“In 2021, I discussed tradeoff vs. failure models of psychiatric conditions, and said that most conditions were probably a mix of both. The new research seems to confirm this: the first genetic component of schizophrenia is a tradeoff: bad insofar as it gives you higher schizophrenia risk, good insofar as it gives you higher educational attainment. Most likely this has something to do with creativity or motivation. The second component is a failure: bad in every way, with no compensating advantage. Most likely this is detrimental mutations in genes for neurogenesis and synaptic pruning.” (03/26/26)
“U.S. Southern Command said it [murdered] four men in a strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean on Wednesday, the latest attack by the Trump administration in its aggressive crackdown on narcotics trafficking. The Trump administration has [murdered] at least 163 people and destroyed at least 47 vessels it accuses of trafficking drugs in international waters since Sept. 2, according to a Pentagon posture statement and subsequent SOUTHCOM releases. Wednesday’s strike was the third publicly reported since the U.S. military began its war with Iran.” (03/26/26)
“The Strait of Hormuz crisis has sparked a new round of debates on the implications for China of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. Citing China’s reliance on imports of oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) that pass through the largely closed strait, some experts argue that China has limited capabilities to protect its own strategic and commercial interests in the region. But this analysis is based on a false assumption about Chinese energy policy. It is true that China is the world’s largest importer of oil and natural gas. But Beijing has long recognized the importance of energy security and the dangers of relying on a single source of energy imports.” (03/26/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“Through a campaign of lying, aided by the Durham Police Department, the media, and Duke University’s administration and faculty leadership, Durham County District Attorney Michael Nifong was able to ram through false charges of rape, kidnapping, and sexual assault against three Duke University members of the lacrosse team. By June 2006, things looked bleak for the accused, as it became evident that Nifong might well succeed in getting the case to a jury, and then convincing those jurors to convict. Although a year later, the charges would be dismissed and Nifong would be disbarred, such outcomes seemed impossibly far off in the summer of 2006, as the prosecution racked up one victory over another.” (03/26/26)
“Hungary’s pro-Russian government has launched criminal charges against a prominent investigative journalist whom it accuses of conducting spying activities in coordination with a foreign country, a minister said on Thursday. The journalist, Szabolcs Panyi, focuses on national security and intelligence reporting and has published extensive reports detailing Russian influence operations in Hungary as well as the relationship between Moscow and Hungary’s foreign minister. Panyi denies the allegations, and an outlet Panyi writes for has accused Hungary’s government of ‘resorting to authoritarian tactics’ to discredit the journalist and his findings.” (03/26/26)
