Covid-19
(Catherine Servel, The Cut)
Barefoot in quarantine: Ina Garten has served up comfort and cocktails for decades. We need that more than ever. I texted this much-needed pick-me-up to my sisters, and one replied: “If you can't find good quality hydrangeas, store-bought is fine.” (The Cut, ~19 min.)
The mask barons of Etsy: How a couple of mom-and-pop shops made millions selling masks. (The Verge, ~8 min.)
Going back to school puts medically complex children at risk for Covid-19 — but keeping them home can mean sacrificing their quality of life. (Rolling Stone, ~13 min.)
A Florida middle school has staged mock pandemics for years to teach science and civics. Last December’s lesson was an uncanny harbinger of Covid-19. (Wired, ~9 min.)
Why are employers still acting like offices will reopen soon? Seriously. (Vice, ~7 min.)
This scientist made a Google Doc to educate the public about airborne coronavirus transmission. (MIT Technology Review, ~6 min.)
A primary-care physician at the oldest public hospital in the nation keeps a pandemic diary as New York City traverses the coronavirus peak. Harrowing. I couldn’t put it down. (New Yorker, ~32 min.)
Race, policing & Black Lives Matter
(Jon Henry, T Magazine)
In the 1930s, a group of trailblazing African-Americans bought plots for themselves in Sag Harbor, Long Island — and in doing so, established one of the most enduring Black beachfront communities in America. (T Magazine, ~17 min.)
I grew up coveting white skin. It would take a village’s worth of role models to fix me. I can’t stop thinking about this one. (Guernica, ~25 min.)
The data scientist exposing white supremacists: “This is how you fight Nazis.” (The Guardian, ~9 min.)
We need to talk about those Breonna Taylor T-shirts. (Los Angeles Times, ~5 min.)
The relentlessness of Black grief. (The Atlantic, ~4 min.)
The best of the rest
(Courtesy Medwyn Williams)
An interview with competitive gardener Medwyn Williams, King of the Vegetable Realm. I actually laughed out loud multiple times while reading this. (Defector, ~19 min.)
Sports cards are back in a big way — pandemic, recession, and all. (ESPN, ~12 min.)
In 2016 a popular teenager disappeared in the tiny Texas community of Canadian. Two years later, his remains were discovered beneath a tree outside of town. But to this day, no arrests have been made. This is the first in a multi-part investigation, and I can’t wait to read the rest as it’s released in the coming weeks. (Texas Monthly, ~16 min.)
Ten quick takeaways from the New York Times’ bombshell article on Trump’s tax returns. (Just Security, ~11 min.)
A California rancher’s unforgettable account of the North Complex Fire’s devastating impact on his family, his cattle, and the forests they have relied on for generations. (Chico Enterprise-Record, ~22 min.)
Pro-Trump militia group Oath Keepers has recruited thousands of police, soldiers, and veterans. An Atlantic investigation reveals who they are and what they might do on Election Day. Good god. (The Atlantic, ~31 min.)
Remember in the Before Times, when Iran shot a commercial plane out of the sky? This is the story of a devastated husband whose wife was on that January flight. (Edify, ~16 min.)
The oral history of Best in Show. (The Ringer, ~28 min.)
After an internet troll told me I was “too ugly,” I spent a year posting selfies. I love her. (Refinery29, ~6 min.)
If you read one thing this week
(Brandon Stanton, Humans of New York)
Every twist and turn of Tanqueray’s multi-Instagram post story is unbelievable, and she brings the receipts. Don’t miss it. (Humans of New York, ~20 min.)
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Thanks for reading.
Kirsten