Fall 2026 Special Edition

"Two months until the midterms"

Fall 2026 Special Edition

Some quotes, music, posts from the WITW archives, a few new finds plus a look at Gen Z and church-going MAGAs, Isabel Nolan's masterpiece at the 2026 Venice Biennale, the Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party, and the Ocean-Climate Feedback Loop. "The Fray" offers an in-depth look at the Middle East (Iran, Lebanon, Occupied Palestine) and the 2026 Midterms plus some news and commentary from the web.

Photo credit: Fall colors at Lake Kawaguchiko with Mt. Fuji in the background. Thitivong / iStock

Quotes

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Teddy Roosevelt

"Do something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn't, do something else." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The war on poverty is not a struggle simply to support people… It is a struggle to give people a chance.” - Lyndon B. Johnson

Music

Songs found or rediscovered...plus a few from Bonnie Tyler, whom we lost in July, and Dolly Parton, whom we lost in August.

Follow the link to the music: Green Day, The Ramones, D4VD, Peter Tosh, Bonnie Tyler, Dolly Parton

Here’s to Dolly: Union Member, Vaccine Hero, Literacy Giant, Staunch Gay Ally – Mother Jones

Posts and Links

NEW POSTS

"Isn't Church Supposed to Make You Better?" - Gen Z feels an increasing distaste towards organized religion because of its embrace of a vulgar and corrupt president. Another question might also be asked, "Why do MAGA church-goers continue supporting him when his policies and practices are so contrary to the religion they profess to practice?" Implications for the midterms as Trump's approval drops among former MAGA stalwarts.

Isabel Nolan 's Mind-Blowing Installation at the 2026 Venice Biennale - Irish artist Isabel Nolan's works incorporate sculptures, paintings, textile works, photographs, and writing. Her subject matter is similarly comprehensive, taking in cosmological phenomena, religious reliquaries, Greco-Roman sculptures and literary/historical figures. Nolan's Dreamshook installation at the Venice Biennale garnered critical acclaim for its intellectual depth, material richness, and emotional subtlety.

The fight for the soul of the Democratic Party - There is a battle underway for the future of the Democratic Party. The success of progressives and Democratic Socialists in this year's primaries has led to a blistering reaction from centrist Democrats. What is not mentioned in these debates, at least not too loudly, is the role of the money flowing into the coffers of Democratic candidates from the Israel lobby and its implications for enabling the Gaza Genocide.

The Ocean-Climate Feedback Loop - How oceans drive climate and how climate change drives ocean change; the importance of the 1.5 C target; global warming outlook and remedies

The Fray September 2026 - The Middle East (Iran and Lebanon; Occupied Palestine), The Midterms; news and opinion from the web.

From the WITW Archives

Bob Dylan's Revolutionary Trilogy (December 2024): June 20 was the 60th anniversary of Blonde on Blonde.

The Greatest Novels Ever Written: Three Lists (October 2023): The variety of the selections is stunning, and just two novels were in the top dozen on all three lists

9/11 (September 2021) -September 11, 2001 shook America to its core...some thoughts on how to repair "the hole in America's heart" and how best to honor the memory of the victims of 9/11

Preparing for a radically changed planet (April 2021); In the increasingly likely event that we miss the 1.5C global warming target, we need to take steps now to protect critical infrastructure and coastal communities

The Religious Left (September 2020): What we call progressive values are present at the heart of all religions.

Beware: you too may be "antifa" (June 2020) Remember the fraught days of WWII when we were all anti-fascist

What is the Singularity and will you live to see it? (May 2018) - What is the Singularity? What will life be like after it? When do futurists predict it will occur? A look at the ultimate product of AI.

Hiroshima at 75 (August 2020): In 2025, the nine nuclear-armed states spent nearly $120 billion on their nuclear arsenals – the highest annual amount ever recorded.

Legendary Mount Fuji (November 2019)

Wabi-Sabi - beauty found in imperfection (January 2019) ; Ikigai - "why you get up in the morning"(October 2018)

From the Web

Labor Day: Brought to You by the First Amendment (Freedom Forum)

Goldman Study: Where AI Is Squeezing Job Markets (CNBC)

Yayoi Kusama, Artist of Infinities, Dies at 97 (Hypoallergic)

8 Japanese Philosophies for Purposeful Living (Nice News)

The DSA Was Born in the Catholic Church (Christopher Hale)

The Wisdom of Water: Alan Watts on the Ocean and the Meaning of Life (Maria Popova)