FRESH AIR AND SUNSHINE — YOUR GRANDMOTHER WAS RIGHT: Daylight can boost the immune system’s ability to fight infections.

HELEN’S FORTHCOMING BOOK WILL TALK ABOUT THIS: Don’t Just Talk about Young Men. Invest in Them. “Men thrive in apprenticeships, and, yes, that’s a good thing.”

THANK YOU, GOD: Kamala’s Interview in Australia Reminds Us How Lucky We Are That She Lost.

SYSTEMIC RACISM: Tennessee university hit with civil rights complaint over 17 race-based scholarships: Journalism scholarship only open to African Americans; history scholarship gives preference to ‘minority’ students.

RACE-BASED POLICY HAS LONG BEEN UNPOPULAR EXCEPT AMONG THE ELITES: Survey highlights most parents oppose race-based scholarships.

HIGHER EDUCATION’S DILEMMA:

There is an extraordinary "reproducibility crisis" in the sciences, particularly in biology, where most published papers fail to replicate.

Most universities have massive bureaucracies that inhibit the translation of basic research into commercial adoption.

The voting…

— JD Vance (@JDVance) May 24, 2025

THOUGHTS FROM DON SURBER: Memorial Day, 2025.

HIGHER EDUCATION UPDATE: Medieval Relics in a Democratic Age: The Medieval origin of universities sheds some light on how they ought to function in mass society.

JUSTICE: Circuit Justice Kagan Never Bothered Calling For A Reply In Trump v. AFGE. “The Circuit Justices do not apply uniform rules when it comes to emergency applications. Justice Jackson, for example, refused to promptly call for a response in Libby v. Fectau, a case where the majority ultimately granted emergency docket relief. I have also been keeping my eye on Trump v. AFGE. On May 9, A federal district court issued a TRO against the Trump Administration to block the removal of certain employees. On May 16, the Solicitor General applied for an emergency stay with Circuit Justice Kagan. And Kagan did absolutely nothing. She didn’t even call for a reply.”

Thumb, meet scale?

I DUNNO, MAYBE YOU GUYS SHOULD STOP TOTALLY SUCKING? “The erosion of working-class support — among Black, white and Latino voters alike — has unnerved every ideological wing of the Democratic Party.” “For years, the belief was Democrats have had demographic destiny on our side. Now, the inverse is true.”

ICYMI: YOU WON’T BE WRONG IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE ENTIRE POST-WWII POLITICAL ORDER AS A BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THE VOTERS DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT:

Ultimately, almost all the gnashing of teeth can be boiled down to Trump 2.0 being the first GOP admin in 40 years to actually ensure the electorate is represented throughout executive branch. Everything else is noise. https://t.co/T4HbG5YIC7

— EJ (@Ejmiller25) May 24, 2025

HAHA: Northeastern U. Student Demands Tuition Refund After Catching Professor Using ChatGPT. “This was particularly contentious because the course syllabus explicitly prohibited students from using AI tools for their assignments, a rule the professor himself was not following.”

I dunno, is this like saying that when a boxer does road work, the trainer can’t ride a bike?

HARVARD BECAME A CESSPIT OF ANTISEMITISM SO GRADUALLY I HARDLY NOTICED:

Harvard is a national disgrace. https://t.co/8qu8x0J2nb

— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) May 25, 2025

HE’S RIGHT, AND I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR 20 YEARS:

Population collapse is a massive crisis https://t.co/T5B62ijpUA

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2025

MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR WESTERN COUNTRIES TO WIN WARS IS THE GOAL:

Something at work here is the bizarre international legal regime of today, which makes it basically impossible for Western countries to win wars.

At any other point in history, including some as civilizationally advanced as our own era, Israel would simply have said: "An ancient… https://t.co/mOzTSQmwV0

— Wilfred Reilly (@wil_da_beast630) May 25, 2025

OPEN THREAD: Ring out the weekend.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: SpaceX is aiming to launch its Starship Flight 9 test mission no earlier than Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT), but only if conditions allow.

BAD NEWS FOR PHONE ADDICTS: Being Bored Could Actually Be Good For Your Brain, Scientists Reveal.

REPORT FROM THE BLUE ZONES:

.@MayorofSeattle Bruce Harrell has released a statement written by @jamiehousen, his director of communication, condemning the Christians for holding a worship event at a public park in the city. The event was violently attacked by Antifa and Trantifa.

The mayor says he is… https://t.co/TJvxoW6fzF pic.twitter.com/i6AKpfRiNe

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) May 25, 2025

They have an absolute right to pray in public places and the city has a duty to protect them from violence.

If it won’t do so, they have the right to protect themselves. Next time, show up with axe handles and shotguns.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Researchers Reveal Two Simple Eating Habits That Lower Weight.

WE CAN HOPE: Medical errors are still harming patients. AI could help change that.

Over 20 years ago when Helen had her heart attack, I took her to the ER. The “expert system” — not even any sort of AI back then — on the EKG machine said “possible recent MI.” The two cardiologists ruled that out as false positive because Helen was slim, athletic, and young. They were wrong, the machine was right. It was months before she was properly diagnosed. So I believe this.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: These Are the 15 Midsize SUVs With the Most Cargo Room.

SHE’S NOT BIG ON GIVING THOUGHT: Maybe Justice Sotomayor Hasn’t Given Much Thought to the Historical Lessons of Gun Confiscation in America.

JONATHAN TURLEY: The justices must at long last deal with ‘chronic injunctivitis.’ “The court has long failed to address the problem, and what I call ‘chronic injunctivitis’ is now raging across the court system. Justices have only worsened the condition with conflicting and at times incomprehensible opinions.”

OF COURSE NOT: Trump’s Golden Dome, and Why the 1967 Outer Space Treaty Is No Obstacle to It. “The Outer Space Treaty is outdated and has greatly limited human development of space. But it’s no impediment to Donald Trump’s missile shield, no matter who claims otherwise.”

The Chinese want to ban it with vague international law mumbo-jumbo because they can’t compete on this front and they saw what SDI did to the old Soviet Union.