The NewsGal

I’m loath to admit it, but I’m in sore need of a break, which means TheNewsGal will be on hiatus for the foreseeable future. Thanks for your continued support, and happy reading!

The Age Of Anti-Ambition: When 25 million people leave their jobs, it’s about more than just burnout. Hear, hear. (Noreen Malone, New York Times Magazine, ~19 min.) Ben Stiller Sees The World Differently Now: He’s been pretty amazing your whole life. Then things started to crumble — his marriage, his work, his health. But now? Everything is very much coming back together again. Excellent.

Bob Odenkirk’s Long Road To Serious Success. Love him. (Jonah Weiner, New York Times Magazine, ~30 min.) Confessions Of A Bitcoin Widow: My husband started a cryptocurrency empire that made us rich. When he died, I learned it was just a facade. Un-put-down-able. (Jennifer Robertson and Stephen Kimber, The Walrus, ~25 min.) Who Writes The Rules For Cops? After years of high-profile shootings, policing in America is under more scrutiny than at any time in our history.

A Family Project: Bringing their mother home to be buried on family land was the easy part. Together, they had to figure out the what, when, where, and how. As good as a personal essay gets. (Laurelyn Dossett, Bitter Southerner, ~8 min.) He Spent 25 Years Infiltrating Nazis, The Klan, And Biker Gangs: Scott was a top undercover agent for the FBI, putting himself in harm’s way dozens of times.

National Treasure: The ecstatic cult of Nicolas Cage. This is amazing. (Dan Piepenbring, Harper’s, ~20 min.) Ann Lai Filed A Lawsuit To Tell This Story: She quit her high-profile job and sounded an alarm about bad behavior in tech — and she was nearly forced from the industry. This is the story of her fight to be heard. My god. (Stephanie Clifford, Elle, ~16 min.) Avoidance: My mother tried to explain, “Oh, we just thought Hitler was crazy, a clown.

How Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” became bigger than “Let It Go.” Fascinating. (Alex Janin, Wall Street Journal, ~9 min.) Everything You Need to Know About “Soup Mother.” Definitely didn’t need to know any of this, but again, I’m fascinated. (Chris Crowley, Grub Street, ~8 min.) Can He Build Back Better? Many liberals worry that the Democrats are doomed. But Biden can still rebound. If he can’t, we’re toast.

Where are the interviews with regular Americans terrified for our democracy? Unconscionable. (Dan Froomkin, PressWatchers.org, ~5 min.) 13,000 Pounds At 118 Miles Per Hour: It was the deadliest wreck in years. And the man behind it was one of the FBI’s most notorious informants. OMG this story. (Ben Ryder Howe, New York Magazine, ~35 min.) What if we just stopped being so available? Please, yes, I’m exhausted.

Shawn Bradley, paralyzed in a bike crash, knows “it’ll never be the same.” The retired NBA center is finding that his 7’6” frame — which brought him fame and fortune and 2,000-plus blocks — is now a challenge without medical precedent. A tough, worthy read. (Brian Burnsed, Sports Illustrated, ~18 min.) The Positively True Adventures Of The Kilgore Rangerette–Kidnapping Mom: What pushed a Texas mother to kidnap at gunpoint the director of the famed college drill team and her 19-year-old daughter?

A Mother-Daughter Duo Connects On The Fly. (Garden & Gun, ~6 min.) The teens who hated Abercrombie are the adults shopping there now — and they can’t believe it either. (Washington Post, ~13 min.) The wave of body positivity is finally coming to surfing. (Outside, ~8 min.) How Justin Timberlake Came Undone. (Slate, ~18 min.) They set out to hike three of America’s longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong? (Los Angeles Times, ~15 min.) At age 9, best friends separated fleeing the Nazis.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This year was a big one for me — I bought my first home; adopted a second dog and fostered a third; attended my 20th high school reunion; and became an aunt twice over. Now I’ve managed to come down with Covid, and while I’m vaccinated and my symptoms aren’t severe, it’s clear that some serious R&R is in order. So enjoy this final edition of 2021 (with a side of pecan pie for me), and I’ll be back in your inbox Jan. 8.