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The Present Age Weekly Recap: May 13
www.readtpa.com
TPA Weekly Recap

The Present Age Weekly Recap: May 13

Happy Friday the 13th, all!

Parker Molloy
May 13, 2022
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The Present Age Weekly Recap: May 13
www.readtpa.com

Welcome to the weekly recap. In this post, I’ll be linking to my work from the week, sharing some stories from others I thought were interesting, and providing a few casual thoughts on [gestures at everything]. If you’d like to receive this weekly email ONLY, please go to your account page and under “Email notifications” uncheck every box except “TPA Weekly Recap.” If you don’t want to receive the weekly recap, leave all boxes except “TPA Weekly Recap” checked.


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From me this week: satire of satire, newslettering, and internetting.

On Monday, I published a parody of one of my favorite articles from The Onion, substituting caution against the war in Iraq with concerns about the state of the GOP-driven culture war.

The Present Age
The Right-Wing Culture War Will Result in Women, Minorities, and LGBTQ People Being Relegated To Second-Class Citizens Who Can No Longer Live Their Lives In Peace vs. No It Won't.
I love The Onion. And it’s for that reason that I am dedicating today’s installment of the newsletter to one of my favorite Onion articles: “This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t…
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9 months ago · 34 likes · 10 comments · Parker Molloy

On Tuesday, I chatted with Tim Herrera about the business of writing a newsletter. Later that afternoon, I took part in a panel workshop with him over Zoom.

The Present Age
My interview with Tim Herrera for his Freelancing With Tim newsletter
A while back, Tim Herrera asked if he could interview me for his Freelancing With Tim newsletter. Naturally, I said yes, and today, he posted it…
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9 months ago · 13 likes · Parker Molloy

And then today, Embedded ran an edition of its “My Internet” series… starring me.

Embedded
My Internet: Parker Molloy
Embedded is your essential guide to what’s good on the internet, from Kate Lindsay and Nick Catucci. Every Friday, we quiz a “very online” person for their essential guide to what’s good on the internet. Today we welcome Parker Molloy, a media critic, cultural commentator, and author of…
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9 months ago · 1 like · Nick Catucci

In it, I mentioned my new hobby of using Midjourney’s artificial intelligence art tool to bring @dril tweets to life. For example:

Twitter avatar for @dril
wint @dril
"im not owned! im not owned!!", i continue to insist as i slowly shrink and transform into a corn cob
12:20 AM ∙ Nov 11, 2011
51,022Likes16,080Retweets

And also…

Twitter avatar for @dril
wint @dril
Food $200 Data $150 Rent $800 Candles $3,600 Utility $150 someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying
8:06 PM ∙ Sep 29, 2013
125,126Likes58,086Retweets


Posts from others that I want to draw attention to.

You all probably already follow Today in Tabs, but if you don’t, you should.

Today in Tabs
In Hindsight, the Slurp Juice Was Probably a Mistake
The Washington Post has a persistent but meandering story about the persistent but meandering storm that washed away that North Carolina beach cottage: [Oceanographer Reide Corbett] said the images of homes being swept to sea, while dramatic, should not trigger a “sky is falling” reaction. Many homes along the Outer Banks are at risk of a similar fate, …
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9 months ago · 9 likes · Rusty Foster

Don Moynihan’s Can We Still Govern? is another must-read for these times.

Can We Still Govern?
Why do we tolerate administrative burdens?
Administrative burdens — the frictions we encounter in our interactions with government — are ubiquitous. Long lines, delays, confusing requirements, stress about processes. So why do we put up with them? Why do we tolerate burdens? These are not abstract questions. Some burdens may be inevitable in many policy areas. For example, determining who qualifi…
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9 months ago · 4 likes · Don Moynihan

The post over at Pawprints containing the Susan Collins police report (yes, she really called 911 on people for writing “Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA. Vote yes, clean up your mess.”) is some good ol’ fashioned journalism.

Pawprints
Susan Collins Called The Police To Investigate Sidewalk Chalk: Police Report
A heavily redacted police report obtained by Pawprints confirms that Susan Collins, the senior Senator from Maine, is the complainant who summoned law enforcement to inspect a message written in chalk on the sidewalk outside her home. Yesterday, the…
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9 months ago · 17 likes · Luppe B. Luppen

And Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner’s post over at Steady is a sobering read:

Steady
In the Face of Despair
I can feel the dread, the despair, the fear, the anguish, and the yearning. I hear it in questions I get from family and friends. I read it in the comments posted here and elsewhere online. And I have been around long enough to sense it in the tenor and trembles of our fraught moment. If doomscrolling were an Olympic sport, many of us would be festooned…
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9 months ago · 648 likes · 280 comments · Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner

Today’s Tunes:

“good 4 u (Olivia Rodrigo cover)” by Tove Lo (this is just… so, so, so good.)

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The Present Age Weekly Recap: May 13
www.readtpa.com
1 Comment
ranglecat
May 13, 2022

I have to wonder if Susan Collins would have called the cops if protestors had exercised their totally constitutional (according to Susan Collins' party) second amendment rights. Of course this was not about being concerned for her personal safety, it was about exercising power where she has it. Message received: Don't criticize Susan Collins or the cops might come for you. It's kind of a back door to Susan Collins exercising her second amendment rights on us.

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