@hernekzn.bsky.social
Reposted
New from me: I write about what we can learn from the remarkable leaked trial video of a Chinese general punished for his behavior before the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown @warontherocks.bsky.social
warontherocks.com/2026/01/obed...
warontherocks.com/2026/01/obed...
Obedience, Ambiguity, and Punishment: The Chinese Military at Tiananmen Revisited
As this article goes to press, security officials in Iran are carefully weighing their options on how to dole out violence to preserve an authoritarian
warontherocks.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:14 PM
New from me: I write about what we can learn from the remarkable leaked trial video of a Chinese general punished for his behavior before the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown @warontherocks.bsky.social
warontherocks.com/2026/01/obed...
warontherocks.com/2026/01/obed...
Reposted
We need more details on the proposed Board of Inquiry.
Given that the Chief of the SANDF & service chiefs may be implicated, the BOI should not be staffed by uniformed SANDF officers under the command of CSANDF.
The Defence Act allows for an all-civilian BOI of DOD employees.
Given that the Chief of the SANDF & service chiefs may be implicated, the BOI should not be staffed by uniformed SANDF officers under the command of CSANDF.
The Defence Act allows for an all-civilian BOI of DOD employees.
January 16, 2026 at 10:10 AM
We need more details on the proposed Board of Inquiry.
Given that the Chief of the SANDF & service chiefs may be implicated, the BOI should not be staffed by uniformed SANDF officers under the command of CSANDF.
The Defence Act allows for an all-civilian BOI of DOD employees.
Given that the Chief of the SANDF & service chiefs may be implicated, the BOI should not be staffed by uniformed SANDF officers under the command of CSANDF.
The Defence Act allows for an all-civilian BOI of DOD employees.
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An underrated factor in "why don't people in wealthy societies have more kids" is changing societal norms that now expect even older kids to be chaperoned by an adult any time they are in public, and to be chauffeured by a parent as their only means of transportation
Older generations spent a lot less time parenting. Millennial dads spend nearly as much time parenting as Boomer moms did. Millennial and Gen X moms way more.
via The Economist
via The Economist
January 16, 2026 at 5:20 AM
An underrated factor in "why don't people in wealthy societies have more kids" is changing societal norms that now expect even older kids to be chaperoned by an adult any time they are in public, and to be chauffeured by a parent as their only means of transportation
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Anger, envy, gluttony and covetousness so far, and the only reason lechery doesn't figure is because I'm too slothful.
January 16, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Anger, envy, gluttony and covetousness so far, and the only reason lechery doesn't figure is because I'm too slothful.
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At this point, the absence of a public statement from President Ramaphosa has become indefensible.
With DIRCO having crisis meetings, and multiple media houses all reporting on the chaos & confusion regarding the request for Iran to withdraw, he needs to step up and take charge immediately.
With DIRCO having crisis meetings, and multiple media houses all reporting on the chaos & confusion regarding the request for Iran to withdraw, he needs to step up and take charge immediately.
SANDF apparently defied presidential orders to remove Iran from a joint naval exercise www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026...
SANDF apparently defied presidential orders to remove Iran from a joint naval exercise
The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) appears to have defied orders from President Ramaphosa to withdraw three Iranian warships from the multinational naval exercise Will for Peace taking place in Fal
www.dailymaverick.co.za
January 15, 2026 at 8:05 AM
At this point, the absence of a public statement from President Ramaphosa has become indefensible.
With DIRCO having crisis meetings, and multiple media houses all reporting on the chaos & confusion regarding the request for Iran to withdraw, he needs to step up and take charge immediately.
With DIRCO having crisis meetings, and multiple media houses all reporting on the chaos & confusion regarding the request for Iran to withdraw, he needs to step up and take charge immediately.
Reposted
“Rewiring” is an engineering metaphor
States aren’t machines: they’re complex, bubbling soups of human interaction
Headlines are important: they frame how problems are seen and solutions chosen
Persisting with machinery-of-government thinking constrains what can be imagined
Metaphors do matter
States aren’t machines: they’re complex, bubbling soups of human interaction
Headlines are important: they frame how problems are seen and solutions chosen
Persisting with machinery-of-government thinking constrains what can be imagined
Metaphors do matter
Rewiring the state: Is the government making any progress?
This panel will draw on the brand new Whitehall Monitor 2026, presented by @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and will give its verdict on the government's attempts to reform the civil service @andyburnham.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social
This panel will draw on the brand new Whitehall Monitor 2026, presented by @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and will give its verdict on the government's attempts to reform the civil service @andyburnham.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social
January 12, 2026 at 11:39 AM
“Rewiring” is an engineering metaphor
States aren’t machines: they’re complex, bubbling soups of human interaction
Headlines are important: they frame how problems are seen and solutions chosen
Persisting with machinery-of-government thinking constrains what can be imagined
Metaphors do matter
States aren’t machines: they’re complex, bubbling soups of human interaction
Headlines are important: they frame how problems are seen and solutions chosen
Persisting with machinery-of-government thinking constrains what can be imagined
Metaphors do matter
Reposted
The last good thing Scott Adams can do for the world is to serve as a cautionary tale to everyone who’s sense of self rests on being one of the smart ones.
I don’t mean that unkindly. It’s genuinely tragic in a way I can appreciate more knowing he has no more bombs to drop.
I don’t mean that unkindly. It’s genuinely tragic in a way I can appreciate more knowing he has no more bombs to drop.
January 13, 2026 at 7:09 PM
The last good thing Scott Adams can do for the world is to serve as a cautionary tale to everyone who’s sense of self rests on being one of the smart ones.
I don’t mean that unkindly. It’s genuinely tragic in a way I can appreciate more knowing he has no more bombs to drop.
I don’t mean that unkindly. It’s genuinely tragic in a way I can appreciate more knowing he has no more bombs to drop.
Reposted
“My colleagues are calling from downstairs, troopers are getting out from their tanks with guns and weapons, entering our building…” On 13 January 1991, Lithuanian TV presenter Eglė Bučelytė remains on air in a locked studio as Soviet troops storm the TV station
January 13, 2026 at 3:58 PM
“My colleagues are calling from downstairs, troopers are getting out from their tanks with guns and weapons, entering our building…” On 13 January 1991, Lithuanian TV presenter Eglė Bučelytė remains on air in a locked studio as Soviet troops storm the TV station
Reposted
hey grok write me an info paper on the dangers of integrating nascent AI technologies into classified networks
January 13, 2026 at 12:57 PM
hey grok write me an info paper on the dangers of integrating nascent AI technologies into classified networks
Reposted
"We must never be shy about characterizing the university as one of the key means of realizing the human need to know, to understand, and to search for truth. It must be repeated endlessly and with all the infinite variations that will come over time."
"In every society fallen to authoritarianism, the state goes after the press first+ closes in on universities next.
All of us who live, work,+learn within the university should think of our institution as part of the larger constitutional structure of the nation."
www.chronicle.com/article/univ...
All of us who live, work,+learn within the university should think of our institution as part of the larger constitutional structure of the nation."
www.chronicle.com/article/univ...
Universities Need a New Defense
The authoritarian threat is growing. The old playbook won’t work.
www.chronicle.com
January 11, 2026 at 1:38 PM
"We must never be shy about characterizing the university as one of the key means of realizing the human need to know, to understand, and to search for truth. It must be repeated endlessly and with all the infinite variations that will come over time."
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Again I say into the void: stop saying the ICE officer had no time to think. Time doesn’t start when the drama starts. They drove up. They walked up. They engaged. Stop saying there is only reflex, no thought. If so, stop arming ambulatory startle reflexes & calling them cops
January 10, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Again I say into the void: stop saying the ICE officer had no time to think. Time doesn’t start when the drama starts. They drove up. They walked up. They engaged. Stop saying there is only reflex, no thought. If so, stop arming ambulatory startle reflexes & calling them cops
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which writer do you think most anticipated 'an AI system controlled by the world's richest man is producing pornographic images of a woman murdered on video by US state security'
January 8, 2026 at 9:07 PM
which writer do you think most anticipated 'an AI system controlled by the world's richest man is producing pornographic images of a woman murdered on video by US state security'
Reposted
Storied newspaper chain McClatchy recently shuttered its Washington bureau and laid off staff. Now its told union leaders it wants to publish AI-generated stories without human review and create AI impersonations of reporters for podcasts.
The scoop in @status.news www.status.news/p/mcclatchy-...
The scoop in @status.news www.status.news/p/mcclatchy-...
McClatchy’s Machine Mindset
A recent meeting with McClatchy executives left union leaders stunned and deeply alarmed about how the company wishes to implement A.I. in the newsroom, Status has learned.
www.status.news
January 8, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Storied newspaper chain McClatchy recently shuttered its Washington bureau and laid off staff. Now its told union leaders it wants to publish AI-generated stories without human review and create AI impersonations of reporters for podcasts.
The scoop in @status.news www.status.news/p/mcclatchy-...
The scoop in @status.news www.status.news/p/mcclatchy-...
Will the most illiterate chuds you know admit they posted themselves into insanity and shut up? No, it’s the Duffer Brothers’ fault!
January 8, 2026 at 8:27 AM
Will the most illiterate chuds you know admit they posted themselves into insanity and shut up? No, it’s the Duffer Brothers’ fault!
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Reformed January 6th participant (who refused a pardon): “You can't gaslight me. I was there. I saw the officers being pepper sprayed. I watched one of them fall down and hit his head and his back. So don't be telling me it wasn't violent.”
January 6, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Reformed January 6th participant (who refused a pardon): “You can't gaslight me. I was there. I saw the officers being pepper sprayed. I watched one of them fall down and hit his head and his back. So don't be telling me it wasn't violent.”
Reposted
It's Twelfth Night, so time for more folklore shenanigans... www.icysedgwick.com/twelfth-nigh...
Boost your New Year with simple Twelfth Night folklore!
You probably know it's unlucky to leave your Christmas decorations up after Twelfth Night. But what other folklore surrounds this often forgotten festival?
www.icysedgwick.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:15 AM
It's Twelfth Night, so time for more folklore shenanigans... www.icysedgwick.com/twelfth-nigh...
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Just a reminder that simply because people are carrying on with daily life (and finding the little joys in it) does not mean they don’t pay attention to the news cycle or have thoughts about the state of things. They’re living.
January 4, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Just a reminder that simply because people are carrying on with daily life (and finding the little joys in it) does not mean they don’t pay attention to the news cycle or have thoughts about the state of things. They’re living.
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If laws only apply to "good" people they aren't laws. That's as true for international laws as it is for domestic.
January 4, 2026 at 3:56 PM
If laws only apply to "good" people they aren't laws. That's as true for international laws as it is for domestic.
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None of them are on the same page at all, they just make up something on their own for whoever they're talking to at the moment. Maybe there isn't a "real reason," they just posted themselves into it
January 4, 2026 at 3:54 PM
None of them are on the same page at all, they just make up something on their own for whoever they're talking to at the moment. Maybe there isn't a "real reason," they just posted themselves into it
Reposted
Another galling example of this: It's been said that Trump's hatred of the "deep state" is rooted in hatred of its "warmongering." But Trump hates the deep state because it tried to hold him accountable for his crimes and because a professional civil service is a barrier to authoritarian corruption!
January 4, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Another galling example of this: It's been said that Trump's hatred of the "deep state" is rooted in hatred of its "warmongering." But Trump hates the deep state because it tried to hold him accountable for his crimes and because a professional civil service is a barrier to authoritarian corruption!
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stop saying "narco-terrorism" as if thats a thing omg
January 3, 2026 at 5:52 PM
stop saying "narco-terrorism" as if thats a thing omg
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You do not have to be good to be protected by the law, but the reactionary argument is explicitly that the law only protects the good, as defined by them. That argument is worth rejecting over and over again, both domestically and internationally.
People are going to try and lure you into debates about whether Maduro was a good guy or not and the thing is, it doesn’t matter for the purposes of discussing whether violent kidnappings and extrajudicial murders by the US government are ok. No, they aren’t! End of convo.
January 3, 2026 at 5:59 PM
You do not have to be good to be protected by the law, but the reactionary argument is explicitly that the law only protects the good, as defined by them. That argument is worth rejecting over and over again, both domestically and internationally.
Reposted
"What's a brand name we can lift from Tolkien for our security company that hasn't been used yet?"
"Hmmm. Think 'Sauron' is still available."
"Great! That sounds like it conveys power and dominance."
"Sure does."
"And people will associate it with flawless security procedures."
"About that..."
"Hmmm. Think 'Sauron' is still available."
"Great! That sounds like it conveys power and dominance."
"Sure does."
"And people will associate it with flawless security procedures."
"About that..."
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
Sauron, the high-end home security startup for "super premium" customers, plucks a new CEO out of Sonos | TechCrunch
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
techcrunch.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM
"What's a brand name we can lift from Tolkien for our security company that hasn't been used yet?"
"Hmmm. Think 'Sauron' is still available."
"Great! That sounds like it conveys power and dominance."
"Sure does."
"And people will associate it with flawless security procedures."
"About that..."
"Hmmm. Think 'Sauron' is still available."
"Great! That sounds like it conveys power and dominance."
"Sure does."
"And people will associate it with flawless security procedures."
"About that..."