Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Boston Is Temporarily Legalizing Outdoor Drinking for the World Cup. Why Not Make It Permanent?

Source: Reason
by Reem Ibrahim

“If Boston can trust adults to ‘sip and stroll’ during the World Cup, it can trust them all year round.” (06/22/26)

https://reason.com/2026/06/22/boston-is-temporarily-legalizing-outdoor-drinking-for-the-world-cup-why-not-make-it-permanent/

Thomas L. Knapp

Judge scraps SNAP junk food rules, dealing a blow to MAHA

Source: Politico

“A federal judge on Monday scrapped a set of state pilot programs intended to restrict the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program money to purchase unhealthy foods. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, wrote in her decision that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who oversees the SNAP program, misapplied federal law in approving requests from states to allow them to impose limits on what participants can buy with funds from the nation’s largest food aid program. Her ruling applies to Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia. ‘With her solicitation and approval of the pilot projects in this case, the Secretary purports to waive not just a mere administrative or technical obstacle, but the very definition of ‘food’ as it was laid down by Congress,’ Berman wrote.” (06/22/26)

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/22/judge-snap-junk-food-rules-maha-00970700

Thomas L. Knapp

Obesity, Wireheads, and the case for and Against Paternalism

Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman

“Suppose we come up with really good pleasure drugs, drugs that give us lots of pleasure without negative side effects such as hangovers or cirhosis of the liver. If we accept the economist’s model of the rational actor, their invention is clearly a good thing. It expands our choice set, provides us one more and possibly better way of getting what we want. To people skeptical of the rational model, that conclusion is less clear. To see the problem, consider an extreme version. Larry Niven, in some of his stories, describes wireheads, people who have had a wire inserted into the pleasure center of their brain and stimulate it with a mild electric current. The intense pleasure that results dominates all other concern, making it possible for a wirehead to die of hunger and thirst because getting food or drink is simply more trouble than it is worth.” (06/22/26)

https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/obesity-wireheads-and-the-case-for

Thomas L. Knapp

The Rise of “Geomaxxing”

Source: Independent Institute
by Scott Beyer

“America was founded on the idea that individuals should be free to pursue their own lives, fortunes, and happiness without excess government interference. The nation’s story has long been one of people fleeing constraints and moving towards opportunity. As the U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary, it’s natural to ask whether the nation still embodies this. My answer is mostly yes. The U.S. remains one of the freest and most prosperous societies in human history, and continues to attract millions of immigrants. But do Americans themselves still intuitively feel this way about their country? Increasingly, the answer appears to be no. That is reflected in the rise of ‘geomaxxing,’ a buzzy internet term that describes a serious trend. More Americans are looking beyond their own borders for better quality of life, lower costs, and greater freedom.” (06/22/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/06/22/the-rise-of-geomaxxing/

Thomas L. Knapp

France: About 20 drown trying to escape heatwave sweeping much of Europe

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“French authorities say about ⁠20 ⁠people have drowned over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas to seek relief from a heatwave gripping France and other parts of Europe. … Separately, local authorities said the heatwave was the most likely reason for the deaths of two children aged two and four who were found unconscious in a car outside their home in Carpentras in southeastern France. Three more people aged 80 to 95 died in the Bordeaux region from heat-related health issues, local official Sophie Brocas told France TV.” (06/23/26)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/23/about-20-drown-in-france-trying-to-escape-heatwave-sweeping-much-of-europe

Thomas L. Knapp