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Sylvia Robinson, often hailed as the "Mother of Hip-hop," was a musical maverick whose influence reverberated far beyond the confines of a recording studio. A visionary in every sense, Sylvia seamlessly blended her roles as a singer, producer, and rap mogul, crafting a legacy that would forever alter the trajectory of the music industry. In an era where women's voices were often relegated to the background, Sylvia's indomitable spirit ensured she was not just heard but that she led the chorus.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ late-1990s uniforms. When I recently wrote about 10 NFL throwbacks I’d like to see on the field, the Jags’ late-’90s set was at the top of the list. As I noted in that piece, the team’s original 1995 uniforms had standard block uni numbers, but then in 1997 they switched to “a very nice custom font” (which is shown in the photo above).

In July, TikTok started feeding me clips of Shallow Hal. I hadn’t seen the 2001 rom-com since I was a child, but I knew it would be problematic through 2023 eyes. The premise alone is teeth-clenching: womaniser Hal (Jack Black) is hypnotised so that he only sees inner beauty, meaning he (and here’s come the joke!) falls in love with a fat woman. Incidentally, inner beauty looks like Gwyneth Paltrow. 

Photo by Ernest KarchmitThe monotony is starting to set in. It’s been nine months since the pandemic hit and many of us began sheltering in place, and a lot has changed since then, sort of. Cities have been shuttered, and reopened, and shuttered again. Ditto for schools. The promise of a vaccine is becoming more real— and with it, the fantasy of a return to a world without masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing— but we are not quite there yet.

there is a lot going on and no one really knows what is going on If you’re already subscribed, thank you! If you’d like to subscribe, please do so here: YouTube and podcast up soon Also a note - I know that there is too much going on to even begin to process what is happening, and I am hoping to talk about *why* some of the stuff feels so weird and bad in this piece.

I’ve been putting off a trip back to where I grew up for a while now - but not just going back to visit family. I’m sensing a need for a retrospective road trip to explore where I come from. In my mind, I see this trip as a windows down, music cranked up drive down memory lane… And I'm splitting the road down the middle For a minute the world seems so simple

My name is Jess and I was a high school Literature teacher for 16 years until I decided to run as a Democrat in a rural, red district in Missouri. I bring you news and politics from Missouri and beyond from a rural progressive point of view. Over 21,000 subscribers No thanksncG1vNJzZmiilajAsbXPnqlnq6WXwLWtwqRlnKedZA%3D%3D

This week on the pod, it’s a new Ask Unladylike, and we’re tackling a pair of word problems that I have a feeling LOTS of us have encountered in one way or another. The first comes from an unlady who’s uncomfortable with how her boyfriend and his friends call each other bitch. It strikes her as misogynistic in context, but he argues the word is so ubiquitous these days, it has nothing to do with gender.

- Blake Griffin | Nike | Saint Studio Blake Griffin recently announced his retirement from the NBA after 14 seasons. After taking the league by storm with his spectacular dunks early in his career as part of the Lob City era of the Los Angeles Clippers, injuries took their toll on him. And though he managed to become an arguably more effective player, taking the Pistons to the playoffs in 2019, it was clear afterwards that his body was no longer what it was.