Hello, hello, from the edge of hell. Lots to read this week because, the world.
Here are links to my latest, new essays, Daily Posts from the archives, March 24-28, in case you missed them, and some interesting articles from around the internet. You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Please note that I am no longer accepting new “friends” on FB, and culling my list there: I only add new people if I know them in real life. You can, however, use the “follow” option—this simply means you can follow my postings, but won’t be able to respond directly on my wall (you can, however, use any one of a number of emoticons, depending on how you feel!).
NEW WORK!
Missing: On Terror and Kidnappings
On George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, and That Grill
FROM THE ARCHIVES!
Support Your Media, Or Watch It Die
On Titan, Migrants, and Mourning
Travel, Passports, and the Differences between Expats and Immigrants
Last week’s new essay:
First They Came for the Criminals
As always: If you like this, please consider supporting my work. Money is tight for all/most of us, I know, but anything is a help—that includes sharing links to my work.
ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB!
Jeffrey Goldberg, who found himself “accidentally” added to a Signal group war chat, is no journalist hero. Here’s Stephen Prager’s excellent “Jeffrey Goldberg Betrayed Journalism” in Current Affairs.
And here’s more on Golberg’s actual history as a “journalist,” in FAIR, by Adam Johnson.
This Democracy Now episode on Elon Musk’s South African roots, with Chris McGreal, is worth a watch.
Also on DN, this episode on Yemen, with Safa Al Ahmad and Branko Marcetic is a good primer, and also explains why so much of the mainstream coverage of the Signal matter misses the point.
I’ve long been planning an essay on how the elite media paved the way for Trump, and here’s Ari Paul in FAIR, writing about exactly that.
Nate Bear, who is very good on the ongoing nature of the Covid pandemic, also wrote about liberal media.
For all its claims, “The Right Doesn’t Actually Care about Antisemitism,” as Stephen Prager points out in Current Affairs.
Bernie Sanders and AOC are on some Oligarchy Tour. The actual title is “Fighting Oligarchy,” sure, but, please, this is a joke. Here’s Margaret Kimberly over at the Black Agenda Report with a critique.
If you’re going to talk about universities as agents of destructive capitalism, you should read Davarian Baldwin’s book In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Universities Are Plundering Our Cities.
“The Problem with Work,” by Lily Sánchez, explains that “Work is burdensome, and labor is exploitative. Life is what’s left over.”
Steven Thrasher has been denied tenure at Northwestern; you can sign a petition supporting him here.
The Chicago National Public Housing Museum is open!
This is the story behind that glorious Aretha Franklin poster.
And here is Franklin with “Ain’t No Way.” (Lyrics by Carolyn Franklin.)
These are scary times, and we’ll need to be strong. Do what you must, dearies, to take care of yourselves. Ice cream works. Cuddle your cats. Ask your friends what they need. Talk to your friends. Watch a rom-com (Bridget Jones is always worth it). Make sure you are getting what you need.
Here’s last week’s Update. And you can find all my previous Updates here.
I’ll see you next week.
If you like this, please consider supporting my work.
Image: Milton Glaser, “Aretha,” lithograph, 1968.
