The Weekly Wrap: August 24, 2025

I feel sorry for the members of the DC National Guard. (The other state national guards... not so much.)

DC is occupied territory and our national guard is being forced to participate. One of my neighbors has been jaunting about town talking with our guard members. They're upset. They are being required to patrol their hometown streets for no reason. It's a deliberate show of force for political reasons that has no meaningful impact on its supposed purpose. These guard members are near the monuments, outside of Union Station, or chilling in downtown areas. It's all PR visibility and no action. 

They don't want to be there. The teachers in particular. They've been called up to patrol when school starts tomorrow. Instead of lesson planning and meeting their students, they're posing for photos with tourists. The doctors aren't seeing patients. They're dressed up for photo ops. The restaurant workers aren't seating tables during restaurant week. They're being used as pawns.

But our guard still cares. Many a video has shown them helping cleaning up litter and providing lost visitors directions. 

Even in the middle of this maddening distraction, the DC National Guard shows what true service looks like. That quiet commitment to our community is what truly keeps DC strong, no matter the political theater around it. I support my neighbors. All the other occupying forces can GTF out.

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• When it comes to development, there are engineers and there are lawyers. [The Atlantic - gift link]
• How we educate our military officers. [The Atlantic - gift link]
• I love it when someone goes deep on an esoteric topic. [Culture Study]

• The origins of ostracism. [Atlas Obscura]
• The zipper is a machine. [Articles of Interest]
• Language and how we express it is fascinating. [Culture Study]
• Language is still interesting. [The Indicator]
• To-may-toe, to-mah-toe. [Gastropod]

• Why is this so accurate? [@bequietjoe]
• I needed this edit of the sandwich resistance. [@eightman]
• I finished my rewatch of The West Wing while troops of out of state national guards patrolled my local streets. The idealism of the show contrasted with the cynicism of current events was not lost on me. [HBO Max]

• While I was home alone, I really wanted to add kimchi to my meal plan. Instead of trying something new, I fell back on a tried favorite: kimchi fried rice with extra greens. My story was out of bok choi and I needed arugula for another recipe, so I wen with that. I also went overboard on the kimchi because I can't get enough of the flavor. [The Kitchn]
• That arugula was also used on another favorite, smoked salmon flat bread. I like to use the suggested naan flat breads because they're a quick toast in the toaster oven. I skipped the garlic in the cream cheese mixture because I think raw garlic was a bit assertive for the flavor profile I was craving. [Real Simple]