‘The Miniphone Ultra, or “mpu”, is essentially just a case for the Apple Watch Ultra (versions 1, 2 or 3) that turns it into a miniature, minimalist smartphone. “There’s a guy I’ve been talking to who bought [an mpu] a while back,” says Jelley. “He told me that he’s had his phone shut away in his desk for two weeks. Nowadays, that’s kind of wild.”…’ (Rhodri Marsden via Financial Times)
‘In Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez—who concurrently oversaw the Ministries of Petroleum, Finance, and the Economy while serving as Vice President—maintained deep foreign connections, including a private backchannel to the Trump administration even before Nicolás Maduro’s capture. Her willingness to meet with CIA Director John Ratcliffe for a two-hour summit in Caracas underscored her authority to pivot the entire state apparatus toward a new energy partnership with the West.
The post-Khamenei landscape in Iran lacks any such singular, empowered interlocutor. The Islamic Republic’s parallel power structure, coupled with a 47-year ideology of resistance, has created a fatal disconnect: those who want to do a deal with America cannot deliver, while those who may be able to deliver do not want it. No one currently in Tehran has the will or the weight to break from the inherited stance of resistance and broker a deal à la Delcy Rodríguez.…’ (Karim Sadjadpour via The Atlantic)
‘After years of lecturing us about Sleepy Joe, Grandpa Pudding Brains seems extremely low-energy.
We’ve become used to Pudding Brains slurring, mumbling, and also falling asleep in public, but this performance is something new. As if his batteries were drained, and the Energize Bunny is struggling to beat its drum, I am left wondering if we’ll ever see its double-fisted dance again.
Maybe GPB’s exhaustion is why he sent his highly paid movie “star” wife to misrepresent us at the UN Security Council.
Is his cabinet just waiting for him to keel over?…’ (Jason Weisberger via Boing Boing)
‘According to over 200 complaints filed with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) from US service members across all branches of the military — and representing Christian, Muslim, and Jewish troops — military leaders have been justifying the recent attacks on Iran by invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about Armageddon and the “End Times.” The Guardian reports that troops were told that the war is “all part of God’s divine plan.”…’ (Jennifer Sandin via Boing Boing)
‘According to over 200 complaints filed with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) from US service members across all branches of the military — and representing Christian, Muslim, and Jewish troops — military leaders have been justifying the recent attacks on Iran by invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about Armageddon and the “End Times.” The Guardian reports that troops were told that the war is “all part of God’s divine plan.”…’ (Jennifer Sandin via Boing Boing)
‘According to over 200 complaints filed with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) from US service members across all branches of the military — and representing Christian, Muslim, and Jewish troops — military leaders have been justifying the recent attacks on Iran by invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about Armageddon and the “End Times.” The Guardian reports that troops were told that the war is “all part of God’s divine plan.”…’ (Jennifer Sandin via Boing Boing)
