A group of really nice colleagues from Portugal asked me to moderate their conference session. People like it when I moderate because I don’t simply recite the names of the presenters and the titles of talks. I improvise a little presentation of my own where I link people’s research journeys with their talks. It’s always humorous in a very kind way, and it really livens up the meeting. It’s like having a stand-up comedian perform at a scholarly conference.

I agreed to moderate because they asked me when it was an ungodly hour here because of the time difference. I immediately forgot about agreeing like I usually do. Today I received a reminder and decided finally to see what it is I’m moderating. It turns out this will be the wokest conference session in human memory. It’s all about the value of multiculturalism and diversity. One talk is on teaching inclusivity to pre-schoolers through woke fairy tales.

What I don’t get is, the person who invited me is one of the 3 people in academia who knows the extent of my political opinions. Even at my kindest, people have been known to say that they feel their presentation will not be worth listening after my spirited and fun introduction. Imagine how I’ll lead for talks on brainwashing toddlers.

The cat is in paradise over my staying home on sick days. Follows me everywhere like a little furry shadow. I just had to luck into the most sociable cat known to humanity.

My only respite comes when Klara returns home from school because the cat prefers her to me. I sometimes see the poor animal feeling torn as to whether to follow me (the source of food) or Klara but she always ends up going with Klara.

Vibe Snifting (a story)

Today is four years since the war started. What we have learned is that the nation-state can kind of hold its ground against the tide of neoliberalism but at an enormous cost because it doesn’t know how to reject all principles and can’t descend into complete ego-driven frenzy.

There was a strange melodic clinking coming out of out wineglass cabinet, and we investigated it, and then I thought that my father would have written such a wonderful short story in the Borges style about it but he’s no longer around. Not a day passes by that I don’t feel his absence acutely.

Speaking about the cat, I now finally understand the trope of a single cat lady. Being this needed by a living creature must be hypnotic for women who exist amidst tactile deficiency.

I’m taking sick days. The cat is ecstatic and insists on following me everywhere. She stands by the closed door when I’m in the bathroom, crying pitifully.

I’m making cherry pie and listening to Trollope’s Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite (1871). It’s very similar to Can You Forgive Her? which is my favorite Trollope, so I can’t complain. I listen to whichever Trollope novel is available on Audible for free at any given time, and this was there today. I felt a strong desire to read something by this author after finishing Bothelford’s Gone. Of course, rich, cherished and protected women like Emily in Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite were a small minority. Sexual outrages of the most shocking nature were visited on lower-class women of the Victorian era. But at least Emily existed. A whole way of life was created around making sure that Emilys never saw or heard anything ugly.

That Bothelford’s Gone and Sir Harry describe the same country truly boggles the understanding.

Finally, a Westerner who understands Russia’s greatest problem:

If you watch the whole thing, you get a little taste for how efforts by the West to reform Russia failed. The cynicism is too deep. The ancient culture of Tsarism and serfdom is too strong. Russians are probably the most cynical people on the planet. The idealists leave or are… https://t.co/kcdAOTVKN8

— Robert Kelner (@robkelner) February 22, 2026

It’s absolutely the cynicism and the aggressive mockery of any principle other than blatant and rabid self-interest that are so scary. This is what creates the pathology of the ongoing war. These are people reduced to their natural state, having peeled off the civilizational veneer of religion and morality.

Mexican President said using force against cartels would breach human rights:

“Returning to the war against the narco is not an option. First, because it is outside the framework of the law.” pic.twitter.com/nYtiZ8FEN5

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 23, 2026

Of course, it’s out of the question for her to go to war against her masters. At the end of the video, Sheinbaum uses the standard rhetorical trick of the left and calls her opponents fascists. This no longer works in the US but there are still many people in Spanish-speaking countries who fall for it.

The killing of El Mencho, leader of CJNG, is a huge win for the Trump Administration and it’s clear this wouldn’t have happened without the intense pressure put by President Trump onto Mexico.

— All Source News (@All_Source_News) February 22, 2026

Yes, what a huge win it is that the US throws its weight behind the Sinaloa cartel. Yippee doodle. We are getting tired or winning on behalf of one cartel over another.

The Mexican government is a front for the Sinaloa cartel. Helping the Sinaloa destroy its competitors is not what our government should be doing.