People ask what it’s like to work inside the media meltdown. It used to be like musical chairs. Now it’s the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan.

This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Ladies and gentlemen, behold the mesmerizing power of a strong liberal arts education

Polish President Karol Nawrocki says Trump’s peace plan must reflect the reality that Russia cannot be trusted to honor agreements. He insists any deal must be approved by Kyiv and warns that peace must not come at the cost of Russia achieving its strategic goals.

"...to fight his little heart out..." Whatever else may be true in this world, that heart isn't little.

These late- and post-war warnings against fascism in the U.S. seem so odd, considering the years of blood and struggle Americans had just put into fighting it... ...but clearly those producing them knew that victory and its confidence could breed an urge to dominate everything and everywhere... /1

"But I fear that if the current trends continue, media organisations may quite rapidly move from a business-to-public model, to a business-to-business model. The AI companies will intervene between journalist and audience." /1

"[Russia] has launched a determined attempt to plunge the whole of Ukraine into darkness, stepping up an existing campaign of mass destruction. It has targeted thermal power plants, substations and rescue workers as they battle to save the electricity network from one aerial attack after another."

Yes, the Renaissance (& many eras) are full of examples of the pattern that the very rich try to turn wealth into power. If the system won’t let them, they’ll break the system to do it. Contrast the instability of Genoa (no new families could join the elite) with Venice (the 0.01% could be voted in)

A great thing about retirement is having the time and freedom to read broadly and discover so many things you wish you'd known when you were working… I'm likely the second to last person to find out about SIFT, but I'm now smarter for it. I recommend this to journalists and teachers of…anything. /1

They line up perfectly.

New Phase 2 trial beginning to see whether Moderna mRNA vaccine for Epstein-Barr virus--a possible cofactor in MS development--can slow progression of early-stage MS. All current treatments work by suppressing immune system, with bad side effects, so this would be much better (if successful).

"GDP per person" is meaningless as a measure of national standard of living unless we also know how widely the wealth is shared, and how all our lives are enriched by collective wealth through such things as universal health care. A lot hoarded by a few is less than a moderate amount shared by all.

The adventures of a precocious 6-year-old and his stuffed tiger debuted on November 18, 1985. NPR's Renee Montagne spoke with the comic strip's editor, Lee Salem, in 2005.

Trump's deadline of Thanksgiving echoes his equally deeply thought out target of ending the COVID shutdown and reopening the U.S. to mass gatherings and business as usual for Easter 2020. The only reason to pick that unrealistic date seemed to be the potential for shallow symbolism. Same here. /1

"Sources close to the official Ukrainian investigation disclosed...that examination of Roshchyna’s body after its repatriation...showed the hyoid bone in her neck was broken, damage that can occur during strangulation. Her body was also returned with the brain, eyes and larynx removed."

This is what I'd expect, but proof is important. One response could be to allow (and teach) the use of AI tools to assemble the truly primary pieces of a puzzle; then NOT use them in sorting, selection and synthesis of those pieces; and then use them again to "cross-examine" the draft result. /1

Former Finnish PM Sanna Marin put it bluntly: “To end the conflict, Russia must leave Ukrainian territory.” Just one point. Nothing more to discuss.

He signaled that Ukraine has already given its answer, on May 20, 2019, when he swore to defend the nation’s sovereignty. Zelensky warned of an intense week ahead, filled with political and informational pressure aimed at dividing the country. “We’re made of steel but even metal can break.”

2/2 One unexploded drone fell in a children's playground in Odesa, while here, one of the Russian UAVs plunged into a residential area after being shot down. Luckily it landed in a garden. #StopRussia

2/2 Video has been found from security cameras which showed the terror as a Russian missile hit the apartments on Wednesday morning.

1/2 The death toll in Ternopil' has risen to 31. Three more bodies were recovered at 11 o'clock, more than 50 hours after Russia's massacre when it deliberately hit two tower blocks in the city. #RussiaIsATerroristState

President of Ukraine: Our people really, really want this war to end. We are, of course, made of steel, but even the strongest metal can give way. Don't forget that. Stand with Ukraine, stand with our people. And therefore, stand with dignity and freedom.

The reported peace plan cedes all Western and Ukrainian leverage to Russia. More: isw.pub/UkrWar112025

For this week's #ThursdayFilmRec 🗃️🎥🍿🎬 #HATM Watch (or Rewatch) one of my favorite films: "Broadcast News" (1987) - Dir. James L. Brooks Fantastic performances by Holly Hunter, William Hurt, & Albert Brooks. And, this unforgettable scene featuring Joan Cusack. ⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYCE...

This would have been a great idea, but the White House theater was located in the East Wing…and alas, it’s gone.

Terrific story. Really. ' He clicks a return button. The Selectric whirs. He listens. “The problems you see — and sometimes the problems you hear,” he says, wryly, as he adjusts the operational shaft, “are not always the real problem.” '

"Where's my mum?" :-)

Ukraine’s UN rep Khrystyna Hayovyshyn says Kyiv is open to real talks but won’t accept territorial loss, limits on its army, or restrictions on choosing alliances. “Our land is not for sale.” She adds peace requires continued support and pressure on Russia to retreat on all fronts.

The search and rescue operation continued all night in Ternopil' 230 emergency workers from 9 regions are working through the rubble at two tower blocks where 26 people are known to have died, but 22 people are still unaccounted for. #RussiaIsATerroristState

Hilarious. This town in northern BC, about 650 KM/400 miles north of Vancouver, has launched this hysterical advertising campaign to get new residents and attract new talent — "Kitimat — it's not for everyone."

Use common sense.

Nuremberg prosecutor Robert H. Jackson, opening at trial: “The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated.”

Military ethicist here. I used to be Associate Chair of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at USNA. We consistently taught our midshipmen that they should refuse to obey illegal orders. The Uniform Code of Military Justice makes this obligation clear. “I was just following orders” is not an excuse, period.

4 people were killed and 3 injured in a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, according to local authorities.

Rescuers have recovered the body of another victim from under the rubble at the site of the russian missile strike in Ternopil. The death toll has risen to 28.

"Once, when we were discussing the Oslo agreements, Jeffrey picked up the phone and called the Norwegian diplomat who supervised them...," Chomsky wrote. "On another occasion, Jeffrey arranged a meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, whose record I had studied...and written about."

Russian terror: A UN World Food Programme warehouse in Dnipro was hit by drones on the evening of 19 November, destroying ten thousand food kits meant for people living near the front line. Other supplies were also damaged. But hey, Trump is only a 'little bit dissapointed' with Putin.

If you haven't yet picked a side, you've picked a side.

Why definitions are helpful... /1

A glorious read ― and a real reminder of the many stout Scots threads there are woven into our Canadian plaid! We do know that same usual experience of feeling "...oh well..." ― but have also come to know this joy, and increasingly often too (touch wood)... Gaun yersel, Scotland! /1

"Many articles have a different slant from Wikipedia. The Grokipedia entry for Adolf Hitler, for example, goes for 13,000 words before it mentions the Holocaust by name, according to an NBC News count, while Wikipedia mentions it in the first paragraph of its article." /1

Do we have any sense of the role Hegseth lawyer Tim Parlatore may be playing in these discussions, having been parachuted into a navy reserve commission as a commander in JAG? Is he directing them? Or at the table as the quiet guy from "head office" watching who says what?

Interesting: "If any of these had been boats full of fishermen or refugees, CNN International would've already been on the ground & interviewed all their families & told their stories." He recognizes that if those killed had been fishermen or refugees, you wouldn't hear anything about it on Fox.

The AP has gone and talked to relatives of some of the men, including those of a fisherman and a bus driver. apnews.com/article/trum...

Thanks to staff of the Harvard Crimson for demonstrating the importance of local, community journalism (and for running a wiser, more informative, and more righteous editorial department than the Washington Post's). www.thecrimson.com/thread/2025/...

Seems like a good day to recall Teddy Roosevelt's reflections on patriotism.

"Ellison often speaks to connections at the White House but, in at least one of the calls, engaged in a dialogue about possibly axing some of the CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to loathe, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, the people said." More women Trump wants to tell to "Quiet!"

"...the family's security camera caught the moment the flag was planted. "...a man who uses a cane and appears to be wearing an army uniform stands at the bottom of the driveway and places the flag on the front lawn. He then stands up and salutes the house. Shortly after, he starts walking away."

' She has a collage of photos of her five children...a constant reminder of the great loss the family has endured. Aliwa refuses to cry in front of her grandchildren. “If it gets too much and I feel my tears coming, I go to the side so they don’t realize how broken I am.” '