Monday

I had two industries I could have looked to for employment.
international development - gutted by the destruction of USAID
Renewable energy - not hiring because of concerns about Trump policies


“The Republican spending bill, signed into law Friday, will reset the course for the U.S. energy sector, analyses show. The law rapidly phases out tax credits for wind, solar, and electric cars, while making it cheaper to drill and mine for fossil fuels on federal lands. 
The loss of federal support is expected to curb the buildout of wind and solar by more than 70 gigawatts by 2030, driving up household energy costs by $165 per year, according to a new analysis from Princeton University. …. The gutting of federal support for renewable energy defied the predictions of many experts, who believed that Republicans in Congress would preserve tax credits that supported thousands of new clean-tech jobs, mostly in GOP strongholds. In the end, nearly every Republican voted to eliminate the tax credits, with some driving hundreds of miles to Washington to approve the bill after severe weather grounded flights.”

Hooray for the business!!! We had a meeting today with a probable prime (ie we will probably subcontract to them). The proposal is due in a month. I am not insane to think we could have positive cash flow before the end of the year. 

Lisa says I need to stop thinking of myself as unemployed and start thinking of myself as a business owner, and she is right. 

Goals for 2026 now include 
sleeping through the night
The business


“In a rural village close to the Ukrainian front line, a group of women queue quietly outside a purple and white ambulance, waiting to be seen by a doctor with his shaved head dyed the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.
For many of them, it's their first time seeing a doctor since the war began more than three years ago.
Since 2022, Dr Serhii Baksheiev, 53, has carried out more than 1,000 gynaecological examinations on women throughout front-line and occupied areas in his kitted out mobile clinic - named 'The Feminine Shuttle' and complete with a bright pink examination chair. “

Surely at least partly because LGBTQ people are serving in Ukraine’s military, attitudes continue to change. “The activist points out that support for LGBTQ+ people is on the rise. According to a study conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from June 2024, more than 70% of Ukrainians are in favor of LGBTQ+ people having the same rights as all citizens. According to the same survey, 14% have a positive attitudetowards the LGBTQ+ community, 47% a neutral one and 32% a negative one. The last indicator has been steadily declining since 2015.”

Remember Orban’s government banned Pride and Budapest held it anyway? “Hungarian police said that they will not prosecute marchers in the Budapest Pride parade, despite the event being banned. This year's Pride attracted a record crowd, with organizers reporting over 200,000 participants.”