PicoBlog

Hi friend! How’s it going?? This week for me has been about goal setting (talk about it more below). I also went to this creators party hosted by Nas Daily and The European Kid. It was literally the first party I had been to for at least 5 years where I didn’t really know anybody so I was like 🤩😱🥺 but I think I managed to appear 🙂👋🤝 (I hope).

What is Christian Hermeticism, the. unique mystery stream—at once ancient and new—initiated by the Russian mystic and polymath Valentine Tomberg? In truth, it depends on who you ask, and I have heard many different approaches to answering this question. All who consider themselves Christian Hermeticists share in common a profound admiration and even veneration for Tomberg himself, and not a few have an appreciation for Rudolf Steiner, Tomberg’s master at an early stage of his life.

The idea behind Foundations is simple; I want to teach you what I know about home cooking. These are the fundamentals, the building blocks, the stuff that once you understand it, will allow you to become the kind of cook who can open a cupboard or fridge and make something delicious without using a recipe. If you haven’t already, you might like to read the introductory piece explaining this project in more detail here.

Happy New Year! In the warm and generous spirit of the holidays, we’re making this week’s bonus segment free to all. But there’s more: Until the end of the year, you can get 30% off a subscription to Booksmart Studios. You’ll get extra written content and access to bonus segments like this one. More importantly, you’ll be championing all the work we do here. Become a member of Booksmart Studios today.

A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.

And you thought the village of Fairport was a craft beverage destination before? Already home to Faircraft Brauhaus, Triphammer Bierwerks, and Fairport Brewing, it’s about to get even wilder as a fourth brewery is set to open along the Erie Canal. Preservation Beer Company, 75 N. Main St., the new project from the owners behind Pittsford’s Lock 32 Brewing and Perinton’s Seven Story Brewing, is “dedicated to the preservation of things that matter to us, and to the community where we live and brew,” according to its just launched website.

Hi friends! Grad school has been wild. I'm busy all the time working on big projects: one about radio in Wisconsin, another about the dual realities of daycare (it's too expensive for parents, and childcare workers are not paid nearly enough), and a story I hope to publish here about the power of boycotts to change food systems.  The news that Chicago-based retailer Foxtrot is closing—laying off hundreds of workers and giving no indication that they will be receiving severance—made my blood boil, so I wanted to jump in here with some thoughts.

In my recent post detailing my investigation into the reliability of Fr. Charles Murr as a witness of important Vatican events in the 1970s, I found that he makes two uncorroborated claims about the final evening of the life of Pope John Paul I. The first is his assertion in his book Murder in the 33rd Degree that Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio was the last person to see Pope John Paul I alive.

This is meant to be a word of caution about Fr. Peter Heers and his endeavors. I am not here claiming that he has any malicious intent. In fact, I believe he is sincere in his efforts and is concerned about the Church at-large, which is what drives him to speak and teach as he does. However, I believe that much of what he is teaching is problematic and/or shortsighted, and is doing more harm than good.