Why isn’t Musk’s Nazi salute a major story?; What do Catherine, Matt, and David have to say about the Australian Open?; How do you make a great tofu scramble?
I’m All Lost In …
the 3 things I’m obsessing about THIS week.
#67
Before I get into what I’m all lost in this week, a couple of quick notes.
1/24/25, Falafel and Fityr with XDX on the tipsy edge of Capitol Hill.
First: At Yalla, a Middle Eastern kitchen window for the tipsy nighttime crowd on Olive Way’s stretch of dive bars and greasy dinner spots located at the edge of Capitol Hill, the veggie and vegan menu is longer than the meat menu. They specialize in flatbread (or Saj) wraps. After XDX and I celebrated our last night as neighbors by walking downtown to check out the collection at the indie art space that’s taken over Pike Street’s vacant Banana Republic, and then heading around the corner to a hotel bar for some generous whiskeys, we cruised back up the hill. And there we were at Yalla. We got the Fityr, a gyro wrap swaddled tightly in tinfoil and jammed with roasted mushroom paste, green pepper, garlic, tomato, green olives, cucumber, and greens plus a side of fluffy falafel. Thanks to this delicious hot spot, I’ll be venturing over to the downtown edge of Capitol Hill more often.
Second: Back on October 25, I wrote this lone sentence about R&B revivalists SAULT: “This week’s recommended listening: I’m liking the juxtaposition of the sing-song ‘60s girl group vocals and the sophisticated Afro-centric sounds of SAULT.” It turns out, they were the perfect artist to tune in as I set out to find a prompt this week for a late night “Go to Artist Radio” of hazy soul sides. But I’d like to amend the description I wrote in October. I’m not sure why I said “sing-song.” SAULT’s music, and the other neo-Quiet Storm bass-centric tracks in the cue from related downtempo artists like Amber Mark and James Blake, bore no resemblance to nursery rhymes. Much more like bedroom jams.
Third: I felt validated and titillated (and not surprised) that the word “subway” came up in an article this week about a 2000-year-old goddess statuette that turned up in a trash bin in Greece.
The discovery of ancient artifacts in surprising places is not uncommon in a country as rich in history and archaeology as Greece. Relics are often unearthed during construction projects, such as subway system excavations.
…
"Here we are in the shadow of the Acropolis, digging five subway stations," said William G. Stead, the construction project's general manager, still awed by the thought after more than two years on the job. He referred to the stations being built within the confines of the ancient city, where the archeological finds are the richest.
In the Spring of 2023, during my sightseeing trip to the Acropolis and ancient Agora, I got giddy when I realized the poetic license I’d been taking to connect Greek mythology and mass transit—an animating theme in my poems—had come to life: It turned out that one of the exhibits, The Altar of the 12 Gods, was at the edge of the Agora right by the city Metro and was only re-discovered during construction of the city’s railway in 1891.
5/29/23, The Agora grounds, Athens, Greece
That is to say: the train and the 12 Gods share some sacred space. I captured the exciting overlap on iPhone video:
5/29/23, The Agora grounds, Athens, Greece, by the Monastiraki Metro station.
I have a poem about this moment in my current manuscript City States. [Omonia is the name of the metro station that was near our apartment.]
Head of a Youth
Are the 12 Gods gaslighting me?
The You Are Here map
keeps saying “The Altar of the 12 Gods”
is too. But it’s nowhere to be found.
I ask a grounds attendant and she directs meto the wrong ruin. Head of a youth.
Elongated face, almond eyes,
flames for locks.
Body gone.
“The Altar of the 12 Gods,”
built in 522 BC,
destroyed in the 3rd century AD;
rediscovered across the street
in the late 19th century by
tunneling crews working on the new electric railway.
It’s here. Walk down
the alley of myrtles today to Omonia,
take the subway three stops.
Demeter, rediscovered by Rachel Carson, is my favorite.
Hermes, played by Johnny Rotten, is my favorite.
Aphrodite, stains like tears below her eyes from the oxidation
of bronze lashes, is unknown.
Who knows
what other transport lies
beneath our sneakers to discover?
Okay. Onto this week’s obsessions.
1) Elon Musk’s Nazi Salute Should be Gettlng More National Attention
Why isn’t robber baron Elon Musk’s sieg heil a major news story? In case you missed it, and you may have if you rely on major outlets for your news: Trump’s $250 million campaign backer gave a Nazi salute from the stage at a Trump inauguration day event; Musk is the No. 1 Trump whisperer and is currently heading up Trump’s official White House effort to slash government. This man, the richest man in the world (net worth ~$430 billion), has amassed sweeping power in the United States. And there he was reveling in Nazi bravado in front of cheering Trump crowds. The New York Times “big story,” ‘What Elon Musk’s Salute Was All About,” isn’t a news account, but basically a muddied think piece talking about the history of “Roman” salutes while puzzling over Musk’s intentions.
January 20, 2025
Fear struck my DNA when I saw the video of Trump’s malevolent patron giving his Nazi salute, but the only hard-hitting assessments in the U.S. (Europe is appropriately aghast) were on social media. And, big surprise, the posts I saw there were largely about the ADL and how they are evil Zionists.
This follows a well-worn and predictable script. When it comes to talking about antisemitism, the Jews themselves are routinely cast as part of the problem.
In this instance, the ADL had become something of a fall guy for the left.
Certainly, the ADL’s response to Musk’s Brown Shirt politics, was unacceptable. The ADL said Musk “made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.” Um, no. This is the same Elon Musk who has a history of pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories on X, the ubiquitous social media site he owns. And just last month, he came out in support of Germany’s Nazi-adjacent party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Gratingly, the ADL went on with their inexcusable Musk apology to say he should be “given a bit of grace and even the benefit of the doubt.” Again, no; and for the record, Musk, who gave the Nazi salute twice, never apologized himself. In fact, he responded to the ADL’s brain dead response by saying ““Thanks guys,” punctuated with laughing emoji. Because yes, it was an intentional sieg hiel. As a friend said: Musk clearly practiced the gesture in the mirror that morning.
Should the ADL be reprimanded for gaslighting us about Musk. Of course. But it’s curious that the majority of condemnations I saw directed at the ADL didn’t work to re-focus on the poisonous reality of Musk’s antisemitism, but rather, very quickly blurred the focus, veering into condemning the ADL for supporting Israel.
On my feeds, anger at the “Apartheid Defense League” overtook anger at Musk. Not only is it typical for overt displays of antisemitism to turn away from the original toxic speech and turn to finger pointing at Jews, but, more telling is how quickly they turn into discussions about Israel and calls (these days) to “Free Palestine.” Pro-Palestine activists would have more credibility when they say their anti-Israel stance isn’t aligned with antisemitism if they didn’t simultaneously seize gross instances of antisemitism to condemn Israel.
For the record, criticism of Israel is not default antisemitic; and there are plenty of reasons to condemn Israel. I for one, have been doing it since I was 12. On the flip side, criticism of Israel is not a default get-out-jail-free card for voicing antisemitism.
2) The Tennis Podcast
I know I’ve been lauding my parasocial besties—Catherine Whitaker, David Law, and Matt Roberts, the insightful and playful co-hosts of The Tennis Podcast—since I first came across their thorough reports back in mid-November.
Well, I’ve been hanging out with them every day this week as they post daily Australian Open dispatches from Melbourne Park, so here I go again.
Roberts, Whitaker, and Law serve hot takes with charm.
Their daily wrap-ups for this week’s Grand Slam are a delight. And they’re usually recorded in the wee hours from some empty coffee lounge or conference room where you can hear a vacuum cleaner whirring in the background, or in one episode, dad figure Law—scaring off a few late night mice as he stomped around the room.
With emcee Whitaker’s hilarity and snark always puncutated by a conclusive and drawn out British “right;” Law’s thoughtful “isn’t it?” analysis colored by his veteran reporter’s deep knowledge, and, most thrilling, their former intern, young Matt Roberts’ wide-eyed yet incisive takes that regularly veer into the effortlessly philosophical, these maximum tennis nerds offer unvarnished reality checks on all the action. And players!
I’m scared to listent today (Saturday), though. Surging Madison Keys beat Saby in a three-set thriller, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, to win the Melbourne trophy.
3) My Tofu Scramble
Heat up a frying pan. Add earth balance margarine and almond milk.
Rinse, slice, and dice yellow onions. Sauté. When they’re golden brown, scoop a tablespoon full from the pan and set aside.
Rinse and slice mushrooms. Add to pan with the remaining onions. Continue to sauté. Rinse and dice broccoli florets. Add. Rinse and dice green bell pepper. Add. Sauté and stir all the veggies.
Crumble a block of firm tofu in with the sizzling veggies. Add plenty of nooch. Liberally sprinkle in turmeric. Add three pinches of black salt for a sulfuric umami kick; I use a pink black salt from a brand called Deep'; be careful not to use much more than that because it doubles as sleeping medicine. Add more earth balance. Use a spatula to mix and toss.
Scoop the set-aside grilled onions onto two toasted slices of bread.
Rinse and thinly slice tomato. Sprinkle with black pepper. Lay over the onions.
Scoop a satisfying serving of the tofu and veggies onto two other slices of toasted bread for a gorgeously sloppy open face “scrambled egg” sandwich.
1/20/25