Number of words: 960 There are, by some estimates, more than 40 million acres of green lawns in the U.S.,  making turf grass the largest irrigated crop in the country. A new book suggests that landowners repurpose some of their landscaping for another purpose: creating a “Homegrown National Park,” a connected network of more natural … Read more

Number of words: 1,511 Some automakers may emerge stronger, others too weak to survive on their own. Factories will shut down. The pressure to go electric could become more intense. People may travel less now that they have discovered how much they can get done from home. Or they may commute more by car to … Read more

Number of words: 177 “Imagine there’s a device that costs about 50p per household, per year, and if you install it in your house, it decreases the chance of a house fire by 30 percent.” And everybody goes, “That’s an absolutely brilliant idea. I want to buy one of those. And, actually, I think the … Read more

Number of words: 1,120 I saw from my schedule that I taught five periods to four different groups– a seventh-grade B class, which I had twice, an eighth-grade B class, a ninthgrade D class, and a seventh-grade H class. Nothing had been mentioned in the meeting about a system of classification involving A’s and B’s, … Read more

Number of words: 115 This is why I write down whatever circumstances and events I clearly remember, in such detail as I remember, including cause, effect, and consequence if possible, hopefully without extravagance of any sort. But also, to relate only what I remember. I wouldn’t consider, for instance, going back to school records to … Read more

Number of words: 560 Remember Parkinson’s Law? It is the one that says ‘work expands to fill the time available for its completion.’ You’ve probably heard it before. There is another lesser-known law from Parkinson that we should all be aware of. A law that’s even more relevant in a world filled with back-to-back meetings. … Read more

Number of words: 1,696 Capitalism’s Dependence on Endless Consuming Let’s begin by taking a long view back to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century greatly increased the number of goods and services available to the world’s population.  The steam engine, railroads, new machinery and factories, and improved agriculture … Read more

Number of words: 336 The company announced the move in a statement on Tuesday, noting that it had decided to “permanently discontinue” the baby powder in the US and Canada to “prioritize high-demand products” amid the Covid-19 pandemic, attributing the fall in sales in part to “misinformation.” “Demand for talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in North … Read more

Number of words: 868 Forget the new year’s resolution: September, not January, is the time for new starts. College freshers are preparing to leave home, graduates are ironing shirts and blouses and dressing up for their first day in the office. Recruiters and admissions tutors are hoping they made the right choices. So how do … Read more

Number of words: 1,420 Whenever I wish to scandalise people, I have a sentence which works every time: “I would prefer my daughters took up smoking than started cycling in London.” My argument is as follows. If my daughters take up smoking and find it impossible to quit, there is a fairly high chance of … Read more