The Mystery of the Missing Novelist

In 1926, Agatha Christie famously disappeared for 11 days and was widely believed dead. When she reappeared in public, she claimed to have had an episode of amnesia, which absolutely no one ever believed. One hundred years later, the truth of the matter has finally been revealed. When the Queen of Crime’s car was discovered […]

https://voxday.net/2026/08/16/the-mystery-of-the-missing-novelist/

"As noted above, WaPo “confirms” the US lost 45 Reapers, equivalent to 25% of the entire drone fleet. Some have added that the Houthis had already taken out an additional 10% or so, which would likely edge it closer toward 35% total lost in the past year or two.

"Interestingly, WaPo reports not all were shot down but many apparently fell victim to Iran’s—perhaps Russian-sourced—EW"

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/irans-strategy-vindicated-as-uss?r=lp6h7

Patriotic Aussies are planning nationwide protests against the government's "hate speech" laws, banning of rival political parties and online censorship..

"Free speech is under attack"

https://www.noticer.news/patriots-holding-free-speech-rallies-australia/

Follow: @NoticerNews

Formation of Lichtenberg figures when high voltage is passed through wood

The parts of America with the most fish species
https://redd.it/1v7yl5l
@r_mapporn

Trump makes new push for year-round daylight saving time as bill awaits Senate vote
Article Link
President Donald Trump renewed his push for Congress to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, after the House approved it, sending it to the Senate.

The replies and QTs on this are crazy.
https://x.com/901Lulu/status/2088374539726066032

💢 Ukraine left exposed as Patriot launchers run empty — Financial Times

Ukraine’s air defences are facing a severe shortage of Patriot interceptors, with some crews reportedly unable to respond to recent Russian ballistic missile attacks because their launchers were empty. Ukrainian officials told the FT that the Air Force has stopped routinely publishing the number of Russian missiles launched, partly to avoid revealing how many are getting through and partly to protect public morale. Kiev estimates it needs at least 300 PAC-3 interceptors to withstand large-scale Russian missile and drone attacks this winter.

The shortage comes as Russia expands ballistic missile production and use. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russia launched a record 198 ballistic and hypersonic missiles in July, while producing roughly 60 ballistic missiles a month. Zelensky has appealed to European Patriot operators, including Spain and Greece, for additional interceptors, but many allies are increasingly reluctant to deplete their own stocks following the war with Iran. Poland, however, is reportedly close to deciding whether to send another batch.

Washington has also yet to approve additional supplies. Trump reportedly declined during a late-July White House meeting to commit more Patriot systems in the coming months and appears to have backed away from granting Kiev a licence to manufacture Patriot interceptors. Ukrainian officials nevertheless insist the request was not rejected outright: according to Serhiy Kyslytsia, there was “no refusal,” and Kiev is still hoping for additional US missiles, although no approval has yet been given.

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Incompetence? Or enemy action?
Sounds like hacked firmware.

"Instead of producing shells in an efficient and streamlined fashion, drop hunks of steel 5 feet down to the floor. The factory’s signature device, meant to precisely stretch the steel for the artillery shells, instead often cracked it beyond repair. Then there were the giant press machines, which required regular pounding with a sledgehammer to function properly but still botched the shaping of nearly every shell."

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/bombshell-report-touted-futuristic?r=lp6h7&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

🌾 🌍 🚜 JPMorgan warns a massive global food supply crisis could begin next year as fertilizer shortages tighten agricultural supply.

JPMorgan is the latest institutional research desk to warn that the next global food crisis may already be taking shape, driven by what its analysts describe as the "Five Ws": War, Weather, Warehousing, Water, and Waste.

In a new report titled Food Security Is National Security: A Compounding Storm, a team led by London-based senior global economist Nora Szentivanyi warned that disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and the emergence of a potentially historic El Niño could weaken crop yields, constrain agricultural production, and keep food inflation elevated through the first half of 2027.

"Successive shocks since COVID have compounded, eroding food production capacity and keeping food price pressures elevated into 2027," Szentivanyi said, warning that "this is not a short-lived shock; it has reduced the likelihood of near-term disinflation, and the food inflation cycle is likely to exert pressure through 1H27."

She expects global food inflation to accelerate from 2.8% in the first half of 2026 to 5% in the first half of next year.

The warning comes despite a modest improvement in hunger statistics. About 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, down roughly 43 million from 2022. Yet 2.1 billion people, or 25.8% of the global population, still experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.

Szentivanyi outlined the most immediate vulnerability: fertilizer. She noted, "Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the coming super El Niño are adding to fertilizer and food price pressures."

She said that "crop and price effects are still building and agricultural impacts lag the oceanic peak by 6 to 12 months."

Szentivanyi warned that this year's energy shock could roughly double the inflationary impact of a super El Niño, lifting global food CPI by about 1.5 percentage points, compared with the historical .7-point increase. Food inflation is projected to reach a 5% annualized rate in the first half of 2027, adding .6 percentage points to headline inflation and slowing full-year disinflation by .3 points.

"Exposure is concentrated in South and Southeast Asia, including rice, sugar, and coffee; West Africa, including cocoa; and parts of East and Southern Africa," the analyst said, adding, "EM bears the brunt of El Niño. The largest food inflation responses are concentrated in EM Asia and Latin America, where weather-sensitive agriculture plays a larger role in economic activity, and food carries a higher weight in consumption baskets. India, Colombia, Indonesia, Brazil, Taiwan, and Korea emerge as among the most sensitive economies"”

Furthermore, China has been stockpiling food, fertilizer, energy, and industrial metals. While the West has strategic oil reserves (quickly draining to offset the loss of Gulf supplies), it lacks a meaningful fertilizer buffer. With the Hormuz chokepoint still disrupted, crop conditions deteriorating, and export controls spreading, Szentivanyi suggests that the next inflation shock may emerge not at the gas pump, as seen earlier this year, but potentially in the grocery aisle next year.

This comes as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's global food price index climbed to a three-year high in July.

Bank of America analyst Robert Ohmes recently warned that another food price spike could arrive in supermarkets this fall. He said that grocery inflation "may be on the way," citing a blended index of wages, diesel, and commodity costs.

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/wont-be-short-lived-jpmorgan-warns-next-global-food-crisis-could-erupt-next-year

Russia deploys warships to the Baltic Sea amid Putin’s threats against Europe

Russia has transferred the modern frigate Admiral Kasatonov from the Northern Fleet to the Baltic Sea. A few days earlier, the anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Levchenko also arrived there, according to Bild.

Kasatonov is one of Russia’s most modern frigates and can launch Kalibr and Tsirkon cruise missiles. Levchenko is designed for submarine warfare and is also equipped with air defense systems, torpedoes, artillery, and helicopters.

The deployment is particularly notable because the ships appeared in the region amid Putin’s threats against European countries opposing Russia’s “shadow fleet.” The Kremlin has been using warships to escort its tankers and cargo vessels for several months.

Moscow has not officially explained the reasons for the deployment. However, maritime security expert Moritz Brake believes the Kremlin’s threats should not be dismissed as empty rhetoric, as they could be followed by concrete actions against European vessels.