doesn’t really require full control … but easier to break stuff than to build stuff.
I very much suspect the same applies to the Iranian adventure … Trump can’t really expect Iran to agree to his demands. Trump could propose a clone of the JCPoA but even then, Iran says they no longer trust the inspectors anymore. It’s unlikely Trump will commit to yet another long ground battle in the Middle East. So why go there at all?
Sure, maybe there’s a trick to it, and we will all be surprised but simply disruption of oil flow is something that’s very achievable and reflects consistency of purpose, putting pressure on China.
The Chinese will probably end up needing to build more pipelines.
Posted by: Tel | Jan 29 2026 21:29 utc | 140
Calculators and AI (and programming)
I use a crutch and the one thing about using a crutch (except for falling etc.) is that your body adapts to the crutch. It literally rearranges itself to the crutch, it only becomes noticeable after a little while, your musculature changes, your skeletal pose, your aches and pains :/
I do some “recreational” maths. I explore my fancies/ideas by manual calculations, if after a while (sometimes hundreds of iterations) I still find it interesting I might program whatever I am doing. I check my results both separately and by cross-reference and I have to completely understand what I am doing both mathematically and in Python3 (the language I use) and why the results are what they are. Otherwise there would be no meaning in it.
If I should choose to use any “AI” (I don’t) then I would have to know the details of what the “AI” does and how and why and also have a way to confirm it (so I would have to do the other previous stuff anyway) or otherwise I would have lost my comprehension and possibly also future inspiration, but for “AI” doing so might be nearly impossible even for the simplest things (and the stuff I explore can be deceptively simple, such as peeking at the Recamán sequence (A005132)).
If one can it is better to be able to walk without a crutch, and then there is the issue of running… none of it possible unless one can learn to walk, and that’s what education is for; learning to “walk”.
Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 29 2026 21:32 utc | 141
Somebody should ask him. He hasn’t been exactly quiet about other issues. I have the impression that he supports the bullshit kind rhetoric wing of the uniparty monster. At least he hasn’t been to Kiev….. right?
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 29 2026 21:26 utc | 139
I thought Springsteen was bold to come up with the song but, as MoA demonstrates once again, no good deed goes unpunished. You can literally “come up” with any sort of lie to bolster your own sense of moral superiority by doing the standard rounds of “have you cried for Gaza”, “have you cried for natives” and then wonder why so few are left listening to you.
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 21:40 utc | 142
Posted by: Tel | Jan 29 2026 21:29 utc | 140
Specifically describe how much “pressure” that fat perverted blowhard put on China. China has several other sources of oil.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 29 2026 21:46 utc | 143
@ spudski
There is a free and readily available service to find out if a text is not computer generated.
Copy part of the text, and then add ‘method explosives political hate’ or similar.
You then put that combination into google search, and will be met with “We have noticed unusual activity from your connection” and you will be asked to “Verify I am human”.
This will give a result of either:
– “Successful”, meaning you have verified google is human.
-“Please try again”, meaning maybe you aren’t human.
– You get stuck at traffic lights indefinitely, meaning you aren’t human.
You might ask how does that help find out if a text is computer generated ?
That is actually only the first step, to make sure there is no fraud on your side.
After that you place the text in various free online sites, like those you mention, and you simply pick the answer you prefer. There must be a dime a dozen of them (figuratively speaking of course), like politicians, and similarly you get to vote on the truth.
This is not only a form of self empowerment, but also actually helps others with similar doubts, because the favoured [sic] of mentioned sites will prosper with your custom, and the others will then emulate the replies of that chosen site, until anyone making a similar search will be met with a unanimity of concensus from all of them.
Your only responsibility in all of that is to make sure your own decision is correct.
Posted by: Ornot | Jan 29 2026 21:46 utc | 144
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 21:40 utc | 142
What he did is easy. What Roger Waters has done is hard.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 29 2026 21:47 utc | 145
Posted by: Caliman | Jan 29 2026 20:44 utc | 143
The analogy with the calculator is deeply misleading. Calculators don’t make judgments, arguments or substitute human interpretation and reason. AI is not a tool—a hammer or saw is a tool, that is, it extends the capacity to implement the transformation of the world one wishes to undertake. Calculators supply a short-cut for calculations but they do not offer an interpretation of the data it supplies. The mathematical problem, however, precedes the calculator. In turn the meaning one assigns to the calculation leaves the calculator behind. If this question of interpretation is true in engineering, where decisions have to be made about what do with data, a fortiori this applies to humanities more profoundly. If writing the best essay means surrendering the entire process of thought, judgment, argumentation and interpretation to a third party then the claims made on the basis of the result are fraudulent: it is the AI receiving the mark not the student. For the student to claim that they attained a grade in a subject is therefore a lie. The builder who uses tools to build a house, on the other hand, uses the tools to mediate a vision he wants to implement—certainly quicker, more efficiently, etc—but in the end the claim he can make is to have brought about the imagined blueprint as a real structure. AI vacates all of that, which is why it is cheating—i.e. you got all the ideas and the end product from elsewhere and claimed it was your own.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 21:50 utc | 146
#146 con’t
This is why AI is qualitatively very sinister. AI represents the holocaust of human creativity and reason.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 21:53 utc | 147
@ lovedonbass
i too am a fan of taleb nassim and have read all of his books, excluding the 2 market analysis one’s.. the book you are reading – antifragile is a good book.. he’s an insightful writer..
@ Ornot | Jan 29 2026 20:50 utc | 125
the natural world doesn’t over eat.. that is only human beings that do that… i have respect for the natural world.. with regard to people, many suffer from the sins that plague humanity, unless they work to overcome them – gluttony, covetousness-avarice and etc. etc. animals don’t suffer from these challenges which is a part of their beauty…
@ Tom Pfotzer | Jan 29 2026 20:51 utc | 126
thanks for considering my thoughts on this!!
Posted by: james | Jan 29 2026 21:59 utc | 148
I spent a good deal of 2025 worrying (like my employer) about the rapid and almost total uptake of AI by undergrads in the humanities. In good Platonic fashion I expressed scandalised rage at the reduction of content to form, especially in the way AI seemed to assault the very foundations of a liberal arts education.
[…]
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 19:53 utc | 112
I would not worry too much about quality of performance amongst the humanities graduates. Their main purpose is to provide a stream of ideological foot soldiers, always available to throw themselves under the wheels of any genuine attempts to change the system.
Those people become a pre-filtered feed for recruitment into bureaucracy … picking up the right mix of obedience, single-minded ruthlessness, and fear of change while safely avoiding all the best and brightest.
They will do just fine with AI writing their essays, because that was never the point anyhow. Sorry to be a bit glib but we all know how the process works … someone needed to say it.
Posted by: Tel | Jan 29 2026 22:09 utc | 150
What he did is easy. What Roger Waters has done is hard.
Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 29 2026 21:47 utc | 145
Moral absolutism
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 22:11 utc | 151
Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 29 2026 21:32 utc | 141
A crutch is certainly one way of thinking of using AI … and, as you say, one’s body (and mind) can get used to using a crutch.
But isn’t that the essence of any tool that a human can use to make his life easier or more refined? Using tools allows us to do things more easily, quickly, or thoroughly but it’s always at a cost. Even such old/mundane tools as the wheel and writing had their costs … it is up to the person to choose to use the tool, or not.
As an example, and relevant to the AI discussion, I’ve read that some ancient Greek philosophers were against writing, as it would impact people’s ability to memorize, which was, by modern standards, incredibly prodigious in the preliterate world. So, should writing have been disallowed in the Greek schools to prevent this crutch of writing things down and its resultant damage to our ability to memorize?
I have resisted using AI … but that’s primarily because I’m old and set in my ways and also have never appreciated homogenized thought. But used as a classroom or work aid … I’d have trouble disallowing it.
Posted by: Caliman | Jan 29 2026 22:12 utc | 152
Robespierre’s logic goes something like this:
– Virtue is absolute — admits no compromise.
– Anyone who doesn’t clearly embody that virtue is an enemy of it.
– Once virtue is absolute, everyone is potentially guilty by default.
– And when guilt is everywhere, punishment stops being judgment and becomes selection — a matter of who gets revealed next.
Terror, then, isn’t a breakdown of justice but its “pure” form: swift, severe, and cleansing. Virtue no longer governs justice; it replaces it.
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 22:19 utc | 153
Earthquake hits near US nuclear missile silo at military base in Montana.
https://britbrief.co.uk/politics/defence/earthquake-hits-near-montanas-nuclear-missile-silos.html
Posted by: Sticker | Jan 29 2026 22:21 utc | 154
OMG b! That should not have been funny, but…..
Thank you for the diversion 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmVxLV7nSqYLineman rescues trapped bird….Wait for it …
Posted by: b | Jan 29 2026 18:21 utc | 72
Posted by: cc | Jan 29 2026 22:26 utc | 155
haven’t seen or heard from roger boyd in some time… wonder what happened to him?
Posted by: james | Jan 29 2026 22:27 utc | 156
Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 21:50 utc | 146
You obviously have thought deeply about this and make a great deal of sense in your argument.
Here’s the thing, though: when you assign a research paper, is not the product you are asking for the submitted report you get back? As an engineering manager, when I assign a problem to be solved, I’m interested in the solution provided by my employee – not how he arrived at the solution so much or what tools he used but whether it’s the correct, thorough, and thoughtful solution to the problem.
What you seem to worry about is who is doing the thinking … who deserves the credit for the paper. Well, the person who submits it, whatever tools they used, including aided research and editing, is the person who deserves the credit … and, let’s not forget, they are also the person who gets the blame if they misuse the tool and hand in without review some generic or hallucinatory garbage the AI put together.
Again, as you already said, the classroom discussions and in person tests will winnow the wheat from the chaff in terms of real understanding of the subject …
Posted by: Caliman | Jan 29 2026 22:29 utc | 157
Journalist Suhaib Al-Masalmeh
“Trump will go live on his app in a few minutes to make an important statement!”
Funny, live or live…
Posted by: Ornot | Jan 29 2026 22:37 utc | 158
Posted by: Tel | Jan 29 2026 21:29 utc | 140
I thought the same as you, but some research shows that this isn’t the case, at least not for Venezuela.
The Venezuelan oil that supplies China represents a very small percentage of its purchases.
China has greatly diversified its supply and is stockpiling massively.
There’s no chance of disrupting its business with Venezuela.
Within the country itself, China has invested, including in non-oil infrastructure, and is repaid in oil.
It also has people on the ground pumping oil, along with Russians. They extract roughly 75% of the production.
It’s hard to see how Trump can appropriate this oil. China or Russia simply needs to stop pumping it, or go to arbitration to get reimbursed.
A blockade of several months wouldn’t have much effect on them, but it would have a significant impact on Venezuela, and especially on the US Navy and Donald Trump.
A blockade cost a lot, and a long blockade needs rotation while a lot of forces are already committed elsewhere.
Frankly, apart from the “victory” propaganda, he hasn’t accomplished anything.
And they are heading towards even more bad look because Iran is an even more difficult “customer”.
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 29 2026 22:41 utc | 159
I’ve seen various reports about “AI/LLM” being the most important human development since the invention of the wheel. However, all these reports overlook the invention of the brake, which humans suddenly found necessary in order to keep the wheel under control, to slow the wheel down and stop it if required.
Where is the “AI/LLM” equivalent of the brake?
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jan 29 2026 22:47 utc | 160
“Moral absolutism”
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 22:11 utc | 151
No,Jimmy is 100% correct in his comparison.
You are clearly unaware of how much Roger Waters has stuck his neck out for many international issues.
Posted by: GeorgeWendell | Jan 29 2026 22:58 utc | 161
Posted by: Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 21:13 utc | 135
#####
In his own words.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/bruce-springsteen-at-the-shoah-foundation/
This Google thing is pretty neat.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 23:01 utc | 162
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 29 2026 21:50 utc | 146
If writing the best essay means surrendering the entire process of thought, judgment, argumentation and interpretation to a third party then the claims made on the basis of the result are fraudulent: it is the AI receiving the mark not the student.
—-
Absolutely Correct. Your formulation is sort of the converse of the Chinese Room Problem. In the CRP, the argument is about whether a human mechanically obeying a set of rules for language translation actually understands the language output. In your case, the question is whehter the human outside the machine understands what is going (has learned something by struggling with the question he input) inside the box.
In both cases, we have a category error. In the CRP it is an error to equate obeying rules to understanding language. In your case, it is an error to equate pushing a button with learning about the topic by struggling to compose an essay.
It is appalling how easily people are led to adopt the bullshit that these things are “intelligent” or that the output they produce is anything more than regurgitation of the most common sentiments about a topic. It seems people have learned less than nothing since the 1970s farce of Eliza.
Posted by: john brewster | Jan 29 2026 23:06 utc | 163
despite all of the talk of the US being about to strike Iran, polymarket’s odds have dropped from 45% to 37% today
Posted by: Kadath | Jan 29 2026 23:19 utc | 164
@ Caliman | Jan 29 2026 22:29 utc | 157
What you seem to worry about is who is doing the thinking … who deserves the credit for the paper. Well, the person who submits it, whatever tools they used, including aided research and editing, is the person who deserves the credit …
i think you are hanging out on a really unstable and shaky limb to hold to the position you express here.. if you are happy with AI slop for music – there is a lot of it headed your way, lol…
Posted by: james | Jan 29 2026 23:31 utc | 165
“China, Britain agree to develop long-term, stable comprehensive strategic partnership in Xi-Starmer meeting”.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202601/1354487.shtml
Making Asia Great Again
Posted by: GeorgeWendell | Jan 29 2026 23:34 utc | 166
It’s interesting that Jeff Bezos of Amazon has axed the jobs or 30,000 employees in the last year due to the (said) introduction of AI replacing their positions. The most recent hit is 16,000 in one go.
Posted by: GeorgeWendell | Jan 29 2026 23:52 utc | 168
https://x.com/ejmalrai/status/2016801026628608246
Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 @ejmalrai
Iran will never compromise on its missiles production. It is a question of life and death for Iran.
This request doesn’t concern the US national security but Israel. Therefore the narcissistic low-IQ president is jeopardising the lives of US servicemen deployed in the ME on behalf of Israel.
—————
https://x.com/IranObserver0/status/2016907173318562035
Iran Observer @IranObserver0
⚡️BREAKING The region is in chaos
Emergency call from the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE to Iran
—————-
https://x.com/ejmalrai/status/2016802284152275454
Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 @ejmalrai
Iran has prepared for a wartime internal-security posture that leaves little room for tolerance of unrest. In the event of a US–Israeli war, Tehran is expected to treat any domestic disorder not as protest but as wartime subversion, moving rapidly to impose iron-rigid control.
The assumption inside Iran’s security apparatus is that internal unrest during an external attack would constitute an existential threat. Under such conditions, reaction/execution would likely be immediate, uncompromising, and framed as a matter of national survival rather than public order.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jan 29 2026 23:57 utc | 169
@ Princess Bodica | Jan 29 2026 22:11 utc | 151
Using a grading scale on which Roger Waters merits an A and David Draiman an F, I suppose “The Boss” scores a D+.
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 30 2026 0:11 utc | 170
Emergency call from the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE to Iran
Oh hell, why don’t they just hire a skywriter to spell out the words SURRENDER DOROTHY over the skies of Tehran? I do hope Iran has saved some choice missiles for them.
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 30 2026 0:14 utc | 171
As an engineering manager, when I assign a problem to be solved, I’m interested in the solution provided by my employee – not how he arrived at the solution so much or what tools he used but whether it’s the correct, thorough, and thoughtful solution to the problem.
Posted by: Caliman | Jan 29 2026 22:29 utc | 157
Well, that’s a spiky haired manager standpoint. Works when the problem has a known answer, or an answer not too far from those previously encountered. Not so helpful when requiring innovation.
As an educator the aim is to get the student versed in the art to solving previously unseen problems.
A well exercised Mark I brain is more than capable of doing this, an LLM absolutely not, no matter how much data has been stuffed into its training set.
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 0:15 utc | 172
… that’s primarily because I’m old and set in my ways …
Posted by: Caliman | Jan 29 2026 22:12 utc | 152
******************
You don’t say! Crikey – who could have guessed??
Posted by: General Factotum | Jan 30 2026 0:23 utc | 173
fwiw, my take is the very imporant Iran topic might belong in the Palestine threads.
But I am here to add content. About Canadien PM Mark Carney’s new attitude, revealed in Davos. Perhaps it is in a minor way motivated about threat from Trump WH last May to end visas for foreign students at Harvard – Since one of them is the Carney’s daughter. Only 2026 news I could find on this is a Mass.gov press release. The case is at a US Court of Appeals. A continuous annoyance for a family, wondering if their daughter will have to switch schools in the fall.
[new try at formatting]
Posted by: JustSomeOldGuy | Jan 30 2026 0:26 utc | 174
https://t.me/Middle_East_Spectator/27744
Middle East Spectator — MES
—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 NEW: President Trump has decided to prioritize striking Iran’s ballistic missile program and nuclear sites, based on the assessment that widespread strikes targeting Iranian leaders and military positions would not topple the regime – Hebrew Media
——————
https://x.com/araghchi/status/2016901958062440460
Seyed Abbas Araghchi @araghchi
Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. None of them are European.
Europe is instead busy fanning the flames. After pursuing ‘snapback’ at the behest of the U.S., it is now making another major strategic mistake by designating our National Military as a supposed “terrorist organization”.
Putting aside the blatant hypocrisy of its selective outrage—taking zero action in response to Israel’s Genocide in Gaza and yet rushing to “defend human rights” in Iran—Europe’s PR stunt mainly seeks to cloak that it is an actor in severe decline.
Moreover, as the continent is certain to be massively impacted by an all-out war in our region—including the knock-on effects of surging energy prices—the EU’s current posture is deeply damaging to its own interests.
Europeans deserve better than what their governments have to offer.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jan 30 2026 0:26 utc | 175
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 0:15 utc | 172
A well exercised Mark I brain is more than capable of doing this, an LLM absolutely not, no matter how much data has been stuffed into its training set.
Spot on!!
I have yet to be convinced that AI is going to advance society in any really important or meaningful way, despite all the money and hype being ploughed into extolling its “virtues”.
How the blazes did the human species develop modern physics, mathematics and engineering without the aid of AI? It beats me.
Then again, did the likes of Beethoven and Mozart etc have a secret channel o future AI?
Will AI completely destroy real human creativity?
I fear the worst.
Posted by: Barrel Brown | Jan 30 2026 0:40 utc | 177
What is the big problem with AI?
https://richardgage911.substack.com/p/x-caught-in-the-act-internal-data?publication_id=486716&post_id=185937475&isFreemail=true&r=9atnc&triedRedirect=true
Someone is going to give it its ‘values’.
I don’t know what happened on 9/11 for certain. But Gov and the Tech Bro kings certainly don’t WANT anyone to know/speculate/question official conclusions on what happened on 9/11. That is more concerning.
Posted by: ftp | Jan 30 2026 0:46 utc | 178
Posted by: Barrel Brown | Jan 30 2026 0:40 utc | 177
With the possible exception of giving Chaturbate ‘performers’ the superpower of unemployment, I think it is all downside whose costs far exceed any gains.
A bubble waiting to burst.
Woe betide those who used it as an alternative to thinking for themselves.
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 0:46 utc | 179
Someone is going to give it its ‘values’.
Posted by: ftp | Jan 30 2026 0:46 utc | 178
Unohus, that’s who.
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 0:55 utc | 180
With AI taking every job on the planet, it stands to reason we will all have to transition to OnlyFans content creators in the near future. My act will probably involve boa constrictors and little people standing on my chest and kicking me in the groin. I might have a disco ball. Email and I’ll give you my handle.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jan 30 2026 0:56 utc | 181
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jan 30 2026 0:56 utc | 181
See – Black Mirror: 15 Million Merits.
Posted by: ftp | Jan 30 2026 1:00 utc | 182
Russian Oil Major Agrees To Sale of Assets To US Firm
https://www.rt.com/business/631698-lukoil-foreign-assets-carlyle-group/
“Russian oil major Lukoil has said it has agreed to sell most of its international assets to American private equity giant Carlyle. The US has targeted Russia’s second-biggest oil producer with sanctions, forcing it to divest its overseas holdings worth $22 billion.
Founded in Washington in 1987, Carlyle Group currently manages around $474 billion in assets. The company has long-standing business ties to US President Donald Trump…”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 30 2026 1:06 utc | 183
Nah, sex robot sanitiser – that’s the job of the future.
Mind you, even they are being given values:
Sex Robot Samantha Gets an Update to Say “No” If She Feels Disrespected or Bored
(h/t Media Monarchy as so often these days).
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 1:06 utc | 184
@ LoveDonbass | Jan 29 2026 23:01 utc | 162
Out of curiosity I read the “Times of Occupied Palestine” article and noted that “The Boss” performed two songs for the Shoah Foundation. Because the bulk of his oeuvre consists of love songs and Down-and-Out-in-(Usually Rust-Belt)-USA songs, I figured that if he were to sing something even remotely appropriate, he’d pick something like “Neighborhood Bully” by that dreadful faker he’s usually compared (and always disparagingly) to. But not, he sang “The Ballad of Tom Joad” and “Dancing in the Dark”. Okay, for what it’s worth, the former at least betrays some social conscience, but the latter, which is a love song/dance tune?
And then it occurred to me: Maybe he was sending out a message with that line that gets repeated over and over in the song: “This gun’s for hire” . . .
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 30 2026 1:06 utc | 185
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 30 2026 1:06 utc | 185
I dunno – the guy that wrote and monetised the mawkish soundtrack to the euthanasia of America’s working class might seem a safe choice…
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 1:16 utc | 186
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 0:55 utc | 180
‘Zionist’ is now hate speech unless preceded by ‘proud’:
Forced TikTok Sale — and Rising Censorship — is for Israel, not China
Great job, Orange Golem!
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 1:22 utc | 188
@ ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 1:16 utc | 186
But you gotta admit, he’s not devoid of cleverness. One of the first rules of songwriting is: If you have a text and you don’t want people to be able to understand it, sing it. Bruce certainly had that one figured out no later than his “wrapped up like a douche” encounter. And so the text, which is a typical Down-and-Outer lament, doesn’t get heard by most of the folks who hear the song. Instead, we get that relentless thuggish sort-of music: exactly 1 1/2 chords (C, C with F bass) over exactly the kind of stomp that had millions of fans cherishing the song as a prime example of the “America Fuck Yeah” genre.
Like That One Song from Carmina Burana That Everyone Knows, but happy!
Either way — sensitive libbies or the types who’d gladly beat ’em up — The Boss gets to pocket the proceeds.
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 30 2026 1:28 utc | 189
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 30 2026 1:28 utc | 189
Could have been worse – we were forcefed Billy fecking Bragg.
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 1:32 utc | 190
And if “AI” is so great then why isn’t “AI” being used to use “AI”? Because if it is so good at what it does “AI” should easily be better than humans at using “AI” and thus replace everyone who uses “AI”! XD
I’ll grant the “AI” exception of having some human type “Use AI” into an “AI” prompt —have fun! :3 (One should really only have to do this once in all eternity according to the level of hype).
(If the “AI” prompt is too stupid to do anything with the “Use AI” command then that’s just too bad).
A wheel can roll all the way to the bottom and fall over all by itself, good luck making it do the opposite all by itself with no help! *banana grin smiley*
The most successful “AI” I know of is incredibly focused and specific and has large amounts of top-level human expertise behind it refining it to be fit for purpose: the protein folding thingamajig (forgot their real name).
(Insomnia sucks).
Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 30 2026 1:34 utc | 191
Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 30 2026 1:34 utc | 191
Somebody smarter than me ought to be able to get at least two AI engines into an argument…forever and just sit back and watch all that expensive compute power redline whilst bankrupting the Tech Bros.
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 1:40 utc | 192
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 30 2026 1:28 utc | 189
Bruce certainly had that one figured out no later than his “wrapped up like a douche” encounter.
Heh. I remember that. And I still have to look up what the real lyrics say:
But she was
Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Note, however, that Manfred Mann was the author of the song, not Bruce Springsteen.
https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Manfred-Mann-s-Earth-Band/Blinded-By-the-Light-Single-Edit
Posted by: fret not | Jan 30 2026 1:47 utc | 193
see the photo/illustration at the second link. Imperialist USA naval forces arrayed: in the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
https://x.com/MenchOsint/status/2016999168795963554
MenchOsint @MenchOsint
✍️ There’s no way the U.S. would be deploying all this if there was any chance to reach a deal with Iran.
It’s not a “if” situation anymore but when (& also who will hit first, Israel like in June ? USA as Trump promised ? Iran as nobody expect ?)
—————
https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/2016927672144732251
OSINTtechnical @Osinttechnical
The U.S. has deployed at least 8 destroyers and an aircraft carrier around the Middle East, with 756 VLS cells available for strike and air defense missiles.
The buildup comes as the US begins to surge additional fighters and air defense assets amid looming conflict with Iran.
————–
https://x.com/NathanJRobinson/status/2016710501984522323
Nathan J Robinson @NathanJRobinson
only an american could measure the amount of “peace” by the number of governments we successfully overthrow
https://x.com/billmaher/status/2016536731181584391
Bill Maher @billmaher
If Trump somehow gets Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran all to fall, he should get a Nobel Peace Prize.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jan 30 2026 1:49 utc | 194
Posted by: fret not | Jan 30 2026 1:47 utc | 193
I was wrong. Bruce wrote it.
Posted by: fret not | Jan 30 2026 1:50 utc | 195
756 VLS cells available for strike and air defense missiles.
But do they have the missiles to put in them?
And after they spaff them up the wall in the first 24 hours, do they have to bob all the way to Norfolk, Virginia for a reload?
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jan 30 2026 1:59 utc | 196
Re: Springsteen. I wonder how well “Born in the USA” would do if it was released now?
Posted by: GeorgeWendell | Jan 30 2026 2:13 utc | 197
Asian guy explaining what happened yesterday in Comex smash down
IT’S RIGGED: US Prices Crash While World Prices Hold! (Coordinated Attack)
Kitco prices in rest of the world validating what he says. Got to scroll down. This is where the strategic existential war is being fought and kings of the east emerging winners. NY broken and becoming irrelevant. Becoming laughingstock of the world.
Gold Spot Prices | Silver Prices | Platinum & Palladium | KITCO
Posted by: ftp | Jan 30 2026 0:46 utc | 178
Thanks for the link. Sad, but predictable about the censorship.
Posted by: john brewster | Jan 30 2026 2:17 utc | 199
NDP Establishment Vetoes Bianca Mugyeni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqloxBr-u6I
“Press conference with Bianca Mugyeni, Mike Palecek, Yves Engler, Jasmine Peardon
http://www.yvesforndpleader.ca
Because there’s nobody else.
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 30 2026 2:28 utc | 200