Genocide, Sheep-Fighting, Curling, Press Barons, Esquire
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Drunk On Genocide
Edward Westermann | Aeon | 16th February 2018
Horrifying tales of post-pogrom Nazi drinking parties. Genocide was something to celebrate. “They wanted to eat nothing but large pieces of meat. Some of them shot the Jews while others ate and drank. Then, those who had eaten went to shoot the Jews again while those who had been shooting them before came to eat. They were drinking, singing. They were drunk. They were shooting at the same time. One could see little arms and legs coming out of the edge of the pit” (1,500 words)
The Brutal World Of Sheep-Fighting
Hannah Rae Armstrong | Guardian | 16th February 2018
Discursive but always interesting account of sheep-fighting and its place in Algerian culture. Fighting rams are trained to head-butt one another until one gives up. Which may not sound much, but it constitutes, apparently, one of the very few excitements available to young Algerian men. “It’s hard to call a match – a fight shouldn’t go above 30 hits, but there’s no clear ending, and sometimes the sheep establish which is the dominant one before the humans are ready to accept it” (5,500 words)
How To Play The Best Sport Ever
Aaron Gordon | Sports On Earth | 10th February 2014
“Curling is the best sport ever invented. No, really. Curling is simple to learn, yet intricate. It takes very little athleticism. Teams are made up of four players. Each team alternates sliding 42-pound stones from one end of the sheet to the other, both shooting the same direction. Curling has an insane amount of jargon, which is part of the reason why it’s so awesome. In about three paragraphs, I’m going to be typing complete gibberish, yet you will understand it” (1,300 words)
Billionaires Gone Wild
Alex Pareene | Columbia Journalism Review | 16th February 2018
“Many of the ways the media landscape has been transformed in the 21st century have caused it to resemble the media landscape of the 18th and 19th centuries, from the flourishing of a more openly partisan press to the erosion of the norms of professionalism that were built up in the era of post-war prosperity and supposed national consensus. Another throwback: The press baron. Not since the 19th century have so many individuals had so much power over the press” (2,300 words)
All Men, All The Time
Adrienne Miller | Vogue | 18th February 2018
Recollections of the working world before #MeToo. Adrienne Miller was appointed literary and fiction editor of Esquire in 1997 at the age of 25. “Bizarre experiences with men, all of whom tended to hide behind various masks of refinement, would be one of the central emblems of my professional life. I knew that I had been permitted to work in an extraordinary world, but I would sometimes find myself wondering whether there was even a standard for minimally acceptable behavior in it” (2,350 words)
Video of the day Johnny’s Home
What to expect:
What it’s like trying to return to everyday life after 13 years in prison (2’20”)
Thought for the day
A writer must always tell the truth (unless he’s a journalist)
Gore Vidal
Podcast of the day Martha | Slow Burn
Leon Neyfakh retraces the Watergate affair, starting with the role of Martha Mitchell
(24'30")