Is this thing on?

Speaking up and stepping up: Kamala Harris on "Late Show" plus the usual odds and ends.

Hi folks,

Were you like me and did you stay up late last night to watch Kamala Harris on "The Late Show"?

First, who could blame Harris for not wanting to jump back into public office right away? She announced this week that she would not be running for Governor of California, and told Stephen Colbert last night that she was just going to take her time going across the country to listen to a wide variety of people. The political system is broken, she told him last night. Colbert basically said "yikes." She said "well isn't it obvious?" I mean, yes, it is verrry obvious, but she said we should not lose hope.

She wants us to know that we all have the power to make a difference. But if we want to get through the current situation, we have to step up and act. Sometimes I do my part and look out and see others doing theirs and feel that it's impactful. Other times, I look for profiles in courage and see none. Nothing happens overnight, I know. But I'm definitely curious to see what comes from this agenda-free listening tour Harris plans to do.

Bon courage, mes amis. We've made it through another week.

Paige

Writing prompt: Think of a time you felt like you made a difference. What did you do and how did it result in something positive for someone or something?

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
― Sophia Loren

Endnotes

What I've been reading

Simon Kuper's Impossible City: Paris in the 21st Century, which is both his entertaining memoir of being a journalist and human being there, and a nuanced look at the forces shaping Paris right now. One of the most poignant vignettes: when Kuper's nine-year-old daughter says she can't believe she's already lived through two terrorist attacks (Charlie Hebdo and The Bataclan) and can't imagine how many he had been through in his lifetime. His answer? Two. One of the quirkier factoids: French President Emmanuel Macron's father has written an oft-cited academic paper about sneezing in cats. So, if you're a Francophile, if you love a good memoir, if you like things full of weird and wonderful detail, go ahead and get yourself a copy of this book. It's really good.

Also, I loved this little feature/obit on Dan Peltzer, an Ohio man who died last month the age of 92. Peltzer was a big reader, and he kept track of the 3,599 books he read between 1962 (when he started with the Peace Corps in Nepal) and 2023 (when he lost his vision). His family thought it would be nice to give his reading list to everyone who attended his funeral, but apparently that was impractical because the list was more than 100 pages, about the size of a novella. So they created this website, which includes a picture of Peltzer waving hello in front of a neon sign that reads "Ice Cold Crispy Beer." RIP, icon.

What I've been listening to

The "Ologies" podcast with Alie Ward. Ward, a humorist and science correspondent, asks all manner of specialists about their obsessions, whether it's cardiology, porcupines, basket weaving, you-name it. I am enjoying it so far because it is delightful, and smart, and quirky. Take the episodes on social prescribing, for example, which entails prescribing patients things like art classes, open sea swims, and volunteering opportunities to improve health and well-being. Statistics show that 80 percent of positive health outcomes are driven by your environment, or by doing things that matter most to you. Ward's guest, journalist and author Julia Hotz, says these age-old activities not only make us feel better, but they're more effective in the long run than, say, mood-boosting candles (ed. note: But I love my Moroccan Mint candle...). Anyway, go check out "Ologies".

Also, now that the Cowboy Carter Tour is over, Beyonce fans are beginning to opine on what Act 3 might entail. The general consensus is that it will be a rock album, in part because she wore an old Tina Turner concert t-shirt at one of her London shows, but also because some sleuth slowed down one of the videos in between acts that showed Beyonce dressed as Little Richard, and I forget who else. Another sleuth, meanwhile, found that bettyblacktour.com redirects to Beyonce's website...which got people talking about seventies funk-rock goddess Betty Davis, who spent a year married to jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, who ditched his Italian suits to dress how she told him to...and inspired his album "Bitches Brew." Yes, this is a serious rabbit hole, but bear with me: I fell down it so I could listen to Betty Davis' super-funky "Nasty Gal" album just to get a taste of what Beyonce's act 3 might, but might not, involve. Whatever it involves, my Betty Davis binge was time well spent. So there's that.

If you're in Atlanta and seek an evening of chic next week...

...head to SCAD FASH on Wednesday, August 6 at 6:00 p.m. for "Behind the Lens: A Conversation with Atlanta's Finest Photographers." Moderated by my former People colleague Isoul Harris (who also produced the fantastic, award-winning HBO documentary "Donyale Luna: Supemodel"), the panel of four photographers will share their perspectives on photography as a career and means of expression, and discuss the interplay between elegance and Black fashion photography. You won't want to miss this, so click here to reserve your spot!

Where I hope you'll donate this week

Last week, I shared a number of links where you could donate to help end the hunger and suffering in Gaza. This week, I would like to share this link which will allow you donate and help one specific family. It was created by an Italian woman named Hannah Repollo on behalf of an 18-year-old boy named Ahmed Hatem. Ahmed is real – Hannah and some authors I know have communicated with him via Instagram – and he needs help caring for his family of seven, especially because his father was injured in the war and is having trouble walking. They need a tent. They desperately need food and water. And Ahmed wants to finish high school. Please consider helping him, or any of the other families featured on chuffed.org. Thank you.