Links 7/17/2025

Subscribe to Post Comments

64 comments

1. Christopher Fay July 17, 2025 at 7:08 am

   Fast boat base in Philippines, we have seen this movie before https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Were_Expendable

   Reply ↓
   1. griffen July 17, 2025 at 8:06 am

      Caffeine is a daily requirement of course…must consume several cups but my very initial thought in my child like mind…is the headline from the Babylon Bee ? Alas this article today is a real thing.

      Sorry to say so, but images of that magical “unicorn” solution from just last year were envisioned. The floating pier to facilitate humanitarian aid and supplies into Gaza. The pier was a sorry solution, was the expected and indeed the end result. Yeah, America. \sarc

      Reply ↓
2. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 7:12 am

   “Is your future pension safe?”

   And by coincidence I was reading today that-

   ‘The Trump administration is finalizing an executive order that would clear the way for 401(k) retirement savings plans to invest in private equity, according to a report.’

   https://nypost.com/2025/07/16/business/trump-to-allow-401ks-to-invest-in-private-equity-report/

   So I suppose that a private equity firm could then use people’s 401k to invest in things like stablecoins and AI startups. Safe as houses. /sarc

   Reply ↓
   1. Acacia July 17, 2025 at 7:33 am

      Indeed, and I gather that’s what all the hoopla over getting crypto ETFs approved was about, to clear the way for grabbing some of grandpa’s 401k and using it to buy Bitcoin. “Bang! Pow! To Da Moon!”

      Reply ↓
   2. none July 17, 2025 at 7:42 am

      So I suppose that a private equity firm could then use people’s 401k to invest in things like stablecoins and AI startups. Safe as houses. /sarc

      I think it was Jamie Zawinski who called bitcoins “Dunning-Krugerrands”. This seems like more of the same.

      Reply ↓
      1. Yves Smith July 17, 2025 at 7:51 am

         Private equity invests in companies. You are thinking of hedgies.

         Reply ↓
         1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 7:58 am

            If private equity invests in companies, then what is to stop them setting up dummy corporations to be used as the vehicles for their investments? On paper they may not appear linked but in reality they would be as good as laced together.

            Reply ↓
            1. FreeMarketApologist July 17, 2025 at 9:16 am

               There are several public companies that, while they have a marginal legitimate business function, are principally holders of large amounts of bitcoin – MicroStrategy Inc (now Strategy Inc), run by Michael Saylor was the first and best known of these, Upexi is another, and Cantor Fitzgerald is putting together a similar investment vehicle. Strategy’s trading price is over 2x the value of actual bitcoin it holds – you can do your own math as to whether you think that’s a wise investment for bitcoin exposure.

               To the extent that people have self-directed 401ks (i.e., you can choose the investments), they can generally prevent being exposed to bitcoin. The thing to watch out for, and lobby your company’s 401k manager about, is having a limited choice of investment funds to choose from, all of which have bitcoin exposure – but even this will become diffitult if you’re invested in broad based index funds. I’m more worried about pension funds loading up on funds and specific companies with bitcoin exposure, as many pension funds already operate at the edge of viability.

               Reply ↓
               1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 9:57 am

                  Thanks for that explanation. Like yourself, I too can see pension funds being used to invest in scams like bitcoin with the active encouragement of the present US government. And would those pensioners even know what their money s being invested in much less have a chance to say no.

                  Reply ↓
                  1. ChrisFromGA July 17, 2025 at 10:45 am

                     Let’s do a thought experiment. A giant EMP attack or maybe a Carrington Event wipes out every hard drive on the planet.

                     What’s that Bitcoin ETF in Grandma’s pension fund worth?

                     Reply ↓
                     1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 10:49 am

                        Probably the same as it is now if we are going to be honest. Grandma had better stock up on cat food if there are Bitcoins in her pension fund.

                        Reply ↓
   3. Wukchumni July 17, 2025 at 7:48 am

      Just be thankful nobody has come up with Housecoin yet.

      It’s the bets of both worlds!

      Reply ↓
      1. ChrisFromGA July 17, 2025 at 8:50 am

         Rumor has it that Sam Bankman-Fried is working on a variant, BigHousecoin.

         Reply ↓
         1. Wukchumni July 17, 2025 at 9:01 am

            Who knows how much Bitcoin was involved in FTX, but lookie here. Sam’s in the all bar motel and Bitcoin is at an all time high!

            Reply ↓
            1. ChrisFromGA July 17, 2025 at 10:33 am

               Sam should lobby for a pardon. In the grand scheme of things, FTX was a crooked lemonade stand compared to the crime of lacing every target date fund and ETF with derivatives of Bitcoin … unless it’s a in a digital wallet under your dominion and control. you don’t own that!

               Reply ↓
   4. griffen July 17, 2025 at 10:27 am

      Always good I think to have a plan, any retirement plan is better than not or just hoping those social security payments aren’t rubber checks by say, I dunno 2045 (?). I kid of course. \sarc

      Was having this discussion yesterday on plans and moving retirement assets / transferring out from a prior employer…It seems unlikely that magical crypto finds it’s way directly into pension funds or retirement plans post haste. I have family members in the wealth planning industry, they are not permitted to solicit clients or offer / suggest any manner of Bitcoin, Shitecoin or cryptocurrency. This is an important barrier to be mindful of. That could always change but certain large financial firms would face a risk at being sued or in arbitration…

      If someone takes their retirement funds and places ~ 99% into a Blackrock managed ETF, that just seems unwise to be reckless and undiversified… Fortune favors the bold but stupid gets burned.

      Reply ↓
3. AG July 17, 2025 at 7:24 am

   Unfortunately I missed out on Ray McGovern´s visit to Berlin together with Elizabeth Murray.
   He has linked some of the events here:

   Elizabeth Murray & I in Berlin today till Jul 12 when we speak at Schiller Institute Conference. https://schillerinstitute.com/man-is-not-a-wolf-to-man/ . My panel at 4 am ET; EM’s at 8:30. Hans-Christof von Sponeck & Russia’s Prof. Dmitri Trenin are on my panel. Streaming in English at https://youtube.com/@SchillerInstitute
   https://raymcgovern.com/2025/07/09/live-panel-on-july-12/

   Reply ↓
4. Christopher Fay July 17, 2025 at 7:34 am

   JFK Jr running in 2028 will have as much possibility of success as Sanders running that year. They could join forces as the 2024 Dream Ticket. AOC will have slightly better chances

   Reply ↓
   1. Wukchumni July 17, 2025 at 7:56 am

      I’ll take Sanders over JFK Jr in 2028.

      Reply ↓
   2. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 8:41 am

      As somebody else once pointed out, you may have both AOC and Sanders stand as Presidential candidates for 2028 and doing a lot of campaigning to drag in undecided voters but then both will simultaneously withdraw their candidacies to endorse the Democrat Presidential Candidate for 2028 – Liz Cheney.

      Reply ↓
5. Wukchumni July 17, 2025 at 7:41 am

   Trump calls Epstein controversy a “Hoax” and “bulls***,” denouncing “weaklings” in GOP CBS News
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Dribs & drabs of a diatribe, lest divulged.

   You can almost hear a faint Nixonian voice tickling away in his larynx…

   ‘I’m not a crook!’

   Popcorn is a must at this juncture and I prefer to cook it in a large pot over an open flame and olive oil is my go to lubricant, and then expect inflationary pressures to build. Salt to taste.

   Reply ↓
   1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 8:06 am

      What’s really weird is where over this whole thing, he is talking about his ‘PAST supporters’ and said that if they do not believe his pronouncements, then he doesn’t ‘want their support anymore.’ As I said elsewhere, Trump has decided that Epstein is the hill that he is determined to die on. He may not care about his supporters as this is his final term but I bet all those GOP Senators and Reps have different thoughts on the matter.

      In the meantime, I see your ‘I’m not a crook!’ and raise you with ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman.’

      Reply ↓
      1. Ben Panga July 17, 2025 at 8:10 am

         @kev – his unconscious calculation must have been. “Most of them will automatically support me and they will bully/other the rest into line.” Fatal miscalculation. He’s the figurehead not the movement, and is about to find out what that means.

         Reply ↓
         1. Christopher Fay July 17, 2025 at 8:14 am

            We don’t have elites, we have insiders. We don’t have leaders, we have figureheads.

            Reply ↓
            1. t July 17, 2025 at 9:47 am

               And they rely on be useful to dark money, except when, as in the cases of Musk and Theil, they step out from behind the curtain.

               Reply ↓
   2. Ben Panga July 17, 2025 at 8:08 am

      Oh there will be lots of salt!

      Couldn’t happen to a nicer narcissistic sex criminal.

      Reply ↓
      1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 8:15 am

         A narcissistic sex criminal? Is that Trump you are talking about or old Joe Biden? It could go either way.

         Reply ↓
         1. ChrisFromGA July 17, 2025 at 10:12 am

            We’re 3 outta 5 over the past 33 years – Clinton, Biden, and Trump are all sexual predators.

            We’re giving ancient Rome a run for its money. Caligula and Nero ain’t got nothin’ on us.

            Reply ↓
            1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 10:18 am

               Well Trump hasn’t made a horse a Senator yet. But if he did, it would feel at home with all the horse’s a**** there. :)

               Reply ↓
            2. Dr. John Carpenter July 17, 2025 at 11:33 am

               Well, we still don’t know why No Drama Obama was at Diddy’s Freak Offs, so I’d say we still could end up with the four horsemen.

               Reply ↓
         2. ambrit July 17, 2025 at 10:44 am

            Since “…it could go either way…” I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that the District of Columbia can be America’s first “Swing State.”

            Reply ↓
   3. Carolinian July 17, 2025 at 9:05 am

      New Hedges with more on Epstein. The Trump child molesting described in his previous piece was from an affidavit that was withdrawn and denied by the accuser meaning

      a) she made it up or
      b) she was paid or threatened to deny

      https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-donald-trump-and

      Still there are alleged to be compromising pictures of Trump but nobody is coming forward with them. Surely in the speculation realm it’s Trump’s own current behavior that is most making him look guilty.

      Reply ↓
      1. ChrisFromGA July 17, 2025 at 9:31 am

         I watched Chris Hedges’ interview with Nick Bryant (posted as a comment at the tail end of yesterday’s links), and Bryant claimed that other girls stated that they saw Trump allegedly with topless underage girls on his lap, and that he complained about their lack of skill at oral sex.

         Also interesting was the revelation (not new) that Ehud Barak was allegedly a co-conspirator.

         Reply ↓
         1. Wukchumni July 17, 2025 at 9:33 am

            ‘Daddyophile’

            Reply ↓
         2. Carolinian July 17, 2025 at 9:51 am

            I’ve mentioned the droll Matthew Broderick comedy The Freshman where rich people get together to eat endangered species. Real world: one of Trump’s sons was criticized for going on a hunting trip to shoot protected species.

            The droit du seigneur is surely a big part of power’s allure and in my own South it isn’t a stretch to suggest that sexual power over their female slaves kept the planters devoted to slavery as much as the economic aspect. More recently the “me too” movement turned over the rock of powerful men using their position to commit sexual license against female underlings.

            All of which is to say the accusations are at least plausible and Trump’s behavior is making them more so.

            Reply ↓
6. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 7:47 am

   “Ukraine war briefing: Weapons will be Europe’s support to Ukraine – not Trump’s, Kallas suggests”

   ‘If you promise to give the weapons, but say somebody else is going to pay, it’s not really given by you.’

   Well this is a first. Kaja Kallas actually said something that I can respect and approve of. Bonus points because she insulted Trump in doing so.

   Reply ↓
7. AG July 17, 2025 at 8:01 am

   re: RU nuclear doctrin part 2

   fwiw the rest of the study, again in German but quickly translateable

   part 2

   Moscow’s master plan: How the Kremlin wants to keep NATO in check
   July 17, 2025 Dmitry Trenin, Sergei Avakyants, Sergei Karaganov

   https://www.telepolis.de/features/Moskaus-Masterplan-Wie-der-Kreml-die-Nato-in-Schach-halten-will-10490506.html

   Reply ↓
8. Wukchumni July 17, 2025 at 8:04 am

   US deports immigrants to African country of Eswatini amid rights concerns Al Jazeera
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   I’ve never heard of Eswatini which appears to be named after a cocktail or a tribal dance, one or the other.

   I’d imagine they were useful coalition of the willing partners at some juncture.

   Reply ↓
   1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 8:46 am

      Eswatini is just the new name for Swaziland and is not a rich country. They changed the name not long ago I remember but I thought the old name better.

      Reply ↓
9. DJG, Reality Czar July 17, 2025 at 8:09 am

   Flamingos stealing your risotto.

   Conor Gallagher, I think that you are getting a tad sensational today. The flamingos are causing some trouble in Emilia-Romagna. The flamingo population has been going up, and the local farmers are having some dilemmas and some troubles controlling them. There are now 40,000 visiting flamingos with big appetites in the Delta of the Po.

   I will note that much of the Undisclosed Region is planted with rice — in fact, Italy is the main rice-producing country of Europe and the regions of Lombardy and Undisclosed are the main centers of cultivation. It is why there are so many mosquitoes in the Chocolate City.

   Some clarity about the extent of the problem:
   https://www.rinnovabili.it/clima-e-ambiente/biodiversita/fenicotteri-risaie-delta-del-po/

   https://sigmaearth.com/it/flamingos-threaten-risotto-rice-crops-in-northeastern-italy/

   I will await till the invading flamingos reach the provinces of Vercelli and Novara:
   https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riso_(alimento)#Italia_2

   Meanwhile, the Guardian is the Guardian is the Guardian. I do note that there have been some sightings of wild boars in the Chocolate City of late, a continuing and more urgent problem, and wild boars being wild boars, we just may have to eat them.

   Reply ↓
   1. DJG, Reality Czar July 17, 2025 at 8:42 am

      Oops. The Independent is the Independent is the Independent.

      I will now head out for a walk and a caffè shakerato so as to determine if some large pink Mothra is flying this way to eat up the cricri harvest.

      Reply ↓
      1. Colonel Smithers July 17, 2025 at 8:57 am

         Thank you, DJG.

         I love cinghiale.

         Two villages down the west coast of Mauritius, an Italian restaurateur and his Mauritian (Creole) wife get the meat from the local sugar estates and sell as salami, sausages or serve.

         Two villages down in Buckinghamshire, a butcher has arrived from Italy and sourcing from aristo estates further afield.

         Reply ↓
10. AG July 17, 2025 at 8:19 am

    re: Germany vs. RU / press conference

    Again an example from a German government press conference as admirably covered by reporter Florian Warweg.

    The entire piece in Engl.

    Bundeswehr general wants to attack Russian “command facilities” – and the historic ignorance of the German government

    https://archive.is/LZAXp

    “(…)
    Excerpt from the minutes of the government press conference of 16 July 2025

    Question Warweg

    The head of the Planning and Command Staff of the Federal Minister of Defense, Major General Christian Freuding, told ZDF on July 11 from Kyiv: We need weapons systems that reach far – even deep into Russian territory – that can attack depots, command facilities, airfields. – The federal government has repeatedly emphasized that Germany is not yet a party to this war. But if that is the case, to whom was the statement by one of the highest-ranking German military officials referring, in the first person plural, that we need weapons systems to be able to attack Russian command facilities? If in doubt, the question goes to the BMVg and, if possible, also to the BPA.

    Müller (BMVg)

    I’ll gladly take that on. – You know that Ukraine is being attacked every day by Russia with missile systems and bombs. Civilian infrastructure is being hit, rockets are falling on kindergartens and playgrounds. We are working closely with Ukraine to equip it with the capabilities it needs to repel these horrific attacks. This means we are meeting Ukraine’s needs. By “we,” we mean meeting Ukraine’s needs, providing the urgently needed supplies for Ukraine.

    The Ukrainian armed forces are responsible for the deployment of these weapons systems – as we have stated several times. They are accountable for the deployment, and we firmly believe that these weapons systems will be used in accordance with international law.

    Warweg’s Addition:

    I’m still waiting for the BPA. I mentioned that, too.

    Deputy Government Spokesperson Meyer:
    
    I have nothing to add to that in terms of content. I believe you just said that the Federal Government claims not to be a party to the war. I can say it again very clearly: The Federal Government is not a party to the war, but rather supports Ukraine against the ongoing attacks from Russia.
    

    Supplementary question Warweg

    I did not say “claimed”, I spoke quite objectively of “emphasized”, but whatever.

    In this context, I have another question about the German government’s sense of historical responsibility. Germany killed more than 14 million civilians in a campaign against the Soviet Union that was very explicitly planned as a war of annihilation, including the older brother of the current Russian president during the starvation blockade of Leningrad. One million Russian civilians died in this war alone. Given this, I would be genuinely interested to know why, given this horrendous number of Russian civilians killed, this hasn’t led to similar verbal restraint and a similar reason-of-state approach, as we can observe, for example, in the case of Israel.
    

    Wagner (AA)

    Mr. Warweg, the German government stands by the crimes committed by Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and we are very aware of this responsibility. It is quite unspeakable that you are placing this in the context of current crises and conflicts. In the Ukraine context, and I refer to your previous question, it is very clear who is the aggressor and who is the defender. Russia attacks Ukraine every day in violation of international law, and Ukraine is defending itself against this attack in accordance with international law, and we support that.
    (…)”

    Reply ↓
11. griffen July 17, 2025 at 8:27 am

    Federal Reserve and chair Powell, under enemy fire from dear leader and actually a handful of others this morning as well. A future or even likely candidate, Kevin Warsh is on all cylinders in a CNBC interview this morning. I’ll have to wait for this session to wrap, maybe a transcript gets posted a long with the video clip. For econ or policy wonks, well for me this dude seems very sharp.

    A sidebar I heard this morning, is that a portion of these renovation cost overruns that occurred at the Federal Reserve building were related to finding unwanted materials at the very lowest levels of that building foundation. I am a bit undecided on the merit of these expenses, which I suppose are likely overdue; but if I correctly understand these higher expenses are not funded by taxpayers.

    https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/building-project-faqs.htm

    Reply ↓
    1. ChrisFromGA July 17, 2025 at 9:44 am

       I caught part of that. What struck me is how despicable the CNBC clowns were in not defending Powell.

       Jerome Powell has done nothing wrong, and he’s being falsely accused by Trump and Bill Pulte, who as the CEO of Pulte Homes and the head of FHFA is a walking conflict of interest. He stands to enrich himself and his family from lower rates that could blow another housing bubble.

       There ought to be Congressional hearings to look into this, with Pulte the target. If I were Powell I’d sue both Trump and Pulte for defamation and go after CNBC just for good measure.

       Reply ↓
       1. t July 17, 2025 at 9:49 am

          From your post to god’s ears.

          Reply ↓
       2. griffen July 17, 2025 at 11:19 am

          Not too sure on the CNBC angle, those anchors just let him go awhile. Believe me if someone like Sorkin ( no it’s not Aaron ) doesn’t chime in with objections that is unusual. Steve Leisman as the senior economic reporter has often been critical this year on the tariffs and generally when disputing some of the most wild claims by Trump administration officials, generally those not named Scott Bessent.

          Kevin Warsh seems to be in full on auditioning for the position. I would politely disagree on the Federal Reserve, however, during 2021 they were behind on inflationary pressures building as the US gradually emerged from the pandemic era into recovery. That said it’s a difficult place to be for the Fed and Powell now; after all they indeed had eased on two occasions in late 2024 and long term UST yields just have not cooperated since….

          I will caveat the above by saying that Trump’s griping, insults and complaints are just one of many attributes that have kept him mostly front and center since his escalator arrival during his initial run at the Presidency.

          Reply ↓
12. GramSci July 17, 2025 at 8:30 am

    Apropos: How the brain turns thought into language (op cit)

    Sigh. I just yesterday sent this link to my daughter to dissuade her from pursuing a graduate degree in neuroimaging.

    Reply ↓
13. Acacia July 17, 2025 at 8:31 am

    Re: When Do You Need to Quit Your Job?

    An engaging read and I was nodding with Nolan until: “The New York Times is a high quality news organization” and can be reformed from within, while “Fox News, by contrast, is a propaganda organization”.

    Oh really?

    It seems Nolan’s main concern is to determine whether or not an organization can be reformed or is just “irredeemably bad”, in which case the employees should quit.

    However, there is one other possible option that Nolan doesn’t explore: don’t quit, stick around, collect a paycheque, and quietly sabotage the organization so that it fails to deliver and loses its clients.

    There’s a surprising amount of literature about “employee sabotage” and how HR Depts can attempt to deal with it. ;)

    Reply ↓
    1. AG July 17, 2025 at 8:45 am

       thanks…

       Indeed this is maybe the biggest of all dangers to true understanding.
       In fact, this is why the left has failed in such a shocking way:

       His ultimate paragraph reveals all the naivité and deep-rooted ideology and crypto-magalomania which, well, makes me desperate as I am surrounded by it. And all fine well-meaning people, sigh:

       
       “Even by this conservative standard, we can comfortably say that a lot of employees at a lot of places should quit, right now. Palantir? Yes. Blood is on your hands. ICE? Leave now. The FBI? You work for a monster. Get out. Fox News? Goodbye. Anti-union law firms? No reason to be there. Gambling apps? Payday loan companies? Predatory private equity firms? Corporate lobbyists who exacerbate the ongoing crisis of economic inequality? Quit your job. Quit your motherfucking job!

       You may believe that you are a good person. But sometimes it doesn’t matter. If you work for the goon squad then you are, by definition, a goon. “

       btw just for starters: he doesn’t even mention C.I.A. once. What kind of kindergarten is this…

       Reply ↓
       1. earthling July 17, 2025 at 10:36 am

          I found it kind of refreshing to hear someone just bring up the subject, even if it is unrealistic. We all decry how awful society has become, yet we keep lining up to work for these monster companies grinding us under their wheels. What if the worst of them suddenly couldn’t hire a soul and couldn’t carry on their work? A ‘general strike’ targeted at the worst of the worst.

          Reply ↓
          1. AG July 17, 2025 at 10:50 am

             I am a bit gloomy lately…

             Reply ↓
14. Vicky Cookies July 17, 2025 at 9:05 am

    “Two days talking to people looking for jobs at ICE”

    I know, i know, humani nihil alienum . I try to keep it in mind, and avoid the kind of despair and disgust the author describes. But one thing I’ve found, wandering around the social landscape of young working class people in a post-industrial city, is a general, casual, and unapologetic amorality. Many Americans, it seems, have not been taught to feel shame, except perhaps for unemployment or other ‘personal’ failings. By the time some do, sometimes the result of personal calamity, reconnect with our shared humanity, they might be homeless.

    Reply ↓
15. ilsm July 17, 2025 at 9:05 am

    New MAGA

    Trump: Make Aged-pedophiles Great Again!

    Reply ↓
16. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 9:10 am

    “We’re Starting to Sound Like ChatGPT — And We Don’t Even Realize It”

    Yeah, nah! This is just a media beat up story for clicks & likes. Sort of like with the Gen Z stare-

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/07/16/gen-z-stare-is-going-viral-on-tiktok-what-is-it/85242062007/

    Or 30 year old men wanting to live in their mom’s basement ordering food from Door Dash-

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M51v1dmhp1k (29:24 mins) – ShoeOnHead

    Just not buyin’ it.

    Reply ↓
17. Wukchumni July 17, 2025 at 9:12 am

    Hegseth’s New Dress Code of Honor Ken Klippenstein
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I’m all for good grooming, and nothing like a Snowcat to make uniform corduroy out of a slope, or as we call the finished product: ‘the groomers’.

    ‘Laser treatment’ is pretty common among men taking a walk on the wild side, I thought Pete was stridently against anything trans?

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 10:24 am

       With his New Dress Code of Honor, I thought that Hegseth would have a lot to say about tattoos but here there was nothing but radio silence. Can’t work out why.

       Reply ↓
18. AG July 17, 2025 at 9:55 am

    re: sex life vs. social media

    WIRED interview

    A topic rather unusual for my posts.
    It might fit better intthe comments section to this NC item:
    https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/06/reverse-lysistrata-more-on-men-cooling-on-dating-sex-and-the-role-of-societal-denigration.html

    But let me put it here since it´s new:

    How Social Media Is Fueling Gen Z’s Sex Recession

    For her new book, journalist Carter Sherman interviewed over 100 young people about why they’re not having sex. She says they’re “very horny” but also more isolated, self-conscious, and fearful.

    https://archive.is/wyUhj

    p.s. It is no accident that as a high schooler in the US the first word I was “taught” was “horny”. All the while half a dozen girls in our class, underaged naturally, were pregnant. And needless to add, church was big. This was decades ago. And this inconsequential behaviour and double standard by an entire society puzzled me already then. It appears that despite the fact that decades have passed since this hasn’t really changed in the US of A. Or has it?

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 10:15 am

       Take a look at the video I linked to by ShoeOnHead earlier-

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M51v1dmhp1k (29:24 mins)

       She mentions a lot of the social changes that have taken place over recent years.

       Reply ↓
       1. AG July 17, 2025 at 10:51 am

          thanks!

          Reply ↓
19. AG July 17, 2025 at 10:05 am

    re: Craig Murray on protesters vs. Leonardo weapons factory in Edinburgh

    nice title…

    The Big Chill
    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2025/07/the-big-chill/

    Reply ↓
20. The Rev Kev July 17, 2025 at 10:10 am

    “Why the U.S. Only Wants Hezbollah’s Precision Weapons, Not Its Full Disarmament”

    Simple. Because the moment that Hezbollah cannot cause pain in Israel like Iran did, then Israel would feel free to invade that country and maybe partition it with Al Qeda Syria. And at that point they and the Jihadists wold eliminate Hezbollah entirely. I am not so convinced. When the Jihadists took Syria, they only had a very tiny force to do so whereas the Syrian army was huge in comparison but was bribed to stand down. That is why Jolani is demanding that Lebanon free some 2,000 Jihadists from their prisons. He needs more ground troops but now Israel has turned against him. Scott Ritter was saying that when Israel bombed Damascus, Jolani bolted for Idlib for his own personal safety. Regardless, until those long range weapons go, the Israelis are in strategic check.

    Reply ↓
21. Neutrino July 17, 2025 at 10:32 am

    Whistling past the Dem graveyard, Fifth Amendment edition. Or, as observant people say, only a matter of time before senility will out.
    Thanks, Joe

    Reply ↓
22. JMH July 17, 2025 at 10:54 am

    Are we experiencing the descent into the maelstrom? Or maybe, “Turning turning in the widening gyre/ The falcon cannot hear the falconer/Things fall apart; the center cannot hold/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world … It certainly feels that way. Simply scroll through the offerings in Links.

    Reply ↓