“People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.”

— George Orwell

Live www.c-span.org/event/senate...

The Last Woman Who Knew Everything: The Omnivorous Mind of Clémence Royer. When Clémence Royer died on February 7, 1902, she took with her into oblivion perhaps the last human brain that believed in and aimed for Complete Knowledge. She had devoted her life to the propositio...

French polymath Clémence Royer was born 196 years ago today. Now she is most known for her 1862 translation of On the Origin of Species which pushed Darwin's ideas into the realm of human evolution, but in her day she was celebrated for her encyclopedic knowledge.

tinyurl.com/5cbam92f

#WomenInStEM

Officials who warned about Russian interference are being treated as the threat, even facing potential criminal charges. At the same time, people adjacent to Russian-aligned propaganda and influence channels are being handed power to investigate them.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

A portrait ID photo of a young woman. SHe has dark hair covering her ears. She is wearing a simple blouse with a collar. Her hand-written signature is visible in the middle of the photo.

A portrait ID photo o of woman. Her face is visible. Her shoulders are covered with some fur collar or scarf. She is wearing a dark hat. Her hand-written signature is visible.

20 April 1926 | A Czech Jewish woman, Mariana Brodová, was born in Prague.

In #Theresienstadt Ghetto from 10 December 1941.
Deported to #Auschwitz on 28 October 1944 together with her mother Terezie.
They both did not survive.

A photo of the face of a young smiling girl. She has a bit messy, dark hair.

Four people standing in a line. A man in a suit, two girls in white dresses (the second is standing on a small chair), and a woman in a long evening dress.

20 April 1933 | A Dutch Jewish girl, Sophia Kaatje van Hasselt, was born in Oosterwolde.

In February 1943 she was deported to #Auschwitz together with her parents Simon and Geertje, and her older sister Hermi. None of them survived.

Update: Kash Patel has filed this morning a defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick in federal court in D.C. www.courtlistener.com/docket/73213...

Kids learn math and science better from paper textbooks than online resources. It helps to focus and see the logic laid out linearly.

Judge Hurson says DHS's planned conversion of a Maryland warehouse into an immigration detention facility ignored some basic environmental impacts — like how adding 100s of people to a place that currently has 4 toilets might impact the sewer system storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

We’re defending Western Civilization by kicking Plato and Shakespeare out of university classes.

SENIOR IRANIAN OFFICIAL TO REUTERS: POSITIVE EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY BY PAKISTAN TO END THE U.S. BLOCKADE, ENSURE IRAN'S PARTICIPATION IN TALKS

Jessy Blackburn similing broadly, wearing a patterned 1920s/30s frock trimmed with white lace in B&W headshot photo #WomenInSTEM

Jessy Blackburn aviation pioneer 1 of 1st women to fly in British monoplane. Founded Blackburn Aircraft w' husband using her inheritance. Key in sales & marketing, hosted RAF officials politicians media & aviators in Leeds home. Flew in 1922/28 King's Cup Air Races b. #OTD 20 Apr 1894 bit.ly/3fEqXYq

Searing opinion from a federal judge on Long Island, who describes "police state"-like tactics by ICE to arrest peopleand draw up after-the-fact warrants.

He says DOJ is damaging its credibility with the courts by trying to shield ICE from scrutiny. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Sometimes Sunday is spent in church. Sometimes church is walking a picket line with resturaunt workers who were recently replaced by the owner with QR codes. The working class will win.

Stripe became almost a monopolist, creating unhealthy circumstances for developers and customers.

5 hurt, including 3 University of Iowa students in overnight shooting near campus Authorities urged people to avoid the area of College and Clinton streets early Sunday after reports of gunshots near the University of Iowa campus. Police said

America's gun psychopathy continues: *134* mass shootings so far in 2026. 💔😡💔 #GunsDontMakeUsSafer

The latest, with 5 people wounded, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City: thenationaldesk.com/news/america...

When simulation becomes the norm, it weakens the human capacity for discernment. As a result, our social bonds close in upon themselves, forming self-referential circuits that no longer expose us to reality. We thus come to live within bubbles, impermeable to one another. Feeling threatened by anyone who is different, we grow unaccustomed to encounter and dialogue. In this way, polarization, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.

Pope Leo:

If you ask me, Sen. Jon Ossoff is sounding more and more like a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

B.B. King with Lucille #bluesmusic
Vicksburg, Mississippi, 2007.
Photo by ©Kevin Westenberg

Pro-democracy protest in Tbilisi, Georgia and six other cities nationwide -- 507th day

Photo of a young girl on a solid background. She can be seen from the waist up. The girl is wearing a dress with buff short sleeves. Her hair is neatly styled - the curls fall to the right side of her head and almost reach her shoulders. She is smiling tightly, exposing her upper teeth.

18 April 1932 | A Czech Jewish girl, Doris Kindlerová, was born in Prague.

In #Theresienstadt Ghetto from 17 December 1942.
Deported to #Auschwitz on 18 May 1944. Registered in the Theresienstadt family camp in Birkenau. She did not survive.

Young boy photographed behind a table Writing something with a pen on a piece of paper. A lamp shines next to him, casting a strong light on the biruko. The silhouette remains in shadow. The boy has short dark hair. He is wearing a sweater.

18 April 1919 | A German Jew, Bernhard Silberberg, was born in Berlin.

Deported to #Auschwitz. He did not survive.
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🎧/📖 The development of the mass murder infrastructure at Auschwitz: https://bit.ly/46ryjrT

Pope Leo at final Mass in Cameroon: “No one must be left alone to confront life’s adversities. For this reason, every community has the obligation to create and sustain structures of solidarity and mutual aid in which, when faced with crises.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

Two Musk stories that should raise eyebrows and expect fireworks.

1/. One in every five Cybertrucks purchased in the last quarter last year were purchased by Musk’s Space X. Without that sales would have declined by 51% in that period.

The DOJ Is Normalizing Vigilantism Officials at the DOJ delivered a politically convenient one-two punch to the work of their predecessors this week.

By falsely portray prosecutions of FACE Act and seditious conspiracy as “weaponization” of law enforcement, DOJ is normalizing vigilante violence. My thoughts in @opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

The European Coal and Steel Community was the cradle of the EU. It was thoughtfully designed and carefully implemented. It is probably the most impactful political, social, and economic project, bringing the greatest good of all time. It ended centuries of wars caused by nationalism.

This black-and-white action photograph captures Nina Kuscsik (1939 – 8, 2025), the pioneering American long-distance runner and champion who became the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon in 1972. Shown mid-stride on the historic Boston course, Kuscsik runs with powerful forward momentum, her arms pumping and legs extended in full athletic stride. She wears a simple dark short-sleeved top with visible race bib, dark athletic shorts, and classic running shoes of the era; her short dark hair is tousled from effort, and a focused, determined expression lights her face—mouth slightly open, eyes fixed ahead with quiet intensity and grit. The outdoor setting shows the paved road lined with spectators under bright daylight, emphasizing the raw energy of the 26.2-mile race. The tight, dynamic composition centers Kuscsik as the sole focal point, conveying a mood of triumphant perseverance and breakthrough resolve. This image immortalizes a watershed moment in sports history: on April 17, 1972, Kuscsik finished first among the eight official female entrants (time 3:10:26), shattering long-held myths that women couldn’t safely run marathons. A two-time New York City Marathon winner (1972, 1973), co-founder of the first women-only road race, and advocate whose efforts helped pave the way for Title IX, Kuscsik ran more than 80 marathons and became a symbol of equality in athletics. Her 1972 Boston victory remains a landmark of courage and change.

The #BostonMarathon was run #OTD in 1972 and, for the first time, women were officially allowed to enter.

Nina Kuscsik emerged from an 8-member field to win the race in 3:10:26. She would go to win the NYC Marathon and was the first woman to win both the marathons in the same year. #WomensHistory

The Treasury extends a honey moon period for Russian oil.

Exclusive: Meta targets May 20 for first wave of layoffs; additional cuts later in 2026 Meta intends ​to conduct a first wave of sweeping layoffs planned for this year on May 20, with more ‌coming later, three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.

Meta intends to conduct a first wave of sweeping layoffs planned for this year on May 20, with more coming later, three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.