How is everybody’s long weekend going? I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and/or friends. Thanks for spending part of your Sunday reading the Six.
The line up today features articles on the last county Covid-free county in the United States, a GQ writer catches up with George Clooney, the best inventions of 2020 and a book recommendation on the collapse of a billion-dollar company.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
The Last Covid Free County In The Country
Somewhere in West Texas, off County Rd. 300 is Loving County. It’s population is 169. It just so happens to be the only county in the US that has yet to record a case of the virus. An interesting portrait of a small Texas community in the middle of nowhere.
“This Is How We Treat Each Other” —Voices From The Pandemic
The Washington Post has been doing a series where they feature personal essays from people from all walks of life and how their experiences with Covid. This is one from a county health director in Missouri. Only on the job a few months when the virus hits, she tells her story of having to deal with verbal attacks from members of her community who disagree with her public health decisions. Not what she signed up for when she started her position in January 2020.
George Clooney When We Need Him Most
GQ is one of the last bastions of the celebrity profile. This one is of George Clooney, currently one of more famous Hollywood icons. I’m not necessarily a huge fan of Clooney’s (like everyone, thought he was great in the “Ocean’s” movies and recently re-watched “The Descendants” which is a good movie) but I am interested in reading good profiles of celebrities, which Clooney certainly is. Well done by Zach Baron, who manages to get out of the way and let Clooney’s stories and personality dominate the piece.
John King And The Rest of America Can’t Get Enough Of The Magic Wall
Like millions of Americans on election night, we are hooked to the data on the screen. Once every two and four years, we get re-acquainted with CNN ‘Magic’ video wall czar John King. This a Q&A with King, who explains his pre-election regimen (he doesn’t sleep much) and what he thinks of his place in the cultural and social media ethos (King was parodied on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and on Tik-Tok, Twitter and everywhere else).
A pretty interesting list from Time Magazine on the top inventions of 2020. A lot VR, AI, augmented reality stuff and helpful gadgets for front line workers. My favorite is the hands-free tooth brushing device. Only $199 and coming in January 2021!
“Billion Dollar Loser” Book Review
I just finished a book earlier this past week called ‘Billion Dollar Loser.’ (Thanks to my sister, Liz, for sending it to me). A engrossing read on the rise and fall of Adam Neumann, the founder of WeWork. The author, Reeves Wiedeman, does a fantastic job in his portrayal of Neumann, a tragic anti-hero who’s brilliant salesmanship and delusions of grandeur convinced bankers and and private investors to give him billions of dollars. The problem is he had no interest or aptitude for operating his business. When the bills came due, Neumann and the business failed. Highly recommend the book for anyone who is likes to read narrative non-fiction.
Have a great rest of your weekend everybody. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com.