In the New Yorker...

[Front-Ranger]

In the last year or so, I've seen a small uptick in nature-related articles. And there's even been an article or two about agriculture! Will food related articles looking at the production side become common? It could happen! Who knew New Yorkers would become interested in the farms that supply them?!

[serious crayons]

In the last year or so, I've seen a small uptick in nature-related articles. And there's even been an article or two about agriculture! Will food related articles looking at the production side become common? It could happen! Who knew New Yorkers would become interested in the farms that supply them?!

I've always wondered how New Yorkers -- i.e., most of the national media -- write about things ordinary people experience around the country. Like, what if they wanted to do a story about organizing your garage? Or for that matter, landscaping your yard?

But I bet news stories related to the production side of food production will become more and more common as meat supplies dwindle. At my grocery store, customers are limited to four meat products. Which is at least better than the one skimpy roll of paper towels you're allowed.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Unsurprisingly as I was less personally affected, I don't remember him from that. But similar thoughts were expressed by a guy I know on Nextdoor. com -- a gay man, really intelligent, one of the few sensible voices when the Nextdoor discussions get loony.

I've never heard of Nextdoor.com. Is it new?

Have you heard that Fauci is considered kind of a heartthrob these days? Practically up there with Sam Elliott in the (very small) hot geezer club. And you probably heard (or saw) that SNL cast Brad Pitt to play him.

Heartthrob? Uh, no. ... I heard of Pitt's portrayal.

[Jeff Wrangler]

In the last year or so, I've seen a small uptick in nature-related articles. And there's even been an article or two about agriculture! Will food related articles looking at the production side become common? It could happen! Who knew New Yorkers would become interested in the farms that supply them?!

I vaguely remember one article about the farm-to-table movement, and people doing urban farming. But I seem to remember that the farm-to-table movement was described as a First World kind of thing.

[serious crayons]

I've never heard of Nextdoor.com. Is it new?

Heartthrob? Uh, no. ...

Yes! I've seen several articles to that effect. Here's one from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/04/anthony-fauci-coronavirus-crush/609544/

I can kind of see it. Of course, he's no Sam Elliott, but he's personable, knowledgeable, seemingly honest and has a cute accent.



Nextdoor.com has been around 5-10 years. It's a site where you can exchange information with your neighbors, and those in adjoining neighborhoods. Sometimes it's very useful, like if you're looking for a good painter or your dog is lost or you're wondering what all those sirens last night were about.

Other times ... less so. Like scoldy threads that go on for hundreds of comments about whether people should wear masks when walking outside (even on the almost deserted streets of my residential neighborhood).

The site is national (though you can only sign up for areas around your own address). In your living situation, it might not be as useful. Though maybe you have something similar in your condo building itself.

[Jeff Wrangler]

How did we manage to get articles by my favorite Jill Lepore in two consecutive issues, May 4 and May 11?

[serious crayons]

How did we manage to get articles by my favorite Jill Lepore in two consecutive issues, May 4 and May 11?

For that matter, how does she manage to write them between writing books and being a history professor at Harvard and winning top awards like the Pulitzer and the National Book Award?

[Jeff Wrangler]

For that matter, how does she manage to write them between writing books and being a history professor at Harvard and winning top awards like the Pulitzer and the National Book Award?

Two words: Graduate assistants. 

But, yeah, I have no idea how she does it. 

Meanwhile, I'm in the midst of Evan Osnos' May 11 article about the support for the Great Orange Satan among the wealthy elites of Greenwich, Connecticut. I'm not surprised, considering how much money the stinking rich Koch brothers have poured into conservative political causes that would benefit the stinking rich Koch brothers. But Osnos is explaining a lot. I'd say these people sold their souls, but I think at least some of them had no souls to sell in the first place.

[Front-Ranger]

From reading this week's Letters, it appears that the Sesame Street people did not think very highly of her article.

[Jeff Wrangler]

From reading this week's Letters, it appears that the Sesame Street people did not think very highly of her article.

She was certainly very critical at the end of the article. I was surprised. But then, I was too old for Sesame Street when it began and have no children, so pretty much all I knew about the show was Jim Henson's involvement and the Muppet characters that have become a part of the popular culture. I found the early history of the show, how it came about to be, quite interesting.