The week of July 20, 2024 was Mash-Up reorienting to the United States after a restorative trip to one of our ancestral homes, El Salvador. We ate all the mango and pina; we witnessed arrests; we visited one of the last traditional masqueros in the country; we consumed casamiento and pupusas in a volume previously unrecorded. We bought woven canastas large and small; we marveled at how countries survive the worst of humanity; we celebrated Shabbat and remembered we always have each other, and we always must hold onto the light. 

It’s weird being back in the U.S., our home country, in a time when everything here both feels so extranjero and so American. But we’re digging back in, and can’t wait to share our hard work with you soon. In the meantime: Links! We love you and hope you get to have the most balanced Swedish vacation! Subimos.

THE MASH-UP AMERICANS:

You, like us, are probably starfishing on the floor from all the RNC hubbub this past week. But did you know we have a whole pod episode about the Mash-Up life of Donald Trump? Take a listen to the interview we did with the Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael D’Antonio, who wrote a biography about it all. Then muster up all your energy to make sure Trump never sees the White House again.

MASH-UPS IN THE NEWS (FROM YEARS PAST):

A Double Life: The Cocaine Kingpin Who Hid As A Professional Soccer Player
THE WASHINGTON POST

Was he even great at soccer? Lol no. It’s an almost absurd, true-life tale of a cunning drug trafficker who lived out his boyhood fantasy — before escaping into hiding.

The Taste Of Memory
THE BITTER SOUTHERNER

This is what we mean by rice is LIFE. “The Laotian rice that thrives in the North Carolina foothills is a treasure to Hmong farmers – and a revelation to others.”

‘The Midnight Romance In Hagwon’: What To Know About The Unique Kdrama
FORBES

What’s a hagwon? Think: Kumon, Mathnasium, etc. A highly anticipated new Kdrama takes place in one of these private afterschool tutoring centers — this explainer gives all the context you need.

Tiktok LLM
THE NEW INQUIRY

Tiktok is its own universe in many ways, and the bizarre new language its users have adopted is a prime example. It’s all to skirt Tiktok’s obscure censorship practices. What’s the deal?

The Legacy Of Northeast L.A. Pop Art Icon Richard Duardo Is Alive And Thriving In Lincoln Heights
LA TACO

Love this glimpse at how a screenprinting studio is preserving the legacy of its founder, artist Richard Duardo, in one of our favorite LA neighborhoods. Banksy what?

The Texas Coral Snake Just Wants To Be Left Alone
TEXAS MONTHLY

And we’ve never related to an animal more. It’s snake season in Texas, but how dangerous are they really? This article helps paint the picture.

Are We Already Moving On From The Assassination Attempt On Trump?
THE NEW YORKER

Jay Caspian King shares what he finds disturbing: the quietness on the topic just one week after the attempted assassination. Does our collective interest level reflect how we value different types of violence?

Notes From A Formerly Unpromising Young Person
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Here’s an editorial piece we want every young person, every parent, every administrator to read, from a writer who succeeded despite the odds.

I Knew Diddy For Years. What I Now Remember Haunts Me.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Oh Diddy, you evil idiot. Former Vibe Magazine Editor-in-Chief Danyel Smith spills it all in this lengthy piece detailing all that she saw, experienced — and blocked out of memory.