Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Summer Vacation

Hi everyone! Let's get right to it: I am, to put it mildly, extremely burned out. I'm in the middle of a huge stressful work project and also have had a bunch of personal stuff going on and I'm working on a writing project I actually really like and want to devote some energy to and . . . something has to give, and that something has to be these posts. Some I'm going on hiatus for a bit and then will reevaluate how to do something along these lines in a more sustainable way - maybe weekly roundups.

This wasn't an easy decision, because I really do enjoy putting these posts together, but at the same time - it's a fair amount of time and effort, making sure I have 15 links every single day, and also it's kind of a constant inescapable thing to know I have to either have time before 8am to write the post or do it the night before. I like it! But it's been YEARS of having to plan my life around this structure to some extent and I just need a break. (And since I left Substack because of their transphobia, I've been doing this totally just for free, so it's a hobby that is in fact just work. Which is often what I like in hobbies! But it has to take a back seat to actual work.)

So: Have a great rest of your summer! Pop around occasionally because I have some book reviews coming up. And I'll be back in some form in September.

Monday, July 17, 2023

Morning Coffee Link Roundup (7/17/23)

Today is Monday! My TV news roundup at The Televixen is on hiatus in solidarity with the striking workers.

I usually try to link to specific articles rather than liveblogs, but there's a bunch of breaking Russia/Ukraine news so: Ukraine attacked Crimean Bridge, official says; Russia says grain deal ‘being terminated’ (WaPo)

Of course: Iran's morality police to resume headscarf patrols (BBC)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Airs Bigoted New Covid Conspiracy Theory About Jews and Chinese (NYT)

With Democratic ballot filling out, the 2024 race for NH governor begins to take shape (NHPR)

Tomato crisis hits India as rain ravages crops and prices rise 400% (The Guardian)

Thousands of authors urge AI companies to stop using work without permission (NPR)

WNBA players take offseason into their own hands with new winter league (The 19th*)

Never Too Young: Why Kids Deserve Queer Friendly Libraries (Book Riot)

My hot take is that if they do this they need to make it universal, or it will just increase the problem of only wealthy kids getting into the higher levels: Electronic communication devices for high school baseball may be coming to Connecticut (Yahoo! Sports)

Painting reattributed to Gainsborough after six decades labelled unknown (The Guardian)

And some longer reads:

Riots in France Highlight a Vicious Cycle Between Police and Minorities (NYT)

‘A long slog’: Inside DeSantis’s early struggles and effort to rebound (WaPo)

Maryland Is Becoming the Patron State of Abortions (Slate)

An Era of Dynamic Catchers Is Upon Us (NYT)

How Samuel R. Delany Reimagined Sci-Fi, Sex, and the City (New Yorker)

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Morning Coffee Link Roundup (7/11/23)

Today is Tuesday and we seem to have survived the storms. Hope you're all doing okay.

Turkey Clears the Way for Sweden’s Entry to NATO on the Eve of Summit (NYT)

Sudan on brink of all-out civil war, UN chief warns, after airstrike kills at least 22 (The Guardian)

Again, this will kill children: Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth reinstated (PinkNews)

Disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar is stabbed multiple times in prison (NPR)

This is bad for several reasons, including the fact that it's basically union-busting: New York Times will close sports desk, sending readers to the Athletic (WaPo)

Most Americans don’t agree with Supreme Court’s discrimination ruling (LGBTQ Nation)

NH utilities file new energy efficiency plans after controversy (NHPR)

Excited for this! Gallen, Cole get the honor of 1st career All-Star starts (MLB)

Yeahhhhh: Outrage over Jack the Ripper-inspired bar in Southsea prompts rethink (BBC)

Good luck!! Yankees reportedly hire broadcaster, former player Sean Casey as hitting coach after Dillon Lawson's firing (Yahoo! Sports)

And some longer reads:

Nina Totenberg: Supreme Court dissents and rejoinders, with respect and disrespect (NPR)

Rebecca Traister, great as always: RFK Jr.’s Inside Job: How a conspiracy-spewing literal Kennedy posing as a populist outsider jolted the Democratic Party. (NY Mag)

Greek shipwreck: hi-tech investigation suggests coastguard responsible for sinking (The Guardian)

When I got to a certain set of classmates in this I said WHY CHOOSE out loud to my computer, iykyk. Will Paul Skenes Be as Good a Pro Pitcher as His Teammate? (FanGraphs)

How Drag Queens Use Cookbooks To Flip Femininity (Eater)

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Morning Coffee Link Roundup (7/8/23)

Today is Saturday, but I'm writing this on Friday night because I'm going to try NOT SETTING AN ALARM. I'm sure I will wake up by 6:30 am anyway but we'll see.

Shooter who targeted Latinos in Texas Walmart gets 90 life sentences (WaPo)

‘Terrible mistake’: human rights groups decry sending cluster bombs to Ukraine (The Guardian)

Ukraine war: Front-line troops discuss counter-offensive (BBC)

Dutch Government Collapses Over Plan to Further Limit Immigration (NYT)

Not great!! Earth Faces Hottest Day Ever Recorded—Three Days in a Row (Smithsonian)

‘Peaky Blinders’ Denounces Homophobic Ron DeSantis Campaign Video: Cillian Murphy Footage Was ‘Obtained Without Permission’ (Variety)

After abandoning Northern Pass plans, Eversource turns over some land to recreation, forest management companies (NHPR)

Author ‘beyond angry’ as London children’s museum removes trans and queer books (PinkNews)

Getting Halfway There (Baseball Prospectus)

A Forgotten Minor Scandal at the New Yorker, Remembered 26 Years Later (Slate)

And some longer reads:

Adam Serwer: The Most Baffling Argument a Supreme Court Justice Has Ever Made (The Atlantic)

Why Is America’s Green Party Like This? (Slate)

REI fostered a progressive reputation. Then its workers began to unionize (NPR)

The making of Gavin Williams, the Cleveland Guardians’ latest pitching development triumph (The Athletic)

How Franz Kafka Achieved Cult Status in Cold War America (LitHub)

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Morning Coffee News Roundup (7/1/23)

Today is Saturday, and the Supreme Court has done so many terrible things that I haven't had time to find good pieces for all of them yet, so we'll be stretching that out for a while as I come across things worth reading. 

Sherrilyn Ifill: The Supreme Court’s Conservatives Are Breaking History and Our Future (Slate)

Kamala Harris says fundamental freedoms are at stake with the Supreme Court rulings (NPR)

France protests: nearly 1,000 arrested as riots surge in Marseille and Lyon (The Guardian)

Police say the stabbings of three people during a gender class in Canada were motivated by hate (ABC News)

Former top Ohio lawmaker sentenced to 20 years in one of state’s largest scandals (WaPo)

Sigh: A New Poll Finds Fewer American Adults Support Same-Sex Relationships (them)

NH activists are considering legal action over ‘Rebel Girl’ historical marker removal (NHPR)

Not good!! What is going on with Colleen Ballinger, of Miranda Sings fame? (AV Club)

Bad Bullpens Are Good Business (Baseball Prospectus)

This sounds interesting: A new documentary takes a deep dive into the ancient and modern practice of Sabbath (WaPo)

And some longer reads:

It is INFURIATING that no one even checked if any of it was real: The Mysterious Case of the Fake Gay Marriage Website, the Real Straight Man, and the Supreme Court (New Republic)

I see: DeSantis agency sent $92 million in covid relief funds to donor-backed project (WaPo)

Origin Stories: Plantations, Computers, and Industrial Control (Logic(s))

Boston gay sports bar — ‘home away from home’ for ex-MLB ump and a community — on the ropes (The Athletic)

Five Riveting Thrillers Unfolding in Wooded Isolation (CrimeReads)