It's always shocking news when a major leader on the international stage is shot to death. But it's especially so in a country where gun violence is nearly non-existent. "Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated Friday on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech — an attack that stunned the nation with some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere." The shooter used a homemade gun. AP: Japan's ex-leader Shinzo Abe assassinated during a speech. Abe was only 67.
+ Land of the Rising Gun? "When I say people don't think about violent crime here, I'm not exaggerating. Yes, there are the Yakuza, Japan's famously violent organised crime gangs. But most people never come in to contact with them. Even the Yakuza shy away from guns because the penalties for illegal possession are just not worth it. Owning a gun in Japan is extremely difficult. It requires no criminal record, mandatory training, psychological evaluation, and extensive background checks including police interviewing neighbors. Consequently, gun crime virtually doesn't exist here. On average, there are fewer than 10 gun-related deaths in Japan each year. In 2017, there were just three." BBC: Shinzo Abe death: Shock killing that could change Japan forever.
"Fecal transplants can fix gut diseases, but finding the right donor stool is tricky. The solution, some scientists believe, is to keep a store of your own." Wired: Could Your Old Poop Cure You of Future Diseases? I've held onto my emotional shit for a lifetime, so this shouldn't be that much of a leap.
Share with
4
WEEKEND WHATS
What to Watch: It's a mood. It's the feel and grit of the city. It's a great new show about a chef who has to come home to run his family's sandwich shop. I'm loving The Bear on Hulu. And a bonus, the soundtrack is also great. (But binge the show first.)
+ What to Read: Here are a few great reads to curl up with over the weekend. The always excellent team at Epic Magazine takes us to the early 90s when few corners of the military were as misogynistic as the world of fighter pilots. This is the story of the women Navy officers who overcame that culture to fly the formidable F-14. Katie Hafner and Sophie McNulty: The Gauntlet. From Matt Sullivan in Rolling Stone: Did This Trump-Loving, Leopard-Hunting Dentist Kill His Wife? (From that description, I'd guess yes. But you have to read on to find out...) And a pretty weird one from BBC: A court in India has sent to prison a man who was found guilty of posing as the son of a wealthy landlord for 41 years. The BBC's Soutik Biswas pieces together a gripping tale of deceit and delay in justice.
+ What to Hear: Digable Planets was on the bill at my local county fair this week, and that reminded me to dig back into their amazing catalog. They were ahead of their time in terms of sound (and in the case of the song, La Femme Fetal, in terms of subject matter.) But start with their popular hits. Seriously, "I'm cool like dat" may be the most truthful lyric in music history.
+ He Was Overcompensating: "Brexit, the solution to the problem Johnson and his supporters described, was based on a series of lies. The electorate was promised that departure from the EU would lead not only to fewer immigrants but to greater prosperity, more welfare spending, less crowded hospitals. Instead, six years after the vote, Britain is less prosperous and more unequal." Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic: What Brexit Did to Boris Johnson—And Britain. It took a long, hard time, but Johnson's swollen promises were finally exposed by a party that no longer considers him a member.
+ Gone Too Late: "He passed away on June 27, 2022, living a long life, much longer than he deserved. He is survived by his three children, no four. Oops, five children. Well as of 2022 we believe there is one more that we know about, but there could be more. His love was abundant when it came to himself, but for his children it was limited. From a young age, he was a ladies' man and an abusive alcoholic, solidifying his commitment to both with the path of destruction he left behind, damaging his adult children, and leaving them broken." There's really nothing quite like an honest obituary.
Share with
6
FEEL GOOD FRIDAY
"Deep in southwest Virginia, there's a county fair where, last month, one woman won first, second and third place for best cookies. She also swept all three awards for candy and for savory bread. In fact, she won the blue ribbon for cake, pie, brownie, sweet bread and best overall baked good (that was strawberry fudge.) It didn't stop there. One woman dominated the awards at a Virginia county fair. Then the internet went wild. (Now this is what the intenet is supposed to go wild about!)
NextDraft 600 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
You are receiving this because you signed up for Dave Pell's Next Draft newsletter. If you'd like to stop receiving these emails, simply unsubscribe. No hard feelings. If this email isn't looking quite right, you can view it in your browser.
Did some awesome person forward this issue to you? Subscribe at NextDraft and get it in your own inbox.
No comments:
Post a Comment