How an informational civil war is starting in the wake of MAHA.
Friday, October 3, 2025
Small Nuclear Reactors Will Not Save The Day
Debunking small nuclear reactor hype.
Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Laser Weapons
High-energy laser weapons (HELs) are moving from lab demos to real defenses. Israel’s Iron Beam—likely the first HEL to see combat—promises near-zero cost per shot against drones and short-range rockets, easing the strain on interceptor stockpiles. But lasers aren’t miracle weapons. Power and cooling demands, weather, line-of-sight limits, and maintenance of delicate optics constrain performance, and attackers can counter with obscurants and saturation. This piece explains the tech, the trade-offs, and how Iron Beam fits alongside Iron Dome in a layered defense that could reshape the economics of air defense in the Middle East.
Trump’s Chabahar Sanctions Waiver Revocation & Bagram Airbase Talk Pile Pressure on India
The US decided that India’s rise as a Great Power must be derailed and it’ll pursue this by all possible means.
Quelle Surprise: UK’s Keir Starmer Government Goes All In On Digital Identity
The government is finally admitting the truth: it wants to launch a universal digital ID dubbed “Britcard” — despite the fact it’s a smartphone app.
The Karl Marx Question
Karl Marx has aged well. What happens if you take his analysis seriously?
War Signals, Quiet Channels, and Venezuela’s Discounted Barrels
An analyst in Caracas tries to make sense of Trump’s aggression against Venezuela.
Coffee Break: Impunity, Incompetence, and Maybe Insight Into How Trump Works
This past week the Trump administration has put on a bravura display of impunity and seeming incompetence, but perhaps we can glean some insight into how they function.
U.S. Military Leaders Plan to Use the Killing of Charlie Kirk to Boost Recruitment. Will It Work?
The armed forces face much bigger problems than can be solved by a useful martyr and a catchy slogan.
“BRICS Are the New Defenders of Free Trade, the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank” and Supporting Genocide by Continuing to Trade with Israel
Discussions of how BRICS is not living up to its lofty promises and is on the path to supporting neoliberalism and hegemony in new clothes
Proof of AI Garbage In, Garbage Out: Incorrect Results Traced to Reddit and Quora
As bad as you thought AI was, it’s worse.
Banks Can’t Survive Climate Change
Richard Murphy argues a massive banking collapse is coming — and the cause isn’t speculation this time. It’s climate change.
The Villa of Reduced Circumstances is still facing tough times, but the CEO (that is me) and the Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Felines (that is also me when I have to negotiate with the neighborhood cats), are in strong agreement that we can afford to give $5 to Naked Capitalism. Another Anon Aloha […]
