All posts tagged: defending

Nevada urges Ninth Circuit to reject Kalshi stay, defending gambling authority

Nevada urges Ninth Circuit to reject Kalshi stay, defending gambling authority

Published by skeptic

Nevada is asking the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to deny Kalshi’s request to pause the case while it appeals, saying the company is unlikely to win and can’t use federal law to sidestep state gambling rules. In its filing, the state argues that Kalshi’s products don’t qualify as swaps, options, or futures under federal law, and therefore aren’t protected by the Commodity Exchange Act. Because of that, Nevada says it still has the authority to regulate the activity as gambling within its borders. Responding to Kalshi's argument that an injunction is necessary because a state enforcement proceeding would be "catastrophic," Nevada snarks that "Kalshi already is subject to enforcement in Massachusetts, and its business has not collapsed." pic.twitter.com/URVfMUKoLo — Andrew Kim (@akhoya87) December 30, 2025 Nevada also says Kalshi hasn’t shown it would suffer irreparable harm if the stay isn’t granted, which is a key requirement for getting one. “Submitting to a state enforcement proceeding ‘typically does not constitute irreparable harm,’” the State writes, because Kalshi “could raise any potential defense.” …

Roman soldiers defending Hadrian’s Wall had intestinal parasites

Roman soldiers defending Hadrian’s Wall had intestinal parasites

Published by skeptic

Roman soldiers might have had enemies inside their bodies Andrea Matone / Alamy Despite their reputation for advanced sanitation, ancient Romans at a major fort in northern England were probably suffering from a range of digestive ailments caused by parasites. The fort of Vindolanda, near Hadrian’s Wall and occupied by Roman soldiers from the 1st to the 4th century CE, would have been no place for anyone with a delicate stomach, suggest the results of excavations of the site’s sewage pits. Piers Mitchell at the University of Cambridge and his colleagues collected and analysed nearly 60 sediment samples from a latrine drain that serviced a communal toilet thought to have been in use in the 3rd century. Using microscopy, they found the eggs of two intestinal parasites: roundworm and whipworm. They also found traces of a single-celled parasite called Giardia duodenalis, which they identified using antibodies that bind exclusively to this organism’s proteins. All three cause gastrointestinal illnesses that can be severe in children, the elderly or immunocompromised people. “Despite their best efforts to create …

Why we’re defending Hamit Coskun – and why it matters

Why we’re defending Hamit Coskun – and why it matters

Published by Sam Flores

The prime minister recently declared that Britain “fiercely” protects free speech. Fine words – but they will ring hollow to Hamit Coskun, who was convicted for burning a Quran during a political protest. The National Secular Society is backing the appeal of Coskun’s conviction. Not because we endorse his actions – we don’t – but because the principle at stake could not be more important. Free expression does not exist to protect polite or popular opinions. It exists to protect those that anger, unsettle, or offend. And it is precisely when speech offends that our commitment to that principle is truly tested. Coskun’s protest was not directed at any individual, but at the Erdogan regime, its erosion of secularism, and the rising tide of Islamism in his native Turkey. As an act of symbolic, non-violent dissent, he set fire to a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish consulate. Despite the peaceful nature of his demonstration, he was convicted under the Public Order Act for “disorderly behaviour” in the presence of someone “likely to be …