The current "cease-fire" in Gaza was sold to the world as the beginning of a long-term peace process that would stabilize the region, foster reconstruction, and provide a solution to generations of bloody fighting. Israel accepted the framework, but somehow, dead civilians after military strikes are still commonplace. — Read the rest

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Republican hopes to maintain control of Congress have entered the Find Out phase.

Faced with losing control of the House over his unpopular policies, Donald Trump pressured Texas and other states into gerrymandering Democrats out of office. California reacted by voting to redistrict Republicans out of their jobs in response. — Read the rest

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Steve Bannon wants ICE agents surrounding polling places this November. "We're going to have ICE surround the polls come November," Bannon said on his War Room podcast Tuesday. "We're not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again." — Read the rest

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Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the moon since 1972, has been delayed again. The February 8 launch was scrubbed after hydrogen leaks were discovered during testing.

After an earlier launch was scrubbed due to extreme cold at the Florida launch site, NASA ran a "wet dress rehearsal" with the rocket's fuel tanks loaded with liquid hydrogen and oxygen. — Read the rest

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Observations of "snow flowers" made by microscope in Edo-era Japan.

Taking dictation, revising manuscripts, typing copies, literary amanuenses often labour for little compensation and even less recognition. Christine Jacobson explores the neglected efforts of women like Theodora Bosanquet, Véra Nabokov, and Valerie Eliot, who — through their work as typists, editors, and champions — had a profound impact on modern literature.

Spain proposed a basic online child safety law. Elon Musk freaked out as if someone had stolen his toys and grounded him for life. Rather than address the substance of very necessary legislation, Musk lashed out at Spain's prime minister as if protecting children was an assault on Elon and every freedom he finds important. — Read the rest

The post For some reason Elon Musk confuses child safety laws with personal persecution appeared first on Boing Boing.

Ask a Canadian about their taxpayer-funded healthcare system. No matter which province they hail from, they'll likely tell you it's nice not to have to sell your home to have your gallbladder removed, but the quality of care has sucked for a while now. — Read the rest

The post Teaching immigrant doctors to use their skills in Canada is as Canadian as it gets appeared first on Boing Boing.

Michael Beitz's Lies Bench plays with the idea of lies as something we rest upon. Made from dark maple and upholstered in soft salmon-colored chenille, the benches connect to spell "Lies" in loose, cursive lettering. Their simple, elegant design makes them feel comfortable and familiar, like furniture meant to be used. — Read the rest

The post Michael Beitz' Lies Bench plays with the idea of lies as something we rest upon appeared first on Boing Boing.

If you love Westerns, you probably think every cowboy was a gunslinger who carried a low-slung, hair-trigger revolver rig. Turns out that's nonsense invented for dramatic movie scenes.

This excellent video breaks down how folks really carried their guns in the 19th-century American West. — Read the rest

The post Hollywood lied to us about Old West pistoleers appeared first on Boing Boing.

Despite proudly hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, Toby Cecchini likes to stress that The Long Island Bar, the Brooklyn bar he co-owns with Joel Tompkins, is decidedly not a Packers bar.

That being said, a few not-so-subtle nods to the storied Green Bay NFL team—like a vintage Jim Beam decanter shaped like a Packers player by the cash register, or the Tavern League of Wisconsin sticker in the window by the entrance—pop up throughout the bar like Easter eggs. And then there's the Lombardi Room, in the back of the bar, named after the Packers' legendary head coach Vince Lombardi. 

I have spent many hours in this room keeping Cecchini company while watching countless basketball, football, baseball games and tennis matches. It's where I'll likely watch Super Bowl LX (go Seahawks!) and where I've come to love the bar's low-key, off-menu cocktail, The Gridiron (aka The Football Drink). 

The predecessor to Cecchini's Gridiron, a low-ABV drink that makes a perfect gameday cooler, is The Erin. Cecchini made it up on the spot one winter night at the request of a customer wanting something with whiskey and amaro. He threw together a take on a Manhattan on the rocks made with whiskey, Bigallet China-China Amer, the bar's house sweet vermouth blend and Avèze (which he later changed to Suze). The drink is finished with five dashes of allspice dram and garnished with lemon and orange twists. "I'm very bad at drink names so I asked the woman to name it, and she dubbed it 'The Erin,'" Cecchini recalls. "Let me guess… your name is Erin?" 

The cocktail became an L.I.B. staple, so popular that it warranted batching the equal-parts bitter liqueurs and vermouth in a cheater bottle.

TL;DR: Mondly Premium is a language learning app using short lessons, everyday topics, and speech tools to help learners practice 41 different languages at their own pace for $79.97 ($299.99) until Feb. 15 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Learning a new language is one of those things everyone swears they'll do … right after cleaning out the garage. — Read the rest

The post Mondly makes learning a new language feel way less intimidating, now $80 appeared first on Boing Boing.

YouTuber Oceanliner Designs shares an amazing new view of Nazi Germany's most powerful warship, from nearly 16,000 feet deep, on the bottom of the Atlantic, where Royal Navy forces left her.

The Bismarck was one of the largest and most powerful warships ever built. — Read the rest

The post Incredible ROV footage of the German battleship Bismarck appeared first on Boing Boing.

A Republican Senate candidate tried to buy Donald Trump's endorsement with free tickets to Melania's Brett Ratner-directed bomb. Evidently, it's clear that policy, principle, or actual competence won't sway the Orange Menace, only grift.

Republican candidate for Senate in Kentucky, Andy Barr, used campaign funds to buy out a showing of the movie, offered free tickets to anyone who showed up, and staged a bunch of photos to make it look like people really wanted to see the movie. — Read the rest

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Peterborough City Council is facing an extraordinary wave of complaints against local councillors with a staggering 24 live cases currently being investigated for alleged breaches of the council's code of conduct.

The revelations, detailed in a report to the constitution & ethics committee on Monday, expose a council grappling with accusations ranging from bullying and harassment to bringing the council into disrepute.

Authors of the report said its purpose was to offer an update on current complaints against city and parish councillors on alleged/potential breaches of the council's code of conduct, which are being dealt with by the monitoring officer. It did not specify which of any of the complaints involve parish councillors.

• Bullying, harassment, and discrimination: 18 complaints
• Disrepute: 16 complaints
• Disrespect: 15 complaints
• Abuse of position: 13 complaints
• Impartiality breaches: 4 complaints
• Confidentiality breaches: 4 complaints

"Some complaints refer to multiple breaches, so these figures do not tally with the total number of complaints," says the report's authors, Rachel Edwards, Head of Constitutional Services & Deputy Monitoring Officer, and Matt Makin, Senior Democratic Services Officer

Two of the most serious cases have already been escalated to external legal investigators, while one case has reached the council's own ethics sub-committee, with findings now published for public scrutiny.

The council's monitoring officer, supported by an independent person, is leading the charge to restore standards and public confidence. Every complaint is subject to rigorous assessment, and those found in breach of the code face a range of potential penalties.

What happens to rule-breakers?

While the report itself does not specify penalties, under the Localism Act 2011 and standard council practice, councillors found guilty of breaching the code can face:

• Formal censure or reprimand: A public statement of disapproval.
• Removal from committees or outside bodies: Councillors can be stripped of key roles or responsibilities.
• Requirement to apologise: Both public and private apologies may be mandated.
• Mandatory training: Offenders can be ordered to undergo further ethics or conduct training.
• Referral to full council: In serious cases, recommendations can be escalated for further action.
• Publication of findings: Names and details of breaches may be published, damaging reputations.

In extreme cases, if criminal conduct is suspected (such as failure to declare pecuniary interests), matters can be referred to the police, potentially resulting in prosecution and disqualification from office.

The constitution & ethics committee has vowed to keep these issues in the public eye, promising regular updates, and a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct.

NOTE: This story is based on the official "Report on Code of Conduct Issues" presented to the Constitution & Ethics Committee, 2 February 2026, by Rachel Edwards and Matt Makin, under the direction of Satinder Sahota, Head of Legal, and Deputy Monitoring Officer and Cabinet Member Councillor Mohammed Jamil

This article is republished with kind permission of CambsNews. Read the original here.

With a thematic issue on a vital topic - the rise child poverty, ending on a hopeful note. You will find sharp analyses on the effect of poverty on children's lives, with a spotlight on the communities that are on the front line of deprivation, with personal stories and shared solutions. Click on the image to gain access to it, or find us on Substack.

Journalism by the people, for the people.

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A theater in Lake Oswego tried to garner some ticket sales for Melania's Brett Ratner-directed bomb with clever marquee jokes. Amazon became so offended that they yanked the theater's license to show the film.

"Got a call that the higher ups (i.e.,

— Read the rest

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Tom the Dancing Bug: Are You a Dangerous Criminal? A Handy Quiz

In his latest newsletter, Bobby Campbell announces that Tales of Illuminatus No. 2 has now been released as a free webcomic, so that everyone can now read it. Print and digital copies remain available, as the free version likely won't be around forever. 

"I'm super psyched to have this out in the wild, and hopefully catch more folks up on our illuminated tales as we ready the next installment," Bobby says.

Bobby has combined two separate newsletters, previously on Substack, and moved to a new platform,  ghost.io, for a combined newsletter, Gloria Discordia. If you got the previous newsletters you should be getting the new one; otherwise, sign up here. 

I'll have a separate post on some of Bobby's other news, as I don't want it to get lost in the Tales announcement. But you can go ahead and read all about it. 

Irish, English accent. London via Hong Kong. Apple, caffeine and good books. I do strategy for creative and ad agencies remotely (outside UK), in-person or hybrid in London - portfolio. I also write a newsletter: Strategic Outcomes. — Gearóid (Ged) Carroll

• Rose Anvil Togo wallet. Rose Anvil are a Utah-based leather goods manufacturer. They use great leather and stitch these wallets by hand. It has four interior card pockets, two open pockets for notes and is held together with saddle stitch, like your great-grandpappy would have been familiar with. I have mine in light tan with a nicely developing patina. It fulfils nine out of the ten principles of good design by Dieter Rams. The one it misses out on is 'be innovative' mainly because trying to get more than three people to agree on what is innovative any more is a pain in the ____.
• After 10 years my Apple Thunderbolt monitor gave up the ghost, leaving me in the lurch. I didn't have a spare organ to hock on the dark web for a new Apple monitor and have found the MSI Modern MD271UL 27 Inch 4K UHD Professional Productivity Monitor - a very good stand-in. So long as it lasts beyond its warranty period I am still financially ahead of buying a new Apple monitor model. There is a whole argument over quality and environmental sustainability, but needs must at the moment.
• Winter in the UK can be cold and damp. I have found the Hotties Micro Hottie which is a microwave-oven-heated hot water bottle invaluable for quickly getting ready for bed. My other half also uses it as a way to ease various aches and pains.

• Milanote - a virtual whiteboard. I've used it for facilitating virtual workshops, mapping out projects and mood boards. It comes with an online interface, a great Mac app and even an iOS app that you can reference your virtual whiteboard from on-the-move.
• The Economist now publishes data from their data journalism on GitHub that you can make use of for your own personal needs or curiosity. Well worth a browse through.

This comes from my colleague Fiona as a way of thinking about prompting your LLM of choice. The memorable phrase: Thoughtfully Creating Really Excellent Inputs stands for Task: the persona that the LLM should assume and format that you want the output to look like, Context: give it the background information that it needs, Reference materials: give the LLM examples or existing materials that show what good looks like. (Not always applicable for abstract tasks), Evaluate: review the output, did the LLM understand what you wanted from your inputs?, Iterate: Refine your prompt: If the output isn't right, try again by adding more details, rephrasing, or adjusting your request.

Sign up here to get What's in my NOW? a week early in your inbox.

The Devil Wears Prada 2, complete with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, hits theaters on May 1. Here's the trailer! If this is an extremely dubious sequel, it sells itself well. Hathaway's Andy is returning to Vog—sorry, Runway, as its new features editor, but Streep's Miranda Priestly has either forgotten who she is or is pretending to have forgotten who she is. — Read the rest

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