In the New Yorker...

[Front-Ranger]

Bless you for telling us about these overlooked articles.

In the latest issue, "I Claudius" by Gideon Lewis-Kraus is so long I decided to put it down at several points but then my eyes encountered such a beautifully written passage that I just had to soldier on. In some ways, it reminds me of the film "Moon, Moon" by Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son) which is one of my favourites.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I also recommend Ben Taub's article in the same issue (Feb. 2). We know TNY is a reliable source, and Ben Taub is a reliable reporter. A couple of idiots in Washington (you can figure out who I mean) recently claimed that pregnant and nursing women should not take Tylenol because it could harm their babies.

Taub's article demonstrates (at least to my satisfaction) that their claim is based on medical research and publication that is at best inaccurate and possibly even downright fraudulent.

[serious crayons]

I also recommend Ben Taub's article in the same issue (Feb. 2). We know TNY is a reliable source, and Ben Taub is a reliable reporter. A couple of idiots in Washington (you can figure out who I mean) recently claimed that pregnant and nursing women should not take Tylenol because it could harm their babies.

Taub's article demonstrates (at least to my satisfaction) that their claim is based on medical research and publication that is at best inaccurate and possibly even downright fraudulent.

Well, I guess it's nice to have it demonstrated, but I never for a second believed it was valid science. And Trump couldn't even pronounce acetaminophen!


 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Well, I guess it's nice to have it demonstrated, but I never for a second believed it was valid science. And Trump couldn't even pronounce acetaminophen!

As I was reading it, I was thinking that it was interesting that TNY published it now, and also that Taub didn't mention either Trump or Kennedy. I'm sure both were intentional.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Of course, I'm always falling way behind in reading the various issues. I think in the past this was mostly because I read almost everything in every issue. Now it probably doesn't help that the magazines are delivered to Philadelphia while I'm spending so much time at the house.

However, I am reading almost everything in the Feb. 2 issue because I think so many articles in that issue are important, by author: Charles Duhigg, E. Tammy Kim (maybe that one not so much), Ben Taub, Jason Zengerle (reading that one now).

Actually, Margaret Talbot's article on the books about Easter Island isn't really important, but I found it interesting. I had to read it because sometime when I was still a teenager I came across and read Thor Heyerdahl's book about his visit to Easter Island. Talbot's article makes me want to read it again.

[serious crayons]

I'm in the middle of the Margaret Talbot. I enjoyed the piece about the 30th anniversary of Infinite Jest, and discussion of how the book has become so male-coded. I love David Foster Wallace's essays and at one point challenged myself as a New Year's resolution to read the almost 1,100 pages of Infinite Jest. I mentioned the plan to my son, who has read the entire book. A couple of months later, he saw the book sitting on a table with a bookmark at about page 17. "Looks more like a finite jest to me," he said.