Good mom ≠ ideal worker.
The US has reported more than 97,000 new cases of COVID-19 since the news of President Trump’s positive test. / Vox
Meanwhile, the White House is doing almost nothing to investigate its outbreak. / The New York Times
The White House blocks new FDA guidelines on bringing potential vaccines to market that would almost certainly have prevented their introduction before the November election. / The Associated Press
Scientists and doctors express outrage after the president removes his mask upon returning to the White House, even while in close proximity to staff members. / The Washington Post
Helen Branswell: “For many of Washington’s most powerful, Covid-19 public health guidance does not apply.” / STAT
Related: How the US bungled the coronavirus, explained. / The Morning News
Soaring Covid infection rates in London’s care homes and hospitals may be occurring in other UK regions. / The Guardian
East Germany has suffered far fewer coronavirus cases than West Germany. / The Wall Street Journal
The West, ever patronizing, fails to recognize Africa's successes against the coronavirus. / The Washington Post
How some colleges are so thoroughly containing the virus that students are less impacted: extensive testing. / The New York Times
During the pandemic, with teleworking and increased child-care demands, ideas about “the ideal worker” and “the good mother” are clashing. / The Atlantic
One lesser-noticed Trump voter: "middle class, lifestyle-blog-reading bougie women who want to maintain their current lifestyle." / Culture Study
See also: The concept of "lifestyle" from Albert Adler and Polaroids to hippie communes and Instagram. / What Is Lifestyle?
In r/unemployment, Americans help one another confront our confounding welfare state. / The Cut
The Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to three scientists who co-discovered hepatitis C. / Vox
Your weekly white paper (kinda): Water, as a metaphor for Indigenous experiences, upends Western notions of territoriality. / Social Science Research Council
Four million acres of land in California have burned in this year’s record-setting wildfire season. / The Los Angeles Times
Research finds that restaurants often host "the creep of gentrification and displacement" moving through a neighborhood. / Eater
New chapters from the extraordinary life of Stephanie Johnson, aka Tanqueray, raise $2.5 million to cover her medical expenses. / Instagram, The New York Times
Nicholas Carr: What is it like to be a smartphone? / Rough Type
A short video on the meaning of swimming pools in movies. / The Morning News
A day in the life of a Toronto romance scammer. Also, “Meet The Male Sex Workers Of OnlyFans. And The Women They Satisfy.” / Toronto Life, BuzzFeed News
And now a brief chat with a recent Sustaining Member, Nick G.!
Hi, Nick. You found us through the Tournament of Books, right? Yeah, I'm a big fan of the ToB. I may not be as vocal or as astute as my fellow nutters in the commentariat, but I enjoy the tournament just as much, having soaked up every single word since I first discovered it in 2009. Sorry I didn't become a sustaining member sooner, I'm on a teacher's salary.
How did you find the ToB? It was an article on Salon. I was teaching split-shifts in Seoul at the time, and had to go in super early every morning for classes with adults before they went to work, then go back at night when they got off. I was haggard from insomnia and not feeling great about facing a day of classes, but I remember perking up and being so excited when I first clicked on the link to your site, and saw something so geeky and appealing as a tournament of books. Needless to say, my class prep went out the window. I spent my breaks reading every year of the ToB prior. Co-workers who dropped by my office and saw me glued to the screen would shrug and walk off after I told them about this incredible thing I'd discovered. Which is precisely why the ToB means so much to me, because book people can be hard to find out there!
Well, we're glad you found us! And we hope you enjoy the Super Rooster, starting tomorrow. By the way, something I've wondered but never seen mentioned and haven't had a chance to ask: Did the idea of giving the ToB Champion a live rooster come from Bull Durham? That line "we need a live rooster to take the curse off Jose's glove?"
Actually, it's in reference to the David Sedaris story, "You Can't Kill the Rooster." Thanks again, guys, for all your hard work!
THREE BOOKS OF THANKS to Nick and all of our supporters. If you haven't already, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member or making a one-time donation today. 📚
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