Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
Ten years ago, the UAE embarked on a $22 billion mission to build a zero-carbon city powered by the sun, cooled by the wind, and entirely dependent upon mass transit. But building the world’s first sustainable metropolis proved far trickier than anyone anticipated, and just 5 percent of Masdar City stands today. French photographer Etienne Malapert…
In 1983, two years after the AIDS virus was first discovered in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration issued guidelines for gay men who wanted to donate blood. If they had had sex with other men at any time since 1977, they would be prohibited from donating blood indefinitely. That policy lasted for…
(iStock) My wife and I recently packed our 2-year-old twins into their car seats and moved them halfway across the country to a new home in Minnesota. During the five or so days we spent on the road with them, we had ample opportunity to reflect on what sorts of terrible harms we were inflicting on…
Anti-abortion protesters at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse in Houston on Feb. 3, 2016.Eric Kayne/Getty Images In a political gambit to prove that they love fetuses more than anything else in the whole world, Texas lawmakers have put their constituents at higher risk of an HIV outbreak. The Texas Observer reports that since the…
Beyonce performs at a concert in Brazil, in 2011. Credit: A.RICARDO/Shutterstock.com Music may be food for the soul, but the food and beverages that pop singers endorse these days may be more like food for the grave, according to a new study. Nearly every food or beverage endorsed by musicians who scored a hit in…
With the exception of my health insurance company, everybody loves my breasts: My kids, who, at aged 12 and 8, harbor vague but fond memories of having been breastfed well into toddlerhood. My husband (big surprise), who has observed their middle-aged growth spurt from a perfectly respectable 32C to a seriously impressive 32DD with great…
We all know smart people who do stupid things. At work we see people with brilliant minds make the most simple mistakes. At home we might live with someone who is intellectually gifted but also has no idea. We all have friends who have impressive IQs but lack basic common sense. For more than a…
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who has been attacking climate science for years now.Lamar Smith To the surprise of no one, Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is continuing his unfounded attack on science, ratcheting it up even higher than before. This time, he’s trying to tie up the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The good news? They’re…
Sleep deprivation used to be a badge of honor: a sign you were busy and important and very much in demand. Snoozing was losing and sleep was for wimps. Now, however, Arianna Huffington’s The Sleep Revolution, a call-to-bed that promises to transform your life, “one night at a time”, is a New York Times bestseller,…
When I was 18, my mom sat me down and said, “If there ever comes a time where you feel like a dark cloud is following you, you can get help. You can talk to me, talk to a therapist, talk to doctor. I want you to know that there are options.” I’m so thankful…