My book The Year of Our Lord 1943 has gotten a largely positive response, but thereβs been one odd element to its reception that can be seen here: Some people complain that a book thatβs quite explicitly about what five Christian intellectuals wrote during World War II is marred by its failure to cite works published in 1930 or 1955. Β―\_(γ)_/Β―Β
To put the point very mildly indeed, I am not a fan of Gov. Greg Abbott, but this letter is encouraging. It’s clear that the big AI companies think that minimally regulatory states like Texas, and all of rural America, are easy targets for predation and extraction. If their business model requires them to exploit us rather than deal fairly with us, then the sooner they fail the better.
Of course, what seems true before a World Cup has a way of getting blown to dust by about the second day of matches. But the 2026 tournament, cohosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada β though donβt mention the cohosting part to Donald Trump β kicks off this week in Mexico City, and in all the years Iβve been covering the event, Iβve never seen a World Cup generate this little advance excitement or this much advance disgust. Iβve also never seen a World Cup whose muted buzz could be so clearly attributed to fansβ exhaustion with the cartoon villainy of the people in charge.Β
I keep waiting to see if my indifference-bordering-on-disdain will shift into something more positive, but so far, no. This may be the first World Cup in decades that I don βt watch β¦ or I may end up watching every match I can. The switch could still flip. β½οΈΒ
There are only two conspiracy theories I truly, madly, deeply believe in: that LBJ had JFK killed, and that Gram Parsons wrote “Wild Horses.”
Good haul from Vintage Mio today.
Finished reading: Don’t Call It Art 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again by Austin Kleon. Just a terrific book, I think Austin’s best β and exactly what I need right now as I contemplate a big change in my life a year down the road. This will be my guidebook, or rather my anti-guidebook, since if there’s one lesson everyone should learn from this book it’s how sad it is to know where you’re going. π
Jeong Seon (1676-1759), Clearing after rain on Mount Inwang. Ink on paper, Joseon dynasty, 1751.Β