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I quite like Dense Discovery, a weekly newsletter with a good spread that informs and inspire. It is an interesting mix of techno-optimism, similar to the early Wired issues, and social commentary.

Last week’s issue talked about train travel through Europe, as seen through the eyes of the Australian writer for Dense Discovery. Top highlight:

Each city we visited unveiled centuries of bloody territorial disputes that shaped their history and architecture. Today, we don’t even notice when the train crosses a border, a reality that seems lost on many and feels especially poignant during a weekend marked by unsettling and disheartening European election results.

And isn’t that the case? I don’t think there’s ever been a period of 80 years without any war in Europe — the economic integration made possible by the EU is the best model for world peace there is. But if you have lived in that reality, you might start to think that this is all normal, and you don’t need the EU for this.

Fascists funded by Russia are doing a good job of undermining the EU. But once it’s gone, we won’t be able to get it back for a long time, and we will miss it. Weakening the EU will make us poorer and will make us less safe. It’s not ideal, it can (and must!) be improved — but it’s the best what we have now.

Crossposted from my blog. Comment here or at the original post.