Author: Lance Garrison
In my most recent column I had a bit of fun with Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, who has ominously warned that President Biden will turn us into Europe. I joked that this would mean adding five or six years to our life expectancy. When I shared Noem’s remarks on social media, some of my correspondents asked whether this meant that we’re about to get good train service and better food.A note to younger Americans: We already have better food. It’s true that Bolognese remains infinitely better in Bologna than anything you can get here, even in New…
Traditional Western medicine hasn’t typically concerned itself with spiritual well-being. But that might be changing as a growing body of evidence shows spiritual and religious practice can have profound health effects, especially in regard to mental health. Higher levels of spirituality and religiousness are associated with lower levels of depression, suicide, and substance misuse in any number of studies. Sustained spiritual practice (going to church, praying, meditating, helping others) may also guard against posttraumatic stress disorder and boost psychological growth after a stressful situation, research shows. These practices can help you feel “loved and held” during times of despair, says Lisa Miller,…
Jan. 30, 2024 – It may be reassuring to think that serious measles outbreaks are a problem we conquered in the past or something that only affects people over there – like in Europe, which last year reported 42,200 cases. But complacency here in the United States could come at a price, experts said. While measles was considered officially wiped out here in 2000, sporadic, clustered outbreaks continue to pop up. Most notably, measles hit New York City in 2019, central Ohio just 2 years ago, and Philadelphia starting this past December. In early January, public health experts warned travelers who passed…
new video loaded: Letter to San Zaw HtwayRecent episodes in Op-DocsOp-Docs is the New York Times’ award-winning series of short documentaries by independent filmmakers. From emerging directors to Oscar winners, Op-Docs brings you the very best nonfiction filmmaking from around the world.Op-Docs is the New York Times’ award-winning series of short documentaries by independent filmmakers. From emerging directors to Oscar winners, Op-Docs brings you the very best nonfiction filmmaking from around the world.Show more videos from Op-Docs
San Zaw Htway was an artist, activist, political prisoner and dear friend.From 2013 to 2017, we lived and worked in Myanmar with San Zaw Htway, who spent 13 years — of a 36-year-sentence — imprisoned under harsh conditions. He died at the end of 2017 after a cancer diagnosis.San Zaw Htway touched many lives, serving as a dedicated trauma counselor to former political prisoners and teaching children and refugees to make artwork using recycled materials, as he did when he was in prison. After the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, a Burmese friend wrote to us asking, “What would…
To the Editor:Re “Inside the Crusade Against D.E.I.” (front page, Jan. 21):The conservative activists featured in this article aim to eliminate equality of opportunity for the majority of Americans. These ideologues are creating a dangerously false and extremely narrow view of diversity, equity and inclusion — one that equates the “D” in D.E.I. almost exclusively with issues of race and sexual orientation.Attacks on D.E.I. constitute a strike against equality for most Americans.In the U.S., diversity is widely acknowledged to encompass numerous communities, which collectively constitute the majority of our nation. D.E.I. programs advance considerations relating to women; Black, Indigenous and…
Public opinion began to shift with the birth of the modern environmental movement, and in 1974, wolves were among the first animals to receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. But by the time wolves were reintroduced to the Rocky Mountains in the 1990s, the animal had become a pawn in a proxy war over American values. One portion of the country saw a chance for atonement for a desecrated wilderness and the promise of a restored ecosystem. Another — big game hunters and livestock producers — saw wolves as a threat to their livelihoods. Protected by federal law, the…
It was almost 15 months ago that The New York Post published a full-page cover photo of Ron DeSantis with the headline “DeFUTURE.” His 19-point victory in the Florida governor’s race was one of the few bright spots of the 2022 elections for a weary Republican elite, which was desperately looking to move on from Donald Trump after his handpicked candidates cost the party key Senate seats.A year later, as Mr. DeSantis’s presidential campaign stalled, at least a handful of G.O.P. megadonors found new hope in Nikki Haley, with the Koch network announcing millions of dollars in support of her…
We’re kind of obsessed with this graph. It shows the percentage of Americans who say immigrants strengthen the United States. We’re all familiar with this end. Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on anything. But what was happening down at this end? How did we start so close and get to: “Build that wall. Build that wall.” Well, that’s what this video is about: the path to political polarization. This dramatic split has left the American immigration system in disarray. And understanding how we got into this mess might just help us find a way out. To start, let’s go back…
Gen Z and younger millennials are taking to apps like TikTok to express their anger about everything from the conflict in the Middle East to the cost of living. Some politicians are not happy. In this audio essay, the Opinion columnist Zeynep Tufekci argues that lawmakers should stop blaming social media platforms for corrupting people’s minds, and instead concentrate on oversight and demand transparency from them.(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available midday on the Times website.)The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about…