Columns, Nas and basketball
I’m sending out that column about replacing Democratic leadership. I’ve tried to include references to funding cultivated-meat research in all of these seemingly unrelated pieces. Unfortunately, the columns haven’t been printed much.
If you’d like to submit your own writing to publications, feel free to use these newspaper email lists I’ve compiled, which are divided by state: https://slaughterfreeamerica.substack.com/p/how-to-write-letters-to-newspapers-6eb
Anyway, let’s do (Cell) Culture Talk. Here’s what I’ve been watching and listening to recently.
Movie — Flow. It’s a gorgeous animated film, directed by Gints Zilbalodis. The feline protagonist is forced to share a boat with a diverse group of creatures trying to survive a mysterious flood. I appreciate the choice not to use words.
Movie — Nosferatu. I believe I’ve seen the 1922 original, as part of my haphazard, cinematic self-education, but it’s been a while. Lily Rose-Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgård star in the spooky vampire tale, directed by Robert Eggers.
Music — Letter to Heaven by Dolly Parton. I came across Heaven’s Just a Prayer Away, which I enjoyed, so I looked for more religious songs by the country artist. Would You Know Him (If You Saw Him) talks about God being present in animals.
Music — God’s Son by Nas. The album has a bunch of memorable songs, like Made You Look. However, the highlight for me is Thugz Mansion (N.Y.), featuring 2Pac and J. Phoenix. I’ve always found its vision of paradise to be affecting.
Sports — Knicks beat Pacers, 128-115. Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with an impressive 40 points. Jalen Brunson got into foul trouble, but Josh Hart picked up the offensive slack, scoring 30, which is pretty uncharacteristic for him.
Sports — Knicks beat Hawks, 149-148. That was a wild one. A series of New York errors in the final seconds of regulation sent the game to overtime, where the Knicks were lucky to get the win. Towns had another big game, putting up 44 points.
Meditation passage — Discourse on Good Will from the Sutta Nipata. This was an early favorite of mine which has long since fallen out of rotation. So I’m going to reincorporate it. The passage explicitly includes nonhumans in its moral outlook.