Thursday, April 9, 2026

Psilocybin Mushrooms Are Going Mainstream, but Scientific Research and Regulation Lag Behind

Less is known about psilocybin mushrooms than you might think even as their popularity and potency of products like edibles rises.

Links 4/9/2026

Iran War: US Pokes Iran in the Eye with Immediate Bad Faith Dealing Over Ceasefire; Strait of Hormuz Again Closed; US Insists Talks in Pakistan On but Iran Demands Halt in Lebanon Attacks

Today’s Iran War news: The ceasefire fell apart, which looks to have been the plan, as in it was merely a ruse from the outset.

Satyajit Das: BNPL – Buy Now, Pain Later

A look at the economics of the hot new way to create yet more debt slaves: BNPL, as in buy now pay later loans.

Why Europe Can Still Face a Gas Crisis Without a Gas Shortage

The EU’s plans to buy US oil, LNG, and nuclear energy products to lower reliance on Russian gas by 2028 is costly!

Coffee Break: Fake Ceasefire, Cognitive Dissonance, & Conflicting Agendas

Reactions to yesterday’s news of a ceasefire in the US-Iran Ramadan War have varied due to cognitive dissonance and conflicting agendas among key players including POTUS Trump, Israel, Iran’s Supreme Leader, the IRGC, the UAE, the Saudis, China, and Pakistan.

The Fight Over ‘Critical Minerals,’ Explained

How the US is playing dog-in-the-manger with critical minerals by disregarding WTO rules so as to stymie China.

Links 4/8/2026

Iran War: MSM Ceasefire Reporting Obscures Iran Agreeing to US Capitulation, Trump Depicting Different Deal; Israel Not a Party, States It Will Not Comply; Reason to Doubt Much Hormuz Traffic Increase Soon, Which Would Mean More Supply Pressure

Today’s Iran War news: why the much-ballyhooed Iran ceasefire is much less than it seems to be.

Notes on the American Justification for the Ramadan War in West Asia of 2026

Why is the United States at war with Iran in 2026?  Several excuses have been used by the current administration to justify the spiral of conflict and ratchet of escalation over the past five weeks.  These include but are probably not limited to: Iran exports terrorism across the globe. Iran is not a democracy and […]

Can I Opt Out of Having My Doctor Take Notes With AI?

What if anything you can do to prevent recording and AI transcriptions/summaries of doctor visits.

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Running Dry in the Sky

U.S. global air power depends on aerial refueling, but the tanker fleet that sustains it is under growing strain. What appears sufficient on paper becomes fragile in practice, revealing a widening gap between strategic ambition and the physical limits of force projection.

The Fed, Congress, and the President: The Constitutional Authority to Make Money

The struggle over the Fed is a constitutional conflict: in a representative system, the power over money belongs to the legislature

Links 4/7/2026

Iran War: Trump Threatens to Destroy Iran in 4 Hours This Evening if No Capitulation; US/Israel Again Attack South Pars Gas Field

Today’s Iran war news: Trump has committed to a deadline and demands, which Iran is rejecting, Iran has vowed to match his threat of apocalyptic damage.