Reading

The pattern is all too familiar. Someone commits a crime, the far right seizes on it as supposed proof of their racist theories about the origins of crime, a particular group is targeted on social media, and violence begins — often fuelled by conservative figures in parliament. This happened in the UK during the summer […]

We stand before the world with a dire warning. Unless we, as a united front, address this generational crisis, we risk permanently exhausting one of our greatest resources. Our findings are shocking and sobering, but hopefully, this will inspire world governments to make substantive changes. For if we continue at this current rate, our scientists fear that we will hit Peak Walton Goggins within the next year and a half, if not sooner.

Goggins is a gem—a true icon. No one argues with that empirical data. But these levels of Goggins consumption are unsustainable. Our models predict that the global community will grow tired of this beautiful man if he continues to appear in every TV series, ad campaign, and suggested Instagram reel. We will have burned through his charm far too quickly, and the next generation will inherit a world without his darkly comedic, sweaty sex appeal.

The watchdog also refused to investigate a complaint about a presenter's use of an anti-trans slur, saying the comments were "in line with audience expectations for this channel"

Dear parents,

Get ready to drop a leg on summer, because it’s back-to-school season. And thanks to the secretary of education—and former WWE CEO—Linda McMahon, there are gonna be some big changes to the curriculum, including yours truly running the show. McMahon and the big-dog-in-chief already tried to withhold over $6 billion in federal grants for schools, but that’s just the start of this exciting new chapter. So buckle up, because you better believe we’ll be choke-slamming radical rhetoric and squashing the competition.

English

Off the bat, we’re banning some books. Alice Walker? In your dreams. The Kite Runner? Not on my watch. And as for that no good, piece of trash J. D. Salinger, I’ll tell him what I told Jake “The Snake” Roberts back in ’94: “Forget the rye, you’re about to catch these fists!” Call me a phony one more time, and you’ll be riding a carousel of pain if you know what’s good for you.

The recent wave of anti-migrant protests are providing a bridge between right-wing elected politicians and extremist groups

It’s publication day for the new edition of my first poetry collection, You Took the Last Bus Home. It’s been unavailable for nine months, following the demise of its original publisher, Unbound. I’m so delighted that Picador stepped into the breach to bring out this shiny new edition. Hopefully it will now be back on…

The Russian foreign ministry added multiple Byline Times and Byline TV contributors to its "stop list" following our award-winning investigations into the Putin regime

Nobody needs to be told that Keir Starmer’s father was a ‘toolmaker’. At a conservative count, he’s brought it up around 40 times in speeches, party political broadcasts and softball interviews. Nor do they need to be told that he enjoys watching Arsenal and playing football. These biographical claims have become so familiar that they […]

What he says: Thank god football’s back.

What he means: I miss my friends.

What he says: Can you believe Travis Kelce is going as late as the seventh round in a lot of leagues?

What he means: I’ve never been more anxious about the passage of time. I graduated from college ten years ago, yet it feels like yesterday, and I fear the next ten years will go by even faster.

What he says: I know I’m reaching for Lamar Jackson in the first round, but it’s worth it just for the excuse to watch him play every week.

What he means: I want to buy a motorcycle.

What he says: I’d rather have the tenth pick than the first pick.

At Automattic, we know our time is finite and precious. Here are the questions we ask ourselves before agreeing to any meeting:

The post Too many meetings? appeared first on Jeffrey Zeldman Presents.

There’s been a lack of cheer on this site lately.  The obvious response: some analysis of trivial, ephemeral pop culture.  So, a question before the jump:  If I were to mention “the MacBride and Kennedy stories”, who would raise a hand and say “I know!” ?   — It’s okay to say “no idea”, btw. This […]

PLAYERS: Infertility can be played alone, in a couple, or with a friend who promised that if you were still single at forty, they’d hook you up.

OBJECTIVE: The goal is to strategically bankrupt yourself physically, financially, and emotionally to become a parent. Average playing time is anywhere between two and ten years, but can last even longer, depending on your willingness to be mistaken for grandparents.

HOW TO PLAY: Starting from “Optimism Alley,” players choose one of three paths to begin: IVF Lane, Surrogacy Street, or Adoption Road. Players roll the dice to move down their path, landing on completely random outcomes that either propel them into frightening new stages of anxiety or spiral them backward into psychological and bodily horrors. The first player to outsmart human biology wins. At any time, players can quit and get into beekeeping.

Leading union criticised for reaching out to anti-trade union politician and Nigel Farage ally Andrea Jenkyns, despite her anti-worker stances

The silence of senior mainstream politicians and media organisations against the rise of a new well-organised far-right movement on Britain's streets is a disgrace, argues Adam Bienkov

Last month, Chris Worrall — the apparently ‘pro-housing’ Labour councillor and founder of Labour YIMBY — announced his defection to the Conservatives. As he did so, he claimed that Labour had become a ‘PIP and asylum seeker PAYEpig’, and that the party had extinguished hope for the burgeoning YIMBY movement. For the unfamiliar, YIMBY stands […]

The first map of the Atlantic seafloor revealed a dynamic world under the waves

The post When the Ocean Floor Came Alive appeared first on Nautilus.

The climates that run through us

The post With Regard to the Invisible appeared first on Nautilus.

A tiny microbe discovered by accident challenges the definition of cellular life

The post A Rogue New Life Form appeared first on Nautilus.

The site did an “investigation” into preexisting conditions in starving kids in Gaza — the same logic that would have you believe typhus killed Anne Frank.

The post Bari Weiss’s Free Press Wants You to Know Some Kids Being Starved by Israel Were Already Sick appeared first on The Intercept.

Inspired by the boycott of South African goods and apartheid-affiliated institutions in the St. Paul’s neighbourhood of Bristol, people in our city today are opposing the Israeli genocide by organising a community boycott of all Israeli fresh produce. The Bristol Apartheid-Free Zone was launched at last year’s Bristol Transformed festival with a call for local […]

It was beautiful witnessing our children’s blossoming friendship when they were in Miss Penny’s first-grade class—and by extension, our friendship too. That said, seeing as next year your kid will be in Mrs. Lang’s Second Grade Class, and mine in Mr. Dodd’s, I’m afraid it’s time to say goodbye, because we will never see each other ever again.

I know, it’s hard. We grew so close. Together, we cut out hearts for the Valentine’s Day Party. Enjoyed each other’s cookies for the Christmas/ Hanukkah/ Diwali/ Kwanzaa Celebration. Trolled the Moms for Liberty at PTA meetings. Sang “So Long, Farewell” at the Parent/Teacher Talent Show. But from this moment on, whatever it was between you and me is over.

Now, you’re just somebody that I used to know.

It’s 1:17 a.m., and I’m sitting on the floor of my kitchen drinking Dr Pepper Blackberry out of the can like it’s medicine for a heartbreak I haven’t earned yet. I haven’t cried today, but I can feel it coming, crouched behind my molars. This beverage might be the gateway.

The label promises “Delightfully Dark. Subtly Sweet,” which, coincidentally, is also how I described myself during a short-lived phase in college when I tried to brand myself as “the mysterious girl who reads Bukowski and wears velvet chokers.” It didn’t stick. Much like this flavor profile.

I pop the tab. The hiss is aggressive, like the soda is already judging me for buying it. Like it’s muttering, “This is what we’re doing now?” before surrendering to carbonation.

Blackberry hits first. Not a real blackberry. Not a berry that ever knew soil or sunshine. This is the kind of blackberry that grew up in a basement listening to My Chemical Romance and wearing fingerless gloves. It’s dramatic. It’s synthetic. It’s here to make you question everything you once believed about fruit.

A group of librarians is called a cardigan.

A collection of empty chairs is called an author reading.

A collection of Eric Carle books covered in spit-up is called a storytime.

A group of exhausted mothers covered in spit-up is also called a storytime.

A cluster of teens reading quietly is called a mystery.

A pile of books gathering dust is called a hold shelf.

A handful of change is called a budget.

A stack of books on a nightstand is called a magical thinking.

A group of people who only remember “the cover was blue” is called a patron.

A plastic prize tub of stickers is called a summer reading program.

A collection of missing pieces is called a community jigsaw.

A group of retirees is called a Scrabble night.

A shelf of books in alphabetical order is called a miracle.

A group of shushing librarians is called a cliché.

A group of underfunded libraries is called a tragedy.

Opposition councillors in one of the party's flagship new councils are challenging the legality of its decision to ban all climate and Net Zero pledges

A new lawsuit seeks to end ICE’s tactic of setting up immigrants to be taken from immigration courts.

The post Teen Immigrant’s Release Propels Lawsuit to End ICE’s Courthouse Arrests appeared first on The Intercept.