Author: nick

Reading Matters: A History for the Digital Age, by Joel Halldorf, New York University Press, 312 pages, $35 For those of us who like to think literacy is a form of liberation, there’s a troubling counterpoint: Mein Kampf. Adolf Hitler wasn’t interested in people thinking for themselves; he insisted they think like him. Propaganda, he recognized, is an assault on reflection: avoid abstraction, parrot slogans, abandon objectivity, and scapegoat your enemies. In forms like Mein Kampf, books contributed to the poison. But for the German theologian and anti-Nazi conspirator Dietrich Bonhoeffer, they could also serve as an antidote. We need,…

Photo by Gautam Arora If we are to understand the conditions facing vulnerable children, we have to begin with a difficult truth: poverty remains the central force shaping their lives. It is not the only factor, but it is the most consistent one—structuring access to health, education, safety, and opportunity from the earliest years onward. Children, by definition, are dependent. Their well-being is tied to the systems that surround them—family, school, community, and public institutions. When those systems are strained by poverty, the effects are not marginal. They are often paralyzing. Barriers to opportunity—whether in the form of underfunded schools,…

On the surface, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh share much in common. They are both judicial conservatives, both self-professed originalists, both former federal appellate court judges with respected records, and both were appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by the same president. Yet there are certain legal issues that have brought out notable differences between them. The Supreme Court’s recent 5–4 decision in Pitchford v. Cain offers a fascinating case in point. You’re reading Injustice System from Damon Root and Reason. Get more of Damon’s commentary on constitutional law and American history. Pitchford v. Cain centered on the reach…

Virginia’s Department of Health is recommending infants ages 6 to 11 months receive a MMR vaccine — earlier than the age recommended by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Doctors and other vaccine experts told The Defender that Virginia’s guidance is “reckless” and “not grounded in science.” Virginia’s Department of Health is recommending infants ages 6 to 11 months receive a MMR vaccine — earlier than the age recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Doctors and other vaccine experts told The Defender that Virginia’s guidance is “reckless” and “not grounded in science.”…

New video on the Daily Grail’s Patreon, in which things get spicy as we discuss aliens.gov – check it out! Alien hunters update guidance on sharing news of possible intelligent life, stressing need for transparency while aiming to prevent premature announcements and protect scientists. Move fast, surveil things: Meta has deployed facial recognition code to millions of their always-on surveillance glasses. Earliest known domesticated dogs identified at prehistoric sites in Türkiye. From sonic booms to mystery drones: How science-based panics take hold. Can Hollywood ever get aliens right? (Archived page link) How to stop a killer asteroid: From high-speed battering…

It turns out wearing the glasses made no difference. In the John Carpenter film, They Live, our hero John Nada is one in many workers stumbling from hunger to poverty and piece work in an economy that is only built to exploit them. It’s a film both critical of Reagan economics and power itself, in all it’s guises. Nada comes across a box of sunglasses and once he wears them, he is able to see the subliminal messages hidden beneath advertising, on the television and to see the true ghoulish face of some people who it turns out, are alien…

As the United Nations has noted, the climate crisis is not “gender neutral.” Women, girls, and children are 14 times more likely to die during extreme weather disasters than men, facing higher rates of displacement and structural inequalities that limit their access to information, mobility, and resources. “An estimated 4 out of 5 people displaced by the impacts of climate change are women and girls. Acute disasters can also disrupt essential services, including sexual and reproductive health care, compounding the negative impacts for women and girls,” stated the United Nations. How the Climate Crisis Is Affecting Women and Girls Extreme weather disasters push many women…

Image by Kyle Glenn. President Donald Trump hates to lose, but he is on a losing streak in the Middle East—not just in Iran, where his illegal, unprovoked war has been a strategic and diplomatic disaster, but also in Gaza, Lebanon, and the US Congress. Israel’s military is out of control in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump surely doesn’t mind that happening in Gaza, except that his prized Board of Peace is powerless to remake the strip into a showcase of peace and prosperity. In Lebanon, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu don’t see eye to eye on strategy, obstructing…

If I’d gone to see Morgan Bassichis’s show “Can I Be Frank?” when I meant to, when it premiered at La Mama in 2024, or even at the SoHo Playhouse last summer, when it won two Obie Awards, or even if I’d gone earlier this run – its third – back at the SoHo Playhouse, starting May 21, I would have felt far less loss this year. Morgan’s work brings back friends — ancestors, allies, friends, lost comrades — and re-populates the air with them. Elizabeth and I walked home through downtown streets thick with their beloved spirits. Can I…

California regulators have proposed replacement tire regulations that would dramatically change the aftermarket tire industry by requiring many replacement tires to meet strict fuel-efficiency standards similar to those of original factory tires. Critics argue that these rules could cut the lifespan of many tires by more than half, from around 60,000 miles to about 27,000 miles, forcing drivers to replace them much more often and increasing both costs and waste. The proposal could also effectively ban or limit the sale of certain tires designed for specialized uses, such as high-performance driving or off-roading, because they prioritize grip and durability over…