Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 60
R.I.P. Norm McDonald, Micah Recommends, Facebook is the worst, Recipe Corner, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
Check out the introduction post here and the entire archive of previous newsletters here.
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R.I.P Norm McDonald
This stinks. I had a hell of a time writing the newsletter this week because I fell into a deep, DEEP YouTube rabbit hole.
There’s the video from the time he hosted SNL a year after he was fired from the show.
I love this legendary Bob Saget roast clip.
“Bob you have a lot of well-wishers here tonight. And a lot of them would like to throw you down one. A well. They want to murder you in a well.”
And of course, my personal favorite, Norm hosting the ESPYs and upsetting everyone. Seriously, if you’ve never seen this monologue, please, stop what you’re doing, put in your headphones, and watch this right now.
Basketball writer Kelly Dwyer wrote my favorite piece about Norm this week.
Norm wasn’t anti-comedy, he wrote jokes and told them and encouraged laughter because he thought his thoughts were funny. He surveyed the scene and discovered there was still silly stuff to bring up, observations to cultivate. Norm never tried to break anything.
MacDonald didn’t owe his renown to this exposure. He earned the attention because Norm MacDonald was the only one in the building who wasn’t trying to be our friend. He was the human at the party that the cat walks up to.
A stance like this doesn’t have to include brusque, punch-down humor; avenues MacDonald certainly, carelessly, stomped. He didn’t worry about anything else but being funny.
It’s why he was the finest talk show guest, it’s why every time a clip of his podcast came across your feed you’d click on it and wonder why Norm always sounded like he was reading jokes off a script. There was no secret to anything, he was just funnier than everyone else. Like you’re supposed to be, if that’s your job.
Rest in Peace.
Micah Recommends
“Only Murders in the Building”
Steve Martin. Marty Short. Selena Gomez?
This Hulu show is about three true-crime fanatics who start their own podcast after a mysterious death in their Manhattan apartment building. It’s brilliant. You’ll like it. And Gomez is really good too.
Mind of Micah
Last week on my podcast, Mind of Micah, I shared this story about seven surprising science-based strategies to relieve stress. I think you’ll enjoy it.
If only there was a product I could recommend that could also reduce and relieve stress…
Earlybird CBD
Save 20% on your first order at earlybirdcbd.com/micah.
Earlybird CBD is the truth. Want to relieve some stress without sticking your head in a bucket of ice water? Try Earlybird and save 20% off your first order at earlybirdcbd.com/micah.
After a tough day at the office, we all need to take the edge off. A single Earlybird CBD gummie has helped me relax and sleep like a baby. I highly recommend it.
Earlybird creates amazing Full Spectrum Hemp products you will feel. Their gummies are formulated for fun. Earlybird’s products are full-spectrum hemp, which means they contain the full range of naturally occurring cannabinoids in the plant, including THC. They're the full experience.
There are a lot of CBD products on the market, but Earlybird stands apart. From sourcing the purest hemp, touring the finest labs, and sampling from the very best confectioners, Earlybird has become the expert on how to produce exceptional and effective hemp products.
The gummies come in three flavors (they're all great) and with 30 count bottles and 4-packs, you’re covered at home and on the go. Plus, Earlybird ships to all 50 states.
Save 20% on your first order at earlybirdcbd.com/micah.
Facebook is the worst, part infinity
From Facebook keeps researching its own harms — and burying the findings:
Facebook knew that teen girls on Instagram reported in large numbers that the app was hurting their body image and mental health. It knew that its content moderation systems suffered from an indefensible double standard in which celebrities were treated far differently than the average user. It knew that a 2018 change to its news feed software, intended to promote “meaningful interactions,” ended up promoting outrageous and divisive political content.
Facebook knew all of those things because they were findings from its own internal research teams. But it didn’t tell anyone. In some cases, its executives even made public statements at odds with the findings.
Seriously, just look at these other headlines from the past week:
How Facebook Hobbled Mark Zuckerberg’s Bid to Get America Vaccinated
Company documents show antivaccine activists undermined the CEO’s ambition to support the rollout by flooding the site and using Facebook’s own tools to sow doubt about the Covid-19 vaccine.
Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show
Its own in-depth research shows a significant teen mental-health issue that Facebook plays down in public.
Misinformation on Facebook got six times more clicks than factual news during the 2020 election, study says
Right-leaning pages also produce more misinformation, the forthcoming study found.
Recipe Corner
The forecasted high in Austin today is 101. The summer of skirt steak will never end. Any recipe that starts with instructions, “Coarsely chop 10 garlic cloves,” has a place in my heart.
Skirt Steak With Grilled Pineapple Chow
STEAK AND SAUCE
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill
1½ lb. skirt steak
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
10 garlic cloves
2 scallions
4 culantro leaves or ¼ bunch cilantro
½ Scotch bonnet or habanero chile
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
CHOW AND ASSEMBLY
1 large pineapple
4 culantro leaves or ¼ bunch cilantro
1 garlic clove
½–1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile
1 lime
Kosher salt
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate. Cut 1½ lb. skirt steak into 4 pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides liberally with salt and pepper and place in a baking dish or large shallow bowl.
Coarsely chop 10 garlic cloves. Remove dark green parts from 2 scallions; discard. Coarsely chop white and pale green parts of scallions. Coarsely chop 4 culantro leaves or the leaves and tender stems from ¼ bunch cilantro to measure ¼ cup. Remove stem from ½ Scotch bonnet or habanero chile; cut in half and remove seeds if desired. Transfer garlic, scallions, culantro, and chile to a blender and add ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. sugar; blend until smooth. With motor running, gradually add ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a steady stream. Pour one third of sauce over steak and turn pieces to coat. Set remaining garlic sauce aside.
Grill steak until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 125° for medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and immediately pour half of reserved garlic sauce over. Let rest 5–10 minutes.
Peel and core 1 large pineapple, then cut lengthwise into 8 wedges. Grill pineapple wedges until grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board and coarsely chop. Transfer pineapple to a medium bowl.
Finely chop 4 culantro leaves or ¼ bunch cilantro or the leaves and tender stems from ¼ bunch cilantro to measure ¼ cup. Finely chop 1 garlic clove. Remove seeds from ½–1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile and remove seeds if desired, then finely chop. Add culantro, garlic, and chile to bowl with pineapple. Cut 1 lime in half and squeeze juice into bowl; toss to combine. Season pineapple chow with kosher salt.
Slice steak against the grain and arrange on a platter. Drizzle remaining reserved garlic sauce over. Serve with pineapple chow.
Springy Mozzarella & Chickpea Salad
8 ounces Ciliegine Mozzarella
1 cup chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup chopped cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1/2 cup prosciutto, sliced into small pieces
1 small handful of fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
For the vinaigrette
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
juice from 1/3 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Drain the mozzarella and transfer to a large bowl or dish. Wash and drain the chickpeas and cut the tomatoes, cucumbers and prosciutto. Add to the bowl with the mozzarella. Chop fresh dill and add to the bowl.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss. Garnish with salt, pepper, and fresh dill.
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