Lovely essay: "Treating others well isn’t saccharine, it is sublime... we might be battered and brittle from pandemics, elections and foreign wars, but if you can accept the fact that optimism can be a superpower, and that it’s okay to sometimes feel at peace, then Ted Lasso can be sublime."

Column | Ted Lasso brings his unsinkable optimism back home

As its long-anticipated fourth season gets underway, the show’s team is now female, and the “BELIEVE” sign is still there, re-torn and re-taped.

washingtonpost.com

I'm a journo, I get that articles are only about 1 thing, and this is about a decline in wine sales and people ripping out vineyards. But this guy, the focus? He doesn't even really like wine! There are other winemakers/growing who are thriving (I hope, I know at least they sell out around here) 1/

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 5d ago

Wine sales in the U.S. are at their lowest in more than two decades, as people drink less and younger generations turn to other beverages. For some winemakers, it’s often cheaper to let grapes rot than to harvest them when so many unsold bottles clog the shelves. nyti.ms/4hHEFd8

For the locals: after going to a group debate at SHS and considering all the candidates, all of whom basically share my general values, this is truly the level of knowledge, detail, savvy, and nerdery that I want in my state senator. @burhanazeem.bsky.social www.reddit.com/r/CambridgeM...

From the CambridgeMA community on Reddit: “What’s That About?” Cambridge Vice Mayor & Candidate for State Senate Burhan Azeem: Full Interview

Explore this post and more from the CambridgeMA community

reddit.com

I had a friend suggest I tell an AI all the important elements of a Gastropod episodes, feed it all the 12 years of episodes we've done, and ask what topics we should still cover. UM NO WAY IN HELL. 1) we know what we have and haven't covered. 2) we consider what has enough depth for us 3)

Chris Dwan (he/him)@somershade.bsky.social · last wk.

Normalize making fun of people when they’re all proud of having used generative AI to do some trvial task. Yesterday’s example: A colleague made a sign that said ‘USE THIS DOOR, OTHER DOOR IS BROKEN.’ Yup. AI for that. 1/?

We should not have to pay for safe streets with blood and vigils. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/17/o...

Please blow up the public comment (included below): BREAKING NEWS (7/15) — The administration wants to destroy Chaco Canyon without consulting Tribal Nations. It’s an irreplaceable historic & cultural site with 4,700 archeological sites that could be lost to the bulldozers of oil & gas development

I've decided for the next two days to root for the country whose food I prefer-so Sp vs Fr, Sp is the obvious winner (for me). Eng vs Arg? I don't eat meat so nix to Arg. BUT Eng? traditionally pretty awful. That said, London has absolutely amazing restos that aren't nec British so I guess England!

I so agree with this whole thread & have two things about it: 1) I feel incredibly privileged that we could spend the money up front for a super insulated home and solar panels and a heat pump and a tiny yard overflowing with native plants, producing enough energy to help pay electr for a local NGO

Courtney Milan@courtneymilan.com · 3w ago

And so my goals are very simple. First, to try and make it so that as many people on this planet can share in the fact that climate friendly solutions actually can make you more comfortable, and we should make them as widely available as possible to insulate people from harm.

I’ve driven past this multiple times this week while visiting my mother, always stopping and thinking of the person memorialized by the ghost bike *and* our family friend killed at the very same spot in 1988. We should not have to pay in blood.

Action Committee for Transit@actfortransit.bsky.social · 4w ago

MCDOT "Safe Routes to School" crash infrastructure review, Bauer Dr at Russett Rd, 10/9/25 (Wood MS): "Following the fatality, the intersection was converted to all-way stop control in December 2025." We should not have to pay for safe streets with the blood of children.

Five living writers that I've read five books by each? I could come up with dozens! But top of my head: Alix Harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social NK Jemisin @nkjemisin.bsky.social S.A. Charkaborty Marcie Rendon Deanna Rayourn Leigh Bardugo Saara El-Arifi And on and on and on and on...

SouthernBunne@daemonaac.bsky.social · 4w ago

five living writers that you've read five books by each Guy Gavriel Kay ( @guygavrielkay.bsky.social ) Nick Harkaway ( @nickharkaway.com ) Malka Older (@older.bsky.social) Christopher Moore ( @theauthorguy.bsky.social ) Aliette de Bobard @aliettedebodard.com

I was in Rapid City SD for work last week, and there were official signs for the upcoming 4th celebration around town. I didn't realize til my co-host pointed it out on our second day: they said "Real America Birthday Celebration" and I have never yelled FU out loud to a sign so loudly in my life.

I am en route to Rapid City for a reporting trip for the next few days. I spent three months in SD after college and I...never had any plan to return. (Sorry SD folks! Was a challenging three months for many reasons!) We'll be working pretty much non-stop but if you have resto recs...

I’m having one of those ‘wow things are super shitty and incredibly depressing’ mornings so here’s a photo I took last week of a pollinator‘s tush poking out of a penstemon in my little urban yard.

I know I'm yelling to the choir, but this is why I continue to pay for the Globe. Without local journalism, barely any of this shit gets uncovered, and it gets much much worse. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/25/m...

A state official gave a grant to two young developers who sold him a house. Then came the shoddy work and fake invoices. - The Boston Globe

The state official in charge of giving out grants gave the largest share of the money to two men who had recently sold him a house.

bostonglobe.com

I was just interviewed by the alum assoc of my alma mater - Univ of Maryland - and it was lovely to talk about my career/Gastropod but also the roots at univ. I may have majored in Eng, but all of my electives in the honors dept were these amazing topics that totally informed my choice of career! 1/

I just turned on wbur/on point while eating early lunch and they're talking about the Chesapeake and I'm reminded how in grad school I assumed everyone knew the word eutrophication. (I was incorrect.)

I put off starting the new season of Shrinking mostly because I knew I wouldn't want it to end, and the first episode was *so good.* Such brilliant writing. Such an amazing ensemble. I laughed until I cried and then I also legit cried.

In the AYFKM bike discourse: towards the end of my work day yesterday I heard loud yelling outside and almost went out to investigate. Then my spouse walked in the door, visibly shaken. He was biking home from his job, as he does every day. Our street is a narrow neighborhood one-way street 1/

A super interesting discussion on philanthropy, wealth, capitalism, and the environment.

Vox@vox.com · 2mo ago

The contradiction at the core of big-money environmental giving. www.vox.com/climate/4894...

@petersagal.bsky.social any chance you remember-or know how I can search for bc it isn't coming up-this audio? We/Gastropod are doing an ep about bacon, and I remember, has to be at least 12 yrs ago, you/Paula/others, and the dialogue went something like this: "Bacon is proof that gd hates Jews." 1/

Should I share where my fave spots in Somerville are to forage them? hopefully soon will be my urban backyard—we should have at least a small container's worth this year...

Amanda Katz@katzish.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Friends, there is NEW @porchparty.bsky.social, about an extremely handmade guerrilla Epstein awareness campaign and the most insanely delicious berry that is all over DC right now. Serviceberries in your AREA www.porchpartynews.com/p/two-good-r...

Hasn't even been a year and Zohran's governance is having a massive impact on my family. Our daycare was able to open a 15-seat 3K program because of the 2,000 extra seats the admin funded. Everyone we know got in somewhere they wanted. This is gonna save us almost 50 grand.

The episode I thought we'd never do is now out! Yes, Gastropod (finally, after repeat sad-eyed begging from many listeners) put out a *pet food* episode. Should dogs be eating raw meat like wolves do? Can cats go vegetarian? You can listen, you know, wherever you find all your podcasts...

Noting: the amount of money in the Weaponization Fund ($1.776B) would be more than needed to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (RIP), ie the source of all Fed govt funding for NPR/PBS etc, for three years.

Most people don’t know this, but Lincoln’s “house divided” line came at the beginning of a speech where he outlined the conspiracy of slaveholders to contort the politics of the nation to their whims despite being a significant political and popular minority.

Thanks to the great team at GASTROPOD for this wonderful conversation in which I got to do one of the things I love most--talk about Lydia Maria Child's *agricultural activism.* In a nutshell: how to fight slavery by growing beets! How I HATED beets as a child. But now . . .

Cynthia Graber@cagraber.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I know a lot of people kind of pick and choose which episodes of podcasts they listen to, so if we have listeners on here who don't particularly like beets (I don't!) I still hope you're listen to our beet episode because of LYDIA MARIA CHILD WHO IS AMAZING gastropod.com/feel-the-bee...

Again this should inspire wall-to-wall media coverage for months. The crowning achievement of the Civil Rights Movement is dead. Black people just lost all of their remaining political power in the South. This is a monumental moment in American history that simply isn't being treated as such.

Ari Berman@ariberman.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Breaking: Tennessee Republicans pass new 9-0 gerrymander after SCOTUS destruction of Voting Rights Act eliminating state’s only majority-Black district & last Democratic seat. Splits Memphis, which is 63% Black, into 3 districts to disenfranchise Black voters. Quite literally a return to Jim Crow

Come out to Harvard bookstore tomorrow evening! I'll be chatting with the brilliant and funny @inkfish.bsky.social about her fantastic new book!

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Book launch event is tomorrow!! See you there, Boston-area folks? I brought my Party-Planning Mom energy (baked cookies that match the cover) www.harvard.com/event/elizab... @harvardbookstore.bsky.social 🧪

I know a lot of people kind of pick and choose which episodes of podcasts they listen to, so if we have listeners on here who don't particularly like beets (I don't!) I still hope you're listen to our beet episode because of LYDIA MARIA CHILD WHO IS AMAZING gastropod.com/feel-the-bee...

Feel the Beet: The Most Fascinating Woman You've Never Heard Of - Gastropod

The story of the most amazing woman you've never heard of—and her attempt to harness the power of beets to end slavery! Plus, a better beet for beet haters?

gastropod.com

In other news, last Friday was the 12yr anniversary of what would turn out to be a momentous email sent to a friend I'd met a yr earlier via Michael Pollan fellowship: hey, I have this idea for a podcast, you have some experience in the space, will you check out my write up? lmk what you think? 1/