And they’re off
A new word was introduced this week: “healthocide,” meaning the deliberate damaging or destruction of health services. / Goats and Soda
Trump’s deadline for the Kremlin arrives with little hope for peace. / PBS
Five scenarios imagine how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might end. / CNN
Has the notion of a ceasefire replaced the idea of peace? “People tend to reach for cease-fires when they do not know what else to do.” / The New York Times Magazine [$]
Johannesburg’s mayor is asked to explain $1.4 billion of wasted funds, and other news from the week in Africa. / This Week in Africa
Violent crime rates are falling in the United States, but a growing number of people think they’re rising (thanks to irresponsible media). / Reliable Sources
Related: 2024 was America's safest year since the 1960s. / Popular Information
An official from the Biden administration says dealmaking has all but vanished from the Senate—and it needs to be revived if the government is to work. / Politico
England’s swimming waters are five times more likely to be polluted than those in the European Union. / The Guardian
The White House urges countries to reject any “upstream” limits on how much plastic is produced. / Reuters
California passes a major test proving the usefulness of home battery storage, adding the equivalent of a “big hydro dam.” / Semafor
“I don’t have to remember things.” College students are addicted to Google Calendar. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Related: “Americans today feel more anxious, more adrift and more unhappy. We are also—never bored.” / Bowling Broke
A “rush consultant” explains the costs and nitty gritty of joining a Southern sorority. “At its core, sorority recruitment is a test of homogeneity.” / The Cut
A writer tries to puzzle out (at length) why someone stole a large, practically worthless sword collection. / The Sword and the Sandwich
Before 2023, “Elara Voss” did not exist. Now, she is an emerging legend “whose qualities reflect a deep mathematical structure underlying our culture. You might also say she’s a statistical agglomeration of science-fiction cliché borne of oversampling video-game wikis.” / Read Max
See also: A small collection of racehorses’ unusual names. / Futility Closet
Major thanks to yesterday’s anonymous new supporter!
In the members area, unlocked links from the the New York Times Magazine and the Wall Street Journal ↓