The Glue That Holds Us Together
Elmer’s glue had to be smeared all over one’s finger, the inside of the wrist, or possibly the whole hand, then allowed to dry—blowing on it was permitted—and slowly, deliciously, peeled off.
Science & Nature
Pixelborn as an Evil Robin Hood
Pixelborn was created by Bulgarian software engineer Pavel Kolev, entirely on his own. People have loved it in the way they love Disney characters and stories—which is to say wildly—and it had 50,000 users last fall. However, using Disney “intellectual property,” as the lawyers like to say, was always inviting trouble.
A Cicada Left This Letter
Our corpses enrich your gardens, aerate your lawns, and plump your birds. Yet you see cicadas as a plague and a punishment?
We Judge Even Animals by the Color of Their Skin
The pattern of our favor indicates that the substance in question is not “race” at all, but a clump of biomolecules called melanin. Swayed by ancient symbols and contemporary prejudices, we, supposedly the creatures of reason, react powerfully to the black-and-white extremes.
Take Humanities for Your Health
We cannot mend our minds and bodies without understanding the stories they tell.... “You can’t get to healing if you don’t recognize pain.”
Rocking the Spectrum
A gym for kids who are neurodivergent--and kids who are not. When you make room for difference, it softens.
Just for a Minute, This Country Feels Like Itself Again
The new citizens’ faces suggest every other part of the world, yet as they recite, all the accents blend into a single voice—that sounds American. Which feels almost eerie until I remember the unity this nation was supposed to make possible.
Empathy, It Seems, Is Overrated
(Shutterstock)
https://commonreader.washu.edu/app/uploads/2024/04/empathy.mp3
A heart willing to welcome someone else’s pain inside. A brain with the superpower of unlocking other psyches. Skin so tender, anybody’s mood will brush against yours—then penetrate. Empathy seems a noble trait, potent and generous, an instant cure for injustice and xenophobia. I watch…
Solar Eclipse 2024: the Band of Totality Tour!
Strong feelings shaded yesterday’s total solar eclipse in North America, ranging from worries about terrorism against big crowds gathered in rural areas, where first-responders would be overwhelmed, to fervent hopes for the rapture.
How Color Left Nature Behind
Our sensual imagination has gone abstract, need-based, overclever, and devoid of substance.