Jihadism:
[J1] Four dead, three injured in Chattanooga.
[J2] ThinkProgress has a good story on an Imam talking kids out of joining ISIS.
[J3] So happens when a Jihadi returns home?
[J4] This is disconcerting: a website is creating a blacklist of Pro-Palestinian activists.
Anglosphere:
[A1] David Cameron is doing a good job of making me think maybe I’d be a Liberal Democrat.
[A2] The thing is, if Australian officials can’t actually be expected to look at every game that’s released, the best solution is not “well, then, games just won’t be released.”
[A3] From Brother Judd: All Anglospheric Politics Is Identical.
[A4] Written before the shooting (but published after), Robert Greene II’s piece about black lives mattering in South Carolina takes on an added significance.
[A5] The HUD SCOTUS ruling was a policy victory for the left, but could create problems politically.
[A6] Canada appears to be (formally) opening the door to ecigarettes.
[A7] Scott Gilmore says that Canada is too self-satisfied with the status of its racial progress. I can’t speak to that, though it seems the comparison with the US (and the racial concerns of African-Americans therein) is rather unfair. Aboriginies/Indians/etc – especially with regard to reservations – are a uniquely difficult issue in the US and Canada.
Labor:
[L1] From Oscar Gordon: I’m sure someone will find a way to put this in a negative light or just claim they aren’t doing nearly enough.
[L2] This corresponds with my experience: Employees of small and locally owned businesses tend to display more loyalty.
[L3] A medical resident in Mexico was caught sleeping on the job and attempts were made to shame her. Residents from across the western hemisphere responded with pictures of them also sleeping on the job.
[L4] Should unemployment insurance duration terms change with age?
University:
[U1] From Oscar Gordon: I support the idea of public universities, but they need to be more insulated from the whims of political wiles. My Alma Mater had it’s issues, but Walker is taking a sledgehammer to drive a finishing nail.
[U2] Americans may be able to take advantage of low tuition rates in Germany. It’s an intriguing proposition.
[U3] Average SAT scores and graduation rates track very, very closely (in California).
[U4] Mormons pay their debts. Their student debts if they went to BYU, at any rate. Other praiseworthy schools: Vassar, Harvey Mudd, and Notre Dame.
Science:
[S1] From Oscar Gordon: The debate has been won, but the winners are so busy trying to wipe out all dissent that they are building distrust.
[S2] From Oscar Gordon: The big one. Why I focus on disaster prep (and also want to be able to own guns).
[S3] From Oscar Gordon: Theory predicts, experiments confirm. Science bitches (it works)!
[S4] A battle of stars versus lawns: astronomers and the maker of robotic lawnmowers are going at it.
Progress:
[P1] From Oscar Gordon: Nuclear rocket engines!
[P2] From Oscar Gordon: Plastic Roads. I am intrigued. Pros: Light, easy to install, as recyclable as asphalt, more efficient production. Cons: Traction? Strength? Durability? Cost? Feedstock source?
[P3] The Atlantic looks at what it would take to double a cell phone’s battery life. Getting to 24 hours with intense use is something that absolutely happens. If you want to take away my removable batter, you absolutely need to do that first. If Samsung hasn’t by the time I need a phone, I may have to get LG (assuming they don’t flip).
[P4] Michael Brendan Dougherty says we will not all be having sex with robots in the future. I tend to think he’s right about it not replacing traditional relationships (for anybody), but it might make other sorts of sexual gratification more enjoyable.
Culture:
[C1] Churches are often told they need to liberalize in order to avoid irrelevance, but Alexander Griswold argues that liberalization leads to irrelevance. Along similar lines, Mollie Hemingway is sadly correct when she criticizes the New York Times for calling United Church of Christ (and the Episcopal Church) “major denominations.”
[C2] Here is a thought: If someone goes so far as to change their name to avoid undue public attention, how about we do not actually publicize their new name?
[C3] Damon Linker argues that Choice Paradox is making us romantically miserable, a position with which Jason Kuznicki disagrees.
[C4] From Oscar Gordon: BLM wants more money & lavish accomodations in order to approve the permit for Burning Man
[C5] John McWhorter argues that black people need to stop caring so much what white people think, while John Metta says that white people need to be confronted.
{Feature image adapted from the original WisPolitics.com photograph}