The Weekly Wrap: August 10, 2025

Keeping things short this week. We are visiting family for a vacation and the beach is calling.

Here's the Wrap!

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• A stunning piece of art and the story behind it. [WaPo - gift link]
• Anger is an engagement tactic. [Embedded]
• Politeness benefits everyone. [The Atlantic - gift link]

• The miasmists weren't entirely wrong. [99% Invisible]
• We need public potties. [City Cast DC]
• How to be a better houseguest. [Like Kit]
• It's a trust thing. [The Kitchen Sisters Present]
• Start with the weeding; stick around for the nerdy filing cabinet. [99% Invisible]
• Who was King Arthur? [Noble Blood]

• Heads of State is the ideal Friday night flick. There's action, comedy, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Also, the writing on this one has just enough cleverness to keep things interesting.   John Cena and Idris Elba are remarkably good foils for each other. This one is just plain fun. My only complaint is that the sound leveling is all over the place. We kept having to adjust to hear dialogue. [Amazon Prime]
• Titan: The OceanGate Disaster chronicles what happens when science gives why to hubris and money.  Obviously a lot of this documentary is a retrospective history. The main subject died and is unable to defend himself. But, this is a pretty damning story where one man's quest skirts laws and ignores reality ending in disaster. [Netflix]
• I spent half of Free Solo holding my breath. I knew how it ended, but the tension was still there. I liked how this was not just about the climb but how to capture the climb on film. [Hulu]
• Both of my parents have read a ton of books about Ernest Shackleton. I, admittedly, knew nothing. Endurance is a Nat Geo documentary searching for the sunken ship. It is remarkable that they were able to include so much archival footage. Also, it's impossible not to compare the tech of the modern expedition with what Shackleton didn't have. [Hulu]

• Strawberry bacon salad gave me Panera vibes. I liked this one because it was not only easy to prep but we could all customize. Kiddo skipped the cheese and dressing. I, on the other hand, added extra cheese. The components in this one balanced each other beautifully. [Sally's Baking Addiction]
• I wasn't quite sure what to think of peppery barbecue-glazed shrimp with vegetables and orzo. Barbecue shrimp are just not something I think about. The only reason I put this on our menu was to use up some celery. It was shockingly good. I'll ease up on the cayenne next time, but this was very flavorful. [Eating Well]