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The hidden resilience of ‘food desert’ neighborhoods

The hidden resilience of ‘food desert’ neighborhoods

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Barry Yeoman writes: Even before Ashanté Reese and I reach the front gate, retired schoolteacher Alice Chandler is standing in the doorway of her brick home in Washington, D.C. She welcomes Reese, an anthropologist whom she has known for six years, with a hug and apologizes for having nothing to feed us during this spontaneous visit. Chandler, 69 years old, is a rara avis among Americans: an adult who has lived nearly her entire life in the same house. This…

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The complete list of 140 things you can’t say about Julian Assange or WikiLeaks

The complete list of 140 things you can’t say about Julian Assange or WikiLeaks

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Emma Best writes: On Sunday, January 6, Reuters reported that WikiLeaks had sent out an email with a list of 140 things journalists weren’t supposed to say about Julian Assange. A complete copy of the email (as sent to reporters by WikiLeaks, v1.2) marked “Confidential legal communication. Not for publication.” follows: [Continue reading…]

Macaques take turns in conversation

Macaques take turns in conversation

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Science News reports: The researchers analyzed 64 vocal exchanges, called bouts, between at least two monkeys that were recorded between April and October 2012 at the Iwatayama Monkey Park in Kyoto, Japan. The team found that the median length of time between the end of one monkey’s calls and the beginning of another’s was 250 milliseconds — similar to the average 200 milliseconds in conversational pause time between humans. That makes the macaques’ gaps between turns in chattering one of…

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What Trump could do if he declares a state of emergency

What Trump could do if he declares a state of emergency

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Elizabeth Goitein writes: In the weeks leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, President Donald Trump reached deep into his arsenal to try to deliver votes to Republicans. Most of his weapons were rhetorical, featuring a mix of lies and false inducements—claims that every congressional Democrat had signed on to an “open borders” bill (none had), that liberals were fomenting violent “mobs” (they weren’t), that a 10 percent tax cut for the middle class would somehow pass while Congress was…

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No, Trump cannot declare a national emergency to build his wall

No, Trump cannot declare a national emergency to build his wall

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Bruce Ackerman writes: President Trump on Friday said that he was considering the declaration of a “national emergency” along the border with Mexico, which he apparently believes would allow him to divert funds from the military budget to pay for a wall, and to use military personnel to build it. While it is hard to know exactly what the president has in mind, or whether he has any conception about what it would entail, one thing is clear: Not only…

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The rules now apply to Trump

The rules now apply to Trump

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Sarah Churchwell writes: The Democrats now control oversight and investigations, with subpoena power. On her second day, Pelosi denounced the “culture of cronyism, corruption and incompetence” in the Trump administration, including, she specified, the personal enrichment of individual cabinet members. For two years, numerous ethics scandals have passed by a Congress that barely exerted itself to shrug; now, Democrats chair the committees of jurisdiction and have the power to jail those who defy subpoenas. That power has not been exercised…

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Bashar al-Assad’s international rehabilitation has begun

Bashar al-Assad’s international rehabilitation has begun

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Christopher Phillips writes: For Syria’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, 2018 ended well. Alongside President Trump’s announced withdrawal of U.S. troops from eastern Syria, several Arab states indicated they were willing to reconcile. In December, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir became the first Arab leader to visit Syria since the civil conflict broke out in 2011. Soon afterward the United Arab Emirates, previously opposed to Assad, announced it was restoring ties with Damascus, with Bahrain and Kuwait indicating they could soon do…

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Britons would now vote to stay in EU, want second referendum, poll indicates

Britons would now vote to stay in EU, want second referendum, poll indicates

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Reuters reports: More Britons want to remain a member of the European Union than leave, according to a survey published on Sunday which also showed voters want to make the final decision themselves. Britain is due leave the EU on March 29, but Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to get her exit deal approved by parliament, opening up huge uncertainty over whether a deal is possible, or even whether the country will leave at all. The survey by polling…

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France’s Macron reeling as tough stance against ‘yellow vests’ backfires

France’s Macron reeling as tough stance against ‘yellow vests’ backfires

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Reuters reports: Emmanuel Macron intended to start the new year on the offensive against the ‘yellow vest’ protesters. Instead, the French president is reeling from more violent street demonstrations. What began as a grassroots rebellion against diesel taxes and the high cost of living has morphed into something more perilous for Macron – an assault on his presidency and French institutions. The anti-government protesters on Saturday used a forklift truck to force their way into a government ministry compound, torched…

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Americans struck by an outbreak of mass hysteria in Havana?

Americans struck by an outbreak of mass hysteria in Havana?

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Vanity Fair reports: Among scientists, it’s not a popular term these days, probably because “mass hysteria” summons the image of a huge mob, panicked into a stampede (with a whiff of misogyny thrown in). But properly understood, the official definition, when applied to the events [at the American Embassy] in Havana, sounds eerily familiar. Conversion disorder, according to the International Journal of Social Psychiatry, is the “rapid spread of illness signs and symptoms among members of a cohesive social group,…

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The value of well-crafted language

The value of well-crafted language

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Greg Laden writes: Twenty five centuries ago, long before the start of the common era, the written record about the spoken language began. The ancient Greeks were not likely the first to study speech and communication, and they certainly were not the first to write stuff down, but among the early writers, they were probably the first to write about how we construct messages and stories with words. Joe Rom’s Book How to go viral and reach millions. Greg Laden’s…

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What Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knows about tax policy

What Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knows about tax policy

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Paul Krugman writes: I have no idea how well Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will perform as a member of Congress. But her election is already serving a valuable purpose. You see, the mere thought of having a young, articulate, telegenic nonwhite woman serve is driving many on the right mad — and in their madness they’re inadvertently revealing their true selves. Some of the revelations are cultural: The hysteria over a video of AOC dancing in college says volumes, not about her,…

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The struggle for climate justice and gender justice must go hand in hand

The struggle for climate justice and gender justice must go hand in hand

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Winnie Byanyima writes: Climate change affects women in a profoundly different way than men. Culture and tradition in many places puts the role of caring for families on women. It is women, for example, who are responsible for collecting firewood, fetching water, and growing food to feed hungry mouths. So as the impacts of climate change take grip, it is women who must be on the front lines of adapting and finding solutions: new sources of water; new ways to…

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