Category Archives: Coffee Break

Coffee Break: Trump vs. Musk Omnibus

A scorecard in the Godzilla v. Mothra, um, Trump v. Musk slugfest.

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Ukraine War Report

I have followed the war in Ukraine closely since 2022, and now that the war seems to be heading toward a conclusion, I would like to offer some observations. The War Was Planned and Guided by Western Governments Recent revelations have ended the pretense that Ukraine has been directing its war against Russia independently with […]

Coffee Break: Advances in Limb Regeneration & Malaria, Plus Science & Politics and a World through the Lens of Tuberculosis

Part the First. Old Experimental Models in Biology Lead to New Knowledge. Developmental Biology began as Embryology. A few of us still kicking remember the transition and miss the holistic approach required to master the material. Early embryological models included sea urchins and salamanders, tadpoles and the chicken. Much useful research was done with these […]

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Trump’s Golden Dome Boondoggle

The zombie idea of nuclear missile defense returns with the announcement of President Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile shield, a program so stupid and costly that it could make the F-35 follies look like a side show. An orbital anti-missile system is a dream come true for the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex (MIC), but a nightmare for […]

Coffee Break: A Triumph of Gene Editing

Part the First: Gene Editing as a Cure for Genetic Disease. The recent politics of American science has been depressing in the extreme, and last week I promised to cover recent good things in basic and clinical science. I can’t think of anything better than a baby has been treated successfully for a rare, lethal […]

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Missile Misfit

There are 400 nuclear missile silos in the central United States that constitute the land-based component of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The Minuteman III missiles in the silos are roughly 50 years old. Although they have been repeatedly upgraded over the years, the Air Force decided a replacement should be developed. The new missile under […]

Coffee Break: Notes on Pandemic Responses, a Human Pathogen that Eats the Plastic of Medical Devices, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services Speaks Out

Part the First: Retrospective Notes on a Pandemic. BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, has recently published two interesting pieces on COVID-19. The first is an analysis by Anthony Costello, who was previously Director of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health at the World Heath Organization: UK decision not to suppress covid raises questions […]

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Air Combat Is Changing

The recent fighting between India and Pakistan has provided evidence of the diminishing role of the jet fighter pilot in modern warfare. A large air battle was fought between the two nations on May 6 and 7. India lost at least five jets, some of them advanced French Rafale fighters. Most of the losses were […]

Coffee Break: More on the Disruption of American Science and Good News on Intranasal Viruses to Combat Respiratory Viruses

Part the First. A Few Words in Response to the Excellent Commentariat of Naked Capitalism. No one knows better than I that funding of science in the United States is hit or miss. My overall average flirts with the Mendoza Line, which is not so bad. For most I do not miss the grant treadmill/lottery, […]

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – U.S. Defense Racketeering

Our warfare focused Coffee Break: the defense contractor racket – what it is and how to stop it

Coffee Break: Across the Pond, Tyrants Edition

The leaders of the three largest countries in Western Europe (excluding Russia) are acting like tyrants as their economies implode.

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – India/Pakistan Tinderbox

On April 22, unknown terrorists attacked tourists in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, India, killing 25 of them. The attackers reportedly segregated the victims based on religion before executing Hindus. Like earlier terror strikes, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Uri attack, and the 2019 Pulwama-Balakot crisis, the […]

Coffee Break: Across the Pond With the Dying Western Empire

The Western Empire is dying; but, there are no Western leaders, particularly in Europe, who have any ideas on how to arrest the collapse. The ones we are cursed with can only see one way out and that is by going to war. It is not going to be an easy death.