#92: Juice Is Bad For You

Happy Thursday, and welcome to The Highlighter #92! Let me begin by saying something simple and plain: This whole Trump Fires Comey thing is pretty huge and pretty scary.

With that out of the way, let’s get to today’s issue. The first article will get you thinking about home ownership, how rigged our tax code is, and how most of us who aren’t struggling day to day don’t much care about those who are. The second piece explores how much of sex education in our country is Sunday school in disguise. After the pet photograph break (two weeks in a row for loyal subscriber Kathleen!), enjoy the first-ever comic featured in The Highlighter, and then end with my excoriation of, my harangue about, my fulmination against fruit juice.

How the American Dream and Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality

Matthew Desmond (#29, #34) won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Evicted is a stunning book, and this is a stunning article. Prof. Desmond argues convincingly that our tax code offers huge benefits to homeowners through the mortgage-interest deduction. This is great for homeowners (who on average have 36 times the wealth of renters), and it’s great for homes (inflated values, particularly in places like San Francisco), but it’s not exactly great for working class people living check to check. The theory is that the MID encourages people to buy homes, that it promotes stability. Not according to the data. Rather, it exacerbates economic inequality.

We could fix this problem if we wanted to, Prof. Desmond writes — but we don’t want to. “We tend to speak about the poor as if they didn’t live in the same society, as if our gains and their losses weren’t intertwined. Conservatives explain poverty by pointing to ‘individual factors,’ like bad decisions or the rise of single-parent families; liberals refer to ‘structural causes,’ like the decline of manufacturing or the historical legacies of racial discrimination. Usually pitted against each other, each perspective serves a similar function: letting us off the hook by asserting that there is a deep-rooted, troubling problem — more than one in six Americans does not make enough to afford basic necessities — that most of us bear no responsibility for.”

The Problem with Abstinence-Only Sex Education, and the Damage It Causes

More and more states require abstinence-only sex education, which of course is a problem, given that teen pregnancy remains higher in those states. The other problem is who is leading the sex ed in the first place. There aren’t enough trained health teachers to go around, so many schools outsource their sex ed to programs like Life Choices, which say they’re secular but are bursting with religion. Sex ed ends up being about God and Christian morals, not about health — not good for teenagers.

Muffin 3, who here resembles the Mona Lisa, belongs to loyal subscriber Kathleen.

You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you

This comic from The Oatmeal does a great job explaining why facts don’t matter, particularly when they run counter to what we believe, and especially when they dispute our core values. Apparently there’s a pesky part of our brain called the amygdala that thinks that scary information is the same thing as scary monsters.

Juice Is Bad For You

In Issue #35, I ruined smoothies. Now I am ruining all things juice, once and for all. Whenever I think that everyone has tasted the truth about juice (i.e., that it is not healthful), I meet a new person who extols the virtues of juice, juicing, and the Juicero. No more! (Except for Martinelli’s apple juice, of course, which is the best, particularly in 10-ounce glass containers.)

Thank you very much for reading today’s issue! I would like to encourage you to click on the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon to share your thoughts about this issue. (Last week’s statistics: 4 thumbs up, 0 thumbs down!) After you do, on the next screen, you can even write a sentence or two, if you like. As always, thank you for being loyal subscribers, and see you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

#91: What Bullets Do To Bodies

Today’s issue of The Highlighter isn’t as gloomy as last week’s, but I’m still trending serious. The first two articles remind us to live for purpose and to use our time well. The second two articles point out that well-intentioned laws do not work when ill-intentioned people carry them out. Finally, the last two articles offer glimpses into worlds you may have never considered. I hope you enjoy all six articles and the two photographs along the way!

What Bullets Do to Bodies

Dr. Amy Goldberg has been a surgeon in the trauma unit at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia for the past 30 years. Her life’s work is to save people from dying from gun violence. If we knew what bullets do to bodies, Dr. Goldberg says, we would change our minds about our right to bear arms. The problem, of course, is that many white people, even after Sandy Hook, have decided that gun violence is not a real problem, that it affects only people of color in cities.

A Father’s Final Odyssey

This is an exquisitely written article about a man and his father who study Homer’s Odyssey and then go on a cruise to Greece. It is about the journey of life; it is about how our parents know us more than we can know them; it is about how living is about facing uncertainty; it is about how the story is better than the real thing. Thank you, loyal subscriber Monica, for recommending this piece.

Elegantly adorned Brandon (the bag is not his) is ready for a walk. He belongs to loyal subscriber Kathleen, who celebrates her birthday tomorrow.

How Case Farms Exploited Immigrants, Then Used Law Against Them

Wow, this one — about Case Farms, a chicken company that supplies to Popeyes and KFC — is a rough one. It starts like Fast Food Nation, with stories of gruesome injuries and horrendous working conditions, and keeps on going, demonstrating how big business exploits undocumented immigrants and then eviscerates them, using laws against their own workers.

Gerrymandering Is Illegal, but Only Mathematicians Can Prove It

I like articles that teach me things. This well-written piece by Erica Klarreich offers a good history of gerrymandering, explains two ways (packing, cracking) that politicians draw biased districts, and shows how technology may help courts decide on standards of fairness. Interesting point: We seem to want our districts “compact,” rather than diffuse (like a salamander), but such a standard may hurt Democrats (who tend to concentrate in urban centers) over Republicans (who tend to live disparately throughout a state).

10th grader Vanessa enjoys a sunny day, an open window, and a good book at Envision Academy in Oakland. Photo credit: Loyal subscriber Laura. Teacher credit: Loyal subscriber Samantha.

Mental Health Services in Ghana: A Prayer’s Chance

When 10-year-old Samuel Donkoh began laughing uncontrollably on a soccer field one day in Ghana, his family did not know what to do, particularly when his erratic behavior did not stop. The Devil had taken him. The local hospital could not help. Samuel’s mother decided to take him to a rural Pentecostal camp for spiritual treatment, which left Samuel chained to a tree. Just when you start blaming Ghana for its lack of regard, the author reminds you of the treatment that the mentally ill receive in the United States.

Looking Up Words? You’re Probably Using the Wrong Dictionary

This article is for all the word nerds out there. James Somers writes this ode to his favorite dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster. (Mr. Webster wrote the dictionary — all 70,000 entries — himself, over the course of 26 years.) Unlike today’s dictionaries, which are lifeless, the original Webster’s is a delight. Get ready for long exultant language about words like “fustian” and “pathos.”

Thank you for reading The Highlighter #91. Please welcome new subscriber Unity! What did you think of this issue? If you like, please vote thumbs-up or thumbs-down below, or type me a quick response. As always, keep encouraging eager readers to give this digest a try. It’s worth it, don’t you think? See you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

#90: “Did Your Father Die?”

Welcome to #90! Rest assured: Today’s issue includes no articles about Rachel Dolezal. Instead, you’ll meet seven-year-old Tyshaun McPhatter, Teen Vogue’s Adrienne Keene, and the photogenic dog Primo. The second half of today’s digest focuses on Google’s bid to build a universal online library and on Chechnya’s draconian initiative to eliminate gay people. Indeed, today’s articles aren’t the cheeriest, but I hope you’ll read them and then talk about them with your friends and family.

“Did Your Father Die?” The Life of a 2nd Grader Facing Poverty, Gunfire, and His Dad’s Death

This is a sad, heartbreaking story. But please read it. Seven-year-old Tyshaun McPhatter lives in Washington D.C., goes to the local charter school, and plays video games. One day at school, shots ring out, and students and teachers go on lockdown. This is not an unusual experience. Later that night, Tyshaun learns that his father was dead.

How I Feel As a Native Woman When Trump Idolizes Andrew Jackson

Teen Vogue (also #71) again makes a strong contribution with this piece, an article by Adrienne Keene that challenges President Donald Trump’s championship of Andrew Jackson as a leader to emulate. Everyone knows that President Jackson in fact fought for the genocide of Native Americans (most tragically with the Indian Removal Act, which led to the Trail of Tears). This is part of Teen Vogue’s “OG History” series, where “we unearth history not told through a white, cisheteropatriarchal lens.”

Primo, here in his “Girl With a Pearl Earring“ pose, lives in Connecticut with his humans Ziba and loyal subscriber Tony.

Torching the Modern-Day Library of Alexandria

There are about 130 million books in the world, and a while back, Google began scanning all of them, with the goal of having all of them available to read online. The Google Books project got about a fifth of the way there before shutting down after authors and publishers sued the company for copyright infringement. This article explains how it all went down, surfacing the pros and cons of giving everyone in the world universal and free access to books, with Google as Head Librarian.

Russia’s New Scapegoats

In this episode of Reveal (also #67), one of my favorite podcasts, host Al Letson focuses on the recent kidnappings and killings of gay people in Chechnya. For many Russians, Chechens, and Georgians, homosexuality is a Western construct that is anathema to their religious and cultural principles. I appreciate Mr. Letson’s approach: He unveils the evil words and beliefs of hateful people, while simultaneously challenging their views, making clear where he stands.

Thank you for reading The Highlighter this week! Please welcome new subscribers Samantha, L.T., and Veenessa. Thank you for your readership. Loyal subscribers, please continue to get the word out about this digest, and I’ll see you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

#89: Going It Alone

Welcome, Loyal Subscribers, to Issue #89! There’s never a dull moment at The Highlighter. This week, as is becoming customary, you get a bit of everything: hiking the Appalachian Trail, the unfortunate return of Rachel Dolezal, the horrors of private prisons, how Americans love perpetual war, and the verisimilitude of Girls. (It’s always a good day when you can sneak in the word verisimilitude.) Plus, I’m pleased to announce that pet photographs are back (by overwhelming popular demand), so please enjoy, and keep those photos coming. Happy reading!

Going It Alone

Last year Rahawa Haile trekked the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail, and it wasn’t just a physical accomplishment. As a queer Black woman, Ms. Haile found that the people she met, mostly in the pro-Trump towns off the Trail, sparked more fear in her than the possibility of wild animals or treacherous terrain. In this piece, Ms. Haile raises the question of who the wilderness is for, and whether it’s possible that the Trail is a source of freedom for white people, and the opposite for people of color.

The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black

This article by the talented Ijeoma Oluo so entirely eviscerates the ridiculousness that is Rachel Dolezal that Jezebel says we will never have to think about her again. Ms. Oluo is scathing and relentless in her criticism of Ms. Dolezal. But it’s bigger than that. She writes, “It is white supremacy that told an unhappy and outcast white woman that black identity was hers for the taking. It is white supremacy that then elevated this display of privilege into the dominating conversation on black female identity in America. It is white supremacy that decided that it was worth a book deal, national news coverage, and yes—even this interview.”

For Young Man Convicted of a Crime in Hawaii, a Death at a Private Prison in Arizona

Private prisons infuriate me (also #48). This article is about how a young man from Hawaii — with an arson conviction, an IQ of 70, a 1st grade reading level, an ADHD diagnosis, and a drug addiction — got reassigned to a private prison 3,000 miles away in Arizona, where later he died. It turns out that due to limited correctional facilities and prison overcrowding, Hawaii sends nearly half its felons to a prison in the Sonoran Desert, run by CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America), the nation’s largest network of for-profit prisons. (CoreCivic has a promo video, ugh.)

Loretta, who belongs to loyal subscribers Abby and Kester, enjoys good literature. If you would like your pet to be featured in The Highlighter, please send me a photo!

In America, We Are Addicted to War, And We Are Afraid of Peace

Like Oceania in George Orwell’s 1984, our country is in a state of perpetual war. Our young people have not lived a day of their lives with their country at peace. Just last week, we fired 59 missiles at Syria; we dropped an enormous bomb on Afghanistan; we threatened North Korea with an armada. This article, from two years ago, explains our country’s fascination with war. The author, a U.S. Army colonel, quotes Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried (which gets him some points) and then writes, “Perhaps it is fear and cowardice, not courage, which promote conflict.”

On Finally Watching ‘Girls,’ a Better Show Than I’d Been Led to Imagine

I watch very little TV, so sometimes I find myself entirely isolated from normal conversations about, say, Lena Dunham. Good thing then that I caught the last few episodes of Girls, which ended last week. But really the reason I’m including this piece is that Jia Tolentino wrote it, and Ms. Tolentino is pretty rad. (She wrote one of my favorite articles of 2016, about how she helped privileged white girls get into college.) About Girls, Ms. Tolentino writes: “The show was so well-written, so carefully directed, and so attuned to a narrow type of rarely-seen-before verisimilitude that some portion of its audience simply lost the ability to distinguish it from real life.”

Thank you very much for reading #89. Let’s please welcome new subscribers Laura and Viray — glad you’re here! More and more people are signing up to receive The Highlighter because loyal subscribers are getting the word out. Thank you, and I’ll see you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

#88: Poor, Gifted, and Black

Hi there, loyal subscribers! I’m feeling pretty good about this issue. It includes 7 articles from various publications, covering new topics (e.g., education in South Africa, hot chicken in Nashville, disability in rural America) and following up on topics I’ve highlighted in the past (e.g., transphobia, fake news, S-Town, Ruth Bader Ginsburg). My hope is that you find that some of the topics I follow are ones you care about, too. Please enjoy!

Poor, Gifted, and Black

Though apartheid ended 23 years ago in South Africa, its legacy is alive and well. This article by Monica Mark profiles three black and colored college students who attend the elite and prestigious University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. They protest against rising tuition that further marginalizes black students, arguing for a “free and decolonized” education. Just because the university is open to students of color does not make it a place for liberation. There are obvious parallels to education in the United States. Also, if you haven’t read it yet, please check out Trevor Noah’s book, Born a Crime (#82), which is hot right now among KCP students in Oakland.

The Burning Desire for Hot Chicken

No fruit this week, but we’ve got hot chicken. I ate hot chicken for the first time last Fall when I visited Nashville for the wedding of loyal subscriber Tess. Very delicious! This piece tells the origin story of hot chicken, reviews three restaurants, and explains the science behind spicy foods (e.g., the interaction between the capsaicin in chilis and the receptor TRPV1 in our bodies). The point of this piece: We love things that hurt us.

Disabled or just desperate? Rural white Americans turn to disability

The number of people on disability has risen sharply over the past 20 years. Now 13 million — mostly rural white people — receive benefits. This article profiles Desmond Spencer, 39, who hasn’t had a job in more than a year, and whose family encourages him to apply for disability, because all of them are already on it.

Another reason I miss teaching is seeing my former students graduate from college. Here is Ramir at Sacramento State.

Can schools help Americans do a better job separating fact from fake news?

Since the election, people have decried fake news and complained that public schools need to do a better job helping young people sift fact from fiction. (When in doubt, blame public schools.) This piece by education reporter Dana Goldstein (author of The Teacher Wars) is not your typical screed. It thoughtfully chronicles the history of civics education and media literacy, making the point that both have always been political and ideological. No matter our commitment to neutrality, what is considered fact is fraught. Want more? Here’s a good one from Pacific Standard.

The Practice of ‘Deadnaming’ Trans People: Why Does The Media Do It?

Some trans people have good relationships with the names they were given at birth. Others do not. Either way, why do so many media outlets publish trans people’s “deadnames” in their stories? Sam Riedel points out that the reason might be ignorance, or more likely, it’s malicious, positioning the practice as “just a difference of opinion” or “simply a disagreement.”

If you like YA, please check out The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas.

Longform Podcast: Brian Reed

Last week I recommended S-Town, the seven-part podcast “novel” narrated by Brian Reed. If you’ve already devoured S-Town, listen to this Longform podcast episode, where host Max Linsky interviews Mr. Reed. Warning: Major spoilers. On what S-Town is really about, Mr. Reed says, “It’s a story about the remarkableness of what could be called an unremarkable life.” Some people disagree, arguing that Mr. Reed’s reporting is inappropriate and invasive.

Want to Raise a Trail-Blazing Daughter? The Notorious RBG Says Do These 7 Things

This is the first listicle that has ever appeared in The Highlighter. It’s appropriate that this listicle involves Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Here she offers 7 tips for parents who want to ensure their daughters grow up strong like The Notorious RBG. And when I mean strong, I don’t mean physically. For that please see RBG’s workout in #83.

Hope you enjoyed today’s issue. If something caught your eye, or elicited an emotion, share your thoughts by pressing R. Also, please welcome new subscriber Selina (via loyal subscribers Monica & Niki)! This week’s homework: Copy and paste this URL — j.mp/thehighlighter88 — and send it to a friend, letting them know they must read every article and must get back to you with their thoughts, and by the way, why don’t they subscribe, too? Thank you, and see you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

#87: Get Rid of Homework?

Last week’s issue was really heavy, so today, I decided to lighten things up a bit. You’ll note that I’m featuring two of my favorite podcasts. (You won’t regret checking them out.) In terms of articles, it’s time that The Highlighter wades into the Great Homework Debate (always a favorite topic of mine). Plus please enjoy pieces on the history of the banana and on a mysterious illness in Sweden. Have a great week!

On the Need for Getting Rid of Homework

The homework debate is a contentious one. Though evidence suggests that it doesn’t help (only effect: widening the achievement gap), I’m still a proponent. Pernille Ripp teaches seventh grade English, and for the last several years, she has not assigned homework. Rather, she asks her students to read every night for 20 minutes. Do you find Ms. Ripp’s argument convincing? (Press R to share your response!)

Humans Made the Banana Perfect. But Soon, It’ll Be Gone.

Fruit lives on at The Highlighter. Last week it was muskmelons. This week, it’s bananas. When I taught U.S. History, my students loved learning about the (sordid, nasty, imperialist) history of the “American” banana. This article, an ode to biodiversity and an attack on consumer preferences, predicts its doom.

The Trauma of Facing Deportation

Over the past 15 years, hundreds of refugee children in Sweden — many of them Roma or Uyghur — have fallen into coma-like states, often for long periods of time, when finding out their families faced deportation. Called uppgivenhetssyndrom, or resignation syndrome (or, more loosely, apathy), this illness is specific to Sweden. Writer Rachel Aviv (also featured in #76) is excellent again in this haunting piece.

I think I like lakes. Greenwood Lake, New York.

S-Town

If you loved the first season of Serial but thought the second lost its way, and if you like This American Life, please check out S-Town, a 7-part podcast by Brian Reed. There’s a bit of everything in this: murder, gossip, intrigue, retribution, loneliness, mental illness, climate change, hidden treasure, Southern accents, and small-town America. (If you want more background, here’s a smart review, and another one.)

The Daily

Many of you may already subscribe to The Daily, starring Michael Barbaro at the New York Times. If you don’t, I highly recommend it. It’s how I start my day. Published weekdays, each episode lasts 20 minutes, during which Mr. Barbaro takes a key news story and adds background or color, either by interviewing a Times reporter or a regular American. (Mr. Barbaro makes sure you know how to pronounce his last name correctly.)

And that’s a wrap on #87! Hope you enjoyed it. As always, feel free to let me know what you liked and didn’t like. For example, since The Highlighter is mostly a place for articles, should podcast recommendations be prohibited? Are there publications that I should be considering? Please let me know! Have a wonderful week, and see you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

#86: Very Expensive Melons

Welcome to The Highlighter #86, where good thing we have muskmelons to start off, because the rest of today’s issue is a little heavy (yet important). After a delightful piece about Japan and its passion for high-quality fruit, prepare yourself for articles on abusive relationships, modern-day slavery, and the challenges of sponsoring Syrian refugees. Don’t feel like you need to read all four articles in one sitting. Take things slowly. (You have all week.)

Very Expensive Melons

I like fruit very much (peaches and cherries lead my list), but it seems like Japanese people like fruit even more than I do. Fruit is big in Japan. Particularly muskmelons, apparently, which are similar to cantaloupe, and which can sell for $27,000 a pair. Why so expensive? One theory: An obsession with quality. Another: Hundreds of years of fruit-gifting culture. Either way, in Japan, it is not uncommon to say, “I think only about melons.”

“How do you know if you’re being abused?” I already knew the answer.

This is a raw and disturbing piece about the effects of an abusive man and an abusive relationship on a young woman. Katherine Laidlaw writes, “No one tells you that the most complicated part isn’t moving on, it’s starting over. I think, on average, once every minute, about whether I am smart or pretty or skinny or compelling or captivating or charming enough—1,440 times a day. I am infected. Who is the arbiter of enough, anyway?”

Loyal subscribers Marni and Jennifer took 23 of their students to the National Museum of African American History and Culture yesterday. “It is unlike anything I've ever seen,” Marni wrote.

What Slavery Looks Like Today

Slavery is alive and well in the world, especially in India. The practice persists because the caste system endures and the credit system is weak. In some parts of India, if you owe money, you can pay off that debt by sending someone (like your child) to work for the creditor. This piece focuses on the slaveholders, who see little reason for change, because now, “everyone knows their place.”

Canadians Adopted Refugee Families for a Year. Then Came Month 13.

Here is the fourth installment in the brilliant New York Times series about how regular Canadians have sponsored and supported Syrian refugees for a year (also see #72). Now that time is up. Was the program a success? More important, what happens now? This article, which uncovers the co-dependency the resettlement project has developed, does not sugarcoat.

Thank you reading #86, and thank you for subscribing to The Highlighter! There has been a drop-off in new subscribers the past couple weeks, so you know what that means! Help spread the word about the digest and pester your favorite non-subscribers to change their stubborn ways. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

#85: Fighting to Get into Bathrooms

Hi there and good morning! How are you? This 85th issue of The Highlighter is filled with six articles that I’m confident you’ll enjoy. It’s all here — the right to use a public bathroom, the fight against an oil pipeline, the role of reading in our society, the way we see the world, and why people do not email us back. If you’re advanced and adventurous, read all six articles, and you’ll receive a prize!

I’m Trans, Disabled, And Tired of Fighting To Get Into Bathrooms

Christian McMahon, who grew up disabled before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, thought it was normal not to be able to use the bathroom when other kids could. Now as a trans adult, again he is finding that he is not welcome in bathrooms, a public space. He writes: “I am tired of people in positions of authority excluding other people because they seem too disabled or too queer to be considered fully human. I am tired of having to know when to hide my gender identity or de-emphasize my disability. I am tired of the idea that going about my life fully hydrated is an unreasonable expectation.”

The Gentrification of Standing Rock

Where’s the line between being an ally and being a colonizer? Author Jake Friedler, a white man who went to Standing Rock to protest the Dakota Access pipeline, noticed how white people tried to “improve the protest” through domination and control. He writes: “White people had arrived in a space that was not our own and tried to improve it according to our standards. We ate foods cooked by our poorer, browner neighbors and learned a few words in their language. We improved the housing stock and brought newer, greener technologies. But as we tried to help, we simply got in the way.”

Bulletin board at City Arts and Technology High School, San Francisco.

The Rising Tide of Educated Aliteracy

Alex Good argues that the problem of our time is not illiteracy but rather aliteracy — in other words, people know how to read but choose not to. Mr. Good, who is Canadian, focuses mostly on the reading of fiction — and whether “distant reading” (snippets from tons of books) or “close reading” (deep study of fewer books) is preferable. My take is that the issue not illiteracy vs. aliteracy but rather different literacies based on social inequities.

Books N Bros’ 11-year-old founder wants to help boys love reading at an age when they often don’t

Following in the footsteps of Marley Davis, the 12-year-old girl who last year founded 1,000 Black Girl Books, here is 11-year-old Sidney Keys III, who started Book N Bros, a book club in St. Louis dedicated to boys and African American literature. Recent books include Hidden Figures and The News Crew, by Walter Dean Myers. This article comes with an 18-minute podcast.

Boo, who belongs to loyal subscriber Jessica, likes Ta-Nehisi Coates, too.

Boston Public Schools Map Switch Aims to Amend 500 Years of Distortion

I like this move from the Boston public schools to replace the traditional (and Eurocentric) Mercator projection, whose map distorts the size of Europe and the United States, with the Peters projection, which more accurately sizes South America and Africa. “This is the start of a three-year effort to decolonize the curriculum in our public schools,” said Colin Rose, assistant superintendent of opportunity and achievement gaps. Thank you to loyal subscriber Heidi for submitting this article.

Sorry for the Delayed Response

Since I’ve left teaching, I’ve spent way too much time worrying needlessly about inconsequential things, like why some people do not respond to my (brilliant, clever, important) email. In this hilarious piece, Susannah Wolff talks me down from the ledge and reminds me to get over myself. After all, there are many reasons people fail to answer email.

Thank you for reading The Highlighter #85, and thank you for being a loyal subscriber. Please welcome new subscriber Tyler! As always, feel free to let me know what you think of the digest by replying to this email. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am!

#84: Let’s Bring Back Mammoths

Welcome to The Highlighter #84 — and if you’re not on the East coast, welcome to Spring! (My apologies for daylight saving last weekend, which loyal subscriber L. calls “the worst day of the year.”) This week, as our country figures out health care, false claims of wiretapping, and the President’s tax returns, I bring you woolly mammoths, segregation, virtual reality, and Justice Sotomayor on the loose. Please enjoy!

Pleistocene Park: Let’s Bring Back Mammoths

Here is another irresistible science article that explains how Russian scientists in Siberia hope to stave off global warming by re-introducing an Ice Age biome, complete with grasslands that will protect the permafrost from melting — and, by de-extincting woolly mammoths, too, while they’re at it, using the genome-editing tool CRISPR. (From the article: The first lab-created mammoth will be extremely lonely.) Be ready for a wild ride!

Soon, baseball will be back! Here’s a photo from Wrigley Field last season.

Contract Selling Is Back in Chicago

I learned about the history of contract selling in Chicago by reading A Raisin in the Sun in high school, then got a refresher via “The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates (also: #48, #71). Prominent in the 1950s as a result of redlining, the practice mostly waned after the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Fifty years later, and a decade after predatory lending and subprime mortgages, contract selling is back, benefiting out-of-state companies and hurting poor African Americans.

In Michigan, School Choice Is Becoming Code for Segregation

Charter schools are more vilified now than ever with the ascension of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. One problem is that there are very different kinds of charter schools. In Michigan, where Ms. DeVos is from, many charters are for-profit and help white parents flee from schools where their children are a minority.

This is chicken from The Chicken Dinner III, Oakland 2016. Executive Chef: Loyal subscriber Barbara.

First They Got Sick, Then They Moved Into a Virtual Utopia

Second Life, an online virtual world where people can interact in real time, began in 2002 and plateaued in 2006, with 1.1 million users. Now mostly a relic, this precursor to virtual reality is very popular among people with disabilities, including Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and PTSD. Where the physical world is limiting, Second Life offers another chance. Thank you to loyal subscriber Peter for submitting this article.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor at UC Berkeley

Pull up a chair or sofa, grab some popcorn, and watch this 70-minute interview with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor at UC Berkeley. After an introduction and about 20 minutes of poor audio up on stage (the result of big earrings), Justice Sotomayor goes rogue, abandons her interviewer, and decides to walk the aisles of Zellerbach Hall, shaking hands and hugging students as she answers questions. Her message (similar to what she wrote about in My Beloved World): Have energy, break through obstacles, and live, live, live.

That’s it for this week! Thank you very much for reading this issue. Please welcome new subscribers HeyKite and Revoice! Care to respond to an article or two? Press R and write me something! This week’s get-the-word-out challenge: If you have Twitter, share this issue and a few kind words! Have a great week, and I’ll see you next Thursday at 9:10 am.

#83: Together Alone

Welcome to The Highlighter #83! The first two articles this week aim to build empathy and understanding across difference. If you’re not LGBTQ, please read the first article, and if you’re not Mexican American, please read the second. Then, after the photo break, it’s time to upgrade your exercise regimen (with the help of Notorious RBG) before feeling disgusted by the history of the death penalty. Please enjoy!

Together Alone

Particularly in the blue states, along the coasts, gay rights have advanced, and things seem to be going very well. So why all the pain and anguish? Why do gay people suffer from worse health problems even after coming out? This article suggests that gay people experience chronic stress that they do not realize is abnormal, and over time, this stress takes a toll on their bodies.

The Making of a Mexican American Dream

This is an outstanding piece. It’s really two articles in one. The first is a delightful profile of Vianney Bernabé and her experience as a second-generation Mexican American. The second is an astute reconsideration of the “American Dream.” Author Sarah Menkedick reminds us: “Any conversation about Mexican immigrants in the U.S. must acknowledge that it’s absurd to talk about many of them as immigrants at all.”

Say hi to Jack. He belongs to loyal subscriber Erin.

I Did Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Workout. It Nearly Broke Me.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (aka Notorious RBG) turns 84 this month. Will Justice Ginsburg survive the Trump presidency? She has told people she’ll continue to serve as long as she is physically and mentally able. Good thing Justice Ginsburg works out twice a week with a personal trainer. Her workout is no joke.

He Killed 140 Men in the Electric Chair. Then He Took His Own Life.

The death penalty is gruesome and inhumane. (I’ve known this since delivering an excoriating speech in my ninth grade Oral Composition class.) Here is the story of the electric chair at the height of its popularity 100 years ago. It is also the story of an executioner, John Hurlburt, who killed himself after putting more than 100 people to death.

From loyal subscriber Abby, a Math instructional coach, in response to last week’s article, “Conversations Aren’t Enough,” by Nikole Hannah-Jones:

My kids go to Berkeley Public Schools, and the elementary schools are consciously integrated through a complicated busing and lottery system. There are still many problems, and the achievement gap is large. I wonder what Ms. Hannah-Jones would say the next step is after desegregation. How do we leverage desegregation to increase educational opportunity?

Thank you, Abby, for your thoughtful annotation! I welcome reader annotations, so when you feel moved, please press R to reply to this email digest, and you can send me your thoughts. (I won’t publish anything without your consent.)

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That’s it for this week! I hope you enjoyed today’s issue. Also, please welcome new subscribers Carl and Donna! Keep getting the word out about The Highlighter, and have a great week. See you next Thursday at 9:10 am!