In search of (more) interesting articles

[MsZem]

I love this.

He Won a Super Bowl. Now for the Real Challenge.

Former New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett believes there aren’t enough Black characters in children’s literature—and he wants to change that.

www.theatlantic.com

“Who is the most universally known Black character of your lifetime? Off the top of your head. The Black Mickey Mouse. The Black Spiderman. Who immediately comes to mind?”

 

[MacMadame]

Facebook is a Doomsday Machine?

Facebook Is a Doomsday Machine

The architecture of the modern web poses grave threats to humanity. It’s not too late to save ourselves.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[MsZem]

Really important. Really depressing:

“No Choice but to Do It”: Why Women Go to Prison

Many of the 230,000 women and girls in U.S. jails and prisons were abuse survivors before they entered the system. And at least 30 percent of those serving time on murder or manslaughter charges were protecting themselves or a loved one from physical or sexual violence.

newrepublic.com

NYT piece on why Lisa Montgomery should not be executed. All the trigger warnings, which is why I'm not posting a link with a preview.

 

[clairecloutier]

Here is another long but interesting ProPublica article focusing on black health issues, in this case, the question of why CV-19 has disproportionately affected black men. The article really goes into detail about how there is evidence that accumulated stress literally causes faster aging and other health problems for black people. I'm sure some of this info has been covered elsewhere, but the authors tell the story in a very clear, engaging way.

How CV-19 Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men

How COVID-19 Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men

They were pillars of their communities and families, and they are not replaceable. To understand why COVID-19 killed so many young Black men, you need to know the legend of John Henry.

www.propublica.org

 

[Buzz]

The mystery of India’s ‘lake of skeletons’

The remains of up to 800 people date back more than 1,000 years and they make a diverse group.

www.bbc.com

 

[MsZem]

I've seen a number of article about people whose loved ones have fallen completely for QAnon, but this first-person account is something else.

My Mom Believes In QAnon. I’ve Been Trying To Get Her Out.

Because she sees me as a member of “the liberal media,” it’s impossible to persuade her.

www.buzzfeednews.com

 

[Buzz]

Fox News host Tucker Carlson said some very disparaging things about female US service members. Here is what one member of the US military has to say in response.

Tucker Carlson: Pentagon rebukes Fox host for attacking 'feminine' military

Tucker Carlson said efforts to support female soldiers were "a mockery of the US military".

www.bbc.com

 

[MsZem]

It's like a Canadian "Mixed-Up Brothers of Bogota"...

The Lives of Others - The Atavist Magazine

Two women gave birth on the same day in a place called Come By Chance. They didn’t know each other, and never would. Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery.

magazine.atavist.com

 

[mjb52]

It's like a Canadian "Mixed-Up Brothers of Bogota"...

The Lives of Others - The Atavist Magazine

Two women gave birth on the same day in a place called Come By Chance. They didn’t know each other, and never would. Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery.

magazine.atavist.com

I'm not even done yet, but this article is absolutely insane. I've read the other article you reference I think, about the switched twins in Bogota, but this is 100x more out there.

 

[A.H.Black]

A fascinating look at fabric. The ancient fabric that no one knows how to make

These high-end muslins were said to be as light and soft as the wind. According to one traveller, they were so fluid you could pull a bolt – a length of 300ft, or 91m – through the centre of a ring. Another wrote that you could fit a piece of 60ft, or 18m, into a pocket snuff box. Dhaka muslin was also more than a little transparent.

 

[mjb52]

Interesting, albeit somewhat disturbing and at times sad, article about people who adopt identities that are not their own: https://www.theatlantic.com/interna...lo-dolezal-social-munchausen-syndrome/618289/

 

[Cachoo]

Something odd is happening in New Brunswick:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/12/canada-new-brunswick-brain-disease/

 

[Buzz]

The wobbly skyscraper!

SEG Plaza evacuation: Shaking China skyscraper sends shoppers fleeing

Local authorities do not yet know what caused the SEG Plaza in the city of Shenzhen to wobble.

www.bbc.com

 

[Buzz]

The remains of “Sommerton Man” is being exhumed in Australia in an attempt to identify him. It is one of Australia’s most famous unsolved mysteries.

Somerton man: Body exhumed in bid to solve Australian mystery

Investigators hope DNA advances will uncover clues about the identity of the body found in the 1940s.

www.bbc.com

 

[MsZem]

Just a reminder that this thread is meant to focus on longform articles, not general news

Back in 2015, Prancer started "In Search of Interesting Articles", a thread for sharing longer articles on subjects other than politics. The original thread is in the archives, but since there are always interesting things to read, I thought I'd start a new one.

With that in mind, Hannah Dreier is still awesome, and this is so sad: 'ASSISTANCE NOT APPROVED’: Her home still wrecked months after a freak storm, an Iowa woman’s FEMA ordeal presages the turmoil ahead as climate disasters worsen

And from Outside:

The Search for the Only Park Ranger Who Was Lost and Never Found

Investigators, family, and friends are still trying to close the case of Paul Fugate, a naturalist at Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument who vanished without a trace in 1980. What keeps them motivated to stick with a mystery that may be unsolvable?

www.outsideonline.com

 

[MsZem]

This year's Pulitzer Prize winners:

The Pulitzer Prizes

www.pulitzer.org

I'm pretty sure the only ones I've read are some of Ed Yong's articles, because everyone should read Ed Yong. The piece about Ahmaud Arbery sounds amazing but I just can't bring myself to read it, it's too sad.

Ahmaud Arbery Went Out for a Jog and Was Gunned Down in the Street

How running fails Black America

www.runnersworld.com

ETA: the other feature writing winner is really good.

Traversing the Darien Gap, the Longest Walk to America

Migrants from Africa, South Asia, and Haiti are traversing the Darien Gap to reach the U.S. It's one of the most dangerous regions in the world.

story.californiasunday.com

 

[Japanfan]

ETA: the other feature writing winner is really good.

Traversing the Darien Gap, the Longest Walk to America

Migrants from Africa, South Asia, and Haiti are traversing the Darien Gap to reach the U.S. It's one of the most dangerous regions in the world.

story.californiasunday.com

Excellent piece of journalism.

 

[MacMadame]

I'm pretty sure the only ones I've read are some of Ed Yong's articles, because everyone should read Ed Yong. The piece about Ahmaud Arbery sounds amazing but I just can't bring myself to read it, it's too sad.

Ahmaud Arbery Went Out for a Jog and Was Gunned Down in the Street

How running fails Black America

www.runnersworld.com

I think about Ahmaud every time I go running by myself.

As a woman, I have been afraid while running. But I have never been hunted down like an animal so I can only imagine the fear he felt. For women, the fear is to be sexually assaulted and/or murdered so there is a different vibe to it (I imagine) but it's still a real fear, not our imagination.

People will give you all sorts of excuses for why being murdered while out running is your own fault and what you should do to prevent it. But never any suggestions for how to change society so these things just don't happen except as an infrequent aberration.

 

[Cachoo]

I read that Jake Gyllenhaal is onboard to play this author with a best selling book who may be something of a sociopath himself. Fascinating article from "The New Yorker":

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...ampaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker

 

[MacMadame]

Dunning-Kruger effect is probably not real:

The Dunning-Kruger Effect Is Probably Not Real

I want the Dunning-Kruger effect to be real. First described in a seminal 1999 paper by David Dunning and Justin Kruger, this effect has been the darling of journalists who want to explain why dumb people don’t know they’re dumb. There’s even video of a fantastic pastiche of Turandot’s famous...

www.mcgill.ca

 

[Prancer]

My Father Vanished When I Was 7. The Mystery Made Me Who I Am.​

Beautifully written (as is the Adagio Cantabile--such a talented person), but I have such mixed feelings here.

 

[millyskate]

This is an interview, not an article, but I couldn't find a better thread.
Fascinating interview by a very smart North Korean dissident who was a part of the intelligence service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9rLqYXTaFI

 

[clairecloutier]

Wow--this article is . It investigates what seem to be rapidly rising rates of early-onset colon cancer, in younger people generally, but most notably in younger black men, like Chadwick Boseman. Researchers have identified 200+ counties in the U.S. that appear to have a strong association with higher colon cancer rates (they don't know why). Boseman grew up in one of those counties.

The article says that one major medical advisory group in the U.S. is now recommending that people start colonoscopy screenings at age 45, rather than 50.

Chadwick Boseman's tragedy is America's tragedy: In colorectal cancer hot spots, young men are dying at higher rates

For many young people, colon cancer was never on their radar. But since the 1990s, even as colorectal cancer rates have declined for people 50 and older, they have more than doubled among American adults under 50.

www.statnews.com

 

[MacMadame]

An interesting rundown on the most common conspiracy theories.

15 of the Most Popular Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories take hold "when people feel out of control."

www.teenvogue.com

 

[MsZem]

This sounds fun, in an absolutely bonkers kind of way.

The Greatest Boat Race Ever (Dreamed Up Over Beers)

The rules: Pilot a boat 750 miles from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska—no motors allowed. The prize: $10,000 nailed to a piece of wood. The result: Seven capsizings, four lifesaving Big Macs, one dramatic coast guard rescue, and a cast of oddball adventurers who reclaimed the...

www.outsideonline.com

 

[MsZem]

This article has been getting a lot of attention, and deservedly so:

What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind

Bobby McIlvaine was 26 when he died in the attacks. Two decades later, his loved ones are still grappling with the loss.

www.theatlantic.com

And don't miss the Philadelphia Inquirer article that's mentioned in it.

 

[MacMadame]

And don't miss the Philadelphia Inquirer article that's mentioned in it.

Why not? I don't remember it as being a bad paper. It was kind of the paper of record in the area I grew up with similar to how the NYT and WaPo are treated now by lots of people.

 

[MsZem]

Why not? I don't remember it as being a bad paper. It was kind of the paper of record in the area I grew up with similar to how the NYT and WaPo are treated now by lots of people.

Don't miss = read that article too. It's linked in Jen Senior's piece, and it's best encountered as part of that narrative.

 

[MacMadame]

Don't miss = read that article too.

I interpreted it as "I don't miss it"

 

[MacMadame]

An article about Pi!

New mathematical record: what’s the point of calculating pi?

The famous number has many practical uses, mathematicians say, but is it really worth the time and effort to work out its trillions of digits?

www.theguardian.com