Afternoon Tea (7/16/19)

India’s Shooting for the Moon, and the Country Is Pumped

A Universe of One’s Own

Inside an Amazon Warehouse, Robots’ Ways Rub Off on Humans

Queer History Uncovered: A Conversation with Matthew Riemer

This Archive Captures Centuries of British Crime, From Cheese Theft to Murder

Morning Coffee (7/15/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Border Patrol Agents Are Passing Around A Commemorative Coin Mocking Care for Migrant Kids

This affects a lot of important research (including climate change) as well as the obvious education aspect: Political chaos roils Alaska as universities face devastating cuts

Uh, I'm pretty sure we've all read this book: Amazon, Microsoft wage war over the Pentagon’s ‘war cloud’

Agriculture Department suspends data collection for honeybees after Trump budget cuts (WEIRDLY ENOUGH this came right after they got rid of a rule banning pesticides that hurt bees!)

Sanders and Warren voters have astonishingly little in common

WOW, this is awful: ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 2 Turmoil: Inside Andrea Arnold’s Loss of Creative Control

The Milky Way Has Battle Scars from Colliding With a Ghostly Galaxy

AWW: Paul McCartney Brings Ringo Starr to the Stage for End-of-Tour Surprise

Unesco Recognizes Heritage Sites, Ancient to Modern, Around the World

Good! Essex drops library closure plans following sustained public protests

Morning Coffee (5/26/19)

Australia’s conservative party retains power in shocking election result

In Parliament Elections, Populists Seek to Break the E.U. From Within

'Here We Go Again:' Judge Blocks Mississippi Abortion Ban

Federal judge blocks part of Trump’s US-Mexico border wall

Sad and scary: Jews in Germany warned of risks of wearing kippah cap in public

How Trump Is Outspending Every 2020 Democrat on Facebook

Funding shortfalls threaten Alaska ionosphere research center

Ugh: Amazon prevails in battle with South American countries for ‘.amazon’ domain name

This is so horrifying: Listen to an author realize her forthcoming book contains a terrible mistake

Lost Your Passport? For Americans in Austria, Any McDonald’s Can Help

Afternoon Tea (4/24/19)

This is a great, important piece: The Company That Sells Love to America Had a Dark Secret

In India, a Renewed Fight Against Leprosy

Hate in the Air

After Columbine, martyrdom became a powerful fantasy for Christian teenagers

Amazon made a skin care line based on what users search for

Morning Coffee (2/21/19)

‘I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on earth’: A self-proclaimed white nationalist planned a mass terrorist attack, the government says

Anti-Semitic Attacks Fuel Continuing Rise in Hate Crimes in New York

Trump is exploiting the Venezuela crisis in order to win the 2020 presidential election

Reports say Robert Mueller could conclude his Trump-Russia investigation next week

Northern Ireland police accused of concealing data on loyalist killings

Welp: Fox News Rejected an Oscar-Nominated Documentary’s Ad Over Nazi Imagery, but It Doesn’t Always Seem to Bother Them

America’s Insanely Expensive Child Care Is a Serious Economic Problem

Amazon’s $0 corporate income tax bill last year, explained

Good! #OscarsSoWhite Creator April Reign to Attend Academy Awards: "I Feel Immense Pride"

Women in Music? The Song Remains the Same, Annenberg Study Shows

Morning Coffee (2/16/19)

“This is a constitutional crisis”: a legal expert on Trump’s emergency declaration

The real national emergency is Trump’s incompetence

Brief diversion to a crisis elsewhere: Alarm raised over bill allowing Sisi to rule Egypt until 2034

Hmm: Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld announces plan to challenge President Trump for Republican nomination

Andrew McCabe's book might be worth reading: Every Day Is a New Low in Trump's White House

The fight between Ilhan Omar and Elliott Abrams, Trump’s Venezuela envoy, explained

Paid line-standing: the bizarre congressional practice that shocked Ocasio-Cortez, explained

Amazon’s Retreat on New York City Headquarters Followed Unexpected Backlash

Paperback pioneer Betty Ballantine dead at 99

NASA’s ice-measuring mission may be extended after shutdown delay

Afternoon Tea (1/10/19)

This story is QUITE SOMETHING: The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini

I have limited sympathy for Shelley sometimes but this was fascinating: Wielded by a Wizard

A Photographer’s Quest to Reverse China’s Historical Amnesia

'One Cut of the Dead' Bootleg Reveals Amazon Prime's Piracy Problem

She awed the country before Amelia Earhart even took to the skies

Afternoon Tea (11/28/18)

This is FASCINATING: This college student created a way for nonbinary people to speak Hebrew

I loved this essay: I'm a Great Cook. Now That I'm Divorced, I'm Never Making Dinner for a Man Again

Here's What College Freshmen Are Reading

'We had to get out': 80 years since the Kindertransport

How Amazon Web Services Reinvented the Internet and Became a Cash Cow

Morning Coffee (11/25/18)

Trump’s Border Stunt Is a Profound Betrayal of Our Military

THIS STORY: As deadly flames approached, a mother called her daughters to say goodbye

This is horrible: Tests Showed Children Were Exposed to Lead. The Official Response: Challenge the Tests

Report: Bill Shine to Get Paid by Fox News and White House Simultaneously

I love Nancy Pelosi, and this makes sense to me: House Democrats don’t need a leader, they need someone to represent them on TV

Oh no: Adoption without parental consent legalised in NSW

Good for them: Somali Workers in Minnesota Force Amazon to Negotiate

Chinese Novelist Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail for Gay Sex Scenes

AMAZING: Man suspected of money laundering after $400,000 found in washing machine

John Williams to Compose New ‘Star Wars’ Music for Disney Parks Attractions

Afternoon Tea (11/13/18)

This is a difficult read, but important: Everyone Believed Larry Nassar

I can't wait to read this book: Michelle Obama Gets Candid With Oprah About Her New Memoir, 'Becoming'

Amazon Was Never Going to Choose Detroit

The growth of yoga and meditation in the US since 2012 is remarkable

18 Key Bomber Aircraft From World War One

Morning Coffee (10/11/18)

This is horrifying and evil: AP Investigation: Deported parents may lose kids to adoption

Also evil and racist: Supreme Court Ruling Suppresses Native American Votes Ahead of Crucial Midterm Election

UGH: Fact-checking President Trump’s USA Today op-ed on ‘Medicare-for-All’

Planned Parenthood Announces Multi-Million Dollar Plan to Protect and Expand Abortion Access In Face of Hostile Supreme Court

I'm tired: Michael Bloomberg is a Democrat again, fueling speculation about 2020 aspirations

National Book Foundation Announces Finalists for 69th Annual Award

Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women

WHAT!!! Real life Nashville nightmare: Man stabbed at haunted house in Madison

Genetics research 'biased towards studying white Europeans'

Ooh: Introducing the New Intelligencer

Morning Coffee (10/4/18)

A running list of everyone the FBI has interviewed in the Kavanaugh investigation so far (and, you know, HASN'T)

And a late related addition: The F.B.I. Probe Ignored Testimonies from Former Classmates of Kavanaugh

Seriously, we need to see Donald Trump’s tax returns

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Trump administration working to weaken EPA radiation regulations

Shinzo Abe reshuffle leaves just one woman in Japanese cabinet

Beatles Engineer Geoff Emerick Has Died at 72

!! Dwarf planet 'The Goblin' discovery redefining solar system

Veteran CBS Producer Brad Kern Fired Amid Abuse Claims

Amazon is raising its minimum wage to $15 for US workers

Riddle of a Scandalous French Painting Is Solved, Researcher Says

Cardiff University's new X-ray method reveals ancient scroll

Morning Coffee (7/30/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

A 6-Year-Old Girl Was Sexually Abused in an Immigrant-Detention Center

Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

Former Catalan Leader Returns to Belgium, Vowing to Defend Separatist Cause

Wow: On Eve Of Zimbabwe's Vote, Robert Mugabe Says He Won't Support His Old Party

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Resigns Amid Sexual Abuse Scandal

‘We didn’t let girls do it in the old days,’ a judge said. ‘Inappropriate,’ a higher court ruled.

To Keep Women From Dying In Childbirth, Look To California

Twitter Is Not ‘Shadow Banning’ Republicans

Academic writes 270 Wikipedia pages in a year to get female scientists noticed

Heh, shocker: Amazon Studios Will No Longer Let Audiences Vote on Which Pilots They Want to See Developed

Morning Coffee (7/22/18)

Carter Page FISA Documents Are Released by Justice Department

Brazil’s Military Strides Into Politics, by the Ballot or by Force

Republican House member once lamented you can’t call women “sluts” anymore

Russiagate Is Far Wider Than Trump and His Inner Circle

Meet The Man — And Propaganda Machine — Behind The Hammond Pardon

The Miami Dolphins acted on the NFL’s anthem policy. The league was unprepared for the backlash.

What Climate Change Looks Like In 2018

Sigh: When Wives Earn More Than Husbands, Neither Partner Likes to Admit It

The new Robin Hood movie looks delightfully terrible.

Amazon’s Curious Case of the $2,630.52 Used Paperback

Morning Coffee (7/16/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Russian Influence Campaign Sought To Exploit Americans' Trust In Local News

What a shock: Jill Stein’s Recount Cash Pays for Her Russia Legal Defense

Here’s How Kavanaugh Could Deal a Big Blow to Gun Control

Amazon Is Used to Promote White Supremacist Merchandise and Views, Report Says

Here is President Obama's summer reading list. I MISS HIM.

I bet he doesn't have a summer reading list: Donald Trump is excellent at selling books that trash him; mediocre at selling books that praise him.

How Many Teenage Girls Deliberately Harm Themselves? Nearly 1 in 4, Survey Finds.

Quite the editor's note: This New York Times Writer Failed to Mention She Used Her Husband As a Source on Vagina Selfies

In a cosmic first, scientists detect ‘ghost particles’ from a distant galaxy

Ooh! Ancient find may be earliest extract of epic Homer poem Odyssey

Morning Coffee (6/19/18)

This is evil and terrifying: The Government Has No Plan for Reuniting the Immigrant Families It Is Tearing Apart

U.N. Rights Chief Tells U.S. to Stop Taking Migrant Children From Parents

I don't say this often, but good for her: Laura Bush: Separating children from their parents at the border ‘breaks my heart’

Texas deputy sexually assaulted undocumented immigrant's child, sheriff says

Hundreds March To Texas Tent City Holding Detained Immigrant Kids

Supreme Court Leaves 'Wild West' Of Partisan Gerrymandering In Place — For Now

As Europe’s Liberal Order Splinters, Trump Wields an Ax

Trump says crime in Germany is way up. German statistics show the opposite.

Amazon Shareholders Call for Jeff Bezos to Stop Selling Facial Recognition to Police

This was good: Dear Businesslady: On Emotional Labor and Regular Labor

Morning Coffee (5/19/18)

2018 has been deadlier for schoolchildren than service members

Trump Administration to Tie Health Facilities’ Funding to Abortion Restrictions

I think I missed this when it was first published, but it's important: Almost 1,500 Migrant Children Placed in Homes by the U.S. Government Went Missing Last Year

Missing Files Motivated the Leak of Michael Cohen’s Financial Records

This sounds normal and in no way worrisome: Kushners Near Deal With Qatar-Linked Company for Troubled Tower

The Coup Has Already Happened

Michigan State's Nassar Settlement Could Set A Troubling First Amendment Precedent

In an Expected Move, Amazon Offers Exclusive Whole Foods Deals to Prime Members

!! Jennifer Aniston to Play First Female President in Netflix's 'First Ladies' (And her character is married to a woman!)

...what. LaCroix Swimsuits Will Make You Look Like a Giant, Tanned Can of Seltzer

Morning Coffee (11/6/17)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Well: Mueller Has Enough Evidence to Bring Charges in Flynn Investigation

What a shock: Commerce Secretary’s Offshore Ties to Putin ‘Cronies’

Kremlin Cash Behind Billionaire’s Twitter and Facebook Investments

Sounds like someone's consolidating power! Saudi Arabia Arrests 11 Princes, Including Billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal

OF COURSE: Women Are Even Farther From Equality Than We Were Last Year

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Trump-Endorsed Media Outlet Reports That Hitler Is Alive

The Murderer Who Started a Movement

Useful: Five Books to Make You Less Stupid About the Civil War

I guess this makes sense: Oprah will be Alexa’s first celebrity-voiced shopping assistant

Whoa: Storm Ophelia Unearthed an Ancient Skeleton in Ireland

Morning Coffee (9/27/17)

Me elsewhere: Young Sheldon wasn't as bad as I feared.

!!! Saudi Arabia Says It Will End Ban And Allow Women To Drive

A New Study Shows Just How Many Americans Were Blocked From Voting in Wisconsin Last Year

Surprise! Trump’s tax ‘reform’ looks like tax cuts for the rich

I'm glad he's representing us so well on the world stage: Where is 'Nambia'? President Trump 'invents' African country

Of course: Alabama Senate Candidate Roy Moore Whips Out A Handgun At Rally

Undercover with the Alt-Right

Barbara Blaine, Who Championed Victims of Priests’ Abuse, Dies at 61

Goodbye, For Now, To A Vital Source For Native American News

Ooh! Lost Rubens portrait of James I's 'lover' is rediscovered in Glasgow (They're talking about the Duke of Buckingham and I'm not sure why "lover" is in quotes, as I think that relationship is pretty well-documented.)

Good. They should be better about this IN GENERAL because it happens to all sorts of authors, not just Hillary: Amazon Removed Hundreds of Reviews of Hillary Clinton’s Book From People Who Probably Didn’t Read It

Morning Coffee (8/19/17)

Stephen Bannon Out at the White House After Turbulent Run

Kenyan Democracy’s Missed Opportunity

The Obama-Trump Voters Are Real. Here’s What They Think.

Urgent research needed into 'boyfriend model' of sex abuse, say experts (Coronation Street actually had a plot about this that was handled quite well!)

People are complicated! What Robert E. Lee Wrote to The Times About Slavery in 1858

It says something about 2017 that this basically just made me shrug and say "Sure, whatever, pretty low on my list of things I'm worried about:" Amazon is experimenting with military tech to help it take over groceries

Ancient Skull Shows What the Last Common Ancestor of Apes and Humans Looked Like

The One Thing We All Agree On: 3-D Movies Must Die

I am not a cruise fan but this one is tempting: 'The New York Times' Is Hosting a Weeklong Crossword Puzzle-themed Cruise

How Much of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is in the Writing of Virginia Woolf?