The Death of Reading

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Ann Bauer

“People didn’t HAVE to read, they GOT to read. They did it ostentatiously and with zeal. And this habit lasted, in one form or another, until recently when reading for enjoyment started to tank. Blame the Internet and social media and our fractured attention span. Blame Oprah, who in her quest to ‘get people reading’ promoted one title and focused every English-speaking woman’s attention on it, to the exclusion of every other book on the planet. But the real culprit, if you ask me, is politics.” [editor’s note: Are people really “reading less?” Or are they just reading on screens instead of from books, just like people started reading from books instead of scrolls and scrolls instead of clay tablets? – TLK] (07/09/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/the-death-of-reading/

Thomas L. Knapp

Political candidates, character, and conscience

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“The right to support and elect candidates for political office is a distinguishing feature of democracy. It can also be a profoundly challenging privilege, as political parties and the voting public weigh information and perceptions around candidates’ policies and personal appeal, their competence and character. Around the world, voters want ability and integrity from their politicians. Increasingly, they also want authenticity, a sense that those running for office understand ‘regular’ people and their daily lives and struggles. Three candidacies in the news this week underscore the civic tension among these needs and demands: the nomination for a United States Senate seat, a local council election in the United Kingdom, and a presidential run in France. Graham Platner in the U.S., Nigel Farage in the U.K., and Marine Le Pen in France all seem to have tapped into voters’ everyday concerns – and their yearning for recognition.” (07/08/26)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0708/Political-candidates-character-and-conscience

Steve Trinward

EU considers tariffs on buyers of imports from illegal Israeli squats

Source: Politico

“The European Commission is proposing tough measures to reduce imports from illegal Israeli [squats] in the West Bank, as part of options presented to national capitals this week. A paper from the EU’s executive branch, marked confidential and seen by POLITICO, states that ‘strengthened enforcement may reduce imports from [squats] channelled into the EU in violation of existing rules, without requiring new EU legal instruments.’ Among the ideas being considered are an import licensing system, whereby goods from illegal [squats] would need special permission to be exported to the bloc; tariffs targeting goods originating in the [squats]; or an outright ban on imports from illegal s[squats].” (07/09/26)

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-considering-import-licenses-tariffs-trade-israeli-settlements/

Thomas L. Knapp

Steaming Mad

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott

“The average Dutch gamer has lost €130 ($148). At least, that is a claim being made in the Hague by a foundation. On June 11, the Stichting Consumenten Competition Claims (SCCC), acting under the banner GameClaim on behalf of every Dutch personal computer (PC) gamer, filed a €220 million ($250 million) claim against the Valve Corporation, the business that operates the Steam gaming platform. The SCCC claims that roughly 2 million accounts have lost collectively those €220 million on the basis that the Valve Corporation commands some 85% of the market, and defends that position through Most-Favored-Nation clauses—terms that forbid developers from undercutting their Steam price on rival storefronts such as Epic Games Store (EGS).” (07/a09/26)

https://fee.org/articles/steaming-mad/

Thomas L. Knapp

Ireland: Man sought for killing woman met her at anti-Israel protest, and is feared to have fled country

Source: New York Post

“The suspect in the murder of a New York mom who recently moved to Ireland is a Middle Eastern asylum-seeker who met her at an anti-Israel protest — and who may have already fled the country, according to reports. The bloody body of Jamey Carney, 43, was found Tuesday afternoon by her 13-year-old daughter at her rented home in Killarney, where she had moved five years ago from Westchester County, the Irish Sun reported. She was beaten to death and suffered multiple head injuries, with cops probing reports that a loud argument was heard the night before at her home on a luxury housing estate.” (07/09/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/07/09/world-news/migrant-sought-for-beating-death-of-ny-mom-jamey-carney-in-ireland-met-her-at-anti-israel-protest-report/

Steve Trinward

US Home Prices Hit an All-Time High as Sales Slow and Mortgage Rates Rise

Source: US News & World Report

“Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed in June, but a key measure of home prices climbed to an all-time high, adding to prospective homebuyers’ affordability challenges. Existing home sales fell 2.4% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. Sales rose 2.8% compared with June last year. The latest sales tally fell short of the roughly 4.21 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. Home sales have been mostly hovering close to a 4-million annual pace going back to 2023, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million. Sales have remained sluggish as mortgage rates have mostly trended higher in the months since the war between the U.S. and Iran started, fueling expectations of higher inflation amid surging crude oil prices. Still, mortgage rates remain below where they were a year ago.” (07/09/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2026-07-09/us-home-prices-hit-an-all-time-high-as-sales-slow-and-mortgage-rates-rise

Thomas L. Knapp