Claire's tests came out fine. Thanks to those who emailed.
This country has been having a nationwide nervous breakdown since 9/11. A nation of people suddenly broke, the market economy goes to shit, and they’re threatened on every side by an unknown, sinister enemy. But I don't think fear is a very effective way of dealing with things—of responding to reality. Fear is just another word for ignorance.”
- Hunter S. Thompson, gonzo journalist
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday they had discussed the "vital" U.S.-UK Indian Ocean air base at Diego Garcia, and Blinken said Washington recognized British sovereignty there.
The air base is on British Indian Ocean Territory in the Chagos Islands that a vote in the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 said should be returned to Mauritius.
The U.S. military has confirmed that it will permanently end live-fire training in Makua Valley on Oahu, a major win for Native Hawaiian groups and environmentalists after decades of activism.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has dispatched two armed patrol vessels to watch over more than a hundred Chinese boats that it said were “swarming” the disputed area around a small reef in the South China Sea.
On Sunday, the PCG released photos and videos that it said show ships belonging to the Chinese Maritime Militia, moored close to each other near the small, boomerang-shaped Julian Felipe Reef. This tactic allows them to create floating outposts at sea, according to Philippine media.
"Winter wonderland" isn't a term often associated with Hawaii, but that's exactly how one meteorologist described the Aloha State on Thursday.
Nearly half a foot of snow fell at the Mauna Kea Weather Center on Hawaii Island throughout the day on Thursday. Meteorologists shared photos and videos of the snowfall across social media. The images shocked many people who have never seen snow in a tropical climate before.
