In the pre-internet days, before I could use email newsletter traffic to fill my bottomless pit of neediness, I used to print out and bind thirty page missives that I would mail to pretty much everyone I knew. I give myself some credit for inventing blogging before the World Wide Web came along and smoothed out some of the rough edges. Since few of my friends actually requested these publications, I suppose I should also give myself some credit for inventing spam. Maybe it's not too late for me to return to my print roots. That's exactly what the newish owners of The Onion are doing. I only wish I knew your snail mail address so I could clip this article and send it to you. We'll have to settle for the more modern (but probably less satisfying) distribution known as sharing a link. NYT (Gift Article): No Joke: The Onion Thinks Print Is the Future of Media. "This week, The Onion began distributing a print edition for the first time in more than a decade and will soon deliver it monthly to everyone who subscribes to its site. The move is a throwback to the publication’s roots as a campus weekly in the late 1980s. But it is also emblematic of a growing trend in the media industry — trying new ways to attract and retain digital subscribers." According to The Onion's executive editor: "I think for the same reason that 18-year-old kids are buying Taylor Swift on vinyl, we can introduce those same kids to the notion that a print publication is a much richer way to consume media." Area Man Comes Up With Totally Realistic Comparison.

2

Drop Me Anywhere

When my family travels, it's a struggle to get everyone to commit to limiting themselves to a single full-sized suitcase. Some people travel lighter. A lot lighter. Of course, their destination plays a role. Why Some People Are Paying to Be Left on a Desert Island—Alone. For anyone who's traveled to a crowded destination with others, that question sort of answers itself.

+ "In a summer of overtourism, a viral Oslo travel advertisement with nearly 20 million views is turning the tables on what travellers want. It's hardly a traditional start to a tourism advertisement: 'I wouldn't come here to be honest,' says an unimpressed resident of Oslo." BBC: How a viral ad campaign is teaching us to 'life-see', not sightsee. Here's the pretty awesome commercial: Is it even a city?

3

When Wall Street Buys Main Street

"America’s housing affordability crisis has a number of origins, but it largely stems from two key factors that you learned in Econ 101: supply and demand. The supply of homes on the market is extraordinarily low, as sellers hang onto their houses, waiting on the sidelines out of fear that historically high mortgage rates will make their next place to live too expensive. Demand exploded during the pandemic and it never slowed down, despite high prices and rates." Kamala Harris is releasing her economic plan in North Carolina today, and addressing this issue will be on the list. Harris has a plan to fix one of America’s biggest economic problems. One of the key issues is that new homes are being bought up by investors instead of new homeowners. "Institutional investors could own 40% of single-family homes by 2030, according to one estimate." QZ: Kamala Harris wants to stop Wall Street’s homebuying spree. Harris also plans to go after corporate price gouging. As the NYT (Gift Article) explains, high grocery prices are about more than this one issue. But people noticed that when inflation was at its worst, corporate profits were near their highest. I covered that in realtime: Wolfing on Wall Street. "As many Americans are struggling to keep up with food bills, food companies are gorging on gluttonous profits."

+ It will be interesting to watch the media go into deep analytical mode as they assess each detail of the Harris economic plan—in comparison to how they do nothing of the sort for Trump's "plans." In fairness, Trump spent his economic address denigrating veterans. "Former President Donald Trump on Thursday said the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which honors civilians, 'is actually much better' than the Medal of Honor, because service members who receive the nation’s highest military decoration are often wounded or awarded it posthumously."

4

Weekend Whats

What to Doc: "Cary Joji Fukunaga and René Redzepi look at the world through the lens of cuisine; they explore how food powers politics, shapes beliefs, explains the past, forecasts the future and binds and defines everyone." This is a really well-made and interesting look at food and our global society. I've especially enjoyed the episodes on bananas and coffee. Check out Omnivore on AppleTV.

+ What to Movie: I don't really think of myself as the type of guy who's into Godzilla movies. But I kept hearing rave reviews about Godzilla Minus One on Netflix. Update: I'm the type of guy who's into at least one Godzilla movie.

+ What to Wear: There are only 80 days until the election. And you still have nothing to wear. We can fix that. Get the (amazingly popular) Comma-La t-shirt or hoodie now.

5

Extra, Extra

Hope Against Hope: "Mediators trying to end the Israel-Hamas war expressed hope for an imminent deal Friday, saying two days of talks had wrapped up in Qatar and they aimed to reconvene in Cairo next week to seal an agreement to stop the fighting." Mideast mediators strike hopeful note after talks in Doha. No matter how hard Biden pushes for a ceasefire, or how hard it is to get Hamas to actually attend the ceasefire talks, or how much worse Trump would be for the Palestinians, the protesters will show up at next week's DNC in very large numbers.

+ Flank Stakes: Nataliya Gumenyuk in Foreign Affairs with an interesting analysis of How Kyiv’s Attack on Russia—and Successful Defense of Its Northern Flank—Has Changed the War.

+ Down at the Crossroads: "Kari Lenander runs migrant shelters in west Texas and New Mexico where every green cot has regularly been filled for years. Now most of the beds are empty. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, migrant apprehensions plunged in July from a year ago, to the lowest level of the Biden era."

+ Jailhouse Rock: "A Missouri woman with a long history of small-time scams and fraud was arrested Friday morning on federal charges in connection with a scheme to extort Elvis Presley’s family out of millions and steal their ownership interest in the music legend’s former Memphis home, Graceland."

+ Phishing for Compliments: "The rule prohibits businesses from buying reviews or testimonials, whether positive or negative, the suppression of reviews, as well as buying or selling fake indicators of social media influence. It also bans fake reviews written by AI and reviews written by employees of a company without disclosure." FTC finalizes rule to prohibit sale or purchase of fake reviews.

+ Behold the Mayo: "Hellmann’s has partnered with Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis to release Will Levis No. 8, a fragrance based on the smell of Hellmann’s signature product. The just-released scent combines hints of tart lemon, coffee, musk, vanilla, and something the company is calling 'mayonnaise accord.'" Hellman’s Is Releasing a… Mayo-Inspired Fragrance?

6

Feel Good Friday

Organizers "launched a one-of-a-kind vacation sweepstakes with a price tag suspiciously similar to the forbidden fundraiser — eligible only for a street cleaner in Beckenham named Spiers. Days later, the wily loophole delivered Spiers a voucher for his dream holiday." WaPo (Gift Article): London street cleaner wins dream vacation in a contest made just for him.

+ Heman Bekele Is TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year. "His accomplishment: inventing a soap that could one day treat and even prevent multiple forms of skin cancer."

+ "Following the last few years I’m feeling empty and more cynical than ever. I’m losing faith in other people, and I’m scared to pass these feelings to my little son. Do you still believe in Us (human beings)?" Nick Cave's answer to that question is worth a listen.

+ In southern Turkey, a surf school helps earthquake survivors process trauma and loss.

+ We started with The Onion. Let's conclude with McSweeney's: Oh Dear God, We Forgot to Let P!Nk Down. "As we all frantically tried to call her phone to no avail, it began to dawn on me. Oh my god, we forgot P!nk. Not only have we left her behind at our last venue, but we forgot to let the pop star down from her aerial harness."