RSS Post: August 2019

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Judge John Hodgman on Inviting Exes to Weddings

Judge John Hodgman on Inviting Exes to Weddings
Do they deserve a spot? Even if they only want an invite so they can reject it?
https://ift.tt/2MJZIOA

Afghan War Casualty Report: Aug. 23-29

Afghan War Casualty Report: Aug. 23-29
At least 49 pro-government forces and 21 civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week.
https://ift.tt/2MIi2I0

Wendy Williams Wants to Be the Realest in the Game

Wendy Williams Wants to Be the Realest in the Game
The brash talk show host on gossip, her current tabloid troubles and her legacy.
https://ift.tt/2ZiwkFR

Poem: Amen

Poem: Amen
You could begin anywhere. Refresh the very room you’re sitting in. You could look out the window again, that same old window, and really notice something this time.
https://ift.tt/2PBDMaT

King of Pop

King of Pop
Tyshawn Jones’s jaw-dropping athleticism has made him a New York skateboarding icon. But is skateboarding big enough for someone like Tyshawn Jones?
https://ift.tt/2MJfjhk

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Where Does Affirmative Action Leave Asian-Americans?

Where Does Affirmative Action Leave Asian-Americans?
A high-profile lawsuit against Harvard is forcing students and their families to choose sides.
https://ift.tt/2Plzzb0

How Queer People Brought Some Actual Reality to Dating-Reality TV

How Queer People Brought Some Actual Reality to Dating-Reality TV
You get the sense on MTV’s “Are You the One?” that the contestants’ identities aren’t as mediated, because they are all used to performing, whether or not they’re being televised.
https://ift.tt/2zprJCp

The Last, Best Dip of the Summer

The Last, Best Dip of the Summer
A green tapenade from the Hamptons’ original fancy-food caterer.
https://ift.tt/30JrEWc

She Had Terrible Heartburn and Vomiting, but Her Problem Was Not in Her Stomach

She Had Terrible Heartburn and Vomiting, but Her Problem Was Not in Her Stomach
Doctors couldn’t figure out why the woman was constantly vomiting and losing weight. Then one clue shifted everyone’s thinking.
https://ift.tt/2PhgSFq

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

When Bomb Blasts Are a Job Hazard, This Test Could Help Measure Their Effects

When Bomb Blasts Are a Job Hazard, This Test Could Help Measure Their Effects
For the first time, incoming students at the military’s bomb disposal school will complete a computer-based test to assess their cognitive abilities.
https://ift.tt/2ZtfH9K

Letter of Recommendation: Collecting One Book

Letter of Recommendation: Collecting One Book
Loving a single object, over and over again.
https://ift.tt/2HqGfOC

How ‘Medicare for All’ Went Mainstream

How ‘Medicare for All’ Went Mainstream
In the last presidential election, the idea of abolishing private health insurance was confined to the far left of American politics. Now it’s the central argument of the Democratic primary race.
https://ift.tt/2ZxLS41

How to Organize a Walkout

How to Organize a Walkout
Get to know coworkers in person or through encrypted messenger apps. Crowdsource specific demands. Stage the event in the morning.
https://ift.tt/2Lh31tE

My Layabout Stepdaughter and Her Boyfriend Live With Me. Can I Kick Them Out?

My Layabout Stepdaughter and Her Boyfriend Live With Me. Can I Kick Them Out?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to throw out a freeloading stepdaughter and more.
https://ift.tt/2MF5Asj

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Most Notorious Weapon Ever Produced?

The Most Notorious Weapon Ever Produced?
There are no simple answers for fixing the F-35 program, as tempting as it is to look for a single root cause for its problems.
https://ift.tt/33Rm9GU

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Afghan War Casualty Report: Aug. 16-22

Afghan War Casualty Report: Aug. 16-22
At least 25 pro-government forces and 103 civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week.
https://ift.tt/2KPOSob

Poem: Brute Strength

Poem: Brute Strength
Skaja conjures the searing history of a jagged relationship, then mixes a tonic for it: images, elegies and invocations that let the speaker reinvent her human power.
https://ift.tt/2KNnYgv

Did Venus Williams Ever Get Her Due?

Did Venus Williams Ever Get Her Due?
How the first Williams sister changed the course of women’s tennis.
https://ift.tt/31SMLFI

Judge John Hodgman on Using Funny Voices While Reading

Judge John Hodgman on Using Funny Voices While Reading
Does it make sense when your audience is too young to comprehend language at all?
https://ift.tt/2KMhEpF

Why Was the Middle Aged Man’s Heart Beating so Dangerously Fast?

Why Was the Middle Aged Man’s Heart Beating so Dangerously Fast?
A pacemaker was supposed to solve his heart problem. But despite the device, he was experiencing strange and scary episodes.
https://ift.tt/31WG6dO

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Big Business of Scavenging in Postindustrial America

The Big Business of Scavenging in Postindustrial America
The U.S. produces more garbage than any other nation in the world per capita. Here’s how scrappers are turning that waste into a $32 billion business.
https://ift.tt/2ZdyvFL

Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program

Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program
The F-35 was once the Pentagon’s high-profile problem child. Has it finally moved past its reputation of being an overhyped and underperforming warplane?
https://ift.tt/2ZgrjN5

A Cookie Inspired by American Cornbread, Perfected in a French Bakery

A Cookie Inspired by American Cornbread, Perfected in a French Bakery
Crisp to the bite, tender to the chew, corn sablés are shortbread at its finest.
https://ift.tt/33GrZuC

How Many Steps Should You Take a Day?

How Many Steps Should You Take a Day?
Fitness trackers have bolstered the case for even light exercise. The persistent mystery, though, is which movements matter most.
https://ift.tt/2Lc5Tbd

Why Do Politicians Blame ‘Cosmopolitans’ for Local Problems?

Why Do Politicians Blame ‘Cosmopolitans’ for Local Problems?
World leaders are quick to blame “citizens of the world” for economic inequality. What they’re actually pulling for is quite different.
https://ift.tt/30m1Cbx

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

We Want to Hear Your Family Stories About U.S. Slavery

We Want to Hear Your Family Stories About U.S. Slavery
For many black Americans, the holes in their family histories can outnumber the answers. Help us fill in this record.
https://ift.tt/2N2JKhK

Neil Young’s Lonely Quest to Save Music

Neil Young’s Lonely Quest to Save Music
He says low-quality streaming is hurting our songs and our brains. Is he right?
https://ift.tt/2Haje2r

Letter of Recommendation: Crickets

Letter of Recommendation: Crickets
A nightly concert that transports you to a time before your kind walked the earth.
https://ift.tt/30hz037

I Go on Family Vacations With My Rich Siblings. Must I Pay the Same?

I Go on Family Vacations With My Rich Siblings. Must I Pay the Same?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the distinction between “equal” and “equitable” when it comes to divvying up the bill.
https://ift.tt/2ZfVKmC

How to Build a Teeter Totter

How to Build a Teeter Totter
Include handles. Use cushioned seats. Make sure the upside person won’t be too earthbound.
https://ift.tt/2Ze8Jp8

Monday, August 19, 2019

How Were You Taught About Slavery in School?

How Were You Taught About Slavery in School?
Miseducation about slavery is widespread in American schools. We want to hear what you were taught.
https://ift.tt/2KGefZn

Why Can’t We Teach Slavery Right in American Schools?

Why Can’t We Teach Slavery Right in American Schools?
In most textbooks, slavery is only a dot on a timeline. About 92 percent of students don’t know that it was the central cause of the Civil War.
https://ift.tt/2ZdzUAl

A Brief History of Slavery That You Didn't Learn in School

A Brief History of Slavery That You Didn't Learn in School
A child's shackles, a West African legacy, a black sergeant in the Union Army — these are stories you need to hear.
https://ift.tt/2Ntg91x

James Ellroy on His Life in Crime, His Imaginary Dog and the Need to Provoke

James Ellroy on His Life in Crime, His Imaginary Dog and the Need to Provoke
“I’ve been writing a book for a couple of years and then they slip the chain off and I can run wild.”
https://ift.tt/30iJCPc

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Man Who Wrote the Guidebook for Civilian Bomb-Squad Technicians

The Man Who Wrote the Guidebook for Civilian Bomb-Squad Technicians
At War talked to Tom Gersbeck, a retired Marine Corps bomb-disposal officer, who recently published the second edition of his book, “Practical Military Ordnance Identification.”
https://ift.tt/2KCEv6W

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Afghan War Casualty Report: August 9-15

Afghan War Casualty Report: August 9-15
At least nine pro-government forces and 11 civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week.
https://ift.tt/33Aw8jD

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It One

America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It One
Our founding ideals of liberty and equality were false when they were written. For generations, black Americans have fought to make them true.
https://ift.tt/2OS5QWS

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Nicolas Cage on Acting, Philosophy and Searching for the Holy Grail

Nicolas Cage on Acting, Philosophy and Searching for the Holy Grail
“I wanted to have the mystery of the old stars, always preserved in an enigmatic aura.”
https://ift.tt/2YQQA0c

The 1619 Project

The 1619 Project
American slavery began 400 years ago this month. This is referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the country’s true origin.
https://ift.tt/31GATX5

A New Literary Timeline of African-American History

A New Literary Timeline of African-American History
We asked black writers to bring overlooked moments of history to life — in poetry and prose. With contributions from Jesmyn Ward, Barry Jenkins, Rita Dove and more.
https://ift.tt/2H7Jnia

America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It One

American Capitalism Is Brutal. You Can Trace That to the Plantation.

American Capitalism Is Brutal. You Can Trace That to the Plantation.
Slavery helped turn America into a financial colossus. And our economy is still shaped by management practices invented by enslavers and overseers.
https://ift.tt/2ZaT7Tm

Why Doesn’t America Have Universal Health Care? One Word: Race

Why Doesn’t America Have Universal Health Care? One Word: Race
The nation’s first federal health care program served freedmen after the Civil War. From the beginning, white legislators argued it would breed dependence.
https://ift.tt/2YZHsSZ

How Segregation Caused Your Traffic Jam

How Segregation Caused Your Traffic Jam
In some of America’s most congested cities, roadways were designed to keep people “in their place.”
https://ift.tt/31CvwZ0

The Undemocratic Impulses of American Democracy

The Undemocratic Impulses of American Democracy
The electoral system still reflects the assumption made at our founding: that some people deserve more power than others.
https://ift.tt/2Z3Urmw

How False Beliefs in Physical Racial Difference Still Live in Medicine Today

How False Beliefs in Physical Racial Difference Still Live in Medicine Today
Biological fallacies were used to justify slavery. Why can’t doctors let them go?
https://ift.tt/302PTOE

Forged in Bondage, Black Music is the Sound of Freedom

Forged in Bondage, Black Music is the Sound of Freedom
No wonder everybody is always stealing it.
https://ift.tt/2H5MEia

The Barbaric History of Sugar in America

The Barbaric History of Sugar in America
How sugar became the “white gold” that fueled slavery — and an industry that continues to exploit black lives to this day.
https://ift.tt/2Z2xd0j

Introducing The 1619 Project

Introducing The 1619 Project
America, slavery began 400 years ago. The New York Times is observing the anniversary, beginning with a live event — watch it at 7 p.m. Eastern.
https://ift.tt/2KXlwmL

Friday, August 9, 2019

Commemorating the End of World War II

Commemorating the End of World War II
We’re less than five months away from 2020, the year that will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Help us report on it.
https://ift.tt/2Tkp6uY

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2-8

Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2-8
At least 96 pro-government forces and 35 civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week.
https://ift.tt/2KDqEw9

What Veterans Say This New Film Gets Right, and Wrong, About Their Vietnam War

What Veterans Say This New Film Gets Right, and Wrong, About Their Vietnam War
In “Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan,” a filmmaker’s dramatization has earned both praise and pushback from the soldiers who survived the attack 53 years ago.
https://ift.tt/2ZFxcQY

Poem: Instructions

Poem: Instructions
This poem reminds us of the games we play with our minds to get through hard times, laddering down — then conjuring amends — to calm our own restlessness.
https://ift.tt/2YTatDU

The Schoolteacher and the Genocide

The Schoolteacher and the Genocide
He dreamed of educating the children in his village. But soon he learned that it was dangerous for the Rohingya to dream.
https://ift.tt/2ZHl9mj

He Liked to Work Outdoors on the Weekends. Was It Killing Him?

He Liked to Work Outdoors on the Weekends. Was It Killing Him?
After attending to his bees, a normally energetic 75-year-old man becomes lethargic and fevered. Doctors rush to find the cause.
https://ift.tt/2YUTn8y

Judge John Hodgman on Spousal Chocolate Theft

Judge John Hodgman on Spousal Chocolate Theft
At what point can you steal candy that has been left on the counter?
https://ift.tt/2ZFxcAs

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Ricotta Will Change Everything You Know About Biscuits

Ricotta Will Change Everything You Know About Biscuits
Give your dough an impossibly tender, cakelike crumb.
https://ift.tt/2OT6yDw

How the Viral Campaign Ad Became a Political Trap

How the Viral Campaign Ad Became a Political Trap
Democratic candidates in deep-red districts have figured out how to tell their stories to faraway liberal donors. But that might not help them at home.
https://ift.tt/2yHrSRj

Nicolas Cage on Acting, Philosophy and Searching for the Holy Grail

Nicolas Cage on Acting, Philosophy and Searching for the Holy Grail
“I wanted to have the mystery of the old stars, always preserved in an enigmatic aura.”
https://ift.tt/2yIFv2H

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Jerk Chicken So Good I’ve Been Making It Every Summer for 25 Years

Jerk Chicken So Good I’ve Been Making It Every Summer for 25 Years
It’s not spicy hot but has a magnificent warmth. Quick-pickled fresh ripe bananas add a creamy bland sweetness with a spike of vinegar and habanero.
https://ift.tt/2GABH7W

Should Patients Be Allowed to Choose — or Refuse — Doctors by Race or Gender?

Should Patients Be Allowed to Choose — or Refuse — Doctors by Race or Gender?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether patients’ biases should dictate who treats them and whether to report an intoxicated cab driver.
https://ift.tt/2OGpk0H

How Bill de Blasio Went From Progressive Hope to Punching Bag

How Bill de Blasio Went From Progressive Hope to Punching Bag
The New York mayor turned quixotic presidential candidate seems sick of his city—and the feeling is mutual.
https://ift.tt/2KkoPoN

Letter of Recommendation: Spam

Letter of Recommendation: Spam
A Filipino staple passed down through the generations since World War II.
https://ift.tt/2KvUbrf

How to Tell Gunfire From Fireworks

How to Tell Gunfire From Fireworks
Determine whether the rhythm is steady or sporadic. A whistling before the pop is another giveaway.
https://ift.tt/2M2EFqb