laughingwolf_qh33q8 – The Laughing Wolf

Now The Real Danger Begins

The 12-Day-War as it is rapidly becoming known was a masterpiece on the part of Israel. Israel not only quickly owned the skies above Iran, but they put special forces on the ground to join assets already in place to do extensive damage to the regime. Even more importantly, they dominated the psychological battlespace as well. Israel literally owned the regime lock, stock, and barrel.

If even half of what is being whispered in the background is true, it was even more amazing than most realize. I suspect, and even hope, that we don’t know the full extent for years. More on why in a minute. Some of the psyops are out in the open: for example, was Qaani killed in a strike, or an Israeli asset who was gotten out in a special operation and is now in Israel? If he wasn’t killed but is missing, he would be well advised to stay missing as there are those in the regime who are convinced he was an Israeli asset and are acting accordingly. If he was and did get out, hope he’s got great security. The fear and reaction by those convinced he was an asset may well be having all the results the Israeli’s could have hoped for. That appears to be happening for others up and down the chain as well.

The U.S. strike using MOPS appears to have worked very well. Ventilation shafts are a cliche in fiction, and are quick to get readers complaining about suspension of disbelief. Fact is, they often are an Achilles Heel to defenses as few want the cost of doing them right. Lots cheaper just to go straight down, no dog legs, no cofferdams, etc. Take a look at the satellite imagery, and pay particular attention to the subsidence in various locations. There are also signs of a hot and nasty fire. As others have pointed out, if you want to know what burns nicely and hot, take a look at the materials data sheet for uranium hexaflouride (and related compounds). As for the “reporting” saying otherwise I simply note that it comes from CNN (and amplified by the NYT, where the Spirit of Duranty lives!) and a reporter who is known to be a mouthpiece for the swamp portion of the intelligence community. I trust nothing from any of those sources until it has been confirmed by multiple reliable sources.

My only concern is that I think it should have been a 14-day-war. Israel was in the process of destroying the mechanisms that keep the mad mullahs in power. They blew open the doors to Evin prison, which is where many political prisoners were kept. They were destroying the Basij and other units propping up the regime. For all that I don’t think we should be directly involved in regime change, I wish that things had continued long enough to give Iranians a fighting chance at it. Even more importantly that the Shah-in-Exile, I am aware of one (or more) groups within Iran that were working for a successful revolution with all the planning that requires. Revolutions without such planning rarely work (most revolutions ultimately fail, TBH) and a lot of needed groundwork has been laid.

Iran is not a normal state. They are a theocracy contingent upon creating their version of Armageddon so as to bring about the return of the 13th/hidden Imam. That they die in the process is simply a cost of bringing about his return. If you don’t know about this, start reading because it shapes how much they are willing to suffer — and to have the people suffer instead of them. They will cheerfully sacrifice the entire country to this end. Of course, they expect that as the elite they will survive and be rewarded, but if needed are at least willing to give lip service to martyrdom.

Which means that what drives most state leadership does not apply here. They really are not subject to the art of the deal in that regard. Already they have tested Israel directly and via proxies. For Israel, it is no longer Oct. 6, and they have to respond with overwhelming force less they be boiled like a frog. One hopes that the White House is up on this, and realizes where we and they are in that regard. We are the Great Satan, Israel is the Lesser/Small Satan, and they are sworn to destroy us both. We must never forget that.

Now, there are some signs the mad mullahs regime is fracturing and may collapse on its own. Good. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch. Again, we should not be directly involved in a regime change; but, we should have no issues taking actions which make such possible so as to eliminate a clear and present danger to the U.S. We stand a much better chance with the Shah and the other group internal who have been planning for a real transition of power and who are well aware of historical precedents (including how unusual the U.S. revolution was to be honest).

As for the sleeper cells in the U.S., I’m honestly surprised we haven’t heard more out of them. Fact is, it’s a given they are here. Now, various raids were recently conducted against some illegal immigrants from Iran, some of who had most interesting pasts. Including one, a sniper, who still had his IRGC ID on him. My advice from previous stands: no definitive intel, but be alert and be prepared. This isn’t over and until the mullahs are gone and the illegal immigrants are removed. After all, the Iranians were only one part of the (at least, IMO) four-plus battalions of military aged males who entered under the Biden regency.

More soon. I’m bouncing back from the exhaustion of Brother Juniper’s and on being tied up on medical and other issues. Meantime, keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark. Be safe and be prepared my friends.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Medical And General Update

Sorry for the silence, but this has been a medical week with re-opening for one-day-only Brother Juniper’s. On the latter, some of you may be old enough to remember a “chain” of restaurants called Brother Juniper’s. It was run by a religious order, and to cut a long story short, most of that order converted to Orthodox Christianity and the restaurants (save one) closed. My Church location came about because of this conversion, and once a year in connection with the Talbot Street Art Fair they re-open the restaurant for one day only doing certain favorite sandwiches. We actually still have some of the equipment and signage from the ones in Indy in our basement, which we bring up and use for the event. I’ve been working cleaning and prep most of this week in between doctors and dentist and other delights.

The great news is that I finally was able to get the latest round of neuropsych/cognitive testing done this week. As I mentioned in this post, I wasn’t expecting much out of it directly other than the data. My goal was to use it as a springboard to testing and therapy I think could do some good. I ended up surprised in that I did get something unexpected out of it.

I’ve had some of the standardized testing before (in fact remembered some bits of it as we were doing it), but they hit me with a couple of new tests. Turned out, the doc had actually read up on my case, listened to what I said instead of the usual, and thought some additional data would be good.

He almost blew it at one point, stating that he wasn’t sure it was a direct hit because of the lack of burns/blast injuries on the outside. If he had studied up a bit more, he might have known that many/most do not have those injuries. It’s a bit of ignorance that I’ve grown to ignore as doctors, more than most, hate to be told they are wrong (and can make interesting notes in ones file that are not helpful long-term). This one seemed a little irritated that some therapists had made suggestions/statements rather than doctors on high, but hate to tell him the therapists in my case have been like conspiracy theorists: they are well ahead on points, by about 63-2. I further note that I had no burns or scars EXTERNAL. No one, including the useless first neurologist, thought to do any imaging to try and determine if I had burning (or scarring) internally.

I did ignore that because of what he brought up next. If you did just the basic standard testing, my results still clock out high and there is no major sign of impairment. However, with the additional tests and looking at it not straight on, but from a different perspective, two things came up.

I won’t go into all the details, but the problems remembering things/learning new things most likely stems from the conditions not being met to form new memories. Several factors, but it did remind me of something I had been advised to try at the LSESSI conference: play with a pencil, stick, heavy bookmark, etc. when reading or trying to learn something new. Need to remember to share this with someone else at Church having some issues.

The second part was that I don’t do well in “noisy” environments, figurative that is. My ability to handle multiple levels of information and stimuli is not good. In fact, my ability to react to all of it and make good, swift decisions is not good at all. Add in my reduced reflexes, balance, etc. and I am off point. In fact, I am off point on several levels/operations. I can still work through things (and do) but it takes me a lot longer than it used to. I may no longer the the point on any team, but I remain one who can gather, interpolate, evaluate X-order effects, and plan accordingly with sufficient time.

Which is frustrating, as I remember when this was not so. Which adds its own issues to the mix. I can still do, but structured, ordered environments are best for me.

It’s good to have this, and/or to have some of this confirmed. It also should help with trying to get physical therapy and more approved out of the neurologist. We will see, but it gives me the data to amend my action plan/experimentation on myself so as to refine some of the methods and goals. It may or may not help with the insurance game, but if I have to fund things it lets me know where to invest my funds first.

It’s also good, and in this doc’s favor, that he brought up intermittent issues. Most docs automatically assume that anything intermittent is psychological because they can’t see and/or study it in a steady state. Since a lot of lightning strike/electrical shock survivors have intermittent issues that are physical, it creates a tense situation with the docs. This doc did not dismiss, but noted that some of the issues above could and likely did contribute to the intermittent issues.

So, glad it is done. Glad to get more out of it than expected. Now to fold that new data into the action plan and continue to move out. Want to make the most of this new life. Onwards.

Starlink For Iran

Standby to copy:

IRANIAN FAQ: HOW TO CONNECT TO STARLINK FROM IRAN RIGHT NOW FROM YOUR PHONE WITHOUT A DISH

Send Free Text Messages Using Only a Phone — No Internet, No Dish, No Wi-Fi Required

Starlink, the satellite internet system built by Elon Musk, is now active over Iran as of June 14, 2025. This means people inside the country can send and receive text messages directly through satellites — even if local internet or mobile networks are shut down. You do not need a dish You do not need Wi-Fi You do not need a router You do not need Starlink’s physical kit

What You DO Need •An unlocked phone (not locked to one phone company) •A modern LTE smartphone (iPhone 14 or newer, recent Samsung Galaxy, Pixel, etc.) •An active SIM card from a mobile carrier.

How It Works Starlink satellites now use something called Direct-to-Cell, which turns each satellite into a mobile tower in space. When your phone loses connection to ground towers, it can automatically link to a satellite overhead. You will not see a special symbol. It looks like a normal LTE signal with low strength.

What You Can Do Right Now •Send and receive SMS text messages •Works even if Iranian mobile service is blocked •Works without internet or any other connection

What You Can’t Do Yet •No voice calls •No mobile internet •No messaging apps (WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, etc.)

Full service — including voice and mobile data — is planned for later in 2025, but basic text messaging is available now if you meet the phone, SIM, and clear sky requirements.

Elon Musk confirmed that Starlink’s beams are currently active over Iran, so this method is working in real time. This may be one of the only ways to stay connected during network blackouts. You can’t stream Netflix. But you can stay in touch. Thanks to @elonmusk

And I repeat what I said the other day: now or never, it’s up to you. Godspeed.

Whew!

After posting yesterday morning, I went and joined a friend in the Church kitchen to help them cook for a social that night. What I walked into was a pile of groceries completely covering the work area, and a real-life version of “Chopped.” As in what do you make out of all these ingredients that will be tasty, fun, and enjoyed by an unknown number of people? And, no, we had no idea of how many were showing up for dinner so winged amounts and also had to consider special diets as a possibility.

So, we brainstormed a bit even as we started prep. The only two things he had planned were underway (a brisket in the oven and a big pot of borscht he was starting). We bounced ideas off each other and things took off. We actually changed plans on the fly a few times: something you really aren’t supposed to do, but it was just us and we rolled with the improvements.

Along the way we produced the following: a Thai-style chickpea curry, chicken korma, grilled chicken, grilled salmon, grilled thin ribeye steaks, a rosemary and lime ‘stuffed’ sirloin, grilled lime corn on the cob, grilled asparagus, grilled peppers, an amazing ham and potato salad, two huge bowls of green salads, baked potatoes (the ones not used in the potato salad), and of course the borscht and brisket. Pretty sure I’m leaving out a couple of dishes.

Thing is, I can’t really say how much fun it was. My mind hasn’t really worked that way since the lightning strike, but doing it engaged more of the creative side than the logic side. The bouncing of ideas off each other worked, and forced my brain to work in some ways that haven’t gotten a lot of stimulation. Somewhere along the way, I found myself just doing some things I used to know to do first, like mixing up batches of various seasonings: a general purpose ‘steak’ seasoning I like as a base, a mix for the salmon that used both dry spices and fresh minced dill, and some various herbs that were likely to be needed.

Tried something new with the corn (why not!), in that I covered it in lime juice before putting my ‘steak’ seasoning on it. As the ears roasted on the top rack in the grill, I had a stick of butter I would rub over them after turning them for even cooking. I did put a bit of Tajin on three of the ears as they grilled, though you couldn’t tell it by service. Only thing I would do differently is to put more lime juice on for a longer period of time, as I think it worked well flavor-wise.

I’m exhausted, and even hurt a bit, but it was and is so worth it. My friend is crazy in all the right ways, and playing a giant game of “Chopped” with a social event was indeed crazy, and crazy fun. Even better, the food was enjoyed. Two reactions that made me smile were comments from a somewhat picky “customer” who raved about the salmon; and, a little girl just starting in on solid food who loved the ribeye steak.

One trick I did on the salmon was to put pats of butter on top when I put it skin-side down on the grill. As it cooks the butter melts and keeps that top side moist even as it adds nice flavor to go with the dill. The step-by-step is squeeze fresh lemon juice on the fish, generously season with your chosen spices/rub, throw on some extra dill on top of that, and put pats of butter on top. Grill and enjoy.

So, don’t expect much out of me today unless things really blow up. Be safe, be alert, and enjoy the day. I think I’m going to do some voice exercises and practice singing. Other than that, it’s a good day to relax a bit.

Heads Up

No definitive intel, but I would suggest increased alertness for the next little bit. Iran is likely to try and strike back against both Israel and the U.S. Even if they don’t (or better yet they go the way of the dodo soon), you have the possibility of sleepers/cells taking independent action. Given all those military-aged males from various parts of the Middle East that came across the Southern Border under the Biden Regency…

If I hear anything definitive, will post it; but, I suspect that if the sleepers/cells go active, booms will be our first notice they have done so.

Fear no evil; be prepared; keep your family and friends close; and, keep your things where you can find them in the dark.

Iran I

Going to hold off on saying a lot right now, but will say hold on to your hats as there is more to come. Some of it mindblowing. Right now, I want to say two things.

First, great job Israel! Thank you.

Second, to the people of Iran: this is your moment. Make the most of it. If you wait for outside troops and others to free you, you will never be free. The corrupt and rotten regime is teetering and will not be able to freely respond. So, the ball is in your court.

The Case For New Space Embryology Experiments

As I mentioned yesterday in my post about Breakfast with Instapundit, we verified that there was never a follow-up to the Frog Embryology Experiment (FEE) on Spacelab J/STS-47. I talked about that experiment, and it’s implications, in my Sex In Space post a while back. For those interested in the mission, there is a link to download a PDF of the mission brochure here.

I will also note that while many missions did 90-Day and 1-Year science reports, I can’t find any record of such for Spacelab J. In researching the Frog Embryology Experiment I found a potential reason for now follow-up experimentation in that the lead investigator (PI), Kenneth A. Souza, tragically passed away unexpectedly while still quite young. However, I was able to get in contact with one of his co-investigators, Steven D. Black, who was kind enough to share a copy of a paper done on the experiment and some general observations with me.

I’ve read the paper (PNAS, Vol. 92, March 1995, pp 1975-1978), and confirmed that my memory of “funky” tadpoles in orbit was partially correct. To quote from the abstract: “Eggs were fertilized in vitro, and although early embryonic stages showed some abnormalities, the embryos were able to regulate and produce nearly normal larvae.” As I noted in the previous post, they did grow into normal frogs that could reproduce normally once back on Earth. There were also some differences in lung size between the microgravity and 1G tadpoles/frogs, but this did resolve as well over time with exposure to a 1G environment. But, what happens if there is no rapid return to 1G?

However, the authors of the study (and paper) note that more experimentation in regards amphibians and other vertebrates. Sadly, this has not happened and I think it is time to do so. Especially given that within the next few years (if all goes well) we are likely to become a truly interplanetary species. The U.S., China, and others are looking at lunar bases. Elon has his eye on Mars (and beyond to the asteroids I suspect). I’m with Elon in respect to having such settlements as “lifeboats” if bad things happen on Earth. Given that we are in a major change of how things are done (see here if you didn’t read it the first tiime), and those who have been in power are not happy at seeing it end, not to mention politicians are fairly stupid overall, I think lifeboats are a great idea. Frankly, lots of them. I want The Island Worlds and I want them ASAP.

But, to truly have that and to deal with the fact that boys and girls are going to be boys and girls whether on Earth, Mars, the Moon, etc., we really need to be sure we understand embryology under those other circumstances. The original abnormalities seen in the FEE are a concern for me. Yes, they did appear to self-regulate and recover; but, do we really understand the “why” in either case? Do we know that this will hold true for other experiments or future generations? No, we don’t, and so we need to get such data rather quickly. Which means ISS is right out and we need to make full utilization of commercial space.

On the previous post, you my good and kind readers, helped flesh out the basic hardware and protocol. Let’s expand on that a bit, and see what we can come up with as a suggestion for those who can do something about this need.

First, the hardware will require a glovebox or similar concept for in vitro fertilization, and microgravity “living quarters” for both amphibian and mammalian subjects. It will also need four centrifuges that can contain “living quarters”/development chambers for both amphibian and mammalian subjects. The centrifuges should be divided as follows: 1G (control); 0.5G; 0.38G (Mars); and 0.16G (Luna). While it would be nice to have an additional centrifuge at 0.75G, it’s not essential and this beast is going to be enough of weight and space constraint as it is. Especially since some form of sonogram and/or other imaging is going to be needed to monitor the mammalian embryology and development. We need to be seeing what’s happening before birth.

Hopefully storage will be available outside of the experiment hardware for fixed or preserved samples; and some provision will be needed for returning live specimens to Earth on a regular basis. Otherwise, storage of preserved and live specimens needs to be incorporated in the hardware design. I will note that the Spacelab Frog Environmental Unit (FEU) could make a good start for helping with an updated design.

Frogs having been frequent fliers over the years, from sounding rocket experiments to the FEE on Spacelab, they make a good place to start. Lots of good data extant for comparison, known quantity in terms of resilience, handling, etc.

Where we have less knowledge (to the best of my knowledge) is mammalian development. While monkeys have flown in space, their size does not make them good subjects for such experimentation. Mice come to mind, but may not be optimal. We need rapid development and maturity, small size, and fairly resilient. Thoughts?

The basic protocols would be very similar to the FEE. Fertilize, grow, gather data, gather samples, and once mature start the next generation. For amphibian and mammalian I’d like to see this run out 10-15 generations. If a regular return service is available, it would be good to return at least one male and one female of each generation to Earth (mammalian, more better) and several of the amphibians of each generation to see how they do over time.

My two largest concerns, again, are normal development and the differences seen in lung size/development between microgravity and 1G tadpoles. Yes, they all did “normalize” and grow into normal adult frogs. But, will that happen without exposure or a full return to a 1G environment? Will this hold true for mammals? Pretty important questions, and just the start of some that are occurring to me. We are a predator species optimized for a 1G environment, what happens when we develop in a totally different environment?

Okay, there are the main concerns, some thoughts on hardware and protocol. Let’s flesh this out a bit and see if we can find someone who can make this happen.

EDIT I: Added link to PDF of PNAS paper.

Breakfast With Instapundit

More than 20 years ago, the internet was a new and wild place. There was a lot of potential there, and some were smart enough to do new and interesting things with it. One such was a professor who used it to share links to stories and information, and have some interesting discussions on law, space, and more. He was known as The Blogfather to some, and he helped inspire what became the Blogosphere. His name is Glenn Reynolds, and he blazed a trail and continues to do so.

Neither one of us can remember the last time we met in person, but suspect that it was at least 20 years ago at one of the early blogosphere related events. It used to be common for bloggers to get together in the flesh, especially when passing through a town or area. Not so much anymore, though as he pointed out laughing that we are engaged in a virtual world.

While I was down in Tennessee for the LSESSI conference, he was kind enough to meet me for breakfast one morning. It was good to catch up, remember some people and past events, and discuss the future a bit. We both are passionate about space, space exploration, and even space exploitation. We had fun talking about the early Shuttle days, and wondering a bit about some experiments and avenues of experimentation (continuous-flow electrophoresis and other delights). We ended up talking about the Frog Embryology Experiment on Spacelab J and he was the one who used AI to verify that there were no follow-up experiments done, or at least nothing showing in the public record.

We also talked a bit about some of what lies behind certain advances. For example, the same thing lies behind the ability of Space-X to land rockets upright and military drones: data, and the ability to access and process same. There is a reason for Starlink that lies beyond use here on Earth, as setting up a settlement on Mars and exploring (and more) out from there is going to require lots of data and data transmission. Also, if you want to win the next war here, you need to be thinking about what lies beyond drones. When you have massive amounts of data, the ability to quickly transmit same, and the ability to process that massive amount of data, a lot of interesting possibilities emerge. All I can say is drones are this war, smart is looking to see what’s next.

There may well be a few posts coming up inspired by our talk. Hopefully soon even.

It was a good time, and I thank him for taking the time. It was good to talk people, science, and even next steps a bit. For all that blogging is a virtual world and relationships, it’s nice to meet in person every now and then. Reminds me that I would love to catch back up with a few others. Thanks Glenn!

More Soon

Things got busy, and I even managed to get in a quick 20+ miles on the bike yesterday afternoon. Last few miles were on me as I succeeded in running down the battery while out. More on that and the possible fundraiser soon.

I’m also in contact with one of the co-investigators for the Frog Embryology Experiment on Spacelab J. Sadly, the person I knew as the PI passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. However, the CI has shared some information with me that will be in a post soon.

Also, working on my action plan post conference. Implemented the easy part, now working on the rest.

Standby, more soon.

A Possibility

I think in both my write-up of the LSESSI annual meeting and on Greyhound, I made a comment about riding my bike to the next event. Which sparked more than one thought I wanted to share.

First, if Tesla and Neuralink have any marketing or advanced projects people who are on the ball, they should look at helping sponsor the conference and get some of the members there. It would be a great demo of Full Self Driving, the automated cab concept, etc. for people who can’t drive anymore or don’t like driving much anymore as a result of injuries from lightning and electrical shocks. I know I can see a series of posts here and on X talking about the experience, and it could generate some serious positive exposure at a time when they need it.

Alas, I feel it far more likely that using my bike is the way. In fact, I got to thinking about the concept of doing so as a fundraiser for LSESSI. It would take some help, some serious corporate backing, and some time. Here’s the rough take on the concept.

I’m betting that by the time the September conference rolls around, I should be good for 80-100 miles a day, maybe a bit more. It would be a longer route there using backroads and such, but it is doable I think. It would require a chase car to both provide a safety escort and to have supplies for emergencies. The ride would go Monday through Saturday, with Sunday a day of rest and hopefully attendance at a Church.

To pull off such a thing, I would need someone to help who has experience with corporate sponsorship, organization, and keeping everything on the up and up. I’d really like an 18-Delta along, but to be honest just having a 68-Whiskey doc along would be most reassuring. We would all need to sit down and plot out the trip, as I am betting there would be a couple of long stretches in there where lodging may not be readily available. Add in a couple of extra days because of weather (not riding in or near a thunderstorm thank you), illness, etc. I’m doing well at relearning how to ride a bike, but things happen so you add in a couple of days for that.

Thinking I may reach out to the maker of my bike to see if they have any interest. Be good to have important spares along at any rate.

Main goal is to raise money (and awareness) for LSESSI. Secondary goal is to see if I can do it given all the issues that have come from being hit by lightning. Want to find a way to support and encourage others to push the envelope, maybe even to do some group rides during or at/to future events.

I do all my riding right now wearing long pants, thinking I might stick with that to emphasize the what and why of the project. At most, drop to cargo shorts for the desert portions. Make it a push for average person participation, not a super bicyclist thing. Point out all the specially modified bikes out there for those injured/disabled, as well as showing a way to increase mobility and recovery.

What say you?