Friday, July 11, 2025

Coffee Break: Across the Pond – Europe on the Brink

Europe prepares for war as the democratic deficit grows wider

The Far-Right and the Crypto Scam

How Trump and his allies use crypto to rig the rules of the game in their favor and fleece rubes.

Links 3/17/2025

Why the EU Is Failing

The Democratic Deficit is one reason why the EU is perceived to be failing; but there are others such as too much power being concentrated in one unelected institution and a lack of transparency

DOGE Going Dark as Evidence of Fabrications, Destructive Results and Citizen Anger Rises

OGE is turning out to be as reckless and wantonly destructive as its fiercest critics warned.

Heritage Foundation and Allies Discuss Dismantling the EU

The group behind the radical Project 2025 agenda is increasingly turning its attention to Europe.

MAHA Three Card Monte? Decision to Axe Advisory Groups Could Spell Trouble for US Food Safety

Concerns that RFK Jr.’s MAHA may set back food safety, particularly with regard to pathogens.

Links 3/16/2025

Why Is the Trump Administration So Obsessed with Shipping Lanes?

The case that it’s about preparing for conflict with China. 

When Algorithms Take the Field – Inside MLB’s Robo-Umping Experiment

Whether robot umpires would be better for the game is debatable, but they’d be bad news for labor.

Links 3/15/2025: The Ides of March

Book Review: How Our Digital Infatuation Undermines Discourse

A new take on the costs and dangers of digital device overuse and dependence.

Tightening the Screws: Columbia as Early Focus of Conservative Revenge on Universities

Trump and Vance have ratcheted up their war against universities in a big way.

Coffee Break: End-of-the-Week Thoughts on Science and Other Matters Arising

Today’s Coffee Break: Research universities and science advances at risk, along with healthcare. And is AI for the artificially intelligent?

Putin’s Nyet to US-Ukraine Ceasefire Scheme: More Than Meets the Western Eye?

More on the Russian rejection of the US-Ukraine ceasefire scheme, now from Putin himself.