Two Keys to Optimizing Your FAFSA and (Hopefully) Getting More Financial Aid
Lifehacker · 3 minFill it out as soon as possible, and be smart about how you do it.
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Today’s essential reads
A Place of Both Solitude and Belonging: In Praise of the Park Bench
Literary Hub · 11 minEdwin Heathcote considers this “most archetypal” piece of furniture.
Cells, Not DNA, Are The Master Architects Of Life
noemamag.com · 17 minFar from being a blueprint for an organism, genes are mere tools used by life’s true expert builders: cells.
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic on Outlasting the Stars He Parodies, Why He’s Not Making New Music and the Truth About His Torrid Affair With Madonna
Variety · 6 minWe get 'Weird' with Emmy contender Al Yankovic.
How the U.S. Almost Became a Nation of Hippo Ranchers
Smithsonian Magazine · 8 minIn 1910, a failed House bill sought to increase the availability of low-cost meat by importing hippopotamuses that would be killed to make “lake cow bacon”
Fascinating stories
Timeless Survival Skills
Field & Stream · 7 minThese classic tips will help you survive and thrive in the wild.
The rise of highly sensitive parents
BBC · 7 minAre you an 'orchid' or a 'dandelion' parent? Researchers are uncovering the hidden personality traits that can shape our family life.
How to Throw a Better Outdoor Party
PocketMake the most of your warm-weather shindigs, no matter the size of your living space or wallet.
8 Historic National Park Hotels for Your Bucket List
Mental Floss · 4 minPeople travel to national parks to experience the great outdoors, but after working up a sweat on the trail, the indoors can be pretty great, too. The U.S. national park system is home to some of the most stunning historic lodges in the country.
Historic gains: Low-income workers scored in the Covid economy
POLITICO · 18 minA POLITICO analysis shows that pandemic-era policies reversed the trend toward a widening income gap. The move away from them threatens those gains. Which way will Biden turn?
Here's Exactly How Long To Grill Burgers
Delish · 2 minIt's a game changer.
Is My Writing a Hobby Or a Career?
Esquire · 8 minI'm the author of two books, but I'm used to writing on the side of other jobs. Maybe that means it's a hobby—or maybe it's what knits my whole life together.
A big El Niño is looming. Here’s what it means for our weather.
Vox · 8 minHow warm water in the Pacific shapes storms, droughts, and record heat around the world.
The Drama of Dinner: How to Fine-Dine at Home
Saveur · 8 minIn postwar America, opulence took the form of heavy cream, butter, beef, seafood—and the occasional dessert on fire.
The hype, security and logistics: How USC is preparing for Bronny James
ESPN · 12 minSchool officials are used to high-profile students on campus. But not in college basketball, and never someone whose father is LeBron James.
For Black drivers, a police officer's first 45 words are a portent of what's to come
NPR · 4 minWhen a police officer stops a Black driver, the first 45 words said by that officer hold important clues about how their encounter is likely to go.
Frozen food: expert tips on how to get the best out of your freezer
The Guardian · 4 minKate Hall, the home cooking consultant behind the Full Freezer website, tries to help people get the best out of their freezer, whether that is preserving leftovers or buying frozen in the shops.
‘A Simple Green Salad’: Fanny Singer’s Litmus Test for a Good Restaurant
Saveur · 4 minAlice Waters’ daughter explains her family’s favorite dish.
The Pandemic Caused a Baby Boom in Red States and a Bust in Blue States
Scientific American · 5 minThe COVID pandemic caused a U.S.-wide decline in fertility rates, but red states actually saw increases.
The Grit Behind Greased Lightnin’
The Telegraph · 8 minThe production’s creators reveal how real-life thugs inspired the high school musical that tore up the Broadway playbook.