One reason that cats are happier than people
—Gwendolyn Brooks
is that they have no newspapers…
—from “In the Mecca”
—found in In the Mecca (1964)
ostracize

ostracize · /ˈɒstrəsʌɪz/ · /OSS-trə-size/. verb. To exclude or banish someone from society or a group. In Ancient Greece, to punish someone through temporary exile. Latinized form of Greek ostrakizein (to banish), literally “to banish with potshards,” reflecting the ancient Athenian practice of holding a public vote, scratching names onto a potshard or piece of tile, on the fate of dangerous or embarrassing people. If a majority voted so, the person would be banished for 10 years. Ultimately, ostracize is derived from the PIE root ost- (bone), which is the root of words such as ossuary and oyster.
[Read more…]Links: October 25, 2020
- “It’s mind-boggling in the totality of ambition to so deeply undermine what’s so vitally important to the public.” → Inside the Fall of the CDC
- “From the unvarnished to the salacious, Amelia Tait dips into a private world where people trade the diaries of strangers.” → The secret world of diary hunters
- A new (to me) publication that hopes to “help us all — as citizens, scientists, policymakers, and human beings — to deal more wisely and more creatively with both the burdens and the blessings of modern science and technology.” → The New Atlantis
- An interesting way to navigate a series of photos over time. → 12 Sunsets: Exploring Ed Ruscha’s Archive
- Paroxysm Periwinkle, Gender Reveal Fire Yellow, and many more. → United Colors of the Apocalypse: A Pantone series for 2020
- A surprise to no one who knows any police. → Police killings more likely in agencies that get military gear, data shows
- Can long form discussion find a way to thrive on the brave new web through “a platform for thoughtful conversation via an exchange of written letters?” I guess we’ll see. → Letter ※ Speaking of letters: Letters of Woe and Curses Returned with Stolen Pieces of the Petrified Forest
- This is a thing. → The Plastic Bag Museum
- The eyes have it: Mark Harvey’s photos of birds in flight // 2020 Drone Photo Awards // Arinze Stanley’s incredible, photo-realistic b&w drawings // Keegan Hall’s photo-realistic pencil drawings // 2020 Wildlife Photographer of the Year images // Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2020 winners // Lito’s Tree Leaf Kirigami (picture cuttings) // Tomoko Sato’s unreal fruit carvings
- Today in 1854, Lord Cardigan leads approximately 670 soldiers in a Crimean War mission to prevent Russians from recapturing some lightly-defended won guns, an action that would come to be known as the Charge of the Light Brigade. Due to a miscommunication whose details are debated to this day, the lightly-armored Light Brigade instead ended up in a frontal assault on a powerful, fully-prepared gum emplacement. Within minutes, more than 160 soldiers were killed and another 150 wounded for naught. The ill-fated battle would be immortalized in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” which includes the famous lines:
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Life Below Water: The Arrival of a New Species
The unbeautiful under the sea. → ▸ Life Below Water: The Arrival of a New Species
Withheld: October 25, 2020
Herd immunity (because strategy for sheep(le)) ☡ The DOJ Google lawsuit (because political theater) ☡ Quibi (because no time to make a short video) ☡ Epstein Ghislane (because sounds like a disease)