Coming Of Age In The World Of Pay-Per-Minute Porn. A 2010 essay by Dave Pell. He’s not just talking about porn, but about the addictive quality of the whole internet, which has, of course, changed drastically since the essay was published. Still worth reading though.
“… the strange and fascinating creature known as the American teenager – as we now understand the species – came into being sometime in the early 1940s.” A 1944 LIFE magazine photo essay.
There is a time in the life of every American girl when the most important thing in the world is to be one of a crowd of other girls and to act and speak and dress exactly as they do. This is the teen age.
Los Angeles Rabbi Sharon Brous: Since Oct. 7, “many American Jews … understand themselves differently. There are people who have never stepped foot in a synagogue and who would never take their family vacation to Israel, who … are talking about being a part of this people in a way that even takes them by surprise. We have been changed by this moment.”
That describes how I’m thinking and feeling.
I’ve thought about this interview often and was surprised to see just now that it aired Nov. 17. So long ago? Can that be right?
… being a journalism grad student right now must feel like studying paleontology in the hopes that when you graduate you’ll find a job as a dinosaur.
— Rusty Foster, Today in Tabs, “What Are We Dune 2 Journalism?”
The This American Life podcast shares “a series of phone calls to a man in Gaza named Yousef Hammash, between early December and now. He talks about what he and his family are experiencing, sometimes as they are experiencing it.” This American Life
It’s easy to lose sight of humanity when the devastation in Gaza and suffering in Israel are related as cold numbers. But it’s heartbreaking to hear Hammash and his younger sister tell their stories matter-of-factly.
He tries to get his sisters to safety and finds himself
managing a camp of 60 people in Rafah, including his youngest sister, who is 8 months pregnant. Every day there’s talk that Israel will launch a ground assault in Rafah. Yousef and his sister make a plan for her to give birth safely, but it doesn’t go according to plan. And all 60 people in the family are looking to Yousef to tell them where they should go next and how to stay safe.
A friend reminds me of this scene from “Escape From the Planet of the Apes” (1971). Of course, Kim Hunter’s line delivery is very good, but I also love her earlier “Are you fucking kidding me?” face.
My friends and I were 10 years old when the movie came out. The ending slayed us.
And yes that is Ricardo Montalban.
“Does the other one talk?”
… instead of passing a privacy law or regulating data brokers, Americans get a sort of regulatory simulacrum designed to distract you. Most recently that popped up in the form of hysteria about TikTok privacy, as if TikTok’s privacy abuses aren’t a broader symptom of our corrupt failure to protect consumers from a vast and unaccountable network of ethics-optional surveillance and monetization.
The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending. Franklin Foer at The Atlantic with an in-depth report on the resurgence of anti-semitism on the right and the left.
I’m re-reading “Everybody’s Fool,” by Richard Russo (or, more precisely, listening to the audiobook). One of the heroes, Donald “Sully” Sullivan, is old, he has slowed down, he’s sick, and he’s disabled by injury. Sully is deeply flawed. But he’s still a better man than most and certainly better than the dimwitted, narcissistic villain.
The book was published in 2016, but it can be read as a political metaphor for the present day. That only just now occurred to me, more than halfway through my re-read of the 544-page book.
Are we dating the same guy? Facebook groups offer intel but upend lives [Brittany Shammas and Marisa Iati / The Washington Post]. Trial by gossip works well but fails badly.
What in Tarnation Is ‘Tarnation’ [Mental Floss]
I asked the AI-powered Perplexity search engine “Who is Mitch Wagner?”
Mitch Wagner is a versatile individual with various roles and achievements. He is known as a talented journalist and creative editor, as well as an athlete in CrossFit Games[1][2]. Wagner has been involved in the CrossFit community, showcasing his dedication to fitness and competition[3]. Additionally, he has had a successful career as a trial lawyer in San Diego, being involved in notable cases such as the 2007 wildfire litigation against San Diego Gas & Electric[4]. Wagner’s commitment to excellence is evident in his pursuits both in journalism and athletics.
Citations:
[1] www.linkedin.com/in/mitchw…
[2] games.crossfit.com/athlete/2…
[3] swolverine.com/blogs/ath…
[4] jcfsandiego.org/individua…
[5] www.bodybuilding.com/content/m…
Three people. Those are three different people, all named “Mitch Wagner.”
Minnie says good morning.
A Department of Veterans Affairs official tried to ban the famous Kiss photo, taken on VJ Day after World War II, from hanging in VA facilities because it “depicts a non-consensual act.” The department quickly rescinded the decision after predictable anti-woke shrieking. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2…
Cory Doctorow: Exxon CEO Darren Woods says the quiet part out loud: The problem with renewable energy sources is that they “don’t generate above-average returns for Exxon’s shareholders.” pluralistic.net/2024/03/0…
The sun generates virtually limitless and free energy, with much of it available in the form of wind and tides. And we’re already well under way to harnessing that energy.
On the other hand, fossil fuels and uranium are limited and expensive, so Exxon can make money on them.
If you sawed open my skull and examined my brain (and I’m not actually asking you to do this!), you would find that the portions devoted to writing, reading, drinking coffee and memes are huge, while everything else is shriveled raisins.
Here’s a nice house I saw while walking the dog.
