The + Friday + Five: 09.13.24

Today: Alex Morgan, Staying Poor, Breaking up with the NYT, Hawaii Colonized, and another walk through the Garden

The Friday + Five* is a brief list of things I have found meaningful, challenging, joyful, soothing, or quirky from the week. Some weeks will have themes, while others will feel like they were gathered by a raccoon hyped up on six shots of espresso. You’ve been warned.

Your Friday Five: 09.13.24

Good day all. I hope you are well and this Friday, the 13th, has been well-behaved thus far. I am on the road and finishing this post from 30,000 feet and where I have lots of room to stretch out (see image below).

Today’s 5 offers some Substack posts that drew me in. Enjoy.

  1. We all decide at different times and for different reasons when we give something up based on ideological and political beliefs. None of us is perfect, none of us is pure, and we all get to where we get to when we get there. While I know many folks gave up the NYT before, I found this piece from as she walks us through a lifelong relationship with the paper and corporate media, Take a read of Breaking up with the New York Times: Confessions from a once diehard teenage fangirl.
  2. Our crew has been a Hawaii family for a long time. Many Filipinos feel connected because so many of our family, like my grandfather, migrated through the islands. We would spend a month in Maui every few summers and try to leave as light of a footprint as possible. That said, our participation in the ongoing colonization through our visits is always a question and ongoingly problematic. One thing that I have been trying to do is keep up with ongoing liberation movements and keep learning. In that vein, here is a great piece from by were connections between Hawaii and Palestine are drawn, 'Colonization' Isn't Just Palestine — It's Hawaii Too: My name is Kanoelani and I am Kānaka Maoli. I believe in a Free Palestine AND a Free Hawaii. And if you're white, I need you to believe in this too.
  3. I love when my friends learn stuff and pass it along. Be sure to check out and the most recent offering from , They want us poor: And this time "they" is the Supreme Court.
  4. Here is one from that deserves your attention. If you have never read Jeff’s substack, , always be prepared to settle in for a lovely and poignant walk through the garden and life. When I read his stuff, I inevitably think, “Sure, I write, but Jeff is a writer.” Always theological and sometimes political, this most recent offering is well worth a sit-down, The Beans and the Sunflowers: Some fragmented thoughts on lessons from the garden about focus, resilience, and growth, a grievous piece of partisan rhetoric, and love of neighbor.
  5. And lastly a little news from the pitch. My go-to soccer substack these days is . Like so many people, I watched Alex Morgan’s final 13 minutes on the pitch and found myself remembering how important she has been to a generation of soccer players, especially girls, inlcuding our own. offers a great reflection in on Morgan, her impact, and what still needs to be done in, Alex Morgan's groundbreaking goodbye: A reflection on how far we've come, and how far we have to go.

Comments on The + Friday + Five are always open to everyone, so feel free to drop some random readings and tantalizing tidbits below.

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From the Camera Roll: I begin a pretty heavy season of travel this weekend (finishing this post off at 30,000 feet in the air) so as a Southwest flyer, this is a great way to start. IYKYN.

*The Original Friday Five was a weekly-ish post from my 2010s SF Gate’s City Brights blog. If you stumble across anything that you think would fit, please feel free to drop me a note.