“Recently I read Ray Kurzweil’s book The Singularity is Nearer, a look at artificial intelligence and what it holds for the future. Kurzweil is very optimistic about AI and believes it will usher in an era of untold wealth and prosperity. Moreover, he believes the exponential growth of AI power will lead to revolutionary advances in medicine and the extension of human life expectancy to 120 and beyond. Not in the far distant future but within the next twenty to forty years. Older folks like me may or may not live long enough to benefit, but our children and grandchildren surely might.” (05/27/26)
“On the morning of May 18, 2026, on the granite steps of Manhattan’s Criminal Courts Building, three chic women arranged themselves like starlets at Cannes. The heels. The practiced hip-thrust. Weight cocked to one side, chin down, eyes up. With enough mascara between them to repaint Gracie Mansion. But the most revealing part, the part that showed the most skin, was the laminated press credential blessed by the office of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. It certified they were card-carrying members of the working press. Only they were not here to cover a criminal. Luigi’s Angels, or as they call themselves, more affectionately, the Mangionistas, were there to worship a charismatic idol and to defend his violence.” (05/28/26)
“The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are negotiating a new housing bill as Americans have become increasingly concerned with affordability. Unfortunately, any federal housing bill would do little to make housing more affordable and could even worsen the situation.” (05/27/26)
“It is now unlawful, upheld by a judge and jury, in Northern Ireland, to preach a sermon about God’s love within earshot of a hospital. Over the centuries, English kings, queens, nobles, and lower classes have arrested, tried, convicted, imprisoned, fined, and even executed men (and women) for preaching something that the powers that be, including the established Church, didn’t want preached. The 78-year-old Cleve Johnstone was not killed: merely jailed and fined. Most folks believed that sort of nonsense went about a good 200 years (or more) ago.” (05/27/26)
“The United States has indicted Cuba’s former president Raúl Castro on murder charges, deployed a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, and issued explicit threats of military intervention. Is the US moving toward another regime change operation in the Western Hemisphere? The rhetoric coming out of Washington suggests very much so. Cuba looks set to see a repeat of the Venezuelan playbook. President Donald Trump has said he will be “the one” to finally act on Cuba. The message from Washington is clear. Cuba is next. Latin America is empire’s favorite backyard, where the United States has consistently moved to remove governments that pursue independent foreign and economic policies not in line with American interests.” (05/28/26)
“I was raised in a rural Virginia family that, despite what that might lead you to believe, was not particularly religious. My mom was nominally a Christian but church service was not a regular part of our life. My dad was an atheist influenced by Ayn Rand. The latter went on to influence me, and as a consequence, I spent roughly the first 30 years of my life as a very garden-variety atheist. … I left Ayn Rand behind at some point in my mid-20s and developed an interest in broader philosophy. … This exploration eventually led me into religion but outside of the typical Abrahamic context.” (05/27/26)
“When President Donald Trump announced broad and arbitrary import taxes last April — tariffs that the Supreme Court would later determine were illegal — he said they would uplift domestic producers, even though many economists predicted the opposite. More than a year later, Americans can safely say that the economists were right. Trump’s tariffs have not only failed in their central aim — to bring manufacturing jobs back to America — they’ve also hurt Americans across a range of economic sectors, including agriculture. That’s the latest analysis from the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Agricultural Trade Monitor, which recently found that between March 2025 and February 2026, annualized U.S. agricultural exports to China dropped by nearly $15 billion. This is almost $5 billion more in lost trade to China than what American farmers saw during the first Trump administration.” (05/27/26)
“Amid the fears and concerns about artificial intelligence and emerging online technologies, a statement by the founder of Christian Science – and of this publication – offers reassurance. Referencing the United States’ ringing Declaration of Independence, Mary Baker Eddy wrote, ‘God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience’. With the promise and exercise of these innate rights, humanity is well placed to take on the challenges – and promise – of AI. Many religious leaders, as well as Silicon Valley innovators and analysts, are weighing in on the role of human creativity and intelligence, as well as workplace skills and relevance. Most recently, Pope Leo XIV delivered a major statement on faith and human progress in the age of AI, titled ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ (Magnificent Humanity).” (05/27/26)
“Most people involved in artificial intelligence can agree on one thing: AI is coming for your job. Anthropic’s CEO predicts Great Depression levels of unemployment in the next five years. Bill Gates says that within ten years humans won’t be needed ‘for most things’. Corporate leaders say AI-driven layoffs are already starting, with Intuit firing thousands just this week, citing AI. Businesses justify their huge investments in AI by committing to spending less on labor, and AI firms sell their products promising to help them do it. Regardless of whether AI is yet good enough to replace workers, their plan is clear: lay off millions of workers, justified by AI. One entity seems totally unaware: the United States government. The only major AI proposal advanced this Congress was a failed effort to prevent states from regulating the industry.” [editor’s note: Create jobs? As in WPA dig ditches and fill them in? If they’re going that route, maybe should just fund UBI that way as a safety net – SAT] (05/28/26)
