What gives: 1. Jews murdered by a jihadi father-son duo in Australia that seriously wounded many people, including my friend @Ostrov_A (thinking of you, brother). 2. Students at @BrownUniversity were murdered in a class being taught by Rachel Friedberg, a Jewish professor who leads the school's Judaic Studies program. 3. A Jewish professor of nuclear physics at M.I.T. was murdered in his home today. 4. Orthodox Jews in New York were violently assaulted on the subway. 5. Violent Palestinian protestors disrupted a peaceful Hanukkah celebration in Amsterdam. Dozens were arrested after police had to physically surround families celebrating the holiday to protect them. 6. A Jewish family in California had their home hit by gunfire because they had Hanukkah decorations up. One of the criminals shouted, "Free Palestine." 7. An Islamic terrorist attack has been foiled in Poland at a Christmas market. 8. An Islamic terrorist attack has been foiled in Germany at a Christmas market. 9. A Palestinian terrorist attack was foiled in California. 10. France has cancelled its NYE celebrations because of the terrorist threat level. 11. Canada's Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre has said that a terrorist attack in Canada is now "a realistic possibility." I've been studying terrorism for 20 years, and I've never seen things this bad. The West is under attack – full stop. The question now is, what the hell are we going to do about it?

There is a difference between tolerance and secretly hating someone, tolerance requires breaking the silence or ice, and requires your faith in humanity. And I suspect I am speaking to some actual people who need this message.

Yes, some away from home spots must be gaining attentionYes, a fascinating "Third-Place Revival" is actively happening, but the new spaces gaining massive attention look completely different than the dark bars or quiet cafes of the 1991–2011 era.Instead of passive spaces where you just sit and consume a product, the away-from-home spots booming right now are built entirely around shared activities and low-pressure physical participation. People are looking for connection, but they want a reason to be in the room together.Several specific away-from-home spots are commanding a massive wave of cultural attention:1. Activity-First Social ClubsThe Run Club Boom: Organized run clubs and walking groups have completely transformed into the "new bar scene". Platforms like Strava reported that new club creations nearly quadrupled recently, turning exercise into a primary venue for low-stakes mingling and post-workout socializing.Board Game Cafes: Places like Sip & Play in Brooklyn or Game Point in Nashville are surging. Having a physical board game on the table lowers the social anxiety of talking to strangers; the activity provides an immediate, built-in conversation piece.2. Wellness Spaces as Nightlife AlternativesThe Cold Plunge Culture: Wellness centers and bathhouses like Othership are exploding as alcohol-free alternatives to the weekend bar. Instead of drinking in a dark lounge, groups of people are gathering late into the night for structured sauna, breathwork, and ice bath circuits.Experiential Grocery Socials: Grocery stores built to encourage lingering are trending heavily as neighborhood hangouts. Local, independent, and high-end grocers are embedding tasting bars, private chef pop-ups, and cooking classes right into the shopping aisles, turning the weekly errand into a social event.3. The "Silent" and Independent Bookstore ResurgenceThe Barnes & Noble Rebound: Once left for dead by the internet, Barnes & Noble is opening dozens of new stores because people are craving the tactile act of physical browsing and discovery alongside other humans.Silent Book Clubs: Local bookshops are seeing packed houses for "Silent Book Clubs". People show up to a cafe or bar, read their own physical books in companionable silence for an hour, and then grab a drink and chat afterward. It provides the perfect balance of a digital detox with built-in community.