Links 2/25/2025

Subscribe to Post Comments

61 comments

1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 7:19 am

   “Killing Me Softly singer Roberta Flack dies aged 88”

   This is really sad news. An amazing woman with so many great songs to her name. RIP

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8_fLu2yrP4 (3:16 mins)

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Flack

   Reply ↓
   1. griffen February 25, 2025 at 7:36 am

      When I heard this from CNBC yesterday mid-afternoon, the report stated she revealed her ALS diagnosis roughly two years ago. Such a horrible and incurable disease. Pity that Lou Gehrig famously had it so young.

      Anecdotally my very extended circle of friends dating to high school are slowly losing their parents, some to illness and some just dropping from a heart attack. Roughly the ages were between 75 to 80. Per Forrest Gump, “mama said dying is just a part of life, but I wish it wasn’t Jenny…”

      Reply ↓
   2. Stephen V February 25, 2025 at 7:49 am

      She was thinking of the death of her cat when she sang “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” …
      https://eurweb.com/2020/the-history-behind-roberta-flacks-version-of-the-first-time-ever-i-saw-your-face-eur-video-throwback/

      Reply ↓
   3. mrsyk February 25, 2025 at 8:54 am

      It’s all a bit overwhelming. To me, Ms Flack’s voice has an indelible association with being on the road, softly sung words of comfort out of the am radio to ease the anxieties of a nine year old in the back seat of our Chevy Laguna.
      RIP.

      Reply ↓
2. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 7:45 am

   “It’s a pity that Sahra didn’t understand anything…”

   This article makes much of the fact that Germany right now is a very divided country. And I would go so far as to say that the recent elections did nothing for resolving them and most parties lost support right across the board but must still come together to forma government. In saying this I must mention a map that I have seen of the election results and you can see it on the following page about one third of the way down-

   https://ianjamesparsley.wordpress.com/2025/02/24/germany-divisions-old-and-new/

   I don’t know about you guys but this really looks like a map from the 80s with West Germany, the DDR and a small pocket of West Germany for Berlin. It’s almost uncanny.

   Reply ↓
   1. Alice X February 25, 2025 at 8:41 am

      Michael Walker and Grace Blakeley (who I like a lot) on Novara Live, yesterday (UK) starting after 08:00 talk with Loren Balhorn of Die Linke discuss the election. The later section on Gary Stevenson is also worthwhile.

      Reply ↓
   2. William Beyer February 25, 2025 at 8:50 am

      The map is a mind-blower. It looks a lot like Ukraine before the 2014 coup.

      Reply ↓
   3. .Tom February 25, 2025 at 9:26 am

      I’m curious about the central argument in the article: that voters who want nothing to do with the establishment bloc parties (CDU/CSU, SPD, FDP, Green) turned against BSW because it entered coalitions with the bloc parties after BSW’s success in the Landtag elections last year. This proved to anti-bloc voters that BSW is no alternative after all.

      Does this add up? If you know any anti-bloc voters or are one or have some other sources, please pipe up.

      Reply ↓
3. JohnA February 25, 2025 at 7:47 am

   Re Senate Republicans criticize Musk over email to government employees

   Who is going to read the replies to this email? Has there been any kind of thinking into how to vet the replies? Ie acceptable, unacceptable, questionable? Will there be some kind of appeals process for responses considered unacceptable? Is there a sliding scale with regard to questionability?
   If the whole point of the exercise is to cut out waste and improve efficiency, the response process will surely create a huge amount of work in grading and vetting etc. etc. Not exactly conducive to greater efficiency or leaner operations.

   Reply ↓
   1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 7:58 am

      I would imagine that they would have AIs going through those replies with certain words triggering a negative result which might result in that person’s termination. To Musk it must sound all scientific like but it would be more akin to monkeys and typewriters coming up with usable results. Probably find that the real reason for that stupid email was to rattle people, demoralize them and break federal worker’s resistance in face of his onslaughts. It caused chaos of course and disrupted government agencies which was why some Federal agencies told their workers to ignore that email.

      Reply ↓
      1. ilsm February 25, 2025 at 8:36 am

         I have been retired from US civil service since 2003, I have no idea how much of a civilian employee’s “jacket file” is stored digitally.

         If I were looking I would take a reported week e-mail and match it to the position description which if digitized would be easy for AI.

         If the employees performance plan were digitized the e-mail could be bumped there as well.

         Bump the employee three ways.

         Then call the supervisor who certifies these things and the “classifier” who keeps them all legal and you can fire all three for fictional employee position and grade management. Or you can use RICO.

         Reply ↓
         1. mrsyk February 25, 2025 at 9:22 am

            lol, is it me, or is everything RICO now?

            Reply ↓
   2. Socal Rhino February 25, 2025 at 9:10 am

      According to Musk this is a simple pulse test, intended to see if those on the payroll are engaged enough to see an incoming email and respond to it. It is looking for no show jobs. It’s pass/fail.

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 9:25 am

         That is a sort of ‘The dog ate my homework’ excuse. You could have Federal employees out in the field or away in other countries or out sick not seeing that email until it was too late. The original email was so brief on his part is sounded like a brain fart. Musk reacts very badly to people calling him out on his bs and this sounds like an excuse that he had his pr team come up with.

         Reply ↓
         1. ambrit February 25, 2025 at 9:28 am

            This is more like a “The DOGE ate my work from home” observation.

            Reply ↓
            1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 9:32 am

               Hah!

               Reply ↓
         2. Carolinian February 25, 2025 at 10:03 am

            There seem to be two theories about the Trumpies. One says that everything they are doing is part of a carefully worked out plan (be it good or evil). The other suggests they are making it up as they go along. While there is undoubtedly some of the first here’s suggesting it is mostly the second one.

            And we know this applies to Musk himself since every time one of his rockets blows up he says it’s all part of the learning process. When it comes to rockets his methods have produced success, with the assistance of many talented engineers. When it comes to human relations, however, they are very bad indeed and he should just shut up–something he seems incapable of doing.

            Still the chaos may be better than the previous admin which was both incompetent and very quiet indeed. Their approach to mistakes was to deny that they were capable of making mistakes. Our voter choice seems to have come down to the blowhards versus the autocrats.

            Reply ↓
      2. Dr. John Carpenter February 25, 2025 at 9:40 am

         Yeah, right. That sounds like a classic Musk retcon, which he is well known for.

         The emails looked like standard phishing or, to be generous, pen test emails. A big branined tech guy like Musk would know that. I would have reported them to cybersecurity.

         Reply ↓
      3. t February 25, 2025 at 9:42 am

         That us really astounding. We keeping joking about his drug use but yikes.

         What is the MAGA concept of a federal worker and workplace? If you don’t have five minutes, they and the bots say, instead of recognizing the very real concerns about this latest bizarre attack.

         As plenty of people have pointed out, these emails look like a phishing test and in many, most, or even all roles answering would be a mistake (even for the emails noting “no confidential information”).

         I am curious about what happens if a recipient try to use Outlook to see who it’s from and who’s part of the distribution. Suspect it’s a single stand-alone email because, as we have seen, if DOGE was a person it would be too dumb to eat a cracker without choking.

         Reply ↓
      4. Emma February 25, 2025 at 10:02 am

         It’s pass/fail for detection of a spearfishing attempt by an unsecured email sender from outside their organization. Anyone who falls for this without top cover from within their organization deserves to be reprimanded for jeopardizing organizational information security.

         Reply ↓
         1. ChrisFromGA February 25, 2025 at 10:21 am

            That could be a Machiavellian way to fire a bunch of folks for cause.

            Not just reprimanded … threatening our national security or something like that.

            Reply ↓
            1. wendigo February 25, 2025 at 10:37 am

               Would the ultimate Machiavellian way be to fire people for answering the email and firing others for not answering?

               Reply ↓
      5. Mikel February 25, 2025 at 10:32 am

         Everybody was talking about the tech bros around Trump during the inauguration ceremonies. Only a little attention was given to the commercial real estate crowd that also has gathered around Trump.

         Some of this is their “work from home” concerns being addressed.

         Reply ↓
4. Trees&Trunks February 25, 2025 at 7:58 am

   Putin about ownership vs. operations. This is the only wise way to deal with non-renewable natural resources. Natural resources should belong to the state = you and me. Most of the revenues should go to the state = you and me because once it is dug up from the ground and sent away, they never come back. No foreign entity should be allowed to own anything, not even in any indirect or derivative way. If foreign companies are good at something, maybe they could be useful for operations.
   I visited an oil&gas conference in Turkmenistan where the hosts made that very clear to all foreign companies present. You get some crumbles but you will never own the cookie. The fellow delegation participants also agreed on that when we talked about that approach.

   Reply ↓
5. flora February 25, 2025 at 8:05 am

   re: beekeepers.

   Lee Fang’s substack, public excerpt.

   This Pesticide Rapidly Eradicating Insect Life May Also Harm Humans

   https://www.leefang.com/p/this-pesticide-rapidly-eradicating

   Reply ↓
6. Samuel Conner February 25, 2025 at 8:15 am

   Re: the UNGA vote on the RF SMO, this is interesting.

   Alexander Mercouris, in his 2/24 commentary, thought that the more neutrally-worded US-proposed resolution would pass, the more harshly worded one would fail, embarrassing its European sponsors and showing them to be isolated wrt rest-of-world; he considered it unwise of them to have dissented from the US approach. In the event, it is US that finds itself, on this subject, out of step with rest-of-world.

   John Helmer reports that Macron seems to think that he has maneuvered DJT into agreeing to some kind of backstop for a European ground force to be deployed into Ukraine after a peace deal. It is hard to imagine that there will be a peace deal if this is in prospect, but if JH’s interpretation is accurate, it suggests that perhaps the Europeans are exerting more influence on US policy than previously seemed likely.

   Reply ↓
   1. Bugs February 25, 2025 at 9:27 am

      I watched Macron & Trump speaking to the press from the Oval yesterday and after Macron said that there would be a European force in place to maintain stability (the wording was strange), the questioner asked Trump if the Russians would accept this. Trump said “yes”. A very odd exchange. Probably Trump bs-ing. It’s here – not sure it works in every geo – you need to rewind to see it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DopGPRgA3_8

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 9:37 am

         As a European force is exactly the same as a NATO force, I can’t see the Russians agreeing. They wuld seek to preserve the present regime. Of course the Chinese could offer to send in a force and it would be funny seeing those NATO countries twist themselves in knots saying how that would be impossible because…because…well just because.

         Reply ↓
7. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 8:34 am

   “Britain depends on Norway for energy. Some Norwegians want to cut us off”

   The Norwegian government could have easily headed this off by placing a price cap for energy in Norway itself. As long as they kept people at home satisfied, then they could export the surplus to the EU – of which they are not even a member of. Instead they made all these overseas connections and screwed over the locals. One connection I remember was opened up to Poland – the day after the NS2 pipelines were blown up. What a coincidence. Of course it would be very easy for a far-right party to arise and making energy prices their main focus of attack and I could see a sitting Norwegian government collapsing under such attacks. Still not too late to think about a price cap but I don’t think that that would happen.

   Reply ↓
   1. vao February 25, 2025 at 9:03 am

      “The Norwegian government could have easily headed this off by placing a price cap for energy in Norway itself.”

      If this German article is to be believed, this is partially the case already: most people there use “smart meters”, meaning the rates for the electricity they consume vary in function of the price on the electricity market. However, up to 90% of the cost (for households) above a certain limit are taken over by the government.

      In any case the Norwegians are not just irritated by the price shifts imposed by the British market, but also by the vagaries of the renewable energy production in Germany — the infamous “Dunkelflaute” (periods of no sun and no wind) — resulting in price spikes at home.

      It looks as if, even in countries producing an excess of energy — such as Norway — people prefer the predictable, stable tariffs from the old-fashioned regulated local utilities rather than the brave new world of European-wide, “dynamic” market pricing.

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 9:10 am

         Yeah, that sounds much closer to the truth. But to me this is like the Saudis telling their people that ‘Sorry guys, we have run out of oil for you.’

         Reply ↓
      2. .human February 25, 2025 at 10:04 am

         Sounds like Enron’s spot market pricing all over again!

         And I still don’t believe that Ken Lay is dead.

         Reply ↓
8. Wukchumni February 25, 2025 at 8:37 am

   Egypt announces first discovery of pharaoh’s tomb in more than 100 years Reuters
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Dateline: March 5, 4032

   The first discovery in more than 100 years of a high tech lord’s tomb has experts in a tizzy, as there are literally hundreds of rolls of double-ply Charmin, some in original wrapping!

   Sotheby’s outdueled Christie’s for the right to auction off what experts are calling ‘the find of a century’ in a long forgotten bunker complex on the Hawaiian coast. Also found were Mountain House freeze-dried food of every possible variety in #10 cans, an expert tried some Beef Stroganoff and related that it held up reasonably well-the first human to eat beef in over 1,900 years since Bird Flu took them all out.

   Reply ↓
9. Louis Fyne February 25, 2025 at 8:42 am

   Roger Penrose appeared on Joe Rogan’s show, 6 years ago!

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEw0ePZUMHA

   Alas when Joe Rogan is “Golden Age BBC” than today’s BBC. this is another example of why we can’t have nice things.

   Reply ↓
10. flora February 25, 2025 at 8:42 am

    Jonathan Turley on freedom of speech:

    The American Rōnin: How Displaced “Disinformation Experts” Are Seeking New Opportunities in Europe and Academia

    https://jonathanturley.org/2025/02/24/the-american-ronin-how-displaced-disinformation-experts-are-seeking-new-opportunities-in-europe-and-academia/

    Reply ↓
11. KidDoc February 25, 2025 at 8:43 am

    1 – Fire most or all newly hired public health staff
    2 – Re-hire those who are (indirectly) bought and paid for by industry

    Good luck reducing corrupted healthcare protocols, designed to raise vested interest profits…

    Reply ↓
12. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 8:48 am

    “3 Indian River Lagoon dolphins die of suspected bird flu”

    Very much unexpected as it is sad. Sure, they are mammals but to have them infected with a bird flu is a bit of a head-scratcher. The linked article suggests-

    ‘We know that dolphins in the lagoon will commonly feed on large schools of fish communally with large groups of birds, so it’s possible that might be how they could acquire the virus. The birds will actually shed the virus through saliva, mucus or feces, so the dolphins would have to come into contact with one of those.’

    https://www.wesh.com/article/florida-bottlenose-dolphins-dead-bird-flu/63373102

    Reply ↓
    1. t February 25, 2025 at 9:50 am

       I’d like to read more when we know more. Rabies is unusual in marine mammals because they are not built for being infected via saliva except when bitten by a land critter, bitten through the layer of blubber.

       The way they eat – would virus in anything have a chance to infect before stomach acids got it?

       Worth watching for a good theory on how.

       Reply ↓
       1. mrsyk February 25, 2025 at 10:28 am

          Concentrated viral loads have been measured in the air around the dead and dying. This would seem to be a possibe source of infection when one considers the logistics of a dolphin breath.
          Here’s an article (based on a study) on the virus spreading on the wind. Study finds strong evidence that bird flu spreads through the air between farms, News-Med.

          Reply ↓
13. timbers February 25, 2025 at 8:52 am

    Trump and Europe Fail to Realize that Russia Has a Vote – Larry Johnson Got to start reading more Larry Johnson. See him often on Napolitino but he is better in print. The video of Marcon arrival at WH being greeted by a staffer causing Marcon asking for and getting a redo arrival so he can be filmed with Trump greeting him, is priceless. What more needs to be said about Marcon? And Larry’s “Ursala Fond of Lying” is a gem. Pleasantly surprised so far by Russian taking all the time in the world regarding negotiations with Team Trump. Plus it gives US Team time to graduate from 1st grade high school lessons in diplomacy and prepare for their lessons in 2nd grade. Bet some of US Tesm are privately feeling out of their depth talking to the Russians.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 8:59 am

       Trump seems to have a soft spot for Macron and I have no idea why. Others have noticed this too. The guy is a snake who is capable of changing his positions daily. You could only trust him as far as the door and yet Trump seeks to accommodate him. He is exactly the sort of person to backstab Trump but does Trump even realize it?

       Reply ↓
       1. Bugs February 25, 2025 at 9:48 am

          IMHO, DJT finds Macron charming and appreciates the flattery. He also yesterday made a point of mentioning his treatment in Paris when he was hosted as the honored guest of the French president at the 2017 14 July military parade and taken out to dinner with Melania and Brigitte Macron at Le Jules Verne. At the time, the rest of the liberal West was still deep in Trump denial so I think he appreciated being treated like a world leader, as well as being taken out for a nice dinner, making him and his wife look like a human beings instead of monsters.

          Trump also likely appreciates the long history of French/American allyship – when Macron made the obligatory summary of the intertwined history of the two nations, Trump looked moved. Macron is a snake, but he’s got fine charisma management talents, especially with peer men of a certain age.

          Reply ↓
14. bertl February 25, 2025 at 8:54 am

    I’ve been following Starmer’s speech to the House of Commons on the need to prepare, essentially, for war with Russia rather than simply making a good treaty, as Bismarck advised. A truly wretched Starmer in Wonderland address which received responses equally rich in fantasy:
    

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 9:07 am

       Starmer can make all the threats that he wants but the truth of the matter is that the British military has been so run down by ALL the British governments so badly that it is incapable of fighting the Russians. At the moment the British have more admirals than actual warships and far more horses than main battle tanks. They just can’t do it and if they tried to send a force to the Ukraine, Putin might paraphrase Bismark and say ‘If the English should landed an army on our soil, I shall send the police to have them arrested.’

       Reply ↓
    2. ambrit February 25, 2025 at 9:12 am

       As the Oracle responded to the question on what would happen if a war was started: A great Empire will be destroyed. With Starmer et. al. we are dealing with the dregs of an Empire….

       Reply ↓
15. bertl February 25, 2025 at 9:05 am

    I seem unable to make the link feature work:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCiSX_5Je2M

    Reply ↓
    1. bertl February 25, 2025 at 9:07 am

       Now I have, it seems.

       Reply ↓
       1. t February 25, 2025 at 9:53 am

          The link feature doesn’t like some of us. Other people use it all the time. Some device-browser combinations aren’t suited, I suppose.

          Reply ↓
16. FreeMarketApologist February 25, 2025 at 9:31 am

    Re: This Fintech’s Visa Card Keeps Grandpa From Blowing His Nest Egg:

    Tough call on this one. For an elderly person who is reasonably independent yet at heightened risk for financial loss (e.g., falling for a financial scam, making particularly poor spending decisions), some level of financial supervision by a trusted relative, financial trustee, or caregiver is a plus. The individual gets a certain level of independence, but has some guardrails on activity.

    It appears that the company isn’t making the decision to limit spending categories/amounts — the relative/trustee/etc is. The card fees don’t seem crazy ($12/mo) for this sort of service, but of course they are making money off the float (because it’s a pre-paid debit card), and the investment fees for services offered through their investment advisory business (charging 1% of assets to manage trusts through basic investments in ETFs is… ok..?).

    How much paternalism should we provide for the elderly at risk so they can retain some level of independence without blowing themselves up?

    Reply ↓
17. ChrisFromGA February 25, 2025 at 9:38 am

    I’m sensing that we may be near peak D.O.G.E.

    Also, Mike Johnson is on the struggle bus:

    https://thehill.com/video-clips/5162457-watch-live-house-gop-leaders-press-conference-budget-resolution/

    He can only afford to lose one vote, or two votes plus the disgruntled GOP member voting “present” or agreeing not to show up. This is for next year’s budget framework, not the must-pass funding bill that would avert a government shutdown on March 14.

    I count Massie and Spartz as NO. Plus Chip Roy not happy. Will Trump have to lobby them to change votes again, like that distasteful crap-show they put on to re-elect Johnson as speaker?

    Johnson reminds me of a saying back in the day – “He’s a couple of egg-salad sandwiches short of a picnic”

    Reply ↓
18. Wukchumni February 25, 2025 at 9:47 am

    A retailer that seemed to have nothing to do with anything computerized in terms of what they sold, is closing all 800 retail stores.

    I don’t think I ever went into a Joann store, arts & crafts not being my bag.

    Reply ↓
    1. .human February 25, 2025 at 10:11 am

       Wow. Just WOW. I haven’t shopped a Joann’s in a while, but their range of products was substantial. They were at the top of my list for craft-like items. Michael’s comes close. Wonder how long they will last. There’s always Wallymart.

       Reply ↓
19. ChrisFromGA February 25, 2025 at 9:57 am

    Another Clique of Goofballs, part II

    We don’t need defenestration
    We don’t need no fraud control
    No dark sarcasm from tech bastards
    D.O.G.E.s leave those Feds alone

    Hey! D.O.G.E.s leave those Feds alone!

    All in all you’re just another clique of goofballs
    All in all you’re just another clique of goofballs

    [Repeat Chorus]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krYK1jWz0Lo

    Reply ↓
20. The Rev Kev February 25, 2025 at 9:58 am

    “Chinese AI Robot Goes Rogue and Attacks Woman Before Getting Shut Down”

    That robot was really trying to go her and I mean go her. Nothing mistaken about it and you wonder how a program could go so wrong that it would do something never envisioned by the designers – attack some random woman in a crowd. Does the thing have an inbuilt attack mode or something? Is it to late to incorporate Asimov’s three laws of robotics?

    Reply ↓
    1. ChrisFromGA February 25, 2025 at 10:05 am

       Asimov’s three laws are abolished. Here are the new laws:

       1. AI is fake
       2. AI is fraudulent
       3. AI is greased with marketing lube.

       Reply ↓
    2. Wukchumni February 25, 2025 at 10:09 am

       Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest.

       Asimov

       Reply ↓
21. t February 25, 2025 at 10:00 am

    Jo-Ann has devolved into being 50-percent cheap holiday decorations in recent years. Still, it’s not just arts and crafts and Furries and LARPers and cos play, there are still people who sew their own clothes, sew children’s clothes, upholster their own furniture. Jo-Ann is, in any city I’ve lived in, the least white m, most mixed store around.

    Walmarts have sewing sections, but except for a few good scissors, it’s crap.

    Reply ↓
22. Mikel February 25, 2025 at 10:19 am

    The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People – Wall Street Journal. Thomas Ferguson and Servaas Storm have discussed this for some time as a driver in the current inflation.

    Finally…I guess it’s becoming too obvious to deny.
    That’s why the bubbles must be floated. It’s all they’ve got.

    Reply ↓
23. Mikel February 25, 2025 at 10:26 am

    Elizabeth Holmes fails to overturn her Theranos fraud conviction – Associated Press

    Considering the crew that’s gathered in DC, what are the betting odds of future SBF or Elizabeth Holmes pardons?

    Reply ↓
    1. ChrisFromGA February 25, 2025 at 10:30 am

       SBF is in a NY prison and rumor has it, his cellmate is Diddy:

       https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sam-bankman-fried-addresses-musk-email-to-federal-employees-as-he-breaks-his-silence-on-x-after-two-years/ar-AA1zJDVp?ocid=winp2fptaskbarent&cvid=949ec0eaeacb458e8519ab3d79aa6bae&ei=12#comments

       Reply ↓
       1. Mikel February 25, 2025 at 10:34 am

          Talk about meme coin possibilities!

          Reply ↓