“[Douglas] Kelley was brought in to assess the 22 Nazis charged with various war crimes and crimes against humanity to assess their mental health to see if they were fit to stand trial. It’s an engrossing story And even though we know the substance of the story, the horrors of the holocaust and the death sentences accorded eleven of the defendants, the reality of this horrific time in history is brought home with the documentary footage of the liberation of the extermination camps. They were shown at the original trial in 1946 and are shown in the film [Nuremberg]. But the bulk of the movie and the focus of the story is the relationship between Kelley and the prisoners. Kelley, a well-credentialed very knowledgeable psychiatrist, set out to find out what made these Nazis tick.” (04/21/26)
“I am not a catastrophist when it comes to artificial intelligence. But, given Norway’s experience with iPads — or our own with smartphones — I worry that the mass introduction of AI, particularly in schools, will be very bad for children. As a curmudgeon and as a writer, I hate nearly all of the cliches about children, even the ones that are accurate. With that caveat, it’s simply true that children are the future. They will be the next generation of parents, voters and citizens. And all of the cliches about how kids learn by doing are true. AI removes the doing. Just as you can’t learn how to ride a bike from reading a book, you can’t get the benefits of reading by asking AI to read a book for you. The same holds for math, science, computer programming and nearly every other aspect of education.” (04/21/26)
“Of course, no one wants an overbearing church, like the 12th-century papacy, locked in a bloody struggle with secular authorities. We are not calling for heavies to chase after archbishops, or Keir Starmer, like Henry II, to be whipped by monks through the streets of Canterbury in his underclothes for his manifold offences (the prime minister would surely find such a prospect displeasing). But spats like that between Trump and Leo show that the church is contributing to political debate in a way that other actors are not able to manage. The frequent fury directed towards the church and Christian advocates demonstrates that their messages – even in this apparently post-Christian age – are still able to pique the conscience.” (04/21/26)
“Lufthansa is ending 20,000 short-haul routes across its network through October to achieve ‘jet fuel savings of more than 40,000 metric tons,’ the airline announced on Tuesday. Jet fuel costs have ‘doubled since the outbreak of the Iran conflict,’ Lufthansa said. The move follows last week’s decision to retire the entire 27-aircraft fleet of its subsidiary CityLine ahead of schedule amid surging fuel costs and tightening supply. The airline said the first 120 flights were canceled on Monday.” (04/21/26)
“Over ninety years ago, muckraking author Upton Sinclair ran a failed campaign to become California’s governor in 1934. He later recounted the experience in his very forgettable book, except for one quote, ‘I, Candidate for Governor, and How I Got Licked.’ The one quote that stands out in Sinclair’s account of his campaign stumping is this one: ‘It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!’ There is perhaps no better quote to understand California’s politicians.” (04/21/26)
“United States President Donald Trump has announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran, saying that the US military will hold off its planned attack to allow more time for Tehran to put forward a proposal to end the war. The move on Tuesday comes at the request of Pakistani mediators, according to Trump. The truce was set to expire on Wednesday. … The extension marks the latest abrupt reversal from the Trump White House. Hours before his social media post, Trump had said that he opposed lengthening the truce, warning Iran that time is running out before the US launches a huge attack on its infrastructure.” (04/21/26)
