John Carl Baker

The first installment was $25 billion. Even its supporters are floating $1 trillion as a potential overall cost.

If the US government tried to bioengineer Magneto in a vat, that would be probably a better use of resources than Golden Dome.

Why industry says Golden Dome’s biggest challenge isn’t missiles, it’s data flow Why industry says Golden Dome’s biggest challenge isn’t missiles, it’s data flow Why industry says Golden Dome’s biggest challenge isn’t missiles, it’s data flow

I would say it's the fact that you need literally thousands of space-based interceptors just to take out a few missiles - but what do I know? spacenews.com/why-industry...

They will declare the Golden Dome test a success because they closed the Pentagon office charged with assessing the validity of weapons tests.

Pentagon schedules first major test for Golden Dome missile defense system just before 2028 election, sources say | CNN Politics The Pentagon has scheduled its first major test of the multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile defense system for just before the 2028 election, according to two sources familiar with the matter, sett...

There is no way this test will be conducted under realistic conditions or demonstrate the large-scale feasibility of Golden Dome's more exotic elements www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/p...

“Socialists: we’re better at capitalism” would be a funny slogan and, I suspect, effective political messaging right now.

just don’t yell at them so much you keel over like Emperor Valentinian

"Two-thirds of Republicans, 67%, now have a favorable opinion of Netanyahu, compared with 19% of independents and 9% of Democrats"

32% in U.S. Back Israel's Military Action in Gaza, a New Low Americans' approval of Israel's military action in Gaza has fallen to a new low, along with the worst opinions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to date.

"Americans’ approval of Israel’s military action in Gaza has fallen 10 percentage points since the prior measurement in September, and it is now at 32%, the lowest reading since Gallup first asked the question in November 2023" news.gallup.com/poll/692948/...

PMO: Benjamin Netanyahu decides full IDF occupation of Gaza | The Jerusalem Post The Prime Minister's Office conveyed the message to the Chief of Staff: If this does not suit you, then you should resign.

Not the most appalling thing about this development but this is yet another nuclear-armed state engaged in military expansionism www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

(3rd LD) S. Korea begins dismantling anti-N. Korea loudspeakers along border | Yonhap News Agency (ATTN: ADDS photos, details in last 3 paras)By Lee Minji SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- The S...

Again, good. en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025...

*putting on perfume before going out for the evening* the owl of minerva flies at dusk

restoring lethality by plowing hundreds of billions into a missile defense scheme that makes no sense

Why industry says Golden Dome’s biggest challenge isn’t missiles, it’s data flow Why industry says Golden Dome’s biggest challenge isn’t missiles, it’s data flow Why industry says Golden Dome’s biggest challenge isn’t missiles, it’s data flow

I would say it's the fact that you need literally thousands of space-based interceptors just to take out a few missiles - but what do I know? spacenews.com/why-industry...

This sculpture of a big horn sheep is called "Dirty Harry Downwinder" www.carsonnow.org/07/31/2025/c...

The US attacks on Iran have backfired horribly – but a path to peace is still possible | Simon Tisdall Executions by a vengeful regime in Tehran are soaring. The west must pursue a different strategy, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall

"Iran insists it does not possess and does not want nuclear weapons. For all Israel’s vaunted intelligence capabilities, neither Netanyahu nor anyone else has definitively proved otherwise." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

They will declare the Golden Dome test a success because they closed the Pentagon office charged with assessing the validity of weapons tests.

Pentagon schedules first major test for Golden Dome missile defense system just before 2028 election, sources say | CNN Politics The Pentagon has scheduled its first major test of the multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile defense system for just before the 2028 election, according to two sources familiar with the matter, sett...

There is no way this test will be conducted under realistic conditions or demonstrate the large-scale feasibility of Golden Dome's more exotic elements www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/p...

All major Las Vegas Strip casinos are now unionized in historic labor victory The Culinary Workers Union representing 60,000 hospitality workers in Nevada has achieved a historic victory on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Culinary Workers Union representing 60,000 hospitality workers in Nevada has achieved a historic victory on the Las Vegas Strip. For the first time in its 90-year history, all major casinos on the Strip are unionized.

Poland Poses The Next Test For Global Democracy — Along The World’s Most Dangerous Border An election this fall will determine whether the crucial U.S. ally remains democratic or slides into autocracy, risking instability and more chaos in Europe.

I am not an expert here but I thought this @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com article from 2023 was good www.huffpost.com/entry/poland...

The numbers are staggering. Arizona will face a shortage of 8,280 physicians by 2030, according to the Cicero Institute; Texas will need 20,420 more physicians by that year. Many of Louisiana’s parishes have only one or two full-time primary care physicians, and nearly half of Kentucky’s primary care physicians work in just two of its 120 counties. Fifty-two of Montana’s 56 counties have serious shortages of primary care providers; every county in Idaho, South Dakota, and Wyoming has severe shortages of mental health providers. In rural areas of Colorado east of Denver, there is only one primary care physician for every 5,636 residents.

89% of counties in the United States are officially designated primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas. About 80 million Americans, nearly 1/4 of the total population, live in areas without enough primary care providers.
Some state-by-state numbers are even worse.

Another one!

The closest I come is assassinating pickled eggs whenever they’re on a menu.

hey

Oh man - the Kokoroko show at 9:30 Club last night was so good. Also, opener Salin absolutely killed it.

World’s greatest deliberative body

I think claiming the economy is good when it’s bad will be harder than claiming it’s bad when it’s good.

The dude was in so many IWW classics, it's just great to see him still getting work

Actually kind of cool that they got the Wealthy Capitalist Ogre from all those 1930s editorial cartoons to run the IRS

'A black hole': New graduates discover a dismal job market Recent college graduates searching for jobs are finding that practical degrees, work experience and even connections are no match for sluggish hiring.

“The unemployment rate among recent graduates has been increasing this year to an average of 5.3%, compared to around 4% for the labor force as a whole, making it one of the toughest job markets for recent graduates since 2015” www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...