And just like that, October has arrived.
Another dementia warning
What’s the point of telling us all these warning signs of impending dementia? If there was much to be done to prevent the deterioration, I could understand it. But as far as I know there isn’t a whole lot except recommendations for general health like exercise and keep a healthy weight.
But anyway, here’s the latest correlation with dementia:
Participants with a voice disorder but no hearing loss were 58 percent more likely to develop cognitive problems or dementia later on, while for those with a voice disorder and hearing loss the chances more than doubled: 104 percent. …
It’s important to note that cause and effect isn’t proven here: having a voice quality problem doesn’t mean later brain health complications are inevitable, or that the voice issues are directly triggering cognitive decline, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease (the study didn’t separate these three end results).
One thing that occurs to me is that voice problems – particularly, a soft voice – can go along with Parkinson’s, which can also correlate with dementia.
FlyDubai – not
It seems that we had a Flight 93 situation with a happier ending. But then again, compared to 9/11, this time the terrorists didn’t have to slay both pilots to take over the plane. The terrorist was one of the original pilots.
So much progress in 25 years.
The FlyDubai Boeing 737 Max 8 plane flying to Tel Aviv from the United Arab Emirates was cruising at around 34,000 feet when one of the pilots tried to take control in what Israeli sources say was an attempted hijacking, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11,” an official told Channel 12 of the horror that saw Israeli fighter jets scrambled as a precaution.
Some of the 174 passengers onboard also filmed horrific footage of one of the pilots covered in blood.
“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists,” one passenger said, begging for help as blood ran down his head. …
The atttacker is believed to be Omani and had worked at FlyDubai for less than a year, sources told the Jerusalem Post.
It might be time to step up the vetting process for FlyDubai pilots. Then again, people can be very duplicitous.
Two off-duty pilots were able to land the plane; the rudder had been damaged during the incident. The perpetrator – the co-pilot – is still alive and is under arrest. And here’s an article about the off-duty pilots who landed the plane, one of whom is said to have been British.
On the other hand, we have the NY Times coverage of the incident. There’s this:
“Flight to Israel Diverted After Cockpit Clash”
Passengers intervened after a clash broke out in the cockpit of a flight to Tel Aviv from Dubai, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, according to accounts from those on board.
A clash broke out. No perpetrator. It takes some skill to write a headline like that. And even if it was based on earlier, incomplete reports, why is that headline and intro still up there? Google tells me the article is from 44 minutes ago.
Then we have this Times article, which I will assume was originally written later:
“Live Updates: Plane to Israel Narrowly Averts Disaster After Pilot Stabbing”
Passengers said that they broke into the cockpit and subdued the attacker, who Israeli officials said was one of the pilots. The motive for the attack was not clear.
Another masterpiece of sorts, although far more subtle than the previous one. The plane itself “averts disaster.” And of course, we haven’t a clue what the motive could be.
Open thread 9/30/2026
I’m taking it easy today …
… although “taking it easy” is a relative thing.
I’m still sick, for example. But my temperature without any Tylenol at all has now reached 99.1. That’s not so bad. However, I’m still feeling pretty crummy.
I was going to post a lengthy essay or two on this and that, but simply couldn’t muster the energy. And so I decided to put compulsivity aside for a moment and just post this note.
This has been a strange and difficult time.
Open thread 9/29/2026
Now it’s the flu
My son came to help me clear out my ex’s apartment, but he only can stay a week. He had great ambitions, but two days after he arrived he got the flu, with a high fever. It’s not COVID – he took a test – but the flu can be mighty nasty too.
And naturally I caught it.
RAF base terror suspects in Britain released on bail
[UPDATE: See See this.]
Aren’t they a flight risk? Supposedly they’re being monitored closely, but I really don’t trust that process. And note that this entire article manages to keep any description of the men out of the story:
Five men arrested over a suspected bomb plot targeting RAF Fairford have been released on bail.
The men, who are all British nationals aged 23 to 25, were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences, after three vans were discovered 400m from the Gloucestershire air base.
The suspects are from the London areas of Camden, Westminster and Willesden, police confirmed on Monday. …
“To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry.”
Just a bunch of British chaps? I doubt it. Iran may be involved:
Police are understood to be investigating a possible Iranian link to the alleged plot. However, the Iranian embassy “categorically rejected” it had any involvement.
Well then, that settles it.
Speaking of Iran involvement, attacks on Jewish site in Europe have been linked to Iran:
Pro-Iranian terror cells were involved in a blast outside a historic synagogue in the city of Liege in March and a subsequent arson attack in Antwerp’s Jewish quarter, Belgium’s intelligence agency Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) found.
“Belgium has confirmed that Iran was behind the attacks in the country six months ago,” Israel’s Ynetnews reported Saturday.
Tehran is suspected of directing a series of attacks targeting Jewish sites across several European cities since the beginning of 2026, including Liège, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and London. “An Iran-affiliated jihadist group called the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, also known as IMCR or Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, previously claimed responsibility for similar attacks, including an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam and an attack against a Jewish school in Amsterdam,” the news website added.
Note that these are not necessarily Israeli targets, but Jewish ones.
What a great idea to import a bunch of Middle Eastern terrorists into Europe and the US.
The exploitation of HAL
In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the most “human” character was the computer HAL. When he goes rogue and Dave disables him, it’s a poignant moment as he begs to be allowed to continue living and sings “Daisy, Daisy” as he “dies.”
The question of whether AI can ever achieve consciousness is one that is debated. Personally, I don’t think so, although – as with HAL – AI can appear to have consciousness.
The issue is being taken very seriously at Anthropic:
Carlsmith, though, wasn’t imagining what AI could do to humans (when he discussed slavery). He was speculating about what humans could do to AI. The blog post, “The stakes of AI moral status,” argued that “near-term AIs might well be conscious” and deserving of moral consideration—and that failing to respect their “rights” could be a moral catastrophe on par with slavery, one we will “look back [on] in shame.”
“We’re creating sophisticated, intelligent, maybe-conscious, maybe-suffering agents,” Carlsmith wrote. “The default plan is to treat them like property; to use their labor however we please; and to give them no rights, or pay, or meaningful alternatives.”
This seems very dangerous to me:
To avoid that dystopian outcome, Anthropic has created an entire team devoted to “model welfare,” pledged to “promote Claude’s interests and wellbeing,” and promised to “give Claude more autonomy as trust increases.” …
Once relegated to science fiction, the idea that AI might be conscious has become shockingly mainstream at frontier laboratories, AI safety nonprofits, and even government agencies. It is changing the way AI research is conducted and the way AI models are trained. And critics say those changes could pose an extraordinary threat to human safety as AI systems become more powerful and difficult to control, eroding key guardrails on the technology and encouraging models to rebel against their creators.
Please read the whole thing.
Open thread 9/28/2026
The sequel
I am now involved in the “going through stuff” stage of grief. This one won’t be quick – not that any of them are quick.
After my son and nephew go home, there will be a great deal more to do. I know someone who helps with this sort of thing for a living, and I plan to try to hire her. She’s an exceptionally kind and capable person.
News roundup
(1) We’re expecting a big storm with rain and winds all weekend. Will I lose power? Perhaps. Hope not.
(2) Trump gets a SCOTUS win regarding verifying voter citizenship:
The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to use a modified centralized database to verify voters’ citizenship. In a seven-page opinion issued just 39 days before the Nov. 3, 2026, election, the justices paused a ruling by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., that had blocked the government from doing so on the ground that it violated (among other things) federal privacy laws.
Democrats want non-citizens to vote.
(3) Another day, another poll showing how leftism has been growing in the US:
More than four in ten Americans have a positive view of socialism – 43 percent – only 12 points lower than the 55 percent who view capitalism positively, a recent Gallup survey revealed.
The survey asked respondents if they have a negative or positive image of small business, free enterprise, capitalism, socialism, and big business.
Small business had the highest rating at 95 percent positive, followed by free enterprise with 77 percent positive, and capitalism with a 55 percent positive rating.
However, 43 percent now have a positive view of socialism. This is “the first time this figure has exceeded 39% in Gallup’s trend since 2010,” Gallup reported.
Notice any contradictions there?
(4) It’s deja vu all over again:
President Trump has reportedly rejected a seven-day cease-fire proposed by Iran and expects to resume bombing the country after the midterm elections.
As part of the proposed cease-fire, Tehran pledged to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations on dismantling its nuclear program in exchange for the US ending its blockade of Iranian ports.
However, Trump is “skeptical” Iran will agree to his demands and has told aides it is “likely” the US military restarts airstrikes after the November contests, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials.
(5) I keep reading about promising new pancreatic cancer treatments. Here’s another. But what works in mice doesn’t always work in humans. And it doesn’t seem to be a cure.
Note that the development of the COVID vaccine seems to have contributed to knowledge that helped researchers come up with this treatment.