Friday Flames: Fired Up For 47
And other news about trees, pills, beans, banana ketchup, and why mayonnaise might end up powering the world.
What a difference a couple of weeks makes, huh?
In mid-July, we recorded an “Oh Shit” episode lamenting a xenophobic, patriarchal, theocratic kakistocracy that our kids seemed destined to inherit. But now, days after the Michigan primary, November 5 suddenly has a whole new vibe.
Ann Arbor is a reliably deep-blue hub in a state with an excellent record of voter access, so the process runs smoothly enough that you don’t see many long lines in polling places. But in this primary—comprised mostly of down-ballot positions and a few non-partisan millage proposals—Doug waited in the longest line he’d ever seen in his 13 years here. And everyone else was as fired up and eager to wait their turn as he was. It’s probably not a coincidence that the people greeting Harris/Walz in Detroit barely fit in this airplane hangar (and all their hands had five fingers!)
Meanwhile, Magda once again worked the primary election as chairperson of a precinct in Detroit, and once again she left feeling happy about the future of the city, the state, and the entire country. Despite the rain that poured for most of the day, her voters sloshed into a stifling middle school to cast their votes, even though a lot of Detroit’s races didn't have much competition. They told her jokes and stories, they asked her questions, and almost every person who came through the door said something about "November is going to be a lot more exciting." People were excited to vote for Kamala, and now they're excited to vote for Kamala and Tim. It feels like we can actually make some progress instead of just hiding out waiting for the Trumpers to die off. And that feels great.
Embers in the News
Here are some of the links that peeked through the noisy news cycle this week:
Trees hate secondary smoke, too Some trees essentially “hold their breath” in order to avoid inhaling smoke and toxins during a forest fire.
The loot is out there In 2023, over $4 billion in Pell grants was left unused, and each year over $100 million in scholarships is left untouched.
No more BP cuffs? Researchers have patented “resonance sonomanometry,” a much more versatile and effective way to measure blood pressure.
The real Miracle Whip To harness the clean and nearly limitless energy of fusion reactions, physicists are studying the stable flow of mayonnaise.
This week on the podcast
After marking ten years since her brother was killed, Sarah Lyman Kravits knows that grief is part of her now. And she’s content not knowing how it will manifest day to day.
Sarah Lyman Kravits adapted to a decade of grief by yielding to its unpredictability
Sarah Lyman Kravits appreciates when people refer to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief, even though she knows they’re not based in reality. And she doesn’t feel all that brave about surviving breast cancer, since all she did was follow through on her only treatment options.
Does just staying alive seem more difficult to you? Reaching your 50s requires coming to terms with your body's weird pains and limitations—and the medications that start arriving in bulk.
How's it hanging?
Does just staying alive seem more difficult to you? This is the question on our minds as we end Season 1 and break for the rest of the summer. Because when you reach your 50s, you start coming to terms with the weird pains and limitations that your body starts imposing on you, often thinking “OK, what
Currently reading
Magda didn't read much this week because of the election and surrounding logistical shenanigans. (Mercury retrograde, anyone?) But last week she read the quietly interesting Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, and started The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us by Rachelle Bergstein.
Given how relentless information manipulates our passions so effectively, Doug is fascinated by the gap between how humans think and how we think we think. The Knowledge Illusion by Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach lays out some very compelling evolutionary reasons why people tend to pop off about topics we actually know very little about.
Currently watching
Doug is loving the time-zone gap that fills his mornings with live Olympics coverage, because every day should start with a seritonic jolt of warm fuzzies. He also saw a few episodes of Poker Face because he’s a big fan of Rian Johnson’s work. It’s basically Columbo with more references to “bullshit”—and a sly rebuke of a justice system that doesn’t always find justice.
Magda is all about the Olympics, obvs. Specifically, she’s been watching surfing, gymnastics, rugby, BMX, running, shot put, skateboarding, and bouldering, and she’s looking forward to the breaking competition (a/k/a breakdancing). No spoilers!
Currently cooking
Mike has been making his white bean burgers—which are Magda’s favorite—served on hamburger buns with a slice of tomato and some chipotle mayo (and not the spinach and sauce in the recipe).
Doug is back cooking with his gustatorily curious teenager, and their latest quest is the best recipe for banana ketchup. (Because tomatoes deserve to be eaten on their own during tomato season!) Doug found some that had been sitting on the shelf in our go-to Asian market, so they’re making a spicier version to use on everything.
Next on the podcast
Until we return in September, we’ll be choreographing a college drop-off, detoxing from the screens, and having as many IRL conversations as will fit in a day.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the Perseid meteor shower this weekend!
Magda and Doug