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. 

• Gas prices hit a 5-year low. 

• 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. 

  • Symbolism: The power of symbols to stir the pot. 

  • Defense of Trump’ White House remodel here. 

  • Recalling previous White House demolitions. 

• 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. 

White liberals tolerance challenge studied

• 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. 

    • And Bernie Sanders sticks by the branded Nazi. 

    • And of the Nazi tattooed Democrat also has a history of gay slurs. 

  • 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. 

Thomas Sowell

Sunday Reads