Read : 2020-06-06

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “The long reach of racism in the U.S.” by Orlando Patterson (Wall Street Journal, 2020-06-05). Patterson cites failed racial integration in private life, poverty disproportionately high among blacks, “a hard core of racist Americans”, and “mass incarceration in America”. He observes that from the beginning, American law codified “the exclusion of slaves [and later free blacks and other “undesirables”] from any recognition as legitimate members of the community”. “Those who are thought not to belong are too often viewed as an enemy”, Patterson writes. See MLK’s comments about the enemy and the brother in “Beyond Vietnam” (below).
2. “Violent protest and the intelligentsia” by Barton Swaim (Wall Street Journal, 2020-06-05). Russian literature professor Gary Saul Morson observes cautious (and, he admits, quite possible concocted) similarities between America’s educated young today and Russia’s educated young in the early 1900s. Reading this article after MLK’s speech “Beyond Vietnam” (see below), I noted two statements: (1) “the rationalization…of violence” and (2) individuals and groups who “did not condone terrorism…[b]ut they refused to condemn it”. These statements cut both ways — all ways. Are not individuals within “the state” and “the establishment” as capable of rationalization and silent consent as the “left-wing elite” chastised in the article?
3. “Beyond Vietnam” by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1967-04-04). Audio and transcript.

Read : 2020-06-05

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “To be a great leader, you need to start by leading yourself” by Lara Sudmann (TED Ideas, 2019-10-10). (1) Self-awareness, via monthly self-directed character-traits checks. (2) Daily written reflection (i.e. journaling, anyone?) Pairs well with visualization. (3) Self-awareness, by stepping back, reframing, and determining importance. “You should engage with [items rating 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale] right away, but you’ll find that many things which shatter your calm will be of lesser importance. With anything that’s a 6 or lower, either excuse yourself physically…or figuratively…” Use that time to deliberately construct your response.
2. “Why America can’t escape its racist roots” by Liz Mineo (Harvard Gazette, 2020-06-04).
3. “When we can’t even agree on what is real” by Christina Pazzanese (Harvard Gazette, 2020-06-03). “[F]acts appear to do little to change viewpoints… What does change minds on a highly divisive topic like immigration? Stories and questions.” Emotional stories tend to make listeners more receptive, while questions tend to make them less receptive.
4. “How do societies recover after years (or even decades) of lies?” by Helmut Walser Smith (Zócalo, 2020-06-04). “History, the German case demonstrates, can indeed roll backward, and massive disinformation is one of its catalysts.”

Read : 2020-05-18

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “The market v the real economy” (The Economist, 2020-05-07). “There is little euphoria, just a despairing reach for the handful of businesses judged to be all-weather survivors.”
2. “A perky stockmarket v a glum economy” (The Economist, 2020-05-07).
3. “There is less trust between Washington and Beijing than at any point since 1979” (The Economist, 2020-05-09).
4. “‘Once upon a virus’: China mocks U.S. in Lego-like animation” (Reuters, 2020-05-04). An English translation of the animation can be viewed on YouTube (posted by New China TV).
5. “China’s military is tied to debilitating new cyberattack tool” by Ronen Bergman & Steven Lee Myers (NY Times, 2020-05-07).
6. “Naikon APT: Cyber espionage reloaded” (Check Point Research, 2020-05-07).
7. “Project CAMERASHY: Closing the aperture on China’s Unit 78020” by ThreatConnect Research Team (ThreatConnect, 2015-09-23).
8. “How runners around the world are cooking in quarantine” by Becky Wade (Becky Runs Away, 2020-05-07). As Becky puts it, “a good excuse to check in with friends all over the world”…and share recipes to try.
9. “Advice on life and creative integrity from Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson” by Maria Popova (Brain Pickings, 2013-05-20). Reflections (and “Calvin and Hobbes” comics) on Bill Waterson’s 1990 commencement address at Kenyon College.
10. “Art talk: ‘Painting Edo’” (Harvard Art Museums, 2020-04-29). 10-minute film on early modern Japanese painting with Rachel Saunders, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller curator of Asian art.
11. “Rice memories : Natalie Kirchhoff” by Natalie Kirchhoff (Rice Owls, 2020-05-05). “Looking back, I see the importance of humble confidence and grit. Being confident in one’s ability and having the willingness to persevere day in and day out and not loose hope…”
12. “Rice memories : Lennie Waite” by Lennie Waite (Rice Owls, 2020-05-12). “[F]or the most part, I attached myself to my friends and the training came naturally. We were truly enjoying the process. The 2007 season taught me so many valuable lessons related to team cohesion, support, confidence, the importance of a growth mindset, and it instilled me with faith that the combination of hard work and enjoyment are unbeatable.”
13. “The real Lord of the Flies: What happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months” by Rutger Bregman (The Guardian, 2020-05-09).
14. “China is happy to fill the leadership vacuum left by the U.S.” by Matthias Gebauer, Ralf Neukirch, René Pfister & Bernhard Zand (Spiegel, 2020-05-06).
15. “The confessions of Marcus Hutchins, the hacker who saved the Internet” by Andy Greenberg (Wired, 2020-05-12).
16. “The coming disruption” by James D. Walsh (Intelligencer).
17. “Can the women and girls of a small Texas town take back the purity movement?” by Emma Specter (Vogue, 2020-05-14).

And for your (my? our?) sporting entertainment :

1. “BBC’s Andrew Cotter commentates penguin parade on Australia’s Phillip Island” by Matilda Boseley (The Guardian, 2020-05-11).

Read : 2020-05-02

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “What other coronaviruses tell us about SARS-CoV-2” by Tara C. Smith (Quanta Magazine, 2020-04-29).
2. “FDA authorizes emergency use of Gilead drug remdesivir for COVID-19 patients” by Michelle Hackman & Thomas M. Burton (Wall Street Journal, 2020-05-01).
3. “Coronavirus: US authorises use of anti-viral drug remdesivir” (BBC, 2020-05-02).
4. “Does it matter that the DOD released those UFO videos” by Daniel Oberhaus (Wired, 2020-04-28). No? Unclassified vs declassified.

Read : 2020-04-22

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “The federal fisc” by Karen Dynan & Douglas Elmendorf (Harvard Magazine, 2020-05).
2. “Will truth prevail?” by Drew Pendergrass (Harvard Magazine, 2020-05). “What is truth?” –Pontius Pilate
3. “Eventbrite: Global shutdowns will inflict heavy damage” by Gary Alexander (Seeking Alpha, 2020-04-22).

Read : 2020-04-13

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “Markets are mistaken. The worst isn’t over.” by Larry Hatheway & Alex Friedman (Barron’s, 2020-04-13).

Read : 2020-04-11

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “St John Passion to be live-streamed from Bach’s Leipzig church on Good Friday” (Gramophone, 2020-04-07). The article contains a link to the Bach Archive’s Facebook channel, where you can find a recording of the performance (prefaced by a couple others) in a posts dated 2020-04-10.
2. “How to edit your own writing” by Harry Guinness (NY Times, 2020-04-07). The first step is recognizing that editing is (always) needed.
3. “In cyberwar, there are no rules” by Tarah Wheeler (Foreign Policy, 2018-09-12).
4. “Will we forgive Amazon when this is over?” by Christopher Mims (Wall Street Journal, 2020-04-11).
5. “How to prevent pinholes in T-shirts near your belly button” by Alison Gary (Wardrobe Oxygen, 2018-04-05). So that’s where those holes come from: bottom hardware. Some YouTube videos [1,2] on how to fix them.

And why not? Some classic Federer [1,2], hors contexte, compliments of YouTube.

Read : 2020-04-08

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “Wuhan finally free as Chinese stocks rebound” by Alex Frew McMillan (Real Money, 2020-04-08). “Chinese shares have gained 7.1% since March 23, when death and infection counts clearly started to slow. That trimmed stock losses for the year by half to a 7.7% fall in 2020.” The article also discusses (speculates on) the true extent of the disease in China and other countries.
2. “Zoom Video Communications poses new risk parameters for longs” by Bruce Kamich (Real Money, 2020-04-07).

Read : 2020-04-05

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “Life in lockdown: From shock to panic to…acceptance” by Pien Huang (NPR, 2020-03-18).
2. “China’s draconian lockdown is getting credit for slowing coronavirus. Would it work anywhere else?” by Amy Gunia (Time, 2020-03-13).
3. “Bernanke and Yellen: The Federal Reserve must reduce long-term damage from coronavirus” by Ben Bernanke & Janet Yellen (Financial Times, 2020-03-18).
4. “Ask the know-it-alls: What is the coronavirus?” by Sara Harrison (Wired, 2020-03-03).
5. “How South Korea flattened the curve” by Max Fisher & Choe Sang-Hun (NY Times, 2020-03-23).
6. “The savior elite: Inside the special operations force tasked with rescuing Navy SEALS” by Joshua St. Clair (Esquire, 2019-12-26).
7. “AI is changing work — and leaders need to adapt” by Martin Fleming (Harvard Business Review, 2020-03-24).
8. “Why you can smell rain” by Tim Logan (The Conversation, 2018-08-27).
9. “Why calling the market bottom doesn’t matter” by Ethan Wolff-Mann (Yahoo Finance, 2020-03-24).
10. “Reflections by Becky Wade” by Becky Wade (Rice Owls, 2020-03-24).
11. “What’s inside the Senate’s $2 trillion coronavirus aid package” by Kelsey Snell (NPR, 2020-03-26). In particular: Approximately 300B USD for one-time cash payments to individuals (subject to income cap) and 260B USD for “extra unemployment payments”. “The bill adds $600 per week from the federal government on top of whatever base amount a worker receives from the state. That boosted payment will last for four months.”
12. “Policy basics: How many weeks of unemployment compensation are available?” (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2020-03-23). Short answer: It depends on the state.
13. “SprintFIT: A guide to sprinting for fitness” (ALTIS, 2020-03).

Read : 2020-03-23

Today’s selection of articles:

1. “The coder and the dictator” by Nathaniel Popper & Ana Vanessa Herrero (NY Times, 2020-03-20).
2. “Cryptography pioneer seeks secure elections the low-tech way” by Susan D’Agostino (Quanta Magazine, 2020-03-12).
3. “I read the 1936 book that launched Warren Buffet’s career and it’s truly inspiring” by Bill Murphy Jr. (Inc, 2018-08-02). The author points out the following five lessons: (1) Act now, not tomorrow. (2) Do what you know. (3) There’s no time like right now. (Similar in spirit to point 1.) (4) Ordinary people can become extraordinary. (5) Every generation thinks they have it harder.
4. “Does running a marathon suppress your immune system?” by James Turner & John P Campbell (Medical Express, 2018-04-18). An article pointing out reasons to be skeptical of earlier evidence that endurance athletics suppresses the immune system.
5. “Immune to it all” by Jayme Moye (Runner’s World, 2011-09-29). Tips for staying healthy.