Sunday Reads
October 26, 2025
An irregular roundup of thought-provoking reads. Most made me go “hmm…”
Quotes of the Day:
“Admittedly, some high school students (including those who use drugs) are dumb.” — Justice John Paul Stevens in Morse v. Frederick
“From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice.”— Chief Justice John Roberts, in his commencement address to his son’s high-school class
Shutdown Politics: Voters are not blaming the President who simply signs and then administers a budget. Yet, nor are they blaming Republican majorities, they are blaming Democrats.
Fetterman: Ending the filibuster for government shutdowns supported by Dem Senator.
Obamacare costs the average family $27,000 a year.
Jon Stewart schools Dems on how Obamacare inflated health care costs.
Some projections put Obamacare hikes at 30%.
White House posts a list of illegal aliens on Medicaid.
Democrat notes that shutdown is simply leverage but acknowledges that families will get hurt.
Mainstream media notes Democrats are about to harm America’s children with their shutdown shenanigans.
Democrats vote to stop funding of the military during shutdown notes mainstream media.
Meanwhile, the entire DOD become a defacto mercenary force – as it was in the beginning – as private donor fills pay gap.
Plummet: Egg prices drop 86%
Wasteful: The U.S. taxpayer – half the nation that pays taxes – funds 1.4 billion pounds of cheese in storage.
Wait: When the time comes to equip a developing brain with a smartphone, this psychologist has some advice.
Lifespan: The average lifespan of a MLB baseball is…seven pitches.
Shunning Shame: A psychologist (a.k.a., a theorist) unpacks approaches to self-forgiveness.
Epic Fail: A thoughtful essay on the institutional capture of school boards.
Neuro-Extreme: Political radicals of all stripes show similar brain structures argues this research.
No Parole: The John Lennon assassin is denied parole, again.
Good News:
Following ancient advice, “science” changed its guidelines and peanut allergies dropped significantly.
Recalling the “guidelines” on peanut allergies over time. In this case, following the science hurt people.
Put another way: “Experts” caused a spike in peanut allergies.
Mission Accomplished: Report claims the earth’s climate is stabilizing and will flatline by 2093.
Shifting: For 500 million years the earth’s climate has shifted and swung – learn more here.
Renewables: Alternative energy topped coal fueled energy for the first time.
Entertainer Jelly-Roll is building a 100-acre rehab facility that will operate free of charge.
Oversight: The Article I branch is starting to ask questions about “war” waged by the Article II branch.
White House Ballroom donors unveiled.
Russiangate: Are there criminal charges for advancing Russia’s narrative against the U.S. in the works?
Sweet Rusike Tears: Russian dictator throws tantrum over Trump sanctions.
Sanctions Da! U.S. hits Russia with massive sanctions in response to Ukraine aggression.
Gone: 1,800 Target jobs eliminated.
Lit: A record-breaking number of Diwali lamps lit.
Mystery Words: The etymological secrets of barf and funk are explored.
Citations: Will citation diversity mandates weaken scientific inquiry and progress?
Truth: What is it for? Inquiring minds want to know.
Higher Nonsense: Majority of Americans think Higher Ed is off-track revels new polling.
Assault: The hits on academic freedom keep coming. .
Ideas have Consequences: A scholar won a Nobel proving that progress proceeds from ideas.
Structural Racism: U of San Diego tried to use tax dollars to fund a race-specific scholarship program. Fortunately, the Ku Klan Act of 1871 will likely stop it.
Fascinating. The lack of tolerance amongst ethnic groups is charted with some counter-narrative outcomes.
Vroom: Mercedes-Benz unveils an Art Deco inspired automobile.
Zero-Sum: Those most prone to zero sum thinking: live in cites, have post-graduate degrees, high/low incomes and are Democrats.
Unrest: Voters self-identifying as Democrats are turning on their elected leaders.
Global Data: 60% of data centers are outside of the U.S.
Chemtrails: Unpacking the myths behind contrails.
Blissful ignorance: What doctors wished you knew about caffeine.
Focus: The fight for attention spans amongst our children is leaving a generation ill-equipped to self-govern notes this essay.
Not Good: The post-literate society is envisioned.
Guinness: Why Irish viewers are not fond of the Netflix series.
Tariffs: A real look at the tariff impact on the U.S. budget, here.
Net tax! The fiscal impact on American families from tariffs is a hefty tax.
Fertility Loss: The relationship between falling birth rates and religion is correlated.
Quiz: Can you pass the latest Citizenship Test?
Unrested: 23% have yet to take a vacation this year per a new report.
Bumfuzzeled? Why yes.
Checkmate: American Chess Master dead at 29.
State & Local Gov’t Debt: 6,000,000,000,000.
Happiness: Giving is a path to happiness notes this study.
Praise Be! The case for a religious revival as an antidote to the West’s decline.
Walk on: Your gait is a signal and apparently this required a study.
Puritan Z: Younger generation wants less sex in TV and movies.
Ranking states by housing subsidy need, here.
Fistful of Effects: Study dives into the side-effects of anti-depressant meds that 11% of Americans consume.
Long-Convo: An interstate conversation at rest-stops, stitching a nation together.
Sunset games: Can you drive west to lengthen the sunset?
Admission: Tips for topics to avoid in a college admission essay.
Obscene: The cultural variance in swear words signals societal differences.
Netflix: Explaining the cultural phenomenon that is Netflix.
Boo:
Is this the oldest known ghost drawing.
How the Irish gave us Halloween.
The best Halloween movies of all time.
Can ghost stories help us process death?
The psychology behind a haunted place.
The best Halloween candy.
K-Pop Demon Hunter shortage. First world problems!
Unpacking the difference between horror and gothic genres.
The history of gothic literature – the forerunner of modern – is traced.
Watch a 1920’s “silent” horror flick.
SciFi: The best science fiction flicks of all time.
Science: The shaky science behind “harm reduction” in pediatric gender medicine.
Social media: An essay reflecting on its role, and our behavior on it.
Under Pressure: How do deep sea creatures survive the pressure at the bottom of the ocean?
Rebel: The neuroscience behind resistance.
Dems behaving badly:
Maine Kampf: Another Democrat candidate with a Nazi tattoo. And of course, he has a past linked to left-wing militia groups.
Dem mouthpiece mocks VPOTUS’ wife.
MSNBC Democrats don’t know what a woman is.
Democrats lose all “law-and-order” along with “rule of law” claims as they go all out against ICE.
Under Biden, FEMA kept ideological lists and aimed to deny aid to political opponents.
LOL: Democrats are for Kings – if they’re an actual monarch. You can’t make this up.
Anti-Semitic Dem Congressman returns AiPAC contributions but keeps money from gay-killing, American hating terrorist funders.
Violent “No Kings” protestors arrested for assault.
Mass Surveillance: Is ICE spying without warrant on American citizens?
Collegiate Fish Wrappers: The enduring value of college newspapers.
Small Apple: 1 out of 3 millionaires exit the Big Apple.
Variation: The value or contribution of immigrants can vary – some net positive, others a debit.
Luck: How to engineer good luck, here. Hint: (“Avoid boring people,” and the art of “introductions).
When a Nobel was rejected based on integrity.
AI:
Wikipedia page views plummet as AI scraps it for sourcing.
Although Wiki has a credibility problem that likely hurts it.
Is Google the OG AI company?
Try heroin suggests AI.
Amazon is seeking to replace 75% of its workforce – that’s efficient!
AI can be hacked and used to murder, apparently.
“F” is the grade AI gets on finance advice.
AI Beware! It is inaccurate in so many ways.
ChatGPT launches an AI web browser to ensure the death of Google.
New evaluation demonstrates the prejudices and bias of AI – it hates white people.
Incestuous: The circle of “AI deals” visualized.
COURTS:
Analyzing the first two weeks of the SCOTUS term produces some interesting stats.
A recent panel on commercial litigation at SCOTUS.
A judge certifies a class-action against California’s “gender” policy.
Stare Decisis: SCOTUS has been less likely to overturn precedent the past 6-years than in the previous 15-years.
Unjust: Eight years is not enough jail for a would-be assassin argues this lawyer.
The originalist case against a unitary Executive is made.
A 200-year-old precedent holds the key to Trump’s troop deployments.
Sotomayor: “…don’t leave the fight.”
Climate Baloney: Can SCOTUS reign in retarded lower courts’ abuse of power?
Most Americans wants term limits for SCOTUS members per a new poll.
Justice KJB is not the only Federal Judge using AI for sloppy judgements notes bench members.
CHINA:
Christianity is under assault again by the CCCP.
Tik-Tok puts its thumb on the scale of the New York City elections.
Sex Spies: Our foes are deploying sex workers to steal U.S. innovation.
Default: CCCP back battery company defaults on a new to build in Michigan.
Resilience: The CCCP is stockpiling crude oil.
Cheating: The CCCP steals LSAT questions to foster cheating for US-bound law students.
HEALTH:
Social ties: The ties that bind help you live longer research suggests.
Better Hair: Apparently NMV helps.
And NMV might help reduce skin cancer notes this study.
Piloerection: The science of goosebumps unpacked.
TRAVEL:
The least visited National Park in each state documented.
The 10 most affordable U.S. cities for the solo.
The top happiest cities in Europe.
Hotels for the anti-minimalist.
Ranking America’s college towns.
The best places for travel in 2026.
Eight U.S. city parks worth a visit.
The world’s best airports ranked.
A German art museum gets flooded by “Swifties.” Is this the only positive side effect of her music?
News deserts: New study suggests that the news desert at the local level is growing.
Free Fall: Mainstream media site web traffic is in a free fall.
Heist: 12 of the most expensive items stolen.
Executive Power: An invigorating conversation between Mitchel Daniels and George Will on Executive Power.
WSJ: Top 10 American colleges.
Watch a Yale Professor’s course on “Wise Blood,” here.
Sowell: The difference between Interests and Vision. Here.
