Fear and Religion

Jason Philosophy, Religion

Natural laws govern the universe without regard for human emotion or purpose. These laws are neither benevolent nor malevolent; they are fundamentally indifferent. As our understanding of the cosmos has deepened, this indifference has only become more apparent. The more the universe appears comprehensible, the more it reveals its lack of inherent meaning or purpose.

The ongoing tragedy of human existence lies in the inability to fully grasp why the universe is as it is. Nature is neither just nor unjust—it simply exists, indifferent to human interpretation.

Faced with this existential void, humanity has historically sought to create meaning through culture, relationships, and spiritual practices. Art, love, and religion emerged as tools for confronting the unsettling realization of our accidental existence. Religion, in particular, has played a central role in providing frameworks for understanding and responding to the universe’s indifference.

Religious systems often transformed the indifferent cosmos into a purposeful, yet often intimidating deity. This construct required submission, compliance, and moral adherence in exchange for perceived protection or favor. Religious authorities, including prophets, saints, and clergy, reinforced these systems, offering explanations and guidelines for navigating life’s uncertainties. However, these institutions have also had significant drawbacks, particularly in their resistance to scientific progress and their role in societal conflict.

The age of scientific discovery, marked by figures such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Darwin, revealed tensions between empirical inquiry and religious dogma. Religious institutions frequently obstructed advancements that challenged established beliefs. This historical friction illustrates the broader challenge of reconciling human desire for meaning with the impartial truths uncovered by science.

Religious ideologies, while offering comfort to some, have also contributed to division and conflict, impeding efforts toward global harmony. The human inclination to seek definitive answers often leads to rigid systems of belief, which can obstruct understanding and coexistence.

Humanity’s quest for meaning in an indifferent universe is both its strength and its burden. While the cosmos offers no answers or purpose, human creativity and resilience allow for the construction of meaning through relationships, art, and discovery. However, rigid belief systems and conflicts arising from these constructs highlight the ongoing struggle to navigate a universe that “just is.”

How Syria Became the Middle East’s Drug Dealer

Jason Crime

Captagon is a drug that was originally invented in Germany. Today, the amphetamine pills are primarily rampant in the Middle East—thanks to Assad. A former official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration observed significant developments related to Captagon smuggling:

“Many of the monitored shipments originated from Syria—particularly from the port of Latakia, a stronghold of the Assad family. The most notable case occurred in July 2020, when 84 million Captagon tablets were found in a shipment of industrial gears and paper rolls at the port of Salerno. The confiscated drugs were valued at one billion dollars. However, according to Europol estimates, there is no market for Captagon in Europe. Some Middle Eastern smugglers, whose shipments might appear suspicious to authorities in Saudi Arabia or the Gulf region, disguise the destination of their cargo by routing it through Europe first. The additional costs are worthwhile if the shipment successfully reaches its destination. ‘The Assad regime has systematized this trade on a large scale.'” More here…

Russian convicts are driven to “meat-grinder assaults”

Jason Russia, Ukraine, Warfare

In October, Vladimir Putin signed a law simplifying the procedure for recruiting convicts and defendants in criminal cases into the armed forces. A military service contract can now be concluded at the investigation stage, and authorities have plans to bring up to 40% of Russian prisoners under arms. Within the Armed Forces, recruited inmates are assigned to so-called “Storm” units, which were created, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense website, “to break through the most complex and echeloned areas of the AFU defense.” In reality, Storm servicemen are used as expendable material in areas where fighting is the toughest and the most desperate. Among other undesirable tasks, they bear the brunt of the infamous “meat-grinder assaults.” More here…

War-weariness in Ukraine

Jason Ukraine, Warfare

James Meek reports from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, a metropolis with millions of residents, now in its fourth year of war. The city is battered not only by the Russian invasion but also by internal Ukrainian issues such as rampant corruption.

“There is a Ukrainian word, *prylit* (in Russian, *prilyot*), that you constantly hear in Kharkiv. It’s a rare example of a word that not only shifted overnight from one common meaning to another but whose new use completely erased the old one. It means ‘arrival from the air’ and was previously relevant to Ukrainians only on the arrival boards at airports—a symbol of travel in an open world. Since the day the war broke out, there has been no air traffic to or from Kharkiv; but ‘arrival from the air’ can also mean the ‘impact of a military projectile.’ Three impacts on School Number 17 have left behind a bare, dusty ruin where 1,200 children once studied.

The school specialized in English instruction: among the few remnants of peacetime are cheerful wall murals, now pierced by shrapnel, depicting an idealized Britain—a red telephone box, Big Ben, and the Gherkin.” More here…

Long lines at Russian recruitment offices

Jason Russia, Ukraine, Warfare

Ai translation from Russian:

“Today they are standing in front of the recruitment office in Moscow,” reports Olessya Gerasimenko on Verstka. The Ukrainian incursion into Kursk and the high salary in the army play a decisive role in this. “The long lines at the recruitment office started forming after August 6, when Ukrainian troops advanced into the Kursk Oblast territory. ‘Now we have 500 people a day; we can barely keep up,’ a psychologist at the recruitment office reported in August. ‘Normally, colleagues were in chill mode, went home at six in the evening, and relaxed in the park during the day. Then Kursk happened, and now they come, and the influx never stops. We are now working until ten in the evening.'”

Many failed existences can be found in the queues. “Construction worker Gennadi served time for theft, then found a girlfriend. ‘We had a child, but it didn’t work out. We weren’t married, though. And then what? I drank and worked, didn’t drink and worked. I had to go and sign the contract so I could start a better life. My life will get on track. I never had a military ID and could never find normal work.'”

Women are also among those signing up. They can, among other roles, join as snipers. “One of them, unmarried, young, and beautiful, says, ‘I will find someone for myself there.’ Another said her husband is at war; they have no children: ‘I don’t want to sit at home and wait for him; I feel bad, so I’m going too.’ A third is a singer and dancer in an ensemble. After performing in Syria and the occupied territories, she decided she’d rather sing patriotic songs with a military rank than as a civilian. Even a mother with two young children reported to the recruitment office—one child was three, the other one year old. One of the informants Verstka spoke to asked her, ‘And the children?’ ‘They’re fine,’ the woman replied, ‘they’ll stay with their grandmother and father.'”

CRS Report: The Dark Web

Jason Crime, Techonlogy

Many consider the internet and web to be synonymous; they are not. The web is just one portion of the internet, and a medium through which information may be accessed. Researchers have examined the types of malicious activity facilitated through darknet markets, and they have identified some of the major market categories to include illicit drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, other illicit opioids); pharmaceuticals (e.g., prescription medication, recalled drugs, unregulated supplements); falsified documents and counterfeits (e.g., materials for creating a fake identity); fraud (e.g., the sale of personal information, credentials, or accounts); hacking and exploits (e.g., malicious software, exploit kits, hackers for hire); exploitation (e.g., child sexual abuse material— distinct from explicit content such as legal pornography); and markets with multiple types of illicit activity (those akin to an Amazon-style site for illicit goods on the dark web). Cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin and Monero, is the common form of payment on darknet markets. More here…

Life in Georgia ain’t that bad (if you can deal with Russia)

Jason Economy, Geopolitics, Russia

The Georgian Dream party has been ruling Georgia almost independently since 2016, although it has been involved in government since 2012, but then as part of a coalition. It is now facing strong unrest in the country after elections that have been allegedly rigged, at least according to the European Parliament. In response, the Georgian government has suspended the accession process to the European Union for four year. Looking at the economic results, however, it must be admitted that during the Georgian Dream government, the country developed economically at a very high rate, one of the highest in the world. This year, according to the IMF’s October forecasts, it will see 7.6 percent GDP growth, which is the sixth-highest growth in the world. More here…

Boeing’s 737 Max plea deal has too much DEI

Jason Legal, Techonlogy

Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas rejected the plea deal Boeing had struck in the wake of fatal plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 because the agreement would be too deferential to Boeing and includes too many diversity-equity-and-inclusion considerations.

“The plea agreement requires the parties to consider race when hiring the independent monitor,” O’Connor wrote in his order striking down the deal. “Additionally, the plea agreement marginalizes the Court in the selection and monitoring of the independent monitor. These provisions are inappropriate and against the public interest.” More here…

Russian Organised Crime and Illicit Finance

Jason Crime, Russia

At the heart of the Russian money-laundering network are two linked criminal networks, Smart and TGR. These groups provide professional money-laundering services to numerous organised criminal groups operating in the UK and elsewhere. They collect the cash proceeds from street-level drug dealing and exchange it for cryptocurrency, which can then be used by the gangs to purchase drugs and firearms. The cryptocurrency itself is sometimes the product of other criminal activities, notably ransomware, enabling cybercriminals to exchange the proceeds of their crimes for cash. Everyone gets what they want – a perfect vicious circle of crime and money. More here…