Iserotope Extras #72: The Making of an American Terrorist

Happy Thursday, everyone! Please welcome new subscribers Howe and Kay. Lately, I’m doing a better job pairing articles. This week, the first two — about a white American terrorist, and then a peaceful Syrian refugee girl — are meant to be read together. Then there’s a break, after which there are two more related articles focusing on economics, the gap between rich and poor, and how San Francisco needs to do better. Please enjoy!

Wonder and Worry, as a Syrian Child Transforms

While white Americans worry about the specter of radical Islam, thousands of Syrian refugees are peacefully building productive lives in Canada. The New York Times has done an excellent job reporting on how Canadians are welcoming Syrian refugees with open arms. What happens, though, when all your 10-year-old daughter wants to do is attend overnight science camp, go trick-or-treating, and choose not to wear a head scarf?

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The Tent Cities of San Francisco

This article captures what’s wrong with San Francisco. We think we’re good people, but really, we’re not. “California liberalism,” author Daniel Duane argues, has focused on environmentalism, gay rights, and tolerance from afar, rather than “caring for the least among us.” Instead of working closely with and for homeless people, poor people, and people of color, most (white) San Franciscans stay safely away, while simultaneously passing judgment on those who aren’t progressive enough.

Why so many teachers need a second job to make ends meet

My former colleague Nínive Calegari, who founded The Teacher Salary Project, argues that teachers should be paid more, that they shouldn’t feel like they need to take second jobs in order to make ends meet, and that our society should have more respect for teachers. It’s nothing new, but it’s essential nonetheless. To see what’s changed, read some of the comments, where you’ll hear people say, If you want higher salaries, let’s get rid of your pension, just like other professions.

Thank you for reading Extras #72! It was heavy on the NYT and the WaPo this week, but that’s because they’re great publications doing great things. If you disagree with my choices, let me know! (I can take light criticism.) As always, if you like Extras, pester your friends and family, carry on incessantly about how great it is, and goad them to subscribe. In the meantime, enjoy your week, and I’ll see you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

The Making of an American Terrorist | New Republic

Robert Dear shot up a Planned Parenthood clinic and killed three people in Colorado Springs in November 2015. Dear is white, poor, middle-aged, Christian, and mentally ill. He lived in an RV in a rural part of Colorado. And he watched a lot of right-wing TV and read a lot of right-wing websites. There are a lot of Robert Dears in America. That’s what makes this article so scary. (This article was also featured in Iserotope.)

Iserotope Extras #71: My President Was Black

Sorry that Extras #71 is a day late. But it is here, and it is good! Let’s please welcome new subscribers Tony and S. Active! This week, the first two articles contrast President Obama’s departure with President-elect Trump’s arrival. Then, after the photo break, there are two excellent articles about identity, about being stuck. Please enjoy!

My President Was Black

Ta-Nehisi Coates writes this beautiful tribute to Barack Obama. Take your time with it, savor it, reflect on it. As usual, Mr. Coates understands American history, and as a result, helps us appreciate the magic of the past eight years. At the same time, Mr. Coates reminds us, “The idea that America would follow its first black president with Donald Trump accorded with its history.” I highly encourage you to read this article.

Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America

During the campaign, the popular words were “surrogate” and “traffic,” as in, Donald Trump had his surrogate go on CNN to dispute that he traffics in conspiracy theories. The new word is “gaslighting.” Lauren Duca writes this brilliant op-ed in Teen Vogue to challenge us to remain alert in this new and dark world.

Say hi to Lulu, aka Dorby, the wonderful dog of Extras subscriber L.

What happens when you transition genders and then decide you want to go back?

This is the story of Crash, who transitioned from living as a woman to living as a man, and then reconsidered the decision and chose to detransition. About 2.2% of people who transition experience transition regret. Author Rachel Monroe writes, “When detransition is mentioned at all, it’s often by someone arguing that people shouldn’t be allowed to transition, or even that trans people don’t really exist. And so when detransitioned people talk about how they regret their transitions, some worry that they’re giving ammunition to the enemy.”

The Last Unknown Man

In our surveillance state, where our birth and death — and everything in between — is recorded and cataloged, is it possible to remain anonymous? For Benjaman Kyle, the answer is yes. Perhaps as a result of mental illness, Mr. Kyle remembers almost nothing, and despite a nationwide search for his identity, he remained unknown for more than 20 years.

Great work — you have successfully read Extras #71! New subscriptions are picking up, no doubt because of your tireless outreach. Pretty soon this community will be huge and even more powerful. If you know someone who would enjoy Extras, please let them know! See you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

Iserotope Extras #70: Geek Love

Hi everyone, and welcome to Extras #70! Please welcome new subscribers Bonnie and B. Shark! The first two articles this week are meant to be read together; they both challenge us to find our people, to build our identities rather than conforming to others. Then comes a photographic interlude. After the break, there’s a Spotlight exposé on prisons’ woeful failure to address mental health issues, followed by an ode to reading. Please enjoy!

Geek Love

Kevin Patterson writes this beautiful profile of his twin brother Tom, who grew up as a nerd in Canada in the late-1970s, before “nerditry helped liberate the world.” There are references to Dungeons & Dragons, and Tom’s coming out, and how learning Fortran, programming on an Apple IIe, and researching nuclear fusion and entanglement theory protected Tom from “brutes we knew who bragged of f– bashing.”

Filter bubbles and echo chambers: You are your bubble. Stop worrying and learn to love it.

Since the election, there has been talk about how we’re caught in our own filter bubbles, exacerbated by Facebook, and as a result, we don’t seek out opposing viewpoints, and democracy is weakened. This piece suggests a totally different thesis: that calls for the common good are propaganda, that filter bubbles help us build our identities, and that we shouldn’t kowtow to others on a false goal of trying to get along.

This time my Honda Fit brought 458 Kindles home, the largest donation in the Kindle Classroom Project’s 5-year history. Thank you very much, Worldreader, for your generous gift!

Mental health and prisons, the new asylums

Prisons do not rehabilitate. This means that incarcerated people with addiction or mental health issues never heal. As a result, if they ever get out of prison, they most likely return. This article, by the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe, is nothing new, but it is disheartening nonetheless, particularly in how prisons tend not to serve those with the greatest needs. Maybe that’s because we don’t really care very much about the least fortunate.

The Need to Read

“Books remain one of the strongest bulwarks we have against tyranny—but only as long as people are free to read all different kinds of books, and only as long as they actually do so. The right to read whatever you want whenever you want is one of the fundamental rights that helps preserve all the other rights. It’s a right we need to guard with unwavering diligence. But it’s also a right we can guard with pleasure. Reading isn’t just a strike against narrowness, mind control and domination: It’s one of the world’s great joys.” (Note: If the article gets cut off, do a Google search for it, and you’ll be able to read the whole thing.)

You totally just completed another issue of Extras! Good work. If you are moved, share this issue with a friend or family member, and say to them, Look at what you’re missing! See you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

Iserotope Extras #69: With Child

Hi everyone! My latest thought is that AP English Language teachers should use Extras as their curriculum. What do you think about that? (This could make me very rich!)

This week, there’s a great assortment of articles from a range of sources. If you liked Fast Food Nation, you’ll love “Dark Meat.” If you appreciated Trapped, you’ll value “With Child.” Then after pizza, check out two articles about what happens when people take on new identities. Extras finishes up this week with uplifting profiles of two outstanding librarians. Enjoy!

Dark Meat

On the deboning line, turkeys move past you at the rate of 51 a minute, and you’re supposed to cut them perfectly each and every time. For Lisandro Vega and many other workers, this means developing carpal tunnel syndrome and other diseases. This article may help you think twice before enjoying another 25-pound (likely dry) turkey next Thanksgiving.

With Child

Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down anti-abortion statutes in Texas, has had little effect in other states, including South Dakota, where there is just one abortion clinic. This is the story of a young woman named Ashley, the undue burden she faces, and her lonely decision.

Pizza always makes things better.

New Neighbors

This is the story of Ryan and his partner RL, who move into a building in Cincinnati and meet a creepy man named Mike. For the first time, Ryan, who had always dated women before RL, experiences what can happen when the world reads you as gay.

Improv for Inmates Can Work Wonders

I’m not surprised that the Actor’s Gang Prison Project works. The program, founded by actor Tim Robbins, has reduced recidivism by encouraging incarcerated people to act and practice improv. In order to make change, too often we target the mind rather than the body. By taking on different roles, and by acting them out — as this youth rehabilitation program in Texas also does — we can forge new identities.

The Washington Post recommends these 10 books (plus pie & cake).

A Bronx Librarian Keen on Teaching Homeless Children a Lasting Love of Books

Colbert Nembhard is a librarian in the Bronx, and every Wednesday, he visits a local homeless shelter to share books and sing songs with children. Librarians are finding out that they can’t wait for patrons to come to them; they must venture out into the community.

K.C. Boyd: A Leader for Readers

Librarian K.C. Boyd, whose motto is, “Children and books are my business,” has worked alongside students of color in Chicago and East St. Louis in order to promote reading. Read about her inspirational work to help connect young people with books they love. (K.C. also knows e-readers.)

Thank you for reading this 69th edition of Iserotope Extras, and thank you for being a subscriber! If there are other people in your world who might like to receive great articles in their inbox, please let them know. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

Iserotope Extras #68: Teaching Trump

Happy Thanksgiving! I was a teacher for 15 years. Teaching is the hardest thing I’ve done. There is a lot of joy and a lot of pain. Since the election, teaching has gotten even harder. Not only do teachers have to maintain a safe space for all students, but they also have to figure out how to respond. Teaching is political.

Today’s edition of Extras is about teaching after the election. If you’re not a teacher, you may want to, in addition to donating to deserving organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, head on over to your favorite local teacher and slip them a $100 bill for all that they do.

“What Do I Say?” Stories From the Classroom After Election Day

Many teachers I know said there wasn’t enough time between Election Day and the next morning to get ready for their students. Here are poignant firsthand accounts from teachers from Wednesday, the day after — as well as their students’ letters, drawings, and photographs. If teachers take care of children, who takes care of teachers?

What It's Like Teaching '1984' After Trump's Election

Bay Area English teacher Andrew Simmons writes about his experience teaching George Orwell’s 1984, and how he is “ecstatic to be a teacher at this time in American history.” Mr. Simmons believes that “bravery is something that people can be taught,” and that books are “rich, perpetual gifts to those in need of solace and inspiration.”

I prepared these berries all by myself.

Teaching After Trump

Professor Melissa Febos, who teaches literature and creative writing at a conservative private college in New Jersey, discusses how she approaches teaching students who are different from her. Prof. Febos is careful not to alienate; she hides her own identity; she asks for compassion. Though she may get results, I worry she’s not telling the truth.

Most Students Don’t Know When News Is Fake

According to a new Stanford study, teenagers think an online source is true when it (1) contains a lot of details, (2) includes a photograph, and/or (3) it confirms something they already believe. (This is likely true for adults, too.) Professor Sam Wineburg calls for the teaching of critical reading skills in social studies classes. I wholeheartedly agree.

Thanks for reading Extras #68! Please email me back with your thoughts. You may notice that all four articles today centered on a theme. Do you like this, or do you prefer a more random assortment of articles? I’ll keep you posted on where Extras is heading, and in the meantime, have a great week, and I’ll see you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

Iserotope Extras #67: White Won

My friend Jenn reminded me this week about the power of reading, and about our shared interest in curating and sharing good articles, and how building a community of readers can be an act of love and resistance.

My friend Susan challenged me to get my voice out there more, to share my point of view, to resist the urge to hide behind the articles. I like this very much and look forward to figuring out what this might mean.

This week’s issue focuses on the election and asks four questions: (1) What happened? (2) Who is America? (3) Should we despair? (4) What now? I hope you enjoy.

White won.

Jamelle Bouie gets it exactly correct. This election wasn’t about rural or working class people wanting change against the Establishment. This was white people promoting white supremacy. The past eight years, like the years after the Civil War, brought progress, and now was time to stop it.

Trump’s win is a reminder of the incredible, unbeatable power of racism

This excellent piece by Jenée Desmond-Harris rebuts the counterargument that economic distress led white voters to cast their ballots for Donald Trump. Her conclusion is particularly strong: There will be an urge to understand Trump supporters in an effort of unity, but that will serve to normalize racism and protect white supremacy.

My book club completed this puzzle at our annual retreat in Santa Cruz.

Revenge of the Forgotten Class

This profile of white working class people in Ohio and Pennsylvania does a good job highlighting their support of Donald Trump’s seeming transparency vs. Hillary Clinton’s seeming obfuscation. The problem is that it’s likely that both Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton were not always truthful, and it’s OK to lie when you’re being racist and sexist.

A frank conversation with a white nationalist

This is what happens when you start talking to an educated, seemingly reasonable man who happens to dream of a separate white nation. Al Letson, host of the Reveal podcast, speaks with Richard Spencer, a 38-year-old white nationalist leader. Mr. Spencer’s main claim is that the United States was built by European Americans.

I don’t recommend books unless they’re great. This one is my favorite of 2016.

What Does Donald Trump's Election Say About America?

“You learn a lot about America on its country roads,” writes Vann R. Newkirk II. He continues, “This is who we are. Racism is a force that has always shaped this country. This is the same country that killed Emmett Till, and the same place that gave us Jim Crow.” A white guy can be perfectly kind to an African American neighbor so long as everyone knows their place.

Farewell, America

In case you want to wallow in despair, check out this article, which argues that the election killed America — our values, what we stand for, our place in the world. Except as I read this piece, I wondered how much of the American myth is just like any other country’s myth — important, of course, but really just a story, one that we can construct anew.

This puzzle was a bit more challenging. (I was no help.)

On “Woke” White People Advertising their Shock that Racism just won a Presidency

One tip to white people, from a white person: Don’t use the word “woke” unless you’re saying, “I woke up this morning.” From Courtney Parker West, the author: “Dear liberal white people whom I often love: advertising your shock and surprise that racism, sexism, xenophobia, and bigotry are pervasive…is a microaggression. Please stop.”

Autocracy: Rules for Survival

We’re all trying to figure out what’s next, and how to proceed, and what to do. I liked this piece by Masha Gessen, who says we should treat Donald Trump like Vladimir Putin, whom she has written about extensively. The most important thing to do: Believe the autocrat. And then: Do not be taken in by small signs of normality. And finally: Be outraged. Seems right.

Hope you made it all the way through! Extras #67 is done. As always, please email me with your thoughts. They push me. I’m thankful that you subscribe! If you think someone else might like reading this digest, please feel free to forward them this issue. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

Iserotope Extras - Issue #66

Welcome to this week’s edition of Iserotope Extras. I’m waiting a bit to include articles about the election; good writing takes time. This issue focuses on funeral rituals, academic interventions, library policies, and government’s role in science. Please enjoy!

When Death Doesn’t Mean Goodbye

In general, Americans fear death, choosing to say goodbye quickly, moving directly to the funeral. In Indonesia, on the other hand, the Torajan people honor their dead relatives by keeping them in the house as part of the family. To them, death is a part of life, and the deceased represent a connection between the past and the future. Trigger warning: This article includes photographs of dead people.

Nudges That Help Struggling Students Succeed

Being a teacher is hard work. Wouldn’t it be great if you could wave a magic wand and help all of your students? UC Berkeley professor David L. Kirp seems to think it’s possible — with small interventions that help students combat stereotype threat and encourage them to re-imagine their future prospects.

Waffles are the best.

San Francisco Public Library owed $4.5 million in overdue fines; amnesty period proposed

Back in March, Extras included an article that criticized San Jose Public Library’s policy to punish patrons with outstanding library fees. Now it seems like the San Francisco Public Library is facing a similar challenge. What’s the best way to collect overdue fees and missing library items without turning patrons away from the library? (Answer: Give everyone Kindles?)

Dr. Orange: The Secret Nemesis of Sick Vets

For decades, the military and the Veterans Administration have repeatedly turned to one man to guide decisions on whether Agent Orange harmed vets in Vietnam and elsewhere. His reliable answer: No. This great ProPublica article raises questions about what possibly happens to the truth when government and science interact.

Thank you very much for reading today’s issue. Also, please welcome new subscribers Sage and Matt! I really appreciate every single subscriber. Have a wonderful week, and see you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

#65: Zingers

Hi there, and welcome to Iserotope Extras #65! The backlash against tidying-up extraordinaire Marie Kondo has caused mayhem and disarray. Read all about it, plus feast your eyes on immunotherapy (to cure cancer), uncomfortable racial truths (one last time before the election), and tasty chicken sandwiches (but only in Pakistan). Please enjoy!

The Soul-Deadening Magic of Tidying Up: A Response to Marie Kondo and Her Fans

Chris Lehmann doesn’t like Marie Kondo. Author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Ms. Kondo believes that we should declutter our spaces, and throw away most of our belongings, in the pursuit of joy. According to Mr. Lehmann, this practice is anti-intellectual (Ms. Kondo doesn’t like books), classist (the poor “hoard” needless things), and ageist (old things don’t spark joy). Maybe it’s true that it’s possible to be tidier-than-thou.

Jim Allison and the Search For the Cure For Cancer

If you read this article, you will learn a lot about cancer, immunotherapy, and Dr. Jim Allison. After his mother died of cancer when he was a kid, Dr. Wilson pursued medicine, becoming interested in helping our immune system to eradicate cancer cells. Forty years later, with the emergence of Keytruda and ipilimumab and other drugs, immunotherapy offers hope.

We Gon' Be Alright is a book I recommend! It’s about resegregation.

Trump’s Inconvenient Racial Truth

The #1 rule at Iserotope Extras: Publish everything by Nikole Hannah-Jones. In this piece, Ms. Hannah-Jones says that it is not just Donald Trump who is disrespecting African Americans. The Democrats are (and have been for a long time), too. Her claim: “For all he gets wrong on race, the Republican nominee got one thing right: The Democratic Party does take black Americans for granted, and that’s a problem.”

The KFC Chicken Sandwich That Ate Pakistan

KFC is big in Karachi. So is its Zinger Burger, which barely exists in the United States (St. Louis, Charlotte) but is huge in Pakistan. Zinger burgers are so big in Karachi, in fact, that there are zinger burger competitors, including Burger (not Pizza) Hut, and zinger spinoffs, like zinger biryani. Reading this article made me want to write a petition to bring zingers to SF.

That’s a wrap on #65! Hope you enjoyed this issue. Just a few people last week submitted new names for Iserotope Extras, so I’m keeping the contest open. Email me your ideas. The prize is a large one! See you next Thursday at 9:10 am. By that time, we’ll have a new president-elect!

Iserotope Extras #64: Dangerous Patriotism

Last week’s edition of Extras was very popular, so let’s keep up the reading momentum! This week focuses on definitions of patriotism, perspectives on survival, responses to hate, and visions of hope. Click on one or more of these articles, and let me know what you think. Also, please welcome new subscriber Nora!

How the Obama era gave us a dangerous patriotism

I’ve been looking for some good writing about Colin Kaepernick and his protest of the National Anthem, and here’s the first piece I like. Author John Blake argues that kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner is as patriotic as standing, given that our country was founded and built on dissent.

We live in Aleppo. Here’s how we survive.

This gripping firsthand account of living under siege in Aleppo reminds us that our world is a very big place, and that war and strife and suffering are all very real things, and that maybe we should check ourselves a bit before going on and on about our own small inconveniences.

Oakland student Chi likes her Kindle. Donate $10 to paypal.me/kcp so she can request another book to read!

Arizona Republic: A response to threats about our presidential endorsement

After the Arizona Republic endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, the first time that the conservative newspaper supported a Democrat in its history, the newsroom received threats of violence. Here is the publisher’s thoughtful response, which brings me hope that the old-fashioned press may help in healing our democracy.

The Last Whale Hunt for a Vanishing Village

The Alaskan village of Kivalina, which lies above the Arctic Circle, will succumb in 10 years to climate change. Before that inevitability, its 468 residents would like to do something that hasn’t happened for more than 20 years: catch a bowhead whale. (This article is a little out of this world.)

OK, Loyal Subscribers: It’s time that Iserotope Extras gets a new name, and it’s time that we brainstorm together! Email me with your ideas! Here are a few to get you started: Acumen, Things That Matter, A Matter of Words. Go at it, and I’ll see you next week on Thursday at 9:10 am!

Iserotope Extras #63: Voter Suppression

Hi and welcome to Iserotope Extras #63! Let’s welcome new subscribers Allison (via Olivia) and Dawn! This week, enjoy articles on voter suppression (a new interest), school re-segregation (not a new interest), trigger warnings in college classes, and Nayib Bukele, the young, idealistic mayor of San Salvador. There’s never a dull moment at Extras!

Texas’s Voter-Registration Laws Are Straight Out of the Jim Crow Playbook

Since Shelby County v. Holder (2013), which gutted the Voting Rights Act, Texas and many other states have passed restrictive voting laws. Most of these laws involve requiring people to show identification in order to vote. In this excellent article, Ari Berman explores an additional way that Texas curbs the franchise: by making it harder for people to register to vote. Mr. Berman suggests that Texas would be a blue (or at least purple) state if voter registration weren’t so limited.

The Desegregation and Resegregation of Charlotte’s Schools

Author Clint Smith argues that the recent police killing of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte can be traced to the community’s decision to resegregate its schools in 1999, after decades of successful integration beginning with Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971), when the Supreme Court ordered busing to enforce Brown v. Board of Education. If we abandon public schooling, Mr. Smith suggests, we abandon the possibility that our society can improve.

I did not take this picture of the Milky Way. Joe Marquez (New York Times) did.

Hey U of Chicago: I’m an academic & survivor. I use trigger warnings in my classes. Here’s why.

Last year, Extras featured an Atlantic article that argued that colleges coddle students instead of encouraging them to grapple with challenging issues. This year, the University of Chicago wrote a letter telling students that they needed to engage in difficult topics instead of asking for trigger warnings and safe spaces. In this piece, an adjunct professor argues that trigger warnings and challenging material should not be mutually exclusive.

Fighting Violence By Fighting Poverty: Nayib Bukele, Mayor of San Salvador

Unless you teach in the Bay Area, you may not care about what’s going on in El Salvador. But if you ask Oakland kids if they know about Nayib Bukele, the 35-year-old mayor of San Salvador, they’ll say of course, and they’ll have rave reviews. Mr. Bukele is fighting the city’s gang and violence problem with pro-youth and anti-poverty programs, including skating parks and 100% Illuminado, which puts a streetlight on every block.

Did you enjoy this issue? If so, email me a quick message. Or, if you’d like to talk about the voter registration article, head on over to the Iserotope Extras Forum (via Google Spaces). See you next Thursday at 9:10 am!