Friday, September 27, 2024

What Gheorghe is Reading

Taking the mantle from Sentence Dave this morning to recommend a pair of long-form magazine pieces for your edification and/or extended bathroom reading.

First, The Washington Post published a really excellent piece entitled "The Searchers" as part of its ongoing series profiling generally obscure public servants working on a broad range of Federal government programs. Written by Dave Eggers, the article is an exploration of work being done by scientists and researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. 

The giant brains at JPL are working on the wondrous challenge of determining whether sentient life exists elsewhere in the galaxy, and yet the dominant theme of Eggers' piece is humility. Instrumental Technologies Vanessa Bailey (who just happens to have found one of 82 known exoplanets as a graduate student at the University of Arizona) says in a quote that captures the essence of the thing, "...[P]ersonally, I would find that incredibly inspiring, finding life on another planet. I like feeling small. I like going into Yosemite with the mountains and feeling part of an inconsequential piece, but part of this bigger whole. So, to me, I think finding life elsewhere would only expand that sense, but in a very positive and I think a hopeful way. It also lessens the pressure on you to get everything right because you’re not so special.”

Ta-Nehisi Coates famously doesn't find himself all that special, even though his peers in journalism and writing do. Ten years after his groundbreaking work in The Atlantic, "The Case for Reparations", Coates is back with a new book tackling the light subject of Israel, Palestine, and the American media.

Ryu Spaeth offers a detailed and thoughtful review of both Coates' new book, The Message, and the evolution of the author's thinking on the subject matter in New York Magazine. In it, Spaeth chronicles Coates' deliberative and expansive writing process, his deep dives into source materials, and in the case of this book, his ten-day trip to Palestine in the summer of 2023 to experience the region first-hand. Coates returned to America shocked and saddened by what he saw, and its parallels with some of his home nation's worst days. As Spaeth writes, "For Coates, the parallels with the Jim Crow South were obvious and immediate: Here, he writes, was a “world where separate and unequal was alive and well, where rule by the ballot for some and the bullet for others was policy.” And this world was made possible by his own country: “The pushing of Palestinians out of their homes had the specific imprimatur of the United States of America. Which means that it had my imprimatur.”"

In particular, I was struck by the way Coates dismisses bullshit for what it is. Having been told that the conflict between Israel and its subjugated territories is "complicated", he gets angry, saying, “It’s complicated, when you want to take something from somebody.”

I hope you get a few moments to check out the two pieces. We'll return to your regularly scheduled dipshittery in short order. There's money to lose gambling on college football.

29 comments:

rob said...

pour some out for professor mcgonagall

rootsminer said...

I just finished this book , which is about a lot more than the one song suggested by the title. A fascinating look into the early publishing of black music.

rob said...

mike weir! pushing buttons!

Professor G. Truck said...

very meta. almost as meta as my english class today:

https://sentenceofdave.blogspot.com/2024/09/why-do-i-have-to-be-mr-orange.html

rob said...

i'm reviewing *one* book review. the book isn't out yet. i'll review it when i get my copy. postcount!

rob said...

in other news, game on in montreal

Mark said...

Speaking of books, I’m just about finished with Wide Wide Sea. I’m a sucker for just about anything Hampton Sides writes but this is a little different than my norrmal non fiction fare. That said, I recommend it.

In other news…I hate to say it because there’s not a fan base on earth I hate more but Miami is legit. Stout on both lines, good skill guys and Cam Ward is this years Jayden Daniels. Kevin Clark calls them “Dr QBs” because they’ve been in college for 5-6 years but that shit puts talented QBs on a.nother level.

Gonna be real annoying listening to a million Miami fans who’ve never even set foot on campus this fall.

rob said...

less annoying if a shitty virginia tech team keeps this interesting

Mark said...

Jinx engaged.

Mark said...

Random Helene update. We had very little issues- my daughter even had softball practice last night. Buuuut my gumbo limbo tree snapped near the bottom of the trunk. You can plant a gumbo limbo branch and it will become tree. That’s how we got this tree. So I replanted this very big tree in my yard today in hopes I’ll have two gumbo limbos in the not too distant future. Thanks for listening.

rob said...

gumbo limbo, you say?

Mark said...

I think Tech got screwed.

rootsminer said...

I did not think the hokies would be in the game. And they did get screwed. That’s too bad, especially if you give a shit about tech. Fortunately I don’t.

rob said...

just cranked out 25 miles of gravel-road biking. now for the soft-couch napping.

rob said...

have michigan -9.5. they led 24-3 entering the fourth quarter. they are in the process of shitting themselves and losing my money.

rob said...

dicks

Professor G. Truck said...

i don't think they should name a tree a combination of a cajun stew and a party game that rob excels at-- just doesn't sound organic

rob said...

is colorado...good? is it fun to watch gus malzahn and hugh freeze get pantsed? can kalen deboer beat kirby smart in his first monster game in tuscaloosa? the answer to at least one of these eternal questions is an emphatic yes.

rob said...

did NOT have alabama boatracing georgia on my wagering card. in fact, had the opposite. 'bout to lose another one.

Mark said...

Don’t tell Florida how to do things.

Mark said...

I always like watching UCF lose. I like it less when they play my Alma mater the following weekend and will be more fired up than usual.

And yeah, didn’t see UGA getting embarrassed tonight. Not like this.

Also- is Carson Beck terrible?

Mark said...

Game. On.

rootsminer said...

This is wild.

rob said...

i've had my share of criticism for deion sanders' gameday coaching acumen - for example, colorado's loss to nebraska featured some of the most amateurish in-game decision-making you'd ever want to see - but the buffs were excellent in all phases yesterday, and coach prime grabbed them an extra three points at the end of the first half with some sharp calls. bye next weekend and then a stern home test against kansas state.

and i fell asleep at the end of the third quarter of the georgia/alabama game. like a dummy. a tipsy dummy.

rob said...

sunday evenin' goin' away. pour some out for the great kris kristofferson.

Whitney said...

Love that guy. His influence in music history is pretty significant.

Donna said...

The wife of my advisor in grad school dated KK. She chose my advisor instead of him. Both Dame Smith and he within days…sadness!
On the sports side - how bout that Washington team?

Donna said...

And regarding Helene - OMDL!! The tiny town of Montreat is where the Presby Church USA denomination's camp and conference center called Montreat is located. It's beyond UNREAL! People carried out in police heavy-duty vehicles. Our friends who were there were taken to Asheville shelters, leaving their cars at homes ....finding out today that their cars are there, having washed down driveways, etc. People stranded with NO water, electric, etc. I-40 West past Asheville is closed and unexpected to open for days still. We also have friends in Augusta, GA, whose house was hit by tornado. It's horrific. I'm sure you're seeing pictures and such.
Mark, glad y'all are okay - what a crazy storm. Western NC and Eastern TN haven't seen this in decades, probably a century, they're saying. We're grateful those we know are okay, but goodness. Hug your peeps!

Whitney said...

Maggie Smith and Kris Kristofferson are well-covered, but one passing a bit under the radar is Drake Hogestyn. He was a featured player on Days of Our Lives for almost 40 years -- he came aboard as the new Roman Brady, and then in an awesome turn of amnesia events, he was changed to John Black. Enemy of Victor Kiriakas. Intense brooder. Overactor. Loved that guy. Cheers to this gent.