The business of voluntourism: do western do-gooders actually do harm? A holiday helping out in an orphanage can be a rewarding experience. But voluntourism supports a system that is breaking up families

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do-western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm

The Most Common Last Name in Every Country

https://www.netcredit.com/blog/most-common-name-country/

How to Shake Off a Super Rude Interaction With a Stranger: It’s not just you: People are definitely getting more aggro.

https://www.self.com/story/how-to-shake-off-rude-interaction-with-stranger

How to Quiet Your Inner Critic Negative self-talk can do a number on your mental health.: So we asked a few experts to share their strategies to rewire your internal monologue.

https://www.gq.com/story/how-to-quiet-your-inner-critic

My shelter cat heist: How "Adopt, Don't Shop" almost became my villain origin story: A 16-month quest to bring home two cats only ended with chicanery. Turns out I'm not alone in encountering barriers

 https://www.salon.com/2024/12/06/cat-adoption-adopt-dont-shop/

The Rage and Glee That Followed a C.E.O.’s Killing Should Ring All Alarms

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/opinion/united-health-care-ceo-shooting.html

The Great Grocery Squeeze: How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/food-deserts-robinson-patman/680765/

14 Subtle Ways Having A Toxic Parent Affects You As An Adult: Certain traits that come out in adulthood can be signs that your parents were toxic as a kid.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/14-subtle-ways-having-a-toxic-parent-affects-you-as-an-adult

A Science Breakthrough Too Good to Be True? It Probably Isn’t: The more exciting, transformative, and revolutionary a science result appears, especially coming out of nowhere, the more likely it is to be dead wrong. So, approach science headlines with a healthy amount of skepticism and patience

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-science-breakthrough-too-good-to-be-true-it-probably-isnt/

Have You Fallen for the Myth of ‘I Can’t Draw’? Do It Anyway—and Reap the Rewards: The hurdles people face when it comes to learning to draw and how they can be overcome.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/have-you-fallen-for-the-myth-of-i-can-t-draw-do-it-anyway-and-reap-the-rewards

These are the most fulfilling jobs in America: When we looked at new data on which jobs give you the most pride or satisfaction, or serve the community best, one job took the top spot in every category.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/11/22/most-fulfilling-jobs-america-may-not-be-ones-you-expect/

The Invisible Man: We see right through the unshowered soul living in a car by the beach, or by the Walmart, or by the side of the road. But he’s there, and he used to be somebody. He still is. A firsthand account of homelessness in America.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a62875397/homelessness-in-america/ 

Underrated ways to change the world How to get a good heart unstuck

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-change-the-world

Nutrition Science’s Most Preposterous Result: Studies show a mysterious health benefit to ice cream. Scientists don’t want to talk about it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/05/ice-cream-bad-for-you-health-study/673487/

Your Armpits Are Trying to Tell You Something: The best time to apply antiperspirant is right before bed. Seriously.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/11/antiperspirant-deodorant-night/680710/

How the Ivy League Broke America: The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/12/meritocracy-college-admissions-social-economic-segregation/680392/

The weeds are winning: As the climate changes, genetic engineering will be essential for growing food. But is it creating a race of superweeds?

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/10/10/1105034/weeds-climate-change-genetic-engineering-superweeds-food/

How Double-Loaded Sidewalks Bring Safety, Comfort, and Joy to Our Streets

https://www.sociallifeproject.org/double-loaded-sidewalks/

Be Kind to Your Gut Now, and the Older You Will Thank You: Experts on the microbiome explain how to eat for health and longevity.

https://www.saveur.com/culture/aging-gut-health/

The Unlikely Inventor of the Automatic Rice Cooker: A Japanese housewife’s experiments cracked the code of perfectly cooked rice

https://spectrum.ieee.org/toshiba-rice-cooker

How Comic Sans became the Crocs of fonts

https://www.fastcompany.com/91214335/how-comic-sans-became-the-crocs-of-fonts

‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads?: In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/oct/29/acute-psychosis-inner-voices-avatar-therapy-psychiatry

Hear a Chopin Waltz Unearthed After Nearly 200 Years: An unknown work in the composer’s hand has emerged in a New York museum, the first such find in more than a half century. The pianist Lang Lang plays it here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/27/arts/music/chopin-waltz-discovery.html

The hard truth: Americans don’t trust the news media: A note from our owner.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/28/jeff-bezos-washington-post-trust/

A Simple Exercise to Help You Check Your Biases

https://hbr.org/2024/10/a-simple-exercise-to-help-you-check-your-biases

We’re Told to ‘Eat a Rainbow’. Here’s What Each Color Does in Our Body: Most of us know we should eat different coloured fruits and vegetables, but do you know why?

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/we-re-told-to-eat-a-rainbow-of-fruit-and-vegetables-here-s-what-each-colour-does-in-our-body

2024 Link Guide to Employment Resources

https://www.llrx.com/2024/09/2024-link-guide-to-employment-resources/

The Vagus Nerve’s Crucial Role in Creating the Human Sense of Mind: Like a highway system, the vagus nerve branches profusely from your brain through your organs to marshal bodily functions, including aspects of mind such as mood, pleasure, and fear.

https://www.wired.com/story/how-our-longest-nerve-orchestrates-the-mind-body-connection-vagus/

Worsening brain drain

https://www.kpcnews.com/columnists/article_ad2aa9ee-8b18-11ef-aa62-630c7a425a34.html

Nonprofit Challenges

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/nonprofit-challenges/

The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms: Private equity decimated emergency care in the United States — without you even noticing.

https://www.vox.com/health-care/374820/emergency-rooms-private-equity-hospitals-profits-no-surprises

License Plate Readers Are Creating a US-Wide Database of More Than Just Cars: From Trump campaign signs to Planned Parenthood bumper stickers, license plate readers around the US are creating searchable databases that reveal Americans’ political leanings and more.

https://www.wired.com/story/license-plate-readers-political-signs-bumper-stickers/ 

When Should Presenters Apologize?

https://www.llrx.com/2024/09/when-should-presenters-apologize/

Welcome to the Era of ‘Deep Doubt’: AI has scrambled our ability to tell what’s real and what’s synthetic. But there are tools and techniques to help stay grounded in truth.

https://www.wired.com/story/deepfakes-deep-doubt-era-artificial-intelligence

The Hardest Case for Mercy

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/09/17/school-shooting-death-penalty-parkland-nikolas-cruz

How to Kill Fruit Flies in Your Home, Instantly: DIY traps and homemade sprays to kill these kitchen and drain pests for good.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-kill-fruit-flies-in-your-home-instantly

Matti Friedman: When We Started to Lie: I watched as the goal of mainstream journalism shifted from describing reality to ushering readers to the correct political conclusion.

https://www.thefp.com/p/friedman-when-we-started-to-lie

The Canary: Michael Lewis on Chris Mark of the Department of Labor

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2024/michael-lewis-chris-marks-the-canary-who-is-government/

Jawbreakers: Young patients want beautifully imperfect veneers. They’re getting pain, debt, and regret.

https://www.thecut.com/article/veneers-cost-perfect-smile-teeth-regret.html

Should we think twice about fluoride?: Too much fluoride might lower IQ in kids, a new federal report says. The science (and debate), explained.

https://www.vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/369470/fluoride-iq-kids-brain-development-toothpaste-water-science-study

Having an Enemy at Work Might Help You Get Ahead: Turns out your toxic boss can teach you something.

https://slate.com/business/2024/09/workplace-mentorships-career-advancement-toxic-boss-coworker-feud-motivation.html

How to restore trust in American higher education: Governing boards must regain their control of America’s colleges and universities

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/09/04/trust-restored-higher-education/

Are You Being 'Spoofed'? This Specific Type Of Scam Is Hard To Catch.: This sneaky, insidious act tricks you into sharing personal information — and it's all too easy to fall for. Here's how to spot it.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spoofing-scam-url-emails_l_66cc97e8e4b09c9ffeaf1006

Don’t Trust the Election Forecasts: The data doesn’t support the obsession with presidential prognostications.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/09/03/election-forecasts-data-00176905

The Cure for Disposable Plastic Crap Is Here—and It’s Loony: Stretchy seaweed, reverse vending machines, QR-coded take-out boxes: They’re how we can break society’s absurd addiction to single-use plastics.

https://www.wired.com/story/the-cure-for-disposable-plastic-crap-is-here-and-its-loony/

Getting a divorce? There’s a coach for that

https://thehustle.co/originals/getting-a-divorce-theres-a-coach-for-that

The Plot Against the Principality of Sealand: How the world’s quirkiest micro-nation got pulled into one of history’s most epic intercontinental frauds

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-plot-against-the-principality-of-sealand

Hackers may have stolen the Social Security numbers of every American. Here’s how to protect yourself

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-08-13/hacker-claims-theft-of-every-american-social-security-number

Why toilet paper keeps getting smaller and smaller

https://thehustle.co/news/why-toilet-paper-keeps-getting-smaller-and-smaller

When Is “Recyclable” Not Really Recyclable? When the Plastics Industry Gets to Define What the Word Means. Companies whose futures depend on plastic production are trying to persuade the federal government to allow them to put the label “recyclable” on plastic shopping bags and other items virtually guaranteed to end up in landfills and incinerators.

https://www.propublica.org/article/plastics-industry-redefine-recyclable-ftc-grocery-bags

Smashing Idea: How East Germany Invented ‘Unbreakable’ Drinking Glasses: In the 1980s, a company called Superfest pioneered extra strong glass – but it disappeared with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now it’s making a comeback.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/smashing-idea-how-east-germany-invented-unbreakable-drinking-glasses

How to Notice and Avoid Dark Patterns Online

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-notice-and-avoid-dark-patterns-online-1827734449

Menu Engineering

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/89/menu-psychology-the-science-behind-menu-engineering.html

We’re Entering an AI Price-Fixing Dystopia: Algorithmic collusion appears to be spreading to more and more industries. And existing laws may not be equipped to stop it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/08/ai-price-algorithms-realpage/679405/

Heat pumps are expensive. What if billionaires bought them for everyone?: It would cost more than $1 trillion, but the savings from lower bills and cleaner air would be just as high.

https://grist.org/energy/heat-pumps-expensive-bought/

Where are Utah’s ‘blue zones’ — places people are living the longest?

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/08/05/blue-zones-in-utah/

I'm a Doctor. This Is Why I Prescribe Walking to My Patients

https://www.gq.com/story/walking-prescription-health-longevity

How to Calculate the Value of an MBA

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-calculate-the-value-of-an-mba

10 reasons why AI may be overrated

https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2024/08/06/g-s1-15245/10-reasons-why-ai-may-be-overrated-artificial-intelligence

America’s Lab Rats?

https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/28/americas-lab-rats/

Why we might never know the truth about ultra-processed foods

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpe3pppw1z7o

When scientific citations go rogue: Uncovering ‘sneaked references’

https://www.llrx.com/2024/07/when-scientific-citations-go-rogue-uncovering-sneaked-references/

The Real Housewives Is TV’s Best Window Into White-Collar Crime: The Bravo franchise has become an unlikely document of all-American fraud.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-real-housewives-is-tv-s-best-window-into-white-collar-crime

How to manage people who are smarter than you (or think they are)

https://www.fastcompany.com/91149647/how-to-manage-people-who-are-smarter-than-you-or-think-they-are

The Fraud of Plastic Recycling: How Big Oil and the plastics industry deceived the public for decades and caused the plastic waste crisis. February 2024

https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Fraud-of-Plastic-Recycling-2024.pdf

35 Gaslighting Phrases That Experts Say Are Unfairly Belittling Your Emotions: Recognizing this behavior early can save you from having to overcome emotional trauma later, psychologists explain.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/35-gaslighting-phrases-that-experts-say-are-unfairly-belittling-your-emotions

Amazon Sold a Used Diaper. It Tanked a Mom-and-Pop Business.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/amazon-sold-a-used-diaper-it-tanked-a-mom-and-pop-business

Google Now Defaults to Not Indexing Your Content

https://www.vincentschmalbach.com/google-now-defaults-to-not-indexing-your-content/

Peer review is essential for science. Unfortunately, it’s broken. : There's no incentive to fix the system, which was never designed to catch fraud anyway.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/07/peer-review-is-essential-for-science-unfortunately-its-broken/

The rise of our ‘Juristocracy’ The danger of relying on the Supreme Court to solve our problems

https://www.deseret.com/magazine/2024/07/10/supreme-court-justices-impact-on-america/

Escape From the Box: New technology and old tactics have made buying a car a death march of deception. Jase Patrick, who spent 15 years in the business, reveals the dealer secrets.

https://prospect.org/power/2024-07-08-car-dealership-fee-financing-scams/

Revolution in the air: how laughing gas changed the world

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/04/revolution-in-the-air-how-laughing-gas-changed-the-world

We deserve a more nuanced conversation about working moms: The “motherhood penalty” is more complicated than you think.

https://www.vox.com/policy/358808/moms-motherhood-penalty-work-childcare

His Biggest Hit Sold More Copies Than Any of the Beatles’. So Why Haven’t You Heard of Him?

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/his-biggest-hit-sold-more-copies-than-any-of-the-beatles-so-why-haven-t-you-heard-of-him

The Ancient Fabric That No One Knows How to Make: Nearly 200 years ago, Dhaka muslin was the most valuable fabric on the planet. Then it was lost altogether. How did this happen? And can we bring it back?

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-ancient-fabric-that-no-one-knows-how-to-make