The only alternative is the intervention of a large scale international peace keeping force. But the international community is not stepping forward. — Punshhh

As far as I can tell, neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis want something like a UN peacekeeping force. :/ Palestinians give reasons like dignity or whatever, and, apparently, the Israelis just don't want any interference. Meanwhile, Hamas extremists roam, and Netanyahu levels Gaza more or less indiscriminately (which is also extreme), ... Dampening and observing peacekeepers would be great, though, but maybe that's just me.

and

You said “co-created”. That implies two sources of creation. I think that is accurate. — Fire Ologist

Irrespective of the self-and-other distinction (or divide), would you not say that these are all parts of the same world?

General hostilities in the region have come up before:

Researchers home in on origins of Russia’s Baltic GPS jamming (— Defense News · Jul 2, 2025)

Chances of bona fide talks would improve if they didn't keep up these mala fide acts.

there are regularities in nature — Moliere

:up:

I guess we can take "laws of nature" to be abstractions/generalizations of sets of observations. We call them "laws" while they're verified, unless/until they're falsified. Sometimes we use falsification to delineate their domain of applicability.

No regularities seem chaotic. It would be difficult to learn from evidence (or experiences, assuming there could be any).

Anyway, the warrant of the scientific methodologies means that such laws are descriptive, not pre/proscriptive. The model isn't the modeled. That may seem feeble, yet science remains the most successful epistemic endeavor in human history; without science this comment wouldn't be communicated worldwide over the Internet in near real-time using complex electronic devices, we wouldn't have GPS to help us navigate, suffering from cholera wouldn't be all-but eradicated, we wouldn't be exploring Mars with rovers, type 1 diabetes would be a death sentence, ...

The laws are around because we come up with them. Maybe we could say that nature lends itself to description because of embedded similarities?

time would stop for all practical purposes because nothing would happen — frank

There'd be motion of sorts (undecayable photons) and perhaps simmering micro-chaos (quantum mechanics).

A question that sometimes comes up, is whether this situation could make something else come about, say, could the expansion separate particles and anti-particles from the background micro-chaos, so they don't cancel back into the background microcosm? Or, it's all just idle speculation and conjecture. :)

Maybe the US / Israel are planning further offenses in the Middle East.

Trump administration redirects 20,000 anti-drone missiles meant for Ukraine, Zelensky confirms (— MDAA · Jun 9, 2025)

US won’t send some weapons pledged to Ukraine following a Pentagon review of military aid (— AP · Jul 1, 2025)
Ukraine voices concern as US halts some missile shipments (— Reuters · Jul 2, 2025)
US halts weapons shipments to Ukraine over fears stockpiles are too low (— Guardian · Jul 2, 2025)

Heat death is a common extrapolation of big bang theories.
Here, the distant future is ruled by the lonely photon in deep cold, where (other) particles have long since decayed and black holes have evaporated.
The universe doesn't end as such, but keeps fading away, entropy ever converging on zero or whatever background energy / quantum foam.

Appearances of Azerbaijan sending the Kremlin a message:

A Russian media outlet is raided in Azerbaijan’s capital as tensions rise between Moscow and Baku
^{— Aida Sultanova · AP · Jun 30, 2025}
Azerbaijan arrests journalists at Russian state outlet as tensions with Moscow rise
^{— Nailia Bagirova, Dmitry Antonov, Lucy Papachristou, Andrew Osborn, Ros Russell, Ron Popeski, Sandra Maler · Reuters · Jun 30, 2025}

NEXTA also reports arrests, allegedly "members of two organized crime groups suspected of drug trafficking, moving narcotics from Iran, and cyber fraud".

Naturally, Ukrainians are cheering. :)

Great News! “Senator” Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection. — Donald J. Trump · Jun 29, 2025

By now, it's clearly about Trump versus non-loyalists.
What does that mean for the voters, though?
(I imagine their kids are watching, too.)

Hm Wonder what Trump will say (if anything) ...

Russia captures key lithium deposit in Ukraine in move that could impact US mineral deal (— New York Post · Jun 27, 2025)

I (still) find this puzzling. We're talking people's health, not their favorite toy store. Some people will listen to or trust the administration rather than much else, plus the crap will fuel all kinds of nonsense, and that makes the administration recklessly irresponsible.

Democrats challenged RFK Jr. on vaccines. Fireworks ensued. (— Carmen Paun, Kelly Hooper · POLITICO · Jun 24, 2025)

RFK Jr grilled on vaccine policies and healthcare fraud in bruising House hearing (— Joseph Gedeon · Guardian · Jun 24, 2025)

Schrier says RFK Jr. should be held responsible for 'every death from a vaccine-preventable illness' (— PBS · Jun 24, 2025 · 4m:48s)


I'd hold the administration accountable, not just RFK Jr. Ordinary trust in any administration is (further) eroded. US citizens aren't beneficiaries. It's not about us-versus-them or Democrats-against-Republicans.

The deNazification/demilitarization demands are about Ukraine (minus occupied areas). Dead end aggressor demands.

• the Kremlin repeatedly said that Kyiv is a Nazi rule, which is decidedly false
• Russia has seen regress (for decades), Ukraine is trying and has seen progress (for years)
• on investigation, Russia turns out more extremist/Nazi infected than Ukraine, some of which have been or are in Kremlin employ
• Russia brought Putin's authoritarianism, colonization, and Russification to Ukraine
• Ukraine has been and is attempting to shed the shackles of the dominating neighbor

Putin has raised his "one people" rhetoric often enough. Maybe he even believes it, and thinks it's relevant. The Kremlin's hostilities extend beyond Ukraine (including mala fide statements).

Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine (— Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Tom Balmforth, Andrew Osborn, Vladimir Soldatkin, Maxim Rodionov, Robin Emmott, Joanna Plucinska, Natalia Zinets, Steve Holland, Trevor Hunnicutt, Mark Trevelyan, Timothy Heritage, Frances Kerry · Reuters · Dec 17, 2021)

Appeasement politics:
Miseram pacem vel bello bene mutari (117)
Nunuku-whenua (1835)
Fallen Hero (1935-1941)
"Peace for our time" (1938)
Why die for Danzig? (1939)
The Failures of Appeasement (2013)

Ukraine repeatedly told the Kremlin "No", and most of the world concurred. Ukraine became a sovereign nation in 1991, de jure and de facto. Changing that isn't up to the Kremlin including by their own law.

Trump told the truth, and then Zelensky said that this is absolutely out of the question because Crimea is part of Ukraine, according to the country's Constitution... Russia does not negotiate the integrity of its territory. Trump understands this. — Sergey Lavrov · Zvezda via Mariupol News · Apr 27, 2025

If we did what everybody here wants us to do, and that is come in and crush them with more sanctions, we probably lose our ability to talk to them about the ceasefire and then who’s talking to them? — Marco Rubio · POLITICO · Jun 25, 2025 (“them” is the Kremlin)

They don't have much further to talk about. It's their way or the highway. Or deterrence. But the negotiation table remains open, a phone call away. I guess Rubio thinks they can "crush them with more sanctions". DeCriminalizing Ukraine includes deKremlinizing Ukraine.

Anyway, the repetition gets tedious. Now some 600 pages.

The "breadbasket" of the old USSR, Europe and beyond:

New Report Reveals Russian Campaign to Cripple Ukraine’s Grain Trade and Economy
^{— Global Rights Compliance · May 21, 2025}

This adds to previous reports, going back three years or so ^{(2022, 2022, 2022, 2023, 2023, 2023, 2023, 2023, 2023, 2023, 2023, 2023, 2025, ongoing)}.
Land-grabbing and colonization attempts, theft, entitlement and destruction.
Part hybrid warfare, part other-than-war, illegal, organized and systematic at scale, in Europe.
The less assertive the world is, the more the Kremlin will do.

Not really what anyone wants to see I imagine, yet more or less a consequence of the Kremlin's actions.

Germany is building a big scary army (archived)
^{— The Economist · Jun 4, 2025}

I'm not sure if these bits and pieces were posted before, but, anyway ...

"As to NATO enlargement, we have no concerns regarding the security of the Russian Federation."
— Putin, 2004 · via Die Zeit · via SAGE

"Crimea is a part of the Ukrainian state, and we cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another country. We must be aware of this."
— Putin, 2006 · via the Kremlin

"Crimea is not a disputed territory. There has been no ethnic conflict there, unlike the conflict between South Ossetia and Georgia."
"I think questions about such goals for Russia have provocative undertones."
— Putin, 2008 · TV interview via RFE/RL

"Donbas is certainly Russian-speaking, but there was no organised separatism in Donbas before 2014. It's not a region that had organised separatist aspirations before that."
— Huseyn Aliyev, 2024 · via France 24

... all part of the story.

Another observation:

Large, regionally variable shifts in diatom and dinoflagellate biomass in the North Atlantic over six decades
^{— Crispin M Mutshinda, Zoe V Finkel, Andrew J Irwin · PLoS One · Jun 4, 2025}

A couple of percent fall in plankton a year in the North Atlantic.
Plankton is part of larger food chains and plays a role in capturing carbon dioxide.

4. Donald Trump wants ... a US civil war ... — boethius

Isn't it more that the Trumpets (or many of them) want a cultural revolution?

RIP @Vera Mont :flower: You'll be missed

, yep could be. I'm guessing they don't want to see the Iranian regime fall, though.

Russia warns US against 'military intervention' in Iran-Israel war
^{— France 24, AFP · Jun 19, 2025}

Putin condemned Israeli attacks on Iran ... Meanwhile in Ukraine :brow:

A growing number of Iranians and pro-Iran people have been calling the Kremlin names (e.g. untrustworthy, traitor, useless), due to not helping. Maybe their warning is partly related to that.

If the Iranian theocracy falls, the Kremlin could be impacted: some drone supply, oil/money laundering lifeline (revenue), diplomatic shield, some satellite + intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance infrastructure, strategic outpost-foothold in the Middle East.

EDIT: added some potential impact to the Kremlin

Russian strikes kill 12 across Ukraine as G7 summit begins
^{— Marcel Gascón · EFE · Jun 17, 2025}

The Kremlin sending a message?

Report for Tuesday, June 17, 2025
^{— New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg, Reuters via The Cipher Brief · Jun 17, 2025}

Trump Renews Embrace of Putin Amid Ongoing Rift With Allies

Trump hints at no more US sanctions on Russia at G7 summit

Trump administration disbands group focused on pressuring Russia, sources say

Russia says U.S. has canceled next round of talks on easing tensions

Trump :up: s Putin and Netanyahu.

Innovation and testing grounds for tomorrow's warfare?

U.S. Support for Ukraine Would be Cheap at Twice the Price
^{— Doug Beck, Nate Fick · The Cipher Brief · Jun 11, 2025}

Would it be fair to say that duration is what all change has in common? And that some changes are simultaneous?
So, putting change first, i.e. going by change then trying to work out time.
Kind of rudimentary I suppose.

If so, then it might be possible to formalize duration as a metric, a positive number, and simultaneity as a relation, reflexive, symmetric, not transitive.
(Non-transitive because two simultaneous changes need not have the same duration, but I'm just throwing it out there.)

Time as an abstract could then be the pair — metric and relation — operating on change.
Don't know if that works, but it seems fairly close to what we do.

Finland accuses senior crew of Russia-linked vessel in damage of undersea power cable in Baltic Sea
^{— AP · Jun 14, 2025}

Their shadow fleet needs more attention.

RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines
^{— Annika Kim Constantino · CNBC · Jun 9, 2025}
RFK Jr. replaced everyone on the CDC's vaccine panel. Here's why that matters
^{— Maria Godoy · npr · Jun 13, 2025}

More degradation. Will it cost lives? If so, then what?

Hegseth says the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary
^{— Lolita C Baldor, Tara Copp, David Klepper · AP · Jun 12, 2025}

Are they afraid that Greenland might be taken over by Russia or China?

Is Ryabkov on a 4-year cycle?
Anyway, the good folks of the Baltics might be concerned.
Here's a trail:

• Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine (Reuters · 2021 Dec 17)
• NATO flexes muscle to protect Vilnius summit near Russia, Belarus (Reuters · 2023 Jul 9)

"If Lithuania was alone, I would feel differently," he added. "If not for the NATO membership, things here could already be same as in Ukraine," said Elena Tarasevic, 55, Rynkun's neighbour.

• NATO’s Baltic exercises are part of preparations for military clash with Russia — diplomat (TASS · 2025 Jun 3)
• INTERVIEW: NATO expansion must stop to resolve conflict with West — MFA (TASS · 2025 Jun 9)
• Future of Ukraine conflict to show if US willing to restore ties with Russia — diplomat (TASS · 2025 Jun 9)
• Russia Won't End Ukraine War Until NATO Scales Back Eastern Flank: Moscow (Newsweek · 2025 Jun 9)
• Russia could send "little green men" to test NATO's resolve, German intelligence boss warns (Reuters · 2025 Jun 9)
• Russia Setting Up to 'Test' NATO in Baltics: German Intelligence (Newsweek · 2025 Jun 10)
• Moscow views Western military biological activities as security threat — senior diplomat (TASS · 2025 Jun 10)
... Pretext/prelude/excuse?
• Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia are European countries’ puppets, says Lavrov (TASS · 2025 Jun 10)

Crap coming out of the Kremlin circle will be propagated, might even be paraphrased by US officials.
Putin doesn't have peace in mind.

these riots — BitconnectCarlos

all the regular protesters — jorndoe

See the difference?

, how about Trump is a clown, the looters are bad, all the regular protesters aren't?

No one cannot can control another’s motor cortex with words. — NOS4A2

Control? Like a Manchurian candidate? A magic spell? :)

I don't think that's what's meant. Your comment elicited this response. Which wouldn't have come about if you'd instead posted "Howdy doody partner", "What's down the sink?", "The Moon is a green cheese".

Haven't seen many flag burnings in the US lately.

But I've noticed a few showing the Stars and Stripes upside down.

Former DOGE engineer says federal waste and fraud were 'relatively nonexistent'
^{— Lauren Hodges, Patrick Jarenwattananon, Juana Summers · npr · Jun 5, 2025}

I haven't heard of any fraud cases raised yet.
Was DOGE a waster? :D

Part of this report has come up before in the thread:

New Report Reveals Russian Campaign to Cripple Ukraine’s Grain Trade and Economy
^{— Global Rights Compliance · May 21, 2025}

i. The unlawful occupation of territory, and illegal appropriation, extraction, and export of Ukrainian grain;
ii. The initial de facto blockade of Black Sea Ports from February to June 2022;⁸ and
iii. After Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, through attacks against grain and related infrastructure located in the Black Sea and Danube ports, previously utilised to export grain.

UKRAЇNER | In its unprovoked war against Ukraine, Russia weaponises everything within its reach, including food. Before the invasion, Ukraine supplied... | Instagram (Apr 25, 2025 · 1m:58s)

North/west Kherson is being used as testing grounds for urban drone terrorism:

Ukraine: Russia Using Drones to Attack Civilians
^{— Human Rights Watch · Jun 3, 2025}

Half a century ago, Lewis Powell decided how future generations have to be.

The Launch of the Long Game
^{— Linda Stamato · Inside Higher Ed · May 9, 2023}

Seems to be enacted by Trump + team now.

Not the easiest to verify ...

Ukraine conducted successful ballistic missile test in mid-May — military expert
^{— Espreso · Jun 6, 2025}
Ukraine tests new ballistic missile
^{— Dylan Malyasov · Defence Blog Magazine · Jun 7, 2025}

... But no doubt the Ukrainians want more independence from supporters.

Valentyn Badrak on the threat of an attack on Europe (Apr 16, 2025 · 2m:52s)

Senior State Department official sought internal communications with journalists, European officials, and Trump critics
^{— Eileen Guo · MIT Technology Review · May 1, 2025}

They flagged the Enola Gay B-29 bomber from the 2nd World War as being woke, so who knows what they might do. :D

No one has made the case how the written word can "causally influence" a human being differently than any other mark on paper. — NOS4A2

Yet, your words elicited this response, which I wouldn't have written if not for those ↑ words.

Same for

no one has made the case how a spoken word can “causally influence” a human being any differently than any other articulated, guttural sound — NOS4A2

They say the printing press is among the most influential inventions in human history.

I enjoy thinking and arguing about such topics. — NOS4A2

And yet, such arguing wouldn't come about if not for such words.

(Hm Hasn't this stuff come up before?)

, they're already bombing the Ukrainians more or less daily, and have been for some time, including civilian targets. :/

When the Kremlin expresses "righteous revenge against terrorists" or whatever, I'm wondering why more observers aren't calling them out.

Here's a story of contemporary colonization, or attempted at least. (archived)

Donbas is certainly Russian-speaking, but there was no organised separatism in Donbas before 2014. It's not a region that had organised separatist aspirations before that. — Huseyn Aliyev

Contrary to what Putin said, the Donbas (still) isn't independent, it's being colonized on Kremlin orders. Stands to reason that was the plan.

Gross and disgusting. Open expansion of non-democracy/authoritarianism, and Putin now holds the 21st century record of most Slav lives on his conscience (record holders of the 20th century were Hitler, then Stalin, I think).

Focus: As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more US companies say retailers turning away their products
^{— Siddharth Cavale, Nivedita Balu, Jessica DiNapoli, Aurora Ellis · Reuters · Apr 7, 2025}
How is the Canadian boycott affecting American products?
^{— Bill Wilson · Supermarket News · May 28, 2025}
How Tariffs Are Making Beer More Expensive (beer important!)
^{— Bromlyn Bethune · Maclean’s · May 28, 2025}

Seems like the trend continues for now, a "Trump effect", with analogous reactions in Latin America and Europe.
For Canadians, there isn't much of a difference between "Buy Canadian" and "Don't buy American", though other foreign products haven't been affected like US products.
There's been a "Buy American" campaign in the US for some time.

Rumors on the street will have it that, due to sanctions, Russia can no longer maintain/produce Beriev A-50/A-100.