Netherlands: Police probe explosion outside a pro-Israel Christian center

Source: CBS News

“A small blast outside a pro-Israel Christian center in a central city in the Netherlands is under investigation. The explosion on Friday night caused limited damage at the Israel Centre, which is run by Christians for Israel, a non-profit in the city of Nijkerk, police said. No one was injured. Police appealed for witnesses and said nobody has been arrested. … The incident comes after a string of similar nighttime attacks in Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands that have heightened concerns over antisemitism in the wake of the war in the Middle East.” (04/04/26)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/netherlands-police-explosion-pro-israel-christian-center/

Thomas L. Knapp

In Batteries We Trust

Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman

“The war goes on, and so does the global energy crisis. In fact, I believe that prices of oil futures remain too low given how much spot prices will need to rise to resolve the shortages that will hit once oil supplies that were shipped before the Strait of Hormuz was closed are exhausted. But a better future is coming, despite Donald Trump’s assault on renewable energy as he tries to drag us back into the fossil fuel past.” (04/03/26)

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/in-batteries-we-trust

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump seeks $152 million to reopen Alcatraz

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“US President Donald Trump is seeking $152m (£115m) to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison as part of his proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year. Located near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the site, also known as The Rock, was once regarded as one of America’s most notorious prisons, but has served as a tourist attraction in recent years. The budget request is seeking money ‘to rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility’, with funds covering the first year of costs. The plan has been met with scepticism by a number of politicians in California, with questions raised about the final cost of the project and the challenges of running Alcatraz as an active prison. The maximum security facility was closed in 1963. As a tourist site, it is currently run by the National Park Service.'” (04/04/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dlpk0zzy1o

Steve Trinward

Barter, Media of Exchange, and Colonial America

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter

“Where did money get its value? The original purchasing power of an ounce of gold (or another commodity) as money depended on the array of goods and services (or fractions thereof) for which that ounce of gold could have been exchanged in barter in the immediate past (e.g., the day before). In other words, a money’s purchasing power comes from its non-money exchange value. This leads to a logically-complete explanation for the origin of money’s purchasing power. It is also worth mentioning that this process happens spontaneously, through subjective valuations and market exchanges, rather than money being ‘invented.'” (04/03/26)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/barter-media-exchange-and-colonial-america

Thomas L. Knapp

No Sacred Ground

Source: Law & Liberty
by Daniel N Gullotta

“West Park Presbyterian Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is facing an existential reckoning. After more than 150 years in the neighborhood, the congregation has voted to sell its property, and the landmarked Romanesque Revival building now faces demolition. Long celebrated as one of the city’s architectural treasures, its potential loss has sparked public outrage, drawing protests and celebrity defenders such as Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Christian Slater. But despite these signs of support, weekly attendance hovers around a dozen people, the congregation is buried in unmanageable debt, and restoration would cost tens of millions of dollars. West Park Presbyterian isn’t unique.” (04/03/26)

https://lawliberty.org/book-review/no-sacred-ground/

Thomas L. Knapp