Here are links to my Daily Posts from the archives, in case you missed them, and some interesting articles. You can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Links!
My new essay for the week, “Sally Mann Is Not That Interesting.” She really, really isn’t.
“Are Private Prisons Really the Problem?”
“Saints Alive!: The Left Wags Its Finger, And Nothing Changes”
Elsewhere on the Web!
Yes, that thing happened, and I’m not sure this country will recover from it. I’ll find and post anything really interesting that people might write, next week.
“We Should Be Neither ‘Anti-Natalist’ nor ‘Pro-Natalist,’” by Nathan J. Robinson, about Elizabeth Bruenig’s ghastly Atlantic article. Have you subscribed yet?
Bruenig is a staunch anti-abortionist who masquerades as some kind of leftist (if you follow my work, you know I believe that there can be no compromise on abortion, if one is on the left). Jude Doyle’s essay “What We Talk About When We Talk About Elizabeth Bruenig” is worth a read.
Gene Hackman has died, along with his wife and one of his dogs. One of my very favourite actors. He was, of course, excellent in The French Connection and The Conversation, and so many others, but I think my favourite performance of his is in the The Firm.
Lily Sánchez reminds us that “The Left Needs to Move Beyond Bernie Sanders.” Seriously.
Some people decided to protest the cuts at the Kennedy Center with interpretive dance. I’m reminded of that moment in Aliens, when the soldiers are ordered not to use their guns, and one of them responds, “What the hell are we supposed to use, man, harsh language?”
Or interpretive dance. You could try interpretive dance in times like these.
This LRB podcast conversation on Abbamania, between Chal Ravens and Thomas Jones is excellent, situating the band in its cultural, social, and political contexts. I had already read Ravens’ article, and I was surprised at how much more I learnt from this episode.
Conan O’Brien will be hosting the Oscars, and I can’t wait. The Oscars are a notoriously hard gig—but if anyone can make it work, it’s the guy who did this on Hot Ones.
And speaking of Manatees, a reminder that I once played an expert on these wondrous creatures, for the Manatee Facts Podcast.
In case you missed it, here’s last week’s Update. You can find all of them here.
It’s a rough world out there. Hold your cats and your friends close to you, talk to them in real life and time, watch something you like. Here’s “Super Trouper.” I will see you next week.
Image: Martin Behrendt on Unsplash
