"'[T]he concept of martyrdom plays a crucial role' in this matter, as it 'reduces deterrence' and makes Iranian tactics 'more unpredictable.'"
5/

"The design of [IRGC speedboats], as well as the 'swarm saturation' strategy, aligns with [IRGC] military doctrine... [notably use of] cheap weapons in attacks that, combined, generate high defensive costs for the enemy"
4/

"[W]hen confronting the Revolutionary Guard boats, the United States faces the problem of what military experts call 'cost asymmetry.'"
3/

"The fears of tanker owners — and, above all, insurers — are enough to deter many ships from attempting to cross the strait.

Tehran also does not need frigates... It is sufficient to use 'drones, mines, and cheap weaponry,' explained [Vali] Nasr... Or, indeed, speedboats"
2/

Iran’s ‘mosquito fleet’ brings guerrilla warfare to the Strait of Hormuz The capture of two large ships by Revolutionary Guard speedboats serves as a reminder of their crucial role in blocking the strategic maritime passage

"It is estimated that the conventional Iranian Navy has been 90% destroyed.

However, Tehran does not need those sunken vessels.. in order to control the Strait of Hormuz"
1/
english.elpais.com/internationa...

#ProtestSign #resistance #resist #MayDay #NoKings #HandsOff #BlueWave #BlueWaveComing #Midterms

"Asset stripping is the selling off of.. assets to improve returns [often for] a 'corporate raider', who takes over.. & then auctions off the acquired company's assets

...generally used in a pejorative sense as such activity is not considered helpful to the company"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset_s...

Connecticut Just Told Masked ICE Agents to Show Their Faces SB00397 bars masks on every officer in the state, forces feds to show badges, and opens state courts to sue them. A first in the country.

No law enforcement officer operating in Connecticut—federal, state, or local—can wear a mask on duty. ICE and CBP agents have to show their faces and badges. And when an officer assaults someone recording them, commits false imprisonment, false arrest, or malicious prosecution, they lose immunity.

“Global prices of jet fuel have risen more than 70 percent since the start the war at the end of February”

"The most needed and holy work of conservation is to keep whole the building blocks of evolution."

rewilding.org/what-is-rewi...
1/

AOC is all sensible Americans right now, Americans who have completely lost patience with the wildly incompetent, lying loons currently running things who undermine our sanity, wealth, and wellbeing.

Glaciers on a mountain

Good morning, Bluesky!

Happy #EarthDay 2026!🌎

Mt Rainier, Mt Rainier Natl Park, Washington

What do Levi’s, Hanes, and Chewy have in common?

California AG Rob Bonta just revealed evidence alleging that Amazon used its power to pressure them, and countless other brands, to inflate prices of listings on rival online marketplaces as part of wide-ranging price-fixing scheme.

Meanwhile, however, "developers have reduced their investment budgets for the near term, due in part to U.S. headwinds but also to other major policy and supply chain challenges in China and Europe."
2/

"The U.K. joined nine European Union nations earlier this year in vowing to build 100 GW of the resource to transform the gusty North Sea into ​“the world’s largest clean energy reservoir” in order to help meet the region’s climate change targets."
1/

a map showing a Mississippi where all 82 counties are shades of red

A map showing Mississippi's 82 counties, many shaded red and pink, many shaded blue and purple.

Left: How people think Mississippi votes

Right: How Mississippi actually votes

“It is so important for you and me to spend time today learning something about the past so that we can better understand the present, analyze it and then do something about it.”

—Malcolm X

"Two days later, in an internal message, the manufacturer confirmed that the price raise had gone up on both sites, Bonta’s office alleges."

#HowThingsWork
2/

"Amazon emailed the manufacturer a list of products with price increases, instructing the vendor: 'As you noted, Chewy should be aware of this update and follow suit accordingly.'"
1/

ICYMI — new HUNGARY 🇭🇺 PM Magyar says Netanyahu will be arrested if he goes to Hungary

Trump Warns Iran To Accept His Ultimatum Or Face Wrath Of Next Ultimatum WASHINGTON—Threatening to continue issuing threats if the Islamic Republic did not quickly agree to his demands, President Donald Trump warned Iran on Monday to accept his ultimatum or face the wrath ...

The Onion might well have Trump's ticket in this satirical piece.

(For all our sakes, I hope they're right!)

theonion.com/trump-warns-...

ICYMI: An ICE agent charged with 2 felonies for pulling his gun during a Minneapolis road rage incident

‘Something is fundamentally wrong:’ Detainees start hunger strike at Pa. ICE facility A hunger strike at Moshannon Valley Processing Center, by roughly 100 people, started Thursday, April 16th.

www.pennlive.com/news/2026/04...

“May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day.”
– Native American Proverb

Columbines (State Flower of Colorado) blooming in the Colorado Rockies

Photographer: Lars Leber Photography

"The model could account for logistics information, like where particular planes or supplies are located. It could analyze lots of different inputs in the form of text, image, and video."
3/

"[I]t might look something like this:
A human analyst could put a list of potential targets into the AI model and ask it to analyze the information and prioritize which to strike first."

Where OpenAI’s technology could show up in Iran Three places to watch, from the margins of war to the center of combat.

"If the Iran conflict is still underway by the time OpenAI’s tech is in the system, what could it be used for?"
1/
www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/16/1...

"But as others have observed, promoting competition is like diet and exercise: good in the long run, but unlikely to solve acute crises.

And right now we’re in an acute crisis, in the form of a massive supply shock."
2/

When All Else Fails, Just Blame Corporate Greed Horseshoe theory FTW.

"Trump, an icon of the Greed Is Good era who generally has a light touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement, appears to be blaming greedy corporations for high prices and prescribing antitrust-related remedies."
1/
www.thebulwark.com/p/when-all-e...

Big Oil Breaks Everything The planet, our democracy, our courts...

If you dig deep enough into the corruption of our democracy, down there at the bottom of the hole you find...a lot of oil
open.substack.com/pub/billmcki...