July 4
apt for the fourth i thought
Tom Hanks' commencement address, from 2023: "Indifference will rust away the promise of our promised land. Propaganda and baldfaced lies will erode over time. Idolatry and imagery lose luster and effect. Ignorance and intolerance can be replaced by experience in the wink of an eye. But indifference will narrow the vision of America's people and make dim the light of Lady Liberty's symbolic torch. Indifference make citizens into indentured servants held in labor by the despots and tyrants whose default setting is cynicism, who outlaw dissent and ban art and dialogue and books. Who grab power any way they can, enabled by the subterfuge of their co-conspirators, rewarding their rationale of the complicit and surging into the vacuum caused by the indifference of a people who have been made weary by struggle. So weary that they lose hope and are left to yearn to be saved by the fiction of superheroes."
CAUTION: Shoots Flaming Balls
If you want a sense of the Chinese cultural impression of what Americans like, you only have to look at the products of fireworks maker Brothers Pyrotechnics, Inc., this year including the three pack of Hoist The Colors Red, White and Blue, the phallic cylinders of GLORY, HONOR and POWER that promise "oversized bursts," the Grand Jury composed of "Peak Performance Maximum Load 5-Inch Shells," Captain Sam "for daytime use," My Country and others. But what the heck is going on on the boxes of Caution To The Wind or Fowl Play? (Note: it's possible that some of these were made with AI generation, but honestly Brothers has generated ridiculous box art like this for many years with only Photoshop, so who the hell knows?)
Safetynovela
Care from the Heart The Philipines Airlines’ inflight safety telenovela
The King of England looking westward trembles at the vision
a Human fire fierce glowing, as the wedge/ Of iron heated in the furnace America a Prophecy (1793) is William Blake's visionary and illuminated book on the American revolution, one of his continental prophecies. [more inside]
For revolting barbarity & shameless hypocrisy, America reigns
The best American writers have wrestled with these questions for a long time, and one of their focal points is the annual cultural phenomenon known as “Fourth of July” speech. The granddaddy of them all is “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” Frederick Douglass’s 1852 address to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society: “Fellow citizens; above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. “I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July.”
July 3
"Parade with shews"
To Abaigail Adams from John Adams, July, 3, 1776.
"The second of July, 1776, "It ought to be Solemnized with Pomp and Parade with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."
Adams started the letter, "Had a Declaration of Independency been made seven Months ago, it would have been attended with many great and glorious Effects . . . We might before this Hour, have formed Alliances with foreign States. We should have mastered Quebec and been in Possession of Canada .... [more inside]
"Can't help but wonder what's gone wrong..."
An American Tune. Rhiannon Giddens and Paul Simon perform "a song of simple grace". Written by Simon in 1973, it seems even more resonant as time has gone by. The version performed here has a slightly modified lyric in the second last verse that sharpens the historical edge. [more inside]
Thousands of dung beetles exchanged via post
"You can hear them": Thousands of dung beetles exchanged via post. While some dung beetles rest, others get to work, and farmers are making trades.
Federal appeals court rules undocumented immigrants deserve hearing
The 5th Circuit ruled 2-1 that the government can’t hold immigrants longer than 90 days without a bond hearing, the chance to ask a judge for release. The case was brought by three fathers of U.S.-citizen children, each in the country more than a decade with no criminal record, detained after Texas traffic stops. “Our only requirement is that a hearing must be held within 90 days of the commencement of detention and that at the hearing, the Government must articulate an individualized justification for further detention without bond,” Leslie H. Southwick, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in the majority opinion. [more inside]
Ry Cooder and the Moula Band Rhythm Aces Live at the Catalyst
Some prose and poetry of the 1770s
"The Carp of My Dreams" (1776) is among Ueda Akinari's influential Tales of Moonlight and Rain and, like Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther ('74), a key text of its era. Inspired by Charlotte Buff, Goethe had also been fond of "Blind Man's Buff" ('70-'71) near when Phillis Wheatley Peters played poetry games ('73) deflating American self-mythologization ('71). Other poets opposed wealth inequality ('70), misogyny ('74), slavery ('75), and debtors' prisons ('77), and a utopian imagined the 25th Century ('71; v. 2). More weird lit: The Devil in Love ('72) became a woman and a theory of desire and isolation; "Sir Bertrand" ('73) ventured into the Gothic; and "Lenore" ('74) aided Romanticism by summoning her dead lover back from a global war. It-narratives ('70), picaresques ('71), and erotic lit ('77) were around, but a novel still taught is Frances Burney's Evelina ('78).
I was planning to eat that monkey!
Livio Baggio (aka Illuminated) makes bite-sized comics on a variety of themes. Mostly vulgar, funny and/or violent. All with fantastic heavily-inked art. Like the saga of the elf Sota Deathmonger. Or the violent post-apocalyptic Toxic Park. You can even learn about violent history. It's worth a dig around. [more inside]
This man bought the land stolen from his Indigenous ancestors
This man bought the land stolen from his Indigenous ancestors.
Gunditjmara man Craig Molyneux buys back land that was stolen from his ancestors and infuses the property's old church with his Indigenous culture.
75 Days to Challenge Yourself
75 Hard is a viral fitness challenge outlining a set of strict rules around exercise and nutrition to take on in 75 days. It has drawn both support and criticism, particularly around the pro-Trump politics of its founder Andy Frisella. 75 Hard has inspired numerous variations and spinoffs, such as: 75 Soft, 75 Medium, 75 Hotter, 75 Sustainable, 75 Hard Finance, 75 Hard Style, 75 Booked, 75 Sparkling, 75 Soft for creators, 75 Create, 75 Grow, 75 Holy, 75 Better, and 75 Fluent.
from James Murdoch's Vox...
Melat Kiros is the first political star truly formed by the 2020s [ungated]* - "What's behind her shocking victory against a 30-year incumbent in Colorado — according to the candidate herself." [more inside]
Throw me the idol, I give you the whip!
Alfred Molina walks us through his legendary career, discussing his roles in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Boogie Nights,' 'Chocolat,' 'Frida,' 'Spider-Man 2,' 'Love Is Strange,' 'Spider-Man: No Way Home,' 'Uncle Vanya' and more. [24-minute YouTube video via Vanity Fair; all worth it, but especially the last 3 minutes]
July 2
Welcome the Elf
Infowars has resumed broadcasting, headed by Tim Heidecker under the purview of The Onion. Who else is going to tell you that JFK couldn't have killed himself by hanging himself from the roof of his car, because the top was down? Who else is going to sell you cans and cans of FDA-unapproved Hogwater™, now in new Green Flavor? Who else will offer to tell you the secret means by which you can turn your gold into piss? Enjoy the new Infowars theme song, featuring the Infowars Elf! Previously
Not Dead Yet: LGBTQIA+ News Post for July 2, 2026
Welcome to the LGBTQIA+ News Post for July 1, 2026. I know I've been gone for a while from posting, but life has been very difficult. No clouds in my stones, let it rain, I hydroplane in the bank.. [more inside]
Three Hundred Fifty-Four Fireworks per Second
On Saturday, July 4, 2026, the Trump administration plans to set off more than 850,000 fireworks in a 40-minute show. But what, in practical terms, does such a large number of fireworks even mean? An analysis by Williams College professor Chad Topaz goes into the sheer magnitude of what a terrible idea this display is.
“I don’t know what they retain and what they are logging.”
An opaque White House office staffed largely by veterans of DOGE has quietly rebuilt some of the federal government’s most sensitive websites ... The NDS built and now operates four public federal websites: ndstudio.gov, trumprx.gov, realfood.gov and trumpaccounts.gov. All four ran commercial visitor-tracking software, configured to evade the privacy tools many web users install, and none carry the public filings federal privacy law requires under laws including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002. [more inside]
Human-made Webring
Some of you may remember web "rings" where one option was to get sent to a random site in the ring. it was fun. kind of like sitting down with a random volume of the encyclopedia, opening to a random page and just reading. People sometimes end up on obscure sites run by just... anyone. A page made by a local club was as easy to find as a corporate site. [more inside]
“You got hit by a car, too, right?” ... “Yeah that too.”
He doesn’t have a cell phone or use the internet so it takes a week to get the answer but finally his publicist comes back with a politely breathless email confirming that, yes, if I can make it out to Sacramento next week William T. Vollmann will meet me at 9 a.m., June 23, at a small coffee shop that’s been built into an unsuspecting structure and then from there we can walk to his studio, hang out til around noonish. It’s June 15th. I start reading his new novel, A Table for Fortune. [more inside]
House of the Haunted House
A new and helpful Guide to Horror from Neil Cicierega (previously), who has also made guides for the Lord of the Rings movies, the characters in Star Wars, the species in Star Trek and the movies of Tom Hanks. [more inside]
Yes, he’s still here
July 1
Meet the artist documenting Australia's lesbian community
Meet the artist documenting Australia's lesbian community.
When Stacey Bennett came out at 14, she felt alone. Now the Geelong-based artist has painted 100 lesbians to ensure future generations know they are part of a rich and diverse community.
Schism!
In the mountains of Southwestern Switzerland, a renegade bishop, himself excommunicated by John Paul II (and de-excommunicated by former Hitler youth Pope Benedict XVI), has defied the authority of the Pope, and proceeded after multiple warnings that it would constitiute a schismatic act and lead to immediate de facto excommunication, has ordained four bishops without Papal approval. [more inside]
It's alive! It's alive!
The first synthetic cell with a complete life cycle Researchers at the University of Minnesota have created SpudCell, the world's first synthetic cell built entirely from non-living chemical components that can complete all fundamental life processes. [more inside]
Fish and Wildlife has a case of the crabs
Crab smugglers on the Washington Coast Favorite highlight - “Those are crabs in there!” Garrison exclaimed. “I can see that they’re crabs. No, the crab that is in your pants” [more inside]
For those tired of Ai shenanigans with Notepad
Hot Dog Bracket
NYT Wire Cutter: We organized a bracket tournament of eight (US) regional hot dog styles and recruited José Andrés to help us pick a winner. (NY vs. Chicago vs. Detroit vs. Cincinnati vs. Seattle vs. West Virginia vs. Kansas City vs. Sonoran)
Large flock of rare swift parrots seen near Port Macquarie
Large flock of rare swift parrots seen near Port Macquarie.
The sighting of critically endangered parrots is seen as really exciting after hardly any were seen across New South Wales last year. But a bird expert warns the species still faces significant threats.
Rats!
In 2006 Lundy Island storm petrels had been extirpated and there were fewer than 300 Shearwater Manx. There were only five puffins. However good news was on the way as 2006 marked the successful completion of a rat eradication program [PDF]. Today the island located 18 km off the north Devon coast of England in the Bristol Channel hosts over 40,000 seabirds including 1,335 puffins; numbers not seen since 1939. Maintaining the island's rat free status requires vigilance however if you wish to see the birds in person over night camping or cottage stays on the carless island are available from the Landmark Trust. You can even stay in a castle. [more inside]
Big boat stuck
I am not convinced there are fewer critics, overall
I suppose the underlying idea of saying “no more takedowns” is that writing books is hard, and people who care about literature should stick together. On the other hand, standards need to be maintained, taste educated. And you have to think about the reader. That’s who the review is for, the prospective consumer of a book. Plus takedowns are very entertaining. The role played by schadenfreude will vary. I don’t think inflicting pain or being mean is the point. But perhaps that’s too rationalist, or rosy, a viewpoint.
June 30
Former potato farm given new life as bird sanctuary
Former potato farm given new life as bird sanctuary. Once drained for farm irrigation, this former potato farm now attracts birds from as far away as Siberia. (Australia)
bird eating bats
Natural history on canvas: Brueghel knew about bird-eating noctule bats "In the canvas Air (1611), a painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder that contains detailed representations of more than 60 bird species, the artist also included three bat species. One of them, unmistakably identified as noctule bat, is represented in flight with a small passerine in its mouth."[paper]
Forward Guidance 2: Electrification Boogaloo
Recommended as the best radio station in the world
Treasures ask not how you won them
By Crom! is a complete webcomic by Shel Kahn - wry autobiographical comics about helpful life advice from Conan the Barbarian. The original run is now free to read online again on their sparkly new website or a pdf of the print collection (with extras) is for sale on itch.io. [more inside]
Kangaroo Island declared feral pig-free after more than two centuries
Kangaroo Island declared feral pig-free after more than two centuries.
Devastating bushfires provide Kangaroo Island with a unique silver lining as it becomes the largest island in the world to eradicate feral pigs.
A hermeneutics of suspicion need not blunt our empathy
The captivity narrative is the most American of genres, not just in fostering fear, paranoia, and violence but in contributing to the creation myth of a new variety of person: the American .... Traces of the form can be seen in the true-crime memoirs of someone like Hearst, but the trope is even more intrinsic to American self-understanding. Our literature brims with archetypal accounts of characters descending into the dark core of barbarism and emerging with a primal knowledge that transforms them into new persons.
June 29
Your Favorite [List of [Lists of [Best Bands, LPs, or Songs]]] SUCKS!
The Greatest Music squashes many well-known-and-pored-over "Greatest 500 [Albums/Songs/Artists] of [A Certain Time Period]" lists through an algorithmic system of weights and pulleys, and out comes the One True List (e.g., a custom 1902–1954 LPs edition). {cue choir and fanfare} Code Junkies can see how the sausage is made here.
NASA to bump telescope back into space to avoid it falling to Earth
NASA to bump telescope back into space to avoid it falling to Earth.
US space agency NASA is racing to save an aging telescope, used to observe cosmic explosions, from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission.
inadvisably low-rise edible jeans
"Do not drēde the derknesse. Embrāce it"?
WERWULF trailer (06/29/2026). "Esquire First Look" (06/25/2026): "We worked with two Oxford professors on the dialogue, which is in Middle English, and then ... with a dialect coach on a way to temper the pronunciation." Related, if the vocab is extensive: wer-wǒlf in the Middle English Dictionary at the Middle English Compendium; A Middle English Reader with an intro grammar; and more Middle English Texts, e.g. for fun, Mummings and Entertainments, The Game and Playe of the Chesse, "A 15th C. Word Game," or the Christmas-related ludic text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Cotton Nero not Percy). Or if it's familiar vocab but allows a vowel shift, perhaps it resembles constrained texts like Simple English, "Uncleftish Beholding" (explained), Morris/Magnússon translations (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), Morris/Wyatt's Beowulf, or Eddison's Egil's Saga.
‘See the whole world in lichens’
You might think that in the kingdom of green that is our Northwest, the mighty Douglas fir is supreme, or perhaps the red cedar. Ah, but consider the humble, the ancient, the ultimate in Northwest non-fussy, the enduring, inspiring signature of our regional character. That companion to Washington landscapes, whether east side or west, that thrives on just about any surface — dry, wet, bright, dark, hard, soft, natural, manufactured, whatever. Consider lichens. (Seattle Times, archive.is)
The pride of Tackleford, Yorkshire
John Allison has a number of completed webcomics, mostly sharing continuity but all enjoyable on their own. Let me start with two. Bad Machinery is about schoolgirl investigators overflowing with wit and aplomb. Giant Days is the sequel comic, following their very normal times at University together (including a Batman crossover). Either would be worth your time for the delightful dialogue alone. Several more, similarly worthy, comics under the fold. [more inside]
How embarrassing to discover we will never be as cool as father
A Better World is Not Possible - Did The Weather Underground Have a Point? - Los Angeles Review of Books
Neil the seal is back bigger than ever and that's a problem
Neil the seal is back bigger than ever and that's a problem. Neil, an elephant seal well known to Tasmanians, has returned to land and a new video shows him being coerced off a road for his own safety.
Ethnographic Study of Conservative Americans' Relationships to Democracy
This report is for practitioners, funders, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders who are interested in rebuilding the fabric of American public and political life. Specifically, we aim to explore how conservative Americans relate to democracy in the present moment, and understand why some have become open to political actions that others might perceive as deviating from longstanding democratic norms. This research builds on findings in the report "Understanding Evolving Republican Attitudes Toward Democracy," published by the SNF Agora Institute and Public Agenda, exploring attitudes towards democratic institutions among conservative populations in the US. [more inside]
