Sunday Reads...
- Greg McNeilly
- Oct 5
- 5 min read
An irregular roundup of thought-provoking reads. Most made me go “hmm…”
Quote of the Day:
“This government shutdown is the result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump.” – Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine).
Context for a “government shutdown,” here.
A snapshot into what Americans are currently thinking about the government “shutdown.”
Unpacking one of the many ways that tax dollars fund healthcare for illegals.
Remembering Jane Goodall, here.
Secretary of War Hegseth’s Quantico speech, here.
A frontline warrior’s reaction to the speech, here.
Compassion: LDS raises money for the family of its attacker.
Six hidden costs to avoid in retirement.
Debunking sexual myths via the WSJ.
Charting the percent of state's population recieving taxfunded welfare benefits.
Free Speech always and forever.
Free Speech hypocrisy – or how so many look illiberal as the wind blows.
Women are more partisan and less tolerant of different worldviews, notes research.
Self-inflicted: American trust in the mainstream media hits a new low.
How WII made candy bars a thing.
More research that demonstrates that subsidized housing – aka housing welfare – is destructive to the people it is intended to help.
A meditation on reading the “great books” which everyone should indeed endeavor to do.
Charting out the average annual salaries by occupations.
Oddly, one of the nation’s largest government school teacher unions celebrated a convicted cop killer.
Vanity Fair goes nuts for Zohran, here.
For the first time, those over 50 years of age are spending more time socializing than teens and those in their 20s.
Voters are not happy with of the nation’s elected administrators.
American Eagle brand has impressive results from recent ad campaigns.
Youthful weakness: Younger people are more likely to approve shutting down speakers with whom they disagree.
Has the Democrat Party become completely socialist?
The sad truth of terminally online people: 97% of X content is driven by 10% who grow their audiences by going fringe.
Cat and Dog people are different (and that’s ok!). Here’s what the research says are some of those differences: “People who prefer dogs were higher in extraversion, conservatism, desired and actual number of children, and mental health, while those preferring cats were higher in intelligence, enjoyed discussions more, and read more books.”
If "stochastic terrorism" were a thing - which it is not - Exhibit A.
How a fascist (the government manipulation of private enterprises) federal government censored Americans.
Speaking of fascism – the public or government control of private entities – taxpayers now have a stake in a mining operation.
The “Stochastic Terrorism” against ICE gets documented.
Another shooting plot was disrupted, this one aimed at “avenging Kirk.” Guess the would-be shooter missed Erika’s speech.
Thoughts on the “civil war” vibe in America today.
Where is the off-ramp for political violence?
What is “culture?” This is a keyword for a population’s cohesion. Notes here.
Good News! Military Services hit recruiting goals. Something must have changed, but what?
How much are Americans drinking?
Ye olde Yield Curve unpacked.
Burnout mapped by industry, here.
The story behind the voice of Bluey.
More than half of “family offices" have been incorporated after 2010.
“Nostalgia,” a word with a wandering meaning.
And when it comes to music, the “Nostalgia Machine.”
What is the purpose or mission of “Higher Education” gets some reflection.
A Midwest Democrat introduces another radical “climate” law.
Today’s strawberries brought to us by … a spy? True enough.
Clickbait: A Golden Retriever gives a Koala a piggyback ride.
Towards a scientific understanding of connection.
Remembering strong women who helped maintain the union.
Charting median salaries in the U.S. by age cohort.
Gen Z finds Fath.
Is the DOJ’s Comey case constructed upon sheer incompetence?
The case is presented for reopening Mental Health Asylums.
Power of Islam. Britain’s NIHs, without evidence, concludes that “first cousin marriage” is ok.
Meanwhile, with the 50th state enacting a ban, now all states in the U.S. have banned cousin marriage.
Science: There are only two gametes – only two.
Eleven Public Speaking Tips for Anyone Presenting
The corrupt culture of communal narcissism is noted.
Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation
Ouch! A protester pays a steep price for letting emotions control their thinking.
Philadelphia from some odd reason, hoisted the Communist Chinese flag aloft over its City Hall.
32 lessons on how Dick’s Sporting Goods became a powerhouse.
Literacy is vital amongst a self-governing people. This reflection is a challenge to health advice when it dies. But the same can be said when people outsource their definition of terms like terrorism, fascism, and national socialism. They all have functions, and likely not what the agenda-driven “experts” you have outsourced thinking to have wielded them to mean.
The female longevity advantage is explored here.
Recalling when Hollywood hawked bonds to finance World War I.
The people who eat 100-year-old military rations – on purpose!
A non-blank page reflection on the value the blank page brought to civilization.
Is it harmful to eat raw cookie dough? Watch here.
Inside the hypercompetitive world of K-pop.
Snobbish: The death of the “foodie” through popularizing.
Remembering Picasso’s poetry.
17 odd robberies throughout history.
Decoding the Rosetta Stone.
AI:
More data suggests that AI is not taking jobs.
Has AI become a valuable tool in hunting down real Nazis? Apparently.
AI-powered machine guns are on the horizon (which have been in aircraft for awhile).
Can AI formulas enhance the Democratic process? We’ll see.
Or, can AI deliver in a utopian (non-place) Epistocracy?
The “architecture” of an essay.
10% of the world is using ChatGPT, here’s how.
TRAVEL:
The best fall foliage train rides.
America’s most affordable lake towns are listed here.
10 of the most “haunted” hikes in the U.S.
The best times and days to book holiday travel per these “experts.”
Exploring the tunnels of Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
The Beer Mile is a thing.
How to handle the post-vacation blues!
Is Leonardo DiCaprio the last great movie star?
“Destroy the Idea of America” is the academic rallying cry of a segment of those occupying American streets.
How was the West created? Reason + Spirit + Ashes = Western Civilization. There are reasons “the West” is what it is and the East and Middle East are not.
The case for not using tax dollars to fund “art.”
A resource to look up what happened on your birthday! Here.
Is it an asteroid or a spaceship? Experts are unsure.
Hunter S. Thompson’s death to get another review, 20 years late(r),
The trending top Halloween costumes.
Recalling the U.S. Senate Committee Comic-Con.
30 years of productivity advice:
