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  The story of Harry Partch is coincidentally a Pride Month story. Partch was gay and realized it from an early age. As far as I can tell he never hid his sexuality. But his sexuality is probably the least interesting thing about him. Today is his 125th birthday and this story is a little celebration of his remarkable life as an original personality and genuine outsider. https://theicarian.substack.com/p/harry-partch-the-outsider-who-refused

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  I’m a history geek. In November 2025, after viewing Ken Burns & Co.’s six-episode, 12-hour documentary, The American Revolution, I realized I didn’t know as much as I would like about the violent conflict and events that gave birth to the United States. I kind of chain-smoked books about the Revolutionary War for a few months. As soon as one was done, I used that one to light another. https://open.substack.com/pub/theicarian/p/the-50-books-i-read-after-watching

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  No. 4 on the list of 10 things I learned from reading 50 books abnout founding of the USA: Four: The concept of giving women the vote was only thought about from the perspective of that would be a bad thing to do. https://open.substack.com/pub/theicarian/p/the-50-books-i-read-after-watching

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  No. 1 and 2 of the 10 things I learned from reading 50 books about he founding of the USA: One and Two: There are two co-joined and consistent truths. Number one and two are the twin original sins of not abolishing slavery and the genocide of America’s indigenous peoples. These two factors are at the core social and political sicknesses that are now destroying the nation. These two are essentially inseparable. https://theicarian.substack.com/p/the-50-books-i-read-after-watching

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  A map of the Thirteen Colonies in 1770, showing number of slaves in each colony and percentage of colony's total population held as slaves. Numbers = numbers of slaves (1770), colors = percentage of population enslaved. Source: Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves (2003). Creative Commons https://theicarian.substack.com/p/the-50-books-i-read-after-watching

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  While a diplomat in France during the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin obtained the recipe for making tofu. He sent the recipe and some beans to a friend back in the not-yet united states. The beans grew great, Franklin’s friend reported, but the tofu didn’t work out. Franklin had confused garbanzo beans and soy beans. If not for a mix up about what kind of bean to use to make tofu, Franklin could have changed American eating habits nearly 250 years ago. https://theicarian.substack.com/p/t...

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  Ten Things I Learned From 50 Books About The American Revolutionary War — #8 Eight: If it were not for aid from France, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Spain, The United States would not exist. No question about it. Siège de Yorktown, a c. 1836 painting by Auguste Couder[c] Rochambeau (center, gesturing), Washington (center R), Marquis de La Fayette (behind Washington, R), Marquis de Saint Simon (behind Washington, L), Duke of Lauzun (L, mounted) and Comte de Ménonville (R of Washington).

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  In November 2025, after viewing Ken Burns & Co.’s six-episode, 12-hour documentary, The American Revolution, I realized I didn’t know as much as I would like about the violent conflict and the events that gave birth to the United States. I decided to take the list of historians interviewed in the documentary and find as many of their books as a I could at my local libraries. The intent was to use those books as a starting point for an autodidactic bibliomainiac adventure https://theicar...

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  The List Of The 50 Books I Read After Watching "The American Revolution" Documentary https://theicarian.substack.com/p/the-list-of-the-50-books-i-read-after?

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  Condensed from my seven months reading 50 books about the birth of America, here are my favorite 15. https://theicarian.substack.com/p/15-cool-books-about-the-revolutionary?r=1cnb9h

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  Today, 19 July, would have been Karen’s 68th birthday. This is the entire series of her writing from inside the American healthcare system, and especially from her experiences in nursing homes and hospitals — places no one wants to be, but many of us will eventually inhabit Happy birthday, Karen. Rest in power and peace. https://theicarian.substack.com/p/14-tales-from-a-place-no-one-wants

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  https://open.substack.com/pub/theicarian/p/when-olden-days-law-a-gaelic-festival?r=1cnb9h

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  https://substack.com/@petercoyote1/note/c-308200942

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  https://theicarian.substack.com/p/goodbye-gmail

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  Natalie Joy Harp, San Diego Native The Human Printer’s Roots By The Sea https://theicarian.substack.com/p/natalie-joy-harp-san-diego-native?r=1cnb9h

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  Who is S. Brian Willson? A Working Class Hero Is Something To Be https://theicarian.substack.com/p/who-is-s-brian-willson-a-working

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  A Civilian Plane Crashed in New Mexico. Was the Military’s Tech to Blame? Drone warfare is making the skies more dangerous, even for airplanes far from the battlefield. https://www.wired.com/story/a-civilian-plane-crashed-in-new-mexico-was-the-militarys-tech-to-blame/

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  It Appears That the US Military Accidentally Killed Everybody on Board a Civilian Medevac Flight in New Mexico "When those lights go out, man, you know you are in big trouble." https://futurism.com/science-energy/us-military-gps-jamming-signal-medical-flight

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  Not sure why police department in the US would be surprised by this. They ARE actively working with ICE and significant segment of the population don't trust the cops in the first place, for good reason. Police across the US worry officers are being misidentified as ICE, records show Exclusive: Emails and internal memos reveal concerns immigration enforcement is interfering with police work https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/24/ice-police-danger-us

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  What a surprise! Uber lies and screws their workers. https://calmatters.org/economy/2026/04/uber-proposition22-lawsuit/ Rideshare drivers sue Uber over being kicked off app in new challenge to California law

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  Death Valley, California, 19 April 2026

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  Our Correspondents’ Photos From The Week Of 19-24 April From East To West https://theicarian.substack.com/p/our-correspondents-photos-from-the

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  A song as or more relevant today than in 1979. Where Are The Strong? Who Are The Trusted? (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding https://theicarian.substack.com/p/where-are-the-strong-who-are-the?r=1cnb9h

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  Former NASA astronauts launch new group to promote U.S. constitutional values More than 100 NASA astronauts have signed on to a nonpartisan effort to promote “the principles that have propelled our nation for 250 years” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ex-nasa-astronauts-form-new-group-to-promote-u-s-constitutional-values/

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  It Doesn’t Matter If The Latest “Assassination” Attempt Was A Setup The Dubious Triumph Of Perception As Reality https://theicarian.substack.com/p/it-doesnt-matter-if-the-latest-assassination Non-Substack version: https://theicarian.com/blog/the-dubious-triumph-of-perception-as-reality/

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  ‘It’s not a story that’s over’: inside the battle against hatred in America In The Secret War Against Hate, Pulitzer-prize finalist Steven J Ross looks back at those who infiltrated and prevented hate groups in the US https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/28/secret-war-against-hate-book-nazi-groups-us

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  Sorry, The Original Magna Carta Was A Flop That Annoying History Again Much ado was made about the Magna Carta during the recent visit of the current King of England, who had to politely remind the de facto king of America about the rule of law and its hard fought, hard won history. And the King of England actually used complete sentences and never hard to resort to accordion hands to do so. https://open.substack.com/pub/theicarian/p/sorry-the-original-magna-carta-was

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  Feared "Conservatives" Often Die Hard https://open.substack.com/pub/theicarian/p/feared-conservatives-often-die-hard

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  No one should be surprised that a prominent Black person would help to re-segregate our nation. Back in the 1870s Martin Robison Delany, the highest ranking officer in the Union Army during the civil war and an outspoken abolitionist, did just that in South Carolina. Delany campaigned for former Confederate general Wade Hampton III for governor who restored white supremacy in South Carolina after a violent election campaign during which 150 Black people were killed. https://theicarian.substack....

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  The Dog Childhood Trauma And Our Nation’s Government Sponsored Cruelty https://theicarian.substack.com/p/the-dog Non-substack version: https://theicarian.com/culture/the-dog-childhood-trauma-and-our-nations-cruelty/