Ice In Kharkiv

Some images

Good Afternoon:

I spent the day learning about the war in Ukraine from the specific vantage point of the city of Kharkiv. I took an enormous number of pictures, which I am trying to organizing into a photo essay. And I have a great deal to say about what I have seen.

In the meantime, however, here are some pictures of ice in Kharkiv:

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Yesterday on #DogShirtTV, I attempted an impromptu evening show. Internet connectivity issues cut me off early, but I managed 26 minutes of discussion of the city of Kharkiv.

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Yesterday On Lawfare

Compiled by the estimable Marissa Wang

Another Misstep in U.S.-China Tech Security Policy

Justin Sherman explains how the Trump administration’s personnel cuts at the Office of Information and Communications Technology Services is evocative of a larger policy shift that is weakening the U.S. technology and national security toolkit.

The rapidly shifting global threat environment does not pause just because the U.S. government has decided to intentionally weaken its own national security and technology regulatory apparatus, with no apparent strategy, logic, or foresight whatsoever. The U.S.’s foreign adversaries continue to engage in cyber espionage, inject (also known as “preposition”) malware in U.S. critical infrastructure (so that it can be activated later), and carry out a wide range of activities to steal U.S. technology and data, infiltrate U.S. tech supply chains, and much more. As technology supply chains continue to become more interconnected and interdependent, these risks will only grow—as will the complexity of identifying, assessing, and mitigating them.

Public Service in America: A Decade of Danger and the Choice to Fix It

Isabella Ulloa and Abby André evaluate 10 years worth of data showing how rising threats and instances of violence against public servants constitute a national crisis that is hollowing out American governance.

We’re in a national crisis: Public service in the United States is more dangerous today than in recent history. Threats against the U.S.’s nearly 40 million current and former public servants span vitriolic statements, doxxing (publishing private information online with malicious intent), swatting (falsely reporting a serious event to law enforcement or emergency responders), harassment, stalking, assault, and even murder, and they’re increasingly happening at every level of government, including at the local level.

Podcasts

On Lawfare Daily, Cynthia Miller-Idriss joins Daniel Byman to discuss her new book, “Man Up: The New Misogyny & the Rise of Violent Extremism.” The pair explore how misogyny can lead to political and social violence and why scholarship and media tend to ignore the role of gender.

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Today’s #BeastOfTheDay is the lioness, seen here dominating the competition:

Video Source

In honor of today’s Beast, don’t hesitate to humiliate your inferiors.

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A #BeastOfTheDay Game

I—EJ Wittes—have discovered an online game that has the temerity, the absolute gall, to present an alternate #BeastOfTheDay. Unfortunately, the game is also super fun and educational, so, despite its overwhelming hubris, I feel compelled to share it with you all.

The game is called Metazooa, and it’s essentially Wordle, except with Beasts instead of letters. Every day, Metazooa has a Beast of the Day, and the player has 20 guesses to identify it. With each Beast you guess, you get the branching-off point in the taxonomic tree between your guess and the correct Beast. You also get a link to the Wikipedia article on the relevant taxonomic group.

Here’s an example: