TheNewsGal, Edition No. 80
What a week! These are the standouts.
All the things
In Praise of Small Menus. Yes, please! (Rachel Sugar, Grub Street, ~4 min.)
The Fundamental Question of the Pandemic Is Shifting: We understand how this will end. But who bears the risk that remains? Newly minted Pulitzer winner Ed Yong is just so good. (Ed Yong, The Atlantic, ~20 min.)
The Rise and Fall of Planet Hollywood: The brains behind the pop-culture phenomenon explain everything. Got sucked right into this one. (Kate Storey, Esquire, ~26 min.)
What’s in the massive Democratic bill Joe Manchin just tanked. Great explainer. (Zach Montellaro, Politico, ~6 min.)
The Gwyneth Paltrow of underboob sweat. You’ll just have to trust me here. (Marisa Meltzer, Bustle, ~8 min.)
Malala Yousafzai, now an Oxford graduate and at a crossroads in life, opens up about love, family, and the world she left behind. She gives me hope. (Sirin Kale, British Vogue, ~17 min.)
The Protector: Alex Harrison survived child sexual abuse at the hands of his high school tennis coach. Now he’s seeking justice, for himself and others. What a story. (David W. Chen, New York Times, ~16 min.)
The world has changed, but the hospitality industry hasn’t. That’s bad for workers. Will we never be better? (Clarissa-Jan Lim, BuzzFeed News, ~14 min.)
The Curious Rise of Twitter Power Broker Yashar Ali. A juicy read even if you don’t know who he is. (Peter Kiefer, Los Angeles Magazine, ~27 min.)
For those who lost loved ones to covid, there is no return to normal. This hurts my heart. (Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, ~17 min.)
Hot Pants, Love Potions, and the Go-go Genesis of Southwest Airlines: Fifty years ago this month, the Dallas-based carrier first took flight. Those who were there remember. Hang on to your hat. (Joseph Guinto, Texas Monthly, ~26 min.)
I Asked My Rapist For $10,000. This didn’t go how I thought it would. (Alexandra Walling, Lux Magazine, ~10 min.)
The Enduring Nostalgia of American Girl Dolls. Wait, they’ve reissued Kirsten?! (Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, ~17 min.)
Covid changed our relationship to busyness. Can we keep it that way? Please, god. (Shayla Love, Motherboard, ~19 min.)
What Gets Lost as Little Leagues Get Smaller. Hadn’t considered this before. (Nicholas Dawidoff, New Yorker, ~10 min.)
Tons of Delicious Fruit in Los Angeles Is Going Uneaten: A story of immigrant populations, gentrification, and the free loquat bonanza. Fascinating. Also, I want to try a loquat so bad now. (Dan Nosowiz, Atlas Obscura, ~26 min.)
High school is hard enough for disabled students. Don’t take away our Zoom classes. Hear, hear. (Anja K. Herrman, Input, ~6 min.)
What did covid do to friendship? I’m a fan of the answer. (Jane Hu, New Yorker, ~7 min.)
It Wasn’t Just Another Nightclub: Five years ago, I went to cover the Pulse shooting — and found myself unexpectedly close to the story. This stayed with me this weekend. (Ari Shapiro, The Atlantic, ~9 min.)
Chrissy Teigen’s fall from grace. Yikes. (Constance Grady, Vox, ~16 min.)
If you read one thing this week
On sneakers. This packs a punch, trust me. (Hanif Abdurraqib, Paris Review, ~11 min.)