We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
HOSTAGE DEAL UPDATE:
Early this morning, we saw reports in Israel that Sinwar was under increasing pressure due to the operation in Rafah and IDF control of the Philadelphi Corridor. Sinwar fears that every day that goes by without a deal, his chances of survival go down, and the chances that Israel will rescue more hostages go up (AKA he loses leverage in negotiations). Some unofficial sources claim that Sinwar has accepted that Hamas will not govern Gaza after the war. Still, he is ADAMANT that the IDF withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor because that is his oxygen supply. This will be the contention point going forward.
This afternoon, we received the report that the Mossad had received an answer from Hamas vis-à-vis the deal offered a few weeks ago. While we don’t have the full details of the answer yet, Israeli officials are claiming that this is the most positive response so far from Hamas, and they can work with it for once, albeit the negotiations will still take a long time and are not assured. Hamas supporters have already started celebrating, claiming that they were able to reach a deal to end the war.
From Israel’s perspective, while this is not necessarily the ideal situation, barring any untenable demands from Hamas, this deal will probably be the best way to get some hostages back alive. If there is no deal, the chance that hostages will be killed continues to escalate.
However, an important point to consider is that this deal was presented BEFORE the IDF took control of the Philadelphi Corridor, and that aspect of it would be a massive problem. I don’t see a situation where the IDF withdraws from the corridor, and I don’t see Hamas agreeing to a deal that keeps Israeli forces choking their supply lines. It remains to be seen how that issue will be negotiated.
It is essential to keep in mind that for many in Israel, Gaza is not nearly as important as the North anymore. All attention and focus are being shifted toward Lebanon, and the IDF needs as much of its available resources and manpower for what is to come with Hezbollah.
Overall, while I am not happy with the circumstances of this potential deal, I understand the various perspectives and considerations that go into it, and I trust Bibi to make the right decision for the country and our people. He holds all of the information, and we try to make sense of it; the rest is out of our hands.
(Raylan Givens on X)
🚜 Farmers are selling their pre-purchased fertilizer at double what they paid instead of planting a crop.
Let that sink in. It is more profitable to sit out the season and flip your input costs than to put seed in the ground.
Soybean farmers lost $100 an acre last year. Corn farmers are looking at $50 to $100 losses this year. So what is the response? Switch from corn to soybeans.
Soybeans make their own nitrogen. They do not need the fertilizer corn demands.
The problem is we are already oversupplied on soybeans. More soybeans on a flooded market just drives prices lower.
Fertilizer prices have gone through the roof. The Strait of Hormuz disruptions made it worse. Farmers who locked in fertilizer early are reselling it instead of using it.
That is how broken the commodity food system has become.
🔗 AcmeAcres.us (@idahobeef)
📞 🇺🇸 👨💻 Two national laboratories on Long Island have successfully used quantum entanglement to transmit information in open air, potentially leading to a revolutionary transformation for communications and information technology.
The FSO link — which includes the Quantum Lighthouse and Quantum Watchtower, along with a third facility under development at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut — adds a wireless component to the record-setting quantum network currently spanning 161 miles and several institutions across Long Island and the New York metropolitan area.
Using this network, pioneered by Stony Brook and Brookhaven Lab, researchers can transmit entangled photons through commercial fiber. Because the particles remain entangled even when separated by long distances, measuring one photon instantly reveals information about its counterpart. This property, often referred to as “spooky action at a distance,” is key for the future of ultra-secure communications, ...
Subject: These cameras do it all!
Remember that I shared that red light cameras will now be issuing speeding tickets? Now they're adding headlights out or too dim?
Part of an article I found on FaceBook:
Montgomery County Activates Headlight Integrity Automated Enforcement
Rockville, MD — Montgomery County is expanding its automated traffic enforcement program with “Headlight Integrity” cameras designed to catch drivers with burned-out headlight or taillight bulbs, as well as headlights that are yellow, cloudy and oxidized from sunlight exposure.
The program uses existing red-light camera technology to detect vehicles with only one functional headlight or taillight, as well as those failing to meet minimum headlight lens clarity standards. County officials say the goal is to discourage drivers from operating vehicles with headlights that limit distance vision and jeopardize pedestrian and driver safety.
You bought it. Paid for it. But don't own it.
Starting Sept. 1, Sony will remove 500+ movies from PlayStation customers' libraries due to "expiring licensing agreements."
Not from the store. From YOUR library.
"You will own nothing..."
Somewhere Klaus Schwab is grinning. – Source
"If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing."
