Is the Western way of raising kids weird?
BBC · 9 minFrom sleeping in separate beds to their children to transporting them in prams, Western parents have some unusual ideas about how to raise them.
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Today’s essential reads
Nine Lessons I Learned About Political Reporting While Covering Trump
FiveThirtyEight · 19 minSome lessons came the hard way: By being really wrong.
A Bristling Standoff Rattles Gun-Friendly Vermont
The New York Times · 11 minIn Pawlet, Vt., where a landowner opened a tactical weapons training site, a zoning dispute has escalated into something more dangerous.
The Secret Life of the White House
The New Yorker · 22 minThe residence staff, many of whom have worked there for decades, balance their service of the First Family with their long-term loyalty to the house itself.
“Power Companies Get Exactly What They Want”: How Texas Repeatedly Failed to Protect Its Power Grid Against Extreme Weather
ProPublica · 15 minTexas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers.
Fascinating stories
The Fatal Hike That Became a Nazi Propaganda Coup
The Guardian · 25 minIn 1936, a school group from south London went on a hike in the Black Forest. Despite the heroic rescue attempts of German villagers, five boys died. Over eighty years on, locals are still asking how it happened.
A Looming Disaster: New Data Reveal Where Flood Damage Is An Existential Threat
NPR · 12 minSea level rise and heavier rainstorms driven by global warming are sending more water into residential neighborhoods from the Gulf Coast to New England to Appalachia to the Pacific Northwest.
Don’t Try to Change Your Partner – and Four More Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship
The Guardian · 3 minTake nothing for granted, communicate clearly – and say something nice every single day.
Pop Culture Gargoyles Hidden in Gothic Architecture
Atlas Obscura · 4 minBring binoculars.
The Four Basic Truths of Macroeconomics
Bloomberg · 4 minOn their own, these four propositions elevate the field into the realm of the essential.
Bessie Coleman, the Black Cherokee Female Pilot Who Made Aviation History
Mental Floss · 7 minWhen no aviation school in America would teach her to fly, Bessie Coleman sailed to France and became the first African American and the first Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license.
Stanford study into “Zoom Fatigue” explains why video chats are so tiring
New Atlas · 8 minVideoconferencing is by no means a new technology. The dream of two-way audio-video communication goes back over a century. For the past decade particular innovations, such as Apple FaceTime and Skype, have swiftly turned a science fiction vision into the daily norm for many.
Why Men Resist Going to Therapy, And Why We Shouldn't
Lifehacker · 6 minThe idea that men must be strong in the face of mental distress is deeply entrenched, leading to higher rates of substance abuse, homicide, suicide, and a lower life expectancy than women in the United States and beyond.
Feed your moths and hide your trousers: the expert guide to making clothes last forever
The Guardian · 9 minOrsola de Castro is a fashion designer who became a re-use revolutionary. Now she has written a book to help people care for their clothes – and the planet.
How to Make Baked Potatoes Fluffy and Crispy
The Kitchn · 3 minThe secret to better baked potatoes? Cook them like the British do.
The 15-Minute Weekly Habit That Eased My Work Anxiety and Made My Boss Trust Me More
Quartz · 3 minThe manager-employee relationship is much more of a two-way street than some realize.
What Do We Do About John James Audubon?
audubon.org · 32 minThe founding father of American birding soared on the wings of white privilege. The birding community and organizations that bear his name must grapple with this racist legacy to create a more just, inclusive world.
The Richest Black Girl in America
Medium · 22 minWhen an 11-year-old Black girl in Jim Crow America discovers a seemingly worthless plot of land she has inherited is worth millions, everything in her life changes — and the walls begin to close in. The untold story brought to life from thousands of pages of archival documents.
The Final Descent of Dean Cummings
Outside Magazine · 48 minFrom the outside, things seemed perfect for the former world extreme skiing champion: he had a family, a successful guiding business, and unending adventure out his front door in Valdez, Alaska. But something dark festered beneath the surface.
We’re Just Rediscovering a 19th-Century Pandemic Strategy
The Atlantic · 10 minThe first way to fight a new virus would once have been opening the windows.