Headlines from January 11, 2013
- How the UN created a cholera epidemic after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti—and then covered it up. #longreads
- Tonight, Port-au-Prince is being invaded only by the well-intentioned. A week after leaving Haiti, Elizabeth Kiem felt the earthquake hit. #tmn
- Every national anthem in the world played simultaneously. via #audio
- Americans experience higher rates of disease and injury and die sooner than people in other high-income countries. #health
- Santa Monica considers cracking down on the number of trainers using public areas to hold fitness classes.
- When judging whether food is fit to eat, the smell test is rarely effective. #science
- Roundup on scientific research trying to explain why pandas are cute. #animals
- In case you were wondering: Humans have been clear on the baby-sex connection since the very beginning.
- In England, McDonald’s will replace Happy Meal toys with books.
- As YouTube-profiting companies fight for dominance, it’s the channel’s young stars who often bear the burden. #longreads
- Popkey: “It’s only possible to make the foolish predictions I made when you’re a casual football fan because you haven’t become cynical.” #tmn
- Obituary for Beate Gordon, the American woman who drafted Japan’s post-war constitution.
- Streaming can’t kill the video store—at least ones that draw communities of film enthusiasts.
- With George Saunders on every reader’s mind, it’s a good time to look back at our 2005 interview by Robert Birnbaum. #books
- Extreme weather events increasing in intensity as well as frequency around the world.
- Pictures of play and rescue during recent wintry weather in the Middle East. #photography
- Iran pledges to produce its own version of Argo, “which lacks a proper view of historical events.”
- In case you missed it: “Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie.” #longreads
- Most popular searches on the web find Australians looking to love, French people wanting to lose weight, Russians seeking to become nicer.
- Spanish islanders communicate through whistling language that can travel up to two miles.
- Honduran government officials attempt to fix their corrupt country by building a perfect city, from scratch. #audio
- See also: How to listen to the radio by burning plants. via #video
- We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters. Besides the internet, there hasn’t been technological innovation for decades.
- Grandchild of Holocaust survivors starts campaign to run subway ads countering anti-Muslim posters in New York.
- The commodification of prisoners—allowing them to be traded on the market as shares in private prison companies—corrupts all those invested in the enterprise.
- David Sedaris reads aloud a passage from 50 Shades of Grey. #video
- Six delicious TMN stories about food to torture you while you struggle with your New Year’s diet.
- Story of Facebook-generation families watching their tidy suburban neighborhood upset by divorce. #tmn
- Details of daily life for a married pair of rock climbers who live entirely out of a van.
- I thought I was all civilized, but the truth was that I was the rube. Life of an American hockey journalist in Russia.