“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess...”

YouTube video by LeonBridgesVEVO Leon Bridges - Forgive You (Official Audio)

Some Friday night music: Forgive You, by Leon Bridges. youtu.be/PoNsVhMM_oE?...

Artist Kara Walker Transforms Toppled Confederate Monument Into Haunting Sculpture “There’s a healing aspect to doing this show.”

"As Walker noted during a preview for Monuments, creating the sculpture offered a space to meditate upon such Confederate statues and the power, values, and myths they have carried throughout history—and, in return, a moment to redefine all of that." mymodernmet.com/kara-walker-...

ICE Wants to Build a Shadow Deportation Network in Texas A new ICE proposal outlines a 24/7 transport operation run by armed contractors—turning Texas into the logistical backbone of an industrialized deportation machine.

"For ICE, it will create a closed loop: Local authorities apprehend immigrants. Private contractors deliver them to either a local jail (paid to house detainees) or a detention site run by a private corporation." www.wired.com/story/ice-is...

YouTube video by The xx The xx - Crystalised (Official Video)

Some Thursday night music: Crystalized, by The xx. youtu.be/Pib8eYDSFEI?...

Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound Research has linked the ability to visualize to a bewildering variety of human traits—how we experience trauma, hold grudges, and, above all, remember our lives.

"Finding this Galton study came as a relief to Nick. Now at least he knew that there had been other people lacking mental imagery who’d lived normal lives, so it wasn’t a disease, or a symptom of a brain tumor." www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

YouTube video by Muse - Topic Showbiz

Some Wednesday night music: Showbiz, by Muse. youtu.be/HLa9eO3oNsw?...

"In May — at least three months after the second infant death — the health department issued what appears to be its first and so far only official alert to physicians. It put out its first press release, and it then held a press conference about pertussis on May 14."

Louisiana officials waited months to warn public of whooping cough outbreak After a whooping cough outbreak killed two infants, Louisiana health officials waited months to officially alert physicians or do public outreach. That's not the typical public health response.

"Amid outbreak, [Louisiana's] state surgeon general stopped state promotion of all vaccines." www.npr.org/sections/sho...

On his kids living in his shadow.

Clooney on our political moment: "It is heartbreaking to see. And Democrats are gonna have to get their act together."

What’s Eating George Clooney? He’s having a career for the ages. He has two adorable kids, a brilliant and beautiful wife, plenty of money, and still has his hair. There’s just one problem.

"You know, we live on a farm in France ... France—they kind of don’t give a shit about fame." www.esquire.com/entertainmen...

"History will tell you that negotiating with racism or fascism or authoritarianism never ends well."

Opinion | A Nazi Tattoo Exposes Democrats’ Greatest Weakness

"I ... care about the political trade-offs we will ask people to make in the name of pragmatism. If the Democratic future requires us to exchange our discomfort with casual Nazism to advance a political agenda, I am not interested." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...

YouTube video by Brandi Carlile Brandi Carlile - Whatever You Do (Official Audio)

Some more Tuesday night music: Whatever You Do, by Brandi Carlile. youtu.be/0Gz1Nqq7_X0?...

YouTube video by Radiohead - Topic How I Made My Millions (Remastered)

Some Tuesday night music: How I Made My Millions, by Radiohead. youtu.be/m-Oe--fDF1Y?...

"I need help."

Anthony Hopkins on Quitting Drinking and Finding God

This is one of the best interviews I've read in a while.

"Even at this late stage, Hopkins remains beautifully mystified by the sheer luck and improbability of the dream he calls life." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/m...

"Shake Shack isn't trying to create a simplified, efficient system of justice — they're creating a two-tiered system of justice. They get to go to court if you hurt them ..." pluralistic.net/2025/10/27/s...

YouTube video by Clover County Clover County - Under These Conditions (Acoustic)

Some Monday night music: Under These Conditions, by Clover County. youtu.be/WfxGaUMVOGY?...

Interior of the bookstore, a winding path through ceiling-high bookcases.

"The design attempts to blur the physical boundaries of the building, reminding people that the boundaries of knowledge and cognition are fuzzy, but the spiritual core is clear and firm."

Exterior of the front of the bookstore.

"The building's setting, in an area known for its early 20th-century interpretations of classical Italian architecture, informed the decision to use red brick as the primary material for the renovation."

Steel slats form sculptural shelves at Tianjin Zhongshuge bookstore by X+Living X+Living has renovated a large bookstore in China, using layered brickwork and slatted steel to form wave-like shelves, steps and seating.

I want to go to there.

"The store was intended to function as an open and inclusive public realm, with its fluid layout designed to invite exploration while celebrating Tianjin's maritime history and the global exchange of ideas." www.dezeen.com/2025/10/26/s...