November 30, 2019
Stories of contact retold in music
how Indigenous songs recount deep histories of trade between Australia and Southeast Asia. An essay by Aaron Corn for The Conversation on how historic contacts between the Yolŋu of Arnhem Land, Australia, and the peoples of island South-East Asia are retold in music, law and ritual.
"It’s Mommy’s friend, Fred"
There’s a lot of talk about Mister Rogers these days. The release of the new feature film with Tom Hanks has prompted renewed discussion about Rogers’s kindness, his groundbreaking approach to children’s programming, about how all of us of a certain age associate him with a gentler, simpler time. But intertwined with all of the current chatter is the implied message that the original “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” series, while loved and appreciated by adults, is part of a bygone era and would never (ever!) fly with today’s iPad-loving, Fortnite-obsessed youth. I discovered just how wrong that assumption is. WaPo | non-WaPo
'So passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion,' said Gandalf
Modern midden: one person's trash is another's history book
On the county, state, and national levels, wilderness parks are often beloved for their natural wonders: handsome trees, cantilevered rock formations, shrinking glaciers—and not the things that people leave behind in them. But over time, many park staffers have found themselves caretakers of this historic debris. The older stuff strewn around can be a window into understanding a landscape and how people have used it. That’s how a couple dozen decades-old bottles and cans came to be cultural heritage objects in the custody of Fire Island staff. Sometimes Trash Is Treasured in America’s National Parks -- Bottles, cans, and more can reveal a long history of industry, recreation, and shenanigans. Similarly: Along the Remains of Route 66, Road Trip Trash Has Become Treasure -- Welcome to the “throw zone.” (Atlas Obscura x2) [more inside]
Was the oldest woman in the world a fraud?
Or was she really Jeanne Calment? Or was she really Yvonne Calment? -- Or was a young Russian researcher on to something? -- Or was he a troll? -- Or was this all a matter of French national myth? -- Or was this a con? -- Or was this about the honor of Arles as a city? -- Or were suspicious gerontologists on to something?-- Or was this all an attack on Western science?
Meanwhile, on a Canadian escalator
Ten years after Bela Kosoian refused to hold the handrail on an escalator, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that police officers have a professional responsibility to act reasonably and know the law. The officer who arrested Kosoian is personally liable for half of the $20,000 award for damages, even though he acted in good faith and in accordance with his training. [more inside]
“But it’s the memories that matter.”
In 1969, a group of boys played a Thanksgiving football game. 50 years later, they're still at it. [The Journal Times] “The actual competition is totally secondary. It’s all about some old friends gathering for an hour or so, keeping a tradition alive and needling the heck out of each other during games that have ranged from lively to virtually lifeless. As Botzau, a Racine attorney, points out, “Depending on the weather and schedules, participation in the game has ranged from eight to 28 players. Games have been played in weather ranging anywhere from two feet of snow to 50 degrees. Participants have included teachers, lawyers, accountants, X-ray technicians, basketball referees and city bus drivers. Sideline and end zone markers typically consist of empty milk jugs and cardboard boxes.””
Reducing carbon emissions brick by brick
Cement has a carbon problem. Here are some concrete solutions. By Maddie Stone.
Little Joe Sure Can Sing
You may know Joe Pesci as an actor (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Lethal Weapon, The Irishman, etc.) but his main career & interests had always been as a singer and musician. At 16, he was friends with Frankie Valli and in 1959 had a hand in the formation of the Four Seasons. In 1968 he put up a collection of pop songs covers. After My cousin Vinny, came an album by Vincent LaGuardia Gambini (NSFW). His new album of evergreens just dropped yesterday.
Much more about it at this Esquire article from today. [more inside]
You Can’t Fire Mark Zuckerberg’s Kid’s Kids
One formerly esoteric aspect of the financial side of Silicon Valley has seen a lot of press in the past few months is the dual-tier stock structure - a system where the founders of a company are granted a special tier of stock that grants them greater voting power, often allowing them to maintain full control of the company votewise with only a minority stake. However, thanks to high profile cases like WeWork and Facebook illustrating the dangers of such systems and how they render leadership untouchable, there has been growing criticism of the practice. Re/Code's Kara Swisher, writing for the New York Times, lays out why the practice continues to endure, even now - the dual-tier structure works - until it doesn't. (SLNYT)
Tales From the Rural North
Rural Michigan is ailing. For years, people have been leaving small towns and moving to urban areas, seeking opportunity in cities with more people, more jobs, more excitement. And the places they leave behind get smaller every year.The Detroit Free Press presents a five-part series about life in rural northern Michigan. The first three:
Her husband's sudden death left her to run struggling U.P. motel — and she can't walk away
Polka, bingo and fish fries are slowly saving VFW post in Michigan's U.P.
How unique Michigan schoolhouse with 6 students has survived 113 years
Just motoriking along …
On October 22, 2011 Michael Rother, Camera and Dieter Moebius appeared together at the HBC in Berlin. Video artist Christian Garcia has posted a 26-minute clip of the jam on the web. [more inside]
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