"First Word" #2
These ledes are all kind of sexy...
The most popular birthday is approximately nine months from now, makes you think.
I had heard rumors about men having sex in Mexico City’s subway system. But nothing prepared me for what I witnessed on my first ride in the último vagón.
The Nonstop Gay Sex Party on the Mexico City Subway // A.W. Strouse // The Nation
Maybe the headline is actually the star of the show here…
Heartbreak cures are as old as time, or at least as old as the Common Era. Around the year 1 C.E., the Roman poet Ovid followed up “The Art of Love,” his dating manual in verse, with an antidote titled “Cures for Love.” Among the recommendations are to pick up a hobby (“cow bulls into submission”), distract yourself with a new partner (“as they split off into many a stream, mighty rivers lose muscle”), and, if possible, take a trip at once: “Don’t fake an excuse, either, for sticking around. Don’t check the calendar. Don’t keep looking over your shoulder back at Rome.”
The New Business of Breakups // Jennifer Wilson // The New Yorker
1) I hope the author was able to expense some of this piece. 2) The opening in particular reminds me of my friend Emily’s newsletter 129 Ways To Get a Life in which Emily works her way, one piece of advice at a time, through a 1958 dating column about getting a husband.
The first cut of The Apprentice “included an improvised homoerotic dream sequence” in which Jeremy Strong, as Roy Cohn, “wore a skintight frog costume and climbed into bed” with Sebastian Stan, as Donald Trump, “and caressed his face.”
You’re Brutal, I’m Brutal // A. S. Hamrah // The New York Review of Books
Submission from Sam.
On the r/deadmalls Reddit page, photos of linoleum-tiled halls and emptied ornamental fountains proliferate.
Why We’re Drowning In Gift Guides // Greta Rainbow // Bustle
This got me thinking about verbs we could use to describe posting/something being posted… proliferate…what else? Is posting reproduction? Creation/procreation?
On a recent evening in New York, Pedro Saavedra is hunting tomatoes.
New York’s Biggest Produce Market Is at a Breaking Point // Fola Akinnibi // Bloomberg
Not a new article but a fun long read nonetheless. I had NO IDEA about the Hunts Point Produce Co-op but I wonder what the plan is post-election re: tariffs… (also something great phonically with the phrase “hunting tomatoes…say it 5 times fast!)
When Zoë Kestan first met Hunter Biden she didn’t know who he was. His father, Joseph R. Biden Jr., was no longer in office, and she didn’t read the news much anyway.
She Met Hunter Biden One Night at a Club. Then She Fell in Love. // Joseph Bernstein // The New York Times
Riding the bus as I type this and I’m closing my eyes envisioning a cut of Anora where it’s Hunter Biden.
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Lastly, here is one opening paragraph that is NOT hot and instead very upsetting, got to keep you on your toes.
Years later, after Andre Thomas had been convicted of killing his estranged wife, his 4-year-old son and her 13-month-old daughter in the most bizarre case in Grayson County history, after he had received a death sentence and been told that it would be imposed at the appropriate future time, after he had been dispatched to Texas’ death row to wait his turn with the other condemned men and women, the prosecutors were still talking about “the eyeball issue.”
How Crazy Is Too Crazy To Executed // Marc Bookman // Mother Jones
Submission from Sophie. Starting a whole article with “years later” is a gamble that pays off here.
Since I’ve come short of 10 ledes (I may just aim for seven going forward—one for every day of the week seems like enough) I’ll leave with you some news catching my eye:
Defense contractor Anduril will join forces with Open AI, stating “America needs to win.” Gross. Would this convince you to abandon ChatGPT for good?
Speaking of AI…an investigation by WIRED caught some of the biggest writers on Substack using ChatGPT. What blew my mind is they didn’t deny it.
I’m excited about this plan to cap Citibike pricing at $2.90.
Zohran Mamdani has got the juice. I went to an event last night and I found him to be a far more compelling speaker than most politicians. I’m excited to see what else his video team can cook up.
This weekend programming at Pioneer Works seems really cool. Some friends will be there plus events from Lauren Oyler, The New York War Crimes, and a conversation about “The Right To Pee” put on by Lux, Hell Gate, and NYRA.
Mark Zuckerberg, who called Trump “totally badass,” is looking for a role on the president’s tech team. (Whatever happened to the Musk/Zuckerberg cage match?)
Chase Strangio is arguing at the Supreme Court today. I first heard of him when he spoke at the college (we both went to) in 2017, he was receiving an alum award at commencement. My friend and I saw him walking around the small town’s main street and swooned (who IS that). I’m very proud of my crush.
Former Axios reporter Sam Robinson is starting a Detroit-focused publication to cover local politics after being stretched thin at Axios. I’ve subscribed!
Could RFK Jr. ban Ozempic?
See you next week. As always, send my ledes you love! <3