I thought this article on the vagus nerve was interesting!

The [vagus nerve stimulation] VNS device currently used for epilepsy, which delivers a pulse every few minutes, is a direct descendant of Zabara's invention. A pivotal study demonstrated that it cut the frequency of seizures by 45 percent on average after a year. It is believed to work mainly by stimulating the afferent fibers, the ones leading up to the brain.

The treatment had a remarkable side effect: over time it made people happier. Their mood lightened even if they still had frequent seizures. According to Tracey, when doctors told these patients they could remove the implant, many of them replied, "No, leave it in. It makes me feel good." This anecdotal evidence prompted the device maker to begin marketing its vagus nerve stimulator as an innovative treatment for depression.

The article is full of caveats and cautions not to read too much into it, which is how you know it's real.

Mossy Character sends in Under siege in Léré, the latest Malian town cut off by jihadists. Mossy did not include any commentary, trusting my background expertise to fill in the gaps.

stomp stomp stomp

I know everyone wants to take a media break (besides maybe Stormcrow?) so I'll stomp on this post as soon as it's up. But isn't it insane that Musk is the one that killed the spending bill and then Trump took his orders from Musk?

Musk announced his opposition to the bill at 4:15 a.m. ET Wednesday.

"This bill should not pass," he said on X.

The statement put Musk out on a limb as one of the first political figures to come out against the bill, but 13 hours later Trump himself spoke out in agreement. What happened in between was a furious online campaign directed by Musk to try to kill the bill, which he said was "criminal" because of its 1,547-page length and how much money it would spend.

I mean, we know that Trump is easily manipulated. But his toadies manipulate him in different ways than his strongmen. This makes it look like Musk has overt power over Trump.