🌟 What I'm Reading: 6-9-2024 🌟

A Weekly Roundup Highlight Reel of What I Have Been Reading

Jun 09, 2024

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I post a weekly roundup of some of the highlights of what I’ve been reading… including many thoughtful, valuable, and intriguing perspectives that I could not otherwise post.

I hope that you find this list to be useful, inspiring, interesting, and informative!

Sending my love,
Demi 🌟

What I'm Reading: 6-9-2024

Apollo's Lyre

A House Divided

“The time has come,” the Wire said, “To talk of many things: Of Jews — and news — and genocide — Of kibbutzim — and kings — And why the sea is boiling hot — And whether Christ is king.” Back on March 22, the aptly named Jeremy Boreing [sic…

3 months ago · 31 likes · 30 comments · Apollo's Lyre

Apollo's Lyre

Enlightened Gatekeeping and Elon Musk (Episode IV: A New Hope)

One million Internet Years ago—on April 14, 2022—the Dogefather Elon Musk offered to purchase American social media company Twitter, Inc. for $43 billion. As you may have heard, it hasn’t exactly gone smoothly. Various hijinks ensued, leaving Musk and Twitter gearing up for a legal showdown in October, which promises to serve as the Grand Guignol to this…

2 years ago · 4 likes · 8 comments · Apollo's Lyre

Apollo's Lyre

Enlightened Gatekeeping and Elon Musk (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)

Last episode, we ended on a cliffhanger with the Twitter bird tied to the railroad tracks, a runaway locomotive bearing down on it as The Elon Ranger raced to its rescue! What fate awaited them? Would he secure the deal and save the bound bird in time…

a year ago · 5 likes · 5 comments · Apollo's Lyre

Bros Krynn’s Newsletter

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: A Hated Icon of Fatherly Kindness

One of the great mysteries of to-day is how kindly, genial Gene Wilder’s interpretation of Willy Wonka became known as a ‘villain’ and as an ‘icon of evil’. It is honestly one of the most impressive accomplishments by those seeking to subvert the Anglosphere (and much of the rest of the world) succeeded in turning this funny and charming figure into one…

3 months ago · 36 likes · 29 comments · The Brothers Krynn

The Charlotte Pendragon Diaries by Charlotte Pendragon

Be a Dreamer: Follow Your Dreams, and You’ll Never Work a Day In Your Life

Thanks for reading The Charlotte Pendragon Diaries by Charlotte Pendragon ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This week, I was thinking about Dad and how it's been years since I said goodbye to him. I was reminded of one of the first articles I published on Substack called…

3 months ago · 75 likes · 55 comments · Charlotte Pendragon

Chas Holloway's Thinkopolis

Hieronymous Bosch

Click to Play Video Hieronymous Bosch by Chas Holloway A visionary from the 1400’s…

3 months ago · 9 likes · Chas Holloway

Compass Star Wordsmith

Be Vulnerable

I am easily trapped in states of compulsive consumptive obsession. I happen upon a new thing, like a song or a food, and I go off the deep end. It’s ok, though, it seems to match my short attention s…

3 years ago · 6 likes · ric leczel

Conspi-Rat

Chewsday Memes, Jun 4

Good time of day, humans! This is a small rat’s nest of memes I’ve snatched lately (mostly from Xitterverse) – some serious, some not so much. Enjoy…

3 months ago · 77 likes · 3 comments · Rat

A Convict's Perspective

His Name Was Bones

Warning: this story contains depictions of graphic violence. When the average person thinks about prison riots you probably imagine the inmate population rising up against the guards and taking over the prison. While I'm sure that fits a more traditional definition that does not represent the majority of them. With many riots, the inmate population is g…

3 months ago · 120 likes · 29 comments · Coleman

Cosmographia

The Catalan Atlas

Welcome to Cosmographia. What follows is part of our Manūscriptum series, where we take a look at some of history’s most beautiful documents. For the full map of Cosmographia posts, see here…

3 months ago · 121 likes · 14 comments · M. E. Rothwell

Cultural Crossroads

Beirut, Lebanon 2010 - Part 1

I arrived in Beirut via Paris, barely making my connecting flight by the skin of my teeth. Charles de Gaulle Airport seemed like the final resting place of an outdated hipster dream, struggling to remain functional as I dashed toward my gate. As I hurried, my thoughts drifted back to the last time I saw Joseph face-to-face, over a month ago, when he had…

3 months ago · 5 likes · 2 comments · April Larson Assi

Cultural Crossroads

Beirut, Lebanon 2010 - Part 2

Previously: I arrived in Beirut after a chaotic journey and intense airport scrutiny. Joseph met me with two friends, and we navigated the vibrant city. As we talked, I shared my plans to start a Questioneer hub. His friends were shocked to learn I was staying with his family in a Palestinian camp, revealing they had never been there despite knowing Jos…

3 months ago · 5 likes · 1 comment · April Larson Assi

Dad Explains

Brave Face

A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. Ralph Waldo EmersonDad Explains is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Brave Face Have you ever thought about what it means to put on a brave face…

3 months ago · 48 likes · 7 comments · Andrew | Dad Explains

Dad Explains

Daddy's Here, Daddy's Gotcha

If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs, and blaming you. The world will be yours and everything in it, what's more, you'll be a man, my son. Rudyard KiplingDad Explains is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber…

3 months ago · 37 likes · 15 comments · Andrew | Dad Explains

Dad Explains

Let’s have some fun! I’m on the bandwagon and presenting an eclectic mix of memes. None of which I created. All of which I may have giggled at or thought useful. Dad themed only because I am a Dad. Enjoy. IF YOU LIKE ANY OF THESE, RESTACK (And steal them, of course. Like I said, these aren’t mine so… do the meme thing…

3 months ago · 58 likes · 9 comments · Andrew | Dad Explains

Dad Explains

Look Closer

Modern men do not see God because they do not look low enough Carl JungDad Explains is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Look Closer In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's easy to overlook the beauty that surrounds us. We rush from one task to another, our eyes f…

3 months ago · 28 likes · 5 comments · Andrew | Dad Explains

Dad Explains

Stop Hurting, Love You

Love is all, it gives all, and it takes all. Soren KierkegaardDad Explains is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Stop Hurting, Love You Prepare for some circular logic. It isn’t truly circular, it just has the appearance of BEING circular. So bear with me, as always, and I …

3 months ago · 41 likes · 16 comments · Andrew | Dad Explains

Dispatches from Bohemian Splendor

Vir Heroicus Sublimis

By now, a good many of you have commented on the meme shared by Michael Woudenberg, involving A.I., in contrast with a particular painting, Vir Heroicus Sublimis. I assume many more have seen this thread, even without commenting. For clarity, the meme is below…

3 months ago · 27 likes · 52 comments · Judson Stacy Vereen

DoG’s Substack

Truth Bomb Central: Memes that Expose the Deception (Part 12)

3 months ago · 92 likes · 7 comments · DoG

ecstasy initiative

Am I Smart or Am I A Silly, Silly Slut?

i want him inside i want openness, heat i want melting oblivion oh, i want weed i want madness and mind melting wild raw beast i want FUCK ME i scream i want money yes please i want riches and riches and come to me please i am reverence and dripping and oh won’t you just fuck me up against the wall? crazy, enticing entrancing with ecstasy blow me to pieces you’re ravishing me i want honey on my pussy i want you to drink i want rapture blaspheming fuck you and fuck me and fuck everything i’m clean and damn dirty your queen your whore i’m losing my worry come feel me i’m free my belly is growling for something your entry — it pains me to feel all this nothing i love you i love you it used to be fantasy reaching for something i didn’t believe but it’s true you don’t leave even when i do even through everything even when i forget to write poetry caught in my web of wicked beauty you stay with me…

3 months ago · 22 likes · 19 comments · Faye Boam

Epic Gonzo

Of Pisco and Peru: Iquitos Pt. 8

Uh oh, this is the big one.”What do you mean?” “Your excuse. What’s your excuse for a life, today?”Epic Gonzo is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. “Excuse? I don’t make ex …

3 months ago · 23 likes · 5 comments · EpicGonzo

Frater Seamus

Another Violent Dream

I am standing in a large coliseum. There are tattered banners blowing in the wind; crimson banners, the colour of the blood that is currently pumping through my heart at a life threatening rate. The bull, full of ancient wisdom and animal grace, snorts out a thick cloud of black smoke that smells of burning embers as he races down upon me like an avala…

3 months ago · 8 likes · 10 comments · Frater Seamus

The Freedom Scale

Poles Culturally Appropriate Metallica Song

It’s #FreedomMusicFriday and I have a great song and beautiful video for you! But first… I have gotten a lot of new subscribers lately (thanks, y’all!), and so I would like to revisit a topic we have discussed here and there over the past year. I do not like the idea of you new folks being here and not knowing…

3 months ago · 87 likes · 78 comments · Christopher Cook

The Freedom Scale

Political Spectrums Based on Myopia and Political Narcissism

3 months ago · 28 likes · 14 comments · Christopher Cook

The Freedom Scale

Why Do You Persist in the Belief That Government Can Save You from Government?

It’s #MemeMonday. (Discussion below.) They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so the meme should get the point across: expecting government to save you from government is like calling one fox to ask him to get the other foxes to lay off the henhouse…

3 months ago · 130 likes · 153 comments · Christopher Cook

The Freedom Scale

Why Should We Have to Live with Bad People?

As I promised in my first Substack post, there will be times when I present fully formed concepts and other times when I will work out ideas on the fly, with you. This will be one of the latter. Some will find the end of this post controversial or triggering. But I would like you to give it a chance…

3 months ago · 67 likes · 106 comments · Christopher Cook

Good Tuna by Jeremy

Dimitto Tibi

It’s hard to let you go, but it’s time. “Freedom can be diminished by overly strong attachments, by a dependence on someone whom we love too much (and in the wrong way), who becomes so indispensable to us that we partly lose our autonomy. But a refusal to forgive also binds us to the person we resent, and diminishes or destroys our freedom. We are as dep…

3 months ago · 28 likes · 24 comments · Jeremy Johnson

Hal Johnson Books

A garland of quotations XXIII

Literature, instead of being an accessory, is the fundamental sine qua non of complete living. I am extremely anxious to avoid rhetorical exaggerations. •Arnold Bennett, Literary Taste: How to Form It (1914). His attempts were like the pawings of an imp, sent from hell to seize and torment some guilty wretch, such as are exhibited in some dramatic perform…

a year ago · 5 likes · Hal Johnson

I Am Here For It, Whatever It Is

Grocery Store Stories And Dream Journaling.

A Dream Of Another Life:Thanks for reading I Am Here For It, Whatever It Is! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. A few weeks ago, I had a dream that I was getting married. A lot of people were getting married, one after the other, in the same venue. They were announcing the order of things…

3 months ago · 18 likes · 20 comments · What IS a name, really?

Intellectual Dissatisfaction

Friday Funnies

These memes are intended to make light of an increasingly tense political atmosphere. This publication receives submissions from the community, and the memes held within do not reflect the opinions of the publication…

3 months ago · 43 likes · Jeremy Mercier

Joyce’s Place

Twilight’s mauve

I’m not awake yet not asleep, I feel I’m still In Morpheus’ keep. This twilight’s mauve in no man’s time, does not exist in cloudless clime, but comes and flows at its own will, when day appears it lingers still. I am released, the twilight’s left and I feel of a dream bereft that wanders now in twilight’s sleep. Be mine again in Morpheus’ keep. …

3 months ago · 65 likes · 41 comments · Joyce

Kaya's Self Liberation Portal

Existential Kink - Unconditional Confidence - The Holy Fool Archetype

If there is one thing I’ve learned over the last five years, it’s that people worship false confidence. Most people don’t know the difference between false confidence and true unconditional confidence at all. They can’t see through peoples’ masks to what lies underneath. Hell, most people aren’t even aware of what’s underneath their own mask…

3 months ago · 4 likes · Kaya Marie

L5 News

Freedom from cruelty

Battling evil, cruelty, and injustice allows us to retain our identity, a sense of meaning, and ultimately our freedom. ~ Chris Hedges Recently our friend of virtual acquaintance, Margaret Anna Alice has come up with another excellent portmanteau word combining “cruel” and “elite” to form…

3 months ago · 18 likes · 4 comments · Jim Davidson

Lighthouse

Interview with Coleman

Interview with Coleman Hey friends and readers, Today I present an interview with one of our favorite Substackers, Coleman. Without much further commentary from me, let’s get right into it: So glad to be doing this with you. You are one of the most interesting and fascinating bloggers out there and it’s always impressive to observe your resilience and growth…

3 months ago · 167 likes · 70 comments · Alexander Semenyuk and Coleman

The Living Dark

The Muse's Paradox

Dear Living Dark reader, Having a system in place—and more importantly, an abiding, disciplined intention—to capture fleeting ideas whenever they arrive can be immensely powerful and helpful, and even necessary. HOWEVER, you can also trust that if an idea is meant to be realized, it will come back persistently over time…

3 months ago · 18 likes · 2 comments · Matt Cardin

Mack's Memo • Intuitive Public Radio

Live 2

This, believe it or not, is a live broadcast. We’ve had a lot of those… in many different formats, on many different platforms… since June of last year and long before. But in these moments, it feels especially relevant to revisit the topic. For us, here… what…

3 months ago · 2 likes · IPR with Mack Morris

Margaret Anna Alice Through the Looking Glass

Against Defeatism: The Apocaloptimist Manifesto

“Never accept an inferior position to anyone. It is the strongest spirit that wins, not the most expensive sword.” —Miyamoto Musashi The Courage to Survive…

3 months ago · 162 likes · 81 comments · Margaret Anna Alice

Matthew’s Substack

"All Roads Lead to Rome": Possible Truth-Drops.

I had an interesting revelation, looking at the May 20 edition of The Starfire Codes's (yes, there is an apostrophe before the s; let's stop pretending that all words that end with s are plural possessives, even when they are singular) meme banks, "MEME DROP #103: Imagine Living Through The Past Three Years…

3 months ago · 3 likes · Matthew Haviland

Matthew’s Substack

El-P and Eckhart Tolle Condense into Consciousness.

"People don't know how, to what extent they have reduced their own reality, to this little entity that runs around the surface of the planet, for a few years, and then evaporates. " —Eckhart Tolle, "New Year, New Goals: Eckhart Tolle on Transforming Desire into Fulfillment…

3 months ago · 3 likes · Matthew Haviland

Memento Mori Alchemy

"Merge With The Northern Star"

Take the sun. Put it in your heart. Take the moon. Pull it to your belly. Draw down the Big Dipper. Merge with the Northern Star. A Taoist Passage on Merging: “We have gone from distant views of gods to a more inner-oriented one. In the past, our relationship was viewed vertically: People were in a subordinate position and the gods were supreme. With…

3 months ago · 26 likes · 7 comments · Tesstamona

Memento Mori Alchemy

Saying Yes to Life

Where does one start? On saying yes to life after years of isolation, grief, avoidance of connection, and being so entrenched in the inner-matrix / algorithm that you don’t realize you’re not living… until you do. The realization came some time ago, but it took a while to start doing something about it…

3 months ago · 40 likes · 30 comments · Tesstamona

Memento Mori Alchemy

When They Tell You To Hate Your Neighbor, They're Asking You For Your Slave Labor

I felt the need to share this audio clip of a spoken word piece I wrote and performed for the Outro on my unreleased song, Algorithm Ghetto. The song will likely be released as a single before the album comes out, but that time is not yet. However, the time is now for the spoken word piece…

3 months ago · 72 likes · 28 comments · Tesstamona

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Book a Personal Reading

Non-Essential Substack

The Red Hat

So, I’m reading The Catcher in the Rye for like the 60 millionth time and all, and I start thinking about Holden’s Red Hat! I mean, the red hat symbolizes Holden’s alienation from society and his deliberate isolation from people. Purchasing the hat is Holden’s way of trying to protect himself from society’s consequences and all. Holden seems to get a se…

3 months ago · 7 likes · 3 comments · Anthony Freda

On the Road of Bones

I'm Not a Fan of TikTok but I Have My Guilty Pleasures

I don't know if TikTok is sending dance moves to the communist government in China. I couldn't tell you if the Chinese will win the International Dance Competition because they studied all of the faux Juilliard moves that the users of TikTok implement in their thirty second spurts. I don't know if that is enough to be called cheating at a dance competition. I also don't know if the Chinese government will be recruiting a score of lip sync'ers into their Red Army, so when the day comes to go to war, there will be a battalion that will lip sync the battle march. All of these things I just don't know…

3 months ago · 10 likes · The Bone Writer

On the Road of Bones

When Writing... Strive to Be Like Uhtred

Writing and creative endeavors are a lot like going to battle in Wessex in 970 AD. I know what you are thinking, he's lost his mind, for real this time, but hear me out here…

3 months ago · 11 likes · 7 comments · The Bone Writer

Paul’s Substack

No Reservations

I wrote this 6 years ago after reading several social media posts critical of Anthony Bourdain’s death by suicide on June 8, 2018.Words can drive nails through flesh, opening wounds not even gods can heal, and there are some with demons neither fortune nor fame can budge, people with flaws too numerous to mention but never too numerous to judge…

3 months ago · 111 likes · 56 comments · Paul Wittenberger

Post Post Modern

My life as an audiobook narrator.

It’s kinda funny how long it’s taken me to do a post about my work as an audiobook narrator considering I’ve been sharing stories on a platform built for writers. But life is pretty hilarious so I guess I’m right on track. The time is now to share this particular chapter of my story…

3 months ago · 43 likes · 28 comments · Jacqueline Rendell

Reina’s Substack

2nd Wind

So the last thing I wrote about yesterday seemed kind of depressing, I know, but it wasn't meant to be. I was pointing out the flaws (tho that word really doesn't speak to the volume of just how disturbing it really is) in our so called system, as well as keeping U updated on how things were going for me (as I said I would). I know…

3 months ago · 50 likes · 30 comments · Blessed Warrior Reina

Reina’s Substack

Appreciation

I know I regularly say to each and every one of U who I converse with that, I Appreciate U. Those words tho, for me do Not begin to truly describe how I feel. There are several of U who I have expressed to, that when U send me a message, it's a digital message but yet I still manage to pick up on or …

3 months ago · 39 likes · 5 comments · Blessed Warrior Reina

Reina’s Substack

IRL~ In Real Life

On Memorial Day weekend, I finally got the chance to meet in person a friend who I had only previously connected with via Substack in January & then by phone in February. Technology can be a beautiful tool when it's used correctly. From day 1 there was a connection. During our conversations it became apparent that we had a lot of similar life experience…

3 months ago · 48 likes · 23 comments · Blessed Warrior Reina

Sage’s Newsletter

Breaking News! Emerging Dolphin Flu Poses Significant Threat and will Require Mandatory Dolphmectin and HCFlipper

Alright. You think you gonna take a week off and hemorrhage subscribers and some magnificent bullshit will not erupt?Sage’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber…

3 months ago · 120 likes · 86 comments · Sage Hana

the secular heretic

this is not weather - satellite proof of cymatics/chemtrails

My parents enjoyed wild weather. They picked up that trait from my dads parents who lived next door. Grandpa kept track of rainfall with a rain gauge mounted on a post next to a walk that went from their back door to our back door. When big storms hit, one of my parents favorite activities was to get in the car and go for a drive to see the local imp…

3 months ago · 62 likes · 135 comments · Kyle Young

The Shrewd Artist by Michael Newberry

Memoir: Chapter 10, Is a Modern Renaissance Possible?

136 Self-Portrait in My Rhodes Studio, 2001, graphite, 8x11”. In the fall of 2001, there was a joke going around Greece: "Fly United. We fly you to your office." I didn't like the joke, but I didn't take offense at it either. What happened in New York was kind of irrelevant to the Greeks, unless they had family living there…

3 months ago · 7 likes · 7 comments · Michael Newberry

Solarah Speaks

DAILY ALKHEMY: PROGRAMMING YOUR WATERS INTO PEACE

Thank you for being here today, and a very warm welcome to my newest readers and subscribers. I’m so happy to have you here. Here are some things you can do to further support my craft, growth, and my ability to create peacably: become a monthly or annual patron; share my work with other like-hearted souls; or consider getting me a coffee at the ko-fi li…

3 months ago · 29 likes · 8 comments · Solarah

Solarah Speaks

DAILY ALKHEMY "THROWBACK THURSDAY"

A conversation with Demi Pietchell from “The Starfire Codes” inspired this “Throwback Thursday” series. We were comparing the readings we had published around the same dates to find common threads, themes, and messages. We were pleasantly surprised to see that even over a year ago, our messages were in close alignment…

3 months ago · 13 likes · 5 comments · Solarah

Solarah Speaks

SUNRISE SALUTATION #26: Exploring New Terrain | Becoming Timeline Travelling Pros

Thank you for being here today, and a very warm welcome to my newest readers and subscribers. I’m so happy to have you here. I am blown away by the fact that my words mean something to you, and I hope I shine that little bit of light resonance in your day when you need it most. Thank you for helping me to live and bloom in my purpose - it means everythin…

3 months ago · 27 likes · 4 comments · Solarah

Solarah Speaks

SUNRISE SALUTATION #29: You Can Breath Again | All Is Well | Inner Peace & Peace On Earth Are Your Birthrights

3 months ago · 29 likes · 8 comments · Solarah

Solarah Speaks

SUNRISE SALUTATION #30: Entering Into Your Joy

3 months ago · 22 likes · Solarah

Solarah Speaks

WEEKEND ALKHEMY : Seeing Yourself Clearly

If our spirituality isn’t tempered with reason and seasoned with logic, we will get stuck in imbalanced ways of viewing ourselves and others. Nothing is ALL good or ALL bad. When we are not able to find the value in all things, instances, and situations, we are still playing spiritual games… instead of rising into the fullness of our alchemical power…

3 months ago · 31 likes · 12 comments · Solarah

The Stone Age

So, we finally get to the proverbial ‘big one,’ the question I get asked more than any other when it comes to the ‘Pages’: “Why do you use the word “Providence”… and why is it always in parentheses? Before we move forward, however, I need to make one thing crystal clear: I have no interest whatsoever in dictating to…

3 months ago · 14 likes · 10 comments · Stone Bryson

The Stone Age

Written In Stone [06/04/2024]

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another edition of Written In Stone. This is the newsletter for you, the paid Members, sent every week between Tuesday and Thursday. Each mailing includes site updates, personal musings, and random drops from my ongoing explorations with AI Image generation… plus much more…

3 months ago · 7 likes · 6 comments

The Stone Age

Yesterdays

This poem was written in 2007, during what I refer to as my ‘dark poet’ era; needless to say, this is not a ‘happy’ vibe. Which is very odd in retrospect, because in the moment when I wrote it? I recall genuinely being in a pretty good mood. Yeah, it was a strange time for me…

3 months ago · 43 likes · 15 comments · Stone Bryson

Thinking Man

Community Comments - Aesop's Fables

We had a good week this week, and we kicked it all off with a discussion of Aesop’s Fables, and I admitted the rather embarrassing fact that I thought Aesop was alive in the 1800s (they’re from Ancient Greece, by the way). Turns out, no one else was…

3 months ago · 23 likes · 9 comments · Melissa Petrie

Thinking Man

Quantum Mechanics and the NYC Subway

Disclaimer: I am not a scientist. In this post, I will be explaining concepts about quantum physics that I don’t really understand. Read at your own risk. On my way to work this morning, I noticed something strange. A phenomenon which thwarts all explanation. A law of the universe which defies mathematical sense and logical reasoning…

3 months ago · 44 likes · 36 comments · Melissa Petrie

Thinking Man

Why Do We Still Care About Aesop?

A few days, ago, I had the very rare experience of actually learning something from Twitter. Scrolling along, I stumbled upon this thread from The Cultural Tutor (a fantastic Twitter account) about how animals have been represented in art throughout history…

3 months ago · 42 likes · 39 comments · Melissa Petrie

Trigger Discipline

I'm Quitting The Intercept

Today I am resigning from my role as investigative reporter at The Intercept. I’m not the first to leave in disgust, and I won't be the last. In addition to no longer pursuing aggressive and groundbreaking reporting, The Intercept is drowning in a culture of fear and intimidation that can only be described as sick. In order to continue the work I love w…

3 months ago · 403 likes · 66 comments · Trigger Discipline

The Villager

My Dad And The Toad Who Lived In His Shoe

I’m working on a new piece for next week but before that I thought those of you who told me you enjoyed my recent LOUD DAD notes might appreciate me reposting this story, especially as most of you weren’t here when I originally posted it. I’ve recorded an audio version this morning (response at my spoken word events suggests this might be the best way t…

5 months ago · 426 likes · 61 comments · Tom Cox

The Villager

What Has The Nasty Little Syrup-Based Fucker Been Up To?

As you might have seen me mention earlier, I have lots of books here right now. If you take out the full annual subscription to this page I’ll post signed hardbacks of Villager and Notebook to you, wherever you happen to be on the planet. It will also mean you can read…

3 months ago · 159 likes · 35 comments · Tom Cox

What then?

Dogs Remind Us of What Matters in Life

Carson, my dog, recently dealt with a health problem which he eventually overcame. It reminded me of a lesson I’ve learned several times in the past from the loss of friends, both quadrupedal and bipedal, a lesson that for my part needs to be reiterated from time to time…

3 months ago · 114 likes · 44 comments · Sam Alaimo

The Whirl Of ReOrientation

You're The Lowest Rank

It’s June 6, 1944. You’re the lowest rank. You’re one of the most junior members of the team. You’re so far removed from the top leaders of the broader organization, it might as well be light years. You’re on a team with others in the same situation…

3 months ago · 24 likes · 2 comments · Mark McGrath

Witchcraft and Metaphysics with Jenna Newell Hiott

The Archetype and The Tarot: The Animal and Eight of Cups

Through the Animal and the Eight of Cups, this week we’re being called to reconnect with our primal instincts and inner purity. Can we embrace the simplicity and authenticity of our true nature, shedding the layers of our conditioning? Welcome everyone! For an overview of what I’m doing here, please check out…

3 months ago · 28 likes · 8 comments · Jenna Newell Hiott

11 Comments

Jenn

Jenn’s Substack

Jun 10Liked by The Starfire Codes

Excellent round up, Demi! Thank you!

Expand full comment

Matthew Haviland

Jun 9·edited Jun 9Liked by The Starfire Codes

My favorite Willy Wonka line is right at the very end: "Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted. . . . He lived happily ever after." Such an incredible, striking note of optimism. (I saw that you had noted to the post about it that he was a bad guy written by a bad guy, but I love that movie quote. Takes the wind out of the sails of the "You should like not having what you want" people.)

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