Month: September 2020

This week: The future of the office / Faces of power / COVID-19 on my phone? / Meeting the “macho banana” / Autism and friendships

Most of these great items come from my social media networks. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and Facebook for more fascinating videos, photos, articles, essays, and criticism. Learn more about my academic background here.

1. Is the office finished?
The Economist | September 2020
“The fight over the future of the workplace”
Also see, from The Guardian: Covid will force us to reimagine the office. Let’s get it right this time

2. Faces of Power: 80% Are White, Even as U.S. Becomes More Diverse
By Denise Lu, Jon Huang, Ashwin Seshagiri, Haeyoun Park and Troy Griggs | The New York Times | September 2020
“The most powerful people in the United States pass our laws, run Hollywood’s studios and head the most prestigious universities. They own pro sports teams and determine who goes to jail and who goes to war. … Even where there have been signs of progress, greater diversity has not always translated to more equal treatment.”

3. Spanish court sends ex-colonel to prison for 1989 Jesuit killings in El Salvador
By J.J. Galvez | El Pais | September 2020
“Over three decades after a massacre that drew international attention, Inocente Orlando Montano was found guilty of ‘terrorist’ crimes”

4. Will This Be a Lost Year for America’s Children?
By Emily Bazelon | The New York Times Magazine | September 2020
“As students across the country start school, education experts reckon with the long-term implications of remote learning, vanishing resources and heightened inequality.”

5. Can COVID-19 survive on my phone?
Viral Questions :: Associated Press | May 2020
“Yes. That’s why a daily wipe down of “high-touch” surfaces like phones, keyboards and tablet computers is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

6. Plantain, the ‘macho banana’
By Niki Segnit | 1843 :: The Economist | April / May 2020
“Is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? It’s definitely more than just a big banana”

7. Citigroup becomes first big Wall Street bank to be run by female CEO
By Jasper Jolly | The Guardian | September 2020
“Scottish-American banker Jane Fraser will replace Michael Corbat in February”

8. The Chocolatier for the Hip-Hop Ear
By Majorie Hernandez | Narratively | March 2014
“A soul-searching Los Angeleno finds religion in the rhythm of hip-hop and seeks to spread the faith, one sweet boom-box-shaped bite at a time.”

9. Praying in time of COVID-19: How world’s largest mosques adapted
By Arwa Ibrahim | Al Jazeera | April 2020
“As mosques ban congregational prayers due to coronavirus, many set up live-streaming to broadcast prayers and sermons.”

10. How People with Autism Forge Friendships
By Lydia Denworth | Spectrum :: Scientific American | April 2020
“Most autistic individuals want to and can make friends, though their relationships often have a distinctive quality”

This week: Grappling with disconnected grief / The Kardashian legacy / Guys, cats and dating profiles / Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump / Regretting the success of the gender reveal party

Most of these great items come from my social media networks. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and Facebook for more fascinating videos, photos, articles, essays, and criticism. Learn more about my academic background here.

1. The Grief Americans No Longer Share
By Garrett M. Graff | The Atlantic | September 2020
“So why does the grief of 2020—when the coronavirus pandemic has actually filled hospitals in New York and in communities across the country—feel so different? Why does our country, so united after 9/11, feel so splintered now?”
Also see, from The Atlantic: The 9/11 Era Is Over

2. Will We Ever Admit That the Kardashians Changed the World?
By Kevin Fallon | The Daily Beast | September 2020
“What happens when the TV show that, for more than a decade, was proclaimed the death of culture, art, and civilized society as we know it … actually ends itself?”

3. We studied what happens when guys add their cats to their dating app profiles
By Lori Kogan and Shelly Volsche | The Conversation | September 2020
“Prior studies suggested that women do judge a potential male partner based on whether he has pets. While they favor men with dogs, the results showed that they also give men with cats an edge over non-pet owners. Because of this, we reasoned that men pictured with cats would probably be viewed as more attractive and desirable than men who didn’t pose with any animals.”

4. Here’s how Joe Biden would combat the pandemic if he wins the election
By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Laurie McGinley | The Washington Post | September 2020
“Joe Biden has created a war-cabinet-in-waiting on the coronavirus pandemic, with major figures from the Obama, Clinton and George H.W. Bush administrations drafting plans for distributing vaccines and personal protective gear, dramatically ramping up testing, reopening schools and addressing health-care disparities.”

5. Can I get the coronavirus from my pet?
Viral Questions :: Associated Press | April 2020
“There’s no evidence pets are spreading the virus to people.”

6. How Mitch McConnell Became Trump’s Enabler-in-Chief
By Jane Mayer | The New Yorker | April 2020
“The Senate Majority Leader’s refusal to rein in the President is looking riskier than ever.”

7. The Shape-Shifter
By Rachel Syme | The New York Times Magazine | October 2018
“Lady Gaga wants to wear every costume, live out every type of known stardom. A Star Is Born is just her latest reinvention.”

8. I started the ‘gender reveal party’ trend. And I regret it
By Jenna Karvunidis and Molly Langmuir | The Guardian | June 2020
“When I first saw that a gender-reveal party had caused a forest fire I cried because I felt responsible. But here’s the thing – when planes crash no one goes after the Wright brothers. … Now I think the whole thing is not great at all, though. The problem is they overemphasize one aspect of a person.”

9. At Least 37 Million People Have Been Displaced by America’s War on Terror
By John Ismay | On War :: The New York Times | September 2020
“A new report calculates the number of people who fled because of wars fought by the United States since Sept. 11, 2001.”

10. Tamarind delivers a double punch of sweet and sour
By Niki Segnit | 1843 :: The Economist | February / March 2020
“The ginger-coloured pods taste like the sweet of your dreams – until you notice the enamel-like seeds rattling around in your mouth”