One thing Monty Python’s @JohnCleese said has stuck with me: “If you’re constantly stopping to ask whether an idea might offend someone, you’ve already interrupted the creative process.” Getting to talk to him was a real treat.

Kat Tenbarge, the former NBC reporter turned feminist newsletter writer, who is among the far-left accounts who fled X for the progressive Bluesky bubble after the Elon takeover on X and Trump’s second victory, proclaims victory over her X adversaries. “You lost!” she trumpets.

For the cover of the September issue, I wrote about why I left Bates College, the tenure track, and academia entirely. Come for the attempted lynching, stay for the union-busting, decolonial chemistry, and soft rabbits.

I’ve invited these senior figures associated with @GoodLawProject to a public discussion of their organization’s support for Jason Arday. Specifically, the decision to publish the open letter framing the plagiarism allegations as a right-wing smear: Jo Maugham Siham Bortcosh Ben Whur Rupert Evans Mathew Lodge Susan Morgan Justin Walters Antonia Belcher Sahil Kher

Wow: Judge Pauses Rollout of N.Y.C. Second-Home Tax, Dealing Blow to Mamdani A group of homeowners had sued the city, arguing that the introduction of the tax was mishandled. After the judge issued an order pausing the rollout, the city said it would appeal. Gift link:

Jason Arday’s memoir drops tomorrow in the US. It is not selling well. It was number 8,000 on the Amazon ranking two days ago and now is number 11,982. It is, however, number 298 in on the Success Self Help chart.

Jason Arday Apparently Plagiarized His Memoir Title and Origin Story From the TV Show 'Spartacus' You can't make this up: The title of the apparent fabulist's memoir is the same as an episode of the TV show, and the book includes quotes from prophets that are similar to dialogue from the show.

British TV Show Rewarded Jason Arday After Being Told Tales of His Fundraising in 2012 I have obtained this recording of a 2012 episode of the British TV show "Surprise Surprise." In it, Jason Arday's then-partner, later wife Debbie McKenzie tells the host he didn't learn to read until 16; Arday has long claimed he was 18, but doesn't correct her on the show. She also claims he, at 27, had raised £250,000. We now know this is almost certainly false. Asked by the host why he does such nice things for people, a bashful Arday says: "There's people that do amazing things day in and day out, and I'm just fortunate enough that I'm surrounded by people who appreciate it." To reward what almost certainly were falsehoods on Arday's part (it is unclear whether McKenzie knew he had not raised all that money), the TV show pledged to send him to New York to watch the marathon (which was canceled that year due to Hurricane Sandy). They also sent him to see Andy Murray play and to meet the tennis legend. One might argue that by receiving material goods in exchange for falsehoods, Arday had committed fraud. Murray later marveled over Arday's story to the Guardian, in particular Arday's claim, likely false, that he ran the last 10 marathons with a hairline fracture in his leg. In the mid-2010s, Arday applied for a university job. I obtained his application, in which he claimed that Murray supported his fundraising. I asked a representative for Murray if this were true and they said they had no record of the quote tweet.

I’m covering the Jason Arday story for the Washington Free Beacon. I’m looking for anyone who ever knew him as a child or had contact with him through academia. Please DM me on X, write me on Signal at Benryan.23 or email me via this contact form:

John McWhorter On Jason Arday: Cambridge "chose a black person with no concern for excellence." Simon & Schuster "should have pity on someone who looks so ridiculous and incompetent." I spoke with @NYTOpinion columnist and @Columbia linguist John McWhorter @JohnHMcWhorter for my @FreeBeacon article about Simon & Schuster's 11th-hour edits to his memoir: Benjamin Ryan: Is there anything you could say that would speak to this question of Arday’s suitability for the rigors of academia, and in particular those demanded of a professor at an elite institution? John McWhorter: It is revoltingly common for black academics to be received as if their mere presence is more important than what they actually have to contribute to general discussion. Arday was a classic example. BR: Given what you’ve long said about affirmative action, what does this Greek tragedy of a tale tell us about what this system of preferential admissions, hiring and promotion has done to the overall integrity of academia? JM: It's a perfect example of how the Latinate term "Affirmative Action" is a euphemism for lowering standards. It wasn't that Cambridge resisted some general tendency to only see excellence in whites. They chose a black person with no concern for excellence. In truth, they consider black people cognitively inferior. BR: How has Arday’s precipitous fall harmed academia and harmed other black academics, who might have to live in this man’s shadow? JM: I'm not sure he is significant in that way. Ardays are sadly common in academia. Not as extreme as him, but anyone in the humanities or social sciences can't help noticing that black people are admitted under different standards. No one is encountering this for the first time in him. BR: What does it say that 11th-hour edits suggest that the publisher knew that there were brewing questions about Arday’s academic integrity and personal honesty and sought to mitigate how much the book could contribute to those accusations? JW: That they have not cancelled the book dehumanizes Arday. They should have pity on someone who looks so ridiculous and incompetent. It looks like they figure if it's a black person it's "understandable." That's about a millimeter from outright bigotry.