Actually, that’s an insult to serpents, because serpents are beautiful creatures.

David Dastmalchian in an interview with Variety

---

But Shafik, it seems, is currently answering a higher calling—the call to tongue-bathe the boots of Congressmember Elise Stefanik and the rest of the Republican-led House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, which this year has been grilling the leaders of institutions on whether they support Israel ferociously and blindly—I mean, "oppose antisemitism."

"Columbia’s President Saw ‘Danger’ in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Even the Cops Disagree, Katie Way for Hell Gate

The Tuesday before the Columbia encampment was set up and dismantled, I joined a friend's RISD class via Zoom to do an informal artist talk and conversation about my work. At one point I had to explain the events of Occupy Wall Street to the class, a delightful reminder that I am no longer "young" but an ancient and wizened thing one might find tucked away in a dusty curio shop. It was a little galling to see the tents at Columbia cleared days later—but, much like the many shoots of organizing that blossomed in the wake of Occupy, galvanizing to see students, faculty, and supporters return in the following days.

(One of the incidents that drew greater media attention to Occupy Wall Street back in the day was a false rumor spread that Radiohead was going to come play at Zuccotti Park; I think this generation should totally pull this move, not only because it would be hilarious but because they would probably go with someone much hotter and cooler.)

---

A salad so fancy it ought to be pinned to the wall for decoration

Raymond Chandler's list of clever phrases saved for future use

Via Paz on Bluesky.

---

In the family tree of professions, submarine cable work occupies a lonely branch somewhere between heavy construction and neurosurgery.

"The Cloud Under the Sea", Josh Dzieza for The Verge

While reading this piece I admittedly vacillated between delight and unattractive envy that Dzieza had the professional standing and resources to go deep on this type of story. I think everyone who gives up on journalism (or more typically, everyone ground up and spit out by the profession as it wails its bitter death rattle) experiences this ambivalence, as well as a lurking suspicion that they just weren't good enough to make it.

This isn't to disparage Dzieza—he is, in fact, That Good, and he's once again knocked it out of the park—but sometimes when I read really good journalism I'm reminded of that Stephen Jay Gould line about all the Einsteins that could have been, all the people who were and are That Good who don't get the resources to do the work (I might vainly include myself in this, but I did have a window where I got to do good work nine years ago—work that still gets assigned to students, work I still get emails from strangers about—and I should probably count myself lucky that it happened at all). Anyway, I'm glad people are still on the internet infrastructure beat.

---

It was an absurd scene, men holding telexes with one hand and directing their piss with the other to impress the boss.

Metal Men: Marc Rich and the Ten Billion Dollar Scam, A. Craig Copetas

Allegedly this is a direct quote from an anonymous commodity trader. I'm currently working on the next episode of RIP Corp which focuses on Marc Rich & Company. All of the behind-the-scenes books on commodity trading tend to have extremely out of pocket stories and commentary from anonymously quoted industry insiders. While they probably don't represent the whole of commodity trading culture, they sure make for a wild baseline.

---

Weir’s deranged pirouettes grow tiresome after a while, but the playful malevolence of her performance shines late in the picture.

Review of Abigail by Carlos Aguilar for IGN

---

To me, Heaven and Las Vegas are fictional locations, places with rabid fan bases you should never trust.

"1990: Heaven or Las Vegas, the Cocteau Twins", Steph Straub for SixtyEight2OhFive

Submitted by Jeff.