More good news for those looking to exit Meta's social app ecosystem in favor of a more open alternative: An independent developer is building a

When I first encountered Albert Camus’ Lyrical and Critical Essays I certainly trembled with delight, but the deep frisson I felt was caused by recognition. Here was a writer who boldly declared “I love life too much not to be selfish.” As I am always on the lookout for beauty, when he wrote, “Every beautiful thing has a natural pride in its own beauty,” I was hooked. In each essay, lyrical and critical, Camus opens wide to any subject with vulnerability, humility, grace, and wisdom. He believed in the balance of freedom with justice, and that love is our duty in life.

“Romantic Poet,” by Diane Seuss, is one of the best things that our critic A.O. Scott read (and reread) this year.

Seventy-four-year-old Gerry Connolly was picked to lead the House Oversight Committee over Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who embodies the kind of generational change that the party is sorely in need of.