Uber’s New Airport Kiosks Will Let Travelers Order Rides Without the App

Source: Bloomberg

“Uber Technologies Inc. is introducing a way for some people to use the ride-hailing service without the company’s signature app. The rideshare giant plans to install physical kiosks at places like airports, starting with LaGuardia in New York, it said in a statement on Tuesday. These outposts, which were designed with travelers in mind, include a large touch screen with a credit card reader and receipt printer. The booking experience mirrors what consumers might be used to on the mobile app.
The first kiosk will be at LaGuardia’s Terminal C, with installations at hotels, ports and other international airports to follow over the coming months, the company said. The experience was intended for ‘international visitors arriving without a local data plan or anyone who prefers an in-person experience,’ it added.” (12/09/25)

https://archive.is/CcaR1

Thomas L. Knapp

Overseas Visitors Love Our Parks. Now Our Parks Love Overseas Visitors.

Source: Property and Environment Research Center
by staff

“Starting January 1, 2026, overseas visitors who pull up to the gates of 11 of the most popular U.S. national parks (including destinations like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon) will pay a $100 surcharge on top of the base entrance fee. The price of non-resident ‘America the Beautiful’ annual passes will also rise, to $250, while remaining $80 for Americans. The policy change is fantastic news for anyone who cares about national parks, including visitors from abroad. For years, PERC has argued that higher fees for non-resident visitors are one of the smartest, fairest ways to protect America’s best idea at a time when our most famous parks are straining under record crowds and aging infrastructure.” (12/08/25)

https://www.perc.org/2025/12/08/overseas-visitors-love-our-parks-now-our-parks-love-overseas-visitors/

Thomas L. Knapp

Dog bites man: Florida’s DeSantis busks for attention with “foreign terrorist organization” designations

Source: WFLA

“Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Monday evening designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as ‘foreign terrorist organizations.’ The order, which was posted on the governor’s social media accounts, stated that Florida would be designating the two organizations as terrorist groups due to alleged connections to anti-Israel groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Palestinian groups. … CAIR called the order ‘defamatory and unconstitutional’ and said it plans to file a lawsuit against DeSantis.” (12/08/25)

https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/ron-desantis-declares-cair-muslim-brotherhood-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations/

Thomas L. Knapp

There’s An AI Bubble. For Real.

Source: Persuasion
by Jerry Kaplan

“It’s a great party. But as the music gets louder, the lights dimmer, and the drinks stronger, you already know how it ends: a miserable day in bed nursing an epic hangover. So why not one more margarita before calling that Uber? Welcome to the AI Bubble. All the warning signs are there, and the aftermath is equally predictable. But with your portfolio brushing the stratosphere, why not spike it with a little margin? You may think your ETF is diversified, but with more than half of the S&P 500’s gains for 2025 coming from the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ AI-exposed stocks, you’ve already doubled down on one massive bet—that the new wave of Generative AI will soon drive exponential earnings growth far into the future.” (12/08/25)

https://www.persuasion.community/p/theres-an-ai-bubble-for-real

Thomas L. Knapp

Putin won’t accept ANY peace deal until the cost of fighting on grows too great

Source: New York Post
by staff

“Vladimir Putin last week sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner packing, passing on President Donald Trump’s latest peace plan, and has followed up with yet more aerial assaults on Ukrainian civilians; it’s plainly time for Trump to up the economic pressure to get Vlad to the table. Absent that, the only peace Putin is interested in is the total conquest of Ukraine. Trump may grumble about Volodymyr Zelensky, but Ukraine’s president has been happy to negotiate; Putin’s the one who keeps saying nyet, even as he orders his forces to prepare for winter operations. European leaders who met Monday with Zelensky say they’re going to up their aid to Kyiv and look to further squeeze Moscow; if they follow through, Trump can surely do the same.” (12/08/25)

https://nypost.com/2025/12/08/opinion/putin-wont-accept-any-peace-deal-until-the-cost-of-fighting-on-grows-too-great/

Steve Trinward

Australia: Regime’s social media ban for children takes effect in world first

Source: Reuters

“Australia at midnight (1300 GMT) on Wednesday became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook. Ten of the biggest platforms were ordered to block children or be fined up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law, which was criticised by major technology companies and free speech campaigners, but praised by parents and child advocates. The ban is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures as concerns mount over the effects of social media on children’s health and safety. ‘While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last,’ Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University, said.” (12/09/25)

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/australia-social-media-ban-takes-effect-world-first-2025-12-09/

Steve Trinward