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... is repeating itself. This post compares Washington, D.C. with occupied Berlin from the perspective of someone who's seen both.
Never forget.
Never forget.
New Law Will Protect Kids’ Lemonade Stands After State Employees Were Caught Demanding Fees
If it can be believed, state house Representative Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan), had the issue brought to his attention after the local health department in his district demanded that some children pay repeated fees to run their lemonade stands.
The parents reached out to Cavitt, who introduced common sense protections for the classic child-run, non-alcoholic beverage stand, and it passed overwhelmingly in the state house.
Bluntly put, if you want children to grow into diligent working adults, you must not stifle their efforts to earn money by working. Similarly if you want them to inhabit the brick-and-mortar world, instead of video game worlds, then you must allow them to accomplish things outdoors. What children need protection from is exploitation by adults.
If it can be believed, state house Representative Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan), had the issue brought to his attention after the local health department in his district demanded that some children pay repeated fees to run their lemonade stands.
The parents reached out to Cavitt, who introduced common sense protections for the classic child-run, non-alcoholic beverage stand, and it passed overwhelmingly in the state house.
Bluntly put, if you want children to grow into diligent working adults, you must not stifle their efforts to earn money by working. Similarly if you want them to inhabit the brick-and-mortar world, instead of video game worlds, then you must allow them to accomplish things outdoors. What children need protection from is exploitation by adults.
Cities can't afford to keep treating trees like decoration
Stand under a big old tree on a sweltering afternoon and you’ll understand something city planners are only now starting to take seriously: that shade isn’t decoration. It’s doing a job.
Trees are cooling the block, catching stormwater before it floods the street, and scrubbing pollution out of the air a person’s actually breathing.
Actually it's doing about 22 jobs.
( Read more... )
Stand under a big old tree on a sweltering afternoon and you’ll understand something city planners are only now starting to take seriously: that shade isn’t decoration. It’s doing a job.
Trees are cooling the block, catching stormwater before it floods the street, and scrubbing pollution out of the air a person’s actually breathing.
Actually it's doing about 22 jobs.
( Read more... )
Agriculture
Jul. 3rd, 2026 05:06 pmBiggest Change to English Farming Policy Since WWII Aims to Make Agriculture Profitable and Resilient
From the halls of Westminster comes the news that English farmers may finally be covered under a national agriculture policy that extends beyond the next harvest.
In what it described as “the most significant moment for English agriculture since the Second World War,” the currently-leaderless Labor government has prepared a 25-year farming plan to make the industry more profitable, productive, sustainable, and resilient.
Potentially promising.
But did they do anything about the bloody sheep eating every stick of forest that isn't fenced in? I doubt it. Pipe up if you have details on that, though. I'm also curious if it has provisions for the "continue to heat up" (if the AMOC stays stable) vs. "suddenly freeze" (if the AMOC collapses) split climate future scenarios.
( Read more... )
From the halls of Westminster comes the news that English farmers may finally be covered under a national agriculture policy that extends beyond the next harvest.
In what it described as “the most significant moment for English agriculture since the Second World War,” the currently-leaderless Labor government has prepared a 25-year farming plan to make the industry more profitable, productive, sustainable, and resilient.
Potentially promising.
But did they do anything about the bloody sheep eating every stick of forest that isn't fenced in? I doubt it. Pipe up if you have details on that, though. I'm also curious if it has provisions for the "continue to heat up" (if the AMOC stays stable) vs. "suddenly freeze" (if the AMOC collapses) split climate future scenarios.
( Read more... )
Conservation
Jun. 29th, 2026 05:11 pmItaly’s Forest Cover is Larger Than Agriculture Land for the First Time Since the Middle Ages
Forests now stretch across 60,000 square miles of the Italian Peninsula, overly concentrated in mountain areas, but which nevertheless represent the gradual reversion of cultivated land to woodland again.
This greatly benefits megafauna like bears, wolves, and red deer but also the many migratory birds that use Italy is a flyway.
Forests now stretch across 60,000 square miles of the Italian Peninsula, overly concentrated in mountain areas, but which nevertheless represent the gradual reversion of cultivated land to woodland again.
This greatly benefits megafauna like bears, wolves, and red deer but also the many migratory birds that use Italy is a flyway.
The Warrior-Witches of Ukraine’s Resistance
An underground intelligence network uses subterfuge and honey traps to direct drone strikes deep inside Russian-occupied territory.
I'm encouraged by this. Russia deserves what it gets.
( Read more... )
An underground intelligence network uses subterfuge and honey traps to direct drone strikes deep inside Russian-occupied territory.
I'm encouraged by this. Russia deserves what it gets.
( Read more... )
LiveJournal
Jun. 29th, 2026 12:45 pmI saw a post that mentioned the English function of LiveJournal had closed. I had LJ pages that refused to load this morning, but eventually I did get them to reload. If you still have anything on LJ, you might want to import it here or save it elsewhere.
Also, check the Latest Feeds on DW. It used to be mostly English with an occasional post in other languages. But then the Russians started coming in. Now that feed -- all the public posts on DW -- is half or more Russian. This already diminishes the usefulness of that feature to other users, since DW does not have the "sort by language" feature that some other platforms do. There's a darker aspect, though. Russia has a habit of moving ethnic Russians into territory belonging to other people and then claiming that "the locals" want to be Russian. That makes the rapidly growing number of Russian users on DW look less like casual blogging and more like a threat. I'm not sure what would be a good response to that. I don't like the idea of just kicking people off a platform because of the language they speak, but neither do I want to risk the Russians overtaking or destroying one of the best blogging platforms left today.
Also, check the Latest Feeds on DW. It used to be mostly English with an occasional post in other languages. But then the Russians started coming in. Now that feed -- all the public posts on DW -- is half or more Russian. This already diminishes the usefulness of that feature to other users, since DW does not have the "sort by language" feature that some other platforms do. There's a darker aspect, though. Russia has a habit of moving ethnic Russians into territory belonging to other people and then claiming that "the locals" want to be Russian. That makes the rapidly growing number of Russian users on DW look less like casual blogging and more like a threat. I'm not sure what would be a good response to that. I don't like the idea of just kicking people off a platform because of the language they speak, but neither do I want to risk the Russians overtaking or destroying one of the best blogging platforms left today.
Artificial Intelligence
Jun. 27th, 2026 02:40 pmAI and Liability
Earlier this month, a German court ruled that Google is liable for its AI search summaries. Rejecting defenses like “users can check for themselves,” and that they generally know “that information generated with AI should not be blindly trusted,” the court held that the AI’s summaries are reflections of the company and “above all an expression of Google’s business activities.”
This is a step in the right direction. AI is extremely unreliable. If companies are held liable for AI mistakes, then they will be much less likely to use AI.
Earlier this month, a German court ruled that Google is liable for its AI search summaries. Rejecting defenses like “users can check for themselves,” and that they generally know “that information generated with AI should not be blindly trusted,” the court held that the AI’s summaries are reflections of the company and “above all an expression of Google’s business activities.”
This is a step in the right direction. AI is extremely unreliable. If companies are held liable for AI mistakes, then they will be much less likely to use AI.
D.C. Memo: Food stamp enrollment falls after GOP places limits
According to the center, participation dropped an average of 10% nationally between the law’s July 2025 enactment and March 2026, based on data from the USDA. Minnesota’s participation rate fell by far less, the center’s report said — about 3.55%.
There were about 435,000 SNAP recipients in Minnesota at the end of March. And that number is expected to drop because of the new work requirements.
As of June 1, recipients must log at least 20 hours per week in paid employment or approved education, training or volunteer service.
The Republican plan to increase hunger in America is working!
According to the center, participation dropped an average of 10% nationally between the law’s July 2025 enactment and March 2026, based on data from the USDA. Minnesota’s participation rate fell by far less, the center’s report said — about 3.55%.
There were about 435,000 SNAP recipients in Minnesota at the end of March. And that number is expected to drop because of the new work requirements.
As of June 1, recipients must log at least 20 hours per week in paid employment or approved education, training or volunteer service.
The Republican plan to increase hunger in America is working!
‘The Death Zone’: How Russia Is Luring Africans to Ukraine
A growing number of Africans are ending up on the front lines of Russia’s war with Ukraine. Some go there willingly as mercenaries, but many more are like Mr. Kamau, young men lured by the promise of ordinary civilian jobs — from bodyguards to line cooks — only to be forced into joining Russian forces in battle.
Russia is now resorting to slavery.
A growing number of Africans are ending up on the front lines of Russia’s war with Ukraine. Some go there willingly as mercenaries, but many more are like Mr. Kamau, young men lured by the promise of ordinary civilian jobs — from bodyguards to line cooks — only to be forced into joining Russian forces in battle.
Russia is now resorting to slavery.
Single women are buying more houses. The men they are dating are not responding well.
Female home owners report feeling stuck between men’s contradictory expectations – they are told to be independent, but not assume the breadwinner role.
Bluntly put, if a man has a problem with a female homeowner, he is not looking for an equal partner -- he is looking for a long-term prostitute/housekeeper. A female homeowner is unlikely to want that position, so she might as well dump his ass immediately. She can do better.
( Read more... )
Female home owners report feeling stuck between men’s contradictory expectations – they are told to be independent, but not assume the breadwinner role.
Bluntly put, if a man has a problem with a female homeowner, he is not looking for an equal partner -- he is looking for a long-term prostitute/housekeeper. A female homeowner is unlikely to want that position, so she might as well dump his ass immediately. She can do better.
( Read more... )
The State Department is changing its mind about what it calls human rights
Despite decades of precedent, the reports, which are meant to inform congressional decisions on foreign aid allocations and security assistance, will no longer call governments out for such things as denying freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. They won't condemn retaining political prisoners without due process or restrictions on "free and fair elections."
Forcibly returning a refugee or asylum-seeker to a home country where they may face torture or persecution will no longer be highlighted, nor will serious harassment of human rights organizations.
Look at the list of things removed from the report. These are all things the government is doing, intends to do, or approves of other people doing. As I've said before, you don't have rights, you have privileges. Of course, when people don't have rights, they tend not to respect the law or government much, as those don't protect them. So they're much less likely to defend those institutions, and might jump on an alternative if it became available. That shoots your national security in both feet.
TL;DR -- don't trust anything the American government says. Seek reliable news sources.
Despite decades of precedent, the reports, which are meant to inform congressional decisions on foreign aid allocations and security assistance, will no longer call governments out for such things as denying freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. They won't condemn retaining political prisoners without due process or restrictions on "free and fair elections."
Forcibly returning a refugee or asylum-seeker to a home country where they may face torture or persecution will no longer be highlighted, nor will serious harassment of human rights organizations.
Look at the list of things removed from the report. These are all things the government is doing, intends to do, or approves of other people doing. As I've said before, you don't have rights, you have privileges. Of course, when people don't have rights, they tend not to respect the law or government much, as those don't protect them. So they're much less likely to defend those institutions, and might jump on an alternative if it became available. That shoots your national security in both feet.
TL;DR -- don't trust anything the American government says. Seek reliable news sources.
Spirituality
Jun. 7th, 2026 01:25 pmDOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths From Military's Recognized Religion List
The reforms mark the first time the list has been officially revised since a memo was issued March 27, 2017, decreasing the total number of faiths from 211 to its new number of 31.
Of surviving 31, 22 of them -- about 2/3 -- are Christian. Everyone else is an afterthought.
( Read more... )
The reforms mark the first time the list has been officially revised since a memo was issued March 27, 2017, decreasing the total number of faiths from 211 to its new number of 31.
Of surviving 31, 22 of them -- about 2/3 -- are Christian. Everyone else is an afterthought.
( Read more... )
Climate Change
Jun. 7th, 2026 11:52 am‘Happiness is not just about GDP’: ambitious plan or utopia?
Some will question its credibility. But the alternative future to the one imagined in the World Justice Report is far more bleak.
Academics set out sweeping vision for planetary survival.
It's good to lay out a detailed plan. It gives people something to talk about, even if the actual path turns out differently. Having several plans to compare is better, so this is a useful addition.
( Read more... )
Some will question its credibility. But the alternative future to the one imagined in the World Justice Report is far more bleak.
Academics set out sweeping vision for planetary survival.
It's good to lay out a detailed plan. It gives people something to talk about, even if the actual path turns out differently. Having several plans to compare is better, so this is a useful addition.
( Read more... )
Council of the EU begins official preparations for start of talks on Ukraine’s accession
"Today the Cyprus Presidency initiated the preparation for the formal opening of Cluster one in the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova," the post says.
"Today the Cyprus Presidency initiated the preparation for the formal opening of Cluster one in the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova," the post says.
Confusion and ‘More Chaos’ as States Implement SNAP Food Restrictions
Five states have already implemented bans on soda and candy through federal food assistance programs, with over a dozen more set to take effect this year.
Abusing poor people is popular.
The real aim is not to make people eat healthier foods, but rather to discourage people from using assistance programs. The benefits are not free, but cost a significant amount of time and energy to obtain. If they are stingy and/or restrictive, then it quickly becomes a waste of resources to chase after that pittance. Nobody wants to have to make a separate trip just for the food stamp shopping, let alone struggle to figure out what is "allowed" only to get stopped at the register because items are rejected. People will buy worse food with cash which can purchase anything, or go to a food pantry.
If the government really wanted people to eat healthier foods, then it would subsidize things like spinach instead of sugarcane. Another good approach would be buying healthy foods in bulk to distribute through programs or food pantries. It's not that difficult; people just don't choose to do it.
( Read more... )
Five states have already implemented bans on soda and candy through federal food assistance programs, with over a dozen more set to take effect this year.
Abusing poor people is popular.
The real aim is not to make people eat healthier foods, but rather to discourage people from using assistance programs. The benefits are not free, but cost a significant amount of time and energy to obtain. If they are stingy and/or restrictive, then it quickly becomes a waste of resources to chase after that pittance. Nobody wants to have to make a separate trip just for the food stamp shopping, let alone struggle to figure out what is "allowed" only to get stopped at the register because items are rejected. People will buy worse food with cash which can purchase anything, or go to a food pantry.
If the government really wanted people to eat healthier foods, then it would subsidize things like spinach instead of sugarcane. Another good approach would be buying healthy foods in bulk to distribute through programs or food pantries. It's not that difficult; people just don't choose to do it.
( Read more... )
Affordable Housing
May. 25th, 2026 02:54 pmPrince William is Selling 20% of His Duchy Landholdings to Build Affordable Housing and Restore Nature
The Times reported that the offloading seems to be currently planned for Duchy property in Bath, Cornwall, Dartmoor, the Isles of Scilly, and Kennington in south London. Early estimates are that it could lead to 12,000 housing units by 2040, about one-third of which are expected to be affordable for the lowest income brackets.
Much of the estate’s lands are in rural areas, so money and attention will be devoted to reviving rural economies and communities, as well as developing environmental value in the form of carbon storage potential in peat bogs, woodland, and wetlands.
Daaaamn. I am impressed. Rich, powerful people rarely think about the poor let alone about displaced wildlife.
( Read more... )
The Times reported that the offloading seems to be currently planned for Duchy property in Bath, Cornwall, Dartmoor, the Isles of Scilly, and Kennington in south London. Early estimates are that it could lead to 12,000 housing units by 2040, about one-third of which are expected to be affordable for the lowest income brackets.
Much of the estate’s lands are in rural areas, so money and attention will be devoted to reviving rural economies and communities, as well as developing environmental value in the form of carbon storage potential in peat bogs, woodland, and wetlands.
Daaaamn. I am impressed. Rich, powerful people rarely think about the poor let alone about displaced wildlife.
( Read more... )
DEMOCRACY REPORT 2026: Unraveling The Democratic Era?
1. Democracy in the World 2025
* Democracy is back to 1978 levels for the average global citizen. The gains of the “third wave of democratization”, starting 1974 in Portugal, are almost eradicated.
* The level of democracy for the average citizen in Western Europe and North America is at its lowest level in over 50 years, primarily due to ongoing autocratization in the USA.
* The USA loses its long-term status as a liberal democracy – for the first time in over 50 years.
( Read more... )
1. Democracy in the World 2025
* Democracy is back to 1978 levels for the average global citizen. The gains of the “third wave of democratization”, starting 1974 in Portugal, are almost eradicated.
* The level of democracy for the average citizen in Western Europe and North America is at its lowest level in over 50 years, primarily due to ongoing autocratization in the USA.
* The USA loses its long-term status as a liberal democracy – for the first time in over 50 years.
( Read more... )
The Great GASB!
There are major flaws in the accounting standards that shape municipal finance in American cities. But there’s an opportunity too: a chance to comment on — and perhaps change — those standards going forward.
Using standards that only look at roads as “assets” and not as “liabilities" hides their true cost. We cannot sell this road asset to the next town over (consider this 2014 Strong Towns post). The standards merely ask for documentation of the infrastructure, but don’t account for the obligated burden of future replacement. We are watching the consequences of that decision unfold in plain sight. Let me be clear: these are standards not laws. Yet our municipalities are marching themselves off the fiscal cliff because the standards made them do it.
( Read more... )
There are major flaws in the accounting standards that shape municipal finance in American cities. But there’s an opportunity too: a chance to comment on — and perhaps change — those standards going forward.
Using standards that only look at roads as “assets” and not as “liabilities" hides their true cost. We cannot sell this road asset to the next town over (consider this 2014 Strong Towns post). The standards merely ask for documentation of the infrastructure, but don’t account for the obligated burden of future replacement. We are watching the consequences of that decision unfold in plain sight. Let me be clear: these are standards not laws. Yet our municipalities are marching themselves off the fiscal cliff because the standards made them do it.
( Read more... )
Contemporary Dual States: Israel, US, Russia, China, Turkey, etc.
As Fraenkel explained it, a lawless dictatorship does not arise simply by snuffing out the ordinary legal system of rules, procedures, and precedents. To the contrary, that system—which he called the “normative state”—remains in place while dictatorial power spreads across society. What happens, Fraenkel explained, is insidious. Rather than completely eliminating the normative state, the Nazi regime slowly created a parallel zone in which “unlimited arbitrariness and violence unchecked by any legal guarantees” reigned freely. In this domain, which Fraenkel called the “prerogative state,” ordinary law didn’t apply.
( Read more... )
As Fraenkel explained it, a lawless dictatorship does not arise simply by snuffing out the ordinary legal system of rules, procedures, and precedents. To the contrary, that system—which he called the “normative state”—remains in place while dictatorial power spreads across society. What happens, Fraenkel explained, is insidious. Rather than completely eliminating the normative state, the Nazi regime slowly created a parallel zone in which “unlimited arbitrariness and violence unchecked by any legal guarantees” reigned freely. In this domain, which Fraenkel called the “prerogative state,” ordinary law didn’t apply.
( Read more... )
