1/ The Radio-Canada documentary Trans Express caught a doctor prescribing testosterone to a 14 year old girl after a consultation of only a few minutes. The College of Physicians reprimanded the doctor but did not impose any other penalty.
ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/22398…

2/ The Enquête report, which aired in February 2024, is still one of the only instances of Canadian broadcast media questioning medical transition of minors and listening to concerns of skeptical parents and detransitioners.
ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/enquete/s…

3/ The investigation team sent a 14 year old actress to the doctor's office to ask for a prescription for testosterone. The doctor provided the prescription after a consultation of only 9 minutes. There had been another complaint against the doctor for the same reason.

B R O A D T I M E L I N E S
We should have neither short AI timelines, nor long timelines, but a broad probability distribution over when transformative AI will arrive.
My new essay explains why & explores the implications of such deep uncertainty.
🧵 1/

Here is the range of credible dates for AGI, across all forecasters at Metaculus.
This is a huge range of uncertainty. The median date is 2033, but their 80% confidence interval is from 2026 to 2067 — between 0.25 years and 41 years.
2/

Here are three expert AI forecasts (from 2023) addressing “In what year would AI systems be able to replace 99% of current fully remote jobs?”
This is very broad uncertainty between experts and a closer look shows that even each individual expert has very wide uncertainty.
3/

This is part 2 of day 5 in the case of LS vs NHSE England: part 1 of this session's tweeting is at

https://x.com/tribunaltweets/status/2034986037571633651?s=20

The court is at present taking a short break, and we expect to resume about 3.45pm.

We are restarting.

J: Anything on Debique, NC?
NC: I think SC and I are agreed that it doesn't take us forward; group disadvantage in this case has been agreed, so we don't need to go there.

Iran’s Leader, Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, has congratulated everyone on the new Iranian year:

FULL TEXT:

O Turner of hearts and eyes, O Director of night and day,
O Transformer of years and conditions, transform our state into the best of states.

This year, the spring of spirituality and the spring of nature—meaning the blessed Eid al-Fitr and the ancient feast of Nowruz—have coincided. I congratulate each and every member of the nation on these two religious and national holidays, and I especially extend Eid al-Fitr greetings to all Muslims of the world. It is also necessary for me to congratulate everyone on the remarkable victories of the warriors of Islam, and to express my condolences and sympathy to the families and survivors of the noble martyrs of the Second Imposed War, the January Coup, the Third Imposed War, the martyrs of security and border protection, and the martyred “Unknown Soldiers” [intelligence personnel].

The experience of three military and security wars in the year 1404

On the occasion of the arrival of the solar year 1405, I have a few remarks which I present below.

First, I will briefly review some important events of the past year. During the past year, our dear people experienced three military-security wars.

The first war was the June war, in which the Zionist enemy, with direct American assistance and in the midst of negotiations, carried out a treacherous attack and martyred some of the country’s best commanders and prominent scientists, and then around 1,000 of our compatriots. Because of a grave miscalculation, the enemy imagined that after one or two days, it would be the people themselves who would overthrow the Islamic system. But through your vigilance, the unparalleled bravery of the warriors of Islam, and many sacrifices, signs of helplessness and misery quickly appeared in the enemy, and through intermediaries and a cessation of hostilities, it in effect saved itself from the edge of the precipice.

The second war was the January coup, in which America and the Zionist regime, imagining that the people of Iran would act according to the enemy’s wishes because of the imposed economic difficulties, used their mercenaries to create numerous tragedies, martyred even more of our dear compatriots than in the previous war, and caused immense damage.

The third war is the one we are currently in the midst of. On its first day, with tearful eyes and sorrowful, broken hearts, we bid farewell to the kind father of the Ummah, our great leader—may God exalt his noble station—as he eagerly hastened at the head of a caravan of martyrs on a heavenly journey toward a place prepared for him beneath divine mercy, near the pure lights, among the truthful and the martyrs. From that day onward, we gradually bid farewell with deep sorrow to the other martyrs of this war as well, including the young children of the Shajareh Tayyiba School in Minab, the brave and مظلوم stars of the destroyer Dena, the martyred commanders and fighters of the IRGC, the Army, FARAJA, the Basij, the unknown soldiers, the brave border guards, and other members of the nation, young and old, who passed before us in a caravan of light.

This war took place after the enemy had lost hope in any significant popular movement in its favor, and out of the illusion that if it martyred the head of the system and a number of influential military figures, it would create fear and despair among you, our dear people, cause you to withdraw from the scene, and in this way realize the dream of dominating Iran and then partitioning it. But in this blessed month, you combined fasting with jihad, and created a broad line of defense across the whole country and strongholds as numerous as its squares, neighborhoods, and mosques. In this way, you struck such a bewildering blow against the enemy that it fell into contradictory statements and repeated nonsense—signs of confusion and cognitive weakness.

Continued FULL text by Iran’s leader congratulating on Nowrooz:

The epic of the people’s presence in the marches

You had previously crushed the coup on 22 Dey, and on 22 Bahman once again showed your opposition to global arrogance and your tirelessness. And on 22 Esfand, which coincided with Quds Day, by delivering this blow you made the enemy understand that it is not dealing only with missiles, drones, torpedoes, and military matters; Iran’s front line is far greater than its petty and narrow imagination.

Here I must thank each and every one of our dear people for creating this great epic. I also thank the brave, honest, and people-oriented president, and the other officials who attended these ceremonies plainly and without formality among the people. This kind of action—and even the demonstration of it—can in itself be very praiseworthy, strengthening the cohesion between the nation and its rulers.

At present, because of the extraordinary unity that has arisen among you compatriots despite all differences of religious, intellectual, cultural, and political backgrounds, the enemy has been broken. This should be regarded as a special blessing from God Almighty, and we must give thanks for it with our tongues, in our hearts, and in action.

One of the unfailing rules is that whenever a blessing is thanked for, in proportion to the gratitude shown, its roots become firmer or it is elevated, and greater favors are bestowed upon the grateful person. What is now required as practical gratitude is that we regard this immense blessing purely as a mercy from God Almighty and use it as well as possible. In this way, this cohesion will certainly become stronger and more steel-like, and your enemies will become more disgraced and humiliated.

These were some reflections on a number of important events of the year 1404.

Welcoming the blessed month of Shawwal and awaiting a gift from God

Now that we stand on the threshold of the year 1405, we face several things. One of them is that we bid farewell forever to our dear guest, the blessed month of Ramadan 1447. In that month, on the Night of Decree, your hearts turned toward the higher world, and you called upon the Merciful God, and He in turn directed His gracious attention toward you. You asked our Master—may God hasten his noble reappearance—and his God for victory, triumph, health, and all kinds of blessings; and given the record of favor always shown to this system and this nation, God willing you will receive either exactly what your hearts asked for, or something better.

At the same time as this farewell—which the greater people’s spiritual awareness is, the more bitter and sorrowful it becomes—we warmly embrace the blessed and auspicious crescent of Shawwal and await with fear and hope the holiday gift of God, Blessed and Exalted. I hope that after your dutiful presence by day and night, and after your creation of the epic of Quds Day, God Most High will deal with us only through His generosity, forbearance, pardon, and abundant grace, to which we and you have become accustomed. And in particular, we hope that soon, with the glad tidings of a general opening in the matter of the public reappearance of our Master, the Greatest Friend of God, He will fill that noble heart with joy, and through that, all kinds of blessings will descend upon the people of the world, by His favor and generosity.

Carrying out Nowruz visits while observing the days of mourning for the martyrdom of our beloved leader

Another matter we face is the important occasion of the ancient feast of Nowruz, a celebration that brings from nature a gift of renewal, freshness, and life, and that has a complete connection with joy and happiness.

On the other hand, for the general public this is the first year that our martyred leader and the other noble martyrs are no longer among us. The hearts of the families and survivors of the martyrs in particular are grieving for their loved ones.

Continuation:

At the same time, for my own part, and as a simple citizen who has several martyrs within my own circle, I think that although we are wearing the clothes of mourning and our hearts are the nest of grief and sorrow for all the martyrs, we would still be very happy for our young brides and grooms to begin their married lives during these days. God willing, the prayers of our martyred leader and the other great martyrs of this war will accompany them on their path. I also recommend that the general public continue the usual visits of these days, while respecting the survivors of the martyrs and considering their condition. Perhaps the people of each neighborhood, where possible and with the necessary coordination, might begin their New Year visits by honoring the martyrs of that same neighborhood. Of course, the period that the respected government has designated for mourning the martyrdom of our beloved leader remains in force, and observing and preserving it is considered one dimension of the greatness of this system and country.

After these remarks, I have a few other brief points.

Gratitude for the people’s social efforts and the efforts of production and service units

First, I must especially thank those who, in these days, alongside their presence in the squares, neighborhoods, and mosques, are making their social role more prominent through increased effort. This includes some production units, both public and private, as well as some service sectors, and especially individuals who provide various useful services to the people free of charge even though their profession does not require it. Praise be to God, there are many such people.

Not assisting the enemy’s media operations in damaging national unity

Second, one of the enemy’s paths is its media operation, which in these days especially aims at the minds and psyche of segments of the people in order to damage national unity, and consequently national security. We must be careful not to let this sinister intention be realized through our own negligence and by our own hands.

For this reason, my recommendation to our domestic media, despite whatever intellectual, political, and cultural differences they may have, is that they should seriously refrain from focusing on points of weakness. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the enemy will achieve its goal.

The slogan of the year 1405:

“Resistance Economy in the Shadow of National Unity and National Security”

Third, one of the enemy’s openings of hope is to exploit longstanding economic and managerial weaknesses. Our martyred leader—may God exalt his station—had, in various years, made the economy the main axis and slogan of the year. In the humble view of this insignificant servant as well, securing people’s livelihoods, improving the country’s living and welfare infrastructure, and creating wealth for the general population are the central point and a kind of defense—or rather a remarkable advance—against the economic war launched by the enemy.

One of my blessings has been the ability to hear the words of our dear people from various social classes. For a period of time, under an unknown appearance, I traveled with you in a taxi—arranged at my own request—through the streets of Tehran and listened to your words. I considered this kind of sampling superior to many opinion polls. In many cases, my own perception agreed with your words, which were usually expressed as various criticisms related to economic and managerial matters. In this process, I learned many things from you, and I continue to seek new lessons. Even during these days, before and after the 19th of Ramadan, I again learned things from various people among you who were present in the public squares. I hope I will not be deprived of this blessing.

An outdated and flawed report on "Hormone treatments for children and young people with gender dysphoria" is referenced in briefing materials for parliamentarians ahead of Monday's debate on the PATHWAYS puberty blocker trial.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-brief…

This POST report was poor at the time of publication (November 2023) but is now outright misleading in several ways. It should not be relied on for information in this area.
researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST…

A summary of the key shortcomings ...
1/8

2/8 The report presents misleading claims about puberty blockers being "time to think" without spelling out the lack of evidence for this thesis (the HRA explicitly warned GIDS against making this claim as early as 2019).

3/8 GIDS is presented in the report as having "relevant expertise", yet a CQC report in 2021 (2 years before the POST briefing) found GIDS to be ‘inadequate’ overall, ‘inadequate’ in leadership, ‘inadequate’ in responsiveness to people's needs, and ‘requires improvement’ in safety and effectiveness.

After SARS-CoV-2 infection, the risk of later EBV mononucleosis was higher than in people without recorded COVID-19.
A study based on nationwide Swedish registries followed nearly 10 million people🧵

10 mio people aged 3-100 years from January 1, 2020, to November 30, 2022.
The authors divided participants into those without a COVID-19 diagnosis, those with a positive PCR test without hospitalization, and those hospitalized with COVID-19.

Main finding?
After SARS2 infection, the risk of later EBV mononucleosis was higher than in people without recorded COVID-19. Among individuals with a positive PCR test who were not hospitalized, the adjusted relative risk was about 1.6 times higher, and among those hospitalized with COVID-19 it was about 5.7 times higher.

📌A video of President Clinton saying, “I killed myself trying to give the Palestinians a deal; all of Gaza and 97% of the West Bank. They turned it down. They never wanted peace,” is making the rounds again. Mehdi Hasan responded by telling people to “Google Taba,” referring to the Taba Summit held January 21–27, 2001, just after Clinton left office. The implication is clear: that at Taba, Arafat either accepted a deal or was on the verge of doing so but ran out of time. That narrative is false, and it is disproven by Arafat himself 18 months later.

Arafat never said yes at Taba. He didn’t attend, didn’t accept any framework, and didn’t move on core demands like a literal “right of return.” We know this was a central reason he rejected Camp David and the Clinton Parameters, and the claim that the Palestinians were prepared to accept a symbolic or limited return is simply not true (this is clear from the Palestinian reply to the Clinton Parameters). Arafat did not compromise on this point, and he did not accept any deal. Yes, the negotiators, the ones with no power to actually approve any deal, to actually settle the core issues (e.g. refugees) said they were close when the summit ended, but there was thus no deal, no near-deal, and no missed deal due to merely to time.

And we know this with certainty because 18 months later, Arafat suddenly claimed he would accept Taba. The Guardian, hardly a pro-Israel outlet, ran the headline: “Arafat approves Taba plan too late,” and reported that Arafat acknowledged the prior offers were not good enough and that he had not accepted any deal at the time. Only afterward did he say he would accept them.

If Arafat had truly been ready at Taba, he could have said yes when it actually mattered: under the Clinton Parameters. He had weeks to do so, even after skipping the early January 2001 White House meeting where he was supposed to meet Clinton to accept the deal, despite committing to attend and say yes. Prince Bandar recounts in detail how Arafat left town without giving any answer.

This is no longer disputed among the key people involved. Bill Clinton, Dennis Ross, Martin Indyk, Prince Bandar, and even Saeb Erekat all acknowledge the same core fact: Ehud Barak accepted the Clinton Parameters. Arafat did not. Subsequent disclosures have only reinforced this. The Bandar interview, the release of Israel’s formal acceptance, the Palestinian response document, and Clinton’s repeated confirmations all point in the same direction. There was a path to full Palestinian statehood. It was rejected.

And the reason this keeps getting rewritten by people like Mehdi Hasan is obvious. This was the pivotal moment. A sovereign Palestinian state was on the table. The conflict could have ended, no more “occupation.” The entire trajectory of the conflict could have been different. And when given another opportunity years later, Mahmoud Abbas did the same with Olmert’s offer, later admitting he walked away.

A detailed review of the Clinton Parameters and Arafat's rejection are outline in this thread:

https://x.com/Aizenberg55/status/1876647261326729623

A detailed review of the Olmert statehood offer and Abbas' rejection are outlined in this thread:

https://x.com/Aizenberg55/status/1894386134345527714

Hello @MikeCollinsGA I’m planning my JuneteenthAtl.com candidate forum. Have you heard about Hedera post-blockchain technology ? Investments in that can end the national debt, and eliminate these election hacking things they did in the 2024 elections. x.com/mikecollinsga/…

You are a Republican and Trump won, but what happens when who ever is behind the rigging sides with the democrats.

I think you should get a federal law passed to start a Hedera Reserve. It’s like Bitcoin but better. If we know we will use it to make elections Better…

We need to front run the news and have a Hedera Reserve going. @thehbarbull @CryptoWendyO are space host which can promote your campaign once you take time to learn about the HBAR Pro Dollar Asset and our community plan to use it to get Federally debt freeX.com

I'm 32.

15+ years in the gym.

8+ years coaching.

After trying absolutely everything...

I found that these same tips work every single time.

Here's every tip you need to get in the best shape of your life in 2026 (bookmark this):🧵

1. Never rely on cardio

It's much easier to cut calories than it is to burn them off with exercise.

Strength train and do some cardio but diet is always key.

2. If you’ve been stuck unhappy with your body for months or years, it’s time to admit something must change.

3. Eat your favorite foods (in moderation) to make fat loss enjoyable.

Good afternoon. This afternoon we will be tweeting the oral submissions by Counsel in the case at Employment Tribunal of LS vs NHS England.

There was no hearing this morning as the barristers were composing and exchanging their written submissions to the Court. This will be the last session of the public part of the hearing; the panel will spend Monday deliberating on the case.

Our substack page on the case is

It includes our reporting from the earlier days of the hearing.tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/faye-russell…

“I think the West has underestimated the ideological commitment of the regime’s hard base. That’s not to say that the military operation can’t succeed in toppling the regime. But to do so will require a comprehensive operation.”

I spoke to @thetimes 1/
thetimes.com/article/f24c47…

Known in Farsi as the hasteh-yeh sakht or “hard base”, this loyalist constituency is estimated to make up about 10 per cent of the population, or roughly nine million people.

2/

The Basij Mobilisation Forces, which has bases in every neighbourhood across the country, is primarily responsible for marshalling the hard base and mobilising it when needed, along with a shadowy department within the IRGC, known as the Baqiyatallah headquarters.

3/

Harvard researchers had 12 people read on an iPad for 4 hours before bed.

For 5 nights straight.

Then they measured what happened to their brain chemistry.

Here's what screens before bed are really doing to your body:

The study was led at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

12 healthy adults.

5 nights on an iPad. 5 nights with a printed book.

They measured melatonin (hourly blood samples), brain waves, sleep latency, REM sleep, and next-day alertness.

The iPad suppressed melatonin by 55%.

Printed books showed no suppression.

Melatonin release was delayed by over 1.5 hours.

It also took ~10 minutes longer to fall asleep, with less REM sleep (109 vs 120 minutes).