Good morning. I’m back with another week of interesting stories from around the Guardian. I hope you enjoy reading these, and have a great weekend.
If, sometimes, looking too hard at the world feels daunting … don’t forget: there’s always space.
1. ‘There’s hunger for his narrative’: the painful relevance of Edward Said
Two decades after Edward Said’s death in 2003, writes Moustafa Bayoumi, the scholar, activist and concert-level classical pianist “feels like a prophet”. Amid the continually escalating horror in Gaza, more readers around the world are turning and returning to the Palestinian-American’s work.
Bayoumi credits Said’s “ability to articulate a moral position with a sophisticated historical sensibility”, and his belief that “connection was ultimately more important than division”. But he also highlights the celebrated thinker’s deep practical commitment to political change, and to looking critically at the exercise of power.
Reading Said reminds us of the necessity of standing against oppression everywhere, of discovering an ethical position that translates into action, and of adopting skepticism before partisanship.
In the words of Said’s daughter: “My father always acknowledged Jewish suffering and advocated for a way [for Palestinians and Israelis] to live together with equal rights while still being firm in his criticism of Israel.”
How long will it take to read: about five minutes.
Further reading: Kenan Malik on why denouncing critics of Israel as antisemites is a perversion of history. As always you can find full coverage – and a range of perspectives – on recent events in Gaza here.
2. Fishing bodies from the Thames
Someone has to, I guess. And Caroline Davies has spoken to them. Last year, London’s marine policing unit retrieved 45 bodies from their precinct. Along the 343km length of the river, a body washes up on average around once a week – but very few make the headlines. Still, as one officer tells Davies, “it’s really important work. Families need closure.”
Random finds: despite folklore surrounding spots with names such as Dead Man’s Dock, Dead Man’s Steps or Dead Man’s Hole, there’s no “exact science” to where bodies might wash up. The variables Davies does learn about, though macabre, are very interesting.
How long will it take to read: less than three minutes.
3. ‘Sin is fun!’: an interview with Martin Scorsese
This week, some friends and I watched a (lovely) film called Round Midnight. Somewhere near the end, Martin Scorsese popped up in a cameo. It was, someone pointed out, extremely Martin Scorsese (lively, pressing, pretty maxed-out) – the director playing himself.
Several decades and many critically acclaimed films later, he’s a social media sensation for doing just this, starring in TikToks with 24-year-old daughter Francesca. He explains the joy of them to Steve Rose, as well as his enduring preoccupation with male power and relationships, men’s capacity for violence and men who fail to understand women.
“Let me put it this way: I’m still curious”: The director turned 81 in November; all he really wants is to keep making movies. “I try to find who we are as a human being, as an organism,” he tells Rose, “what our hearts are made of.”
***
“They say: ‘Well, you need to take a rest.’ Really? Time is an issue. Existence, non-existence, is an issue. So, alors, as they say.” – Martin Scorsese
How long will it take to read: about five minutes.
4. Looksmaxxing for SMV
On facial aesthetics forums, young men and teenage boys (mainly) are scouring pictures of each other for perceived flaws, and sharing purported fixes. It’s known as looksmaxxing, and has exploded in popularity in recent years, spreading from more obscure online communities into mainstream social media.
Know your lane: tweaks such as hair styling, skincare remedies, diets and exercise regimes are known as “softmaxxing”; more extreme fixes, from cosmetic dentistry to botox and face reshaping surgery are “hardmaxxing”.
“The ultimate goal is to improve your SMV,” one man tells Simon Usborne (SMV being sexual market value). People on these forums can get, this same man adds, “quite mean”. On one hand, no judgment … this is arguably just a new version of a phenomenon as old as time (makeup is softmaxxing, I guess?). On the other, it all sounds like a reasonably literal iteration of one of my versions of hell.
How long will it take to read: four-and-a-half minutes.
5. Fifteen sleep ‘facts’, checked
Does sleep count more before midnight? Do you really swallow eight spiders a year in your slumbers? Those on the quest for a good kip are likely to be bombarded with myths, legends and well-meaning but incorrect folk wisdom from all sides. But Tracey Ramsden has done you a solid and worked out what’s what.
Can’t lie, I’m mainly here for the enthused capitalisation: “Never wake a sleepwalker: TRUE. All beds have bed bugs: FALSE. 17 gallons of sweat are absorbed into a mattress every year: UNCLEAR.” More of this incisiveness in all our lives, please.
How long will it take to read: maybe five minutes.
(And actually, while we’re here, what is your best tip for getting to sleep? Email us: australia.newsletters@theguardian.com)
Further reading: want your body to feel better? Why stop at sleep?? We have a whole series on looking after your joints …
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