Thursday, January 28, 2021

What Can Covid-19 Teach Us About the Mysteries of Smell?

What Can Covid-19 Teach Us About the Mysteries of Smell?
The virus’s strangest symptom has opened new doors to understanding our most neglected sense.
https://ift.tt/3pr0Xlj

Poem: ‘Track: “A Girl in Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing),” Romeo Void (1984)’

Poem: ‘Track: “A Girl in Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing),” Romeo Void (1984)’
Every word of Reyes’s makes sense when we admit that for a woman “there’s no time for her to be afraid.”
https://ift.tt/2Ny3En9

The Dark Reality Behind Saudi Arabia’s Utopian Dreams

The Dark Reality Behind Saudi Arabia’s Utopian Dreams
Mohammed bin Salman’s absurd plan for the Line — a 106-mile long city with no cars and no roads — comes with a grisly human price.
https://ift.tt/2MxDK2B

Judge John Hodgman on Gassy Siblings

Judge John Hodgman on Gassy Siblings
Are a sister’s burps any worse than a brother’s farts?
https://ift.tt/3iVGN0z

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Who’s Making All Those Scam Calls?

Who’s Making All Those Scam Calls?
Every year, tens of millions of Americans collectively lose billions of dollars to scam callers. Where does the other end of the line lead?
https://ift.tt/36gnbPr

Treat Yourself to a Parisian Aperitif That Is Easy to Make at Home

Treat Yourself to a Parisian Aperitif That Is Easy to Make at Home
In France, savory cakes salé are served as a light nibble before dinner. They’re remarkably versatile and come together in a snap.
https://ift.tt/3a6I0hF

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

How Armed Protests Are Creating a New Kind of Politics

How Armed Protests Are Creating a New Kind of Politics
Americans have often ignored the political implications of the country’s enormous arsenal of privately owned, military-style weapons. Did Jan. 6 change that?
https://ift.tt/3cfu5Iv

Why Is Big Tech Policing Free Speech? Because the Government Isn’t

Why Is Big Tech Policing Free Speech? Because the Government Isn’t
Deplatforming President Trump showed that the First Amendment is broken — but not in the way his supporters think.
https://ift.tt/39j7rgx

This Parenting Book Actually Made Me a Better Parent

This Parenting Book Actually Made Me a Better Parent
I got by with my kids on instinct (and Google) until the pandemic hit. A friend’s recommendation made a quiet revolution in my home.
https://ift.tt/3pkeoDO

How to Treat a Wounded Manatee

How to Treat a Wounded Manatee
Clean the cut. Apply medicine — and maybe honey. Don’t underestimate the strength of this animal.
https://ift.tt/3cdJyZU

Is It OK to Enroll in a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial If I Might Drop Out?

Is It OK to Enroll in a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial If I Might Drop Out?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the importance of control groups and elderly parents’ risky behavior.
https://ift.tt/3ccFRDK

Monday, January 25, 2021

Teenagers Made Ninja a Gaming Superstar. He Has a Message for Parents.

Teenagers Made Ninja a Gaming Superstar. He Has a Message for Parents.
“You want to know who your kid is? Listen to him when he’s playing video games when he thinks you’re not.”
https://ift.tt/2KNN2XG

Friday, January 22, 2021

Poem: I Now Pronounce You Dead

Poem: I Now Pronounce You Dead
Martín Espada’s poem says that Bartolomeo Vanzetti was more than whatever the state chose to execute him for.
https://ift.tt/3p8BJIu

Judge John Hodgman on the Bill Hader ‘Hater’

Judge John Hodgman on the Bill Hader ‘Hater’
Can one sibling accuse another of hating an actor based on little evidence?
https://ift.tt/3qIoSx3

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Will the Pandemic Result in More Suicides?

Will the Pandemic Result in More Suicides?
It’s too soon to know. But some recent data, especially from specific groups, is cause for worry.
https://ift.tt/3o3xmx1

What If You Never Get Better From Covid-19?

What If You Never Get Better From Covid-19?
Some patients could be living with the aftereffects for years to come. Recent research into another persistent, mysterious disease might help us understand how to treat them.
https://ift.tt/3sMD4Xu

My ‘Long Covid’ Nightmare: Still Sick After 6 Months

My ‘Long Covid’ Nightmare: Still Sick After 6 Months
A Times reporter caught the coronavirus during the New York City outbreak last April. But the acute phase of the illness was just the beginning.
https://ift.tt/2Y6biHj

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Have You Witnessed Far-Right Extremism Inside the Military?

Have You Witnessed Far-Right Extremism Inside the Military?
Tell us about a time you’ve witnessed extremist beliefs acted on in the armed forces.
https://ift.tt/3sHb0EW

The Story of 2020 in 52 Magazine Covers

The Story of 2020 in 52 Magazine Covers
We spent a year documenting our design process. Looking back, we realized we were telling a bigger story, too.
https://ift.tt/39CLGaH

‘Inaugural,’ an Original Poem

‘Inaugural,’ an Original Poem
By Jericho Brown, winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, on the occasion of the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
https://ift.tt/2XWhe5Q

I Lost My Appetite Because of Covid. This Sichuan Flavor Brought It Back.

I Lost My Appetite Because of Covid. This Sichuan Flavor Brought It Back.
The classic combination in mala of Sichuan peppercorns and chiles makes for a sensation that is spicy, tingly and spicy again.
https://ift.tt/35Z0eQN

The Strange Voyeurism of Watching Someone Else Get Vaccinated

The Strange Voyeurism of Watching Someone Else Get Vaccinated
Seeing a shot go in someone’s arm is largely devoid of drama, but the surrounding choreography and presentation of the moment can be fascinating.
https://ift.tt/3oZYSwM

Raphael Warnock and the Solitude of the Black Senator

Raphael Warnock and the Solitude of the Black Senator
The Georgia pastor will be just the 11th Black U.S. senator. His victory came amid an attempt to delegitimize election results — a pattern for more than a 150 years.
https://ift.tt/2M6rZ2K

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

How Nothingness Became Everything We Wanted

How Nothingness Became Everything We Wanted
Even before the pandemic, American culture was embracing numbness as an antidote for the overload of digital capitalism. But is it a real escape — or another trap?
https://ift.tt/39DvRQM

How to Fix a Brake Light

How to Fix a Brake Light
Immediately replace bulbs that are out. Get some screwdrivers. Needle-nose pliers come in handy, too.
https://ift.tt/39JnuDr

Is It OK That My Sister Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs?

Is It OK That My Sister Secretly Records Our Dad for Laughs?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to tell your father your sister is recording him without his knowledge — and more.
https://ift.tt/3bMBJKq

My Totally Normal Addiction to Buying Teen Magazines on eBay

My Totally Normal Addiction to Buying Teen Magazines on eBay
Sassy magazine helped me get through my teens. Now I turn to my collection for a different kind of comfort.
https://ift.tt/38UdR5J

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Poem: Variation on a Theme by Elizabeth Bishop

Poem: Variation on a Theme by Elizabeth Bishop
Sometimes we know who we are by remembering what we’ve lost.
https://ift.tt/2XFJ1Y0

Judge John Hodgman on Faking a Sacramento Kings Championship Game

Judge John Hodgman on Faking a Sacramento Kings Championship Game
The real thing is unlikely to happen. Why not make him happy in the meantime?
https://ift.tt/3icwd4L

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

I Recommend Eating Chips

I Recommend Eating Chips
When our horizons are narrow, junk food — shelf-stable, reliably flavored and yet endlessly unique — offers us a taste of infinity.
https://ift.tt/3bAOdEE

Can Conservative Media Still Return to Business as Usual?

Can Conservative Media Still Return to Business as Usual?
President Biden ought to be good for ratings. But it’s impossible to imagine small-bore scandals satisfying an audience that thinks the presidency was stolen.
https://ift.tt/39sbQwD

The Case for Stewed Tripe

The Case for Stewed Tripe
There’s abundant offal to be had at the supermarket, and this spicy, slurpable dish is exactly how you should cook it.
https://ift.tt/2KevP9A

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

How Far Does Wildlife Roam? Ask the ‘Internet of Animals’

How Far Does Wildlife Roam? Ask the ‘Internet of Animals’
An ambitious new system will track scores of species from space — shedding light, scientists hope, on the lingering mysteries of animal movement.
https://ift.tt/3qscIZd

Normally Sharp, He Was Chronically Confused. What Was Going On?

Normally Sharp, He Was Chronically Confused. What Was Going On?
He was getting lost driving home from work. And he was having strange spasms. What was the cause?
https://ift.tt/3sgVVd0

Should I Warn My Ex’s Fiancée About His Cheating Heart?

Should I Warn My Ex’s Fiancée About His Cheating Heart?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on telling your ex’s fiancée that he betrayed her, absconding with a valuable letter discovered in a rental home — and more.
https://ift.tt/2LofgZj

How to Soundproof a Room

How to Soundproof a Room
Stack rugs on the floor. Hang drapery or acoustic-foam tiles. Adjust your expectations.
https://ift.tt/2K7NK1F

Monday, January 11, 2021

How the Obama-Trump Presidential Transition Led to Chaos

How the Obama-Trump Presidential Transition Led to Chaos
It was a fraught, utterly uncharted presidential transition — four years ago, from Obama to Trump. It was a prelude for so much that followed.
https://ift.tt/35xyuT1

Cicely Tyson Has a Secret About Living Life to the Fullest

Cicely Tyson Has a Secret About Living Life to the Fullest
“There’s so many facets to a human being. I surprise myself all the time.”
https://ift.tt/3sd2sW5

Saturday, January 9, 2021

The American Abyss

The American Abyss
A historian of fascism and political atrocity on Trump, the mob and what comes next
https://ift.tt/35pFbq9

Thursday, January 7, 2021

The Composer Tyshawn Sorey Enters a New Phase

The Composer Tyshawn Sorey Enters a New Phase
The Newark native has long been lauded for his brilliant abstractions. Lately he’s writing about something more concrete — and producing his most powerful music yet.
https://ift.tt/35fvcE4

Poem: At Night

Poem: At Night
A poem that allows us to become preoccupied with our own quiet thoughts. And our grief.
https://ift.tt/3977n2c

Netflix’s ‘The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives:’ Review

Netflix’s ‘The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives:’ Review
As reality TV, it’s boring. But in its unguarded moments, the show reveals universal truths about the idle rich and their need for attention.
https://ift.tt/3pXs07T

Judge John Hodgman on Getting Your Wife’s Attention

Judge John Hodgman on Getting Your Wife’s Attention
Consider this, husband: Are you boring?
https://ift.tt/3onvxvQ

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

The Last Two Northern White Rhinos On Earth

The Last Two Northern White Rhinos On Earth
What will we lose when Najin and Fatu die?
https://ift.tt/3oj9whz

This Chicken and Rice Is Perfect Home Cooking, With Prison Roots

This Chicken and Rice Is Perfect Home Cooking, With Prison Roots
Earlonne Woods let his kitchen instincts guide him at San Quentin. But Samin Nosrat offered to teach him this more flavorful version.
https://ift.tt/2Xc1SKa

The Painter Subverting Art-World Economics, $100 at a Time

The Painter Subverting Art-World Economics, $100 at a Time
Jean Smith’s paintings are haunting and beautiful — and cheap.
https://ift.tt/3nf646x

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

The Man Who Turned Credit-Card Points Into an Empire

The Man Who Turned Credit-Card Points Into an Empire
Brian Kelly, The Points Guy, has created an empire dedicated to maximizing credit-card rewards and airline miles. What are they worth in a global pandemic — and why are they worth anything at all?
https://ift.tt/3ognukd

How to Tell Identical Twins Apart

How to Tell Identical Twins Apart
Color-code their clothing. Paint nail polish onto a single toe. Treat them as the individuals they are.
https://ift.tt/2MAsWkc

I Saw a Doctor Who Voices Conspiracy Theories. What Should I Do?

I Saw a Doctor Who Voices Conspiracy Theories. What Should I Do?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on what to do when a doctor shares falsehoods about the origins of coronavirus and the safety of the vaccine — and more.
https://ift.tt/395E6Fd