New Mountain Scenes

Rice farming spread far and wide in ancient Southeast Asia, but how it got there has been a mystery. Now, a study of 4000-year-old DNA—a rare find in this region—suggests it came with farmers migrating from China, where rice farming originated. That means the hunter-gatherers already living there didn’t learn farming themselves, or from their immediate neighbors, but rather from distant people moving into their territory—a pattern that may have played out throughout this part of the globe.

The study sheds light on “a pivotal period in social and ecological history,” says Hsiao-chun Hung, an archaeologist at Australian National University in Canberra who researches the spread of farming in Southeast Asia and wasn’t involved in the new work.

TONITE TONITE TONITE TONITE TONITE TONITE

Junk (Tin House, 2018) is an epic poetic ode to refuse, thrift stores, and eggplant emojis and is the third book in my “Teebs” trilogy. It’s been named one of NPR’s most anticipated books of 2018 and hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as “build[ing] into an apocalyptic crescendo via Pico’s propulsive fervor, junk piling on junk.”

The book also implores you to value Junk itself, because “Junk has the best stories.” Instead of a typical reading, I asked six cultural and literary luminaries to bring a piece of junk from home and tell its story, old school show-and-tell style:

+ Nichole Perkins + Matt Ortile + Bukem Reitmayer + Chris Campanioni + Natalie Eilbert + Max Steele

RSVP encouraged but not required. Admission will be first come, first serve based on capacity. It is suggested you arrive at, or a few minutes before 8pm.

The beyond, 1938, Rene Magritte

Kagurazaka, Tokyo.

Old Woman with handkerchief, 1903, Paula Modersohn-Becker

@lilacbreastedroller

I kinda see it as passive activism, you know?

City authorities often neglect or just plain ignore things like that. Sometimes hey may have valid reasons, like budget shortfalls. Other times, they may be too busy embellishing the places where the wealthy live to give other neighbourhoods the proper attention.

I figure it’s a nice way to call attention to the fact that something needs to be done, while also making the place prettier. Filling in gaps or sunken pavement areas or potholes. It looks good and also fills the gap to stop people from busting their ankles. It also makes people take notice, and might embarrass the authorities enough that they’ll actually do something.

Pilgrim Flask with the Corpus Christi, The Cloisters

Medium: Free-blown glass with applied decoration

The Cloisters Collection, 2013 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Piccolo Banjo, Musical Instruments

Medium: Wood, parchment, metal

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY