**_This is your Content Warning: this is going to be a Political Rant**_ _Flexing the power of Article I, this bold graphic underscores the enduring strength and influence of legislative authority across diverse global arenas._ Where is Congress while Trump talks like a king? I am going to let everyone in on a little secret. Congress, the Article I institution, is supposed to be the most powerful branch because it is closest to the people. Article I comes first in the Constitution and is the longest. The Founders had just fought a war against a king and were deeply wary of executive power. Alexander Hamilton called the judiciary the "least dangerous branch" in Federalist 78. Think about it: the Judicial Branch is unelected and can be constrained by Congress. Both Article II (the President) and Article III (federal judges) can be impeached and removed by Congress. The only way to get rid of a member of Congress is expulsion by their own chamber or being voted out by the people. And "high crimes and misdemeanors"? That's whatever Congress decides it is. Gerald Ford said it best: an impeachable offense is whatever the House considers it to be. Congress holds the power to remove, and that is not an accident. Congress is the only branch allowed to impeach, override vetoes, make laws, tax and spend, declare war, and issue letters of marque (government licenses authorizing private ships to attack enemy vessels, essentially legalized piracy. Famous examples include Sir Francis Drake, who raided Spanish ships for Queen Elizabeth I, and Jean Lafitte, whose privateers helped Andrew Jackson defend New Orleans in the War of 1812). But when I see and hear Trump say that the only thing that can stop him is his "own morality" and his "own mind," that makes me so mad. That is the talk of a king, not a president. He is going to take on this country and that country. The military is not his personal henchmen. At what point is he going to get us involved in something that Congress and We the People are going to regret for generations? Russia thought they could roll into Ukraine in a matter of days. They were the number two military in the world. Look what that got them: a meat grinder with no end in sight. And now Trump wants to play empire? And by what authority is he running Venezuela? I don't remember them surrendering. I don't remember them electing him. There is nothing in the Constitution or any law that lets a president run another country. He can call himself whatever he wants, but proclaiming yourself the virtual president of a sovereign nation is not how any of this is supposed to work. And I don't care what he says about drugs or criminals or national security. This was about oil and money. It was always about oil and money. The same Congress that tells us we can't afford healthcare or infrastructure suddenly has money for buying islands and invading countries? Why is he going after a fellow country that has done nothing but support the US throughout history? Leave Greenland alone. If we need to defend it, we will as part of NATO; otherwise, we don't need it. If he wants to buy it, where is that money coming from? Kings buy territories. Presidents serve the people. I am more interested in spending money on this country. If we have money to buy Greenland, we have money to properly fund health insurance and do needed infrastructure. At what point do we run out of ammunition, ships, planes, and troops to take on all these things he wants to do? I read an article the other day that military recruiters were having trouble getting younger men and women to join the military, and frankly, with this president who acts more like a mafioso than a president, I wouldn't join right now. It is one thing to protect our nation; it is a whole other thing to help a bully. I can't wait to hear the excuses for what Republicans are going to say other than "Trump wasn't on the ballot." A lot of his supporters are turning on him, and they should. Most of this economic mess is self-inflicted by the stable genius.

⚠️ **SPOILER WARNING:** MILD SPOILERS _When the heist goes right: Meet the trio behind the biggest score of their lives in 'The Pickup'._ **My Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars) "The Pickup" serves as a pleasant diversion with its fairly engaging plot and commendable performances. The film is entirely a work of fiction. A notable concern, however, is the excessive crude language, particularly from Pete Davidson, which seemed unnecessary for its comedic aspirations. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.

Today was a peculiar yet fulfilling day. It started with a dense fog but cleared up nicely. I managed to capture the sun through my telescope for the first time, and I also spotted the moon in broad daylight, though the telescope had some trouble pinpointing it. I hope you find the images as delightful as I did. They were taken with my Zwo Seestar S30, except for the fog picture, which I captured with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. _Driving through a foggy night, the world blurs into a mysterious haze of lights and shadows._ _Birds dance around the daylit moon, painting a serene scene in the vast blue canvas above._ _Gazing into the cosmic abyss, the sun reveals its fiery solitude surrounded by the dark embrace of space._

This weekend was quite productive for me! I managed to put together the Pironman5 Max and install a 16GB Raspberry Pi 5, and I also moved my 1TB NVMe drive from my old 8GB Pironman5, which served my homelab and home server for a year. I've owned the Pironman5 Max since June, but my ongoing health issues had left me too drained to assemble it until now. Thankfully, my new medication, Camzyos, has really helped me regain some energy. _Compact and mysterious, this sleek black box hints at high-tech secrets within, standing ready for its next mission._ I'm planning to repurpose the old 8GB Pironman5 for testing various operating systems. While I enjoy the Pironman5 series from Sunfounder, I'm not thrilled with their LCD and the software that comes with it. I've also been busy loading more Blu-rays and DVDs onto my home Plex server, a task that is quite labor-intensive.

In recent months, I've been building a social media aggregation platform using the Windsurf AI IDE. The platform displays a multimedia timeline that pulls content from Mastodon, Bluesky, Sharkey, Nostr, and Micro.blog. The goal was to centralize my social media interactions in one location instead of checking multiple sites. Developed in Python using AI coding assistants (Claude and ChatGPT 5.2 High Reasoning) to accelerate development, I designed the platform structure and verified the implementation through testing. The screenshot shows the current interface. Some posts appear duplicated because I follow the same people across multiple platforms. _NASA's latest technology captures the dynamic interaction of the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission-1 lander's engine plumes with the lunar surface._ The platform works well and I appreciate having one central location to read and respond to posts. There are occasional bugs to fix and a few features left to implement, but it serves its purpose.

_Morning blaze: Silhouetted branches against a fiery sunrise sky, painting a dramatic beginning to the day._

_A visionary stands at the crossroads of innovation, contemplating the expansive network that may redefine the future of technology._ I have been a loyal Microsoft Windows customer since I've owned a PC and MS-DOS was a thing. I went to the events they had for major OS releases with my Dad. We both went to see the exciting things that happened when they used to stream them at movie theaters. I was there for the launch of Windows 95. But it is my opinion that Microsoft has totally lost its way with regards to the consumer and Windows. Yes, this is a rant, and I believe it may be too late for Microsoft and Windows with consumers. I know I am not a very techie person, but I believe that Windows is getting too messy in a lot of areas like advertisements everywhere, sloppy code, updates that seem like beta versions, telemetry, privacy concerns, and just all around not caring. I follow **Paul Thurrott** 1] and Dave Plummer from **[Dave's Garage YouTube channel** [2], and they both have different takes on what should happen to get Windows back on top. I can see both points and agree with both points. But I also agree with Paul Thurrott that Microsoft will not bend unless there is a clear reason to. So what is keeping me on Windows? If it weren't for the games I have, and I do mean lots of games, I would probably be on a different platform. Other than that, I do use it for work and I like the easy installation of programs and it looks good. This is where it gets interesting. I am getting more and more into Linux and have been thinking about MacOS lately (yikes, I know. I have an iPad and don't really care for the OS on that or for Apple). Thanks to Windows' missteps and bad practices and taking advantage of the consumer (though Apple excels in this area), Linux is catching up and there may be a solution for my gaming. Google could step in here, but they are making a lot of bone-headed moves too and are getting where they only want to chase Enterprise/Business. Everyone always underestimates the consumer, and the consumer is already leery of Google because they kill off most of their products just as consumers are right in the middle of falling in love with them and have major privacy concerns. Google is the Hoover vacuum cleaner of the internet. Their old motto of "Don't be evil" is being replaced. They are like the opposite of the character from the Despicable Me movies, going from good to evil instead of evil to good. This brings us back to Microsoft. Microsoft kills off a lot too, not to the frequency of Google, but still a lot. I'll give Apple some credit: they generally support their products longer, even if they're not massive successes. Microsoft may derive most of their revenue from the Enterprise/business side, but consumers will always keep you in the black if you have a good product. You just might not be a trillion dollar company in the process, but you'll be profitable. So I'm learning Linux and waiting for it to become even more consumer friendly through distributions like ZorinOS and CasaOS, or maybe going the direction like Omarchy. I'm continuing to self-host and use AI to build custom applications via Python. I'm hoping SteamOS gets that missing piece so developers support it and we consumers can finally break free from these trillion dollar companies. My goal is to be down to one cloud service provider in five years. The only reason I have multiple now is family obligations, since my parents are in their 70s and I manage everything for them digitally. But whenever I can, I'm moving off these platforms. That's where I'm heading. I don't know if Microsoft will ever earn my loyalty back. Google won't either. Apple has never had my trust and I still distrust their whole ecosystem, though I'm a realist and do use some of their services. * * * Footnotes: 1.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuH0BiWeG3U&t=2176s [↩] 2.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTpA5jt1g60 [↩]

⚠️ **SPOILER WARNING:** MILD SPOILERS **My Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars) **Season** : 3 | Aired: July 11, 2025 – September 12, 2025 **Episodes** : 1–10 **Service/Network** : Apple TV+ ### Season Overview This season took the top spot, closely followed by the first. The second season didn't quite hit the mark. The plot twists this season were captivating, and I'm looking forward to what comes next. The characters this season displayed more complexity and depth. It was also fascinating to see the series weave in a secular version of a trinity concept to portray the governance of an empire, a bold move considering the author's reputed atheism. ### Best Episodes The best episode was undoubtedly the season finale, though the preceding three or four episodes were also quite strong. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.

⚠️ **SPOILER WARNING:** NO SPOILERS **My Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5 stars) **Episodes:** 10 * * * ### Quick Take After snagging a free month of Apple TV, I managed to binge-watch the second season of Silo. It was excellent. I'm really looking forward to Season 3 and hope they explore more of the backstory. ### Best Episodes The season finale stood out as the best episode. The whole season was truly remarkable. - Episode 10: Into the Fire * * * This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.

_A serious medical discussion about heart treatment options between a patient and his cardiologist._ This has taken me so long to post because I am still trying to process a lot of stuff and weighing a lot of pros and cons. I went to my HCM Cardiologist (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Specialist) recently. I had an ECHO first then saw him. It was not good news from the ECHO. Even though I feel no symptoms with the Camzyos, I will need to take drastic measures in the future, though the timeline wasn't really given. But my gradients are not improving. Last time my gradient at Valsalva was significantly elevated with 100% obstruction. This time it was still elevated and still 100% obstruction at Valsalva. You know that it's serious when the doctor comes in, gets close to you like he is a friend, softens their voice, and says while the medicine is keeping me symptom free, my pressures are too high and I need to start thinking of either a Septal Myectomy or an Alcohol Septal Ablation. If it was one of their family members, they would send them to a major center of excellence like Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic for the myectomy. They just started doing the Alcohol Septal Ablation at a local hospital and the doctor that does it was trained by a leading World Specialist. They could do the septal myectomy, but for this they are not a Center of Excellence, and having the procedure done at a Center of Excellence gives you less than 1% chance of death. So I have choices to make. I don't even know if my insurance would pay for me to go to one of these major centers, and then you're without a family network being that far away. Then there is my workplace. They recently terminated a long-time employee over FMLA documentation issues. So I don't have confidence that if I have to go out for a long time with the myectomy, I would still have a job. I know that FMLA is supposed to protect you, but it is a fear with the current political climate and business-friendly state laws. If I do the alcohol ablation, which I am leaning toward, I can get that done locally. This procedure is a controlled heart attack, and the scar tissue is supposed to shrink the muscle and lessen any obstruction so the heart can pump out more oxygenated blood. It has a much shorter recovery time: 3 days in the ICU and likely back to work in 2 weeks. The same doctor who was trained to do the alcohol ablation is also going to do a heart catheterization in December. The specialist says they need all the details about my heart they can get before making final decisions. My recent cardiac MRI showed 3.5% diffuse LGE, which indicates some fibrosis in the heart muscle. They want the cath to get a complete picture of what's going on with blood flow and pressures throughout my heart. Then there is going to be a new medicine, a second-generation med called Aficamten that should launch next year. It has a safer profile if the Government ever opens back up and gets approved by the FDA in December as scheduled. I could transition if my insurance approves it, and it has several advantages over Camzyos, but it still may just keep me asymptomatic. I have been having issues with my insurance company, mostly due to the REMS program requirements, and I believe this has not helped. I went almost 2 weeks recently trying to get my Camzyos for one reason or the other. I know that Camzyos has a half-life of 6 to 9 days staying in the system, but I was starting to feel like I used to at about day 6. So with my insurance also giving me problems with out-of-pocket determinations (one moment I am, the other I am not because of copay accumulator rules). So with all these issues, I just have been in a kind of haze. I am leaning toward the alcohol septal ablation, but with only a 70 percent success rate compared to over 90 percent with the more invasive myectomy, I am not sure. Because the doctor made it a point that with the alcohol ablation, I could have another obstruction, then the go-to will have to be a myectomy, which is now riskier and trickier. I don't want to go through something where in the future they find this or that shouldn't have been done, like with my Cryoablation in 2016 for AFib. But they didn't know that Cryo was not ideal for HCM patients. Only RF ablation at specific spots should have been done. [^1] But Alcohol ablation has been around for a while. Why all the urgency? Because my chances of dropping over dead from **sudden cardiac death** (from arrhythmia) or **acute heart-failure decompensation**. Just for context, here is a plain explanation for what Valsalva is: **What is Valsalva?** The Valsalva maneuver is a breathing technique used during an echocardiogram to stress-test the heart. You're asked to take a deep breath and bear down (like you're straining or trying to blow up a stiff balloon) while holding your breath. This increases pressure in your chest and temporarily changes how blood flows through your heart. In people with HCM, this maneuver often makes the obstruction worse and causes the gradient (pressure difference) to increase dramatically. Doctors use it to see how severe the obstruction really is under stress, since many HCM patients have worse obstruction during physical exertion or strain. The gradient measurements "at rest" show how your heart is doing normally, while the "at Valsalva" measurements show how bad the obstruction gets when your heart is under stress. **My ECHO History** I've had multiple echocardiograms tracking my HCM progression. The pattern shows persistent severe septal hypertrophy with dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. My gradients at Valsalva have consistently been significantly elevated, ranging from moderate to severe obstruction. My left atrium has progressively dilated from normal to moderately-severely dilated over time, which is concerning for long-term outcomes. Despite Camzyos keeping me symptom-free, the structural changes and obstruction patterns remain significant. Before starting Camzyos, I was very symptomatic with systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve and resting gradients that were quite elevated. The medication has improved my quality of life dramatically, but the underlying obstruction during stress remains a concern that points toward needing a more definitive intervention. [^1]: Nedios, S. et al. "Characteristics of left atrial remodeling in patients with atrial fibrillation and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in comparison to patients without hypertrophy." _Scientific Reports_ 11, 12411 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91892-y - This study found that radiofrequency ablation is preferred over cryoablation for HCM patients with atrial fibrillation due to more advanced atrial remodeling.

I don't typically blog about every anniversary or special date. However, I have a soft spot for "this day in history" and similar themes. Yet, some memories from my youth, like Space: 1999, truly resonate with me. Watching it on Saturday afternoons or evenings, I always thought it was an incredible show. I even bought the 30-year complete edition on DVD. For those unfamiliar with this classic series, here are the key facts: - Premiere Date (UK): September 4, 1975 - Premiere Date (US): Aired in syndication starting September 1975, with some stations airing it in prime time - Final Episode First Aired: November 12, 1977 (varying by region through 1978) - Total Number of Episodes: 48 - Number of Series (Seasons): 2 - Year One: 24 episodes (1975–1976) - Year Two: 24 episodes (1976–1977) - US Broadcast Notes: The series was syndicated in the US, meaning it aired on various local stations rather than a single national network. Episode order varied widely between regions, sometimes mixing Year One and Year Two randomly Being a passionate sci-fi enthusiast, I love series like Star Trek, Star Wars, Space: 1999, Lost in Space in all its forms, and Forbidden Planet with Robby the Robot. These series are woven into the fond memories of my younger days. I've also witnessed many of the futuristic technologies depicted in these shows come to life. I stumbled upon a YouTube video recently: and discovered that it's the 50th anniversary of Space: 1999, one of my all-time favorite sci-fi series. I felt compelled to celebrate this occasion and reflect on its impact on my life. While the show may not hold up perfectly today, with some episodes feeling a bit quirky, I still long for one of their communicators or Eagles for my personal collection. Happy 50th Anniversary, Space: 1999. I'm not sure if any of the original cast are around, but if you are, thanks for the show and the memories. This milestone reminds me that great science fiction doesn't just entertain; it inspires generations and becomes part of who we are. Here's to the show that made us look up at the moon and wonder what could be.

_Amidst the strategic play of life's challenges, a man contemplates his next move in the complex game of health and insurance._ Well, I have been officially out of Camzyos for over a week. I finally got it after calling the insurance every day for a week and being told something different. It started out that the ECHO hadn't been uploaded to their portal. Message to doctor on MyChart. Sent it to the wrong cardiologist. I have 3: a cardiologist, a HOCM specialist, and an electrophysiologist. So forgive me for picking the wrong one. The message still got to where it needed to go. Didn't matter anyways, as the insurance then found another thing they didn't like on Wednesday. They didn't like the dosage the doctor ordered because they didn't think it needed to be increased because of the ECHO. So they had to reach out to the doctor. Again, another message in MyChart, same thread that I was told I messaged the wrong office. Again, got to where it needed to go. At least they are all looking at the same messages. Finally called the Specialty Pharmacy again and finally got to the end this time. This has put me out of pocket for the rest of the year. Got my medicine on Friday. Every month this is an ordeal. I work in the healthcare industry and we really need an overhaul, especially with insurance companies. There is this whole administrative layer upon layer upon layer that drives the cost up. That was one thing this past week. I have been stressed for the last couple of weeks. That was one issue of many all trivial to the casual observer. The other is I potentially have jury duty on Tuesday. I won't know for sure until Monday afternoon. If I am not canceled, I have to show up on Tuesday. I hate jury duty. I understand it is a civic duty, but I feel that the jurors are on trial. All the questions they ask, and you are sitting in a room full of strangers and having to listen to their stories and then explain yourself. However, I just received news this Monday afternoon, as I'm writing this post, that I do NOT have to report. Yes!😀 Then the icing on the cake: I added another platform to my blog poster project and it broke my whole system. After getting Write.as working flawlessly, I also had to add security, and that added problems. You'd think the AI would know how to do this. But after a day and a half, I got the program to about 95% and a lot of bugs squashed. So I now have Write.as/Snap.as, Blogger/Cloudflare R2 object storage hooked up. AI seems to be brilliant at times and then stinky at others. I have relied more and more on Claude and have thought about canceling my ChatGPT subscription ever since they released GPT-5. From my perspective, it seems dumber, just like when Google went from Bard to Gemini. I thought Bard was the best until Gemini ruined that for me, and the same for GPT-5. I don't care about the personality. I just want reliable and truthful responses. Well, that is an update on my trivial trials this week. Hopefully this next week will be brighter and less stressful, and it will be if they cancel my jury service. I am taking the whole day off Friday because I have another ECHO for this new dose.

This was an excellent action thriller. Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne did a great job and are terrific actors. It is a tense espionage story where the lead relies on his intellect to stay a step ahead

Watched on Saturday September 27, 2025.

**From Disney+/Hulu:** 🎬 **Alien: Earth** – Season 1, Episodes 1-7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ _May contain spoilers_ The show and its cast are excellent. Although it began somewhat slowly with necessary background information, it proved worthwhile. I eagerly anticipate the next episode and season. 🎬 **DVD:** 🎬 **Grantchester** – Season 10, Episodes 1-8 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ _May contain spoilers_ I consistently enjoy this series. The British excel at producing TV series and entertainment, often surpassing American productions, which tend to be more inconsistent. This series improves with each season and never seems to run out of creative ideas. While I will be disappointed when Season 11 concludes the series, I acknowledge that all shows must eventually end. 🎬

_🚨 AI voice cloning + robocall scams are rising—don’t fall for fake loan calls!_ For nearly a month now, I've been getting a phone call almost every day from numbers all over the U.S., numbers I don't recognize at all. I've only answered twice: the first time it was a female voice, and the second time a male voice. Both were obviously AI-generated, pitching some kind of personal loan. If I don't answer, they leave a voicemail instead. I started blocking some of the numbers, but stopped once I realized they're clearly spoofed and completely random. Here's the most recent voicemail recording: Your browser doesn't support the audio element. Download MP3 The good news is that the FCC has unanimously approved a Declaratory Ruling that recognizes calls made with AI-generated voices are “artificial” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) FCC Makes AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls Illegal | Federal Communications Commission, making calls using voice cloning technologies illegal unless a consumer had expressly given their consent to receive the call FCC: AI-Generated Robocalls Illegal Under the TCPA. You can report them at FCC Complaints where filing a consumer complaint helps contribute to federal enforcement and consumer protection efforts on a national scale. I really wish the FTC and FCC would crack down harder on this, and I think the carriers should be doing more, too. Especially since they have these laws at their disposal. I know it is frustrating me to no end. I guess it could be worse, like getting more than one call a day.

_From pay toilets to high-tech pods—two eras of public convenience._ This has been on my mind lately. I was listening to the Planet Money Podcast and caught an episode about why it’s so hard to find a public toilet. It made me think of London. I’ve never been, but I watch a YouTube channel called London City Walks, which often films around Horse Guards Parade. The host strolls through the area, narrates what he sees, and points out that this busy tourist spot barely has any public toilets, except a few in the Underground. I never gave it much thought here in the US, except when I go out. I usually try not to use public restrooms because they’re often dirty. Even at Disney, where attendants work almost full time, the bathrooms still get overcrowded, though you can sometimes find a quieter one that stays clean and stocked. Going to shopping malls, restaurants, or in rare cases gas stations, I hate using the bathrooms. They’re usually in rough shape. That’s what came to mind while listening to this episode. It wasn’t life-changing or anything, but it was a nice break from all the politics and tariff talk. I actually learned a lot about why we don’t have pay toilets anymore and why they disappeared. In Europe and Japan they have pay toilets that are really impressive. Some of them are self-cleaning units you can find almost anywhere. When no one’s inside they’re transparent, but once you enter and pay, the glass turns opaque for privacy. When you leave, the entire space is automatically disinfected and reset for the next person. I thought to myself, "In some places I'd actually use that!" So why doesn't London do this? It seems like a win-win. If you get a chance, check out the Planet Money episode. It’s about 24 minutes long and worth a listen. I didn’t link to the self-cleaning toilets because I honestly can’t remember where I first watched or heard about them, but I know they’re common in Japan and parts of Europe. It was just interesting to learn why pay toilets went away here and how they continue to exist in other parts of the world.

Lately, especially in the heart of summer, I’ve been thinking about air conditioning and the inventions I’m most grateful for that have matured over my lifetime. I don’t think I could have lived in Florida back in the day without air conditioning. You really notice it when it’s gone. Last year, after Hurricane Milton, we lost power for four days. I couldn’t sleep, not only because the A/C was off but also because my CPAP had no power. That got me thinking about the top five inventions I’m grateful for: 1. Air conditioning 2. Television 3. Personal computer 4. Internet 5. Indoor bathroom A quick story about number five. My grandmother had a cabin in rural Florida with an outhouse until she brought in a trailer with an indoor bathroom. I hated having to go outside to that outhouse, especially at night. You never knew what might have made its way in. Each of these is pretty self-explanatory, but in Florida I’ve always said the state would be a ghost town without air conditioning. That’s why it’s number one.

We may be about to repeat history in ways that will not be obvious tomorrow, next week, or even next year. This post discusses politics and history; if you prefer to avoid that, _**stop reading here.**_ Russia's war against Ukraine echoes the mistakes of appeasement made by the United Kingdom and France toward Nazi Germany. In 1938, the Munich Agreement ceded the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany1. Hitler then demanded more and invaded Poland in 1939, which led Britain and France to declare war two days later2. Appeasement gave the aggressor what he wanted and helped set the world on a path to a catastrophic conflict. Appeasement of Russia is not the answer. What should be done is not clear, and I will wait to see what diplomats propose. One point is clear: a formal U.S. guarantee to defend Ukraine would require a Senate-ratified treaty or a law passed by Congress34. The 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which accompanied Ukraine's decision to give up the nuclear weapons it inherited, provided security assurances rather than a binding defense guarantee, and it was not ratified by the Senate5. NATO members have provided extensive aid but have not deployed combat troops to Ukraine6. Europe needs to continue rebuilding its armed forces and reduce its reliance on the United States for security. The United States will likely continue to lead in technology and ideas, but it is no longer the manufacturing powerhouse it once was; even with new factories, many people do not want factory work, and heavy automation will create its own challenges. What is the answer for Ukraine and Russia? It may not end in Ukraine's favor. The pattern resembles the late 1930s: seize land, trade for temporary peace, then push again. If there is no concrete peace, the world, and especially the United States if Congress authorizes a formal commitment, will have to either step up or stand down if Russia repeats this elsewhere. Another path is a protracted war in which Ukraine holds on and hopes for political change in Moscow. Either way, Ukraine has lost a generation, and the country will carry lasting scars, including widespread trauma, for many years after any peace. Both World Wars to date were started in and over Eastern Europe land grabs (while not the only reasons, major reasons). Is the world marching to the same tune again? Only the distant future will tell. ## Footnotes 1. _Munich Agreement_ overview (Sudetenland ceded to Germany, Sept. 30, 1938), Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/event/Munich-Agreement ↩ 2. Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939; Britain and France declared war on Sept. 3. Chamberlain radio address (Yale Avalon): https://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/gb3.asp ; IWM background: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-europe-went-to-war-in-1939 ↩ 3. U.S. Constitution, Article II Treaty Clause (two-thirds Senate consent): https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript ↩ 4. CRS overview of treaties, congressional-executive agreements, and sole-executive agreements (PDF): https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/LSB11048.pdf ↩ 5. Budapest Memorandum text and status (security assurances, not a Senate-ratified defense treaty): https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/{65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9}/s _1994_ 1399.pdf ; https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280401fbb ↩ 6. NATO pages noting no deployment of NATO combat troops to Ukraine; UK House of Commons Library briefing: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_192648.htm ; https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9477/

**From Paramount+:** 🎬 **Star Trek: Strange New Worlds** – Season 3, Episodes 3–5 ⭐⭐⭐½ _No spoilers!_ Continues to be a solid contender and, for me, the best of the Star Trek series on Paramount+ in this “new era.” 🎬 **From Prime Video:** 🎬 **On Call** – Season 1, Episodes 1–8 ⭐⭐⭐ **Spoilers** This one was okay. I didn’t expect it to be renewed. I watched the whole season; it had moments where it could have been brilliant, but overall it was just okay. I mostly had it on in the background, though a couple of episodes were really good. 🎬 #tv #ParamountPlus #PrimeVideo #Entertainment #Reviews

This review is not about C.S. Lewis himself or his books, but about the movie. The actor was fine for the part, but his dialect threw me off. It kept shifting, and at times it sounded like he was aiming for an English accent, but to my ears it often came across more American. The way the film told C.S. Lewis’s story in the first person, mostly by having him walk around town and narrate, didn’t quite land with me either.