Afternoon Tea (1/17/19)

‘I Love My Skin!’ Why Black Parents Are Turning to Afrocentric Schools

'Ravens and Red Lipstick' unearths an unexpected portrait over 70 years of Japanese photography

How a Drug-Addicted Art Critic Created the Perfect Sleuth for the Jazz Age

These Whales Are Serenaders of the Seas. It’s Quite a Racket.

Quinoa Whiskey? Modified Crop List Spurs Distilleries To Try Alternative Grains

Morning Coffee (1/17/19)

Good for her: Pelosi Asks Trump to Reschedule State of the Union Amid Shutdown

Federal Watchdog Finds Government Ignored Emoluments Clause With Trump Hotel

Barr May Do Exactly What Trump Wants

Steve King says he was just defending ‘Western Civilization.’ That’s racist, too.

Of course: Karen Pence to teach at school that bans gay students, parents, employees

Yay! Gov. Laura Kelly reinstates ban on anti-LGBT bias in first official action

Sacklers Directed Efforts to Mislead Public About OxyContin, New Documents Indicate

Interim MSU President John Engler Says Larry Nassar's Victims Are Having A Blast In The "Spotlight" (UPDATE: he resigned.)

And: University of Michigan Fires Gymnastics Coach With Ties to Nassar Scandal

Facebook's '10 Year Challenge' Is Just a Harmless Meme—Right?

Afternoon Tea (1/16/19)

This was wild: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy: The Case of Caroline Calloway and her Creativity Workshop Tour

The Best Skin-Care Trick Is Being Rich

12 of Our Most Anticipated Historical YA Fiction of 2019

The Mormon polygamists who believe Missouri is the 'promised land'

The History of Blood

Morning Coffee (1/16/19)

Theresa May loses Brexit deal vote by majority of 230

Redefining Representation: The Women of the 116th Congress

FINALLY: Steve King Removed From Committee Assignments Over White Supremacy Remark

Judge Orders Trump Administration To Remove 2020 Census Citizenship Question

Actually, the Numbers Show That We Need More Immigration, Not Less

Bidding Farewell To 'Hello, Dolly!': Actress Carol Channing Dies At 97

Goodbye, New York. Adam Moss Is Leaving the Magazine He Has Edited for 15 Years.

The research here is interesting: Consider Firing Your Male Broker

This news from my dad's hometown is so sad: Fire Destroys Historic American Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Stratford, CT

I am cautiously optimistic: Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Finds Its Maria, Anita, Bernardo & Chino

Afternoon Tea (1/15/19)

The Global Legacy of Quebec’s Subsidized Child Daycare

Fascinating: If True, This Could Be One of the Greatest Discoveries in Human History

In Praise of Iris Murdoch

The perennial debate about whether your phone is secretly listening to you, explained

David Maurer, the Dean of Criminal Language

Morning Coffee (1/15/19)

President Trump Rejects Proposal to Temporarily Reopen the Government

Federal worker forced to ration insulin because of government shutdown

Aww: Canada’s Air Controllers, Purveyors of Pizza Goodwill

LAUSD teachers strike to send a message: 'All we want is a fair shot'

Rep. Rashida Tlaib cursing got 5 times more coverage on cable news than Rep. Steve King embracing white supremacy

Britons make 170,000 antisemitic Google searches a year, study finds

The Strange Marketplace for Diabetes Test Strips

‘A 10 isn’t enough’: This UCLA gymnast’s flawless floor routine just broke the Internet

Michael Atiyah, Mathematician in Newton’s Footsteps, Dies at 89

Ooh! It’s Official! Michelle Yeoh ‘Star Trek’ Spinoff In Development At CBS All Access

Afternoon Tea (1/14/19)

When a Lynching Memorial Becomes a Photo Opportunity

The Plot to Kill George Washington

The Israel of Amos Oz

6 YA Anthologies to Look for in 2019

Can Netflix Take Turkey’s TV Dramas to the World?

Morning Coffee (1/14/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin from senior officials in administration

An Ocean Engineer and a Nuclear Physicist Walk Into Congress …

On The Navajo Nation, 5,000 Workers Dependent On A Federal Paycheck

Who’s disproportionately prosecuted for human trafficking? Young black men.

GOOD: DNA discoverer James Watson loses honors over views on race

These women survived domestic abuse, now they're sharpshooters protecting animals from poachers

Millennial Women Are Pouring Into Jobs, Fueling U.S. Labor Gains

Ooh: Netflix's 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Leads to "Choose Your Own Adventure" Trademark Lawsuit

Welsh farmstead is rare medieval hall house, experts confirm

Hmm: Movies Are Getting Better And Better, Those Rising RottenTomatoes.com Scores Say

Morning Coffee (1/13/19)

F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia

GOOD: Families of Sandy Hook shooting victims win legal victory in lawsuit against InfoWars, Alex Jones

This Government Shutdown Is Now the Longest Ever

Viktor Orbán’s Far-Right Vision for Europe

This is an essential read from Adam Serwer: The Exceptions to the Rulers

Nothing ELSE is illegal in New Hampshire, but . . . He Disparaged the Police on Facebook. So They Arrested Him.

Why U.S. universities are shutting down China-funded Confucius Institutes

New York’s Orthodox Jewish community is battling measles outbreaks. Vaccine deniers are to blame.

Germany outlaws Amazon's one-click Dash buttons

A Lost Story by Sylvia Plath Contains the Seeds of the Writer She Would Become

Morning Coffee (1/12/19)

(I'm traveling, so this was written in advance. Back Tuesday!)

Michael Cohen, Trump’s Former Lawyer, Agrees to Testify to Congress

Trump’s advisers push for emergency declaration — while assuming it’ll be stopped in court

Government Shutdown Curtails F.D.A. Food Inspections

This is horrifying: Police seeking DNA of male staff at health-care facility where woman in vegetative state gave birth

Egypt’s president tried to stop a 60 Minutes interview from airing. It’s now clear why.

Good for them: Netflix Pulls Production From North Carolina Over Anti-LGBTQ Law

Ugh: Former Pixar Head, Ousted Over Alleged Sexual Misconduct, Finds New Gig

'Buddha boy' under investigation in Nepal over missing devotees

Georges Loinger, Wartime Rescuer of Jewish Children, Dies at 108

Female penguins 'get stranded more because they travel further'