Another example of Ukraine war blowback on the West: banking costs rose and lending tightened due to the sanctions on Russia.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Coffee Break: Oracle Debt and TikTok Transition Troubles Vex the Ellison Media Empire
Oracle has financial problems that threaten the Ellison media empire, while technical problems at TikTok complicate the transition to total info control.
Is Being Virtuous Good for You – or Just People Around You? A Study Suggests Traits Like Compassion May Support Your Own Well-Being
Is being virtuous more than just its own reward?
Washington Reactivates ISIS
The U.S. abandons the Kurds—again—while ISIS prisoners are released in Syria and others are transferred to Iraq where a major clash is brewing.
Ukraine Hoist on Its PR Petard? Bizarre Media and Official Silence Over Humanitarian Crisis From Russian Grid Attacks, Extreme Difficulty of Rebuilding
The damage to Ukraine’s grid is already so serious and hard to remedy that its future as a failed state is close to certain.
Blue Monday Isn’t Real, but Sadness Is – And It Plays a Vital Role in Children’s Development
Examining the commercial interests surrounding the concept of sadness.
ICE Execution in Minneapolis
ICE repeatedly shot and killed Alex Pretti who posed no threat to anyone. The US we once knew is over.
The Sunday Morning Movie Presents: 101 REYKJAVÍK (2000) Run Time: 1H 24M
Greetings gentle readers and welcome to the Sunday Morning Movie. Today, it’s a twisted rom-com from Iceland: 101 REYKJAVÍK. 101 Reykjavík (2000) and next week’s film Lilya 4-Ever (warning, disturbing content): https://youtu.be/zbkBesAWFXM?si=OSjXF2FBT00DVLjm Reviews of 101 REYKJAVÍK: Letterboxd says: Icelandic version of The Graduate situation but for lesbians and the victim of the love triangle is […]
The US’ New National Defense Strategy Calls For A World War-Like Military Build-Up
Contrary to popular narrative, the U.S. is not retreating to its own “backyard.”
Black Sites and Black Days
More on how the US looks to be running ICE-related black sites, as in torture sites, in the US.
As the UN General Assembly Turns 80, Can Ordinary Citizens Change How the World Is Governed?
A permanent Global Citizens’ Assembly met and is getting more and more participation. Does it have any hope of being effective?
Coffee Break: Ancient Travelers and Artists, an Enigmatic Devonian Giant, and a Thinking Cow
After one full year the grim news on the science front – all fronts really – this Coffee Break is devoted to why science is interesting and fun. And useful, even if its use value cannot be predicted before the fact. Part the First: Ancient Travelers. Or, social networks (not this kind) have always been […]
