Rise and fall of the third mic.
In their final debate, Joe Biden and Donald Trump clash over how to tame the coronavirus. Pundits credit the quality of the debate to “muted mic deterrence.” / The Associated Press, The New York Times, Twitter
Nate Silver projects total turnout in the presidential race to be 154 million, with an 80th percentile range between 144 million and 165 million. In 2016, turnout was 137 million. / Twitter
Since 2016, an estimated 20 percent of US polling locations have been closed. / VICE
Fact-checks, summarized: “Toned-down Trump continues his onslaught of falsehoods.” / CNN
For what it’s worth, no US president has ever been able to impose a federal mandate of vaccines across the country. / Quartz
“A person who is looking for a full-time job that pays a living wage—but who can't find one—is unemployed.” If you accept that definition, then the true unemployment rate in the US is a colossal 26.1%. / Axios
Much remains secret about the family separations begun in secret by the White House in 2017. A 24-year-old talks about caring for the separated kids. / The New York Times
President Trump is all about "norm erosion." If Democrats win in November, they might need some norm erosion of their own to get anything done. / The New York Review of Books
Unrelated/related: An 85-year-old school building “walks” across Shanghai in 18 days. / The Morning News
Spain and France become the first two Western European countries to reach 1 million Covid-19 cases. / NPR
The FDA approves the antiviral drug Veklury (remdesivir) for the treatment of Covid-19 requiring hospitalization. A new study from the WHO says remdesivir has “little to no effect” on Covid patients' chances of survival. / FDA, BBC News
Remdesivir’s price tag ignores an enormous investment in its development by the National Institutes of Health. / STAT
Meanwhile, for the first time since records began, "the main nursery of Arctic sea ice in Siberia" has yet to start freezing in late October. / The Guardian
Alexis Goldstein: The US is missing a chance to tackle the climate crisis and pandemic relief together. / TruthOut
Twelve more protesters calling for an end to police brutality were killed in Nigeria, bringing the death toll over the past two weeks to at least 56. / The Associated Press
Stuck at home, people are repainting their interiors, and an entire ”quarantine palette has taken shape.” / ARTnews
The color russet, often seen in autumn, is more than just red-like, or red-adjacent. It’s also the color of “peasants, fox fur, and penance." / The Paris Review
The history of sneaker design in a poster of a single sneaker. / We Are Dorothy
A brief feminist history of the cardigan. "College men at Northwestern complained that women were 'handicapping themselves.'"/ The Week
To truly understand exploitation in the music industry, try Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974). / Pitchfork
ABC lost TV hitmaker Shonda Rhimes to Netflix—and an entire sea change took place in Hollywood—over a pass to Disneyland. / The Hollywood Reporter
And now a brief chat with a new Sustaining Member, Brooke K.!
Brooke, you're a fan of the Tournament of Books, right? I look forward to the tournament every year. It has become a ritual for me to see how many books on the list I've already read, which ones are in my to-be-read pile, and the handful of contenders that were nowhere on my radar. I feel that the ToB is one reliable source for a few less mainstream options.
How did you find us? I don't remember. I'm in the medical profession, and I do remember at the time I found you guys, I was in residency training. As you may imagine, residency training is long and at times difficult, and I was in the habit of turning to book reviews and commentary as a way to take a break during the day over a quick lunch or dinner. I was immediately hooked on the ToB concept after I read a few of the commentaries. I find the criteria a person uses to decide on a winner between two seemingly unrelated works of fiction fascinating. Equally as fascinating is the intense comment section that blows up after a decision. Like many of the people who read and participate in ToB, I have loved books and reading my entire life. However, my career and family often keep me busy in a way that makes it hard to find time to have discussions about books, meaningful or otherwise. This is where the ToB comes in every year. I find the ToB community passionate, entertaining, and at times, challenging. Your site has been a welcome way to stay connected to people who are as passionate about good books as I am.
That's terrific. We love to hear it! The first year I found your site, I quickly rounded up a few co-residents and attendings to fill out the brackets and follow along with me. And while I have since moved on to another state and another hospital, every March I still email those original followers and we catch up on our lives over discussions about the contenders in ToB. We couldn't be more excited about the Super Rooster!
Last question: Why did you decide to become a supporter? I became a supporter this year because I made the decision to lend my support to organizations/events that are both creative and nourishing as a way to remind myself that the world is still good and there are still things to be enjoyed. Please keep up the great work, and as long as the tournament runs, I will be following along faithfully.
We couldn't do this without Brooke and all of our supporters. Please consider joining them by becoming a Sustaining Member or making a one-time donation today.
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