Skating for Godot.
The delta variant is one of the most contagious respiratory viruses known. Is it as contagious as chicken pox? Not really. / NPR
Parents in Japan are sending bags of rice that weigh the same as their newborn babies to relatives who are unable to visit. / The Guardian
California will become the first state to require all teachers to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly tests. / The Wall Street Journal
Theories on why California is handling delta much better than Texas or Florida. / The Los Angeles Times
Your weekly white paper: Pornography use has trended downward during the pandemic, for both men and women. / Archives of Sexual Behavior
A profile of the last dirty picture show in Los Angeles. And why not: a profile of its oldest beekeeper. / Popula, L.A. Taco
Muralist Mona Caron grows a 20-story Joe Pye weed over Jersey City. / Colossal
Last year's stimulus checks should have had a profound effect on poverty—and that's exactly what researchers are finding. / Vox
A psychologist says some people are born lucky, with genetic variants that predispose them to academic achievement, stable jobs, higher incomes, and greater well-being. / Texas Monthly
Related: Is Britain becoming more meritocratic than America? / The Economist
A sociologist explains why conservatives have embraced Hungary's Viktor Orbán, "the ultimate twenty-first-century dictator." / The New Yorker
A technology writer invites a robot dog into her home. "I did not believe, of course, that the dog had any kind of internal experience." / The Guardian
James Surowiecki finds tips on office politics in literature. Also, a novelist has thoughts on the skateboarding life. / 1843 Magazine, The Paris Review
About 100 out of 120 minor league baseball teams have adopted an alter ego based on a regional food. / Atlas Obscura
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Since 1999, your Headlines are sourced and written by Andrew Womack and Rosecrans Baldwin, and arrive in your inbox, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest Headlines at TMN.