We hope our American readers enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving. For this week's Tidings, we begin with a selection of holiday-related writing before heading into our usual fare of assorted links. For more daily links and to share your own recommendations, join us on the Seabird link-sharing app, available for both Apple and Android. Create an account with code "WaitIsOver". On to this week's recommended reads...
If your Thanksgiving celebration was less than picture-perfect, take heart: the granddaughter of Norman Rockwell reflects that her family gatherings weren't either, finding beauty in the nearly pagan mess and chaos of their later years.
Vogue | Daisy Rockwell
And where to put the leftovers? Countering myths of decline, an economist makes the case that our refrigerators are bigger and cheaper than ever thanks to global trade and innovation.
Cato at Liberty | Jeremy Horpedahl
"Abundance isn’t just about having more. It’s also about making the most of what we already have." How the food bank network Feeding America and business professors from the University of Chicago set up an internal auction market to allocate charitable donations where they're most needed.
Slow Boring | Caroline Sutton
Historian Maureen Ogle, chronicler of American beer history, is out with a new book on the history of meat in America. For an appetizer, read an opening excerpt.
Maureen Ogle
And on non-food traditions of the holiday, a firsthand account of what it takes to guide a giant balloon through the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Slate | Katie Shepherd
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"It was striking to realize that a) a century ago I might well have died; and b) the cost of maybe saving my life was three hours in the ER and $4.16 worth of antibiotics." Charles C. Mann concludes his series "How the System Works" on progress in modern life and the challenges of maintaining the systems that support it.
The New Atlantis | Charles C. Mann
In the age of Trump, it's easy to define liberalism by what it opposes. But liberalism can, and must, offer a richer vision of a free and open society too, contends the founder of Liberal Currents. (Related: Liberal Currents is fundraising to expand its operations.)
Liberal Currents | Adam Gurri
An analysis of how social media makes users more afraid, driving false beliefs about crime and protests, with analogy to the Pinkertons of the century past.
Bug-Eyed and Shameless | Justin Ling
As governments attempt to restrict access to everything from social media to porn, preserving access to virtual private networks is becoming the next front in the fight for the open internet.
The Verge | Dominic Preston
Advanced 3D imaging and modeling helps unlock the mysterious history of Rapa Nui, aka Easter Island, shedding light on the production and transportation of its enigmatic statues.
The Conversation | Carl Lipo
Post-war Americans sought escapism in tropical drinks. At Old Texas Town in Berlin, some Germans found it in a fantasized recreation of the American west. Today the street's stylized saloons, and even a replica of the Alamo, face looming redevelopment.
The New York Times | Gordon Cole-Schmidt and Christopher F. Schuetze
From "the great masculine renunciation" to casual Fridays, a look at historic trends in American workplace fashion.
The Wall Street Journal | Nancy MacDonell
It's not all smooth sailing on the debut journey of the first voyage of the largest sail-driven cargo ship, but the Neoliner Origin is one possible future for reducing the use of fossil fuels in international shipping.
The Guardian | Michaela Cavanagh
Want to buy a boat? Washington has two big ferries for sale, but finding a credible buyer is harder than you might think.
Washington State Standard | Tom Banse
From 2021: A look at the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Elinor Ostrom through the lens of wildlife conservation efforts that avert the tragedy of the commons.
Aeon | Pam Weintraub
Finally, in bird news: With a flock of cheap audio recorders and AI interpretation of birdsong, ecologists are getting direct feedback from birds on the success of their reforestation efforts.
The New York Times | Cara Buckley
That's it for this week! The links in our newsletter were all shared first on Seabird, our minimalist app simply designed for recommending links online. Learn more about us here and join us on the app to discover and share articles like these every day. Your recommendations may appear in a future edition of Tidings.
