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Weekend Butler: A rare letter from the editor: ‘Help!’ Plus: a summer love story in Europe. Live longer… with coffee. A good use of zucchini. And more.
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Published: Jul 20, 2022
Category:
Weekend
YOU CAN HELP BUTLER, OR YOU COULD JUST SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GOOD STUFF
For all of its 17 years, Head Butler has been an Amazon “affiliate.” What that means: Amazon creates a code for Butler, I insert the number of the product I’m featuring into that code, and every time you click on that link on Butler and buy the product — or buy any other product on Amazon, or anything on Whole Foods — Head Butler earns a commission.
I didn’t start Butler to make money, and it hasn’t. But I wasn’t immune to revenue, and for 17 years, Butler broke even, or a bit better. The mail service, tech support, the occasional lunch — your Amazon purchases paid for all of it.
No more.
Amazon has been on a crusade to rid itself of affiliates, and as of a few months ago, Butler became a casualty of that war. Amazon’s reason for bouncing Butler never made sense to me — something about links in the newsletter — but it wasn’t like Amazon and I had a conversation about this. Amazon’s customer service is amazingly responsive. Amazon as a business? A castle with a moat. Protest all you like. You get form letters in response.
How will I replace the Amazon revenue?
First, know this, and it’s so important I’m putting it in bold type:
Head Butler is a free site and will always be a free site.
The newsletter is also free. If you subscribe, you’ll never be asked to pay for it.
So where will Butler get operating funds?
You.
Patreon – it’s now the only way that you can support the site.
You’ve seen the pitch at the top of the main screen, and blessings to those who have responded.
It’s simple to sign up. Click here. Decide how much you want to donate — remember, the amount you choose will be deducted from your bank every month — and you’ll get an effusive note from me. [Patreon says you can give me as little as $1 a month. Yes, you can. Just know that on Substack, my friends are getting $5 a month from their readers. That’s $60 a year. High, I think. But people pay it. I don’t expect many of you to commit to $5 a month. $1 month? Really? Okay. Sure. Whatever.]
My ambition here: As I have cheerfully said for 17 years, if my family depended on income from Butler, we’d be living in the park. All I’d like from your support now is to cover my costs, and once every three years, to show the IRS this is a business, not a hobby.
What if you don’t step up? Simple: I’ll spend less time identifying, reading, and reviewing new stuff, and more time on my own writing. There are 2,300 reviews in the archives. I’ll make use of them more often. There will still be four Butlers a week.
Finally, an incentive to step up: If this appeal doesn’t produce results, I’ll risk boring you — I’ll run it again. As you know, I hate boring, and try never to know it. It would be just as painful to inflict it on you. Please don’t make me…
REGULAR COFFEE DRINKERS HAD LOWER CHANCE OF DYING IN 7-YEAR PERIOD
from The Washington Post :
People who drink a moderate amount of coffee — up to 3½ cups a day — might have a better chance at a longer life span, even if their coffee is lightly sweetened with sugar. For about seven years, the researchers tracked the coffee consumption and health of 171,616 participants, who were an average of nearly 56 years old and were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease when the study started. They found that those who regularly drank 1½ to 3½ cups of coffee a day, whether plain or sweetened with about a teaspoon of sugar, were up to 30 percent less likely to die in that time frame from any cause, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, than were those who did not drink coffee.
YOU SEE IT… BUT CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
Click here.
A GOOD MAN
from Facebook:
Dan Gill, 75, is a middle school teacher in New Jersey. Thirty years ago he began the practice of placing a chair slightly off to the side of his classroom. It is never occupied and he doesn’t discuss it until the Martin Luther King birthday holiday. He then tells his class about an incident from his childhood.
Gill and a friend had been invited to a birthday party. The hostess opened the door to admit them, then told Gill’s friend that he couldn’t come in because there were not enough chairs. Dan Gill is White; his friend was Black.
The boys went back in tears to Gill’s house, where his mother treated them to ice cream. The empty chair, Gill tells his students, is a promise that no one will ever be denied a seat.
A GREAT NEW IDEA: SOAKING THE RICH
From The Verge:
BMW is now selling subscriptions for heated seats in a number of countries — the latest example of the company’s adoption of microtransactions for high-end car features.
A monthly subscription to heat your BMW’s front seats costs roughly $18, with options to subscribe for a year ($180), three years ($300), or pay for “unlimited” access for $415.
In the case of heated seats, for example, BMW owners already have all the necessary components, but BMW has simply placed a software block on their functionality that buyers then have to pay to remove.
BRENÉ BROWN: HOW TO BEHAVE
“My mom taught us to never look away from people’s pain. The lesson was simple: Don’t look away. Don’t pretend not to see hurt. Look people in the eye. Even when their pain is overwhelming. And when you’re in pain, find the people who can look you in the eye. We need to know we’re not alone – especially when we’re hurting. This lesson is one of the greatest gifts of my life.”
WEEKEND RECIPE: SOFT ZUCCHINI WITH HARISSA, OLIVES, AND FETA
serves 4–6
¼ teaspoon caraway seeds or a combination of fennel and cumin seeds
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons harissa paste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a bit more for drizzling at the end
4 zucchini, sliced into thick rounds
Handful cured olives, a combination of oily and briny ones is nice, pitted
½ cup coarsely crumbled feta
Small handful parsley leaves, chopped
Rind of a quarter of a preserved lemon, chopped
Toast the caraway seeds in a small heavy skillet over medium heat just until they are fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Put the toasted seeds in a mortar and crush them with the pestle. Add the garlic and a good pinch of salt and crush the mixture into a paste. Stir in the lemon juice, harissa, and oil. Season with salt.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the zucchini and cook until very tender and soft but definitely not falling apart, about 5 minutes. Drain well, then put the zucchini into a wide bowl and gently toss with the harrisa vinaigrette while still warm.
Dress the zucchini with the olives, feta, parsley, and preserved lemons, finishing the dish with a good drizzle of olive oil.
WEEKEND MOVIE: “BEFORE SUNRISE”
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy spend a magical day in Europe… talking. Here’s the trailer. To stream it on Amazon Prime, click here.
