Extra, Extra
A Place in the Sun: “People in Hermosillo are used to the heat: Enduring scorching temperatures is a local point of pride in this northwestern Mexican city known for its blistering weather and nicknamed the ‘city of sun.'” But even folks from the city of sun aren’t ready for the shade being thrown by humanity’s current forecast. NYT (Gift Article): What 120 Degrees Looks Like in One of Mexico’s Hottest Cities.
+ Cluster F-ck? “The move will likely trigger outrage from some allies and humanitarian groups that have long opposed the use of cluster bombs.” Why the US is willing to send Ukraine cluster munitions now. And from Vox: Why cluster bombs would be different from other US weapons sent to Ukraine. (It’s interesting to contrast what western allies hand-wring about vs what Putin does without a second thought.)
+ Guantá-nomo: “These men are all survivors of torture, a unique crime under international law, and in urgent need of care. Torture breaks a person, it is intended to render them helpless and powerless so that they cease to function psychologically, and in my conversations both with current and former detainees I observed the harms it caused.” US must urgently treat men tortured at Guantánamo, UN investigator says.
+ Zombie King: “Threads is here. It’s Twitter, but on Instagram. If that makes sense to you, we’re sorry, and also, you are the target audience for Threads: people who like to publish text posts on the internet but say they have ~worries~ (with tildes, just like that) about Elon Musk, the billionaire-king who now owns the bird app. Threads might bring excitement, even hope to those who have benefited from posting short bits of online text to the world—journalists, influencers, white nationalists, brands, et al. But those feelings may be misguided. Social media cannot become good again, because we will not let it evolve. It can merely live and die over and over, like a zombie.” Zombie Twitter Has Arrived. I covered the launch of Threads yesterday in, Better of Thread. It’s a lot bigger today. Because I am one of the sick, addicted zombies, you can find me here.
+ Speak Again: “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is the third album—and the halfway point—in Taylor Swift’s re-recording project. The 33-year-old pop star began releasing re-recordings of her back catalog in 2021 in an effort to reclaim her original music, after her initial label Big Machine Records sold her masters to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2019.” And Taylor’s versions are selling like crazy. Taylor Swift Is Halfway Through Her Rerecording Project. It’s Paid Off Big Time.
+ You Had Me at Underwear: Phones, bracelets, sex toys, teddy bears, someone’s ashes? What’s with the latest trend of idiots throwing things at artists onstage?
+ Dragon Sayer:“If a language offers clues to the culture of its speakers, then the experience of learning Game of Thrones’s High Valyrian on Duolingo conjures visions of a bustling historic civilisation in which owls stalk the skies, magic abounds, and the spectre of death forever haunts the imaginations of the living. You learn to say ‘The woman is sweating’ before that most basic greeting, ‘Hello.’ An incongruously cheerful cartoon asks you to translate ‘All men must die, goodbye.’ And, of course: ‘Ñuhyz zaldrīzesse gevī issi.’ (‘My dragons are beautiful!’).” (At least a couple of those phrases appeared in my bar mitzvah Haftarah portion.) Half a million Duolingo users are currently learning High Valyrian. But how do you make a language out of nothing? The linguists behind top fantasy TV shows and films explain.
