Apologies, apologies

Sometimes a few weeks go by and you wake up one Friday and say, "Wait a minute, I haven't done my newsletter in weeks!" And then you feel bad, and probably one more week goes by. I haven't meant to be absent. I've just been visiting Arkansas, where I had shady Internet. Also, I will make up for it with a few extra cute animal pictures.

What I'm Writing:

This now very old-news piece about the Confederate flag. It worked!

What I'm Reading:

For fun at night: The fabulous Miss Phryne Fisher. For some reason, The Hairpin ranked it as misandrous, but I guess they just mean that Miss Fisher doesn't care what you think about her. Here is why your rent is so high and your pay is so low, courtesy of Ann Friedman. This, this, and this is what I was saying about Millennials and their lives when I wrote this. For laughs: what to do if you see a bear. The children of strangers, whoa. Please read all of the investigative pieces about environmental justice and the EPA here, at the Center for Public Integrity. The failure of criminal justice reform in Missouri. The long, slow death of the Voting Rights Act. How conservative media took over the Republican party. Raising a carefree black daughter.

What I'm Listening To:

Nikole Hannah-Jones, a fantastic reporter, at This American Life on the only educational reform that has proven to close the achievement gap, and why we don't do it. Catch up on Part 1 before Part 2 airs this weekend. Also, I am relearning Spanish, and I recommend this course if you took Spanish is school and no recuerdas nada. I was inspired to try to learn a language again after I listened to this fantastic course by John McWhorter called "The Story of Human Language." It's interesting because I mainly knew McWhorter as a pundit with an incoherent and indescribable ideology, but he is actually a well-regarded linguist and an expert on Creole languages. His course is fascinating, funny, and worth it.

What I'm Watching:

Miss Fisher, of course. She has madcap adventures. Also, this El Chapo Frontline is amazing.

What I'm Recommending:

Black bean and red quinoa enchiladas. Any of these delicious, summery cocktails to make with sweet vermouth, which is the best of the fortified wines.

Cute Animal Pic(s) of the Week:

I was very late to the @TrumpYourCat party, but I think Sampson really looks like the Donald.

Sampson's belly.

Milo's Face.