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The other day in The Retrologist, I shared the news that Burger King was scooping up its biggest franchisee, Carrols Corp., as part of the chain’s efforts to speed up crucial renovations of its domestic stores. Carrols itself once had a namesake restaurant chain that converted its units to Burger King in the mid-1970s when it realized it stood no chance against the ever-ravenous fast-food giants. One of those former Carrols — there were over 100 — that switched to Burger King was a location in Old Forge, Pennsylvania.

Even before Barbie hit theaters this past summer, everyone was already talking about the film. People were excitedly sharing the teasers and trailers and Allan memes. This was going to be one of the cinematic highlights of 2023. That’s also how I felt about the Arboretum at Penn State. The buzz around this garden has been building for years. I first hear… ncG1vNJzZmiqn6TBo7vUp5tnq6WXwLWtwqRlnKedZL1wwsisoK2hnpx6tbTEZpmaqpKesm67xWaemqqUmru0

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I’ve been working with a team of talented designers and specialists on a way to make gamers into heroes in real life. We’re coming out of stealth mode and need your help boosting our first Kickstarter campaign. VIV is building a bridge between two seemingly incompatible worlds. In one realm, you’re a hero engaged in epic quests to save the world—and you can do it! In online games, you’ve got agency, power, and the ability to instill hope in those around you.

State of Tel Aviv By Vivian Bercovici STLV is a weekly newsletter and podcast focusing on Israel, the middle east and Jewish life. Our analysis and reportage delve deeply into the complex realities of the war in Israel, politics, business, tech, innovation and culture. 6000+ subscribers. ncG1vNJzZmirpZfAta3CpGWcp51kjbTAwK2cqJ6kmrmiwsiv

My in-law family is Greek and in the summertime we tend to go deep into the Greek kuzina. Vegetables fresh from the garden and the long hot days just call for recipes from the Mediterranean (specifically the ones from Prokopi’s Theia Kathy). When you’re in Greece, vlita is a staple on the lunch/dinner table. It’s an extremely simple dish (three ingredients!) and unremarkable in its presentation. But it beautifully rounds out all the fat and starch on the table.

for once, i understand the mind of trisha paytas. on frenemies, she would often refer to her hobby of hate watching vlog squad content. now, i do not hate the vlog squad. well. i actually was at one point very much into their silly little vlogs, until around 2015/2016 when their political alignments started looking a little red (maga’s version). two of the members are from florida and the rest hail from various mostly northeast states where racism is the main thing keeping them warm during the ice cold winters.

This is the free, Sunday edition of Culture Study — the newsletter from Anne Helen Petersen, which you can read about here. If you like it and want more like it in your inbox, consider subscribing. In a recent piece for the New York Times, sociologist Eric Klinenberg makes the case that libraries just might be able to save the 2020 election. In short: many Americans in states where mail-in voting is not the norm are distrustful about the mail-in and drop-off process.

Here is a button where you can subscribe to this newsletter now, if you have not previously done so. I do hope that you enjoy it. This week, R.E.M. was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They celebrated by playing “Losing My Religion,” their most popular song, live. It was the first time the band has performed together on stage since it disbanded in 2011, and the only video I’ve been able to find of it is low-quality footage shot by someone in the crowd with their phone.