James Frey's Blog, page 87

Campfires On The Sun

from Yahoo! News Closest pictures of sun ever taken reveal mysterious ‘campfires’ by Connor Parker The closest-ever images taken of the sun have revealed mini solar flares called “campfires” dotted across its surface. The images were captured last month by the Solar Orbiter, a European Space Agency (ESA) probe designed and built in the UK. […]

How The Plague Begat The Essay

from The New York Times Montaigne Fled the Plague, and Found Himself As disease and war ravaged the nation, he left town and invented the essay. By Robert Zaretsky In the summer of 1585, the mayor of Bordeaux learned, from the comfort of his nearby chateau, that the bubonic plague had burst upon his city. Those […]

LKJ Wins PEN Pinter Prize

from Brixton Blog Top literature prize for Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson has been awarded this year’s PEN Pinter Prize. Judges praised his work, saying: “Few post-war figures have been as unwaveringly committed to political expression in their work.” The local poet and reggae artist will receive the award in a digital ceremony co-hosted by […]

Camping Goes Viral

from The Guardian ‘Everyone wants to get outside’: boom in camping as Americans escape after months at home by Miranda Bryant in NEW YORK The pandemic has put many people off hotels and planes – but socially distanced outdoors holidays are enjoying a surge The coronavirus has sparked a surge in RV or motorhome purchasing […]

Editing Mitochondria

from STAT Gene-editing discovery could point the way toward a ‘holy grail’: cures for mitochondrial diseases By SHARON BEGLEY Biologist David Liu was in the middle of his morning commute to the Broad Institute two summers ago when he opened the email. We just discovered a new toxin made by bacteria, explained the note from a […]

No Mask, No Yogurt

from AP via KGUN Yuma man jailed for showing gun over yogurt shop’s mask rule By: Associated Press YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — A Yuma man who was ejected from a frozen yogurt shop for not wearing a mask is facing charges for pulling out a gun in response.  Yuma County Sheriff’s officials say the incident happened […]

Metroid Sonifying Space

from PASTE Space Is the Place: How Metroid’s Music Captures the Essence of Space By Dia Lacina When the Challenger exploded, my parents tried to hide it from me. They did okay for a few days. But it was inevitable. They knew how fixated I was on space, how I wanted to be an astronaut, and […]

Real Life Ride

from NorthJersey.com NJ woman survives harrowing ride through Passaic’s drainage system during flood by Nicholas Katzban A Newark woman went for a mile-long ride under the city of Passaic during Monday’s flash flood. She survived the ordeal after being “shot out” into the Passaic River, a result authorities referred to as “miraculous.” Nathalia Bruno, 24  and a […]

Scream Inside Your Heart

from The Wall Street Journal Reopened Theme Parks Ban Screaming on Roller Coasters. Riders Are Howling. Japan’s park recommendations aim to prevent the spread of Covid-19, but thrill seekers find keeping quiet isn’t easy By River Davis TOKYO—At the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park recently, the chief executive and his corporate boss took a ride on the […]

Sedan Gone

from Inside Hook No Luxury Sedan Is Safe From the Scourge of the SUV With Bentley ending production of its flagship Mulsanne, is the category in danger of dying off for good? BY ALEX LAUER As Jerry Seinfeld said, a classic ‘60s Rolls-Royce is not so much a car as “a nice living room with wheels.” In […]