Sunday, April 30, 2017

April Book Review: Trials of the Earth

Trials of the Earth is the memoir of Mary Mann Hamilton, a pioneer in Mississippi (and Missouri and Arkansas) in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She wrote it as an elderly woman in the 1930s and a friend helped edit it and submitted it to a writing contest, but it was only widely published in 2016, and it's a fascinating historical document about a time and place that I didn't know much about. (I feel like, as far as European settlers in North America go, we hear a lot about early colonists and then about the Oregon Trail, but I'd honestly never given a lot of thought to who settled Mississippi or when.) In some ways, the book reads like an adult Little House - Hamilton and her family move around a lot and are often among the first white settlers in an area, and they rarely stay anywhere for long, with the family following the patriarch, though in Hamilton's case the constant moving is more due to economic necessity than wanderlust.

And, as in Little House, there are all sorts of terrible things happening all the time. Hamilton survives constant natural disasters, repeated financial ruin, the deaths of her parents and some of her siblings and four of her children and eventually her husband. Her perseverance in the face of all this is truly astonishing and admirable; there are all these times where she's basically left alone in the wilderness for months with a couple of toddlers, or at best dozens of men relying on her to cook for them all. And she just does it. Every time it seems like her family might be stable for a while, something goes wrong; I spent so much of the book wanting her to just catch a break, and she pretty much never does.

It's frustratingly obvious to the modern reader that Hamilton was the only reason her family made it through, that as much as she deferred to and obeyed her husband he was almost completely ill-equipped for any kind of productive ongoing work situation. (His past is a big mystery, never solved, and that's a little frustrating for the reader but unavoidable given that he never told his wife his real name. [!!!] I'd have assumed his hints at growing up in the British aristocracy were just fake if it weren't for how useless he is; he was obviously not brought up to have to do any hands-on work.) Hamilton married him at 18 when her mother and eldest brother died, because he agreed to provide for her younger siblings as well, and she spent most of her life trying to decide if she actually loved her husband as she bore him nine children and followed him from failure to failure and kept the family afloat through her own constant work and ingenuity.

Hamilton was not a professional writer, and that's clear from the book, but I'm glad they left it in her authentic voice, and the matter-of-fact, unromantic way that she describes what she and her family endured makes the story all the more powerful. On the other hand, I did sometimes wish for more annotations making clear exactly where and when events were taking place, and sometimes the historical context - what else was going on in the region and the country that affected the conditions in which the Hamilton family found themselves.

(This review made possible by my Patreon supporters! Come join!)

Morning Coffee (4/30/17)

Turkey’s Wars: Quelling Kurdish Uprisings, and Suffering From Terror Attacks

It’s now illegal in Russia to share an image of Putin as a gay clown

The Far Left Is Still Out Of Touch With Black Voters

Quite a story: First, She Survived a ‘Cult.’ Now She’s Running for Office.

Trump is vowing to fix a problem that hasn’t existed for a decade

The Alt-Right of the Ozarks

A Mysterious Case Involving Turkey, Iran, and Rudy Giuliani

Cellphones in Hand, Saudi Women Challenge Notions of Male Control

No Bones About It: Scientists Recover Ancient DNA From Cave Dirt

Found: World War I Training Tunnels Full of Live Grenades

Friday, April 28, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/28/17)

The Handmaid's Tale is timely. But that's not why it's so terrifying

Ancient Horse DNA Shows Scythian Warriors Were Adept Domesticators

Ooh! Earliest Evidence of Pattern Looms Discovered in China

Learning Arabic from Egypt's Revolution

Rarely Seen Literary Treasures from the Library of Congress Archives

Morning Coffee (4/28/17)

It's been a long week, huh? Time for some happy Friday links!

Hmmm: Lea Thompson To Star In New Feature Adaptation Of ‘Little Women’

Peggy Whitson's Record Caps a String of Important Milestones for Women in Space

I am cautiously optimistic: Mindy Kaling & 3 Arts Option Alyssa Mastromonaco White House Memoir ‘Who Thought This Was A Good Idea?’ For TV

Greatest headline ever? William: 'I text Radio 1 for shoutouts'

Dear U.K. readers, please go eat Oreo peanut butter ice cream sandwiches and report back.

Delightful: Tom Hardy Chases Down Moped Thief, Profanely Confirms All Your Stereotypes About Tom Hardy

The Boston Public Library Has a ‘Car Wash’ for Books

Whoa: Duke of Wellington's 400-piece gilt dinner set laid out for first time

Aw, there are some great ones here: The Best Little Free Libraries

Build A Fry-Up And We'll Tell You Who Your British Soulmate Is (Dev Patel. OKAY.)

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/27/17)

500 Years After Expulsion, Sicily’s Jews Reclaim a Lost History

How rich hippies and developers went to war over Instagram’s favourite beach

Remarkable New Evidence for Human Activity in North America 130,000 Years Ago

Predicting the Fall of Anne Boleyn

Photos Capture India’s Ancient, Vanishing Stepwells

Morning Coffee (4/27/17)

He's super-serious about tax reform, you guys: Trump’s Treasury Department hasn’t filled any tax policy jobs

I just... White House incorrectly calls Mnuchin 'Secretary of Commerce' in press release

Germany Refuses Turkey’s Request to Spy on Opponents of Erdogan

A Life Sentence in Cambodia, but Kem Ley’s Murder Is Far From Solved

Muslim Women In India Ask Top Court To Ban Instant Divorce

The ‘hotbed of anti-Semitism’ isn’t a foreign country. It’s U.S. college campuses, a new report says.

Trump’s budget blueprint is a war on the future of the American economy

Trump Can't Stop Himself

The Fears That Fueled an Ancient Border Wall

Found: Medieval Manuscripts Stolen From Italy, Hiding in the Boston Public Library

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/26/17)

Icelanders Seek to Keep Their Language Alive and Out of ‘the Latin Bin’

Diamonds Aren't Forever

This makes... a lot of sense, actually: Multiple Concussions May Have Sped Hemingway’s Demise, a Psychiatrist Argues

Interesting! What ‘personal space’ looks like around the world

New York City after the second world war - in pictures

Morning Coffee (4/26/17)

Welp: Joint NHDP/NHYD Statement: Daily Beast unmasks GOP Rep. Fisher as creator of woman-hating ‘Red Pill’

What a shock: Flynn May Have Broken Law by Not Disclosing Russia Dealings, Lawmakers Say (Also in there: The White House is refusing to turn over documents for this investigation! Of course they are!)

Oh: Republicans exempt their own insurance from their latest health care proposal

!! Abortion in Ireland: committee votes for constitutional change

Trump Is Writing Fake Executive Orders Because He Doesn’t Know How to Be President

Will We Abandon Women’s Rights in the Name of Progressive Politics? (Why won't Bernie just go awaaaaaaaay?)

Sexual Harassment In Statehouses Is Easily Swept Under The Rug

‘Turkish Trump,’ a Hotel Plan and a Tangle of Foreign Ties

The end of an era: Robert Siegel Stepping Down As 'All Things Considered' Host In 2018

Dahlia Lithwick is worth reading on the cultural significance of Alex Jones' trial.

In China, Unregistered Churches Are Driving a Religious Revolution

As always, I'm amazed and delighted that people are STILL making major finds in Egypt: Eight Mummies and Other Treasures Found in Luxor Tomb Bonanza

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/25/17)

Millicent Fawcett Is First Woman to Get Statue in London’s Parliament Square

The Second Coming of the French Far-Right Tradition

“Hindu by birth, Muslim by wisdom”: The roots of Yogi Adityanath’s cult group

The Museum of the American Revolution sounds great.

How an Alcohol-Hating English Preacher Founded Global Tourism

Morning Coffee (4/25/17)

‘Sherlock Holmes of Armenian Genocide’ Uncovers Lost Evidence

CNN’s Jake Tapper Is the Realest Man in “Fake News” (It's probably just that I started noticing recently, but Taffy Brodesser-Akner's profiles are really great - she did that GQ Tom Hiddleston one and also that great NYT magazine piece on Orthodox Jews leaving their communities.)

This is cool: For First Time Since 1800s, Britain Goes a Day Without Burning Coal for Electricity

As is: Wife hands military command to husband

Becoming Steve Bannon's Bannon

Never Believe the Republicans’ B.S. Ever Again

Jill Biden’s Rate My Professors Page Is a Strangely Comforting Place in Perilous Times

Whoa: Rare parchment manuscript of US Declaration of Independence found in England

This is amazing: "'There is no news,' was the script of the 20:45 news bulletin, before piano music was played for the rest of the 15-minute segment."

The X-Files’ biggest liability at this point is simple: creator Chris Carter

Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce?? Yes, please.

This new history of card catalogs sounds great.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/24/17)

Once in the Shadows, Europe’s Neo-Fascists Are Re-emerging

Hallmarks of Soviet postwar building boom are finally meeting their demise

The Fake News That Haunted George Washington

2 Survivors of Canada’s First Quintuplet Clan Reluctantly Re-emerge

Romania’s Problem with Dracula

Morning Coffee (4/24/17)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

The French election is pretty fascinating and the Guardian has live updates today.

Colombia's armed groups sow seeds of new conflict as war with Farc ends

I know this isn't funny, but I enjoyed the headline: Four bakers arrested over illegal brownies in Venezuela's 'bread war'

Fake Working Class: The muted response to the retail apocalypse shows which workers count in Trump’s America.

Henry Kissinger just damned Jared Kushner with the faintest of praise

Chris Hayes on escaping the “doom loop” of Trump's presidency

Unlike all previous U.S. presidents, Trump almost never mentions democratic ideals

Even if you're sick of reading about this lady, as I am, this is worth reading: The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black

Margaret Atwood, the Prophet of Dystopia

!! Physicists observe 'negative mass'

Ooh: Europe’s Famed Bog Bodies Are Starting to Reveal Their Secrets

Friday, April 21, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/21/17)

I was already excited about the new Anne show, but this interview with the showrunner makes me even more so.

Robin Wasserman is extremely smart and I love reading her in conversation with other writers. Here she is with Charles Bock.

This is a DELIGHTFUL read about a fancy hotel concierge: The Keeper of the Keys

Facebook and the Murderer

The kingdom of women: the society where a man is never the boss

A Trove on the Women’s Suffrage Struggle, Found in an Old Box

Morning Coffee (4/21/17)

As usual, Friday morning links are skewed toward giving you some distractions and a break from current events.

We're getting more X-Files!!

The Audacity of Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino Is Astounding

Penguin's #ProjectReadathon is neat - read excerpts from their books and they donate books to Save the Children!

This Luxury Hotel in London Was Once a Secret Spy Base

22 Things We Learned From That Juicy New Prince Charles Biography

How the Henley Went From Workman’s Undershirt to CW Staple

What Bill Nye Can't Travel Without

I'm not as into rosé as are some people in my life, but I'm willing to be convinced by rosé cocktails.

Ooh, I need to try this hair doohickey.

Whoa: Queen Mother’s old fridge still working after incredible 63 years of service at Scots castle

!! This Genius Coffee Table Keeps Drinks Cold and Charges Your Phone

15 Bookish Cross Stitch Patterns for All Stitchers

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/20/17)

This profile of the Emily Post great-great-grandchildren currently running the business is FASCINATING and also would be a great setup for a Hallmark movie.

Three Translators Respond to "Arrival"

An interesting read on Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell: Turning Pain into Art

I really love this headline: Man-Eating Lions of Tsavo Did Indeed Eat People, Teeth Reveal

How the return of traditional skills is boosting Italy's economy

The Sketchy Faith Healer Who Tried to Save New York From Vice

Let's try Adagio fandom tea! (Part I)

Adagio Teas has made a name for themselves in fan-created fandom teas - there are hundreds of fandoms, including TV shows, book series, movies, bands, even politicians. Adagio sent me a voucher so I could pick out some fandom teas and review them for you! I got small sizes of a whole bunch of different things to try, so my reviews will be split between a few posts over the next few weeks. But first, let's talk a little more about the concept, packaging, and other generalities.

Look, here's my box from Adagio!


As you can see, I opted for mostly little tins, so I could try as many teas as possible. (The teas also come in 3oz pouches and 5oz tins.) They came in boxes that hold six tins, with one tin and samples in packets loose. The scent when I opened the box was very strong and I worried a bit about all the teas kinda tasting alike since they'd been packed together that way, but that hasn't been an issue so far. Everything was covered in a fine coating of tea dust, though, so for that as well as the scent reason I wished the tins had been individually shrink-wrapped, though that might have been prohibitively expensive.

The tins and their art are decent quality - the art is provided by the fans who make the blends, and it varies wildly; I was careful to pick only teas with art I liked. (This meant ruling out some fandoms I'd otherwise like, but I figured the art is a big part of the point here, and I didn't want to think "ugh, that's ugly" every time I looked at the tins.) I figure I'll keep my favorites of the tins to use for bobby pins, knitting notions, paper clips, etc. These tins are COMPLETELY packed full of tea, and while I appreciate that they don't want to skimp, it makes them a bit hard to open without spilling. But after the first cup it should be easier.

My big struggle with anything like this is always that I want to pick by character/theme regardless of whether I'd actually like the flavor. And I'm a bit picky about tea - most of the fandom teas were some variety of flavored black tea and that's not my favorite. (I like plain black, or herbal with various flavors, but not... together? I don't know.) So while I was picking out teas I had to keep having very stern discussions with myself regarding ordering things I'd at least have a chance of liking.

One example of this was with the Women of Victorian Literature series. (As an aside: Some of these writers were not in fact Victorian. WORDS HAVE MEANINGS.) I liked the concept and design of the tins, but the flavor that sounded best to me was peach, and that corresponded to Kate Chopin. CONFESSION: I've never read Kate Chopin. (Maybe a story or two in college?) But... no time like the present, right?


This series is a blend of almond and vanilla oolong, with a different fruit flavor for each writer (some corresponding to where the writer lived, like cranberry for Alcott), and as I mentioned, Chopin was peach. This was an enjoyable tea - the peach flavor was present but not overpowering, and it tasted very natural. I didn't really taste the vanilla or almond in a distinct way, but I think they blend decently to make the flavor more complex. This might be good iced for your summer reading/sipping pleasure. And now I have an excuse to finally read The Awakening.

Next time... Game of Thrones tea!


If you'd like to try any of these teas, let me know and I'll send you a $5 voucher! Disclaimer: Adagio gave me free tea with the understanding that I would post about it; all opinions are my own.

Morning Coffee (4/20/17)

The Trump administration just quietly admitted that the Iran deal is working

The Times's State of Emergency series is a great look at what's going on in Turkey.

I... what? The newest GOP health idea? Auto-enroll the uninsured.

Newtown Board Asks Trump To Reject Conspiracy Theorists, Including Alex Jones

Donald Trump’s big problem is he doesn’t know what he’s talking about

Andrew Sullivan's Pathology

How to Build an Autocracy

Heh: Exclusive! Jared Kushner’s Secret Chat Transcripts

This is terrible! Don't do this! Do not threaten a girl with arrest if she doesn't want to go out with you! Teen stages drug bust to get prom date

This story is AMAZING: Silicon Valley’s $400 Juicer May Be Feeling the Squeeze

‘Here Lies’: A Clue in Hebrew Points to Rome’s Medieval Jewish Cemetery

Watch The MTV Soap Opera That Is Secretly Teaching Sex Ed

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/19/17)

This is so cool: Food for thought: reconstructing the diet of Napoleon's Grand Army

‘It’s About Making a Person More Herself’: Translating Elena Ferrante

Banned and barred, Israel’s women stand up to religious hardliners

The Founding Fathers Encrypted Secret Messages, Too

Silk Ties a Royal Past to a Vibrant Sari Trade in Mysore, India

The Intrepid ’20s Women Who Formed an All-Female Global Exploration Society

Morning Coffee (4/19/17)

Turkey’s Vote Makes Erdoğan Effectively a Dictator

As Atrocities Mount in Syria, Justice Seems Out of Reach

What You Need To Know About France’s Far Right

Neil Gorsuch’s First Big Test

Trump and The Problem of Militant Ignorance

Heh: Ivanka’s Notes for the Babysitter

The best theory for why Trump tells such obvious lies

How South Korea’s Fake News Hijacked a Democratic Crisis

With a Hollywood Writers’ Strike Looming, Here’s What to Know

New art series illustrates what climate change will do to our national parks

Aah, the American Assassin trailer!

This is FASCINATING: A Republic of Wool: Founding Era Americans’ Grand Plans for Sheep

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/18/17)

It might be a little late? 150 Years After Sale of Alaska, Some Russians Have Second Thoughts

A Former First Lady Presses On for a Tolerant, Feminist Islam

A radical fringe group refuses to admit the German Reich is over, and it’s getting violent

How Argentina’s Baked Goods Reveal Its Political Past

Women On the Frontlines of WWI Came to Operate Telephones

Here's a fascinating piece of history I knew very little about: Arab Conquests and Sasanian Iran

Morning Coffee (4/18/17)

Aw, I love today's Esther Afua Ocloo Google Doodle.

Ooh, Theresa May has called an early general election.

A Fight, and a Fire, Roll Through a Migrant Camp in France

The Assad Family: Nemesis of Nine U.S. Presidents

Decoding Stephen Miller’s Nationalist Mind

Bunga Bunga, American Style

‘Make America big again’? The headache of translating Trump into foreign languages.

A new study shows American democracy is getting weaker. And not because of Trump.

Polish politician says women should earn less because ‘they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent’

The Radical Feminist Aesthetic Of "The Handmaid’s Tale"

Ancient bones and new technology reveal the face of medieval poverty

The Origins of Anti-Intellectualism

Monday, April 17, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/17/17)

A Death in the Winelands

Young Kenyans are murdering elderly relatives they claim are witches, but it really has nothing to do with magical beliefs

Young and pregnant in Sierra Leone

The 15th-Century Monk Who Crowdsourced a Map of the World

America's first nation

Hee: Is Your Home Safe From John Tyler? No, It Is Not.

Morning Coffee (4/17/17)

Me elsewhere: Your week's TV news.

Terrorists are building drones. France is destroying them with eagles.

Another important Boko Haram piece: Folktales and Nightmares

Here's an important read about the context behind the Fearless Girl statue.

Heh: Americans are using alpacas to dodge taxes, a U.S. senator warns

Dereliction of Duty Reconsidered: The Book that Made the National Security Advisor

“Scientific racism” is on the rise on the right. But it’s been lurking there for years.

America’s Leading Authoritarian Intellectual Is Working for Trump

I want to go get blini now: A Russian Fast-Food Chain Tries Its Luck in America

Ooh! Netflix Is Reportedly Reviving Carmen Sandiego With Gina Rodriguez

Climate Change Incited Wars Among the Classic Maya

Telling the Forgotten Stories of the Everyday Americans of the Revolutionary War

Friday, April 14, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/14/17)

When Nuns Tried to Kick-Start India's First Transgender School

India’s ‘Phone Romeos’ Look for Ms. Right via Wrong Numbers

Jenna Cook: The adopted girl claimed by 50 birth families

!! This story has EVERYTHING: The Russian Poetry Scandal That Ended in a Duel

The Attempted Assassination of Andrew Jackson

The 100 Best American Revolution Books of All Time

Morning Coffee (4/14/17)

Time for some happy Friday links.

"When The New York Times asked readers how to fix baseball, we all neglected to consider the obvious answer: cats."

I assume all of our Fridays need this: When Prince Harry Met Justin Trudeau

Hee! Hillary Clinton Models The Pink Power Pump Katy Perry Named After Her

In which Todd makes me want to see these movies: 11 questions you were too embarrassed to ask about the Fast & Furious movies

!! Starbucks is Testing Out a Brand New Lunch Menu

What Shakespeare Character Are You?

University's three-legged cat 'relieves exam stress' Aww, I bet he does.

Let's make some champagne cocktails.

Aw: Railway Engineers in England Just Solved a Sunny, 175-Year-Old Mystery

Haha: The new BBC Dad is a Latvian mayor whose cat interrupted his live stream

Whoa: Watch these color-changing nails do some witchy sh*t in the sink

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/13/17)

VERY IMPORTANT RESEARCH: Scientists unravel mystery of the loose shoelace

Why have four children when you could have seven? Family planning in Niger

Jasmine, pepper, chai: The fragrances of India, bottled exclusively for you

As a vote on entering World War I approached, the only woman in Congress faced an agonizing choice

The Enduring Mystery of James A. Garfield’s Immigration Scandal

The Bright-Eyed Talking Doll That Just Might Be a Spy

Morning Coffee (4/13/17)

Migrants from west Africa being ‘sold in Libyan slave markets’

The Soviet Union fought the Cold War in Nicaragua. Now Putin’s Russia is back.

A Republican Wins in Kansas. It’s Still a Loss for the G.O.P.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Trump Inaccurately Remembers Where He Recently Launched 59 Missiles

What Cold War Intrigue Can Tell Us About the Trump-Russia Inquiry

Trump wants to cut billions from the NIH. This is what we’ll miss out on if he does.

Maggie Haberman, Snake Charmer

Melania Trump Doesn't Deserve Your Sympathy

Trump biographer: "He's an actor who's been playing himself for his entire life"

The Mystery of Roanoke Endures Yet Another Cruel Twist

Pharaoh Statues Uncovered in Muddy Suburban Cairo Pit

Jude Law as young Dumbledore? I can get behind that.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/12/17)

Romance Queen Lisa Kleypas Talks Consent, Trump, and Writing Ambitious Heroines

The Nile River Delta, once the bread basket of the world, may soon be uninhabitable

The Dark State of British Rhubarb

Afghan Women Say No To The Dress

Nativism, Violence, and the Origins of the Paranoid Style

Rediscovering the Civil War Heroics of a Tiny Massachusetts Armory

Morning Coffee (4/12/17)

... Spicer Says Hitler Didn’t Use Chemical Weapons 'In The Way Assad Used Them'

Sean Spicer can’t possibly mean what he just said about Syria. Can he? (I mean, no, seems more likely he just doesn't know what he's talking about.)

They can't even figure out the Easter egg roll.

Stanley McChrystal: Save PBS. It Makes Us Safer. (Stanley McChrystal!)

The president as pharaoh? Trump is turning up in Passover seders.

The affair and cover-up that just landed Alabama's governor in jail, explained

I read Trump's trade adviser's anti-China book. It’s wilder than you can imagine.

Let the Filibuster Burn!

A Mexican populist rises to face Trump’s America

The ’80s Spy Novel That Uncannily Predicted the Rise of Donald Trump

Cristela Alonzo on Sexual Harassment in the Comedy World (And here's the video series that goes along with.)

Ooh: Rome if you want to: university offers free virtual tour of ancient city

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/11/17)

Whoa: Monkeys May Recognize False Beliefs—Knocking Over Yet Another Pillar of Human Cognition

Anne Hathaway’s love-hate-redemption publicity cycle is a familiar (and sexist) one

A Jordan Bookseller’s 24-Hour ‘Emergency Room for the Mind’

Two Smithsonian Scientists Retrace the Mysterious Circumstances of an 1866 Death and Change History

Ranked: Useful Fictions in International Politics

Pakistan City’s Affluent Women Bring Islam Into Their Lives and Lifestyles

Morning Coffee (4/11/17)

Here's some background on the teacher who was murdered (along with one of her students) by her abusive husband at an elementary school yesterday: 'She thought she had a wonderful husband, but she found out he was not wonderful at all'

I missed this over the weekend: McFarland Out at NSC

California Moves to Become ‘Sanctuary State,’ and Others Look to Follow

Does Trump Want Syria’s Assad to Go? Depends Who You Ask.

Sorry, Missile Strikes Don’t Make Trump a Serious Man

Inside the Emerging Trumpian Alt-Right Snuff Novel

Why the alt-right loves single-payer health care

Pulitzer Prize winners! I'm happiest about the one for David Fahrenthold.

Spain Arrests Russian Thought to Be Kingpin of Computer Spam

‘He has caused chaos’: How Netanyahu’s media war nearly split his government

It’s Not Just Fox: Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Harassment

Medieval villagers mutilated the dead to stop them rising, study finds

Monday, April 10, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/10/17)

On the rights of women to own their own work.

The ‘mother and baby home’ at Tuam, Ireland, where friends just ‘disappeared, one after the other’

McDonald’s in Italy Embraces Off-Menu Item: Slice of Roman Road

In the age of Tinder, India’s matrimonial websites are trying to swipe right

A Visual Guide to the Fake Fleets and Inflatable Armies of World War II

Female Scribes in Early Manuscripts

Morning Coffee (4/10/17)

Me elsewhere: TV news roundup.

Attacks on Christians in Egypt Undercut Sisi’s Promise of Security

Of course it does: Trump’s EPA moves to dismantle programs that protect kids from lead paint (The CARTOONISH villainy is really getting to me.)

Ugh: Citing Abortions In China, Trump Cuts Funds For U.N. Family Planning Agency

This is great: Hillary Clinton, Free to Speak Her Mind

Top Democrats Are Wrong: Trump Supporters Were More Motivated by Racism Than Economic Issues

The most alarming thing in this interesting profile of CNN is that Kushner seemingly doesn't understand why Trump critics are still allowed on the air.

If Mitt Romney wants to run for Senate, this probably IS a great time as far as people thinking "Oh, Romney! In retrospect he seems pretty good!"

Trump’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan is vaporware that’s never going to happen

A brief history of Gibraltar’s awkward geopolitics

Geologists reveal how violent 'Brexit 1.0' separated Britain from Europe

A Glimpse Into the Life of a Slave Sold to Save Georgetown

Friday, April 7, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/7/17)

So interesting and important: This Kenyan village is a laboratory for the biggest basic income experiment ever

Kazakh Capital, a Post-Soviet Creation, Is Growing Real Roots

The Politics of Sunbathing on Human Remains

Trading Places: Smuggling and the American Revolution

Ooh, a medieval heavenly recipe for Lent.

The Scandalous Flap Books of 16th-Century Venice

Morning Coffee (4/7/17)

Finally Friday. Time for some distracting links.

Obviously the original issue here isn't happy, but the reaction is: Dutch Men Hold Hands in Solidarity With Attacked Gay Couple

This is SO COOL: An Excavation Of One Of The World’s Greatest Art Collections

The new Netflix Anne show looks... pretty good, you guys.

Fascinating: Translating Agatha Christie into Icelandic: 'One clue took 10 years'

What it's like to run an all-romance bookstore in Los Angeles

Hee: Sony Asked Us to Share Footage of the Smurfs: The Lost Village Premiere and We Said Yes

Hahaha: Harlequin Brings Its Romance-Novel Hunks Into the Real World, With Hidden Cameras Rolling

Want To Ogle Some Official Gifts Given To The Queen? WHO DOESN'T?

Martha Stewart and a drone!

Ooh, so organized: Mayim Bialik’s Passover Calendar Looks Intense

I didn't know the Mary Poppins house was real!

Let's run away to a castle in Italy.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/6/17)

Science Should Not Be a Free-Market Endeavor

Whoa: Brands see the future of fashion in customized 3D-knitted garments produced while you wait

Big in China: Murder Villages and Scam Towns

In the Land of Frankincense

How a Soap Opera Virus Felled Hundreds of Students in Portugal

When Bowling Was a Sport Reserved for Royalty

Morning Coffee (4/6/17)

The Holes in Russia’s Account of the Syria Chemical Attack

Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War

A famine is threatening 20 million lives in Africa. Trump’s budget cuts would make it worse.

Bannon Taken Off Trump National Security Council in Shake-Up

Pence's Obamacare diplomacy fails to yield a deal because he TOLD DIFFERENT GROUPS DIFFERENT CONFLICTING THINGS, lolol.

"Indeed, the only real puzzle of the Kushner trip is which particular Trumpian political vice it best illustrates: deluded self-aggrandizement or a callous indifference to other people’s lives; conflicts of interest or a lack of any interest in the consequences of the use of power."

An important read about domestic abuse and immigration: “I Wish I’d Never Called the Police”

A federal court just made a very big decision for gay rights. Seriously, it’s huge.

This is AWESOME: These high school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials. Days later, she resigned.

Hrm: Russia Moves to Ban Jehovah’s Witnesses as ‘Extremist’

World's largest dinosaur footprints discovered in Western Australia

I love that there are still archaeological finds being made in Egypt: Remains of an ancient Egyptian pyramid discovered south of Cairo

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/5/17)

A good read if you're interested in history and the way it's marketed and how gender plays in: Why Lucy Worsley will do whatever it takes to get people involved

The hospital where parents care for premature babies

The Bittersweet Story of Vanilla

Tunis Greets an Ottoman-Era History Long Banished by Its Dictators

Humans Killed the Aral Sea. Now, It’s Come Back to Life

The 17th-Century Lady Astronomer Who Took Measure of the Stars

Morning Coffee (4/5/17)

A Child Soldier Sees His Mother After 6 Years. But Why Doesn’t He Speak?

Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel

Egypt's president is a bloodthirsty dictator. Trump thinks he's done a "fantastic job.”

What a shock: Gorsuch's writings borrow from other authors

I'm sure this is a shock as well: Donald Trump Revokes Order That Protects Women in the Workplace

Gorsuch refusing to meet with female senators of color is quite something: Merrick Garland Isn’t the Only Reason the Democrats Should Filibuster Gorsuch

National Archives orders Trump not to delete tweets

Trump Isn’t Nixon: Nixon read books, for one thing.

A Rabbi Walks Into a Bar — and Enforces the Law

!!! GP reveals his 30-year secret life as Archers character Robert Snell

I think Todd's right about Bones here: Bones was satisfying junk-food TV that tried — and failed — to be so much more

A Roman Sarcophagus Is Rescued from Humble Duty as a Flower Pot

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Afternoon Tea (4/4/17)

Tragic and fascinating: Death of a Dystopian

How Feud recreates the world of 1963 Hollywood, according to its production designer

In Poland’s Crooked Forest, a Mystery With No Straight Answer

The Incredible Legacy of Susan La Flesche, the First Native American to Earn a Medical Degree

It’s Not Always Easy Being Iceland’s Best Witchcraft Museum

The Friendliest Border

Morning Coffee (4/4/17)

An incredibly important story: The Desperate Journey of a Trafficked Girl

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Trump Can Pull Money From His Businesses Whenever He Wants — Without Ever Telling Us

I just enjoy this headline here: McCaskill To Vote 'No' On Gorsuch, Citing His 'Lack Of Humanity'

Fox News just sounds like a delightful place for women, huh? Bill O’Reilly Thrives at Fox News, Even as Harassment Settlements Add Up

Supreme Court Rejects NH Bid To Revive Ballot Selfies Ban

The case for immigration

I love this: Why Does Anyone Care What Bernie Sanders Thinks About the Democratic Party? (With Receipts)

In Brooklyn’s Kosher Pizza War, Modern Tastes Battle Ancient Law

Duck Dynasty and Girls, from beginning to end, have reflected a splintered America

!! Tyrannosaurus rex was a sensitive lover, new dinosaur discovery suggests

I want a mystery show set here: In This Alaskan Town, Every Resident Lives in the Same Building

In the Caves of Ancient Humans, Stories Told Dot by Dot