A once in a lifetime chance…
Like watching a beach sunset from the most exotic seat in the universe, I couldn’t resist the earth-set cell phone video. The Nikon shutter sound sounds like this: @Astro_Christina I am capturing with a 3-shot bracket… pic.twitter.com/8aWnaFJ69c
— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) April 19, 2026
How walking alone in nature makes you feel less lonely Nautilus
Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows sustained efficacy in early trials NBC News
Climate/Environment
Ocean warming will continue in 2025, reaching record high levels.
The oceans are expected to continue warming into the future, and this change will be irreversible for hundreds to thousands of years.
Please check #climate condition 2025: https://t.co/THJBFJmvww pic.twitter.com/MaKsQVerWH
— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) April 19, 2026
Weakening diurnal weather constraints will lead to longer burn times in North America Science
AI is set to make the global e-waste crisis even worse
pandemic
For a long time, the coronavirus has been grossly underreported around the world The Sick Times
toilet
Talking about water: Too much in Michigan and Wisconsin, not enough in most other areas Balanced weather
China?
US launches ‘largest military exercise in history’ – Balikatan 2026 – near China. Chinese government says all three are ‘playing with fire’ EuroAsian Times
China sends warships for combat training in Western Pacific Bloomberg
China’s role in the Iran war: quiet influence, clear limits, and greater global visibility George Chen
Pills and pipelines: U.S. drug supply needs China reality check Asia Times
Southeast Asia
Thousands of people evacuated as 1,000 stilt houses catch fire in Malaysia’s Sabah state Channel News Asia
syrakistan
Satellite photos reveal Israel expanding military base in Gaza Al Jazeera
“I felt like a monster”: Israeli Defense Force soldiers talk about “moral injury” and the silent Haaretz (Archive)
***
Iran says President Trump’s erratic behavior could complicate tank negotiations, warns of ‘significant increase in costs’ for US if war resumes Drop Site
No talks, Iran retaliates and war escalates Larry Johnson
Iran to attend second round of talks with US despite hostilities over Strait of Hormuz – Pakistani source AN-Dollar News Agency
UAE asks US about wartime financial lifeline WSJ “Give me the US dollar or I’ll use the renminbi”.
The Consequences of Incompetence Scott Ritter
Iran Files V: Power Without Bombs – Iran and its Nuclear Concealment Strategy Kautilya the Contemplator
***
Iranian architecture is impressive.
Located in the Strait of Hormuz, Hormuz Island is home to Majara Residences, a mixed-use tourism development by Tehran-based ZAV Architects, winner of last year’s Aga Khan Architecture Award. pic.twitter.com/Pqo0Fo2ixs
— Lily Lynch (@lilyslynch) April 19, 2026
discord in europe
Brussels calls for companies to have one mandatory remote working day in response to energy crisis, Europe says
Rumen Radev, a pro-Russian, won a landslide victory at Bulgarian Politico. “Cooperating with Russia” = living in the reality of Project Ukraine.
Slovakia’s Fico denies Baltic airspace for Victory Day trip to Moscow DPA
US urges allies to accelerate transition to NATO 3.0 at Ukraine Defense Liaison Group Interfax
Germany will be reborn as a weapons factory WSJ
How to foment war: EU focuses on new areas of green agenda RT
Africa
US launches 56th airstrike this year against war in Somalia
Imperial Glossary Nnamdi Obi
old blighty
Defense Ministry has lost track of veterans on recall list, defense adviser tells Guardian
A new war that’s not so cold war
Drones: Myths and Realities Events in Ukraine
Did Mr. Zelenskyy threaten Mr. Lukashenko on Mr. Trump’s orders? Andrew Korybko
imperial collapse watch
Could Michigan become the drone capital of the United States? How can Americans buy American products?
“Multipolarization is not a hypothesis” Undiplomatic
Toward the final war that bets on the destruction of Western civilization and Eastern civilization! Oliver Boyd Barrett
Archeology suggests that the most famous “last stand” in American history may have actually been a retreat.
For generations Americans have been told that Custer and his men died in a heroic circle on the hill.
But when archaeologists mapped the Little Bighorn battlefield, the ground said: pic.twitter.com/SUFpi3BNYh
— Mound Lore (@MoundLore) March 5, 2026
Lafaire Epstein
Former model arrested and deported by Aventura police, sparking uproar at the White House Miami Herald
Inside Epstein’s web: 137 men and women reveal how his network of international power and influence ran El Pais
Trump 2.0
UnHerd behind the ‘disappearing scientist’ hysteria
Destruction of USAID was as stupid as appearing together but apart
Trump approval rating hits second-term post-inflation low as war with Iran hits al-Mayadeen
Patel says she will sue The Atlantic for defamation over The Hill’s heavy drinking coverage
big brother is watching you
Mother Jones exposes the global surveillance empire
accelerationist
I just finished reading Palantir’s manifesto. This is the most important document the tech industry has produced this year, so make sure you understand what you’re actually looking at.
Most people came away thinking, “What a thoughtful essay on patriotism and technology…”… https://t.co/4q48cfaW8Z
— Medhi (e/λ) (@BetterCallMedhi) April 19, 2026
A.I.
Zoom will now check whether you are a human or an AI impostor during video meetings. By partnering with Sam Altman’s iris scanning identity company.
Planned world’s largest data center is in trouble
Want to resist the data center? These organizers share how. truth
economy
Oil prices rise amid mixed signals over US-Iran peace talks Al Jazeera
The world needs an oil buyers club project syndicate
The name should be changed to “Schrödinger Strait”. It’s open and closed at the same time.
— Brian Willott Farms (@BrianWillott) April 18, 2026
420
Introducing Forbes, the cannabis industry’s Trump whisperer
Marijuana legalization fosters innovation but does not necessarily benefit patients or public health. “…legalization of recreational cannabis use appears to foster innovation, but primarily in ways that expand commercial opportunities rather than scientific understanding or patient health benefits.”
Major financial institutions find new way to fight cannabis: crackdown on speech makes high time possible
antitrust law
Distribution giant Cisco wants to take over small restaurant’s food and power lifeline
Monopoly Recap: The Shocking Failure of American Companies Allied with Trump Matt Stoller
zeitgeist watch
A small but growing movement is asking us to put down our phones. But please read this AP first
It’s not just new, it’s Newspeak pic.twitter.com/dsVPww8MsL
— Daniel Wortel London (@dlondonwortel) April 19, 2026
class war
Bangladeshi gig workers trapped in gas lines as fuel supplies tighten due to war between Iran and US
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