Sunday Reads...
NOTE: "Sunday Reads" are now an irregular round-up of reads. Please enjoy!
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst." - C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
Am250
ICYMI:
What does a decade of things left in Uber’s tell us about cultural trends - learn here.
Pew provides a “political tribe” test.
How did we get so much student loan debt?
A quiz to determine your sleep type, here.
The highest and lowest job marriage rates.
Americans are reading less - and here’s why.
Can you pass the elite Chinese University entrance exam?
Looking at domestic airlines by market share.
The most popular cereal in each state mapped.
Channel surf retro TV, here.
Disconnecting - from each other - over the past decade.
By state, how much you will pay in taxes during a lifetime.
A site that will spell out your name using natural images.
Michigan Democrat calls for defunding the police - even though he currently lies about it.
An interactive US map of self-reported ancestry.
An interview with Billy Joel.
China still hates free speech (and books).
Why is Gen Z exhausted from talking with strangers?
Nixon is back.
Why some states are banning “happy hour.”
The laziest states ranked.
Russia uses sexual violence as a tactic in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
The joy of being a luddite.
More people use weed daily than drink or use cigarettes in the US.
Ranking the states - which is the best to live in right now?
Can you survive eating what George Washington ate daily?
25 best documentaries of all time, allegedly.
Americans use less energy now than 50 years ago.
Rapists are over-sexed, not under.
The most violent category of human? The toddler.
Find your favorite author and who is “adjacent” per readers.
Douthat: Not sure who the good guys are anymore.
How 10,000 American cities got named.
Science calculates the exact amount of time optimal for catch-up with friends.
What if America’s power grid failed completely?
The link between transsexual disorders and violence is further documented.
Inflation drivers: Low- and middle-income earners have seen wage increases above inflation, per BOA.
The most popular movie the year you graduated high school, here.
The oldest family business in each nation, here.
The “book lady” or why a recently passed pop icon pushed reading.
America needs football, argues one dying man.
Nick Offerman reads “Manifesto” by Wendell Berry.
That big hole in the ozone - got fixed.
The most popular Halloween costumes the year you were born.
Ranking the films that have made more than $1 billion.
(re)Reading Tom Sawyer and the case for loving America.
Another Islamist nation targeting LGB citizens.
AI out of control, argue some.
The most popular actor or actress in your birth year.
A map of “breakup songs” favored in each state.
The cost of a house in the year you were born - with an inflation adjustment.
The insane staff-to-student ratio at one “elite” higher “ed” institution.
Coddling barbarians, here.
The price of gas the year you were born.
College makes no sense, argues this Atlantic essay.
Trump discourse is rapidly disappearing amongst right-of-center podcasts per this study.
Russians apparently are seeking to kill Putin critic Garry Kasparov in the U.S.
Incomes - for the lower quartile - have grown at huge rates (eg inflation driver).
The most popular Halloween candy the year you were born.
The year’s comedy wildlife photo contest finalists are here!
Check out the best-selling book from the year of your birth.
100 things you can do instead of scrolling the internet.
LONG(er) READS:
10 interesting inventions - and how they were discovered.
A look at the history of marriage.
Dana White, the figure who took UFC from the fringes to the mainstream.
An older- but relevant- essay on how a misunderstanding of the past coupled with contempt for the present is often an unhealthy recipe for despotism.
An essay in defense of standardized testing.
What science actually says about evolution.
5 ways to be more likable.
How podcasts ruined America, here.
An argument for beautiful buildings.
Are we witnessing the end of literacy?
Unpacking the one Western nation where reading for pleasure is on the rise.
AI apocalypse is already here.
On the road with Speaker Mike Johnson’s unread text messages.
Is the “science” behind the “Blue Zone” theory of longevity still valid?
Revisiting all of the “medical marvels” Americans have invented from head to toe.
Dozens of common misconceptions - debunked.
Mapping the places in novels.
Which state has the most serial killers - and which the least?
List of impressive projects that were completed - quickly.
How Pinker’s Blank Slate saw the future.
Sociology needs rigor - if it is even capable of it.
Listen to a chat with Ben Sasse (via EconTalk).
Ordinary Abundance.
Inside Russia’s newest Gulag.
Big Ol Donors - the Democrat fundraising base.
Decriminalization of drugs leads to increased excess drug deaths, sadly.
4,000 “free” movies online to watch.
Remembering farmer, poet, the incredible Wendell Barry.
Growing without Schooling - an archive.
Tasting with water - forbidden.
Religion in America - growing or not growing? The numbers get parsed.
Understanding how U.S. naval dominance underpins the entire world economy.
The disgusting amount spent on “collegiate” athletic rosters.
The classic Orwell cartoon “Animal Farm.”
Was Albert Camus killed by the KGB?
Scientists document the negative impact of short-form video on human brains.
The largely factless debate over “Data Centers.”
The “experts,” with all of their credentials, once predicted the world would end 11/13/26.
Intellectual terrorism - debunking the lies injected into LLMs and Wikipedia about the false accomplishments of Islam.
TRAVEL:
The quirkiest town in each state (sort of).
The oldest bar in every state.
Top U.S. cities for a “staycation.”
Regional U.S. dishes.
Mapping states by beer consumption.
23 of the best burritos noted.
The oldest bars in each state.
10 American cities worth the road trip.
10 most charming U.S. Main Streets noted.
An interactive map of the world’s fortresses and castles.
What your plane seat choice says about you.
America’s best small towns!
Maped: The most popular sandwich in each state.
The most popular dog breeds in each state.
10 of the longest flights to take.
Castles in each state.
The 30 best US art museums per some list.
21 of the best weekend getaways, per this list.
The 27 most haunted hotels.
