Weekend Reading 8/1/14

Serena

Via Seattle Met‘s PubliCola, a heads-up to a story that somehow didn’t make big local news, as reported by Al Jazeera America and thoughtfully reflected upon by Lindy West in Jezebel.

“Burning Man is a refutation of the argument that the state has a place in nature.” That’s part of Grover Norquist’s explanation for why he’s going this year.

“Generation Z”: smarter than their parents and more ambitious than Millennials, the latter (Ms) also being traumatized by the Great Recession and hence apparently not buying these things.

On the border children crisis (crisis?), a little bit of sunshine and understanding: seven in 10 Americans see them as refugees, not “illegal immigrants.”

Might Europe have a better—and actually more share-y—model of ride-sharing?

Aisha Harris reflects in Slate on why she prefers the identity “black American” to “African-American.”

Eric

Even Bill Gates can’t afford Seattle.

Anna

The strange relationship between denying climate science and…speaking English.

And another one from our awesome colleagues at Grist: Think people of color don’t care about the environment? Think again.

What Would Jesus Do (about climate change)? Religious leaders explain why Environmental Protection Agency rules to cut climate pollution from American power plants align with the Bible’s teachings.

(Here’s the NYT story: Religious Conservatives Embrace Pollution Fight.)

And here’s a must-read from the New Yorker: When it comes to discussing the financial system, our choice not to understand “all that financial jargon” is a form of tacit consent to all that’s wrong with that sector.