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tmcdermott.bsky.social
Writer, native Iowan, author of books on baseball, terrorism and the brain, veteran of too many newspapers. https://tmcdermott.com
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SunTzu had lots of things right —and he mastered the art of brevity:

submitted 2 days ago • 35 comments

Must read: www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

I’m not really surprised by anything the admin has done, but I expected the vibes to be closer to “private equity stripping a company down for parts” rather than “meth head stripping the walls for scrap metal”

submitted 9 days ago • 40 comments

Excellent piece here on a concept new to me, national globalism, in The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

Here's my dispatch from the other side of Guantanamo Bay -- the one with the prison and war court, not the migrant camp -- on last month's hearings in the 9/11 case. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/u...

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

From the wonderful Bruce MacKinnon! 🇨🇦 #cdnpoli #uspoli #tariffs

submitted 38 days ago • 104 comments

An attorney for the US government, arguing to delay action on plea deals for three men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks, actually uttered these words in court yesterday: "“We worry that the military court is ready to spring into action." The court began proceedings on this case in 2008.

submitted 42 days ago • 1 comment

Greed had become kindling - the brilliant Mark Arax in the NYT www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/o...

submitted 54 days ago • 0 comments

An exceptionally weird thing happened today at the Guantanamo war court, a place where weird things run wild. Attorneys representing the United States participated in a hearing the point of which was to make preparations for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) to plead guilty Friday.

submitted 63 days ago • 1 comment

AI is such a perfect distillation of capitalism: a massive dedication of resources to make and maintain a product that no one needs, prompting companies to desperately try to create demand they can then supply, ultimately deteriorating our ability to think, create, or explore.

submitted 78 days ago • 8 comments

Great piece by Justin Taylor on the Dylan Archives in Tulsa. Taylor, btw, has wonderful novel out now - Reboot. www.bookforum.com/print/3102/t...

submitted 93 days ago • 0 comments

This being Black Friday, a little blatant self-promotion. I've written four books across a wide range of subjects. They all make excellent gifts. You can read about them at tmcdermott.com

submitted 103 days ago • 1 comment

For those who haven't followed the very twisted road at Guantanamo, a good summary here from Carol Rosenberg. Spoiler alert: It's very fucked up. Carol's NYT coverage and John Ryan's in the online magazine Lawdragon are essential reads; actually, the only reads. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/22/u...

submitted 110 days ago • 1 comment

This Horgan essay on Infinite Jest is fabulous: johnhorgan.org/cross-check/...

submitted 110 days ago • 0 comments

Breaking my social media fast to say that I'm part of this anthology, Disability Intimacy, coming spring 2024! Many thanks to editor @sfdirewolf.bsky.social for inviting me to contribute an essay. Excited to see @rokwon.bsky.social include it in her annual list of anticipated books by women of color

submitted 439 days ago • 2 comments

Only in LA would a fast food executive - a manager, not an owner - receive this excellent LAT obit by @DanielNMiller. On the other hand, double double! www.latimes.com/california/s...

submitted 467 days ago • 1 comment

Nice piece on 9/11 families: www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/u...

submitted 479 days ago • 0 comments

How dumb am I? My two favorite professional sports teams are the Clippers and the Mariners. That's dumb. www.theviewlevel.com/p/the-marine...

submitted 479 days ago • 0 comments

Nice poiece here on 9/11 families: www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/u...

submitted 479 days ago • 0 comments

The Guantanamoi trials bumble along. From Carol Rosenberg: www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/u...

submitted 480 days ago • 0 comments

Only in LA would some fool set fire to a freeway. Good day for this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa7E...

submitted 480 days ago • 0 comments

From STAT: A USC scientist compares a failed and approved Alzheimer's drug and finds the drugs nearly identical efficacy. www.statnews.com/2023/11/16/b...

submitted 482 days ago • 0 comments