'Warning lights are starting to flash' as Trump economy takes hold: MSNBC report
Literally, between the GAO and Inspectors General alone there is constant oversight of most of what the federal government does. Thats not even nearly every form of oversight, those are just agencies whose entire job is finding any waste or fraud. Of course before DOGE was even started Trump first kneecapped those parts of the government.
If we want to talk about waste and fraud we should be looking at the president who spends as much time as possible golfing on his own properties, spending government money on his team staying at his own properties…
A PhD is a highly specialized thing, much like how a Masters is fairly specialized. Only a BA/BS is something that is supposed to be relatively universal. If someone has a BS in accounting that is pretty applicable anywhere accounting is needed. If someone has a masters in accounting specializing in taxes or something, then theyre useful to places that need an expert in tax accounting. If someone has a PhD in some specific field of accounting then theyre useful to universities with accounting programs who are trying to crank out accountants at the B/M level, of which there are only so many slots. A PhD doesnt mean someone has more general knowledge, it means they have a ton of very very specific knowledge
Technically that PhD holder would also be useful as an accountant anywhere, but being an accountant just anywhere probably isnt going to pay for that Masters or PhD. So if one decent spot will open in academia this year, but 10 people graduate with PhD’s this year, obviously they cant all have that one spot.
Im not into accounting, so idk how much sense that explanation will make to an actual accountant. But you could change accounting for literally anything and that is basically the problem in a nutshell. Plus many people get PhDs in subjects that dont have such a wide job market at the entry level. If you get a history PhD and dont get an academic slot then you are basically fucked. Being a museum docent or a highschool history teacher isnt gonna pay for that PhD. This is why a lot of my professors in community college back in the day taught as adjuncts at like 3-4 colleges at the same time
WW1 really was a different story. The US adopted the standards of its allies when possible, or otherwise just couldn’t use stuff from their allies. We produced things for our own use, but not for everyone on our side of the conflict. Plus WW1 was kind of a massive resource pit for everyone involved bc of trench warfare.
The fact that we couldnt share resources among allies in WWI is part of where the push for adopting a standard came from. And the reason it ultimately became the US’s standard is because the US production was removed from the conflict. Meanwhile European factories were getting bombed. Before the adoption of our standards, our allies were actually paying to establish factories in the US that would build to European standards.
WWI also had more specialized parts which was a mess, and the Europeans hadnt kicked that by WWII the way that the US did. We had already recognized the importance of standardization outside of military purposes by that point, so we were ahead of the game there.
Its more like WWII started it, and our persistence post WWII to push for our standards as the new ISO standards sealed it. ISO didnt exist until after WWII. It basically was created to be “the league of nations / UN for things”
The title for the subsection about his inevitable arrest and prosecution will be Jaccuzi: Big Ballz in Hot Water
Alaska Airlines flight 1282, was climbing through 14,830 feet about six minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, when the left MED plug departed the airplane
Something about the phrasing giving agency to the door plug is hilarious to me. The plug said “im out, see ya”
Locked Removed
What If America Had More Than Two Parties?
Jump
The island filled with unexploded ordinance sounds like a great place for them actually. I like this idea
I would think truly being a mediator would require not playing both sides of the negotiating table for your own ego inflation, but I’m no global affairs expert
Without WWII the US would hardly be a relevant world power like it is today. The US minted its dominance in WWII by producing so much and pushing the world to adopt its standards in the aftermath. Of most everything, from goods to language. If it weren’t for that, diplomacy would probably still be conducted in French, and screws wouldn’t have 60° angle threads
WWII was bad for the world, but literally the best thing to ever happen to the US probably
American NATO bases in Campania. Where they are and their role
Andrea Navarro June 23, 2025
Contents of the article
- JFC Naples - Lake Patria (Naples): strategic command of the Atlantic Alliance- NSA Naples - Gricignano di Aversa (Caserta): US logistics platform in Europe- Capodichino (Naples): mixed Italian-American air hub- Grazzanise (Caserta): Air Force infrastructure with potential NATO use- Why is there less talk about NATO bases in Campania?- So, what are the most sensitive NATO bases in Campania?- The main American bases in Italy: comparison with the context of Campania
In Campania there are some of the main military infrastructures connected to NATO and the United States, each with a specific role in the Euro-Mediterranean strategic architecture. Individually analyzing their characteristics allows us to understand their operational importance, level of confidentiality and position within the transatlantic security dynamics.
JFC Naples - Lake Patria (Naples): strategic command of the Atlantic Alliance
The Joint Force Command Naples, located in Lake Patria, represents one of the two strategic operational commands of the entire NATO in Europe (along with Brunssum in the Netherlands). He has competence in the planning and coordination of NATO military missions in the Mediterranean area, North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans.
The facility is entirely under NATO control and houses multinational personnel. The activities carried out do not concern the direct use of combat forces but rather the operational management of complex theaters, which is why it has a high degree of strategic sensitivity.
The absence of media visibility is due to the confidential nature of the functions, the fact that demonstration or training operations are not carried out on the spot and the placement in a peripheral urban context.
NSA Naples - Gricignano di Aversa (Caserta): US logistics platform in Europe
The Naval Support Activity Naples, located in Gricignano di Aversa, is a logistics base managed entirely by the United States. The structure acts as a nerve center for the administrative, health and logistical support of the US forces stationed in the Mediterranean. Inside there are:
Residential complexes for military and families
American Schools (DODDS)
US military hospital
Sports, cultural and recreational facilities
Although it is not formally a NATO base, it is part of the functional infrastructure of the Alliance. It does not host combat units, but represents a highly efficient logistical resource, essential for the operational sustainability of other active bases in the European and Middle Eastern theater.
The low communicative profile is linked to the supportive nature and the absence of direct use of military means, contrary to what happens in installations such as Aviano or Sigonella.
Capodichino (Naples): Italian-American mixed aerial node
The Capodichino base is an integral part of the NSA structure and constitutes a strategic air hub with both military and civilian functions. Logistical and operational flights depart from here, operated by US and Italian aircraft.
The airport is home to the Italian Air Force departments, including the 2º Engineering Department and the 5º Aircraft Maintenance Department, as well as US Navy infrastructure.
It is configured as an indispensable infrastructure for the mobility of the interforces forces in the southern quadrant of the Alliance, while remaining little known to the general public due to its predominantly technical use.
Grazzanise (Caserta): Air Force infrastructure with potential NATO use
The Grazzanise aeronautical headquarters is home to the 9º Stormo "Francesco Baracca" of the Air Force. Although not directly belonging to NATO or the US armed forces, the base is used in multinational scenarios, joint training and emergency response missions. The main functions include:
Support for special forces
Surveillance of the national territory
Advanced training and operational readiness
The geographical location between Naples and Caserta, the ability to integrate NATO operations and the proximity to other strategic presidiums increase its relevance. The base represents a national presidium capable of being activated in high priority contexts, acting as an operational multiplier for allied scenarios.
Why is there less talk about NATO bases in Campania?
The low visibility of the NATO and US bases in Campania is the result of a combination of practical and strategic elements. Their function is critical, but not spectacular: there are no public exercises, there are no visible departments moving and there is no impact such as to generate protests or parliamentary questions. In fact, they perform functions such as:
Central but non-belliger functions (command, logistics, support)
High levels of operational confidentiality
Absence of territorial protests or significant environmental impacts
Integration in urban contexts that attenuates its military perception
The choice to maintain a discreet profile is deliberate and functional to the protection of sensitive activities, strengthening operational effectiveness.
So, what are the most sensitive NATO bases in Campania?
So to summarize in Campania there are three key infrastructures in the NATO/USA device:
JFC Naples: Alliance decision-making center for the entire southern quadrant
NSA Naples: US logistics node for civil and operational support
Capodichino: mixed infrastructure for transport and military mobility
To these is added Grazzanise, an Italian presidium with rapid intervention capacity, which can be integrated into multilateral missions.
The absence of public visibility is an indicator of the strategic and non-spectacular nature of the functions. In a modern defense system, coordination, logistics and confidentiality matter as much as the use of means and troops.
The main American bases in Italy: comparison with the Campanian context
The US military presence in Italy includes some of the most important installations in Europe. They are operational bases, visible and sometimes at the center of political or environmental manifestations. Their importance is strategic not only for Italy, but for the entire projection of US forces in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Aviano Air Base (Friuli-Venezia Giulia): headquarters of the 31st Fighter Wing of the US Air Force, equipped with an F-16 fighter. It is one of NATO's main aerial tactical bases in Europe.
Camp Darby (Tuscany): logistics center for the management and storage of ammunition and armored vehicles. It serves as an advanced base for operations in the Middle East and Africa.
Sigonella Naval Air Station (Sicily): reference point for maritime, air and remote-piloted aircraft operations (P-8 Poseidon, Global Hawk). It has a central role in monitoring the Mediterranean and combating piracy.
Vicenza - Ederle Barracks and Del Din Barracks (Veneto): headquarters of the US land forces command for Europe and Africa. They represent the center of gravity for the operations of the US Army on the continent.
The Campania bases, although not hosting combat forces, are indispensable from a strategic-logistical point of view, but because of their less offensive nature, they are not at the center of the media narrative or political debate.
ChatGPT is not a doctor. But models trained on imaging can actually be a very useful tool for them to utilize.
Even years ago, just before the AI “boom”, they were asking doctors for details on how they examine patient images and then training models on that. They found that the AI was “better” than doctors specifically because it followed the doctor’s advice 100% of the time; thereby eliminating any kind of bias from the doctor that might interfere with following their own training.
Of course, the splashy headline “AI better than doctors” was ridiculous. But it does show the benefit of having a neutral tool for doctors to utilize, especially when looking at images for people who are outside of the typical demographics that much medical training is based on. (As in mostly just white men. For example, everything they train doctors on regarding knee imagining comes from images of the knees of coal miners in the UK some decades ago)
If it loves you, it will come back (possibly with malware)
My phone lives in California; I live in the moment
For those unaware, Chiquita recently laid off literally everyone involved in their production in this region due to the labor dispute. They were the primary economic driver of that entire region and employed most of the people, who’s income supported everything else. The region is majorly destabilizing and viciously collapsing in on itself
How would the methodology of the assassination be secret if they had bombed an entire apartment block? Also bombing innocent lives isnt something the Israeli government tends to be concerned about hiding
Friendly reminder that even someone making $1M per year today still has less true buying power than a 10 year old child laborer earning $1 per hour in the late 1950s
My bet is on small assassination drone. People like having windows in their bedroom. Small drone flies to house, has some mechanism to break window, then blows up once inside the bedroom.
I bet it’s unpublished not because its technology of any particularly impressive degree. Its unpublished because everyday people could easily design the same thing with enough minor technical expertise. They train cadets at West Point to build this exact type of shit out of consumer goods for a reason
In the way that our entire economy is based on measuring itself, not growing as fast as last year is considered complete failure
The stock market =/= the health of the economy. Obviously the market being bad is not good, but the market being good does not mean things arent bad