WTF-Beta

I noticed that, too.

How many times are we going to do this??

Groundhog Day 2: Trump's Iran Deals

Hungary to shut sole nuclear plant for first time on Sunday

Record-low water levels on the Danube forced the Paks plant offline, leaving Hungary facing a potential power crunch. In neighboring Serbia, energy production at two hydroelectric plants has also been reduced.

It measured the Danube's water level in Budapest at 23 centimeters (9 inches) on Wednesday morning, well below the previous record low of 33 centimeters (13 inches) set in 2018.

https://www.dw.com/en/hungary-to-shut-sole-nuclear-plant-for-first-time-on-sunday/a-78205668

The one town that wants a data center.

Atlantic gift link:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/08/jay-maine-wants-data-center/688043/?gift=L2aql4Qoi09z50oHv3jcce27MJsiW0jW8v85CoHkbjQ&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

@AndyD said:

CIA and FBI both say it was laboratory sourced.

Not arguing that it didn't come from the lab, but when did the CIA and FBI determine that? The Conversation article you linked is from 2022. Just wondering if it's an apples to apples comparison....

@jon-nyc He really does look like the same Churchill we recognize from his adult photos. Sans the cigar and brandy, of course.

During recent Swedish Death Cleaning (henceforth to be referred to as SDC) efforts I stumbled upon three old, cheapo cell phones that have zero trade-in value and that I have no other use for. I did a factory reset and removed the SIM card from each.

Is there anything else I need to do before I take them somewhere for recycling?

@DougG said:

estivation

I learned a new word, too....

It's the beginning of August and I start to sense a subtle move towards autumn. Of course the days have been shortening since late June, but I don't really pick up on that till late July/early Aug. The angle of the sun in the sky is what I notice start to take note of.

We've been plotzing along here. The garden keeps me busy and we continue our Swedish death cleaning initiative. Mr wtg is still going to physical therapy a couple of times a week. Otherwise, pretty quiet except for contractors digging up gas lines and an occasional water main break. Nothing compared to the fires, heat, and/or flooding that we see on the news just about every day.

How about you? What have you been up to this summer? Festivals? Vacations?

@admin @axtremus

Thanks so much!

We live in a world of noisy narcissism, but you can escape the cacophony—and be happier.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/quiet-ego-happiness-virtue/682718/?gift=L2aql4Qoi09z50oHv3jccYH4xGHTUskCeJ7ahajJOMY&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Summer reading with the Library Dads

President and founder of The Library Dads, Khari Arnold, explains the mission behind his organization and his hopes for its work going forward.

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/video/135293709

@axtremus - I noticed that when I try to log in as wtf-admin I actually get two messages. A pink window pops up says "Login Unsuccessful", and just below that, "Forbidden". That is only visible for a second or two, and then a second pink window comes up that says "Login Unsuccessful" and mentions a possibly expired session. That one persists on the screen

We were unable to log you in, likely due to an expired session. Please try again

I was doing this in Firefox, which isn't my usual browser. I cleared cookies and cache, but still no luck logging in.

school

No, blue is less cooked than rare.

https://steakadvisor.com/steak-cooking/blue-steak/

I used to do steak tartare, too.

Too funny. I almost posted "0" for the steak because back when I was younger I occasionally ordered mine "blue"

@axtremus

I can't get into admin mode. I don't have an active session going under my admin account wtf-admin and am unable to log in due to the ongoing problem. I get the error message.

2, 2.5, 1

Fetterman had some interesting things to say during the hearing; he asked no questions. Pity he wasn't the one running the show...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/fetterman-fauci-regret-dismissing-lab-130000611.html

Anthony Fauci Is Not the Villain in This Story

If you are hunting for a COVID villain or villains, then, there are many beckoning targets. Investigate the crooks who promoted quack remedies such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for profit or plain crackpot mania. Investigate the sources and pathways of anti-vaccine disinformation. Investigate the pattern and funding of Russian support for anti-vaccine disinformation by following the map already provided by the U.S. State Department’s work on the subject. Investigate the response by U.S. public-health agencies, including the CDC, to better prepare for the next pandemic.

But the present Congress is investigating none of that. Instead, a Senate committee has fixed on Anthony Fauci, the physician and pandemic-era chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Senate obtained his diary—reportedly from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who claims to have found it on a government server—and then, outrageously and gratuitously, published 1,100 pages of it for the world to see.

Democrats and liberals have their own post-COVID soul-searching to do. Blue states kept schools closed too long. They showed hypocrisy when they pivoted from demanding lockdowns in the spring of 2020 to welcoming mass George Floyd protests in the summer. Their analysis of lockdowns may have underweighted harms, especially to small businesses and otherwise healthy schoolchildren. Continued masking after the advent of vaccines could have enabled anti-social and even criminal behavior. The Biden administration in 2021 and 2022 exploited the genuine need for post-pandemic recovery to pass lavish spending bills that probably accelerated inflation. Americans should, as best as they can, delve deep into the exact degree of Chinese-government culpability for the coronavirus—not because it makes (or would have made) any actionable difference to the COVID response, but because it may serve as guidance for future dealings with China. The fullest obtainable history of COVID will reveal much that Americans need to know about the truthfulness, competence, and danger of the Chinese regime.

Gift link to Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/fauci-senate-diary-rand-paul/688135/?gift=L2aql4Qoi09z50oHv3jcccqLPcUu3PIGMlxHOzCf5D0&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

The Fauci hearing was a disaster. I think that Rand Paul has no interest in really looking at what happened during the pandemic. He is just trying to persecute Fauci.