Netflix's 'Tiger King' is American exceptionalism on steroids
Right as most of the country locked down in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Netflix's latest true-crime documentary Tiger King arrived, providing a kind of hypnotic distraction from the news. The series follows the rise and fall of Joseph…
By Jeff Ihaza

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Social distancing can be risky for people in recovery. Here's where to find help
By Tracey Anne Duncan
These are trying times, especially for our most vulnerable communities, even in less conventional definitions of the word “vulnerable.” In-person recovery support meetings — which many rely on to stay sober — are canceled indefinitely around much of…
Trump's coronavirus messaging is leaving young people confused and disheartened
By Tracey Anne Duncan
We're all struggling with coronavirus information overload. There is a constant influx of rapidly changing (and sometimes conflicting) news being delivered to us from the federal government, local governments, health officials, social media, and the…
A sex therapist explains why social distancing is making me so horny
By Tracey Anne Duncan
I am social distancing. That means no bars, no clubs, no yoga classes, and three feet of distance outdoors. Most importantly, to me, it means that I have no place to flirt and no outlets for my sexual impulses. Sure, COVID is changing the way we…
You've probably been using turmeric wrong
By Tracey Anne Duncan
Turmeric has continued to reign over the past decade as the golden child of the root world. Wellness influencers tout the benefits of turmeric capsules, CBD oil, and face masks while coffee shops boast their golden milk lattes. My Ayurvedist and my…
Meet the new generation of teen mom influencers turning to YouTube instead of reality tv
By Scout Brobst
On December 7, at 9:31 a.m., 18-year-old Yasmyn Switzer gave birth to her second child, Analia Rae Lynn Dominick, a cherub-faced baby girl weighing in at seven pounds eight ounces and measuring 21 inches long. By 11 p.m. the next day, Switzer had…
How to grocery shop safely during coronavirus without being a jerk
By Melissa Pandika
Pre-pandemic, grocery shopping was pretty chill. Maybe you’d stress over the long lines, or the store running out of your go-to oat milk. But what used to be the most mundane of weekend activities is now fraught and chaotic. Customers are…
There are a lot of similarities between climate change deniers and coronavirus skeptics
By AJ Dellinger
When Donald Trump was first presented with the potential threat of coronavirus, he dismissed it. In an interview on CNBC, he described the outbreak as "one person coming in from China" and said that the situation was "totally under control." Behind…
A guide to time traveling in 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons'
By Brittany Vincent
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the most chilled out games you could possibly play during these trying times. Unfortunately, that also means it's one of the slowest to get into. The relaxing, no-pressure nature of the Nintendo Switch game is…
2019 was the worst year for Australia's environment "in a century or more"
By Vanessa Taylor
Australia’s Environment report is an annual scorecard of the country’s environmental standing. Now in its fifth year, the most recent edition was released on Sunday and paints a bleak picture. After examining a number of environmental conditions,…
John Krasinski is everyone's lovable dad in his new YouTube series 'Some Good News'
By Kara Weisenstein
John Krasinski is giving Jimmy Fallon a run for his money for the title of World’s Best Stay-At-Home (During Coronavirus) Dad. The actor and director launched a YouTube channel on Sunday dedicated to spreading good news in this time of crisis. Think…
Album sales just hit the lowest point in recorded history
By Shawn Cooke
Two weeks ago, reports emerged that music streaming is on the decline amid quarantine. This might have been a confounding result, until you think of the ways in which streaming is tied to normal life. For many users, music streaming is inextricably…
Noname's Book Club is printing a newspaper featuring art by incarcerated folks
By Kara Weisenstein
Noname is so cool. The rapper born Fatimah Warner bubbled up out of Chicago, and as her star has soared these last few years, she’s used her platform to lift up other POC creatives — extending a hand to help them climb the same ladder that’s led to…
Trump extends nationwide social distancing to April 30
By Vanessa Taylor
President Trump has finally let go of his dream of packing churches on Easter despite the ongoing pandemic. On Sunday, Trump extended social distancing to April 30. Although it's certainly a switch-up from his earlier comments, the decision is…
Amazon and Instacart workers strike in New York, demanding safety and compensation
By Tracey Anne Duncan
Amazon and Instacart workers plan to strike today [Monday] to raise awareness about their working conditions and demand negotiations with their employers. As nationwide stay-at-home orders have lengthened, the need for online delivery services has…
Social media companies aren't doing enough to combat dangerous coronavirus rumors
By Bhaskar Chakravorti
As we practice social distancing, our embrace of social media gets only tighter. The major social media platforms have emerged as the critical information purveyors for influencing the choices people make during the expanding pandemic. There’s also…
Joe Exotic is, in a way, all of us
By Jeff Ihaza
Right as most of the country locked down in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Netflix's latest true-crime documentary Tiger King arrived, providing a kind of hypnotic distraction from the news. The series follows the rise and fall of Joseph…
Scientists just found two more potentially inhabitable planets
By Brittany Vincent
Another day, another exoplanet discovery! At least, that's certainly what it feels like as of late, with astronomers successfully seeking out the celestial objects and stumbling upon some pretty impressive discoveries. Most recently, two new…
I found a "healthy" ice cream that doesn't suck
By Melissa Pandika
The wellness industry has seeped into so many aspects of our lives over the years, it was only a matter of time before it came for ice cream, too. Low-fat, low-calorie Halo Top became North America’s sixth-biggest ice cream brand in 2018, in a…
Surreal tent hospitals and makeshift morgues are now popping up across the country
By Rafi Schwartz
If we've seen anything over the past few weeks, it's the degree to which the novel COVID-19 form of coronavirus — once it's secured a toehold within a particular locale — has been able to totally overwhelm that area's entire medical capacity within…
Why is no one talking about the Joe Biden sexual assault allegation?
By Ray Levy-Uyeda
Alexandra Tara Reade has been trying to tell her story for years: In 1993, when she was in her mid-twenties and working as a staff assistant to Joe Biden, then a senator for Delaware, Reade says Biden sexually assaulted her. Biden pressed her up…
This weird new bacteria will eat our toxic plastic
By Vanessa Taylor
Humans produce over 300 million tons of plastic waste each year. According to the UN, that’s roughly the weight of the entire global population. A lot of plastic! But a new study published today in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology reports that…
Bob Dylan snapped on his 17-minute song about the JFK assassination
By Shawn Cooke
Even at 78, Bob Dylan is still finding new ways to reassemble memory. Right after Friday turned to midnight, he shared “Murder Most Foul,” the first new original song from Dylan in eight years. It was accompanied by a note on Twitter, which…
Coronavirus is creating a staggering amount of medical waste
By AJ Dellinger
Hospitals around the world are doing everything in their power to protect the public against the coronavirus pandemic. You've likely seen the calls for more personal protective equipment to deal with sudden shortages — essentials including masks,…