“We’re told that the national debt is about to murder the economy in its bed …. Given that taxation is already at historical highs as a level of everything more of that’s not going to work. The idea that there will ever be any significant cuts in spending is, aha, aha, one of those solutions not to be found in the possible space of political solutions. Sure, we’d be delighted to point to all the things government shouldn’t be doing to bring the bill down but we do agree that a Parliament that would do this is unlikely. Which leaves only the one other possible solution — change the denominator. Debt at 100/100 is a different thing from debt at 100/200. So, grow the economy.” (06/08/26)
“Lavazza is bringing its espresso tablets to the U.S., aiming to loosen Keurig Dr Pepper’s grip on the single-serve coffee category. The Italian coffee giant unveiled Tablì last year and launched the new brewing system first in Italy. The tablets, made of compressed ground coffee without a coating, binder or gelatin, can only be used with a Tablì coffee machine made by Lavazza. Each tablet is marked with the words ‘100% coffee.’ At launch, the tabs will come in five varieties: espresso, double espresso, decaf espresso, super crema and lungo, or a ‘long shot’ espresso brewed with more water. … Lavazza is betting that sustainability is still a top consideration for many coffee drinkers, although Baravalle said that can differ across countries. For years, Keurig’s pods have been dogged by questions about waste, leaving an opening for a competitor with a more environmentally-friendly product.” (06/08/26)
“A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.” (06/08/26)
“‘We had the idea of a beacon,’ said the architect who designed the Obama Presidential Center.
It looks like … a triumph of brutalist … whimsy? (Is that even possible?) A science-fictional housing for our ET overlords, maybe. Or something worse. Perhaps Baphomet poses inside. You’ve probably seen the outside of the monstrosity by now. If you’re like me, you’ve marveled at this triumph of bad taste. It surely symbolizes something, but what?” (06/08/26)
“Friedrich Hayek spent much of his later life thinking about a tension at the heart of civilization. The rules that make large-scale social life possible are often not the ones our evolved instincts would tend to generate on their own. Humans evolved for life in small, familiar groups, but eventually we learned to live within a far more impersonal civilization — one sustained by property, contract, law, and market exchange, and by standards of conduct that no one designed. That order did not arise from a blueprint or command. … That insight still has force, but it leaves a critical question open.” (06/08/26)
“Progressives once embraced minimum wages as a tool to exclude marginal workers from the labor market. Modern advocates have different goals, but the same economic effect.” (06/08/26)
“The Joy-Con stick drift saga never ends. France’s equivalent of the Federal Trade Commission, Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes or DGCCRF for short, hit Nintendo of Europe with a 35 million euro fine, or more than $40 million. The French authority said the fine was for misleading consumers about the stick drift issues found in the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons. … Nintendo has been doing free repairs for Joy-Cons for affected customers since 2019.” [editor’s note: So the “fine” is just a bribe to be allowed to continue doing business, not restitution/compensaation to the buyers of defective products – TLK] (06/08/26)
