Letters, Your Neighbor Kills Puppies and basketball
My wife has a very strict no-Christmas-music-until-after-Thanksgiving policy. So we’re officially in the clear. For me, no holiday soundtrack is complete without a little Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. That’s what I grew up with.
My next letter will make the animal-welfare case for increased public funding for cultivated-meat research. If you want to send your own, check this out: 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 reading and watching lately.
Book — Your Neighbor Kills Puppies by Tom Harris. This makes my history of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty superfluous, which is a good thing. Harris did a lot more research and spoke to a lot more people for his excellent, in-depth work.
In my defense, on the latter point, many of the central figures declined to speak with me due to fear of legal repercussions, public misrepresentation and other stuff. Harris, who was deeply involved in the campaign, was able to gain their trust.
TV — A Man on the Inside. Ted Danson stars as an elderly man hired to conduct an undercover investigation of theft in a retirement community. It’s a funny, heartfelt show about aging, reminiscent of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
Sports — Knicks lose to Mavericks, 129-114. I really have no idea what to expect from New York from game to game this season. They were a mess here. Hopefully, as the team gets more playing time together, they’re able to become more consistent.
Sports — Knicks beat Hornets, 99-98. Charlotte nearly won, despite being down a bunch of players. It’s not a good sign. I feel bad for Mikal Bridges. It’s not his fault New York traded five first-round picks, among other things, for him. Still, he’s struggling.
Sports — Knicks beat Pelicans, 118-85. It was a dominant performance against a depleted New Orleans roster. Tom Thibodeau pulled his starters early in the fourth quarter. Bridges had a strong bounce-back game, leading New York with 31 points.