Reading archive 2025-12-10

Texts, calls offer insight into mom accused of killing her young kids: Prosecutors say the messages prove Catherine Hoggle is now competent to stand trial. A state forensic psychiatrist says she’s not.

The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’: Still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy, across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals - "The monks leading these violent movements seem driven not by a pursuit of nirvana, but by a quest for dominance in this one. Their actions, I came to understand, were shaped in part by historical forces such as colonialism, which introduced racial hierarchies and privileged certain religions over others. Economic inequality compounded these tensions, compelling the public to seek solace in religion and, in turn, granting monks disproportionate social and political influence. What emerged was a pattern that mirrors other parts of the world: violent nationalist movements gaining momentum at the expense of minorities, with those in power weaponising a sense of victimhood to consolidate control."

Here’s why your hair turns gray, and what you can do about it: Genetics and age shape the process, but you may have some control over it, too.

This one gadget could give China a back door into the U.S. power grid: Energy companies, cybersecurity experts and lawmakers warn that U.S. dependence on Chinese inverters that can be manipulated remotely is a growing security threat.

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s boyfriend has had a weird month: Brian Glenn is trying not to get caught in the middle of the breakup between his partner and his president.

Something Ominous Is Happening in the AI Economy: The last time so much wealth was tied up in such obscure overlapping arrangements was just before the 2008 financial crisis. - "A single company, OpenAI, is simultaneously a major source of revenue and investment for several cloud companies and chipmakers; a close financial partner to Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon; a significant customer for Nvidia; and a leading investor in AI start-ups. And yet the company is projected to generate only $10 billion this year in revenue—less than a fifth of what it needs annually just to fund its deal with Oracle. It is on track to lose at least $15 billion this year, and doesn’t expect to be profitable until at least 2029. By one estimate, AI companies collectively will generate $60 billion in revenue against $400 billion in spending this year. The one company that is making a lot of money from the AI boom, Nvidia, is doing so only because everyone else is buying its chips in the hopes of obtaining future profits."