Y'all my Moth story is now available to listen to online: beta.prx.org/stories/521458

On the way home from O’Hare. Can you think of any reason this Uber driver has a mask on his dash that occasionally reflects this horrifying image on the windshield?! 😳😅😩😳👀

USA. A store. I bought water. The cashier said, “Here you go, buddy.” Buddy. I froze. Buddy is a big word. In Japan, I need three years, two drinking parties, and one moment where we both pretend not to cry before I call someone buddy. But this man gave it to me with a plastic bag. No ceremony. No contract. No dramatic music. Just “buddy.” Then my friend said, “Hurry up, bro.” Bro? Now I had a brother too? I came to America with one suitcase and no siblings. At this rate, I would leave with a family tree that looks like a Costco receipt. I asked my friend, “Am I legally American now?” He said, “No, dude.” Dude. Another title. I was no longer a man. I was Buddy-Bro-Dude, son of the Gas Station. America does not wait for relationships to grow. It throws friendship at you and says, “Catch.”

USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving. Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free. I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these." "They just come with the table, man." They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner. This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat. I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared. "Did we…?" "Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless." Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined. My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude." Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man. I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy. Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived. I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most. Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.

Was told by a NPS employee this tree across from Lincoln’s home in Springfield IL is the last confirmed “witness tree” that would have been standing when Lincoln lived here and would have seen. Last night’s storm has destroyed it, staff say it can’t be saved #History #Lincoln

🧵 Here's a problem in the American evangelical world. @howertonjosh made some incredibly awful videos about how to milk donors for money. People across the spectrum objected. It was a problem for Josh for a few days. 1/

In Grant Park in Chicago, you don't expect to see this. A local church is offering $10,000 reward to find the culprit. abc7chicago.com/post/grant-p…

I think customers should have to take a “fruit of the spirit” test before buying a cross necklace.

This is grotesquely irresponsible. Why do Republicans think a scandal-ridden reality-TV star was going to perform well in one of the bluest districts in the nation in a likely blue year? They liked his AI videos? I hate the way California counts ballots, but claims of fraud requires evidence of fraud, not outcomes you don't like.

I'm finally reading Dune. This quote, which is in the first few pages, hits hard: "Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them."

Okay that was a GREAT movie! (So glad I was able to read the book first, but you'll enjoy the movie even if you've not had the chance.)

I just finished reading Project Hail Mary and am bereft because I loved the book sooo much. Fixing to watch the movie!

“Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.” — Winston Churchill D-Day was 82 years ago today.

I hailed a cab today from the street. Hand up, voice strong. "TAXI?" Felt very old school, and I guess it's the type of skill that young people will never know.

This "happy birthday" singing to celebrate Pat Boone's 92nd birthday this month (!!), is the MOST "Church of Christ" rendition that has ever happened. IYKYK instagram.com/reel/DZEjq4HNs…

Giving this up to move to suburban Indiana is just so stupid

A friend of mine has two tickets for game 4 of the nba finals. They are courtside seats plus airfare and hotel accommodations. He didn't realize when he bought them that this is the same day as his wedding - so he can't go. If you're interested and want to go instead of him, it's at St. Peter's Church in New York City at 5 PM. Her name is Donna. She will be the one in the white dress.

Kudos to Nancy for picking this up, but why aren't other U.S. journalists running the story? World Vision U.S. has an annual revenue of $1.4 billion. What's more, the story confirms Israel's narrative that NGOs can't be trusted to work in Gaza while Hamas remains in control.

Internal Hamas documents indicate that World Vision’s former Gaza director DID work for Hamas. Evidence indicates that World Vision funds were funneled to Hamas over several years. This is why our family stopped donating to World Vision... more details: archive.ph/sMP6O

In May we received a tour of the NASA Space Center in Houston by the awesome people who directed the Artemis mission and run the international space station. Praying for the guys in space and confident in the brilliant minds that make space exploration possible. @DavidAFrench

The Lego version is prettier than the real one!