[NavalNews] China leads submarine construction with 24 boats in the past 5 years. This includes an estimated 12 nuclear boats. If the survey were extended to smaller ‘extra-large’ uncrewed underwater vehicles (XLUUVs), China’s lead would grow.
A nice bar chart of the top 16. China is far and away the first, then Russia. America is third, with seven nuclear powered attack submarines.
More countries are building and operating submarines today than at any point in modern history. Yet amid this global expansion, China has emerged as the dominant force, launching twice as many submarines as any other nation and introducing more new classes.
"The vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, over 5,000 nautical miles across, protects the West Coast of the United States against Chinese naval forces in the event of a war. The appearance of new extra-extra-large underwater drones (XXLUUVs) changes this, providing China with low-risk options to directly threaten West Coast ports."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM.RU] For the past two years, the Republic of Turkey has been abuzz with debate over one important topic: will Recep Tayyip Erdoğan run for office? Now it's clear—he will.
Turkey held presidential elections in 2023. The current leader won, not without difficulty. Officially, he still has two years left in his current term. However, there's a catch. According to the law, he's not allowed to run in subsequent elections under the usual procedure—he can serve no more than two consecutive terms. But there are two options.
The first is to return the country to a parliamentary form of government, where the prime minister can rule indefinitely as long as his party wins. But Erdoğan himself transformed the system from parliamentary to presidential in 2017—precisely to extend his stay in power. So no one will understand or appreciate this reversal.
Pooh. They’ll understand it completely. Appreciation depends on who’d be doing the work.
Moreover, even such a change requires time and public support. And it's not a given that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will prevail.
The second option—more obvious and simple—is to call snap elections. While previously these were merely rumors, speculation, and hints, recently AKP spokesman Ömer Çelik officially announced that Erdoğan will be a candidate in the new presidential elections. And since Erdoğan is running, the elections will be early.
But even if the snap vote opens the door for the president to the political race, it still doesn't guarantee his victory. And the issue isn't even the results of individual candidates, but rather the parliament.
To call an early presidential election, a minimum of 360 votes out of 600 is needed. The AKP and its nationalist coalition partners (MHP) can expect 327. The pro-Kurdish party DEM is opposed, so the outcome depends on the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
WHY ERDOGAN?
The current president's decision is, on the one hand, his personal choice. Over the past 20 years, he has built a new political system in which, for example, the army is no longer independent but is completely subordinate to the head of state.
On the other hand, his fellow party members and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli are nominating him. They fear losing their seats, and after the 2017 constitutional changes, the president is the key figure in power.
In recent years, the media have actively discussed potential successors. The list included Erdoğan's sons and sons-in-law, as well as the current Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan. However, none of them have comparable charisma or approval ratings. Attempting to nominate any of them could prove a risky maneuver.
A potentially weaker leader could exacerbate competition within the AKP and the government, which would reduce the government's effectiveness. Erdoğan himself may be perceived as the best guarantee of succession.
Fidan has regularly figured in discussions as the leading potential successor, eclipsing even Erdoğan's son, Bilal. Among the president's other favorites (including, for example, his son-in-law, Selçuk Bayraktar, the head of a drone manufacturing company), the 57-year-old foreign minister is the most experienced politician.
He has been a member of government structures for 25 years. He held the posts of head of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency and head of the National Intelligence Organization of Turkey (MIT).
But despite Fidan's recognizability, nominating him while Erdoğan is alive and well would undermine the government's chances of victory. After all, the current president represents the elite consensus. Fidan, on the other hand, could be controversial.
Even if it is approved from above, a conflict of interest could arise later. For example, with Ibrahim Kalın, the former presidential spokesman and current head of the MİT. Kalın and Fidan's approaches to the Kurdish issue differ: the former advocates a moderate course, the latter advocates harsh measures.
In December 2025, some AKP MPs criticized statements Fidan made during a visit to Syria. At the time, the Foreign Minister threatened a military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
WHAT ABOUT THE OPPOSITION?
Ataturk's CHP would have had a good chance if Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu had not been under investigation in 2023 and then jailed in March 2025, where he was soon given a one-year, eight-month sentence.
The end of this sentence does not guarantee freedom or participation in the elections, as the investigation is being conducted into a major corruption case. The prosecutor's office is demanding up to 2,430 (!) years in prison.
The remaining candidates are clearly inferior to the mayor in popularity, and they face other challenges. Özgür Özel lost his position as CHP chairman after an Ankara court overturned the results of the party congress.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was formally reinstated as party leader. Özel is currently challenging the court's decision, calling for a party congress to be held as soon as possible and for himself to be elected as the sole and undisputed leader. Had Özel accepted Kılıçdaroğlu's leadership, party unity would have been preserved.
But Kılıçdaroğlu is objectively less popular. He lost to Erdoğan in the last election. Furthermore, his reputation has been tarnished after he was reinstated as chairman of the Republican People's Party by a pro-government court ruling. He could be seen as a Trojan horse.
There's also the well-known and quite popular mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavaş. But he's a relatively quiet politician and less charismatic than Özel. His nationalist views could alienate the Kurdish opposition. Moreover, the capital's mayor himself isn't trying to push his candidacy forward.
EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS?
Meanwhile, early parliamentary elections may take place in the republic, which could affect the balance of power.
Until recently, the opposition was the one seeking them more. Economic problems, inflation, ineffective governance, and outrage over Imamoglu's arrest gave the RPP an advantage, fueling public disapproval of the government. But now, the ruling party is the one most eager for snap elections.
Her argument is this: yes, the economy has slumped, but it's recovering. Inflation has fallen from a record 75% in May 2024 to 33%. The government is preparing a large-scale social support package to regain the trust of pensioners. Politically, the AKP has the advantage over the RPP: the opposition is riven by internal contradictions.
Özel fears the authorities will suddenly call snap elections. And there's a risk the RPP won't be able to participate, as it won't have time to hold its congress and elect its leadership.
Tensions within the RPP make it impossible to quickly develop a unified strategy against Erdoğan and undermine the electorate's trust. As a result, the opposition is unable to turn fair criticism of the socio-economic situation to its advantage.
According to polls, around 30% are prepared to vote for the RPP, and the same percentage for the AKP. Neither party will win with certainty; the result will be, as before, a close race. But the government could outmaneuver the opposition using administrative resources and form a coalition with the support of nationalists and other small parties.
INTERESTS OF GLOBAL PLAYERS
It's too early to say how the elections will play out. By Turkish standards, two years is a long time. Erdoğan's adviser, Mehmet Üçum, announced that presidential elections will be held on April 16, 2028, the anniversary of the constitutional referendum that established the country as a presidential republic.
But one thing is certain: unless his health deteriorates, Erdoğan will stand for his next (and likely final) election at age 75. If he wins, he will rule until 2034.
The usually critical West is unlikely to object to the very fact of early elections. Under Donald Trump, the United States pursues a non-ideological policy. For the sake of a deal, he is willing to negotiate with Ahmed al-Sharaa and even with the hated regime in Iran.
And Erdogan is Trump's friend. Incidentally, during a meeting with him, the American once joked that the Turk is well versed in the art of falsification.
As for Europe, Brussels, Paris, and Berlin continue to feign a commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. But with the US retreating from European security, Turkey is becoming increasingly important to the Old World. This is being made clear by the leaders of the "EU-3" (Britain, Germany, and France).
Since no one has charged the Turkish president with İmamoğlu's arrest, will Europeans be concerned about his run for reelection? Deep down, the French and Germans will hope for the long-time leader's defeat, but they won't risk supporting the opposition ahead of time. After all, a victorious Erdoğan could be vengeful.
Moscow will be watching developments with interest. The Turkish opposition is not overtly anti-Russian, but some of its leaders, including Kılıçdaroğlu, have made vocal statements against the Kremlin. The AKP is critical of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project, which is being implemented by Rosatom. If this party's representative wins, Turkey will move closer to the EU and pursue a more pro-Atlantic course.
Under Erdoğan, relations between Russia and Turkey will remain more predictable. One way or another, any Turkish government will act in its own interests. And no one will sever ties with the main importer of oil and gas.
#2
Turkey is a good example of what I call a 'constitutional dictatorship'.
and FWIW, back in 2016, it was ~3 Turkish Lira per dollar; now it is about ~46 per dollar
inflation has averaged more than 15% per year during that time
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/25/2026 17:50 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Looking at the history of the thing, according to whatever answers such questions for me:
Overview of Turkish Lira Exchange Rate History
The Turkish lira has undergone significant changes since its introduction, particularly after its revaluation in 2005. Below is a summary of key historical exchange rates and trends.
Key Historical Exchange Rates
Year Exchange Rate (TRY to USD)
2005 1,350,000 TL = 1 USD
2018 ₺5 per USD
2021 ₺8.8 per USD
2021 ₺12.5 per USD
2021 ₺16.5 per USD
2026 (June) ₺46.52 per USD
Recent Trends
2018-Present: The Turkish lira has been in a state of crisis, experiencing a significant depreciation due to various economic policies and inflation.
2021: The lira saw rapid declines, reaching an all-time low of ₺16.5 to the dollar in December 2021.
2026: As of June 25, 2026, the exchange rate is approximately ₺46.52 per USD, indicating a continued decline in value over the past year.
I actually first started paying attention in 1994, because I had a Turkish girlfriend whose parents still lived in and were trying to run a business in Izmir, which I believe they finally shut down
In 1994, the Turkish lira experienced significant devaluation due to economic instability, with the exchange rate fluctuating dramatically. At the end of 1994, 1 US dollar was worth approximately 1,200,000 Turkish lira.
The main factors causing the Turkish lira devaluation in 1994 included huge public sector borrowing requirements and major policy errors in financing the deficit, which led to a significant depreciation of the currency and high inflation levels. Additionally, the Central Bank lost half of its reserves during this crisis.
In 1994, the Turkish lira experienced significant depreciation, with the exchange rate against the US dollar falling from TL 9 to TL 14.40 in 1975, and reaching TL 620,000 by 2000. The currency crisis in 1994 led to a dramatic drop, with the exchange rate depreciating by more than half in just the first three months of that year. The lira's value fell sharply during this period, reflecting severe economic instability.
[TH] JD Vance is getting a lot of heat right now because he’s become the face of the administration in trying to deal with the Iranian mullahs, as thankless a job as one could ever imagine. The Iranian mullahs are degenerate freaks who want to annihilate every Jew, then every Christian, from the face of the Earth, so you can see the problem he faces in trying to negotiate with them and in discussing the results of those negotiations. To the extent he supports the negotiations, we’re entitled to tie him to what is a miserable deal. If I had my way, we’d be destroying these people. But I don’t get my way. I wasn’t elected to anything, and a majority of Americans appear to support resolving this situation—for the time being, because we’re not actually resolving anything—by talking instead of bombing.
[SMALLWARSJOURNAL.COM] Introduction
Israel’s war with Iran was not imposed upon it. It was chosen, planned, and lobbied for. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent the better part of three decades arguing that the Islamic Republic constituted an existential threat that only force could resolve, and in February 2026, he persuaded the second Trump administration to act on that argument. Operation Epic Fury opened on 28 February with nearly 900 strikes in twelve hours, the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the systematic targeting of Iran’s senior military and political class. The premise is familiar: overwhelming force, applied without warning and with American backing, could deliver a strategic victory of generational consequence.
The war Israel chose has become the war it cannot finish, cannot abandon, and cannot sustain.
Nonsense. Israel could finish it just fine if everyone else would just get out of the way instead of shielding Iran from the full weight of Israeli wrath. Ditto for Hamas and Hezbollah, though the Houthis might be more of a challenge. Every single war since 1948 the world has intervened to keep Israel from finishing the job.
What this war has produced instead is a structural trap. Iran’s regime survives. Its missile program has been damaged but not eliminated. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. Israeli interceptor stocks are critically depleted, dependency on US resupply has been exposed,
…which is why Bibi has been working on growing Israel’s weapons sector…
and the domestic political coalition is fracturing under the weight of expectations Netanyahu himself created. The war Israel chose has become the war it cannot finish, cannot abandon, and cannot sustain. This analysis examines how each of those three exits have been closed off and why even an indefinite ceasefire now favors Tehran rather than Tel Aviv.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
06/25/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1818 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Silly Tahir. Restraint might be considered a failure, to you. Israel could end this within a few days, certainly less that 7. They are working hard to limit civilian deaths, if they wanted to they could return Teheran to the stone age in a matter of hours. My only criticism of Israel it they need to stop counting on America and just get on with destroying their enemies.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/25/2026 1:16 Comments ||
Top||
#2
/\ They are working hard to limit civilian deaths
#3
Short of using nuclear weapons I don't agree that Israel can end this in days, weeks or even years and that is not intended as a criticism.
The air campaign as a military action was extremely successful. However it failed, at least to date, to effect regime change. The IRGC murder of 60,000+ citizens probably crushed any internal revolution in the foreseeable future.
"You may fly over a land forever; you may bomb it, atomize it, and wipe it clean of life - but if you desire to defend it, protect it,and keep it for civilization, you must do this on the ground, the way the Roman Legions did - by putting your soldiers in the mud." TR Fehrenbach
#5
Does Israel want to forcibly reshape Iran, Chantry, or just keep killing key people and breaking critical things until those remaining stop trying to destroy Israel?
#6
Destroying their economy will just make them pissed off, but very limited on what they can do. Destroying their infrastructure will force them into just surviving. I disagree that we need to put boots on the ground like the Romans. If we wanted to own Iran, yes, that would be mandatory. I dont think anyone here want to rule Iran, we just want to make them irrelevant for 100 years. And with that end in mind, we can do it with air, but it would have to be a Curt LeMay version for sure...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/25/2026 10:22 Comments ||
Top||
#7
^In another week, they would've started capping their oil wells.
#8
When did Small War Journal start publishing op-ed opinion pieces by former Model UN Members? Can a Tahir have an opinion on jews that is not full of bias?
If we had flattened Kharg Island, capped their wells, and destroyed their banking infrastructure - the regime would have been hard pressed to make payroll.
City of London globalist bankers protect Iran and have vested interests in the region and the wells. Their shell companies help Iran avoid sanctions and provide liquidity. This is a pressure point that is not attacked or pressured.
#10
Capping oil wells & destroying oil infrastructure will have serious negative effects on the world economy, kind of a bad thing.
It will also hurt the average Iranian, who doesn't like the IRGC, but can't do anything to get rid of them. The IRGC has already proven it's willingness to murder substantial numbers of people. I know that doesn't matter to some who post here, but most Americans will object and rightly or wrongly blame Trump.
#11
Why didn't Israel use its nuclear weapons? That's an appropriate response to a state with nuclear-armed missiles.
Posted by: Jack Guelph2611 ||
06/25/2026 16:13 Comments ||
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#12
Israel’s nukes are Samson Option only. Since Israel has been engaged in creative measures to keep Iran sub-nuclear for at least twenty years, they are farther from the need than they’ve been in quite some time. And since they had the IRGC and Iran’s nuclear program infiltrated to a fare-the-well, they know not only who to hit, but where, when, and precisely how hard.
Recall that the IRGC’s anti-Mossad team was actually a team sent in from Mossad. Those people probably don’t sneeze without a Mossad “gesundheit” and an Israeli handkerchief to blow their nose.
#13
Israel has nuclear oplans other than the Samson option (obviously I can't "show my work"). There is always the possibility for a first strike against those who present an existential threat to the government of the day.
#15
Those cute little Dolphin-class submarines the Israelis use are rumored to carry Popeye Turbo submarine-launched cruise missiles. Range of some 1,500 km (930 mi) and believed to be equipped with a 200 kiloton nuclear warhead.
#16
But they could never be hiding among the static traffic in the Gulf of Rumsfeld, right?
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/25/2026 19:43 Comments ||
Top||
#17
(obviously I can't "show my work")
Please don’t — this is not that kind of secure space, and I really don’t want the responsibility of knowing things that I have no right to. But now I know the one fact I may, so I stand corrected on my claim, but not on the idea that Israel did/does not need nukes to handle the current situation when they have cutting edge AI, F35Is, drones, submarines, Iron Dome, Iron Beam, that other one — Arrow something? — and the latest pager-equivalents, about which we will discover when they suddenly go off.
I’m pretty sure spy squirrels, delightful though they sound, are actually something hatched in the fevered Moslem imagination, along with the various Israeli spy birds various people have claimed to have discovered across the region, some of which are definitely based on bird ID leg bands, the kind used by birders around the world to track migrations.
#18
I’m pretty sure spy squirrels, delightful though they sound, are actually something hatched in the fevered Moslem imagination
I would hate to think that all the time (NAME REDACTED) spent hot-gluing bits of circuit board and random transistors to squirrels, rocks, and birds was wasted.
One real skill the Israelis do seem to have developed is the ability to fox the Russian air defenses so popular in the Middle East. A radar works by sending out a strong pulse and detecting the much weaker return signal, so is no great trick to jam a radar by overloading it with a powerful signal. But with a little signal-processing magic, it is theoretically possible to generate misleading "return" signals from what appears to be huge swarms of attackers.
I have no evidence the above is true, other than the fact that the IDF seems uninhibited by the vaunted Russian S-Whatever systems they go up against.
[STJ-SY.ORG] The “Arab Belt” File Should Be Integrated Into Syria’s Transitional Justice Process Through A Comprehensive Review Of Land Confiscations And Resettlement Policies, While Safeguarding Victims’ Property Rights
1. BACKGROUND
The project, commonly known as the “Arab Belt,” is one of the most prominent examples of “demographic engineering” carried out in Syria before 2011. Although the project’s practical implementation began in the 1970s, its roots and early indicators trace back to a series of policies and veiled legal measures introduced years earlier.
The project was officially implemented following Resolution No. 521, issued by the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party on 24 June 1974. Under this directive, thousands of Arab families displaced by the construction of the Tabqa Dam were resettled along a border strip along the Syrian-Turkish frontier. These communities became widely known as the “Arab al-Ghamr” (the Inundated Arabs), a designation derived from the flooding (al-ghamr) of their ancestral lands by the rising waters of the Euphrates Dam.
The project involved the expropriation of vast tracts of agricultural land across predominantly Kurdish areas within the al-Hasakah Governorate, as well as in parts of the rural Raqqa countryside and northern Aleppo, with a particular focus on land directly adjacent to the Syrian-Turkish border.
That kind of thing is called ethnic cleansing when the speaker disapproves of the project. Turkey also has been ethnically cleansing the Kurdish area on the Syrian side of their joint border, replacing the Kurds with Syrian refugees and dependent Turkic tribals from abroad who work in the Turkey funded militias.
2. CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT More at the link
[ISRAEL-ALMA.ORG] Turkey in the Syrian-Lebanese Arena: The Implications of Turkish Support for Hezbollah on Israel’s Strategic Environment
Hamas and Hezbollah, plus of course, their domestic branches of the Muslim Brotherhood. All in all, it’s just pet jihadis all around them. Goody.
In a video published by Al Mayadeen and translated by MEMRI, Lebanese Hezbollah parliament member Ali Fayyad quoted Turkey’s ambassador to Lebanon as stating that Ankara supports Hezbollah’s “resistance role” in Lebanon and that Syria will not yield to American and Israeli pressure to act against the organization.
Eh? Syria has been proudly announcing intercepted arms shipments from Iran across their border to Hezbollah in Lebanon. What happened to change that?
If these statements indeed reflect Turkey’s position, they provide an important glimpse into how Ankara is seeking to shape the Syrian-Lebanese arena following the fall of the Assad regime, while maintaining channels of influence with all anti-Israeli actors in the region.
At first glance, this appears to be a paradox. For years, Turkey was one of the principal supporters of the Sunni Syrian opposition, while Hezbollah served as one of the main military pillars of the Assad regime
…secular (Baathist-Arab National Socialist) Alawite Shiites beholden to the Mad Mullahs of Iran…
and the Iranian axis in Syria. During the Syrian civil war, the two sides stood in opposing camps and even fought each other indirectly.
However, regional developments in recent years indicate that, from Ankara’s perspective, rivalry with Iran or Hezbollah is not absolute.
As ‘tis said, “Me and my brother against my cousin, me and my cousin against the infidels”…
Turkey seeks to establish itself as a leading regional power,
…neo-Ottoman sultanate, bay-bee!
expand its influence in Syria and Lebanon, and prevent the emergence of a regional order that would marginalize it. In this context, maintaining ties with Hezbollah provides Ankara with additional levers of influence in Lebanon and allows it to present itself as a central actor in the regional arena.
If Hamas can take Iranian money, training, and supplies, Hezbollah can go the other way, it appears.
This means that ideological contradictions are sometimes set aside when there is a shared strategic objective and interest: containing Israel and reducing its regional influence. Despite their historical rivalry in Syria, Turkey and Hezbollah have found themselves on the same side when it comes to opposing Israeli policies and supporting the Palestinian cause.
The enemy of my enemy. How unoriginal.
In the Syrian context, Turkey remains the principal patron of the new order emerging in the country. Nevertheless, it is not necessarily interested in a direct confrontation between the new regime and Hezbollah, which could undermine stability and expand the circles of friction across the region. Hezbollah official Ali Fayyad’s statement that Turkey opposes pressure on Damascus to act against Hezbollah reflects this approach of managing a balance of power rather than pursuing a decisive outcome.
President Trump’s team has interesting balance of forces stuff to ponder.
More at the link
It could have been worse. Imagine if Turkey had formally allied with Iran:
[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump praises Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claiming he was a prime candidate to enter the war on the side of Iran because he doesn’t like Israel.
“He was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran — maybe on the Iran side, because he’s not a big fan of Israel,” Trump claims, even though Turkey gave no indication that it was preparing to enter the war on the side of Iran, and even came under Iranian fire at one point.
“I asked him to stay out. He stayed out,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office.
“Erdogan is a great leader, a very strong person… Everything I’ve ever asked from him, he’s done.”
Amid reports that the US is readying for a major weapons sale to Turkey, Trump is asked whether he’s preparing a major “gift bag,” including F35 fighter jets for Ankara.
“I think so, look… I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy,” Trump says.
Pressed on what specifically needs to happen for the F35 sale to go through, Trump punts the question to Vice President JD Vance.
“There are certain things that we have to certify that have happened in order to comply with American law. The president has asked us to do that… so they can get the F35s… This is really a congressional thing,” Vance says before Trump chimes in, insisting that the issue will be sorted out.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/25/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1806 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
Syria will not yield to American and Israeli pressure to act against the organization.
The orange man been demanding that Syria invade Lebanon and fight Hezbollah - instead of the evil Juden (who - the horror - occasionally kill civilians - you can find his speech for yourself.).
Syria been saying "Are you nuts?".
#3
I was shocked when our Somalia sources started writing articles about Turkish involvement there as key patron in recent years, mossomo. I have no idea where they’re getting the money — since the early 1990s they’ve seemed forever teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
They’re important in Libya, too — though that seems to be the provision of Syrian mercenaries collected from the remnants of ISIS and Muslim Brotherhood anti-Assad fighters to the rump government in Tripoli in exchange for Khadaffy gold reserves.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
