Unplugging the Sun: Applying 19th-Century Wisdom to 21st-Century Panic

Source: Students For Liberty
by Ketevani Kadagishvili

“Economic progress has always been shadowed by the fear of technological unemployment. It is a belief that a new machine or a more efficient process will leave the human race with nothing to do. In 1845, the French economist Frédéric Bastiat shattered this logic with his famous satire, the ‘Petition of the Candlemakers.’ In his story, the manufacturers of candles and lamps demanded that the government block out the sun because its free light was ruining their business and causing unemployment in the tallow industry. Today, we are seeing those same fears with the onset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) developments or taxing robot labor. Unfortunately, we seem to be repeating the historical mistake of prioritizing the survival of specific job titles over the general prosperity of the entire population.” (04/15/26)

https://studentsforliberty.org/blog/unplugging-the-sun-applying-19th-century-wisdom-to-21st-century-panic/

Netgear Scores the First Exemption From the FCC’s Foreign-Made Router Ban

Source: PC Mag

“Less than a month after announcing a controversial ban on foreign-made routers, the FCC says it will exempt Netgear, allowing it to sell new Wi-Fi routers and mesh models to consumers, even though they’re manufactured outside the US. The Defense Department reviewed Netgear’s application for an exemption and found that its products ‘do not pose risks to US national security.’ The FCC’s order doesn’t elaborate on why. Netgear is based in San Jose, California, although its products are made in Asia.” [editor’s note: Amazing what some brown paper bags stuffed with cash can get done, isn’t it? – TLK] (04/14/26)

https://www.pcmag.com/news/netgear-scores-the-first-exemption-from-the-fccs-foreign-made-router-ban

Gerrymandering and the Tyranny of Big Cities

Source: The American Spectator
by James H McGee

“I’ve written an analysis of the April 21st redistricting vote here in Virginia. At that time, I made the urgent and emphatic point that this is an egregious power grab on the part of Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger and the Democrat majority in our legislature. Not content with their good fortune in the most recent electoral cycle, they now insist that this should be made permanent by rigging our congressional districts in their favor — and permanent it will be, despite the dishonest framing of the measure as temporary. We’ve seen how this works too many times in the years since the left [sic] has taken control of the culture.” (04/14/26)

https://spectator.org/gerrymandering-and-the-tyranny-of-big-cities/

Elise Stefanik reveals sick truth of elite colleges’ moral collapse

Source: New York Post
by Bethany Mandel

“With one question, Rep. Elise Stefanik became the general of a war against antisemitism on college campuses across America: ‘Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct?’ The Ivy League presidents she questioned in December 2023 — just weeks after the atrocities of Oct. 7 led to an explosion of antisemitism at their schools — couldn’t answer it. The viral video of her query became the most-watched congressional hearing clip in history. Stefanik’s new book Poisoned Ivies explains how elite universities arrived at that moment — and why it was no flash-in-the-pan controversy, but an indicator of a long decline. The story she tells is about everything that led up to that hearing, and everything that followed — as reactions and responses came pouring into her office over weeks and months.” (04/15/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/04/15/opinion/elise-stefanik-and-the-sick-truth-of-colleges-moral-collapse/

Chinese national given one year in prison for smuggling ants out of Kenya

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“A Chinese national has been sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen garden ants out of Kenya. The court in Nairobi on Wednesday also fined Zhang Kequn 1m Kenyan shillings (£5,713; $7,737). Judge Irene Gichobi described Zhang as not ‘entirely honest’ and lacking in remorse. Last month, he was charged with illegally dealing in wildlife species after being arrested at Nairobi’s main airport while attempting to travel to China with more than 2,000 ants in his luggage. Kenyan authorities have warned of a growing demand for the ants in Europe and Asia, where they are prized by collectors. They can be worth around $220 (£170) each. ‘There is need for a stiff deterrent sentence,’ Judge Gichobi said, noting the ‘rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects.'” (04/15/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz788z27j2jo

Italy: Court allows class action against Meta over Facebook data scraping

Source: Reuters

“A Milan court on Tuesday accepted a class action brought ​by a consumer group against Meta ‌Platforms over the theft of personal data suffered by Facebook Italy. According to the court ​order, the data scraping incident, ​which took place between January 2018 and ⁠September 2019 and was disclosed ​by Meta in 2021, affected around 533 ​million Facebook users globally. The CTCU consumer association is seeking compensation on behalf of social media ​users who lost, or feared losing, ​control over their personal data in breach of ‌the ⁠EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).” (04/14/26)

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/italy-court-allows-class-action-against-meta-over-facebook-data-scraping-2026-04-14/