Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Coffee Break: Crisis of Credibility Edition

The crisis of credibility faced by Western elites as they try and fail to patch over the bursting abscess that is the Epstein files release heralds something much more profound: potential systemic collapse.

Costs of Device-Reliant Parenting: Kids Deficient in Empathy and Storytelling Skills, Can’t Read, Show Declining Cognitive Performance

Another disconcerting report on the harm done to kids by device and tech heavy parenting

Links 2/11/2026

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Health and Wellbeing in the Age of Diagnosis

In this modern world, sometimes it seems that everyone has “something,” and many of these conditions are relatively “new” and their incidence is increasing.  Leading diagnoses from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), include ADHD, autism, depression, and anxiety.  Conditions that have become more common in recent years that have no primary […]

Reuters Finds AI-Using Surgery Devices Harmed Patients; Nature Magazine and Reuters Find Medical Chatbots Not Beating Patients’ Own Internet Sleuthing

More reasons to be concerned about the aggressive implementation of AI in medicine.

The Finance Curse Is Killing Britain

A well-warranted harsh look at the high cost an overly-large and ever-more-extractive finance sector imposes on society as a whole.

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – The Incredible Shrinking “Most Powerful Military in History”

The United States is not merely losing military capacity—it is losing the ability to recognize what it no longer has. As political posture outruns material readiness, allies and adversaries are conditioned to expect reserves of power that do not exist. The result is systematic risk mispricing, easier escalation, and a growing risk of military defeat.

‘This Is Your Money’: Trump Assault on CFPB Has Cost Consumers $19 Billion

The affordability crisis includes the cost of being cheated, which due to the weakening of the CFPB alone is a handsome sum.

Links 2/10/2026

The Ultimate Insult: As Washington Starves Cuba of Energy (And Most Everything Else), It Offers $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid

The US State Department insists that US restrictions on oil in Cuba are not amplifying the need for humanitarian aid there.

America’s Real Health Crisis? Inequality— and a Generation Pays

Raw milk won’t cut it. Even being rich won’t save you. The fast track to improving health in America is tackling inequality

The European Veal Pen: How the US Weaponized Russophobic Paranoia & Energy Geopolitics To Capture Control of Europe

Can Europe free itself from its capture by the US, which looked like a dandy idea until the US became an openly predatory hegemon?

Coffee Break: Trump’s Stochastic Election Attacks, AIPAC Misfire

In 2026, U.S. politics is definied by two trends: Democrats surging in special elections and Trump attacking the very idea of elections.

Journalism May Be Too Slow To Remain Credible Once Events Are Filtered Through Social Media

Some hand-wringing, as well as blame shifting, as to why social media and independent sites are eating the lunches of mainstream media.

Iran War Watch: US Moves Towards Attack Footing Despite Questionable Odds of Success

On the Iran front, the US is taking steps that do not look like mere posturing. Many experts, including ones in Iran, think war is nigh.