the keys to the city!
aunties, how to help, why they're so dumb, potluck court room, early blogging
m-a-m-d-a-n-i
I mean, the vast majority of the planet automagically calls any much older woman aunty whether or not she's related to you, so the idea that Mamdani's aunt not being his mom or dad's sibling was ever gonna be a gotcha, in a city proudly full of black and brown people, is honestly WILD. Choosing to be bothered by the man who eats food with his hand instead of the serial creep who sent seniors to their deaths during the pandemic is a choice—and let's be clear, it's a fucking racist choice. Mamdani's ascendance has made the absolute worst people big mad, and frankly that's yet another reason to like him.
(Also it's hilarious that this is probably the only election ever in which the Republican candidate hopes the Democrat wins—Sliwa truly hates Cuomo!)
how to help with the snap crisis
Feeding America lets you put in a zip code to find nearby food banks in their network, so you can learn more about their partner food pantries and meal programs if you need help or would like to give it. Dropping off supplies is good—especially feminine hygiene supplies!—but giving food banks money is even better, because they know what's most needed in their area and can stretch every dollar that much further by buying in bulk or wholesale.
If you're in NYC and know someone facing food insecurity in November, God's Love We Deliver put together a page of comprehensive emergency nutrition resources in the city.
Lastly, as someone who has been looking for work for the last few months and will need to hit a food pantry in November: if you've been enjoying this newsletter and would like to help me to keep it going and also eat, I happily take tips via Venmo (@llliiiaaa) or Ko-Fi (PayPal, Apple Pay, credit cards):
why must they all be so dumb?
From the 2019 American Journal of Political Science, Why Underachievers Dominate Secret Police Organizations: Evidence From Autocratic Argentina:
Regimes, on the other hand, have good reasons to admit underperformers to their key coercive unit and to not counteract the self-selection of such officials. From the perspective of leaders, underachievers are beneficial because they must diligently work toward the autocrat's insterests to retain their career chances. For example, Alexandru Drăghici, the former interior minister of Romania, was well aware that his secret police agents "had a fairly low level of training and general knowledge, but that these shortcomings were compensated for by their powerful revolutionary enthusiasm" (Deletant 2005, 304). By contrast, leaders who assign high-performing officials to serve in the secret police must fear that their subordinates will not execute unpleasant orders. Having lucrative career options, competent officials make unreliable secret police agents, as they are likely to stay passive when the regime is under attack (Zakharov 2016).
this brings me joy
Since I finished up my six week-long grippy sock vacation, one of the things that has consistently brought light to my life is @shaiie_food, a.k.a The Potluck Court Room: she posts one video every single day, sitting in her bonnet critiquing what various people have brought to potlucks. The brazen bull for you, your lawyer, and your Uber driver!
a few other things
Hamilton Nolan on why NYC is inherently socialist: "If you cannot tolerate other people, you cannot live here. If you want other people to be tolerable, you want them to be living tolerable lives. Giving everyone a decent standard of living is mutually beneficial in New York City, because everyone else is right here, next to you, and if they are having a bad time, you soon will be too."
The Cut went to Halloween Adventure NYC (iykyk) with Cassandra Peterson, a.k.a. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark: "I always say, 'Opportunity only gives you knockers once, and you really have to take advantage.'"
"I knew that eventually right-wing shock troops were coming here, of course. Everybody who lives in a city, which is most of us, did. But somehow I’m still surprised. I’m glad a bunch of angry people chased the DHS guys away and I’m glad the NYPD, of all people, was so ashamed to see these doughy fucks in vests that say POLICE that they put out a statement claiming they hadn’t been involved."
In the latest Pope Leo might be even better than I'd hoped news, "he affirmed the Church is actively studying the possibility of women deacons," which like, !!!!! (I do think the Catholic future is going to require the ordination of women, the question is simply how many more years/decades is it gonna take to happen.)
As someone who started a blog in 1999, I'm still absorbing Elizabeth Spier's Requiem for Early Blogging but also absolutely yes to this: "I still look for people with early blogger energy, though — people willing to make an effort to understand the world and engage in a way that isn’t a performance, or trolling, or outright grifting."
song of the day
Feeling all type of ways today so instead of a song I bring you this buoyant, hour-long jungle set DJ'd by the musician and composer Takuya Nakamura in the middle of Japanese rice paddies, who picks his trumpet up every once in a while to inject some extra life into the music. Rice is life and his vibes are immaculate.
