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CURIOUSMINDS
A weekly serving of great articles we curate, and original content we produce. So, all you have to do is pick, read, watch and listen. |
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Issue #203 - November 2025
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Stories from Around the World that Affect Us |
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What the Dutch Election Says About the Future of Europe
Fortress Liberalism is on the rise.
There is perhaps no country in the world more liberal than the Netherlands. A commercial republic since the sixteenth century, it became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage and euthanasia in the early 2000s. Abortion and psychedelics are available, and of the major countries in Europe, the Netherlands is the least religious. On the surface, the country’s October 2025 election was a reaffirmation of its liberal character: after the collapse of a right-wing cabinet, the progressive D66 party—led by 38-year-old Rob Jetten—tied for first place and now seems poised to take the country back toward its liberal tradition.
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 240 charged with treason after Tanzania election
BBC (Politics)
A Tanzanian court has charged at least 240 people with treason following last week's deadly election protests. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the election with 98% of the vote, but the opposition - which was barred from contesting - denounced the poll as a sham. Security forces clashed with those protesting against the vote and, according to various sources, hundreds were killed. The authorities have downplayed the scale of the violence and maintained the election was free and fair. Many people were arrested and have now been charged with treason at a court in the economic capital of Dar es Salaam. They were not been asked to enter a plea in court.
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 Thousands of flights cancelled or delayed in US
BBC (Travel)
The parent company of British Airways, International Airlines Group (IAG), says it is seeing a "softness" in demand for flights to the US.
International flights are technically not covered by the FAA's order to reduce service, but that doesn’t mean there are no potential knock on effects.
Airports have been grappling with air traffic controller shortages, who are either calling in sick or taking side jobs as they work without pay during the federal government shutdown.
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John Steinbeck’s Forgotten Masterpiece
Literature
The hardest state for a human being to sustain is that of open-endedness. We may know that uncertainty is the crucible of creativity, we may know that uncertainty is the key to democracy and good science, and yet in our longing for certainty we keep propping ourselves up from the elemental wobbliness of life on the crutch of opinion. Few things are more seductive to us than a ready opinion, and we brandish few things more flagrantly as we move through the world, slicing through its fundamental uncertainty with our insecure certitudes.
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Populism in the UK, Threats to Free Speech, and the Future of the Middle East Yascha Mounk Politics |
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In this week’s episode of The Good Fight Club, Yascha Mounk is joined by Fraser Nelson, Helen Joyce, and Shashank Joshi to discuss the global fallout from the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the different ways free speech is under attack in the United Kingdom and the United States, and the future of Israel’s war in Gaza. Image by Leonardo |
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Quote of The Week
If you live in a country where suicide is a criminal offence, be sure to make a good job of it.
- James King -
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Top Stories from our favourite publications to stimulate your curious mind, |
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Intellectual Authority
The intellectual legitimacy of an idea partially depends on whether it is proposed by someone with intellectual authority. Intellectual authority is a personal reputation. It reflects not only perceived expertise, but perceived pro-social orientation of the individual. Intellectual authority rests with people who are seen as possessing good intellectual judgement that is not only technically correct, but also takes into account social and political factors.
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Liberalism As Mob Boss
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Translating Baudelaire
Everyone agrees that modern poetry in France—and therefore in Europe—starts with Charles Baudelaire. But no agrees on why. His successors, Arthur Rimbaud and Stéphane Mallarmé, are each in their own way more patently radical, and the same is true of his American contemporary Walt Whitman. How modern do you have to be to be a modern?
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The Island Where People Go to Cheat Death
In a pop-up city off the coast of Honduras, longevity startups are trying to fast-track anti-aging drugs. Is this the future of medical research? In July 2024, I flew to a pop-up city named Vitalia that aimed to “make death optional.” Situated in the heart of a special economic zone on Roatan, a Honduran island, Vitalia advertised itself as a place to fast-track drug research outside of America’s burdensome regulatory constraints.
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How Not to Waste Your Life
THE MARGINALIAN (Philosophy)
“Let me not seem to have lived in vain,” the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe whispered on his deathbed, not realizing that the astronomical tables he was leaving behind would become the portal through which Kepler arrives at the laws of planetary motion; not realizing that the measure of an unwasted life is not what outlives it but how it was lived — how much integrity and authenticity and creative vitality filled these numbered days, these unrepeatable hours.
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We All Live in a Village Now
YASCHA MOUNK (Literature/Social Media)
Over the past month, my mind has kept going back to one of the most trivial, and perhaps also one of the most profound, internet scandals of recent times. You remember the scene: A camera at a Coldplay concert is showing audience members enjoying the show, with lead singer Chris Martin making a few friendly comments about each fan. The camera cuts to an attractive middle-aged couple in the midst of a cute embrace, with the man holding the woman from behind as they sway to the music. Then the couple spots the Jumbotron, and a perfectly choreographed series of panicked actions unfolds. The woman, shocked, covers her face, and turns away from the camera. The man dives to his left, out of the camera’s view...
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UPGRADE to PAID
CURIOUSMINDS content and opinions contain important information curated from reliable sources. We rely on reader support to keep it FREE. We want it to reach as many people as possible. If you value what we do and would like to help us sustain it, please consider a small monthly or annual contribution. Contributing subscribers get full access to all James King Publications including archives of CURIOUSMINDS, and a valuable BONUS: FREE ebook versions of all James King’s published books.Click - View them at Amazon · Donate via the - Choose a subscription plan - page. If you are not a subscriber already - Go to the Welcome page |
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James King Blog offers valuable resources for students of Arts and Humanities. Particularly those interested in Environments, Literature, Performing Arts, Visual Art, Philosophy, Travel, and Human Rights. The articles provide insights into complex interactions between humans and their environments, and the ethical and moral dimensions of environmental issues. The Blog is relevant to students of all ages and those who are just fascinated by the Arts and Humanities. |
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 Human Rights Concepts – Facts Revealed in a Valuable Overview
Human rights concepts are principles that promote and protect the intrinsic equality between human beings, regardless of background, race, or nationality. The concept of human rights provides individuals with freedom and protection, to safeguard them from harm and enabling them to live with dignity. |
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FREE BOOKS198 Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense FreebiesThis Promo Closes between 17 and 30 November Thriller authors join forces in joint promotion campaigns to introduce themselves to readers. You can download as many books as you like.
I hope you find plenty to entertain you. CLICK THE BANNER BELOW TO VIEW THE PROMO - AND GRAB AS MANY BOOKS AS YOU WANT |
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ALFIE GOES TO THAILAND - SERIES
If you like thought-provoking drama, romantic tragedies, and damaged characters, then you’ll love the tropical sauna and wry humour of POST- IT NOTES and the other books in this Psychological Thriller series. The Series is a story of human challenge, manipulation, rejection, abuse, and a search for peace. |
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THE KENRIGHT CHRONICLES - SERIES
The Kenright Chronicles is a psychological thriller series. Jack Kenright, a young investment banker gets involved in an international art swindle. which cripples his business and threatens his life and his family. He ends up a recluse, working for the FBI undercover and exposes massive corruption in the gambling world. |
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Revolver RoadBy Christi Daugherty
Crime reporter Harper McClain is back on the beat when a troubled musician vanishes in Christi Daugherty's Revolver Road.
Even in the chill of February, no place touches Harper McClain's heart like Savannah. She should be walking beneath the historic city's towering oaks, surrounded by graceful mansions. Instead, she's hiding miles away on Tybee Island after a mysterious voice on the phone warned her that someone wanted her dead. The call was too specific to ignore. The caller knew everything about her. |
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The Evening NewsBy Arthur Hailey
Terrorists target a TV anchorman and his family in the #1 New York Times–bestselling author's novel set in the high-pressure network news industry.
Anchorman Crawford Sloane, a respected reporter who made his name as a Vietnam War correspondent, thrives on the unpredictability of life in the newsroom. Whether he's covering the imminent crash of an airliner in distress, terror in South America, or riots in Eastern Europe, or dealing with the cold-blooded politics of one of America's premier news organizations, he never loses his cool.
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Substack - Creative Xellence -
Join us at Creative Xellence where we are building a home for James King's Poetry, Short Stories and serialised Novels. Subscribe for Free and you will be notified of new content and recieve the Newsletter.
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Medium
At Medium we curate high value informative articles related to A&H from major publishers and authoratative sources. And we publish a smattering of selected articles from James King Blog and articles written by James King for Medium Publications.
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