Anne Truitt on the Parallels Between Being an Artist and Being a Parent →

Anne Truitt:

I noticed that when my children reached the age of about twelve, the balance of power shifted from me to them. I have sometimes felt myself in the quandary of a chicken who has hatched duck eggs: my children took to the water, I remained on the riverbank. But I cherish my own independence too much to begrudge them theirs. I do better on the bank cheering them on. If I keep a respectful distance, they welcome me into their lives almost as wholeheartedly as I welcomed them into mine when they were born. “Almost” because even the most affectionate adult children maintain with their parents a healthy reservation that marks the boundary of their autonomy.

If you had "Brain Pickings" on your What Site's Article Will Make Joe Cry in the Coffee Shop When He Reads It bingo card, you're a big winner.

American Demagogue →

David Remnick, writing for The New Yorker:

The socioeconomic forces are real, but Trump is also the beneficiary of a long process of Republican intellectual decadence. Paul Ryan denounces Trump but not the Tea Party rhetoric that propelled his own political ascent. John McCain holds Trump in contempt, but selected as his running mate Sarah Palin, the Know-Nothing of Wasilla, one of Trump’s most vivid forerunners and supporters. Mitt Romney last week righteously slammed Trump as a “phony” and a misogynist, and yet in 2012 he embraced Trump’s endorsement and praised his “extraordinary” understanding of economics.

It might be really, really fun watching the GOP run in circles, wailing about what Trump is doing to their party, but never forget—they did this to themselves.

Complex City Cypher ft. Christian Scott w/ A$AP Ferg, Your Old Droog, and Wiki →

Complex City Cyphers will travel to various cities to highlight local rappers and musicians. In this pilot episode, A$AP Ferg, Wiki, and Your Old Droog freestyle over music provided by Grammy nominated jazz musician Christian Scott. This cypher is deeply rooted in the traditions of freestyling in hip-hop and improvisation in jazz.

I'm a fan of Kendrick Lamar; I'm hugely supportive of him as an artist even if I don't love all of his music. But the above video is important because it's a reminder that Kendrick isn't the only one doing the Kendrick thing. He's just the most well-known.

The Story Behind the 99PI Challenge Coin →

99percentinvisible.org:

So you finally got your 99% Invisible challenge coin, but are not quite sure what it all means. Before your next coin check, brush up on both sides of your newly-minted coin by listening to these ten excellent episodes from our archives. First, some context for the coin itself; next, the origins of the mantra on its front; finally, all eight symbols on the back, listed clockwise and starting at the top.

For 99PI fans, this is pretty damn cool (I am proud to say that I would pass a coin check). But this also serves as a great primer for the show as a whole.

Donald Trump Declines to Disavow David Duke and the KKK →

Matthew Yglesias, writing for Vox:

Trump, being a cautious sort and not one to just talk without gathering all the facts and giving a matter serious consideration, said he would have to do more research because at the moment he lacked sufficient information to disavow them.

Meanwhile, HRC just won 86% of Black voters in South Carolina. I think I speak for giddy Democrats everywhere when I say, "Trump 2016!"

Paper and Watercolor Dioramas of Wes Anderson Movie Scenes →

Unbelievable. Only Wes Anderson could inspire this insanely Wes Andersonian project. The artist, Mar Cerdà, created dioramas for The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Darjeeling Limited.

/via kottke.org

Trump Calls for Boycott on Apple While Tweeting from iPhone →

Zac Hall, writing for 9to5Mac:

It’s Friday afternoon so presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for a boycott on all Apple products. His announcement follows this week’s FBI request that Apple help it unlock the San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone, which Tim Cook says would set a dangerous precedent.

Here’s the kicker: As news broke that Trump was calling for a boycott on Apple until it cooperates with the FBI, Donald Trump (or whoever manages his Twitter account) was tweeting a series of unrelated messages … from Twitter for iPhone.

Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth. What a lummox.

'...magic flying puppies with winning Lotto tickets tied to their collars.' →

Jackie Calmes, writing for The New York Times:

With his expansive plans to increase the size and role of government, Senator Bernie Sanders has provoked a debate not only with his Democratic rival for president, Hillary Clinton, but also with liberal-leaning economists who share his goals but question his numbers and political realism.

The reviews of some of these economists, especially on Mr. Sanders’s health care plans, suggest that Mrs. Clinton could have been too conservative in their debate last week when she said his agenda in total would increase the size of the federal government by 40 percent. That level would surpass any government expansion since the buildup in World War II.

Now go ahead—let me hear from a bunch of liberals about the media bias toward Bernie Sanders from The New York fucking Times.

Bernie Sanders supporters want to win a nomination; Hillary supporters want to win an election.

That's the difference.

'They will chop you down just to count your rings/Just to count your rings/Just to count your rings' →

Rings is the just-released first single of Aesop Rock's new solo record, The Impossible Kid. I still remember meeting him at SUNY Purchase in 2005. I'd lie and say I've dug much of his stuff since Bazooka Tooth, but this one seems to have some of that old fire. I hope the new record is just as good.

/via Rhymesayers

'Pablo Picasso and Kanye West share many qualities.' →

Jayson Greene, writing for Pitchfork:

Kanye's second child Saint was born in early December, and there's something distinctly preoccupied about this whole project—it feels wry, hurried, mostly good-natured, and somewhat sloppy. Like a lot of new parents, Kanye feels laser-focused on big stuff—love, serenity, forgiveness, karma—and a little frazzled on the details. "Ultralight Beam" opens with the sound of a 4-year-old preaching gospel, some organ, and a church choir: "This is a God dream," goes the refrain. But everything about the album's presentation—the churning tracklist, the broken promises to premiere it here or there, the scribbled guest list—feels like Kanye ran across town to deliver a half-wrapped gift to a group birthday party to which he was 10 minutes late.

This is probably the best review I've read of TLOP. This is the only assertion that I disagree with:

The Life of Pablo is, accordingly, the first Kanye West album that's just an album: No major statements, no reinventions, no zeitgeist wheelie-popping.

The way TLOP was and/or is in the process of being released is the big deal here. In five years or so, I think we'll look back at this moment and realize that this was when the gate officially came crashing down on the old way of doing these kinds of things.