Winding Down, Winding Up

It's the final days of 2025 and many people are closing the shutters and getting cozy for a desperately needed hibernation. It's hard to believe it was just 12 months ago that the richest man in the world was throwing Sieg Heils at the inauguration of a child rapist coup leader. And then, every vile thing promised during the 2024 campaign was put into practice.

But not without Resistance. And that must continue in 2026. As so many say, no one is coming to save us but ourselves. So, rest up. The battle begins anew every day.

I Should Read... Dec 19

The New Yorker 2025 Was David Lynch The filmmaker, who died in January, showed us what our world was becoming, and how we should respond.

Baseball Prospectus Oil and Leather: A History of Venezuelan Baseball and American Imperialism (Part 1) "Baseball has a rich history in Venezuela, and Organized Baseball (MLB and its affiliated minor leagues) has a similarly long history of involvement in the country."

Creative Boom Gomi Launches 'Forever' Phone Cases to Protest the £25bn Throwaway Accessories Industry Designed and made in Brighton, the fully circular cases are built to be repaired and upgraded for life. (I'm skeptical of "lifetime" products, but this seems cool if they can overcome the repeated shipping costs to return worn out cases.)

The New York Times The Pamphlet That Has Roused Americans to Action for 250 Years Thomas Paine published “Common Sense” in 1776 as an argument for independence. Americans across the political spectrum have been citing it ever since.

Mother Jones “I’ve Never Seen So Many Police Cars” I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis.

Phys.org From Cages to Fields: Lab Mice Lose Their Anxiety After a Week Outdoors When postdoctoral researcher Matthew Zipple releases lab mice into a large, enclosed field just off Cornell's campus, something remarkable happens.

Hyperallergic The Spellbinding, Bookish World of Art Nouveau Posters Deceptively niche as it may seem, the literary poster occupies a special place at the intersection of American art history and literature.

This is Colossal LEGO Bricks Transform into Letterforms in the International Design Project ‘A2Z’

The American Prospect The Hit Hollywood Didn’t Want Ryan Coogler’s bloodsucker blockbuster is all about Black creative freedom. No wonder the industry saw it as a threat.

Liberal Currents The Devil's Bargain Nazism and the moral collapse of German Christendom.

EYE Magazine Resistance Is Essential Telegraf’s second issue embodies Ukraine’s creativity and courage in the face of the Russian invasion. (from 2023)

Until next time, luminous beings.