The One and Only Flower in the World [#70]
Moshi Moshi,
Just got back from rainy Tokyo where every Japanese friend I invited made it out for a night at a non-smoking izakaya + Big Echo (karaoke) so I am feeling uplifted. In addition to the SMAP hit in today's subject line, someone whipped out 'Return of the Mack' (don't you know)!
Reading
Summer of rage. How to be more straightforward. How to grill every cut of steak. An illustrated guide to Chinese baos. Fewer births than deaths among American whites. The unmatched Rebecca Solnit weighs in on a changing America. The population isn't the same as the electorate, and that's a problem. The dumpster fire that is American foreign policy right now. Shame used to be powerful in politics, not anymore. A lovely obit for a gunned down newsman. A reminder — don't feed trolls, even the main one. The questions journalists should be asking. Charts that show how much alone time is in our future. 36 questions to ask before having a kid. This disastrous situation at Univision is truly disappointing. A look back at Aerosmith's Alicia Silverstone trilogy. 29lb cat Chubbs found a home! A fix for weird tans. I'm totally down with "getting washed."
Werk Werk Werk
A dispatch from Jeju Island with stranded Yemeni refugees. Pompeo's not-so-great weekend in Pyongyang.
Watching/Listening
The Radiolab series on reproduction, featuring an episode called "Fronads," is a fun listen. Paul McCartney's carpool karaoke made me so happy. Think through Donald Trump counter-factuals for a change. This might go down as the summer that everyone was talking about Nanette, the Hannah Gadsby special. If you have been under a sumo wrestler's armpit and haven't watched it yet, it starts out like any comedy special but takes a turn at about 20 minutes in and then becomes a powerful indictment of what it is to be an "other."
Stay tuned for the next newsletter, as I'll actually have life news!
Domo,
Elise
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