After this post went viral, I called Caroline Groves, a world-class bespoke shoemaker, to discuss how women's shoes are made. I normally don't talk about womenswear, but I found the information interesting, so I thought I would share what I learned here. 🧵

https://twitter.com/languidreamer/status/1993032400851648970

First, who is Caroline Groves?

Footwear is broadly broken into two categories: bespoke and ready-to-wear. In London, bespoke makers, including those for women, are largely focused on traditional styles, such as wingtip derbies and loafers. Emiko Matsuda is great for this.

In Paris, there's Massaro, a historic firm that has been operating since 1894, now owned by Chanel. Their designs are less about creating the women's equivalent of traditional men's footwear and more about things such as heels or creative styles. Aesthetic is still "traditional."

SitRep - 01/12/25 - Continued talks in Florida and Zelensky in France

An overview of the daily events in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Talks between the US and Ukraine continued in Florida, and Putin again wants to create a 'buffer zone' in the north.

REPOST=appreciated

1/X

Missed the latest SitRep?

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1995398198291014032

As usual we start with Russian losses

https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1995398951449854337

Mastic gum literally RELIEVES acid reflux

constant heartburn? burping after meals? acid in your throat?

that's GERD - and it's:
- burning through your esophageal lining
- ruining your sleep every single night
- getting worse every time you eat

in one study, 350mg of mastic gum 3x daily for 3 weeks improved symptoms in 77% of participants - without changing diet

that's INSANE

heartburn eases, stomach pain disappears, and you can finally eat without discomfort.

and that's not all... it also kills H. pylori bacteria AND heals your gut lining.

🧵 here's the exact protocol (and 3 mistakes to avoid):

here's what most people don't realize:

GERD isn't always "too much acid." it's often H. pylori infection weakening your stomach's protective barrier.

that bacteria can live in your stomach for YEARS - damaging the mucosa that should protect you from acid.

PPIs just reduce acid production. they don't address the bacterial infection that may be causing the damage.

mastic gum is a resin from the Pistacia lentiscus tree on the Greek island of Chios.

it's been used for 2,500+ years for stomach issues.

but here's what makes it different from antacids:

it doesn't just suppress acid. it KILLS the H. pylori bacteria at the source AND repairs the damage they've caused.

Historian Antony Beevor: "For Russians, conspicuous cruelty is a necessary weapon of war."

The atrocities in Ukraine aren't aberrations — they're rooted in centuries of uniquely brutal warfare.

And the West failed to see it coming — The Telegraph. 1/

Russian mass rape, torture, and murder in Bucha aren't the work of rogue soldiers — they're systematic. The 19,500 missing Ukrainian children show what Russian conquest really means. 2/

Russian soldiers are themselves brutalized by torture from their own comrades. In the 1990s, there were 5,000 suicides yearly among conscripts — and Russian generals thought it was funny.

One made recruits dig their own graves "since they'd need them before long." 3/

🇬🇪BBC has confirmed that Georgian Dream used a WW1 chemical agent, Bromobenzyl cyanide, against peaceful protesters.
People suffered chemical burns, respiratory distress and long-term injuries.
@GeorgianDream41
📷 Tata Khundadze, David Nebieridze
? bbc.com/news/articles/…

The last government documented to have used chemical agents against its own population was Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. That is the historical company Georgian Dream now keeps. This isn’t crowd control. It is state violence of the most alarming kind.

And when we now know the regime deployed a WW1 chemical agent against peaceful citizens, their later actions expose the full depth of their intent. Georgian Dream had a plan and they stick to it.

@michaeldweiss 1).
„ @realDonaldTrump's rush for a peace deal at almost any price contains one risk that has been underreported so far: that Vladimir Pootin and other senior Russian figures currently wanted over alleged war crimes will evade justice.

@michaeldweiss @realDonaldTrump 2).
That, at least, is the take of EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath (@EUCssrMcGrath), in an interview with POLITICOʼs @TimRoss_1 [1] [2].”

Dec. 1, 2025

[1] @POLITICOEurope (@politico) archive.ph/nCste

[2] @POLITICOEurope (@politico) archive.ph/UnQSG

@michaeldweiss @realDonaldTrump @EUCssrMcGrath @TimRoss_1 @POLITICOEurope @politico Please unroll @threadreaderapp. Thank you in advance 𓃠

The Palestine Youth Movement Boston and BDS [Boycott, Divest, Sanction] Boston organized the event to call for boycotts of Israel and for the end to U.S. aid. The location and phrase linked to calls for violence drew sharp criticism due to the site's painful history,
1)

https://twitter.com/realWillSussman/status/1995198510363455883

as the horrific Boston Marathon bombing terror attack injured more than 500 people. The Boston police monitored the event but no arrests were made. These Hamas supporters and perhaps members seek to globalize the intifada.
2)

The April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon bombing killed 3 people and injured more than 260, with the most commonly cited figure being 264 physical injuries from the blasts themselves. The FBI references a broader total of more than 500 injured when including physical injuries,
3)

The shakedown of the MN Dept of Education by the fraudulent Feeding Our Future racket that stole at least $250 million in federal nutrition funds in less than a few years--mostly to enrich Somalis in the state.

This is from FOF's Nov 2020 lawsuit against MDE for refusing to fasttrack dozens of federal "feeding" sites during and after COVID, accusing the state of racism:

I mean why in the world would anyone think something nefarious/criminal was going on here 😂

Keep in mind--FOF was accused by the Biden DOJ of operating a "pay to play scheme, where individuals seeking to operate fraudulent sites...had to kickback a portion of their fraudulent proceeds to Feeding Our Future."

Email is still the undisputed king of profitability going into 2026.

We increased this brand's email revenue by 400% this year (literally 44% of their total sales).

Here are 11 of the "Winning Angles" we used to get these results: 🧵

The "Enemy Ingredient" Angle (The Black Stuff)

Headline: "What's hiding in your soap?"

Most generic bars are packed with chemicals you can't pronounce.

We didn't just say "we are natural." We used an infographic to show the enemy (fillers/junk) vs. us (olive oil, coconut oil).

Steal this: Define a "villain" for your brand. Then show why you're different.

The "Poop" Chart Example: Probiotics (Seed)

This brand crossed out "infrequent" and circled "Normal Poops" and then backed it with a hard stat:

"75% of members reported improved regularity."

Stats > Vague promises.

Don't say "supports gut health."

Say "You will poop consistently." and back it up with data, if you can.

🔥🔥🔥Breaking Seditious Six News! I have found the entire Oct 29, 2025 Elissa Slotkin and Brookings Knight Forum transcript which includes her extra comments and those of other participants too. They had considerable anti Trump discussions.

Highlights?

- Elissa Slotkin claims she has been in communication with at least one officer:

“People are, who are participating in these strikes are doing memos for the record and then taking them to their JAGs and being like, Hey, I don't wanna ever one day be held personally liable on these strikes, so can you kind of cover me legally? I mean, that is some crazy stuff when young officers up and down the chain are seeking legal cover so they don't get sued one day for what could be illegal strikes."

- Robert Kagan views policies like Caribbean strikes as pretexts for domestic power grabs (e.g., enabling arrests and deportations).

- Rep Adam Smith embraces Russiagate:

Smith highlighted the "Putin wing" of the MAGA movement.

—————————————

Here’s analysis of Elissa Slotkins extra comments (Her prev mentioned speech is in this doc too.)

♦️Responding to Sisson's question about the intent behind US military deployments in the Caribbean (e.g., carrier strike groups beyond ship bombings), Slotkin warns of potential escalation to land-based operations, possibly targeting Venezuela. She draws historical parallels to US interventions in Grenada and Panama, critiques the casual nature of Trump's rhetoric, and expresses concern that such actions aren't aligned with public priorities post-9/11 wars. The tone is alarming ("spooking") yet analytical, emphasizing deterrence versus actual use of force and the strain on resources. This ties into her speech's themes of Trump's reorientation toward homeland threats and unchecked executive power.

♦️Addressing Sisson's query on the DoD's health under Trump, Slotkin describes low morale due to firings, retirements, civilian cuts, social policy overreach, and politicization (e.g., using the military for "mythmaking" at Quantico). She shares a personal anecdote about a young female officer questioning her future amid perceived gender-based barriers. She highlights unprecedented actions like NDAs and legal memos for Caribbean strikes, framing them as signs of fear over illegal orders. The tone is urgent and "spooking," underscoring institutional damage and risks to service members, echoing her speech's calls for military resistance to unlawful commands.

♦️In response to Sisson's question on what a national security strategy should include to address Michiganders' concerns, Slotkin recounts town halls she held in August to gauge public views. She highlights evolving threats like cyberattacks (affecting schools and hospitals), economic competition with China (job losses, supply chains), and tech/AI anxieties (social media, job displacement). She criticizes Washington's top-down approach and notes eroded public trust post-Iraq/Afghanistan. The tone is reflective and populist, advocating for citizen input while tying into broader themes of government accountability and adaptation to modern threats.

♦️Answering an audience member (James Stevens from the Stimson Center) on whether the president can unilaterally declare an armed conflict (e.g., near Venezuela) or if it's reserved for Congress under Article I, Slotkin criticizes Trump's "somersaults" to justify actions via secret terrorist lists and withheld legal memos (OLC opinions). She contrasts this with the Global War on Terror's transparency, supports a recent War Powers Resolution by Sen. Kaine, and faults Congress for abdicating oversight since Iraq. She demands evidence ("show me the math") for claims like linking Venezuela to fentanyl. The tone is critical and defiant, highlighting constitutional overreach and lack of accountability, aligning with her speech's warnings about authoritarian tactics.

I’ll also be following with analysis of the other speakers.

Document 👇🏻
web.archive.org/web/2025120117…

I’m going to include the entire Elissa Slotkin speech on this officer before I get into the others.

“I think the thing that killed me the most was I was having a conversation with a young officer last week, who I happened to know from home in Michigan, and she's seven years into her career. And, she said that her entire cohort is looking at, particularly like, women getting removed from their jobs, and just saying like, do I have a future in this military? You know, her dream was to be an admiral and she's now saying like, is that actually, is there a ceiling on what I can do in this organization?

And, I think morale is low, and then I think the thing that is definitely happening that I was,
I've never seen in my time is, you know, people are being asked to sign NDAs who are
participating in these strikes in the Caribbean. People are, who are participating in these
strikes are doing memos for the record and then taking them to their JAGs and being like,
Hey, I don't wanna ever one day be held personally liable on these strikes, so can you kind
of cover me legally? I mean, that is some crazy stuff when young officers up and down the
chain are seeking legal cover so they don't get sued one day for what could be illegal strikes.”

Victoria Nulands husband Richard Kagan spoke too. He actually said elections would be cancelled by Trump. 😹 Here’s a few key quotes.

KAGAN:

“Well, thank you, Jeff. Um, the, the biggest threat to our national security right now
is our domestic problem. I mean, I, I don't, my national security strategy is we have to, uh, elect a different government. Um, but I'm not sure we're gonna have elections. So I don't know whether I have a good strategy for dealing with that.”

“Uh, and you need to ask what are the goals of this regime. If you look at China and you say,
what is the grand strategy of Xi Jinping? Uh, a major component of that grand strategy is to ensure the continued control in power of the Communist party, uh, of China. And that much
of their foreign policy is subsidiary to that.”

“what we're dealing with now is one man rule in this country.”

“So take this question of Venezuela and the bombing of the, of the boats. Personally, I don't think this is primarily about foreign policy. I think it's primarily about domestic policy.”

“we are at war, uh, and therefore we can do whatever we want on a whole host of domestic issues, including
deportations and arrests, and even pursuing, uh, the wrong kind of people here in the United States under the overall blanket of a national security waiver because we are at war.“

Kuleba: There are tasks and missions in life, when you just cannot afford having plan B.

In the case of Russia's war against Ukraine, when the conflict is existential, having no plan B is the best way for you to try to defend yourself and to survive. 1/

Kuleba: I appreciate everything that has been done for Ukraine. This is not me saying that no one did anything to help Ukraine. But history is ruthless and we are judged by whether our deeds were sufficient. Enormous effort was done, but it was still not enough. 2/

Kuleba: We react instantly in an emotional way to what we see on our screens. In the old days it was the TV, the paper or a neighbor. Today we're on various social media under permanent pressure of information flow. Our brains stayed the same but must handle a bigger volume. 3/

Want your new project to be a game-changer? Before you launch, consider these three questions Jeff Bezos uses to assess executive proposals.

Jeff Bezos’ 3 question test for new ideas:

1. Is it real?

The Translation: Is this project feasible right now, or is it based on futuristic, unproven technology, or an unrealistic market condition? You must differentiate between ambitious but achievable projects and those that are simply unrealistic.

2. Is it worth it?

The Translation: Does this opportunity offer a substantial return on investment or fulfill a significant market need? Executives focus on initiatives that impact revenue or reduce costs. It's not enough for an idea to be feasible; it must also offer substantial benefits to the business.