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Some topics deserve a mention but not a full article and that’s what quick takes are for.

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I’ve written about US ship building problems before, but it’s not just about that, the Navy is retiring ships faster than they are being built. (And yes, China is building them way faster than it is retiring them.)

Before Rawls’ shadow in left-liberal political philosophy there was Arnold S. Kaufman (1927-1971), who died when his airplane collided with a military jet while traveling (recall this post). While there is no Wikipedia page devoted to him, Kaufman was rather famous during the 1960s because of his involvement with the student movement at the University […]

Biennial Republican celebration October is normally leaf-looker season here in the Cesspool of Sin. But after Hurricane Helene’s tragic visit last month, not this year. (We can’t drink the water yet and victims are still missing.) But neither rain, nor snow, neither darkness of heart nor climate change-spawned natural disaster will stop MAGAland’s celebration of migrant caravan season. Republicans celebrate biennially, like clockwork, observes The New Republic’s Greg Sargent. Caravan season may not be an October surprise these days, but it is an October miracle. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York is chair of the House Republican Conference. And by Jiminy, she will “stop the madness” by electing a madman. A Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson tells Newsweek: “We are aware of recent reports of a migrant caravan that has materialized in Southern Mexico, as we hear about several times per year.”

Our friends at 270 Reasons are gathering a polyphonic orchestra of brilliant writers, teachers, doctors, filmmakers, artists, and citizens of all kinds to weigh in about their plans to vote this November. These opinion essays run the gamut from advocacy for basic human rights to acutely personal mini-manifestoes. Read the rest over at 270 Reasons.

Because She Won’t Eliminate the Department of Education

I’m the kind of woman JD Vance finds doubly disturbing: a childless cat lady who is also a public school teacher. Does he know that, regardless of whether they have their own children or not, teachers refer to their students as “my kids”? After all, we care for them six hours a day, 180 days a year. And even after they leave our classroom, our students continue to be “our kids.”

It’s a platform, right? A platform you stand on. Not too big, not too small. Platform-sized. You get the picture. The platform is flat. I guess that goes without saying. Who ever heard of a slanted platform? A slanted platform is a ramp. A ramp is not what I’m pitching.

Wait! The platform has walls! Four walls, to be exact. Also, a roof. Well, more of a ceiling. A roof is a ceiling from the outside. But this platform is inside. Inside, with four walls and a ceiling. An enclosed platform, is the basic gist. A fully enclosed platform.

Also, remember when I said there were four walls? I was kind of stretching the truth, because—wait for it—one of those walls is actually a door. Not a revolving door, mind you, or a screen door. A screen door would make no sense in this situation. It’s also not any kind of door with hinges or a knob. “A door without a knob?” you’re asking yourself. “This guy is nuttier than a cashew farm!” Just bear with me. The door on this platform is what you might call a sliding door. A sliding door made of two metal slabs that come together and open up on their own.

Anti-migrant activist detained by police ahead of a London demonstration, as his online following surges due to promotion by 'X' owner Elon Musk

The headlines about Chris Kaba tell us more about the society and media in this country than his killing

The economy is the most important issue for voters in the US Presidential Elections, with 40 million people living below the poverty line and new homelessness records being set.

Darius’s 100-mile run is a testament to the distances people can go – physically and mentally – after a lifetime of feeling lost

- by Psyche Film

Watch at Psyche

For all the promise and dangers of AI, computers plainly can’t think. To think is to resist – something no machine does

- by Alva Noë

Read at Aeon

Dan, a former student of mine and now an academic, activist and friend, is referring to the regular rallies that are taking place across the world in response to Israel’s annihilation of Gaza. We are talking, at my instigation, about the character of those gatherings; and while in some ways it feels indecent to focus... Continue Reading →

On a bleak industrial state outside Fremantle, Simon Gilby is smiling broadly, waving me up towards the spacious unit that temporarily serves as his artistic studio. His advice was to wrap up warm, which I’ve done, though I notice that Gilby himself is wearing a motorcycle jacket so spectacularly derelict a gust of wind may... Continue Reading →

By the excellent Bruce Menzies, in The Fremantle Shipping News:

Women who have been coerced by "angry" men are reaching out to support others in a new campaign called 'Vote Without Fear'.

IT’S Friday night and I’m joining the Coffs Harbour Salvos homelessness outreach team as they visit areas frequented by rough sleepers. Andrew Newman has been leading this team for nearly two years, joined by his wife Dayna and a number of other volunteers. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your...

The post Nourishing bodies and building hope for Coffs Harbour’s homeless appeared first on News Of The Area.

A NUMBER of natural factors make Coffs Harbour a unique Northern NSW location. The Great Dividing Range comes right to the shoreline from Bruxner Park to Macauleys Headland, while the Solitary Islands lie just off the northern arm in close proximity to the foreshore. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for...

The post Experiencing the beauty of Korora Lookout appeared first on News Of The Area.

POLICE arrested 15 people, laid 77 charges, executed 19 Firearm Prohibition Compliance checks, and seized nine firearms during a three-day deployment to Coffs Harbour last week. State Crime Command’s surge deployment was led by the Robbery & Serious Crime Squad with the Coffs Clarence Police District in a bid to target crime in the Coffs...

The post NSW Police hit Coffs Harbour in three-day operation targeting regional crime appeared first on News Of The Area.

In Michigan, ads tout Harris’s pro-Israel policies. In Pennsylvania, they claim Harris is “secretly campaigning for Palestine.”

The post Mitch McConnell Group Funneled Cash to a PAC Pitting Arab and Jewish Voters Against Harris appeared first on The Intercept.

The New York Review of Books presents the fourth installment in a series of online events in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. New York Review contributors Fintan O’Toole, Pamela Karlan, and Mark Danner discuss the legal issues at stake during the upcoming presidential election. You may view all available recordings in this series on this page.

The post What If He Wins? A Conversation About Trump and the Law appeared first on The New York Review of Books.

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