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It’s Friday afternoon. Have a nice weekend!

We may not say it aloud, but pornography says much about the times we live in. Read it at Pornhub (linked page is safe for work).

Jonathan Leaf writes: “Beards are secondary sex characteristic. These are sexual identifiers. Famous examples of this are a peacock’s feathers and a lion’s mane. These serve the evolutionary function of telling females that a male is strong and healthy.” Mr Leaf has never heard of Gay Bears, a subculture where beards are useful to send sexy vibes to other males. Woof!

Horrific news from Switzerland. Read it at Sky News.

“Protests intensified across Iran as protesters were filmed chanting in support of the exiled Reza Pahlavi and against the Islamic regime in various cities across Iran.” Read it at the Jerusalem Post and Iran International.

Barely, but I’m still here.

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The system has successfully intercepted rockets, mortar shells, and drones during extensive testing. Read it at the Times of Israel.

The new normal—15-year-old Anton was diagnosed with a fracture of the orbital bone, and doctors performed surgery under general anaesthesia and removed bone fragments. Read it at the Jerusalem Post.

I don’t know much about Somaliland, but at least that county live up to the demands set out by the Montevideo Convention of 1933. Unlike some other place that has gained state recognition. Read it at the Jerusalem Post.

“Speaking to Iranian state media, Masoud Pezeshkian claimed the Western powers want to bring Iran ‘to its knees’.” Hm… Is this the same Iran that chants “Death to America” on a near-daily basis? Read it at the Express.

She was a star, but also a homophobic racist and an advocate of the far right. Now she’s gone. Read it at France 24.

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Good! Racists should go unemployed. Read it at Ynetnews.

Scientists have discovered a giant cosmic filament where galaxies spin in sync with the structure that holds them together. Read the study at the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Yehuda Kurtzer: When you are seeking to survive, everything else—morality, spirituality, culture—moves to the back seat. But for a people that has dreamed for so long in moral and cultural technicolor, survival can never remain the goal indefinitely. At some point, the Jewish people’s responsibility to work towards its betterment becomes paramount.

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This page contains a diary entry without description.

A 47-year-long Swedish study at Karolinska Institutet reveals how fitness, strength, and muscle endurance change during adulthood. The results show that physical ability starts to deteriorate as early as age 35, but it is never too late to start exercising. Read the study at the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

A mysterious cloud of ultra-hot dust around Kappa Tucanae A may finally have an explanation—a hidden companion star. The star’s extreme orbit carries it straight through the dust zone, strongly suggesting it plays a key role in keeping the dust alive. Read the study at the Astronomical Journal.

I have been away from the internet for a couple of weeks. Well, not completely, I’m too hooked on some social media. But I haven’t written much in this diary lately. There are a few reasons for this, the top one being that world politics is nuts at the moment. Trump wants to give Putin parts of Ukraine. Trump also wants to enforce a sea blockade of Venezuela and lure several countries to leave the EU. The world sees one of the worst mass killings in Sudan, but no one cares about genocide unless Israel is to blame. Meanwhile, a number of European countries have decided to boycott Eurovision Song Contest 2026 because Israel is allowed to compete. A common argument is that Israel should be treated as Russia, which was banned from participation due to the war in Ukraine. You can have opinions about Israel’s warfare, but there are few similarities. Ukraine never attacked Russians. Ukraine never killed unarmed Russians at a music festival. Ukrainians never went from door to door searching for Russians to kill in their homes. There is a difference between fighting back after being attacked and attacking someone who never threatened you.

Not surprising coming from a man whose friends have full heartedly bought into the Brexit crowd‘s disinformation. Read it at the Guardian.

It’s Friday evening. Signing out. Shabbat shalom!

This is always a sad day for me. I’m happy that the medical situation is great for nearly all people living vid HIV, but World AIDS Day makes me remember all the gay men we lost in the 1980s and 90s. You’re not forgotten.