Weekend Reads 10/8/16

Beer Company Develops Edible Six-Pack Rings That Feed, Rather Than Kill, Marine Life

The rings are created from beer by-products during the brewing process, such as barley and wheat, and are completely safe for humans and fish to eat. In addition, the invention is 100% biodegradable and compostable.

"Is this the way we want to live?" Andrew Sullivan on our distraction sickness — and Trump

In this country conservatism hasn’t really been conservative for quite a while. Conservatism is about the restraint of government, not the empowerment of government.

10 Years After Amish Schoolhouse Killing, the Work of Grieving Remains

Though there had already been numerous school shootings that year, the invasion of a publicity-shy community committed to nonviolence, and the remarkable swiftness with which the Amish offered forgiveness to the killer’s widow and family, drew international attention.

Trump, Taxes and Citizenship

In a lovely society everybody practices a kind of social hygiene. There are some things that are legal but distasteful and corrupt. In a lovely society people shun these corrupt and corrupting things. The tax code is a breeding ground for corruption, so they don’t take advantage. The lottery system immiserates the poor so they don’t contribute to its acceptability by playing.

In a lovely society everyone feels privilege, but the rich feel a special privilege. They know that they have already been given more than they deserve, and that it is actually not going to hurt all that much to try to be worthy of what they’ve received.