Morocco’s pressure on Spain is the latest example of a growing form of political coercion Europe is particularly exposed to.
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Coffee Break: HIV Therapy, HPV Vaccine, Data Centers, Ecological Collapse, and Wendell Berry
Part the First: Another Promising Breakthrough in HIV Therapy. For those of us who were following the HIV/AIDS epidemic more than forty years ago, advances in antiviral therapy have been more effective than many of us could have imagined when the only drug available was AZT, which did not work. Too many healthy friends and […]
Iran War: Mixed Signals on US Resuming Kinetic Action as Iran Moves to Offensive Stance; Flight from Israel Accelerating
Today’s Iran war news: The Trump team is fracasing over what to do as Iran goes on the front foot while servicemembers are badly overstressed.
The (Attempted) “Israelisation” of Latin America (Part II)
Israel has accomplished big things in very little time. But is it sustainable?
Rob Urie: Why Taming the Power of Capital is Needed for Environmental Resolution
A hard yet often witty look at how US environmental policy was built to fail, and the issues presented by AI and voter shifts.
Trump’s ‘Forever’ Tariffs Are Kicking in for the Long Haul – and US Consumers Are Footing the Bill
Early predictions that consumers would bear most of the burden of Trump’s tariffs are proving to be true.
Nolan’s Odyssey Is About the End of an Epoch, Our Epoch
Nolan’s Odyssey is the work of a mature artist speaking about his time, perhaps to the detriment of the original work.
Why Have We Constructed a Society So Prejudiced Against the Autistic?
A bizarre attack on the autism bona fides of environmentalist/TV presenter Chris Packham shows normies do not grasp that passing is hard work
Iran War: Prospects of Long War Rise as US and Iran Signal a Staredown; Iran Economy Not Collapsing; Saudi-Ansar Allah Attacks Intensify; US Navy in Crisis?
Today’s Iran war news: more on the economic standoff as the Ansar Allah-Saudi conflict heats up and navy suicides come into the spotlight.
On Cinema: Political Films Part 1 – Maybe?
Questioning whether some iconic political films are really all that political.
Paper Tiger: the Failure of America’s Trillion Dollar War Machine
A high-level historical assessment shows that the US image of dominance in war has persistently fallen short in practice.
Layoffs Tied to AI Hurt Worker Productivity – and the Reason May Surprise Managers
AI routinely fails to increase corporate productivity. Using it to get rid of workers is a big reason why.
