Marc E. Vargo Books

The man who had his doctor report that he’s 6’3”, 238 lbs fired the person in charge of reporting labor statistics.

Colin Burrow · Let custards quake: Satire without the Jokes To think of a satirist as a person who angrily turns against a gale-force wind and sprays liquefied shit at a group of...

‘Satire can be a powerful agent of those wider, slower forms of political and social change, though when measured against the immediate political intentions of its authors it can seem as though it has achieved nothing at all.’

Colin Burrow: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Trump’s Comments Undermine AI Action Plan, Threaten Copyright The White House's new artificial intelligence strategy document advocated rapid implementation of AI, while failing to address the issue of copyright beyond saying the government should effectively ad...

TRUMP - "You can’t be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book, or anything else that you’ve read or studied, you’re supposed to pay for. You just can’t do it, because it’s not doable. If you're going to try and do that, you're not going to have a successful program."

I really enjoyed this satirical novel. 👍

Recently, my book THEY CALLED US ENEMY was banned – again – in Tennessee. Book bans are out of control. Huge parts of American history are being restricted. To join me in standing up for the freedom to read, go to pen.org/action. @penamerica.bsky.social @topshelfcomix.bsky.social @idwpublishing.com

Writing Advice and Literary Wisdom from the Great E.B. White E.B. White, beloved children’s author (Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan), innovative and revered essayist, and co-editor of the indispensable The Elements of Style, celebrate…

Take some writing advice from E.B. White (in honor of his birthday).

We want ICE out of our Hospitals.

Andy Beckett · An Efficient Man: A Nazi in Chile Now that the war is so long ago, the subject of Nazi exiles in South America can seem a stale, even dubious...

‘Three decades after organising atrocities for one regime, Rauff was, with apparent impunity, doing it for another, and all while keeping up his day job as the manager of the Punta Arenas crab cannery.’

Andy Beckett on an SS colonel turned Pinochet-era torturer: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

US court strikes down ‘click-to-cancel’ rule designed to make unsubscribing easier Rule would have kept businesses from forcing customers through lengthy chats or other barriers to cancellation

A federal appeals court has struck down the "click-to-cancel" rule designed to make canceling subscriptions easier, just days before it was scheduled to take effect

It's Not Antisemitic to Say That Israel Is Responsible for the Unfolding Genocide in Gaza The contention that the US is in the driver’s seat with Israel the “cop on the beat” is an old and musty one from the 1990s that has not aged well.

The contention that the US is in the driver’s seat with Israel the “cop on the beat” is an old and musty one from the 1990s that has not aged well.

100 Bestselling Books of 2025 (So Far) The first half of this year's hottest reads span many genres.

Thrilling to see BAD COMPANY hit #36 on @bookshop.org's list of the 100 Bestselling Books of 2025 (So Far), even if I am one spot below Michael Lewis!

'Academic freedom is under assault': Indiana educators fear degree cuts will redefine higher ed Six public universities will cut or consolidate about 400 degree programs, or nearly 20% of the state's offerings.

"When lawmakers tie a university's ability to offer programs to minimum enrollment numbers, they're not just making budget decisions. They're narrowing the scope of inquiry. It may not look like censorship, but it chills academic freedom," said Amy Reid, PEN America. www.indystar.com/story/news/e...

MIT Study: Cognitive Impact of Using ChatGPT for Writing - Profolus Researchers at the MIT Media Lab wanted to find out if using ChatGPT changes how people think and learn when writing.

Brain scans of study participants who were asked to write essays with the help of ChatGPT showed weak neural activity.

As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas

The question is how much the DOGE/TRUMP/MUSK budget cuts contributed to the disaster.

"The NWS's San Angelo office, which is responsible for the areas hit hardest by the flooding, was missing a senior hydrologist, staff forecaster and meteorologist in charge."

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/u...

Who’s the Real Bully of the Middle East? Iranian American author Hooman Majd on the Israel–Iran ceasefire, Trump’s role in escalating the conflict, and whether diplomacy can survive.

“ You don’t have to be anti-war to understand that diplomacy in this case would’ve been better.”

The official White House rapid response account is just blatant lying. No taxes on Social Security is not in the bill.

Tareq Baconi · Short Cuts: Gaza under Siege Humanitarian aid has long served as cover for Israeli crimes. Under the Geneva Conventions, an occupying force is...

‘“What can be done?” the European diplomat might ask me today.

For a start, call a spade a spade. This is an apartheid regime carrying out a genocide on a captive population. End military assistance. Suspend arms exports to Israel.’

Tareq Baconi on Gaza:

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

On the Dehumanizing Impact of Deportation and Our Obligations to Each Other Worldlessness, wrote Hannah Arendt, is a “condition of one who shares no things, institutions, or systems of meaning with others.” It is the pained loss of a shared, common world, of mutual care an…

Laurie Sheck on resignation syndrome and the dehumanizing impact of deportation on children.

Supreme Court decision on opt outs for LGBTQ books in classrooms will likely accelerate censorship Mahmoud v. Taylor ruling sets dangerous precedent

SCOTUS has set a dangerous precedent in Mahmoud v. Taylor, writes Elly Brinkley, staff attorney with PEN America. It's "the latest case in recent years to use religious freedom arguments to justify decisions that infringe on other fundamental rights." www.washingtonblade.com/2025/06/30/s...

It was just performative anger to divert from Trump's reckless claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were obliterated. Hegseth's fake reaction was predicted 24 hrs. in advance.

US Judge sides with AI firm Anthropic over copyright issue - BBC News A US court has ruled Anthropic was not breaching copyright rules when it trained its AI model on books.

Questionable ruling.

"A US judge has ruled that using books to train artificial intelligence (AI) software is not a violation of US copyright law.

"In his ruling, Judge William Alsup said Anthropic's use of the authors' books was 'exceedingly transformative' and therefore allowed under US law."

They’re planning on building a detention center for migrants in the middle of the fetid swamps of Florida.

If you think this is something new, the first internment camp they sent me and my family to in 1942 was a barbed wire prison called Rohwer. It was located in the swamps of Arkansas.

Warts and All: In Praise of the Unauthorized Biography When first you hear the words “unauthorized biography,” the knee-jerk reaction is of something unsavory, Grima Wormtongue at the shoulder of the corrupted Theodin, King of the Rohirrim in The Lord …

Why Brendan O’Meara’s favorite kind of biography is unauthorized.

Books as Travel Companions: On Literary Escapism - Magazine Explore how books offer comfort, insight, and emotional refuge while traveling and how the Portuguese idea of 'saudade' deepens the literary journey.

magazine.1000libraries.com/books-as-tra...

"Contributing to the Hot Take Economy can boost or even build a media career, but it has a cost. The psychological cost is obvious. But the creative one is, too. Social media isn’t writing. It’s posting."

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