In the New Yorker...

[Jeff Wrangler]

I've read parts of it. It's in sections, some better than others. One section is funny.

Exactly. I never would have imagined that John McPhee would bore me, but he sure did in "Tabula Rasa." Wordle mystifies me. I almost gave up on the Litwill section, but I pushed through, and Final Exam wasn't much better. The Proofreading section was funny.

I'd like to read his son-in-law's book about storm chasers because I once looked into those tours myself. Because they're very small groups, you have to make non-refunable deposit a year in advance.

[Front-Ranger]

Sometimes I don't understand how TNY prioritizes its subject matter. This week, we have an overly-long article on reality show contestants receiving top billing, by Emily Nussbaum, a staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winner. So I settled down to read it. Three pages in, I noticed that I hadn't even reached the middle of it but the story was petering out. So, I ditched it and went on to "You Make Me Sick" by the unknown-to-me author Sharon Lerner.

It's also 10 pages but somehow it seemed much shorter than the reality one and ended with much more seemingly left to say. The gist of it is that fluorochemicals, first made by 3M, are now in the bodies of nearly everyone on Earth, even the unborn. How is this not something everyone should read? I realized I need to put aside everything on my agenda and finish this article. Now I'm thinking what should I do about it? What can I do about it? I rummaged through my broom closet and found a can of 3M's Scotchgard. It's going to the hazardous waste facility.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Did anybody read the article about the British nurse convicted of murdering seven babies (May 20)?

I found it to read like a pretty good whodunnit, but two things surprised me. The first is that the author is clearly biased in favor of the nurse being not guilty. The second is that in Britain you're not allowed to say anything that might call into question the justice system (if I understood the article correctly).

[Front-Ranger]

Did anybody read the article about the British nurse convicted of murdering seven babies (May 20)?

Okay, I read it yesterday. The article and the one about the fluorochemicals seemed very similar. A woman is villified and made the scapegoat for a larger institution's shortcomings and greed. They both made me angry.

[Front-Ranger]

I'm disappointed in the New Yorker. I need some insight on the European elections, it's so confusing. But I read the email about this week's issue and there doesn't appear to be anything about them. I might skip this issue, since I'm going out of town tomorrow anyway. I'll take my computer with me and check in here once or twice. BM is relaxing and I like playing the word games in the early morning. Speaking of that, I've started doing the crosswords on the last page of TNY. They are enjoyable.

[Jeff Wrangler]

It never occurred to me to wonder about the age of William Finnegan until I began reading his article on surfing legend Jock Sutherland (June 10). Finnegan writes that Sutherland is age 75. He goes on to write that he's "a few years younger" than Sutherland. Turns out Finnegan is 72--and still surfs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Finnegan

[Front-Ranger]

News flash: people in their 70s do stuff.

Heck, people in their 80s do stuff. Last week I was on the road with the president of my spirit tree group, and he is 90.

Just got home last night and the latest issue was waiting for me. Surprise, the Shouts & Murmurs is funny this time! I'm also looking forward to the latest from David Sedaris.

[serious crayons]

Heck, people in their 80s do stuff.

Yup, just ask Joe Biden!

I like to note (and maybe already have here) that if you're over 60 you can't get hired by an advertising agency (for example), so you have to settle for unimportant roles like president of the United States or Supreme Court justice.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Very funny, both of you.

Since I'd never done any research on him, I figured Finnegan was younger than me, like, maybe in his 30s.

Taking a trip, at least some of which I assume includes riding in an automobile, is not exactly surfing the North Shore. Nor is sitting on a SCOTUS bench or in the Oval Office. The latter two, of course, involve a great deal of mental acuity--and mental stress--but, again, they're not surfing the North Shore.

I presume Finnegan felt his subject's age was something notable--his own, too--or he wouldn't have mentioned it.

[serious crayons]

But nobody expects Joe Biden to surf the North Shore. Hell, I couldn't have surfed the North Shore when I was 20. So yes, good for Finnegan and the other guy.