Global Moderators
Forum wide moderators
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Multi-car pileups in the Midwest -
Board of PeaceFrance says, thanks for the invite but no thanks.
French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer to join the “Board of Peace” tasked with overseeing the next steps in Gaza, his office said on Monday.
The decision was taken over concerns that the “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump, would have extensive powers beyond transitional governance of the Gaza Strip, and undermine the United Nations framework.
The statement noted that the board’s charter “goes beyond the framework of Gaza and raises serious questions, in particular with respect to the principles and structure of the United Nations, which cannot be called into question.”
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Japanese snack barsSome 100,000 of these small dives are hidden in plain sight across Japan. Now, travellers are finally discovering these locals-only hangouts – and the beloved "mamas" who run them.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260116-inside-the-secret-world-of-japanese-snack-bars
I'm going to bring this article with me to my next tutoring session with my Japanese student. Should be a good springboard for discussion.
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TariffsNew research indicates Americans bear 96% of U.S. tariff costs, with foreign exporters absorbing only 4% by lowering prices.
From the comments on the article:
Surprise!!! Tariffs raise taxes on consumers!
And ... the sky is blue, water is wet, and Trump is not a very stable genius.
WSJ:
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Joe McCarthy is alive and wellTrump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With
The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sent to national security experts at the agency.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-usda-foreign-scientists
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Fed Chair Powell’s statementFederal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral argument Wednesday in a case involving the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support by the central bank chair.
The high court is considering whether President Donald Trump can fire Cook, as he said he would do in late August, in an unprecedented attempt to remove one of the seven members of the Fed’s governing board. Powell plans to attend the high court’s Wednesday session, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It’s a much more public show of support than the Fed chair has previously shown Cook. But it follows Powell’s announcement last week that the Trump administration has sent subpoenas to the Fed, threatening an unprecedented criminal indictment of the Fed Chair. Powell — appointed to the position by Trump in 2018 — appears to be casting off last year’s more subdued reponse to Trump’s repeated attacks on the central bank in favor of a more public confrontation.
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Hunting a house in Helena@Big_Al said in Hunting a house in Helena:
This article made me think of a forum member.
Me, too. As did this BBC article about the ten most sustainable US towns and why they're worth a visit. Missoula was one of them.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260115-10-of-the-uss-most-sustainable-small-towns
Popular place, that state.
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EU-Mercosur deal signedEU and Mercosur countries sign landmark free trade deal
Louis Oelofse | Shakeel Sobhan with AFP, Reuters
The agreement took 25 years to negotiate and will create one of the world's largest free trade zones. The deal was signed, despite opposition from some European farmers.
The agreement slashes more than 90% of tariffs between the EU and the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, though some cuts will be phased in over 10 to 15 years.
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic told DW after signing the deal that European and Mercosur countries were "discussing all the concrete projects what we can do together."
"We are sending a very clear message to the world that Mercosur and European Union countries are for low tariffs, for smooth trade, for creating better quality and better prices for our consumers," Sefcovic told DW after signing the deal. "And we just simply want to work together, the friends of partners on mutual advantages project."
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What are you reading?
Kind of goes with the MIT article about the energy impact of AI.
https://wtf.coffee-room.com/topic/3010/ai-s-energy-footprint-mit-analysis
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Weather where you are threadTemp right now is 0, zooming up to 6 later in the day. Oh, and winds are 20 to 30 mph, just to add to the misery.
Forecasts up through Sunday show us failing to reach freezing, mostly staying below 20.
I dumped a little pile of squash seeds out at the base of a tree where I know a couple of squirrels live; I saved them from a kabocha we had a few days ago for dinner. I don't even know if the little furry guys come out in this cold or if they just huddle.
