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Please Stop Talking John Kerry [28 Jul 2015|01:54am]

John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, is a thoughtful, honest man. He’s remarkably adept at seeing conflicts and issues from the perspectives of other people. That makes him a good person and, in many ways, a good diplomat. But it made him a clumsy presidential candidate, prone to expressing arguments on both sides of every issue. It also makes him an awkward spokesman for his country.

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Please Stop Talking, John Kerry [28 Jul 2015|01:54am]

John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, is a thoughtful, honest man. He’s remarkably adept at seeing conflicts and issues from the perspectives of other people. That makes him a good person and, in many ways, a good diplomat. But it made him a clumsy presidential candidate, prone to expressing arguments on both sides of every issue. It also makes him an awkward spokesman for his country.

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Divya Narendra on Entrepreneurship, Trust, and Life After Facebook [28 Jul 2015|06:00am]

Listen to this episode of The Moment with guest Divya Narendra:

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The Timepiece That Will Change Everything [28 Jul 2015|09:45am]

Apple’s design mastermind Jony Ive spoke in no uncertain terms when he described what the Apple Watch would mean for Switzerland: The old watch companies, he said, were doomed. (Actually, he used a more colorful term.) Bravado aside, Ive has a point. The Swiss watch industry has to be concerned about what a computer on the wrist means for its business. Even if it doesn’t spell the end for the luxury watch, Ive’s product makes it clear that we’re living in a new era for the timepiece and there’s no going back.

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You’ve Got the Heebie-Jeebies [28 Jul 2015|02:59pm]

As we recently learned from a Lexicon Valley podcast, the Oxford English Dictionary defines the heebie-jeebies as “a feeling of discomfort, apprehension or depression ... the jitters.” In 1923, the phrase was coined and popularized not through the radio or stage, but by Billy DeBeck. Of course! Wait, who? DeBeck was a cartoonist who penned Barney Google, a popular comic during the 1920s. It was so popular that songs were written about dear Barney, and the term heebie-jeebie in particular inspired a song called “Heebie-Jeebies” by Louis Armstrong. Him, you’ve heard of. That song in turn, inspired a short-lived dance craze called, you guessed it, the Heebie-Jeebie.

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For More Than 100 Years, Historians Doubted the Autobiographies of Slaves [28 Jul 2015|03:10pm]

This episode of the Academy is now available free to all Slate readers to preview our inaugural Slate Academy. Enroll now to access all features of the Academy. Visit Slate.com/Academy to learn more.

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Checked Out [28 Jul 2015|03:11pm]

Last month, Librarian of Congress James Billington announced that he will resign as of Jan. 1, 2016, after 28 years in office. Filling this vacancy may not seem like the most pressing matter before President Barack Obama, but in fact the decision is one that could help define his legacy. He has the opportunity to name a visionary leader who can nudge the nation toward a richer, more open information ecosystem appropriate for a democratic republic in the 21st century.

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Lo, Rowhammer! [28 Jul 2015|03:25pm]

The now-ubiquitous Heartbleed, the devastating Sony Pictures hack, the $1 billion Russian bank hack, the theft of sensitive government personnel files—one hole in a cybersecurity edifice can cause the whole thing to crash down. New reports of an Android text message vulnerability, so far unrevealed yet affecting almost a billion devices, underscore how every new computer technology seems to open up even more possibilities for hackers. Security fixes, from Chrome patches to Windows hotfixes, hold the walls in place. But what if you had a security hole you couldn’t patch?

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Don’t Try to Weigh a Baby Koala [28 Jul 2015|03:48pm]

This rambunctious koala joey is nine months old and still unnamed. The San Diego Zoo’s tradition is to give koalas Aboriginal names based on their personality or physical traits. In the meantime, the zookeepers will give him weekly health checks to make sure he’s growing on schedule. Getting weighed is part of that process—and it just so happens to be unmentionably adorable:

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Sarah Palin’s PAC Is Spending More on Hotels and Travel Than on Republican Candidates [28 Jul 2015|03:56pm]

Like her television career, Sarah Palin’s political action committee—once a veritable money machine fueling the former Republican vice presidential nominee’s ambitions—has entered the doldrums. This year SarahPAC has depleted much of its once prodigious cash reserve, spending about a quarter-million dollars more than it raised, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission.

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The “Vocal Fry” Bonus Segment [28 Jul 2015|07:09pm]

Is vocal fry a female phenomenon? In this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment for Slate’s Culture Gabfest, producer Ann Heppermann hops on a mic to discuss the way that women’s voices are criticized in media for being too “creaky” or “cracky.”  Plus—a unique mashup that reveals that vocal fry isn’t just a female phenomenon.

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The Infinite World of No Man’s Sky [28 Jul 2015|07:21pm]

No Man’s Sky, previewed in the video above, has just about everyone with a controller excited because of its beautiful and endless possibilities. The game features 18 quintillion planets in its universe—that’s 18 followed by 18 zeros. How does the developer, Hello Games, create so many worlds with only four digital artists? Simple: math.

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No More Fire Metaphors, With David Axelrod [28 Jul 2015|07:26pm]

Listen to Episode No. 11 of Podcast for America!

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Dear Prudence Live Chat [28 Jul 2015|07:43pm]

Need help getting along with partners, relatives, co-workers, and people in general? Ask Dear Prudence! Emily Yoffe takes your questions on manners, morals, and more. Please keep your questions succinct (recommended max. length is around 150 words). Submit yours ahead of time below:

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Let’s Force Cities to Host the Olympics [28 Jul 2015|08:37pm]

On Monday, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced that Boston was dropping its bid to host the 2024 Olympics following a series of protests, significant public opposition, and a loss of support from the city’s mayor. On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee told other U.S. cities that might be similarly skeptical of hosting the event that the organization would not take “we don’t want your horrifically costly and burdensome boondoggle of a sporting event in our town” for an answer. IOC president Thomas Bach is asking the U.S. to submit another city to be a host candidate, and Los Angeles is the clear front-runner. (Terrible traffic + no water = Olympic gold!)

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Cows vs. Almonds [28 Jul 2015|08:40pm]

Several years ago, after an acquaintance asked me if I’d heard about the controversy, I Googled “cow’s milk” and “kids” and a new world opened up to me—one that hysterically warned me that cow’s milk would cause my child to develop diabetes, obesity, and cancer, among other lovely things. I decided that until I learned more, I would switch my toddler from cow’s milk to a 50–50 mixture of cow’s and almond milk. Just, you know, in case. I’m not alone: Many parents are apparently now questioning the conventional wisdom of feeding kids cow’s milk, turning instead to alternative plant-based “milks” such as soy, almond, cashew, rice, or coconut milk, which they believe are healthier.

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Where Do You Get Off? [28 Jul 2015|08:41pm]

As a member of Slate Plus, you’re reading this Slate story before anyone else can! This story is exclusive to Slate Plus members until Thursday at 6 a.m.

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How Does a Club Doorman Work? [28 Jul 2015|10:08pm]

We’re posting transcripts of Working, Slate’s podcast about what people do all day, exclusively for Slate Plus members. What follows is the transcript for Season 3, Episode 3, in which Slate culture writer Aisha Harris talks to Aleksey Kernes, a front of house manager at Hotel Chantelle, a nightclub on the Lower East Side in New York City. In this podcast, Kernes talks about nightlife, skipping lines, table service, and how being a doorman is a lot like being a lifeguard. Plus—Kernes gives advice on how to get a bartender’s attention should you find yourself in a crowded bar. To learn more about Working, click here.

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The Telltale Story of MSG [28 Jul 2015|10:45pm]

Listen to Episode 307 of Slate’s The Gist:

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The Olympics Need an L.A. Games [28 Jul 2015|11:54pm]

After a deadline shuffle between elected officials, civic boosters, and Olympic organizers, Boston is no longer America’s candidate for the Summer Olympics in 2024.

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