* “Israel Proves the Desalination Era is Here: One of the driest countries on earth now makes more freshwater than it needs,” an important point and one I didn’t realize.

* “J.D. Vance and the Anger of the White Working Class: The author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ on his tough upbringing, his new life as one of the ‘elites’ and what communities can do to help.”

* The New York Post and others have dug up nude Melania Trump photos from the ’90s, which I won’t link directly to though they can be easily found; the better media responses have observed that a) there’s nothing wrong with nude photos and b) you shouldn’t attack candidates for their spouses’ non-relevant pasts. Both are true, but many people who identify as Republic likely disagree with them, which is part of the reason the story gets so much play: It reveals hypocrisy.

* “How to Write a Novel,” amusing throughout and it seems that many quality authors use many different systems (or lack of systems). There is not one route to good end product.

* Mark Manson: “Is It Just Me, Or Is the World Going Crazy?”

* In good news, “Court Rules Former Columbia Student Suspended for Alleged Rape Can Sue for Anti-Male Bias.”

* Oliver Sacks: “Me and My Hybrid,” from 2005, and his points still stand today.

* “The big puzzle in economics today: why is the economy growing so slowly?” Likely to be of interest to politically interested people even if they don’t care for economics in general.