TouchStone Reads - February 27th, 2026

Phil Richmond & Doug Goodman - Feb 27, 2026

We often set aside articles that are longer, deserve a re-read, are broader in scope…or just for fun - for weekend reading. Below are some from this week - pour yourself a hot cup of coffee & enjoy... 

  • How to prepare for the next decade - by Scott Barker (TheWakeUpCall)

  • Last month, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a neuroscientist and educator, told Congress that for the first time since the 1800s, Gen Z is not as smart as previous generations were at their age. Specifically, Horvath said, Gen Z underperforms “on basically every cognitive measure” ranging from executive function, and literacy, to general IQ, memory, and attention skills. (YouTube) 

  • “I am always proud to wear the maple leaf. Canadians have the best players in the world, but this is sports. Sometimes the better team does not win. I’d rather be a Canadian with silver than an American with gold.” 

  • Netflix Calls Paramount’s Bluff (Spyglass)

  • Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt duke it out on a rooftop. This 15-second clip was created by Irish director Ruairi Robinson using Seedance 2.0 and scaring the hell out of Hollywood. (X)

  • Shawn Regan reports on the pitfalls of letting nature care for itself. (The Eco Modernist)

  • Dilbert Creator’s AI Resurrection Not So Comic for His Family: Scott Adams is being digitally resurrected via AI video (The Bulwark)

  • Look how much Canadians hate the United States now: It’s not just about the trade war. Nearly half of America’s neighbors to the north now think the U.S. is a bigger threat to world peace than Russia. Five charts showing the dramatic collapse in how Canadians view their southern neighbor. The damage to the relationship may be lasting. (Politico)

  • Worth a Watch: The Netflix movie, Queen of Chess, about Hungarian Judit Polgár, who became the world’s top female chess player and who beat Gary Kasparov at his own game. (YouTube)

  • Doc or Hot Docs fans alert - TVO is releasing a new lineup at the end of the month. TV Worth supporting. (TVO)

  • The giant void of nothingness where US financial regulation used to sit (Source: Financial Times)

What are you reading or listening to?