July 20, 2017

O.J. Simpson today faces “the parole hearing of the century,” so dubbed by Christopher Darden. / Quartz

“In the morning, the police are back again, in force, to retake the territory they were compelled to cede the night before.” Mark Edmundson on the metaphysics of a hangover. “Has anyone ever taken up the subject of the religious hangover? Is it possible that when the service is over, the spirituals have been sung, and the visitation is at an end, there is a sense of loss?” / The Hedgehog Review

Your Thursday white paper: How awful was the Black Death? (Some towns in England lost 55% of their population.) / Medieval Histories

Photographs of unused vehicles constructed by the Islamic State for suicide car bombings. / The Guardian

A game theory problem for the Trump era: Why is it bad to attend a meeting without your own translator? / Marginal Revolution

A short video to illustrate National Geographic’s recent feature on the remarkable motions of hummingbirds in flight, based on research done by Clark lab at US Riverside, Dudley lab at UC Berkeley, and the Altshuler lab at the University of British Columbia. / National Geographic

Reporter breaks White House rules and streams live sound from an off-camera briefing. / The Washington Post

Art for your weekend: “Sleepless” by Esther Sarto, opening Saturday at Talon Gallery, Portland, Ore. / Esther Sarto

Since the Brexit vote, demand for an Irish passport—from Britons who want to keep their options open—has jumped 50%. / The Guardian

“In the 20th century, government saved us from disease and illiteracy; in the 21st, it needs to help us clear our minds.” Too many Americans walk around in a mental fog, neurologically speaking. Why? Drug abuse, lead pollution, and poverty. / Bloomberg

Fireflies in a Pennsylvania field at dusk, as captured by artist Diana Lehr. / dianalehr.com