Saturday, July 19, 2025

As Appetite for War and Repression Rise in the New Western (Dis-)Order, Palantir Is Making a Killing

Silicon Valley’s darkest and most secretive unicorn “has finally made it big”. But at what cost to the rest of us?

Will the EU Join the Economic War Against China?

Should Brussels join in, the economic fallout from Project Ukraine could seem quaint, and it could contribute to shortages in the US. 

Several Hundred Workers Who Keep Invasive Pests Out of the US Accept Trump’s Buyouts

As many as 700 USDA workers on the frontlines of pest detection and crop protection have accepted deferred resignation offers. Their departure could slow inspections, delay outbreak response and leave the nation’s crops exposed to invasive species — which could harm the agricultural economy.

Satyajit Das: On Cinema –Surviving Childhood

A look at some prime cinematic treatments on the coming of age, not the treacley or heroic sort, but nuanced portraits.

Coffee Break: Across the Pond Where Stupidity Replaces Sound Policy

With the government at a loss as to how to arrest the decline of the UK, stupidity seems to have taken the place of sound policy

Links 4/21/2025

How Trump Deportations Fit Into War Against American Workers

Rather than cracking down on employers exploiting immigrant labor, we’re getting an assault on unions and rendition of immigrant activist students. And an increase in H1 and H2s to further drive down wages and worker protections is likely coming. 

Reform Backers Are Importing the US’s ‘Big Money’ Playbook to UK Politics

Great British PAC wants to unite the right. To do so, it hopes to Americanise UK politics with help of donors like Elon Musk. 

Before Banks: Historical Lessons for Rethinking Credit

The era before modern banking took off featured flexible, highly personal credit arrangements, in some ways better than what we have now.

Links 4/20/2025

The Sunday Morning Movie Presents: M (1931) Run Time 1h29m

The Sunday Morning Movie presents M (1931) A classic b&w crime drama set in 1930’s Germany, it was director Fritz Lang’s magnum opus.

Scientists Found a Potential Sign of Life on a Distant Planet – An Astronomer Explains Why Many Are Still Skeptical

Many uncertainties remain about K2-18b.

Links 4/19/2025

Trump and Rubio Signal US on Verge of Halting Ukraine Peace Negotiations

As we had predicted from early on, the Ukraine peact talks are failing. Trump is threatening to pull the plug.

Come-Gimme! Why Do We Shrug When Apes Cross the Language Barrier?

Despite startling breakthroughs, the first words and signs of great apes are rarely publicly celebrated by scientists.