karen

A line chart of YouGov polling data with the headline: "Net approval of Donald Trump's handling of the economy in his first term and second term." The chart has the sub-headline: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling these specific issues? [Jobs and the economy / the economy] (% of U.S. adult citizens who strongly or somewhat approve minus the % who strongly or somewhat disapprove)." The chart has the note: "Note: Responses of "not sure" are not shown. Respondents have sometimes been asked about "the economy" and sometimes about "jobs and the economy.""

Economist/YouGov
Net approval for Trump's handling of the economy at this stage of...
• Trump's current term -21 (low -23; start +12)
• Trump's first term +3
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...

* ORACLE PLANS THOUSANDS OF IOB CUTS AS DATA CENTER COSTS RISE

* ORACLE CLOUD UNIT ALSO PAUSES JOB HIRINGS

@bloomberg.com $ORCL

YouTube video by SiriusXM Chris Cornell - "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince Cover) [Live @ SiriusXM] | Lithium

I miss Chris Cornell. What a tremendous talent.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUD...

What’s gone wrong at Ubisoft A Ubisoft veteran’s well-informed take about a company that has been struggling to release new games, let alone many great ones. They cite "frustration on all sides."

NEW: What has happened to Ubisoft, a once-prolific publisher that now struggles to release games?

A veteran Ubisoft developer gave me an insider's take

“For years now... Ubisoft has repeatedly failed to create the conditions for an excellent game to be made"

www.gamefile.news/p/ubisoft-wh...

Iraqi police in Basra say their forces have been dispatched to search for a U.S. pilot who reportedly fell within the province’s borders and has not yet been found. -Al Jazeera

This piece by Admiral Stavridis is a sobering read:

“.. Iran .. has been planning a Strait of Hormuz closure operation for decades and probably has more than 5,000 mines; just one hit can severely damage a thin-skinned tanker.”

@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

This is a profound continental divide. Canadians overwhelmingly view other Canadians, even those unlike them, as being good people. Americans, more than any other country, view their neighbours and fellow citizens as bad people. Anti-Americanism flourishes in the United States

A bullock runs up a Cotswolds hill as the sun sets in the background, making everyone feel like they have stepped into one of the illustrations by Kit Williams in his book Masquerade, even though at that point the bullock hadn’t read it (I loaned him my spare copy later that evening in a pub in Dursley and, as anticipated, he never returned it to me, which is fine, and just the way things go with books).

Almost certainly the most psychedelic photo I have taken of a bullock at sunset.

Kolanovic.

🦞🦞

Good point. I'd forgotten about Crossfire.

Dogs and Cats: How to Help Them Get Along If you have both a dog and cat, Zazie and Kristi chat about how to ensure they have a friendly relationship.

Interesting podcast featuring @zazietodd.bsky.social

www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2026/03/dogs...

Oregon pushes new homes to install heat pumps over ACs In a state where energy costs have risen sharply, newly adopted rules will boost adoption of the clean heating and cooling appliances.

via @canarymedia.com

CDC warns travelers of polio before trips to Spain, UK and more The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 2 advisory as poliovirus appears in parts of Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

“The CDC issued a level 2 travel advisory on March 3, warning that poliovirus has been detected in multiple destinations within the past 12 months – including parts of Africa, the Middle East and Europe… In rare cases, the disease can cause permanent paralysis or death” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social

Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak | Substack A pop-up publication to report on the war in Iran, through the stories of people on the ground. Click to read Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

We've launched a new sister publication, #Iran War Dispatches.

We’ll be launching obsessive daily reporting and updates there: 13 stories in last few days!

We'll have the human interest lens of The Counteroffensive, but aimed at this region. Sign up now — it’s free!

www.iranwar.news

Why Trump needs Ukraine to stop Iranian drones We spent a night with the judges who are downing the Shaheds over Kyiv. In the Middle East, the U.S. is still learning how to repel massive drone attacks, while Ukraine has been doing it for years.

As Iranian drones attack neighbouring countries, we joined a team of Supreme Court Judges who have been trained to shoot down drones over Kyiv.

Ukraine is the only one that knows how to protect its airspace from such threats, a tool it can offer to other countries amid the war.

Macro photograph of a Lavender Scallop (Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi)

Our Lavender Scallop has started blooming!
#bloomscroll #flowers #photography #art #macro

By this time next year, CBS News will probably be entirely folded into CNN with massive redundancies. And CNN will likely see its bureaus and newsgathering apparatus slashed in favor of talking heads, which are comparatively much much cheaper.

Sadly, CNN seems to have already begun the transition from news gathering to panel shows full of talking heads.

It'll be inevitable. Paramount/WB is going to be carrying $80b in debt after this merger, $60b from the buyout alone.

Assume they're getting 7% interest rates (which they're not, the debt is rated junk), that's $4b in debt payments every year just for the merger.

Humble Bundle Horror Deal: Get 52 DRM-Free eBooks for $18 If you're a fan of horror fiction, Humble Bundle has a really good deal on a horror megabundle right now where you can get 52 ebooks for $18.

blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2026/03/04/h...

Wealthy Dubai residents race back to UAE to avoid tax bills Some risk spending too few days in the emirate and too many in the UK

Tax exiles stuck in London desperately trying to get *back* to Dubai to avoid becoming tax resident in the UK? Just great stuff. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

What are we even doing anymore man

YouTube video by What's Going on With Shipping? Strait of Hormuz & Persian Gulf Update | March 4, 2026 | US Sub Sinks Iranian Ship | Russian LNG Hit

I know nothing about shipping and find that these updates provide helpful context.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruOk...

Another Messy Storm Incoming with Ice, Snow and Rain A cold front is slowly dropping through New England this morning.

Another Messy Storm Incoming with Ice, Snow and Rain
open.substack.com/pub/newengla...

❤️

I'd guess this affects US heating oil prices and winter's not over yet.