Gaza, letters and more
The images out of Gaza continue to be horrific. Any Democratic politician who isn’t calling for a ceasefire should be primaried. Unfortunately, that’s basically all of them. It’s hard not to sink into despair these days.
I’m trying to fight the feeling my activism is pointless. So I’m going to send out a letter, even though I protested. My letter will make the case the delayed farm bill should include more federal funding for cultivated-meat research. If you’d like to send your own, give this a look: https://slaughterfreeamerica.substack.com/p/how-to-write-letters-to-newspapers-6eb
Let’s do (Cell) Culture Talk. Here’s what I’ve been watching, reading and listening to lately.
Movie — The Killer. Michael Fassbender stars in this David Fincher thriller about a hitman out for revenge. It’s extremely well made and kept me on the edge of my seat. The cynical, monotone voice over would have appealed to me as a Fight Club-loving teenager. As an adult, I found it grating, but it fits the character.
Book — Every Creature a Word of God by Annika Spalde and Pelle Strindlund. The authors are Swedish, so I’m not sure how widely read their work has been in the United States. However, this strikes me as a really solid introduction to Christian animal rights. I appreciate the non-academic style.
Sports — Knicks lose to Celtics, 114-98. New York was actually winning for a decenr chunk of this game, but things fell apart in the fourth quarter. RJ Barrett was out, apparently with a migraine, which didn’t help. He’s had a strong start to the season.
Music — Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. Objectively, I know the Beatles are the better band, and I love them, but I find myself coming back to the Beach Boys more often. The opening track, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, might be my favorite. Pure magic.