Switzerland joins the project to create a unified European air defense system, according to NZZ. read more
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing ramped up pressure from both sides of the aisle to hold a vote this week on a foreign aid package that includes military assistance to Ukraine. read more
With the IRS' deadline for tax filing season 2024 counting down to midnight, the Treasury Department reported Monday that $80 billion additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act meant the IRS had easily exceeded new targets. read more
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was absent from the court Monday with no explanation. read more
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday barring local governments from requiring heat protection for outdoor workers. read more
phlegm
www.cancer.gov
... A more than normal amount of thick mucus made by the cells lining the upper airways and lungs. A buildup of phlegm may be caused by infection, irritation, or chronic lung disease, and can cause discomfort in the chest and coughing. ...
FBI conducts "law enforcement activity" aboard cargo ship that struck Baltimore bridge
www.axios.com
... The FBI confirmed Monday that its agents have boarded the cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month and caused its collapse.
Why it matters: The news comes as multiple outlets reported Monday that the FBI has opened a criminal investigation related to the collision.
- - - The probe appears separate from the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the incident.
The big picture: "The FBI is present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court authorized law enforcement activity," the FBI told Axios Monday, adding that no further information was publicly available. ...
Don McLean - Vincent (1971)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt...
...
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land
[Chorus]
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
...
@#12 ... Egypt like Saudi Arabia is mostly Sunni. ...
thx.
OK, that may explain why Iran was so opposed to the Saudi Arania - Israel peace negotiations.
A long time ago, I post an article about the conflicts in the Middle East being caused by different religious sects.
Found this...
Islam's Sunni-Shia Divide, Explained (2022)
www.history.com
... The split between the two main sects within Islam goes back some 1,400 years.
Though the two main sects within Islam, Sunni and Shia, agree on most of the fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam, a bitter split between the two goes back some 14 centuries. The divide originated with a dispute over who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Islamic faith he introduced.
Today, about 85 percent of the approximately 1.6 billion Muslims around the world are Sunni, while 15 percent are Shia, according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations. While Shia represent the majority of the population in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan and a plurality in Lebanon, Sunnis are the majority in more than 40 other countries, from Morocco to Indonesia.
Despite their differences, Sunni and Shia have lived alongside each other in relative peace for most of history. But starting in the late 20th century, the schism deepened, exploding into violence in many parts of the Middle East as extreme brands of Sunni and Shia Islam battle for both religious and political supremacy. ...
Frank Zappa, The Mothers Of Invention - Montana (1973)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt...
...
I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of dental floss
Raisin' it up, waxin' it down
In a little white box that I can sell uptown
By myself, I wouldn't have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely dental floss
Raisin' my lonely dental floss
...
Oh, they don't write lyrics like that anymore....
and with that, I have to say good-night here.
I had been hoping for a longer discussion this evening but, today's early (very early) arisal to tend to the computer(s) is taking its toll.
Nite all ...