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BlackRock CEO Larry Fink—who played an instrumental role in forcing woke diversity quotas on companies—now concedes that the "woke era" was "a failed experiment".

This would be a stunningly bold attack. I've circled on a map the locations. Such an operation would likely seek to capture the key coastal area through which the Iranians block the Strait while securing areas that could be used for logistics to support as Kurdish uprising/invasion. Here, I think that the Afghan invasion of 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom, might be a good template to examine. First the CIA went in with suitcases full of 100 dollar bills to buy support. Then, the US used elite light infantry and special forces, including British and Australian, to rush through key landing zones, logistics routes and cities to support the advance of the Northern Alliance. The Iranian planners and commentators have probably looked at exactly this when they consider likely US options, hence their suggestion that this is what Washington might be planning. Meantime, if the Pentagon is indeed looking at Bandar Abbas, they might think that by taking the coast, the USN could then perhaps to force the Strait. Key here, though, is that it would solve little in the short term. The Iranians would still have the capacity to fire missiles and drones across the full depth of the theatre (albeit some would be redistributed toward US invading forces). In fact, such an invasion would likely intensify attacks on those particular pain points which increase pressure on the US to bring things to an end. That means higher oil prices unless the market felt the Strait might be opened and oil facilities would escape without much further damage. The establishment of a Kurdish statelet would solve nothing, and once the US left (which it inevitably would, even if it took twenty years, like in Afghanistan, or ten, like in Vietnam), the Iranians would seek to retake their territory (as the Russians did in Chechnya after it was originally lost). Ultimately, if the invasion looked as though it was putting at risk the Iranian strategy of a countervalue campaign, they would be put in a 'use it or lose it' position that would hugely incentivise them to destroy Gulf oil production facilities, which would mean no oil whether the Strait was open or not. It is difficult to overstate the scale of the economic catastrophe that this would be for the world —and most mainstream media understate it significantly, treating it as thought it just meant higher oil prices. Finally, a move to bring the Kurds into the war would bring Turkey in, too, further destabilising the region—although Israel would be no doubt delighted with this, killing two birds with one stone. In conclusion, while such an attack could be another tactical success (if it worked, which would be far from certain), and would certainly do great damage to Iran as a nation, it is difficult to see how it would get the US closer to its strategic aim. Instead, it would increase the risk of global economic catastrophe, and shift the US into the zone of necessary permanent engagement as allies, corporations and the logic of committing yet more chips to the table would require and demand long term involvement. Is this even possible? Where would this be staged from? Europe?

Two weeks to secure the Da Nang airbase. “The U.S. Marine Force will not, repeat not, engage in day-to-day actions against the Viet Cong.”

For the American economy, the key different between the current energy shock and previous ones is the (lack of) impact in US natural gas prices. That's crucial for industrial activity and electricity prices (and thus inflation). Far less reported than oil, but as significant.

This morning, drones have strayed into Finnish territory. One of the drones has been confirmed to be Ukrainian in origin. I want to emphasize that there is no military threat to Finland. Our authorities reacted to the situation immediately. I thank the authorities for their efficient action. The investigation of the incident continues. We are monitoring the situation closely. The authorities maintain readiness to react to future incidents. Finland stands ready to monitor and protect its territory.

اقتصادآنلاین گزارش داد به‌دلیل حمله به شبکه انتقال برق پارچین، مناطق ۴، ۷، ۱۱، ۱۳ و ۱۴ تهران با خاموشی کامل مواجه شدند

How military conscription happens in Russia—a thread Gosuslugi (the Russian digital ID system) has become a central hub without which life in Russia is almost impossible. Through it, people obtain documents, schedule doctor appointments, and more recently, receive electronic military summons. If a citizen does not confirm receipt, their rights are automatically restricted (leaving the country, selling property, driving a car) — which is a direct implementation of digitally "switching off" an individual from the system. This represents one of the most radical examples of a state transforming into a digital control mechanism in modern history. What was once a portal for paying parking fees or booking passport appointments has become a digital cage. Before this law (2023), a military summons in Russia had to be delivered in person and signed for. People would simply avoid opening the door or live at different addresses. Now, a summons is considered delivered the moment it appears in your personal Gosuslugi account — or, if you do not have an active account, 7 days after it is entered into the "Unified Register of Conscripts." The travel ban activates immediately upon delivery of the summons — before the 20-day window begins. If a citizen then fails to report to the military office within 20 days, the following additional restrictions are triggered: - Driving ban: The driver's license becomes invalid in the traffic police database. - Ban on buying/selling real estate: The land registry (Rosreestr) blocks any transactions. You cannot sell property to leave the country. - Credit ban: Banks automatically see that the applicant is subject to conscription restrictions and loan access is blocked. - Business restriction: You cannot register a company or work as a freelancer (self-employed). In Russia, it is nearly impossible to function without a Gosuslugi account. You use it to enroll your child in school or kindergarten. You receive QR codes through it (as seen during the pandemic). When people began attempting to delete their accounts in March 2023 ahead of the spring conscription drive, the authorities disabled the "delete account" option on the website. This happened proactively on March 31, 2023—the same day the Defence Ministry announced electronic summonses—rather than in response to a mass exodus already underway. The system is integrated with a network of over 200,000 cameras in Moscow equipped with facial recognition. In documented cases, the flagging has occurred specifically when a conscript contests his draft order in court—at which point the enlistment office enters him into the system as an alleged evader, triggering a facial recognition alert and enabling police to detain him on the spot. It is not confirmed as a blanket automatic trigger for anyone who has simply received a summons and not yet reported. The state can effectively cut a person off from the social and economic bloodstream—without the ability to drive, manage money, or use property. This became reality in Russia faster than almost anywhere else because the state used war as justification to merge all databases (tax, police, medical, and military) into one central system. Russia no longer uses technology merely as a service for citizens, but as an operational tool of enforcement. 🧵

Усть-Луга спутниковые снимки последствий сегодняшней повторной атаки дронов СБУ

BREAKING: Iranian security officials believe the US is planning an air assault operation on key southern airports Bandar Abbas, Kermanshah, Urmia, and Tabriz whilst coordinating with a militia ground invasion on North Western Iran according to the state run Tehran Times.

Dispensationalist theology peaked around the lead-up to George W. Bush's second term. Back then, the sentiment among Dispensationalist denominations was to vote for Dubya simply because he was Christian. One major Dispensationalist denomination is the Southern Baptist Convention (which Mike Huckabee belongs to). The SBC is the largest Protestant and second largest Christian body in the US. Their membership peaked in 2005 and has been declining ever since (down 23% from peak). At some point SBC Boomers like Mike Huckabee won't last forever and Dispensationalism will lose its grip.

Selling millions of metric tonnes of coal annually to China to power their ~1,200 coal plants (and growing) is fine. 18 coal fired plants in Australia is an emissions problem. Hit ♥️ if you think Australians are being scammed