- Check out L’ Arc de Triomphe, wrapped in recyclable polypropylene fabric, and executed according to the 1961 plans of the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. (Kottke)
- I am in love with America’s oldest park ranger Betty Reid Soskin, who just turned 100 and is a real pip. (NY Times)
- Here’s the trailer for the The tragedy of MacBeth, which is directed by Joel Coen and stars Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, among others. (Kottke)
- This week’s episode of Everything is Fine is all just me and Jenn talking about our respective decisions to have or not have kids, and boy do we get brutally frank. (Apple Podcasts)
- This footage of flamingos eating underwater is weirdly soothing. (Kottke)
- Like many people, I was engrossed by the story of the disappearance of Gaby Petito—here’s a smart piece on why cops shouldn’t handle all domestic violence calls. And this piece—about how infinitely much more press Petito’s disappearance has garnered than the over 400 indigenous women who’ve gone missing in Wyoming between 2011 and 2020—is really sobering. (The Cut, Reuters)
- Here are the highs, lows, and everything in between at Sunday night’s Emmy awards. (Vulture)
- Dr Alan Braid on why he violated Texas’s horrifying abortion ban. We need more heroes like him. (Washington Post)
- An affecting piece on the author’s friendship with Kurt Cobain. (New Yorker)
- This cracked me up. (Gawker)
I guess what bothers me the most about the Gabby Petito case is how all the signs were there and so many people did nothing to veer her from this disastrous path. From her family and friends, who never said “What the hell do you mean you’re going car camping all summer with your boyfriend who you fight with all the time?” to the cops who didn’t put either she or her boyfriend in jail to cool off a few days when they were caught in a very emotional fight, to the boyfriend’s parents who are hiding him now. Pretty girls are prey and still resented for their looks and that’s messed up.
What bother me the most about it was that I fell for the click bait, and more than once.
I don’t know Mae. I too am bothered by seeing all the red flags that could have prompted someone, anyone, to intervene but I don’t think pretty girls have it harder or are greatly impacted by resentment. As a pretty girl myself, the mother, aunt, and friend of many beautiful girls, in general I think our lives are easier – people want to be our friends, help us, hire us etc. Unfortunately all girls are prey – especially those who live in communities without as much stability as most white American girl’s communities. The articles Kim linked to touch on this aspect. This horrifying case seems to strike such a chord with so many people because Gabby wasn’t protected by her prettiness, her whiteness, her youth, and access. If she can’t avoid this fate, who can?
Amen, Rae. Not to mention that none of us looking in from outside have any idea what Gabby’s family, friends, etc. told her about her relationship. You can show concern until you’re blue in the face, but it doesn’t mean the woman who’s being abused is going to leave. If only it were that easy.
Gawker is back?
I know, right?
Dear Kim, the Dear Prudie article gave me so much joy. Thank you!
Somehow my brain read “flamingos eating underwear” and I’m ok with that. 🙂
Ha! My brain did the same.
Thank you for linking to the New Yorker story, Kim.
Particularly good group of links today. There are so many weird, crazy and truly horrifying things going on right now I sometimes wonder if humanity will survive. I don’t want to turn away from any of it, but I do sometimes need flamingos eating underwater, imagining a new cardigan or spending thirty minutes watching an episode of Mary Tyler Moore. Thank goodness for this community of feisty funny GOACA. Hope everyone has some joy in their weekend.
…or underwear.
Should leave this on your podcast page but it was so good this week as always and it validated a lot of what I feel as a parent. Thank you for that.