My reads for September

What a shitshow. Here is what's currently on the homepage of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. I took this screenshot just now, with my own phone. This type of partisanship shouldn't be on a #government website. And how can the "left" be responsible for the shutdown when #Republicans control the White House, #Congress, and the Supreme Court? Apparently, anyone who stands in the way of #Trump 's excesses is the badguy here. Pffffft. #politics

Thrilled to hear a new-for-me song with my name in it! Thank you #EricHutchinson! https://share.google/lb5jzY7gFwgav0355

Having a great time at #OceansCalling, a 3-day #music festival in Ocean City, MD. My favorite acts today were #TheBlackCrowes, #Live, and #IzzyEscobar.

A valuable report showing that #immigration has been helpful to #Philadelphia and southeastern #Pennsylvania. https://whyy.org/articles/immigration-report-2025-greater-philadelphia/

Was today years old when I first listened to 69 Love Songs by #TheMagneticFields. What an #indie masterpiece! Very reminiscent of #1990s coffeehouses, cult films, and road trips. The lyrics are sparse, and at turns somber, quirky, and playful, but all are emotionally true, exploring love in all its transcendent and mundane facets. The quiet way Stephen Merritt sings and strums "The Book of Love" (my favorite track) sounds sacred. So glad I stumbled over this #album! #music

I don't always agree with #Cato Institute's take on #politics. But at least they have the intellectual and moral courage to say what other right-leaning organizations and leaders don't. And they brought receipts. Turns out, the majority of political murders are committed by right-wingers. Excluding 9/11, but including all others from 1975 to the present, 63% were committed by the #right, and 10% by the #left. https://www.cato.org/blog/politically-motivated-violence-rare-united-states

The #CharlieKirk perpetrator was raised by gun-toting Republicans ... but he was also dating a trans person ... which makes him ... what? Rather than fitting attackers into R or D, maybe we should see all of them as politically confused, and people of all parties as capable of violence. Maybe we should also see all of them as "ours," insofar as American institutions are failing people both #left and #right. It's time for all of us to ask ourselves what we're doing to fix this shit. #politics

Happy to report that Pedro #Martin, author of the award-winning #childrens #graphicnovel #Mexikid, will be lecturing at Penn State Harrisburg in April 2026! Many thanks to #Barnes&Noble College for providing the funds that will support his travel to campus! :)

Mixed feelings when I read news like this. I can't help but feel like students are being groomed (perhaps even forced) to use #AI, a tool that is detrimental to our society and #environment, mainly for the benefit of #tech companies that want to make more money, and educational/political leaders who want to put their names on "initiatives" to divert attention from the fact that they can't accomplish bread-and-butter things. https://www.passhe.edu/news/releases/2025-09-08_PASSHE-and-google-expand-partnership-with-new-AI-training.html