FINAL POST — I'VE MOVED TO SUBSTACK

 

FINAL POST — I'VE MOVED TO SUBSTACK

After 15 years of daily writing on this blog, I'm consolidating everything on Substack.

Why the Move?

Over the past 15 years, I've published thousands of essays, poems, and reflections across multiple platforms. It became scattered, difficult to follow, and nearly impossible to organize into coherent themes.

Substack allows me to:

• Organize by series (trilogies, themed collections)
• Engage directly with readers (comments, discussions)
• Publish books (compile best essays into collections)
• Build sustainable audience (email delivery, subscriptions)

This blog will remain online as an archive — all 15 years of content stays accessible. But no new posts will appear here.

Where to Find Me Now

My new home: https://alexhutchins.substack.com

I'm publishing 2-3 times per week:

• Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (January-March)
• Alternating T-TH weeks (starting February)

What you'll find:

• Philosophical essays (Wonderings series)
• Cultural commentary (Justice, Confession, Power trilogies)
• Poetry (from my 42,000+ collection)
• Personal reflections (teaching, travel, life observations)

Free to Subscribe

No paywalls. No spam. Just thoughtful writing from someone who's been doing this for 60+ years.

Subscribe here: https://alexhutchins.substack.com

Thank You

To everyone who read, commented, or simply followed along over the past 15 years—thank you.

This platform gave me space to think, write, and share without filters or editorial oversight. It let me publish 42,000 poems, 3,000+ essays, and countless reflections on everything from ancient civilizations to business ethics to the nature of belief itself.

Now I'm taking all of that raw material and shaping it into something more deliberate, more organized, and—I hope—more useful.

See you on Substack.

— Alex Hutchins
The White Scorpion / Wandering Philosopher

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P.S. If you've been following my work for years, you already know I don't do this for money or fame. I write because I can't not write. Substack just gives me better tools to organize the chaos. Come join me.

New Year's Day 2026

 

New Year's Eve 2025

 

4 LENTIL Recipes EVERYONE Should Know

This 30-Minute Meal Prep Transformed My Weeknight Meals

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Kennedy Center president vows to sue musician who canceled a performance after the center added President Donald Trump's name to the building (More)

> Former University of Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham signs five-year deal to coach Michigan Wolverines (More)

> Actor accuses Tyler Perry of sexual assault, seeks $77M in damages in second lawsuit against the director in recent months (More)


Science & Technology
> China releases draft rules governing human-like AI; models must reinforce "core socialist values," notify users at login and two-hour intervals they are using AI (More)

> Scientists begin latest expedition to Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier; known as the "Doomsday glacier," the region is shedding 50 billion tons of ice per year and helps support the West Antarctic ice sheet (More) | What we learned studying climatology (1440 Topics)

> Famous Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the 1066 Norman conquest of England, to be insured for roughly $1B upon its transfer from France to the British Museum next year (More) | Explore our favorite resources on medieval Europe (1440 Topics)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mostly flat Friday (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq -0.1%); S&P 500 ends week up 1.4% after hitting record high Wednesday (More)

> Nvidia announces nonexclusive licensing agreement with AI chip startup Groq, shareholders will receive distributions valuing the company at $20B; around 90% of Groq employees, including CEO Jonathan Ross, will join Nvidia, remaining employees will operate as a standalone entity (More) | What we learned researching Nvidia (1440 Topics)

> Global dealmaking totaled around $4.5T in 2025, up 50% from last year and the second-highest total on record; Netflix bidding war, Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger top biggest deals (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Palm Beach, Florida, to discuss a potential end to the Russia-Ukraine war (More)

> Israel becomes first country to recognize Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991; decision precedes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with President Donald Trump today (More) | See explainer (More)

> Thailand and Cambodia sign new ceasefire agreement in bid to end recent border clashes that have killed dozens of people (More) | Myanmar completes first phase of voting in country's first general election since 2021 military coup (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Different than Animals

 

What makes us different from other animals here on earth is that we don't just hunt for survival, we hunt for pleasure, control, and power.

In 1607, the first successful colony, Jamestown, Virginia was established.  In 1803, we decided to explore the western side of this country, and in so doing we confronted and damn near destroyed the Native Americans who had settled this land before us.

Those early Americans were very good at killing those who stood in the way of progress and today, 2025, we are still living in a country that likes to KILL.   In 2020, we started letting immigrants cross into our country illegally and without be properly vetted.

While some of these illegals were able to positively contribute to our society, many were not because they were criminals before they crossed the border.  Once inside the USA, they continued their criminal activities that included the killing of each other as well as Americans.

My point is that it is not just Americans who enjoy killing for pleasure but a cross section or all our global residents.  Mankind, the human race, enjoys the killing of others to advance their purposes whatever that might be.  That happens often enough to justify that we don't just kill for survival, we kill for sport.  Sport also includes power and control.

Somewhat Political

Scientists build atomic light switches to control single photons on demand

Imagine a light switch so small it is made from just a few atoms, and so precise it releases light one particle at a time.


These tiny switches, called quantum emitters, are considered one of the core components for future technologies such as quantum computers, ultra-secure communication networks, and extremely sensitive sensors.

For years, scientists have struggled to fully understand and control them, but this won’t be the case for long. In a recent study, researchers in the US shed light on the process of identifying, designing, and placing single-photon sources with atomic precision inside ultrathin materials.

READ MORE...

When The Allman Brothers Band Lit Up NBC Studios | “Ramblin’ Man” Live 1981

Epiphany

 

I had a triple bypass level heart attack event in 2008, and in 2009/2010, had my arteries cleaned out and five stints inserted into three arteries including the LAD.  In 2021, I had an abnormal result on my nuclear stress test and a heart cath was performed that resulted in a pristine outcome.  

Ever since then, I have been experiencing extreme nausea and extreme dizziness and fainting while standing at the toilet.  These events happened once or twice a year.  Last Friday they happened several time, I ignored them because I felt better but on Saturday, I experienced this same scenario while sitting and went to the clinic...  the clinic sent me to the ER and the ER admitted me to the hospital for a stress test.  

The results were again abnormal, so in the hospital I remain until tomorrow, when I am having a heart cath performed.  They may find another pristine situation or they may insert another stint.  No doubt the Car4diologist will adjust the dosage of Metroprolol.

At 78, I have also been in ongoing treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (starting my 18th year in Jan 2026) and melanoma (starting my 14th year in Jan 2026), along with L2-L3-L4-L5-S1 being fused 3 years ago, needing a knee replacement, and rotator cuff issue on both shoulders.  

Getting old is NOT FUN.

But the point of all of this is that...  NO MORE...  will I worry and trying to accomplish something...  or try to impress my family... or think I should change my rebel ways or sarcasm.  I am who I am and that is not my problem.

It took me 78 years and some health issues to realize that...

Red Dress

 

Shannon Joy Show

 

The White House

 

Sarah Westall

 

CALENDAR

 Remember when?

Francis Scialabba


Check out these news stories and ask yourself, “Did it happen in 2024 or 2025?”Nvidia became the world’s most valuable company.
The Campbell Soup Company changed its name to The Campbell’s Company.
Lady Gaga released the song “Abracadabra.”
The Jo-Ann craft stores went out of business.
OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT version GPT-4o.
Warner Bros. Discovery stock hit its all-time low.
Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast jumped from Spotify to SiriusXM in a $125 million deal.
Charlie Javice, the former CEO of startup Frank, was convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and securities fraud.



It’s gone on to do it several times now, but Nvidia first became the world’s most valuable company in June 2024.
Out of a desire to be associated with more than soup, Campbell’s updated its name in November 2024.
“Abracadabra” was Gaga’s second single from her Mayhem album, released in March 2025.
Jo-Ann announced it was going out of business in February 2025, and most of the stores were closed by May 2025. RIP.
GPT-4o rolled out in May 2024, but we aren’t surprised if it was on your mind this year. OpenAI released GPT-5 in August 2025, but the backlash to it was fierce enough that OpenAI gave some users the opportunity to revert to 4o.
WBD hit its all-time low in June 2024. That feels like ancient history after this year’s bidding war to buy the company…
Cooper struck a three-year, $125 million deal with SiriusXM in 2024.
Javice was convicted in March 2025 and sentenced in September 2025 for defrauding JPMorgan.

READ MORE...

At A Glance

Why the New Year's Eve ball will drop twice this year in Times Square.

See the age distribution for people based on their names.

New York City subway system retires the MetroCard.

A Münter painting, missing since 1977.

How many life species exist on Earth?

Ranking the best video games of 2025.

... and some of the year's most heartwarming moments.

... and its most viral moments.

In partnership: The "It Card" of the New Year has arrived.*

Clickbait: One Italian town's first baby in 30 years.

... and want to see something cool? Surprise me.

Historybook: President Andrew Johnson born (1808); Texas becomes the 28th US state (1845); US Army kills over 250 Lakota people at Wounded Knee (1890); Actress Mary Tyler Moore born (1936); Soccer legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) dies (2022).

Robert Reich

Stephen Miller’s new bullshit about immigrants
Miller and his boss are now targeting Minnesota’s Somali community





Friends,

Trump’s chief bigot, Stephen Miller, said on Fox News this month that immigrants to the United States bring problems that extend through generations.

“With a lot of these immigrant groups, not only is the first generation unsuccessful,” Miller claimed. “You see persistent issues in every subsequent generation. So you see consistent high rates of welfare use, consistent high rates of criminal activity, consistent failures to assimilate.”

In fact, the data show just the opposite. The children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of most immigrants are models of upward mobility in America.

In a new paper, Princeton’s Leah Boustan, Stanford’s Ran Abramitzky, Elisa Jácome of Princeton, and Santiago Pérez of UC Davis used millions of father-son pairs spanning more than a century of U.S. history to show that immigrants today are no slower to move into the middle class than immigrants were a century ago.

In fact, no matter when their parents came to the U.S. or what country they came from, children of immigrants have higher rates of upward mobility than their U.S.-born peers.

READ MORE...

World

Politics were predictably unpredictable

Leon Neal/Getty Images


We asked a handful of geopolitical questions last year, and it wasn’t your strongest subject. If this were a test where you could earn partial credit, though, you’d likely fare okay, because your predictions and what actually happened weren’t far off.

You said: Mexico and Canada would get tariffs between 0% and 25%.

Only 7% of you said that President Trump would stick to his 25% tariff plan for our North American neighbors—and he did, technically. While 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada went into effect on March 4, within days, Trump walked back the plan and exempted goods that comply with a trade pact from his first term. The vast majority of goods from Canada and Mexico fall under the deal, which is up for review in July. However, according to the ReedSmith Tariff Tracker, Canada and Mexico ended up with some 10%, 25%, and 35% tariffs due to the countries’ perceived roles in fentanyl getting into the United States. It seems safe to say that no one foresaw how complicated this would get.

You said: The Donald Trump-Elon Musk bromance would not end.

Trump and Musk had a public breakup in June that started when Musk criticized Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. The argument escalated, with Trump posting on Truth Social that “Elon is wearing thin” and suggesting he’d pull subsidies from SpaceX and Tesla (though Trump later clarified that he did not want to “destroy” the companies). The duo has since smoothed things over, but they’re far less buddy-buddy following the feud, and it seems to have affected their political relationship, too. In November, Trump dissolved the Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE, Musk’s initiative to slash government spending.

You said: There would be ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine. and

The majority of you predicted there would be ceasefires in both Gaza and Ukraine this year. A ceasefire has not been reached between Russia and Ukraine. There is technically one in place between Gaza and Israel as part of a three-stage peace plan brokered by the US, but the United Nations reports that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and wounded “since the fragile ceasefire agreement came into effect in late October.”—JW

READ MORE...