marginalia: notes from the edges

a laboratory of thought. a salon for the unresolved. an arena for things contentious. memoir, argument, art, and observation. let's get into it.

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

@EduardHabsburg It would be great to see you again!

[Nick Freitas @NickJFreitas]

The Immigration Crisis That Will Destroy The West. The full documentary premieres 9.17 on X.

[Rafe Heydel-Mankoo @RafHM]

I was pleased to be part of this documentary, which will be released later tonight.

[Alan Wolan @AlanWolan]

I’ve always been fascinated by probability theory.

Let’s run some numbers:

15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi nationals.

Should I summon my “pattern recognition” skills or was this just a coincidence?

Let’s ask ChatGPT!

Saudis are .42% of the world population. Let’s disguise the question so The AI will answer it honestly:

(Get ready to learn a new word: “nonillion”)

Me: If group A is .42% of the world population and out of a group of 19 bank robbers, 15 of them are from that group, what is the probability that this is a coincidence?

ChatGPT: Assuming each robber were independently and randomly drawn from the world population, and Group A truly represents 0.42% of that population, the probability of getting 15 or more members of Group A among 19 robbers purely by chance is approximately:

8.52 × 10⁻³³

That is about:

1 chance in 117,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

—roughly 1 in 117 nonillion.

[Liz Wheeler @Liz_Wheeler]

I wish every priest in America sounded like this. WOW.

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

@PaulinusOfTrier Crikey! Is this atop the Fourth Plinth??

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

As this 25th anniversary of the September 11 Attacks draws to a close, I share with you this poem in memory of Father Mychal Judge, the priest who ran towards danger to help. 

He is officially recorded as Victim No. 0001. 

May his memory be eternal.

https://t.co/wyYR7qj77r

#MychalJudge #FDNY #NeverForget #Setpember11 #GreaterLoveHathNoMan  #CatholicPoetry #FatherMychalJudge #FirstResponders #PatriotDay

[Gad Saad @GadSaad]

If you don't name the ideology that led to this (without qualifiers), you are dishonouring every single individual who died on that day. Be courageous. Fight those who wish to enslave us.

[Bishop Robert Barron @BishopBarron]

Charlie Kirk died with a microphone in his hand—not a gun, a knife, or a grenade, but an instrument of communication. When we stop believing in the dignity of the human person, violence takes its place. A year later, that is still the wound. May he rest in peace.

[Wesley Hunt @WesleyHuntTX]

This level of disrespect is incomprehensible.

As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together.

There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it.

Ground Zero is sacred ground.

Those names belong to fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, firefighters, cops, and innocent Americans who went to work one morning and never came home.

For a few hours, on one day, have some damn respect.

September 11th is not a photo op.
It is not a networking event.

It is a funeral America has attended for 25 years.

[Cameron Bertuzzi @CapturingChrist]

BREAKING: Another Princeton philosopher has announced his conversion to Catholicism as a result of studying miracles.

Noah McKay joins Joe Schmid as the second philosopher to convert at the prestigious university.

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

Sanctioning #Israel over the oft-violent land grabs perpetrated by its so-called "settlers" is meet and proper, though it's a bit rich for the @UKLabour Government to pretend to care about territorial integrity given its piss-poor handling of the #Chagos Islands.

[Yuan Yi Zhu @yuanyi_z]

Canada has had a monarchical form of government continuously for longer than England. It's not some fringe foreign import: it's a fundamental part of the country.

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

I had the privilege of meeting @AlanWolan in 2022 when a few emotionally and intellectually fragile snowflakes @Caltech called campus security to complain they were being asked thought-provoking questions by a conservative meanie.

I cannot recommend his brilliant podcast series more highly! Have a listen, and give him a follow. #ThomasSowell #whiteliberals #blackconservatives

[Alan Wolan @AlanWolan]

Five years ago I decided to do a deep dive into Thomas Sowell's work, and this podcast was my excuse to do it properly, and share my journey with others.

43 episodes and conversations with my favorite thinkers (Victor Davis Hanson, Theodore Dalrymple, Heather Mac Donald, Jason Riley, Dennis Prager and more) later — it's become something bigger than I expected it to be.

Starting last week, The Genius of Thomas Sowell Podcast has moved to a subscription only model here on X, and on Substack. This is a pivot — and also an investment. The move lets me go deeper: more guests, more great music and more of the ideas that got me hooked on Sowell in the first place.

My biggest "weakness" is that the only way I want to podcast is with the best possible preparation and production, which means that making each episode takes a huge amount of time. I want to keep making the show I'd want to listen to, and doing that right takes real time and resources.

You can see the show's download stats to date here: https://t.co/m0i5UXNxwP

And I recently launched a new website to highlight the show moving forward.

The last 3 episodes of the show are still free to listen to; the first 40 episodes are only available to subscribers here on X and on Substack.

I would be humbled and honored to welcome new subscribers to the channel!

Thank you to everyone who's listened, reviewed, and shared this show so far. Onward. 🎙️

https://t.co/Rg8WGeJUXQ

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

Dr. Thomas Sowell: One of the greatest intellects this nation has yet to produce.

[Commentary - Sowell Economics @sowelleconomics]

People call Sowell tough. He says he is not. Life is tough. He is just reporting the facts.

He has never found a single country where the policies pushed for blacks in America lifted anyone out of poverty.

The anointed believe intellectuals have solutions. The rest of us know there are only trade-offs.

Ethnic leaders stay in business by selling grievances. That is true across groups and centuries.

Critics do not debate him. They wait two weeks and pretend the book never happened.

[Commentary - Sowell Economics @sowelleconomics]

People call Sowell tough. He says he is not. Life is tough. He is just reporting the facts.

He has never found a single country where the policies pushed for blacks in America lifted anyone out of poverty.

The anointed believe intellectuals have solutions. The rest of us know there are only trade-offs.

Ethnic leaders stay in business by selling grievances. That is true across groups and centuries.

Critics do not debate him. They wait two weeks and pretend the book never happened.

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

Very much looking forward to reading this!

[Maarten Boudry @mboudry]

My own rector, Petra De Sutter, turned the “Gaza genocide” into official university policy, threatening anyone who dared to question it. Multiple professors emailed the previous rector behind my back, urging disciplinary action against me. Philosopher and former friend @StijnBruers tried to get me fired and cancelled wherever he could. Invitations to give lectures were withdrawn; debates on completely unrelated topics were cancelled. I’ve never experienced this level of intolerance from self-proclaimed "progressives". And all to prop up an obscene lie that has now completely collapsed. Will any of these people ever apologize?

[Maarten Boudry @mboudry]

My own rector, Petra De Sutter, turned the “Gaza genocide” into official university policy, threatening anyone who dared to question it. Multiple professors emailed the previous rector behind my back, urging disciplinary action against me. Philosopher and former friend @StijnBruers tried to get me fired and cancelled wherever he could. Invitations to give lectures were withdrawn; debates on completely unrelated topics were cancelled. I’ve never experienced this level of intolerance from self-proclaimed "progressives". And all to prop up an obscene lie that has now completely collapsed. Will any of these people ever apologize?

[marginalia: notes from the edges @fromtheedges]

Vintage Treasures of Logan, Utah, I support you! If I’m ever in your neck of the woods, I’ll be sure to pop in and buy a few things. (And for a little Easter egg that will make lefty heads explode, check out the profile photo on my Substack. https://t.co/c0bzz2BqIh) #racistwhiteliberals #whitepaternalism