I'm a sucker for an urban wildlife article, so I should probably get this new book.
thewalrus.ca
@Jake
I write about drinks, public policy, and other vices in Portland, Oregon. Co-founder of Seabird, the app you're using right now!
www.jacobgrier.comI'm a sucker for an urban wildlife article, so I should probably get this new book.
thewalrus.ca
Alan Elrod checking in on my home state.
The Future of the Republican Party After Trump Is in Texas
The white male supremacists of the Texas GOP embody what the national party has become.
liberalcurrents.com
Interesting look at how both the Chinese and Taiwanese governments are subsidizing TV dramas to promote their own aims.
âThis is seriously boldâ: How China turned Taiwan tensions into a top-rating TV spy drama
Dismissed in Taiwan as simply propaganda, the Long Watch, or Jiaofeng, has proved a sensation across the strait with its references to real-life crises
theguardian.com
This is both an eye-opening story about the cost of getting a rabies vaccine, even if you're insured, and a reminder of my own family's experience when more than 30 bats invaded our summer cottage and we just didn't take any rabies precautions at all. The 80s were a different time!
Voices: A bat in my sink revealed a dark truth about our healthcare system
âMy family is not a cautionary tale; weâre a predictable result of how U.S. health policy treats one vaccine,â Kayti Sullivan writes in an op-ed.
sltrib.com
Jeff VanderMeer reviews the new China Miéville.
A Haunting Masterwork From a Writer Who Is Reinventing Fantasy
âThe Rouse,â by China MiĂ©ville, is a decade-spanning epic about a secret military unit trying to raise and weaponize the dead.
nytimes.com
A bit of a wild story on the human costs of our stupid trade war with our friends in Canada.
The World's Stupidest Trade War Claims Its Smallest Casualty
Canada's tiniest brewery wanted to relocate three miles across a bridge. The internet had other plans.
thelongbar.substack.com
Always read Bouie.
Opinion | The G.O.P. Has Gone Off the Deep End
The Republican fringe is becoming the Republican mainstream.
nytimes.com
Bro, are you wonder-maxxing?
The Missing Ingredient of Modern Life
Why we need wonder
theatlantic.com
Want to move to Muncie? The BBC profiles a woman who left Portland for Indiana with a $5,000 incentive from the town to relocate.
I got paid $5,000 to move to a place I'd never heard of
Relocation schemes offer support for people who want to swap big cities for a cheaper, quieter life.
bbc.com
I'm excited to join the esteemed company of contributors to Liberalism.org. In today's article I take a global look at how illiberal policies are driving the growth of illicit markets for nicotine and tobacco, with sometimes violent results.
When Tobacco Is Illicit
Restrictions and prohibitions are now affecting the demand for nicotine in the same ways that are found in markets for illicit drugs.
liberalism.org
A look at two very stylish, and very pricey, homes enabled by Portland's new residential infill regulations.
Property Watch: A Sculptural, Cedar-Clad Townhome near Alberta
Built with Passive House principles, this half of a duplex lets in the light.
pdxmonthly.com
Some wild reporting from one of my college classmates, Claire Suddath. For the founder of the schools in question here, there's an association that my libertarian friends may not find surprising!
Inside the Outrageous Collapse of a âMontessori Ponziâ
A man with a vision set out to revolutionize preschool. It became a $440 million fiasco.
nytimes.com
From earlier this summer: reviewing a handful of recent books making the case for trans inclusion in sports.
Let Them Play: How Welcoming Trans Athletes Can Improve Sports Culture for All
Three recent books press us to understand the humanity and lives of gender-expansive athletes.
texasobserver.org
"(My favourite fact about the city of Dijon: it is home to La ConfrĂ©rie de la Moutarde de Dijon, or the Dijon Mustard Brotherhood. They wear medieval-style, yellow waistcoats and capes, and hold conferences and debates to defend and promote mustard, according to the brotherhoodâs website.)" Bonus fun fact: Canada is the world's leading exporter of mustard seeds (don't tell Trump).
My jar of mustard was so spicy it made my eyes water and sent me on an obsessive quest to find out why
The mustard was the same brand I buy every time, Maille Dijon Originale, but it was much, much stronger than usual.
thestar.com
There's not much new here if you've been following along, but it's good to have it all laid out in one place, given how many people ignorantly viewed Trump as the free speech option in the previous election.
How Trump Is Wielding Power to Stifle Speech
President Trump has harnessed agencies across the government to curtail press freedoms, a sweeping campaign that free speech advocates say will have lasting effects.
nytimes.com
This is a way lovelier piece than you think it's going to be from the opening.
A Funny Thing About 9/11
My father will always struggle with his harrowing memories as a first responder. His only positive one got us talking again.
vulture.com
We'll see if it sticks the landing, but so far Lindelof's Lanterns is exceeding expectations in much the same way he did with Watchmen (a show I didn't think should even exist, much less turn out as good as it did).
HBOâs Great New Show Is Incredibly Sharp on Race and the Black American Experience
Lanterns isnât just about superheroesâitâs as much about the Black American experience.
slate.com
A really nice excerpt from a new book illustrating the wilds of the Cascades.
Cascade of Life - Orion Magazine
Rendering our wild seasons
orionmagazine.org
Donald Trump, American socialist.
You're already getting socialismâand Democratic Socialists have nothing to do with it
The election of New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and the surprising performance of Democratic Socialist or DSA-aligned candidates in Democratic primaries across the United States is reviving interest in socialism as a conceptâand with it, its use alternately as a badge of honor and a political slur.
piie.com
"Weâre here because we didnât listen to the civil libertarians. Itâs not too late to start."
Opinion | Civil Libertarians Knew This Would Happen. We Should Have Listened.
The civil libertariansâ warnings have come true.
nytimes.com
This is not an encouraging read for the future independence of Taiwan.
Will Taiwan Just Give Up?
The Taiwanese donât trust Trump, and they donât believe America will come to their defense. A deal with China is starting to look inevitable.
theatlantic.com
TIL that the name for recreational lockpicking is "locksport".
The battle for the soul of lockpicking
Under locksport and key â In recent years, breaking locks for fun has grown from a niche hobby into an activity followed by millions of people. As it hasâŠ
huckmag.com
Reason still puts out some fantastic work, like this cover story from C. J. Ciaramella on the history of American prisons. (With lots of upstate New York references, for those into that sort of thing.)
The American prison experiment: A 250-year history of good intentions and bad results
A strange trip through the U.S. prison system's never-ending cycle of failure and reform
reason.com
A break from long reads with some evocative photography.
The Lonely Men at the End of the World
In Patagonia, los puesteros look after other peopleâs livestock for not very much money, and sometimes go months without seeing anyone else.
newyorker.com
"In addition to aristocratic memoirs, I enjoy reading about primate ethology. Indeed, I like these books for similar reasons: Aristocrats are basically chimpanzees. Theyâre highly social, cunning, at all times hyperaware of their strict internal dominance hierarchy, and constantly, obsessively tracking alliances, challenges, displays of prowess, and attempts to get ahead."
After Work, Weâll Have Each Other
Once you realize what that means, youâll be giving two cheers for the American work ethic.
asteriskmag.com
My next Texas trip probably isn't going to take me to these halal barbecue places, but they sound great.
American Muslims are giving Texas barbecue a halal makeover
Even as anti-Muslim rhetoric rises in Texas, Muslim pitmasters are winning over diners and reshaping one of the state's most iconic culinary  traditions.
npr.org
"After the split Garfunkel became, of all things, a maths teacher." I just can't imagine walking into the first day of math class and realizing my teacher was one half of Simon and Garfunkel. There's a small number of people who went to school in Connecticut who ended up with a story for life.
âWhy not try to be the best in the world, just for the fun of it?â Art Garfunkel on a rich, restless life â and reconciling with Paul Simon
He taught maths and walked across Europe, trying to leave his demons behind. As he goes back on tour aged 84, the folk-pop legend explains how he came back to singing
theguardian.com
An intriguing essay that never quite comes to a firm conclusion exploring the mystery of the real identity of Elena Ferrante. A man? A woman? A collaboration between a couple?
Elena Ferrante and the people who vouched for her
Why her publishersâ word had me convinced that Ferrante is a woman â and why it no longer does
strangeclarity.com
The business struggles for izakaya in Japan sound strikingly similar to what restaurants in the US are dealing with. More reason to visit soon!
The new izakaya economy
Japanâs neighborhood drinking spots are being squeezed by rising costs, changing habits and a growing preference for eating at home.
japantimes.co.jp
Excellent as always from Jamelle Bouie, and I hope the stigma Vance carries with him from the Trump years lasts his entire life.
Opinion | This Is No Way to Think of Our Fellow Americans
Pierre Damas Bel should still be alive.
nytimes.com
Interesting interview with the founder of Pangram on how their model identifies AI writing and why human authorship remains important.
We Can't Let AI Writing Take Over the Internet
An interview with Pangram founder and CEO Max Spero on how AI writing has flooded the internet, why it matters, and why itâs worth cleaning up
derekthompson.org
Restaurants advertising slop food is genuinely one of the most unappealing uses of AI.
The Unique Horrors of A.I. Food Slop
Why does it feel so unsettling when restaurants use generative A.I. to create their menus and promotional materials?
newyorker.com
The US was the only country in the UN to vote against this. Because accurate map projections are woke now!
The U.N. backs a new world map showing Africa in its true relative size
The U.N. has backed a new map showing Africa in its true relative size, with the U.S. standing alone in opposition.
npr.org
Always read Andy Craig on election law.
Trump Can't Easily Steal the Midterms But He Can Sow Chaos and Doubt
The courts are stopping his illegal executive orders, but he is still attempting one of the biggest political crimes in American history
theunpopulist.net
A vey well-written appreciation for Steinem.
Gloria Steinem Loved Women
The feminist icon, who has died at the age of 92, epitomized the contradictions and hopes of the womenâs liberation movement.
thecut.com
Ageing myself by admitting I'm still a one-handed backhander.
Tennisâs Lost Shot
As the U.S. Open kicks off, weâre exploring a tennis technique that has quietly gone extinct.
nytimes.com
A more positive take on "Defund the Police," which is not a winning slogan but does point to needed policy ideas, some of which may still progress.
Was âDefund the Policeâ Crazy?
A reckoning with the âwokeâ years.
newyorker.com
I know Portland has a few payphone art projects, but this is a very cool one from LA.
The Last Payphones Are Taking Goodbyes
We set out to find Los Angelesâ last working payphones and found something else entirely: thousands of strangers looking for a place to let go.
atlasobscura.com
More reasons to be thankful that Seabird uses neither algorithms nor embedded video.
Exclusive: Paid actors, AI writing: How a new kind of video business cashed in on Americaâs divided politics
âGhost creatorsâ are reaching millions of viewers with nearly identical, sensationalized videos that take aim at Democrats.
semafor.com
âItâs essentially serial killing at sea â murder under federal law â being carried out as a matter of state policy.â
The U.S. Has Killed 227 Civilians in Boat Strikes During âA Year of Murdersâ
âThe boat strikes are, perhaps, the most stark testament to the lawlessness of the Trump administration.â
theintercept.com
This is a really nice explanation of what a conductor contributes to an orchestra, written by a conductor himself.
The Mysterious Art of Conducting
Conductingâwaving a wand to summon ravishing or ethereal or earsplitting soundsâcan look like either inexplicable magic or embarrassing nonsense, @aucoincomposer, himself a conductor and composer, writes. He explores the profession's power and purpose:
theatlantic.com
It's publication day for my friend Slade's new book encouraging today's right to care about virtue and liberty. Well, good luck to her.
J.D. Vance and the politics of victimhood
The postliberal rightâs frenzy for exaggerating and fabricating transgressions.
reason.com
This is a depressing read, on some mostly well-meaning leftists with one really dumb friend, and how aggressive prosecutors used that to put them in prison for decades.
How anti-ICE protesters became prisoners in Trump's war on antifa
âWe are not terrorists.â
motherjones.com
I'll admit that kitchens were one area where I was skeptical of electrification, but induction really does seem to be a gamechanger. I love my outdoor gas wok station but when a high-performing (and affordable) one becomes available, I don't think I'd hesitate to switch.
The chefs turning down the heat by switching from gas to electric
As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10C
theguardian.com
More on making CRISPR-edited pups (with adorable beagle footage).
How Much Is That Gene-Edited Dog in the Window?
Technologies like CRISPR are giving us new ways to create the dogs of our dreams â and a reason to reckon with our past mistakes.
nytimes.com
Raising Cane's gets the Slate deep dive into a chain restaurant treatment.
The Hottest Restaurant Chain in America Has a Pitch Very Different From Others. People Are Absolutely Obsessed.
People will fly 16 hours to try itâand leave true converts.
slate.com
A pretty clear intro to the confusing concept of Hilbert spaces.
In Hilbert Space, All Things Are Quantumly Possible | Quanta Magazine
To explore quantum phenomena, we must leave the familiar world and enter the abstract realm of Hilbert space.
quantamagazine.org
I'm never going to get over people I know supporting this.
Deportees Recount Harrowing Journeys to Africa: Shackles, a âFreezerâ and Blows
Ten deportees said they experienced or witnessed what they called abusive or violent treatment by ICE. They spent months in detention, they said, before being sent to nations where they had no ties.
nytimes.com
I haven't really followed this particular debate, but always enjoy reading Henry Farrell.
The Acemoglu Wars Are All About AI
Regarding that Economist article ...
programmablemutter.com
Now AI is coming for the unpaid op-eds! To be fair, unlike the WSJ's genuinely good news reporting, its opinion section probably could be outsourced to computers with minimal loss. "Thereâs another reason to keep up the norm of disclosure: When people let a chatbot do their writingâeven if theyâre guiding and carefully reviewing its workâthey might not realize that itâs doing some of their thinking too."
A Turning Point in AI Writing
The Wall Street Journal is defending an op-ed written by a chatbot.
theatlantic.com
Reads far and wide â 110 sources in 90 days
Also a writer â 1 original piece this quarter