I have somehow become involved in wholesale Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) procurement. That is not my job, and I know nothing about it, but the old rules no longer apply in this sudden new world. All it takes now, apparently, is to know some people with particular connections in China and all of a sudden […]

Please welcome Jane C. Hu, a talented journalist whose voicy, insightful writing you may already know from her work in Slate’s Future Tense. Or maybe you have taken her science writing class at the University of Washington. If not, I dare you to read her cover story in the February issue of High Country News […]

“Freak.” “Monster.” “Gorilla.” During this year’s Super Bowl Sunday, Shakira and J-Lo were not the only hyperboles on show. Both the official sports commentary and its online counterparts were littered with back-handed terms of admiration tinged with disgust. Why is it, I wondered, that these off-putting words are preferred over unambiguous compliments like ‘exceptional athlete’ […]