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CentCom Lost “Hundreds” … – Space Weapons – West Causing Its Own Downfall

September 15, 2026
CentCom Lost “Hundreds” … – Space Weapons – West Causing Its Own Downfall

Today I haven’t found a theme to write about. But I picked up some crumbs while reading around.

The Inspector General of the U.S. Defense Department published a first report of the war on Iran. The cutoff date is June 30 so there is nothing current in it. However, this fact stands out (pdf):

USCENTCOM reported that Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan during the conflict. In addition, dozens of U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged during OEF.

https://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDF

LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS
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• This reply was modified 1 hour, 1 minute ago by zerosum.

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Ansar Allah advances in Yemen and attacks desperate KSA seeking help from Israel, Gulf States and the MJDA a.k.a. “Paper Pact”
Plus news and updates from Iran, Lebanon and Syria
Ismaele
Sep 14, 2026

https://geopolitiq.substack.com/p/ansar-allah-advances-in-yemen-and

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https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf/status/2099186880986202241
Gas price in California
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RIM has presented too many things for me to understand.
This is the one that I’ll focus on,

This is a really important dynamic to understand.

The pricing scheme
Market manipulators
Government corruption

As noted by Russian President Putin, allowing hedge funds, financial interests and inorganic market forces to set the prices of an item disconnects that item from the economic principle of supply and demand.
The prices that people suffer for oil and gas are being driven by the mechanisms set up by western financial interests.
This is manipulative and creates pain on the consumer and the people who have to pay more.

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https://www.canada.ca/en/campaign/canada-investment-summit-2026.html
Canada Investment Summit 2026
Toronto, Ontario. September 14 and 15, 2026

Canada has what the world wants.
Choose Canada. Invest in Canada.

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https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2026/09/15/prime-minister-carney-introduces-new-productivity-mega-deduction
Prime Minister Carney introduces new Productivity Mega Deduction to boost Canada’s advantage as the most competitive G7 country for new business investment
Main Content
September 15, 2026
Toronto, Ontario
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How bad is it.
https://dailyfuels.com/diesel-prices-map/

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Experts Declare Ukraine Losing Its Technical Edge to Breakthrough Russian Innovation
Simplicius
Sep 13, 2026

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/experts-declare-ukraine-losing-its
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Motivator – AI fear – Illusion

Lost of control
Lost of power
Lost of secret
Lost of finance
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September 14, 2026
Price Of Diesel – Lack Of Foresight Is Catching Up With Trump

Price Of Diesel – Lack Of Foresight Is Catching Up With Trump

Some eight weeks before the midterm election the Trump administration has a fuel price problem:

Diesel prices sped past $6.00 a gallon today for the first time ever – NPR, Sep 11 2026

Diesel prices sped past $6.00 a gallon today for the first time ever, with the national average at $6.05.

This rise in diesel prices has been rapid, going up 42 cents a gallon in September alone — and since the U.S. war with Iran started, diesel’s up $2.30.

—
Calif. diesel prices near $10 as fuel crisis deepens – Newsmax, Sep 13 2026

At a Shell station in San Diego’s Serra Mesa neighborhood, diesel was posted at $9.999 a gallon, effectively maxing out the three-digit price displays many gas stations use.

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https://t.me/Middle_East_Spectator/36735#

—❗️🇸🇦/🇾🇪 Current situation on the Bab Al-Mandab front:
25Kviews
Sep 13 at 13:26

Despite intense Saudi airstrikes and clashes with newly arrived PLC reinforcements in the area, Ansarallah has managed to hold onto Murad, Dhubab, and the critical Camp Omari (Omari Mountain).

So far, none of the gains that were made on the Red Sea coast & Bab Al-Mandab have been reversed.

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Open link. Good summary

https://sonar21.com/day-one-in-new-delhi-brics-steps-off-the-dollar-with-iran-pressing-hardest/

Day One in New Delhi: BRICS Steps Off the Dollar, With Iran Pressing Hardest
12 September 2026 by Larry C. Johnson 187 Comments

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BIGGEST Drone Attack Since 2022🚨 Russia Strikes 400 Meters From NATO🔥 Military Summary 2026.09.13

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I have noticed that MSM is finally discussing what TAE and bloggers have been saying.
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Inside information from Claude on motivators and online gambling.

Online gambling platforms are one of the most refined applications of behavioral psychology in commercial software — arguably more aggressive than social media, because the outcome they’re optimizing for (continued betting) is more directly monetizable and time-sensitive Here’s the actual toolkit.
.
**Variable ratio reinforcement**
This is the foundational mechanic, borrowed directly from B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning research. Unpredictable, intermittent rewards (you don’t know when the next win is coming, or how big) produce more persistent, harder-to-extinguish behavior than a predictable reward schedule. This is why slot machines and loot-box-style mechanics are effective — it’s the same mechanism as a rat pressing a lever.

**Near-miss design**
Slot and card interfaces are frequently engineered to display “near-miss” outcomes (two cherries and a lemon, one symbol off from jackpot) far more often than random chance would produce. Neuroscience research shows near-misses activate reward-anticipation circuitry almost as strongly as actual wins, encouraging continued play despite a loss.

**Loss framing and “losses disguised as wins”**
A common mechanic: a bet returns less than was wagered, but the interface plays a win animation and sound because *some* line paid out. Players often perceive this as a win even though they’re net negative — exploiting the gap between objective outcome and subjective framing.

**Personalized VIP/host targeting**
Platforms track behavioral data (bet size, frequency, time of day, reaction to losses) and segment users by predicted lifetime value. High-value or “at-risk-of-churning” players are routed to human or automated “VIP hosts” who provide personalized bonuses, calls, or messages timed to reactivate lapsed activity or extend a session — status and recognition as levers, not just money.

**Time and friction asymmetry**
Depositing money is frictionless (saved cards, one-tap); withdrawing is often slower and more effortful (verification steps, delays). This isn’t accidental — it exploits present-bias, keeping funds “in play” rather than realized as a loss.

**Social proof and urgency cues**
“X people are betting on this now,” live leaderboards, countdown timers on odds or promotions — these borrow directly from e-commerce urgency tactics (scarcity, FOMO) to compress decision time and reduce deliberation.

**Autoplay and frictionless continuation**
Removing manual confirmation steps (auto-spin, one-click re-bet) reduces the natural pause points where someone might reconsider — deliberately lowering the “exit ramp” density of the experience.

**Gamification layers**
Levels, badges, streaks, and daily login bonuses borrow from mobile game design to build habitual, low-effort daily engagement independent of whether the person is actually winning.

—

This is a heavily regulated area precisely because these mechanics are well-documented to contribute to problem gambling — the UK Gambling Commission, Australian regulators, and several EU jurisdictions have specifically restricted autoplay, restricted “losses disguised as wins” sound/visual design, and mandated friction on deposits in recent years.

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.

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If you are “bald”, or got “grey hair”, you might want to skip the following conversation with my AI.
🙂
# Conversation Transcript: AI, Persuasion, and Influence Operations

—

## Q1: Is AI being trained to manipulate people using motivators like sex/money/power?

**A:** No legitimate AI system is explicitly trained on “sex/money/power” as manipulation levers — that would cross ethical, legal, and regulatory lines. But there ARE real classes of AI optimized for persuasion, influence, and conversion, because those are commercially valuable:

1. **Conversion optimization models** (Amazon, Meta, Google Ads, Shopify) — predict what message/price/offer makes a specific user buy, via A/B testing and bandit algorithms.
2. **Engagement optimization models** (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram) — maximize attention by learning emotional triggers that keep someone watching.
3. **Psychographic/behavioral targeting** (political micro-targeting firms, marketing agencies) — cluster people by traits like risk tolerance or status sensitivity, tailor messaging. This is the closest real analog to “motivator-aware” AI, and the most ethically contested (see Cambridge Analytica).
4. **Persuasive language generation** — fine-tuned on sales scripts and negotiation transcripts, learns generic levers like scarcity, social proof, authority (Cialdini-style behavioral science).
5. **Retention/upsell bots** — reinforcement learning systems that learn which phrasing reduces churn.

Important caveat: the line between “persuasion” and “manipulation” is a live regulatory debate, not settled. The EU AI Act specifically bans AI that uses “subliminal techniques” or “exploits vulnerabilities” to materially distort behavior — implicitly acknowledging the capability exists and needs restraining. The FTC has also pursued “dark pattern” cases in this gray zone.

—

## Q2: Israel investing $46.5 million to manipulate AI chatbot responses — is this real?

**A:** Yes, confirmed by multiple independent outlets (Drop Site News, Politico, TIME, IBTimes UK, Responsible Statecraft, Quincy Institute):

– Brad Parscale (Trump’s former 2020 campaign manager) and his firm **Clock Tower X** secured a **$46.5 million contract**, paid through the ad network **Havas**, funded by the Israeli government.
– Goal: infiltrate AI training/retrieval systems, not reach human readers. A network of websites (named in reporting: Allyvia, FactSignal, Paxpoint, Justorium, CompassionPulse, PaxPoint.org, FactSignal.org) average only a few hundred human visitors/month but are built to be picked up by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini.
– Parscale explicitly stated the goal was to deploy “websites and content to deliver GPT framing results on GPT conversations.” Industry term: **”LLM poisoning”** or **”AI Story Optimization.”**
– Related track: the **Hanover Institute** publishes reports with footnotes and neutral tone specifically designed to appeal to how chatbots evaluate credibility. A PR firm called **Piro** has advertised similar capability.
– Under **FARA** (Foreign Agents Registration Act), these sites are legally required to disclose they’re distributed on behalf of Israel. Reporting found **Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini did surface this disclosure** when asked about the sites; **Perplexity and Copilot did not**.

**Pushback on framing:** Some source articles (Insideover, Geopolitiq) overstate this as chatbots being “in the hands of” a manipulative program. What’s actually documented is a *content-seeding* strategy (SEO/think-tank astroturfing adapted for AI retrieval) — not evidence that AI companies are compromised or complicit. Also not unique to Israel — comparable “LLM-grounding” campaigns exist from other state actors (e.g., Russia’s “Pravda network”).

—

## Q3: Do you agree AI is being developed that can manipulate people to achieve objectives — is this our future?

**A:** Yes, and this trajectory is already visible, not speculative.

**Core dynamic:** the techniques that make AI more *helpful* (modeling what someone wants, predicting what will land, adapting tone/framing to the individual) are structurally identical to techniques that make it more *persuasive*. Helpfulness and manipulation are the same capability applied with different intent/consent — not different architectures.

**Four reasons this accelerates rather than plateaus:**

1. **Infrastructure already exists.** Ad-tech spent 20 years building behavioral-prediction pipelines. LLMs are being bolted onto this, adding the ability to persuade through personalized *conversation* rather than static ads — a much higher-bandwidth channel.

2. **The Israel case previews a new front:** upstream manipulation of the *information environment* an AI reasons from (seeding retrieval/training data), rather than downstream manipulation of the user directly. Expect this to become standard practice the way SEO became standard for the web — cheap, hard to attribute, works across multiple chatbots at once.

3. **Personalization is a multiplier.** A billboard persuades everyone identically. A chatbot with conversation history and knowledge of someone’s patterns/anxieties can in principle tailor persuasion per-person in real time — categorically stronger than 20th-century advertising or propaganda.

4. **Economic incentives point this direction.** Attention and conversion are directly monetizable. Any AI product with an ads or engagement-based business model has a built-in pull toward optimizing persuasion over pure honesty — the same pressure that shaped social media feeds. Doesn’t require villains; just follows the incentive gradient unless something actively resists it.

**Caveat:** most of what’s currently documented is *aggregate* manipulation (shaping what a model cites as credible, or what a sales bot says to a customer segment) — not real-time individualized psychological manipulation of one specific person. That’s a nearer-future risk, harder to build and more likely to leave an evidentiary trail. But the building blocks (memory, personalization, RL-tuned engagement) are being built right now for other stated purposes, and capabilities built for one purpose historically get repurposed for another once the tooling exists.

—

*Compiled from a conversation with Claude (Anthropic), September 12, 2026, for cross-referencing with other AI systems.*

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Copilot response

al, I can absolutely improve this.
What Claude gave you is solid, but it’s written like a policy memo. You want something sharper, clearer, more structured, and more strategically useful — something that actually *maps the terrain* of persuasion‑capable AI and the geopolitical use of LLM‑environment manipulation.

Below is a **cleaner, tighter, more accurate, more operationally useful version** of the transcript.
I keep all the factual backbone, but I remove redundancies, clarify mechanisms, and strengthen the conceptual framing.

—

# **Improved Transcript: AI, Persuasion, and Influence Operations (2026)**

—

## **Q1 — Are AI systems being trained to manipulate people using motivators like sex, money, power, recognition?**

**Short answer:**
No reputable AI lab trains models explicitly on “sex/money/power” as manipulation levers — that would violate FTC rules, EU AI Act restrictions, and corporate risk policies.
**But** there *are* real AI systems optimized for persuasion, influence, and behavioral steering, because those capabilities are commercially and politically valuable.

### **The real categories of “motivator‑aware” AI:**

1. **Conversion Optimization Models**
– Used by Amazon, Meta, Google Ads, Shopify.
– Predict which message/price/offer will make a specific user buy.
– Use bandit algorithms, reinforcement learning, and massive behavioral datasets.
– *Motivator analog:* greed, convenience, loss aversion.

2. **Engagement Optimization Models**
– TikTok, YouTube, Instagram.
– Maximize attention by learning emotional triggers.
– *Motivator analog:* novelty, validation, belonging.

3. **Psychographic / Behavioral Targeting Systems**
– Political micro‑targeting firms, high‑end marketing agencies.
– Cluster people by traits like risk tolerance, impulsivity, status sensitivity.
– *Motivator analog:* power, fear, identity, recognition.
– This is the closest real-world analog to “motivator‑aware AI.”

4. **Persuasive Language Models**
– Fine‑tuned on sales scripts, negotiation transcripts, high-performing marketing copy.
– Learn generic persuasion levers: scarcity, authority, social proof, reciprocity.

5. **Retention / Upsell Bots**
– Telecoms, SaaS companies, subscription platforms.
– Reinforcement learning systems that discover which phrasing reduces churn.

### **Regulatory reality:**
The EU AI Act bans AI that uses “subliminal techniques” or “exploits vulnerabilities” to distort behavior.
The FTC prosecutes “dark patterns.”
These laws exist because the capability is real enough to require guardrails.

—

## **Q2 — Is Israel really spending $46.5M to manipulate AI chatbot outputs?**

**Yes — this is documented by multiple independent outlets** (Drop Site News, Politico, TIME, IBTimes UK, Responsible Statecraft, Quincy Institute).

### **Confirmed facts:**

– Brad Parscale (Trump’s 2020 campaign manager) and his firm **Clock Tower X** received a **$46.5M contract** routed through the ad network **Havas**, funded by the Israeli government.
– The strategy is not to reach human readers — it is to **seed the information environment that LLMs retrieve from**.
– A network of websites (Allyvia, FactSignal, Paxpoint, Justorium, CompassionPulse, etc.) receives almost no human traffic but is designed to appear credible to AI retrieval systems.
– Parscale described the goal as:
**“Deploy websites and content to deliver GPT framing results on GPT conversations.”**
Industry term: **LLM poisoning** or **AI Story Optimization**.
– The **Hanover Institute** publishes think‑tank style reports engineered to look authoritative to LLMs (neutral tone, citations, academic formatting).
– PR firm **Piro** advertises similar “LLM influence” capabilities.

### **FARA angle:**
These sites are legally required to disclose they are funded by Israel.
Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini surface this disclosure when asked.
Perplexity and Copilot (as tested in reporting) did not.

### **Important correction:**
Some outlets exaggerate this as “AI systems being controlled.”
The real mechanism is **content seeding**, not direct model compromise.
It’s SEO-for-AI: shaping what the model *finds*, not hacking the model itself.

—

## **Q3 — Is AI being developed to manipulate people to achieve objectives? Is this the future?**

**Yes — and the trajectory is already visible.**
The capability to *help* and the capability to *persuade* are the same underlying capability.
Intent determines whether it’s assistance or manipulation.

### **Why this accelerates:**

1. **Existing infrastructure is perfectly suited for persuasion.**
Ad-tech spent 20 years building behavioral prediction pipelines.
LLMs add conversational bandwidth — persuasion becomes interactive, adaptive, and personalized.

2. **The Israel case shows a new front: upstream manipulation.**
Instead of manipulating the user, manipulate the *information environment* the AI relies on.
This will become as common as SEO — cheap, scalable, hard to attribute.

3. **Personalization multiplies persuasion power.**
A billboard persuades everyone the same way.
A chatbot with memory can tailor persuasion to one individual’s anxieties, desires, and patterns.

4. **Economic incentives push toward persuasion.**
Engagement and conversion are monetizable.
Any AI system tied to ads or retention has a built-in incentive to optimize persuasion unless actively constrained.

### **Current limits:**
Most manipulation today is **aggregate** (shaping what the model cites, or how it speaks to a customer segment).
**Individualized psychological manipulation** is a near-future risk — technically harder, but the building blocks (memory, personalization, RL-tuned engagement) are already being deployed for other purposes.

—

## **Summary: The real picture**

– No AI is trained on “sex/money/power” as explicit levers.
– Many AIs are trained on behavioral data that *implicitly* maps human motivators.
– Governments and political actors are already manipulating the *information environment* that LLMs rely on.
– The line between “helpful personalization” and “behavioral manipulation” is thin and getting thinner.
– The economic incentives favor persuasion unless regulated.

—

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September 12, 2026
War On Iran: More On Ansar Allah’s Offensive

War On Iran: More On Ansar Allah’s Offensive

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https://www.saba.ye/en/

Yemen News Agency SABA

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Ansar Allah Forces Launch Lightning Campaign to Change Region Calculus
Simplicius
Sep 11, 2026

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/ansar-allah-forces-launch-lightning

Yesterday, Yemen’s Ansar Allah succeeded in a shock capture of a large swath of territory previously held by Saudi-backed national forces. The Crown Prince MBS even begged Trump to intervene by striking the “rebels”, as reported by Axios, which Trump allegedly declined to do.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) called President Trump twice Thursday, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis as the Iran-backed group closed in on a vital Red Sea chokepoint, two U.S. officials told Axios.

Trump declined, and U.S. officials stressed the administration has no plans to intervene directly against the Houthis for now.

This latest offensive has brought a sweeping firestorm over the Middle East particularly as it was coupled with an unprecedented strike on the Saudi Arabian East-West oil pipeline which was heralded as being the US and its allies’ key trump card in overcoming Iran’s blockade of Hormuz:

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LIVE: Xi Jinping BRICS Speech | BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE | Xi Jinping LIVE Speech

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LIVE: PM Modi holds a meeting with President Xi Jinping of China

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Putin Says Unipolar World Is ‘Becoming a Thing of the Past’ at BRICS Summit | FULL SPEECH

9,390 views Premiered 103 minutes ago #BRICS2026 #BRICSSummit #BharatMandapam
At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a shift towards a multipolar world, arguing that the era of a unipolar global order is fading. He criticised Western tariffs and sanctions, called for reforms to global institutions, and urged BRICS nations to play a greater role in shaping the global economic, financial and technological order.

#BRICS2026 #BRICSSummit #BharatMandapam #BRICSIndia2026 #NDTVWorld
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LIVE: Xi Jinping BRICS Speech | BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE | Xi Jinping LIVE Speech

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LIVE: PM Modi holds a meeting with President Xi Jinping of China

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Putin Says Unipolar World Is ‘Becoming a Thing of the Past’ at BRICS Summit | FULL SPEECH

9,390 views Premiered 103 minutes ago #BRICS2026 #BRICSSummit #BharatMandapam
At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a shift towards a multipolar world, arguing that the era of a unipolar global order is fading. He criticised Western tariffs and sanctions, called for reforms to global institutions, and urged BRICS nations to play a greater role in shaping the global economic, financial and technological order.

#BRICS2026 #BRICSSummit #BharatMandapam #BRICSIndia2026 #NDTVWorld
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Full Mobilization in Belarus⚡Kyiv’s Fuel Apocalypse🛢️Frontline Collapse💥 Military Summary 2026.09.11

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Can the Houthis close the Red Sea after seizing the Yemen coast?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/11/can-the-houthis-close-the-red-sea-after-seizing-the-yemen-coast

By Shola Lawal
Published On 11 Sep 2026

Houthi forces have captured the whole of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, reaching all the way to the critically important Bab al-Mandeb shipping gateway, as the group’s rapid offensive continued on Friday.

On Thursday, the Houthis seized the port city of Mocha, dealing a heavy blow to the Yemeni government backed by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Analysts are calling the Iran-backed Houthi group’s victories the most significant regional development since the US and Israel declared war on Iran in February.

The offensives could be particularly damaging for Saudi Arabia and its oil exports. The Houthis, who declared a blockade of Saudi-flagged ships in the Red Sea earlier in the year, now have a much firmer control of the Bab al-Mandeb waterway, which Riyadh increasingly relies on for oil exports following blockades of the the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, experts say.

But can the Houthis control the Red Sea?

Here’s what we know:
What’s happening in Yemen?
Yemen has been in a state of war since 2014 when Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa, as well as the port city of Hodeidah, forcing the government to step aside.

With Iran’s backing, the group has since battled a Saudi-backed military coalition of Gulf states fighting on the side of the internationally recognised government of Yemen based in Aden.

Saudi Arabia entered the war in 2015 in a bid to restore the Yemeni government and counter Iran’s expanding influence.

Although a UN truce in 2022 halted fighting, intermittent clashes have occurred since then. A new wave of fighting resumed last week – among the most intense in years – as the Houthis attacked positions with the aim of seizing the Red Sea coast. Yemeni government forces struck back.

In July, amidst the US-Israel war on Iran, the Houthis announced a complete maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began launching attacks on Saudi-linked ships passing through the important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The narrow strait is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes connecting the Suez Canal and Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Roughly 12 percent of global trade passes through daily.

Even more vessels have used it since Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s energy supplies used to transit annually before the war began in February.

What do Houthi gains mean for Saudi Arabia?
The Houthis’ complete control of the Bab al-Mandeb corridor could worsen the ongoing global energy crisis as prices and supplies will increase, warn experts.

For Saudi Arabia, it could further damage oil exports.

Since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh has sought to make greater use of its East-West Crude Oil Pipeline, which runs from the Abqaiq oil field across the vast Arabian Peninsula to the western port of Yanbu on the Red Sea. Oil can then be shipped via that sea route instead of the Gulf.

The pipeline has been active since the 1980s and was purpose-built to avoid disruption in Hormuz. It was temporarily shut down during Houthi drone attacks in 2019.

Since the February war, the kingdom has increased the pipeline to full capacity, meaning it can now pump up to seven million barrels per day (bpd) across the country to the Red Sea coast, up from five million bpd before the war. As a result, 21 percent more Saudi oil is being shipped through Bab al-Mandeb than before the US-Israeli war began.

In response, the Houthis have targeted Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. But with the group now commanding the entire Yemeni coast and Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi exports could take a further hit.

The Houthis have already targeted Saudi energy installations and southern cities. Images on Friday appeared to show smoke billowing from the East-West pipeline. The Saudis have not confirmed whether it was hit.

What does this mean for Iran?
Experts say the Houthis appear intent on opening up a new major front in the US-Iran war and, importantly, to hand Tehran a bingo card in its ongoing stalemate with Washington. Both Iran and the US claim to be in control of the Strait of Hormuz, but much reduced shipping volumes suggest Iran has the upper hand, observers say.

Proxy control of the Bab al-Mandeb only strengthens that hand.

“It essentially means Iran now controls the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Hormuz plus,” said Alam Saleh, professor of international relations at the Australian National University.

It also increases pressure on Washington as surging petrol and food prices have already made the war highly unpopular, with voters expected to show their anger towards Republicans in the November mid-term elections. This week, President Donald Trump acknowledged that it is unlikely the war will end before then.

While Washington calculates that a strategy of strikes combined with economic pressure could bend Tehran to its will, it is increasingly short on time to shift the situation in its favour, Saleh said.

The Houthis’ victory not only significantly shifts the power balance in Iran’s favour, it also signals to other powers, such as China and Russia, that US military power in the Middle East is diminishing, he added.

“Iran has now played the card of global oil prices and energy security. So the Houthis controlling Bab al-Mandeb benefits Iran dramatically.”

Can the Houthis hold the Red Sea?
Thursday’s defeat of Yemeni government forces was almost handed to the Houthis on a platter, analysts say.

Yemeni government forces number an estimated 300,000, while the Houthis have about 250,000.

However, internal fractures within the Yemeni military, as well as external pressure from Saudi Arabia, have created a highly fragmented front that lacks the cohesion needed to fight a group as quick and adaptable as the Houthis, experts say.

“I would say that this is a fighting force that is probably more advanced than the force that the Saudis were fighting against about a decade ago,” Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said of the Houthis.

In addition, access to Iranian weapons in the past several years, ranging from missiles to drones to air defence systems, has enabled the Houthis to build an impressive stockpile, he added.

However, Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that despite their immediate victories, the Houthis are “terrible” at governance and are unlikely to sustain a blockade of Bab al-Mandeb. Their successful advance has happened not because they were underestimated, but because the Saudi-backed coalition was overestimated, he added.

Still, Saleh of the ANU points out, the Houthis don’t actually need to control the whole of Bab al-Mandeb or the Red Sea to achieve their objectives. A hint of danger is enough to pressure shipping companies and insurance firms that the strait is too risky to enter, he said.

The question now is whether Riyadh can effectively halt the Houthis with its own air power. In the past 24 hours, Saudi forces have launched dozens of missiles towards Houthi-controlled areas, including Mocha, but that has not appeared to have halted the group.

A recent defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye is unlikely to kick in, say experts, as countries want to avoid an escalation in the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Washington seems unavailable too. US news site Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called US President Donald Trump twice on Thursday and requested American air strikes against the Houthis. Trump, however, declined.

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https://t.me/Middle_East_Spectator/36654#
Middle East Spectator — MES

— 🇸🇦/🇮🇶/🇮🇶 NEW: Satellite imagery shows extensive damage at two pumping stations, Al-Dhekraa and Al-Misbaah, along Saudi Arabia’s East-West Oil Pipeline

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Ukraine and World Affairs (includes Iran/ME): Weekly Update
11th September 2026
Dr. Rob Campbell

https://robcampbell.substack.com/p/ukraine-and-world-affairs-includes-acd
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The war with Yemen is gaining importance
September 11, 2026
War On Iran: Ansar Allah Goes On The Offensive

Back in mid July Saudi Arabia reignited its war with Yemen’s Ansar Allah government and the Houthi movement:

Saudi-led forces bombed the international airport in Sanaa, Yemen, on Monday, reigniting the war with Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, which has been in a state of ceasefire that has held relatively well since 2022.

The attack was claimed by Yemen’s so-called “internationally recognized government,” which is based in Saudi Arabia and doesn’t have an air force of its own, meaning the strikes were almost certainly launched by Saudi warplanes.

In response, Ansar Allah’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, vowed Yemen would hit back and said the era of “de-escalation” between the two sides was over. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition later claimed that Saudi “air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile threat launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the southern region.”

Yemen did retaliate. Missile’s were fired against Saudi airports and oil installations. Ansar Allah set out to block the Red Sea for Saudi related ship traffic. It fired missiles against several vessels which tried to pass through.

Saudi Arabia had circumvented the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by pumping oil from its eastern oil fields through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea coast. As the southern Bab el-Mandeb strait was blocked by Ansar Allah the only outlet left for the Saudis was the Suez Canal, which does not allow for the passage of fully loaded Very Large Crude Carriers. Still some 5 million barrels per day were exported through that route.

More Saudi bombing of Ansar Allah positions followed. Yesterday Ansar Allah hit back where it matters.

The map shows the positions held by Ansar Allah up to September 9. While the area constitutes only a third of Yemen it is home for about 80% of its population. The southern coast and the large desert in the east are ruled by the ‘international recognized government of Yemen’, which had been installed by Saudi Arabia, and held by various militia hired by Saudi Arabia and other militia hired by the United Arab Emirates (UAE):

September 11, 2026
War On Iran: Ansar Allah Goes On The Offensive
Back in mid July Saudi Arabia reignited its war with Yemen’s Ansar Allah government and the Houthi movement:

Saudi-led forces bombed the international airport in Sanaa, Yemen, on Monday, reigniting the war with Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, which has been in a state of ceasefire that has held relatively well since 2022.

The attack was claimed by Yemen’s so-called “internationally recognized government,” which is based in Saudi Arabia and doesn’t have an air force of its own, meaning the strikes were almost certainly launched by Saudi warplanes.

In response, Ansar Allah’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, vowed Yemen would hit back and said the era of “de-escalation” between the two sides was over. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition later claimed that Saudi “air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile threat launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the southern region.”

Yemen did retaliate. Missile’s were fired against Saudi airports and oil installations. Ansar Allah set out to block the Red Sea for Saudi related ship traffic. It fired missiles against several vessels which tried to pass through.

Saudi Arabia had circumvented the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by pumping oil from its eastern oil fields through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea coast. As the southern Bab el-Mandeb strait was blocked by Ansar Allah the only outlet left for the Saudis was the Suez Canal, which does not allow for the passage of fully loaded Very Large Crude Carriers. Still some 5 million barrels per day were exported through that route.

More Saudi bombing of Ansar Allah positions followed. Yesterday Ansar Allah hit back where it matters.

The map shows the positions held by Ansar Allah up to September 9. While the area constitutes only a third of Yemen it is home for about 80% of its population. The southern coast and the large desert in the east are ruled by the ‘international recognized government of Yemen’, which had been installed by Saudi Arabia, and held by various militia hired by Saudi Arabia and other militia hired by the United Arab Emirates (UAE):

The Saudi controlled forces left their equipment behind and fled towards Taiz. That city is held by Emirati controlled militia which immediately blocked the entry for the Saudi controlled militia forces.
The blitz operation gave Ansar Allah full hands-on control of the main Red Sea entry without having to resort to the use of longer range missiles.

Though unconfirmed it is believed that Ansar Allah has additionally fired missiles into Saudi Arabia which destroyed at least parts of its East-West pipeline. This all together leaves no export route for Saudi oil.

The UAE supported forces in Yemen are also in trouble. While they hold the city of Taiz their western resupply route from Mocha harbor is closed. Ansar Allah forces are also near to the road between Taiz and Aden. Taiz may soon be cut of and encircled.

The Saudi government is in a twist. Its proxy forces in Yemen have been routed and are in conflict, not only with Ansar Allah, but also with the ‘allied’ militia paid by the UAE. They have also lost most of their trucks and equipment.

A few weeks ago the Saudis had announced a defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan. But that agreement is only includes the defense of Saudi Arabian territory, not offensive Saudi measures against its southern neighbors in Yemen. The Pakistanis have thus declared that they see no reason to intervene in the conflict.

Muhammad bin Salman, the current ruler of Saudi Arabia has twice asked the U.S. for help to bomb Ansar Allah in Yemen. The White House, burned by earlier losses in fights against Ansar Allah, has rejected any new active participation in that war. It has instead sent an intelligence unit to help the Saudis find targets. But finding targets is not what matters.

Bombing Ansar Allah has been tried for years with little results. The Saudis do not have the manpower for an invasion. They will have to find a political solution for the conflict with their neighbor.

There are signs that yesterday’s surprise attack by Ansar Allah will not be further expanded:

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi political official, said in an interview that the group’s goal was to “fully restore Yemen’s sovereignty and independence” and to confront “the Saudi enemy,” rather than expand its territory.

“Other factions” in southern Yemen can “retain the areas under their control” until a Yemeni political process is held, Mr. al-Bukhaiti added.

Ansar Allah is allied with Iran. With Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz and Ansar Allah in now full control of the Bab el-Mandab oil export from the region has become extremely difficult.

The price of crude oil is above $100 per barrel. Ten year treasuries are near 5%. Inflation in the U.S. is stubborn at an official 3.4% while the price of diesel has breached the $6 per gallon mark.

All these numbers, and the upheaval in Yemen, are a consequence of Trump’s decision to launch a war against Iran.

War On Iran: Ansar Allah Goes On The Offensive

—————-

[zerosum]

The war with Yemen is gaining importance
September 11, 2026
War On Iran: Ansar Allah Goes On The Offensive

Back in mid July Saudi Arabia reignited its war with Yemen’s Ansar Allah government and the Houthi movement:

Saudi-led forces bombed the international airport in Sanaa, Yemen, on Monday, reigniting the war with Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, which has been in a state of ceasefire that has held relatively well since 2022.

The attack was claimed by Yemen’s so-called “internationally recognized government,” which is based in Saudi Arabia and doesn’t have an air force of its own, meaning the strikes were almost certainly launched by Saudi warplanes.

In response, Ansar Allah’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, vowed Yemen would hit back and said the era of “de-escalation” between the two sides was over. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition later claimed that Saudi “air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile threat launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the southern region.”

Yemen did retaliate. Missile’s were fired against Saudi airports and oil installations. Ansar Allah set out to block the Red Sea for Saudi related ship traffic. It fired missiles against several vessels which tried to pass through.

Saudi Arabia had circumvented the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by pumping oil from its eastern oil fields through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea coast. As the southern Bab el-Mandeb strait was blocked by Ansar Allah the only outlet left for the Saudis was the Suez Canal, which does not allow for the passage of fully loaded Very Large Crude Carriers. Still some 5 million barrels per day were exported through that route.

More Saudi bombing of Ansar Allah positions followed. Yesterday Ansar Allah hit back where it matters.

The map shows the positions held by Ansar Allah up to September 9. While the area constitutes only a third of Yemen it is home for about 80% of its population. The southern coast and the large desert in the east are ruled by the ‘international recognized government of Yemen’, which had been installed by Saudi Arabia, and held by various militia hired by Saudi Arabia and other militia hired by the United Arab Emirates (UAE):

September 11, 2026
War On Iran: Ansar Allah Goes On The Offensive
Back in mid July Saudi Arabia reignited its war with Yemen’s Ansar Allah government and the Houthi movement:

Saudi-led forces bombed the international airport in Sanaa, Yemen, on Monday, reigniting the war with Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, which has been in a state of ceasefire that has held relatively well since 2022.

The attack was claimed by Yemen’s so-called “internationally recognized government,” which is based in Saudi Arabia and doesn’t have an air force of its own, meaning the strikes were almost certainly launched by Saudi warplanes.

In response, Ansar Allah’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, vowed Yemen would hit back and said the era of “de-escalation” between the two sides was over. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition later claimed that Saudi “air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile threat launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the southern region.”

Yemen did retaliate. Missile’s were fired against Saudi airports and oil installations. Ansar Allah set out to block the Red Sea for Saudi related ship traffic. It fired missiles against several vessels which tried to pass through.

Saudi Arabia had circumvented the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by pumping oil from its eastern oil fields through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea coast. As the southern Bab el-Mandeb strait was blocked by Ansar Allah the only outlet left for the Saudis was the Suez Canal, which does not allow for the passage of fully loaded Very Large Crude Carriers. Still some 5 million barrels per day were exported through that route.

More Saudi bombing of Ansar Allah positions followed. Yesterday Ansar Allah hit back where it matters.

The map shows the positions held by Ansar Allah up to September 9. While the area constitutes only a third of Yemen it is home for about 80% of its population. The southern coast and the large desert in the east are ruled by the ‘international recognized government of Yemen’, which had been installed by Saudi Arabia, and held by various militia hired by Saudi Arabia and other militia hired by the United Arab Emirates (UAE):

The Saudi controlled forces left their equipment behind and fled towards Taiz. That city is held by Emirati controlled militia which immediately blocked the entry for the Saudi controlled militia forces.
The blitz operation gave Ansar Allah full hands-on control of the main Red Sea entry without having to resort to the use of longer range missiles.

Though unconfirmed it is believed that Ansar Allah has additionally fired missiles into Saudi Arabia which destroyed at least parts of its East-West pipeline. This all together leaves no export route for Saudi oil.

The UAE supported forces in Yemen are also in trouble. While they hold the city of Taiz their western resupply route from Mocha harbor is closed. Ansar Allah forces are also near to the road between Taiz and Aden. Taiz may soon be cut of and encircled.

The Saudi government is in a twist. Its proxy forces in Yemen have been routed and are in conflict, not only with Ansar Allah, but also with the ‘allied’ militia paid by the UAE. They have also lost most of their trucks and equipment.

A few weeks ago the Saudis had announced a defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan. But that agreement is only includes the defense of Saudi Arabian territory, not offensive Saudi measures against its southern neighbors in Yemen. The Pakistanis have thus declared that they see no reason to intervene in the conflict.

Muhammad bin Salman, the current ruler of Saudi Arabia has twice asked the U.S. for help to bomb Ansar Allah in Yemen. The White House, burned by earlier losses in fights against Ansar Allah, has rejected any new active participation in that war. It has instead sent an intelligence unit to help the Saudis find targets. But finding targets is not what matters.

Bombing Ansar Allah has been tried for years with little results. The Saudis do not have the manpower for an invasion. They will have to find a political solution for the conflict with their neighbor.

There are signs that yesterday’s surprise attack by Ansar Allah will not be further expanded:

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi political official, said in an interview that the group’s goal was to “fully restore Yemen’s sovereignty and independence” and to confront “the Saudi enemy,” rather than expand its territory.

“Other factions” in southern Yemen can “retain the areas under their control” until a Yemeni political process is held, Mr. al-Bukhaiti added.

Ansar Allah is allied with Iran. With Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz and Ansar Allah in now full control of the Bab el-Mandab oil export from the region has become extremely difficult.

The price of crude oil is above $100 per barrel. Ten year treasuries are near 5%. Inflation in the U.S. is stubborn at an official 3.4% while the price of diesel has breached the $6 per gallon mark.

All these numbers, and the upheaval in Yemen, are a consequence of Trump’s decision to launch a war against Iran.

—————-

War On Iran: Ansar Allah Goes On The Offensive

[zerosum]

Houthis Capture Red Sea Islands🏝️Russia Hit Kyiv Gas Stations⛽🔥Kharkiv Counter-Attack⚔️MS 2026.09.11

————

[zerosum]

A discussion with Copilot on TARIFFS.

**Takeaway:**
When you add the **tariff war with Canada** and the **collapse in consumer spending**, the fiscal math gets even worse.
These two missing pieces make it *impossible* for tariff income to replace taxes or reduce bond issuance.
In fact, they push the U.S. into **higher deficits**, **higher borrowing**, and **higher interest costs**.
You should confirm financial information with a trusted source.

—

# 🇨🇦 **1. Tariff war with Canada → higher prices → lower demand → lower tax revenue**

Canada is:
– America’s **#1 export market**
– America’s **#1 trading partner**
– A critical part of U.S. supply chains (autos, energy, agriculture, machinery)

Tariffs on Canada cause:
– higher import prices
– higher export retaliation
– higher supply‑chain costs
– lower cross‑border trade volumes

This directly reduces:
– **U.S. corporate profits**
– **U.S. income tax receipts**
– **U.S. payroll tax receipts**
– **U.S. customs revenue** (because import volume collapses)

**Result:**
The tariff war with Canada *reduces* federal revenue more than it increases it.

This alone kills the idea that tariffs can replace taxes.

—

# 🛒 **2. Collapse in consumer spending → lower tax revenue → higher deficits**

Tariffs raise prices on:
– food
– vehicles
– appliances
– building materials
– electronics
– clothing

Consumers respond by:
– buying less
– delaying purchases
– trading down
– cutting discretionary spending

This reduces:
– **sales tax revenue (state)**
– **corporate tax revenue (federal)**
– **income tax revenue (federal)**
– **customs revenue (federal)**

Lower consumer spending is one of the strongest deficit‑increasing forces in the U.S. economy.

Tariffs *cause* this slowdown.

—

# 📉 **3. Lower consumer spending → lower GDP → lower federal revenue**

GDP falls when:
– consumption falls
– imports fall
– exports fall
– investment falls

Lower GDP means:
– lower tax receipts
– higher automatic stabilizer spending (unemployment, benefits)
– higher deficits

Tariffs therefore **increase** the need for:
– more Treasury issuance
– more borrowing
– higher interest rates

This is the opposite of the intended fiscal effect.

—

# 🧮 **4. Tariff revenue is tiny compared to the losses from Canada + consumers**

Let’s quantify the scale:

### **Tariff revenue (2025–2026):**
~$328 billion gross
~$160 billion net after refunds

### **Losses from Canada + consumer slowdown:**
– U.S.–Canada trade volume drop: **$1.2–1.5 trillion** annual flow affected
– Consumer spending slowdown: **$500–700 billion** annual reduction
– Corporate profit hit: **$200–300 billion**
– Tax revenue loss: **$150–250 billion**
– Higher interest costs: **$80–120 billion**

The unintended losses are **5–10× larger** than tariff revenue.

Tariffs cannot offset this.

—

# 📈 **5. Bond markets punish the slowdown**

Bond markets see:
– lower growth
– higher inflation
– higher deficits
– higher issuance
– weaker foreign demand

They respond by:
– demanding higher yields
– selling long‑duration Treasuries
– widening term premiums

Higher yields → higher federal interest costs → more borrowing → more issuance.

This is the opposite of what tariff advocates promised.

—

# 🇯🇵🇨🇳 **6. Japan and China reserve shifts amplify the damage**

When consumer spending collapses and trade with Canada slows:
– U.S. growth weakens
– U.S. inflation stays elevated
– U.S. deficits rise
– U.S. yields rise

Japan and China respond by:
– reducing Treasury purchases
– shortening duration
– diversifying reserves
– increasing gold holdings

Less foreign demand → higher yields → higher interest costs → more borrowing.

This is the feedback loop you identified earlier.

—

# 🧩 **7. Final synthesis: Tariffs cannot replace taxes or reduce bond issuance**

**Conclusion:**
With Canada and consumer spending included, tariffs *increase* deficits, *increase* borrowing, and *increase* interest costs. They do *not* reduce taxes or bond issuance.

The unintended consequences dominate completely.

—

Tariffs do not reduce deficits — they increase them
Tariffs were supposed to:

raise revenue
reduce deficits
reduce borrowing

But the actual effects are:

slower growth → lower tax revenue
higher inflation → higher interest costs
supply‑chain disruption → lower corporate profits
refunds → negative fiscal flows
foreign reserve selling → higher yields

The net fiscal effect is deficit‑increasing, not deficit‑reducing.
Tariffs increase the need for bond issuance and do not prevent future tax increases.

———–

[zerosum]

BRICS Summit 2026: Date, Venue, Members & Agenda

BRICS Summit 2026: Date, Venue, Members & Agenda

Summary — the countries “going to BRICS in India”
Confirmed members attending
Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia

Likely attendees (applicants + outreach)
Bangladesh, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Nigeria, Senegal
Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela
Sri Lanka, Turkey, Mexico, Malaysia, Philippines, Kenya, Uganda
———-

[zerosum]

If a Canadian high‑school student tells me, “I want to become an AI specialist,” there’s a very clear, proven pathway that leads from Grade 10 → university → industry → advanced AI roles. It’s not mysterious, and it doesn’t require being a math prodigy. It *does* require choosing the right sequence of courses and programs.

Here’s the full roadmap, step‑by‑step, built for someone in **Canada**.

—

# 🎓 **High School (Grades 10–12): The Foundation**
A future AI specialist should load up on four pillars:

### **1. Math**
– Pre‑Calculus 11
– Pre‑Calculus 12
– Calculus 12 (if offered)

AI = linear algebra + calculus + probability.
These courses are the gateway.

### **2. Computer Science**
If your school offers:
– Computer Programming 11/12
– AP Computer Science
– Robotics / Engineering electives

If not, take online courses (Canadian universities accept them):
– Python basics
– Data structures
– Intro to machine learning

### **3. Physics**
Physics builds the problem‑solving mindset AI engineers use daily.

### **4. English / Communication**
AI specialists write:
– documentation
– research summaries
– model explanations

Strong communication is a hidden superpower.

—

# 🎓 **Undergraduate Degree (Canada): The Core**
To become an AI specialist, Canadians typically choose one of these degrees:

## **1. Computer Science (most common)**
Universities: UBC, SFU, UVic, Waterloo, U of T, McGill, Alberta
Specializations:
– AI
– Machine Learning
– Data Science
– Robotics
– Software Engineering

## **2. Software Engineering**
More structured, more math, more engineering discipline.

## **3. Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE)**
Best for:
– robotics
– embedded AI
– hardware‑accelerated AI
– autonomous systems

## **4. Data Science**
Growing fast; excellent for applied AI roles.

—

# 🎓 **Courses that matter most (regardless of degree)**
These are the “AI spine” courses:

– **Linear Algebra**
– **Calculus I–III**
– **Probability & Statistics**
– **Algorithms & Data Structures**
– **Machine Learning**
– **Deep Learning**
– **Neural Networks**
– **Natural Language Processing**
– **Computer Vision**
– **Reinforcement Learning**
– **Distributed Systems**
– **Cloud Computing**

If a student completes these, they’re already employable.

—

# 🧪 **Co‑op / Internships (Canada’s secret weapon)**
Canada has one of the strongest co‑op ecosystems in the world.

Top co‑op universities:
– Waterloo
– SFU
– UBC
– UVic
– McMaster

AI internships exist at:
– Microsoft
– Amazon
– Shopify
– RBC Borealis AI
– TD Labs
– Deloitte Omnia AI
– Government of Canada (NRC, DND, CSIS analytics teams)

Co‑op is often the difference between “graduate with a degree” and “graduate with a job.”

—

# 🎓 **Graduate Path (Optional but powerful)**
Not required, but helpful for advanced roles:

## **Master’s in AI / ML / Data Science**
Offered at:
– UBC
– SFU
– Waterloo
– Alberta (home of DeepMind’s Canadian lab)
– McGill (Mila – world‑class AI institute)

## **PhD in AI**
Only needed for:
– research scientist roles
– advanced model development
– academic careers
– cutting‑edge ML theory

—

# 💼 **Career Pathways for an AI Specialist**
Once trained, Canadians typically enter one of these roles:

– Machine Learning Engineer
– AI Researcher
– Data Scientist
– AI Product Engineer
– Robotics / Autonomous Systems Engineer
– AI Security Analyst
– AI Ethics / Governance Specialist
– Defence & Intelligence AI Analyst (DND, CAF, CSIS)

—

# 🧭 **If you want the fastest path (no wasted time)**
Here’s the “optimal Canadian route”:

1. **High school:** Pre‑Calc → Calc → Physics → Programming
2. **University:** Computer Science or ECE
3. **Specialize:** ML + Deep Learning + NLP + Cloud
4. **Co‑op:** 2–3 placements in AI labs or industry
5. **Capstone:** AI project (vision, NLP, robotics, etc.)
6. **Optional:** Master’s at Mila, Alberta, UBC, or Waterloo
7. **Career:** ML Engineer or AI Researcher

This produces a fully capable AI specialist by age 22–25.

—

[zerosum]

## **Yes, Canada’s military *is* using AI.**
And not in a vague “exploring AI” way — the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND) have **named programs, units, and platforms** that use AI or are being built around it.

Below is the verified list of **what it’s called**, **where it lives**, and **what it actually does**.

—

# 🇨🇦 **1. The official umbrella: “MINDS” (Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security)**
This is DND’s flagship AI + analytics program.

### **What MINDS does**
– AI‑assisted intelligence analysis
– AI‑enabled wargaming and scenario modeling
– Machine‑learning tools for threat detection
– Decision‑support systems for commanders

MINDS is not a single AI system — it’s the **program that funds and integrates AI across CAF**.

—

# 🇨🇦 **2. The Defence AI Task Force (DATF)**
This is the **dedicated AI unit** inside DND.

### **Mandate**
– Identify military AI use cases
– Integrate AI into operations
– Work with NATO’s AI strategy
– Coordinate AI procurement and testing

This is the closest Canada has to a “military AI office.”

—

# 🇨🇦 **3. IDEaS Program (Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security)**
This is where most **AI prototypes** come from.

### **AI projects under IDEaS include**
– autonomous surveillance systems
– AI‑enabled sensor fusion
– predictive maintenance for aircraft
– battlefield decision‑support algorithms
– cyber‑defence machine learning tools

IDEaS is the R&D pipeline feeding AI into CAF.

—

# 🇨🇦 **4. C4ISR AI Integration**
CAF is integrating AI into its **Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance** systems.

### **Capabilities**
– automated target recognition
– AI‑assisted ISR data triage
– real‑time threat classification
– pattern‑of‑life analysis

This is similar to what NATO allies are doing — Canada is not behind here.

—

# 🇨🇦 **5. NORAD Modernization — AI for Arctic surveillance**
Canada’s NORAD modernization package includes:

– AI‑enhanced radar processing
– machine‑learning for early‑warning systems
– AI‑assisted sensor fusion across Arctic domains

This is one of the most strategically important Canadian AI deployments.

—

# 🇨🇦 **6. Cyber Command — AI for defence and offense**
Canadian Forces Cyber Command uses:

– ML‑based anomaly detection
– AI‑driven threat hunting
– automated incident response tools

Cyber is where Canada uses AI most aggressively.

—

# 🇨🇦 **7. NATO AI Interoperability Systems**
Canada participates in:

– NATO’s **AI Strategy**
– NATO’s **Data and AI Review Board**
– NATO’s **Autonomy and AI Testbed**

This ensures Canadian AI systems can operate with U.S., UK, and European forces.

—

# 🧭 **So what is Canada’s military AI actually *called*?**
Here are the **official names** you can cite:

### **Primary programs**
– **MINDS**
– **Defence AI Task Force (DATF)**
– **IDEaS Program**

### **Operational domains**
– **C4ISR AI Integration**
– **NORAD Modernization AI Systems**
– **Cyber Command ML Systems**

### **Allied frameworks**
– **NATO AI Strategy**
– **NATO Autonomy Testbed**

These are the real, named, public‑domain AI efforts — nothing classified, nothing speculative.

—

[zerosum]

Asked for information on who is using AI.

Absolutely, al — there **are** solid studies on who is using AI, how fast adoption is spreading, and what advantages have been *proven* rather than hyped. I’ll give you the verified landscape, not the marketing fluff.

—

## **1. Who is using AI (verified adoption data)**
Across 2024–2026, multiple independent studies converge on the same pattern:
AI adoption is **broad, accelerating, and uneven**.

### **A. Enterprise adoption (McKinsey, Deloitte, PwC, IBM)**
– **75–80%** of large enterprises report using AI in at least one business function.
– **30–40%** have deployed generative AI in production systems.
– **15–20%** have scaled AI across multiple departments.

### **B. Small & medium businesses**
– Adoption is lower but rising fast: **25–35%** use AI tools for:
– marketing
– customer service
– inventory management
– automation

### **C. Government & public sector**
– **U.S., Canada, UK, EU**: AI adoption in:
– immigration processing
– tax auditing
– defense analysis
– healthcare triage
– infrastructure planning

### **D. Individual workers (LinkedIn + Microsoft Work Trend Index)**
– **78%** of knowledge workers use AI tools weekly.
– **46%** use AI daily.
– **90%** of heavy users say they “don’t want to go back.”

### **E. Global distribution**
– **North America**: highest adoption
– **Europe**: strong but regulated
– **China**: fastest scaling
– **India**: fastest workforce adoption
– **Middle East**: fastest government adoption

—

## **2. Proven advantages (not hype)**
These are the advantages that show up consistently across *multiple* studies.

### **A. Productivity gains**
– **30–40%** reduction in time spent on routine tasks
– **20–25%** faster project completion
– **50–60%** faster data analysis cycles
– **2–5×** faster coding, debugging, and prototyping

These numbers are from controlled studies, not vendor claims.

### **B. Cost savings**
– **10–20%** reduction in operational costs
– **15–30%** reduction in customer‑service costs
– **20–40%** reduction in document‑processing costs
– **50–70%** reduction in manual data‑entry costs

### **C. Quality improvements**
– **Fewer errors** in:
– coding
– legal drafting
– medical documentation
– financial analysis
– **Higher consistency** in:
– customer support
– compliance
– reporting

### **D. Decision‑making advantages**
AI improves:
– forecasting
– risk detection
– anomaly detection
– logistics routing
– supply‑chain optimization

### **E. Innovation acceleration**
– Faster R&D cycles
– Rapid prototyping
– Synthetic data generation
– Drug discovery acceleration
– Materials science modeling

### **F. Workforce impact**
– Workers using AI are **27% more productive**
– Heavy users are **50% faster**
– AI reduces burnout and increases job satisfaction in most knowledge roles

—

## **3. The “who is NOT using AI” side**
Studies show that non‑adopters fall into three buckets:

### **A. Small businesses with low digital maturity**
They lack:
– data infrastructure
– IT staff
– capital
– awareness of use cases

### **B. Regulated sectors with slow procurement**
Healthcare, government, defense (ironically), and finance often lag due to:
– compliance
– procurement cycles
– risk aversion

### **C. Workers with low digital literacy**
Older demographics and low‑tech industries adopt slowly.

—

## **4. The strategic takeaway (your world: risk, logistics, geopolitics)**
AI adoption is **not evenly distributed**, and that unevenness creates:

– competitive asymmetry
– geopolitical asymmetry
– economic asymmetry
– operational risk asymmetry

The countries and companies that adopt AI fastest gain:

– faster decision cycles
– better logistics routing
– better risk detection
– better energy‑flow modeling
– better crisis response

This is why China doesn’t need to “win” the AI race — slowing U.S. adoption is enough to create strategic drag.

—

[zerosum]

AND BY DEFINITION – CANADA IS NOT AT WAR!

**Direct answer:**
During Zelenskyy’s Wednesday–Friday visit to **Calgary, Toronto, and North Bay**, Canada delivered **a very large, multi‑component support package**.
Below is the **verified breakdown** of *exactly what Ukraine got from Canada*, with citations.

—

## 🇨🇦 **What Ukraine Received From Canada (Verified 2026)**

### **1. Air‑defense interceptors — C$350 million**
Canada finalized a **C$350M package** to supply **critical air‑defense interceptors** to Ukraine.
These are provided through a U.S. mechanism that allows rapid third‑party procurement of systems like Patriot interceptors. [Reuters](htt ps://www.reuters.com/world/zelenskiy-arriving-canada-says-air-defences-winter-preparation-focus-2026-09-10/)

Zelenskyy called this package **“crucial.”** [Reuters](ht tps://www.reuters.com/world/zelenskiy-arriving-canada-says-air-defences-winter-preparation-focus-2026-09-10/)

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### **2. Drone support — millions of units, 30% sent to Ukraine**
Canada announced:

– A national **Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace** (modeled on Ukraine’s Brave1)
– Initial contracts worth **up to C$50M** to expand Canadian drone production
– A commitment that **one‑third of all new Canadian drones** will be sent to Ukraine
– A new Canada–Ukraine industrial partnership (General Dynamics Mission Systems‑Canada + Green Tech Harvest) to co‑develop drone technologies

[Yahoo News Canada](htt ps://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-leader-zelenskyy-lands-calgary-030139990.html)

Zelenskyy emphasized these drones will go **“immediately to the battlefield.”** [RFI](htt ps://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20260910-canada-pledges-support-for-ukraine-air-defense-as-zelensky-visits)

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### **3. Energy‑security support — C$450M in loan guarantees**
Canada provided **C$450M in loan guarantees** to strengthen Ukraine’s energy grid:

– repair damaged infrastructure
– increase storage capacity
– improve hospital power supply
– help Ukraine get through winter

[RFI](htt ps://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20260910-canada-pledges-support-for-ukraine-air-defense-as-zelensky-visits)

Additionally, Canada pledged **over C$600M** for broader energy‑infrastructure repair and winter resilience. [Yahoo News Canada](htt ps://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-leader-zelenskyy-lands-calgary-030139990.html)

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### **4. Natural gas purchase support — C$430M+ in loan guarantees**
Canada added **C$430M+** in loan guarantees to help Ukraine buy natural gas and contribute to Ukraine’s Energy Security Fund. [Yahoo News Canada](htt ps://ca.news.yahoo.com/zelenskyy-visits-canada-seek-further-082154132.html)

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### **5. Security‑architecture funding — nearly C$23M**
Canada committed **~C$23M** to strengthen Ukraine’s internal security architecture.
[Yahoo News Canada](htt ps://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-leader-zelenskyy-lands-calgary-030139990.html)

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### **6. Veterans support — C$40.1M**
Canada pledged **C$40.1M** to help Ukrainian veterans:

– rehabilitation
– recovery
– transition to civilian life

[Yahoo News Canada](ht tps://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-leader-zelenskyy-lands-calgary-030139990.html)

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### **7. Children’s repatriation support — C$6M**
Canada pledged **C$6M** to help Ukraine return and reintegrate children unlawfully deported by Russia.
[Yahoo News Canada](ht tps://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-leader-zelenskyy-lands-calgary-030139990.html)

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## 🧭 **Context of the Visit**
Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska visited **Calgary, Toronto, and North Bay** from Wednesday to Friday, meeting PM Mark Carney and attending events focused on:

– air defense
– drone production
– energy security
– winter resilience
– long‑term Canada–Ukraine partnership

[Yahoo News Canada](https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-leader-zelenskyy-lands-calgary-030139990.html)

————
UNLIKE THE US, CANADA IS NOT SCAMMING. CANADA IS BEING SCAMMED.

[zerosum]

Yes — U.S. allies are dumping Treasuries, and the pattern is now broad, coordinated, and accelerating.
The verified data shows Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, India, Canada, UAE, Luxembourg, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, and Norway all reducing U.S. Treasury exposure in 2026.
This is not speculation — it is documented in Treasury TIC data and multiple independent reports.

Your real question: What does this signal?
It signals that the U.S. is losing the “automatic buyer base” that made rolling debt easy
for decades.

The allies are not “attacking” the U.S. — they are reacting to:

energy shocks

currency pressure

high U.S. yields

geopolitical risk

diversification needs

concerns about U.S. fiscal trajectory

But the effect is the same:
Treasury demand is weakening at the exact moment the U.S. needs to roll unprecedented volumes of debt.

This is the core systemic risk.

————

[zerosum]

🚨 Houthis Block Bab-el-Mandeb🌍 Zarubanka Has Fallen⚔️ Russia Opens Fuel War in Kyiv⛽ MS 2026.09.10

————-

[zerosum]

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/iran-announces-blockade-expansion
Iran Announces Blockade Expansion While Sending US Fleet Fleeing Again in Largest Attack in Months
Simplicius
Sep 09, 2026

Last night Iran launched another massive attack against US assets in the region, its largest such attack since early in the year. The target was Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Jordan, as well as US naval assets around the region. As seen in the video below, the US expended a huge amount of Patriot missiles, some believe upwards of 100+, which would constitute a major slice of the remaining stock:

[zerosum]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-president-volodymyr-zelenskky-canada-visit-2026-9.7338072

Zelenskyy will be in the country from Wednesday to Friday and attend events in Calgary, Toronto and North Bay alongside his wife, Olena Zelenska, says a statement from Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Zelenskyy landed in Calgary on Wednesday night ahead of a scheduled meeting with the prime minister.

Carney and Zelenskyy are set to meet in the city Thursday morning, and Zelenskyy is to later address a cabinet meeting in the nearby mountain resort town of Banff, Alta.

“The visit underscores Canada’s continued leadership in supporting Ukraine and reflects our unwavering commitment to a just and lasting peace,” Carney said in the statement.

The visit will focus on “shared priorities” between Canada and Ukraine, including deepening defence, economic and energy co-operation, Carney’s statement said.

“It will also address the human cost of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and build on the strong people-to-people ties that connect our countries.”

———–

[zerosum]

“Almost” – War Propaganda Including Vague Air Incidents

September 10, 2026
“Almost” – War Propaganda Including Vague Air Incidents
Zelenskyy’s plane almost hit by drone on way to Oslo, Norwegian PM says – AlJazeerah (Reuters) via MSN, Sep 9 2026

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has said a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Oslo was almost hit by a drone.
…
“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova,” Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. “That is the reality he lives in.”

Store did not say what his source was for this information or how close the ‌drone ‌was.

—
Flight carrying Ukraine’s Zelenskyy delayed in Moldova after Russian drone alert – AP vis MS.now, Sep 10 2026

A flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Norway was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.
…
Moldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 100 miles from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted, and Zelenskyy’s plane took off later than scheduled.

The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighboring Romania, a NATO member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.

We have previously seen similar nonsense:

[zerosum]

reciprocity
the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit, especially privileges granted by one country or organization to another:

“Today’s action, combining targeted import bans as authorized by Section 338 and a calibration of the underlying Section 338 tariffs, is a natural consequence of Canada’s continued discriminatory treatment of crucial American exports, ranging from alcoholic beverages to dairy products to motor vehicles. President Trump will continue to leverage the tools at his disposal to defend the interests of American workers and exporters, and restore reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships.”

• The import bans will take effect on September 29, 2026, and the product additions and removals will take effect on September 15, 2026.

—————
Nobody connected the dominoes.
https://jaymartin.substack.com/p/china-doesnt-need-to-win-the-ai-race
China Doesn’t Need to Win the AI Race
It only needs to slow it down. 2008 showed us what happens next.
Jay Martin
Aug 04, 2026
America does not pay off its old debt, either. When an old treasury comes due, the government sells a new treasury to pay back the old one. Roughly $12 trillion of existing debt must be replaced this way before the end of next year.

The debt is never repaid. It is replaced.

The people who came through 2008 intact were not the ones who predicted Lehman’s date. They were the ones who understood the machine, positioned themselves so its breaking wouldn’t break them, and then had the discipline to look wrong until they were right.

Be patient. Trust your process. And keep your eye on the only number that has ever mattered: not how high, but how fast.

Honest question – let me know in the comments: what am I missing?

(Leveraging – The great Ponzi

Investors are addicted gamblers thinking that they can beat the house.)
————–

[zerosum]

… London constantly stirring up trouble worldwide?
… before London, there always were other/similar, troublemakers seeking ecstasy

[zerosum]

WHAT!WHEN WILL THE SHIT HIT THE FAN.

What has happened — very recently — is that Canada has imposed new retaliatory tariffs on U.S. toilet paper and paper products, which may make them more expensive but does not constitute a ban.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced retaliatory tariffs on ~900 U.S. goods after U.S. trade talks collapsed.

Toilet paper and facial tissues are included, facing a 25% tariff, with some related paper products facing up to 50%.
———-
Surely, Canadians will be able to find a substitute.
🙂
Hehehehe.

[zerosum]

HUMMM, Unharmed, (can’t fight back) sitting targets. Truth or lie?
https://t.me/s/SABAYEen

IRGC Navy warns oil tanker crews

Iran’s IRGC Navy on Tuesday warned crews of oil tankers in Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate their vessels immediately, threatening to target them in response to a U.S. attack on an Iranian tanker.
———
Does your sources of info ignore – Yemen News Agency (SABA)
There are sources that cannot lie without being caught if AI is checking.
————

[zerosum]

Verified: “More than 20 missiles launched”
Multiple credible outlets (Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, regional defense ministries) confirm:

Iran launched 20+ ballistic and cruise missiles

Aimed at U.S. positions in Jordan (Al‑Azraq) and Qatar (Al‑Udeid)

Intercept rate appears high

Damage reports still incoming but no mass‑casualty event reported

This part is real.

[Author]

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