Charles Mathewes
banner
ctmathewes.bsky.social
Charles Mathewes
@ctmathewes.bsky.social

I teach religion & ethics @ UVa
I'm mostly here to find books & articles I don't yet know about
Sometimes also interested in opinions, but not as often as many of you seem to believe

Philosophy 35%
Political science 31%
District court judges are engaged in a bipartisan project of [forgive me] actually calling balls and strikes. Republican circuit judges are largely going full-tilt partisan.

Stats as of last month:
courtaccountability.substack.com/p/where-law-...
i just want to say that i wrote this exactly one year ago.

Where now? Who now? When now? Unquestioning. I, say I. Unbelieving. Questions, hypotheses, call them that. Keep going, going on, call that going, call that on, Charlie Brown
and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes, Charlie Brown
God is dead. God remains dead. And it is we who have killed him, Charlie Brown.

“Through”?
Huge thanks to the @islingtontrib.bsky.social for a brilliant write-up of the Courting Disaster event at @ink84books.bsky.social in #London last week which saw author @thezhm.bsky.social host a feminist discussion of Austen's male leads:
www.islingtontribune.co.uk/article/whic...
#booksky
Which of Jane Austen's men would you through out of a balloon?
Mr Darcy emerges as best man at bookshop talk
www.islingtontribune.co.uk
and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes, Charlie Brown
God is dead. God remains dead. And it is we who have killed him, Charlie Brown.
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance, Charlie Brown, in this life or the next.
Not only are generations fake, they’re also something we basically invented a few decades ago. Compare when generations occurred (shaded areas) with when we settled on their names.

From this week’s newsletter: www.howtoreadthisch.art/ample-exampl...
just bleak, man
X has changed their policy and now you can see where the accounts are based.

Here’s an “influencer from Texas”
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.

We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.

washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
China is mobilizing an armada of civilian ships that could help in an invasion of Taiwan – a mission that could surpass the Second World War’s Normandy landings.

Interesting visual analysis by Reuters

www.reuters.com/graphics/USA...
Shadow navy: How China's civilian fleet could be a potent weapon in a Taiwan invasion
A Reuters visual investigation of China's annual naval exercises off the Chinese coast opposite Taiwan shows how Beijing's
www.reuters.com

Flush the pond?
Also, this is news?

Fundamental Attribution Error alive and well in the Ancient Near East

But I thought Trump was playing 4D chess
Democrats, who once thought they would come up short in a gerrymandering war, are on track to net an estimated five seats in the 2026 midterm elections.

And while that could shift, they may still end up with an advantage.
In surprise shift, Democrats are ahead in redistricting fight
After early redistricting wins, Trump faces setbacks over maps for Texas, Indiana and other Republican-led states, frustrating his allies.
www.washingtonpost.com

Tell me again how it's The Left who are The Snowflakes
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
This past month, four different Protestant groups/denominations, most evangelical, have been at the center of in-depth news reports detailing how those denominations’ systems of oversight have failed victims of alleged abuse. In chronological order…
Democrats, who once thought they would come up short in a gerrymandering war, are on track to net an estimated five seats in the 2026 midterm elections.

And while that could shift, they may still end up with an advantage.
In surprise shift, Democrats are ahead in redistricting fight
After early redistricting wins, Trump faces setbacks over maps for Texas, Indiana and other Republican-led states, frustrating his allies.
www.washingtonpost.com

Not the first time, as you know. He's a recidivist.

Reposted by Andrew Jacobs

These are good shovel-ready jobs, people. Come and join us. Do consider & share!

Turing Test questions taking an interesting turn here
Might be Grok’s boldest claim yet, even over saying Musk is more athletic than LeBron

I'm always here for the Episcopal-on-Episcopal conflict. My church can be just as petty as any others!
rns.org RNS @rns.org · 5d
A new Common Mission Share plan, passed Nov. 15 at the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s 249th annual convention, would double the annual amount owed to the diocese by Trinity, while cutting costs for most other churches.
religionnews.com/2025/11/20/a...
A new funding plan puts NYC Bishop and Trinity Church at odds
(RNS) — A new funding plan would cut costs for most New York churches but calls on Trinity Church to double its donations to the diocese. Trinity leaders say they want to help but the bishop’s plan…
religionnews.com

I will always try to drive to RIC (only a bit over an hour away) to get a direct flight when I can. Bigger airport, easier w/ no connections. Hope we both get to Boston tomorrow!
Wealthy democracies with a history of fair elections never fail–or do they? My interview w/ @newyorkuniversity.bsky.social Professor Adam Przeworski on a career's worth of insight on what makes democracy thrive, and why he's so puzzled now about the US

michaelalbertus.substack.com/p/wealthy-de...
Wealthy Democracies With a History of Fair Elections Never Fail – Or Do They?
My interview with NYU Politics Professor and leading scholar Adam Przeworski on a career's worth of insight on what makes democracy thrive or fail
michaelalbertus.substack.com
RNS @rns.org · 5d
A new Common Mission Share plan, passed Nov. 15 at the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s 249th annual convention, would double the annual amount owed to the diocese by Trinity, while cutting costs for most other churches.
religionnews.com/2025/11/20/a...
A new funding plan puts NYC Bishop and Trinity Church at odds
(RNS) — A new funding plan would cut costs for most New York churches but calls on Trinity Church to double its donations to the diocese. Trinity leaders say they want to help but the bishop’s plan…
religionnews.com
Might be Grok’s boldest claim yet, even over saying Musk is more athletic than LeBron

WTAF
Exclusive: The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols.

The military service drafted a new policy that classifies them as “potentially divisive.”
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
www.washingtonpost.com
Exclusive: The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols.

The military service drafted a new policy that classifies them as “potentially divisive.”
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
www.washingtonpost.com
Former BOV Rector Hardie to current Rector Sheridan and BOV member Manning: “I am very disappointed that two of my closest friends decided to leave their friend the Rector out of such a conservation. Stand by your president. This is sickening to me. I am appalled.”
State Sen. Creigh Deeds received his FOIA requests from U.Va. — here’s what we learned
After submitting a six-section Freedom of Information Act Request to the University Sept. 18, State Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, received 284 pages of records Oct. 29, pertaining to former Un...
www.cavalierdaily.com