Wednesday Potpourri

First, a word from once-Great Britain… on the matter of tax policy. Alex Recouso reports:

The recent capital gains tax increase in the UK was expected to bring additional tax revenue. Instead, high-net-worth individuals and families are leaving the country, leading to a 10% fall in net capital gains tax revenue. Welcome to the Laffer curve, suckers.

Second, the demonization of Elon Musk is obviously a national disgrace. Joe Rogan pointed out that 96% of the news stories about Musk are negative.

He said this:

“Meanwhile, the guy saved those people trapped up in space - you didn't hear a peep about that.

He's revolutionizing space travel, revolutionizing satellite internet capabilities and its availability all over the world.

It's crazy. It's really crazy.”

Third, in the matter of Elon Musk, there is his promotion of something called Neuralink… designed to help those who are paralyzed regain some function.

Mario Nawfal reports:

NEURALINK GIVES ALS PATIENT A VOICE LIKE NEVER BEFORE Imagine being stuck in your own head with a thousand thoughts but no way to say them. That was Brad G. Smith’s life with ALS until Neuralink stepped in with a chip that reads his brain signals. Before this brain implant, Smith had to rely on eye-tracking software that only worked in the dark. He joked it turned him into Batman without the gadgets. Now, he can control a computer cursor and talk to his family even in bright daylight. The Neuralink implant uses a thousand tiny wires that pick up signals from his brain and send them to a MacBook Pro. At first, they tried linking it to his hand movements but that was a flop. 

Turns out his tongue was the star of the show and clenching his jaw worked as a click. Smith says he does not even think about it anymore. His brain just knows what to do, like a pro gamer making split second moves. Thanks to Neuralink, Smith can race his kids in Mario Kart and talk to them faster than ever. He even uses an AI chatbot that comes up with clever replies. Once, it suggested giving a bouquet of carrots to a friend’s horse-loving girlfriend. For Smith, ALS may have taken a lot but Neuralink has given him something priceless: a way to speak up and stay connected to the world.

Fourth, in the world of Sunday entertainment, we have the latest from CBS’s Face the Nation. She was interviewing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:

Brennan: “The reality is there will either be less inventory or things at higher prices or both.”

Bessent: “When we were here in March, you said there was going to be big inflation. There hasn't been any inflation. Actually, the inflation numbers are the best in four years. So why don't we stop trying to say this could happen and wait and see what does happen.”

And also, from Bessent: "Thus far there have been no price increases - everything has been alarmist. The inflation numbers are actually dropping. We saw the first drop of inflation in four years. The inflation numbers last week, they were very pro-consumer."

BRENNAN: "But you listen to earnings calls just like we do. You know what Walmart is saying, what Best Buy is saying, and what Target is saying." 

BESSENT: "But Margaret, I also know what Home Depot and Amazon are saying. I know what the South China Morning Post wrote within the past 24 hours - that 65% of the tariffs will likely be eaten by the Chinese producers." 

Fifth, a few words from hedge fund tycoon Bill Ackman regarding the attack on Jews in Boulder, Colorado:

Anti-semitism is like a virus. If it is not shut down at the source — in this case university campuses — it spreads with the help of the media, becomes more virulent, and infects and kills others. Hate does not confine itself to targeting one people. It attacks the smallest minority group first, and then moves on to other victims.

Sixth, on the same topic, a few words from Guy Benson on media coverage:

If a right-wing movement had burned down a governor’s mansion, murdered two foreign diplomats & firebombed kids and elderly people at a peaceful protest — in the span of a few weeks — what would the coverage look like? What sort of “national conversation” would we be having?

Seventh, leading the world in year-over-year economic growth-- is Argentina.

Dr. Eli David reports:

Breaking: Argentina's economy grew 8% year-over-year in April 2025, the highest in the Western world!

Argentina’s economy grew 8% year-over-year in April 2025, according to Econométrica’s Monthly Economic Activity Estimator (EMAE).

This follows a sustained upward trend, with January, February, and March recording 6.7%, 6.0%, and 5.6% growth, respectively.

The robust rebound, attributed to President Milei’s policies since December 2023, reverses decades of economic stagnation.

Key sectors driving growth include commerce, financial services, and energy.

International forecasts align, with the IMF and World Bank projecting 5.5% growth for 2025, highlighting Argentina’s emergence as a global economic leader.

Source: Econometrica

Eighth,  another sidelight on press coverage of the Boulder attack. Stephen Miller comments:

The Washington Post editorial board saw a group of Jews get set on fire with homemade Molotov cocktails and have decided that Donald Trump deporting illegal immigrants is the problem

Ninth, the Free Press reports on once-Great Britain, especially on its newfound will to punish people who had the wrong opinions.

On Monday, Britain sentenced Hamit Coskun to pay £240 for burning a copy of the Quran and shouting “Islam is religion of terrorism” outside the Turkish embassy in London. Blasphemy laws were abolished in Britain in 2008. But they’re creeping back under the banner of “public order,” writes @DrDominicGreen. And the case of Lucy Connolly, now serving 2.5 years for a tweet, should worry everyone.

Tenth, meanwhile, the latest news about the situation in Gaza should give us pause. Eyal Yakoby reports:

BREAKING: Hamas has openly announced “field executions” of Palestinians who went to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for food. They’re publicly murdering their own people for seeking aid—and the media somehow keeps “missing” the story.

Eleventh, in the meantime I am happy to draw our attention to an article by Sally Satel and Thomas Huddle about the deleterious effect of DEI in medical school training.

Entitled: “Medical School Has Gotten Too Political,” in the Chronicle of Higher Education,6-2-2025.

Twelfth, what did the Covid lockdowns cost business? In particular, what did they cost young people just starting out on the job?

The Wall Street Journal reports, via Facebook:

Return-to-office mandates have revealed a serious deficit in soft skills for many workers, particularly young ones, who entered their careers on Slack and Zoom.

Half of American employers are now hiring professionals to train rusty or inexperienced employees how to handle clients and dress appropriately, according to a 2024 survey from Intelligent.com, a research site for university students. Nearly six in 10 business leaders surveyed by Resume Builder in 2023 said they were mandating etiquette lessons primarily to teach employees the art of “making polite conversation.”

A general anxiety about getting things wrong, professionally or socially, has ensured that TikTok posts about #etiquette have racked up views in the billions. The manners maven with the most-watched videos—and a robust business as a coach for companies and individuals—is William Hanson, 35, director and owner of The English Manner etiquette training institute in London.

“In none of our lifetimes has etiquette been taught properly in schools. The parents think the schools are doing it, and the schools think the parents are doing it. Nobody’s doing it,” Hanson observes.

Important observations, all too true.