Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Epicurious

The Big-Batch of Braised Beef Your Family Will Go Nuts For

It’s a freezer-friendly meal that feels fancy—but couldn’t be easier to make.

GQ

Grip Strength Is An Indicator of How You’re Aging—Here’s Why That Matters

Plus, why you shouldn’t go all in on your grip strength if you want to live a longer, healthier life.

Stylist

Yoga for Beginners: The Best Basic Stretches to Get You Started

Yoga stretches are great for everything from pain relief to stress relief, and they’re really easy to work into your day. Yoga instructor Donna Noble explains how.

The Washington Post

Extreme ‘Clean’ Eating Can Tip Healthy Eaters Into a Danger Zone

Disordered eating of nutritious but very limited diets can be fueled by social media, experts say.

Esquire

How Barack Obama’s Love of Jazz Changed My Life

When I was his chief speechwriter, the president used John Coltrane and Miles Davis to make me a better writer—and a better man.

Bloomberg

The Real Battle for Data Privacy Begins When You Die

Swedish academic Carl Öhman argues that tech companies have no incentive to be responsible caretakers of our posthumous digital footprint.

The Conversation

Joy Is Good for Your Body and Your Mind: Three Ways to Feel It More Often

Joy is very different from our other emotions.

Popular Science

5 Nutrition Goals That Are Better Than Weight Loss

These tricks are more sustainable than restricting food—and healthier, too.

Nautilus

The Romantic Venus We Never Knew

Venus used to be as fit for life as Earth.

BBC News

The Surprising Links Between What You Eat and How Well You Sleep

Not getting enough sleep can lead to a vicious circle of over-eating and further sleep deprivation, but it may be possible to create a virtuous circle - where healthy eating actually improves your sleep.

Bustle

12 Unexpected Tricks To Help You Make A Great First Impression On Anyone You Meet

We already know what we’re supposed to do to when we meet someone: smile, be friendly, and maintain eye contact. But there are a few other tricks you can have up your sleeve as well.

Apartment Therapy

The 27 Best Decluttering Tips of All Time

Once the extra, unnecessary stuff is deleted, only the best is left.

Popular Collections

Curated guides to the best reads on the web

Pocket Collections

The Art of Navigating Thorny Office Politics

From bad bosses to gossipy colleagues and, of course, office refrigerator drama.

Today’s Pocket Hits

Wednesday, July 23

Grist

The Surprising Reasons Floods and Other Disasters Are More Deadly at Night

It’s not just that it’s dark and people are asleep. Urban sprawl, confirmation bias, and other factors can play a role in why nocturnal disasters claim more lives.

The Walrus

Can Office Tools Help Couples Optimize for Domestic Bliss?

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the colour-coded Google Calendar.

BBC

How a Fatal Accident Ended Ted Kennedy’s Presidential Hopes

In July 1969, Senator Edward Kennedy pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident where a young aide died. But many questions about the ‘Chappaquiddick incident’ went unanswered.

NPR

Are High-Protein Snacks Worth the Hype? Here’s How to Assess

Protein has taken over the packaged-snack aisles at the grocery store. But do you need extra protein in your chips and muffins?

WIRED

A Head-to-Toe Breakdown of Social Media’s Billion-Dollar Remedies

Bad mood? Puffy face? Immune issues? Across TikTok and Instagram there are scores of influencers ready to sell you some products—without ever sending you to a doctor.

The New York Times

The Trouble With Wanting Men

Women are so fed up with men that the phenomenon even has a name: heterofatalism. So what do we do with our desire?

Boston

Blood Feuds: The Fight Over Who Gets to Be Native American

A Rhode Island tribe’s quest for state recognition has sparked a controversy.

New Lines Magazine

Waiting for Justice in South Africa

Families of those killed and tortured for political reasons under apartheid are searching for the truth about why the perpetrators have gone unpunished.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Popular Mechanics

Scientists Just Witnessed the Birth of a Solar System for the First Time

This is amazing.

Rolling Stone

The Heavy Metal Festival Aiming to Curb Teen Suicide

How Fire in the Mountains, a heavy metal festival, aims to curb teen suicide among Native American populations.

Martha Stewart

5 Ways to Use Apple Cores in Your Garden to Boost Plant Growth

Apple cores can provide an abundance of nutrients to your garden. Explore these methods for using apple cores and peels in your garden to help plants grow and thrive.

National Geographic

You’re Never Too Old for Summer Camp—These 8 Getaways Prove It

Put away your cellphone and spend your summer eating s’mores, working on your backstroke, or taking up archery. These resorts cater to adults who need a break from adulting.

The Hollywood Reporter

How ‘The Gilded Age’ Newcomer Jordan Donica Charmed His Way Into the Role of Winning Peggy’s Heart

And not even Phylicia Rashad can stop him.

Literary Hub

Hypergraphia: On Prolific Writers and the Persistent Need to Produce

Ed Simon considers the habits and processes of a group of critically and commercially acclaimed authors.

BBC

Kashmir’s Growing Heat Crisis Hits Health and Harvests

In Indian-administered Kashmir, low rainfall and rising temperatures are putting people’s livelihoods at risk.

The Hustle

Why Does a Fire Truck Cost $2 Million?

These firefighters just wanted to save lives. Private equity had other ideas.

The Guardian

Deadly Collisions: How Airports Try (and Fail) to Keep Birds Out of Plane Engines

Bird strikes cause fatal crashes and cost airlines money. Experts have tactics for chasing away these errant fowl.

Real Simple

Your Most Organized Life Starts Here

It’s time to declutter your closet, organize your kitchen like a pro chef, and get your stuff together. Here’s how to get organized—and actually stay that way.

Condé Nast Traveler

The Glitz, Glam, and Grit of Entertainment on a Cruise Ship

The cruise industry’s ever-expanding entertainment programming requires a vast workforce—and an almost uncountable number of dance shoes.

The 19th

Women’s Contributions and Men’s Racism Erased From History of Muir Woods National Monument

An initiative to fill in historical gaps from the Muir Woods National Monument disappeared under pressure from the Trump administration.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Time

10 Questions to Help You Plan for the End of Life

Talking about death is often life-affirming.

BBC

Mineral v. Chemical Sunscreen: Which One Should You Be Using?

Some people are trading chemical sunscreens in favour of mineral versions because of fears over toxicity, pollution and effectiveness. Is there actually any difference?

NPR

A Creek With Atomic Waste From WWII Is Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

A new study in JAMA shows how proximity to Coldwater Creek, where nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project was improperly stored, affected cancer rates over the decades.

CBS News

COVID-19 Cases Are Rising in These States Amid Summer Wave, CDC Data Shows

The data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also showed a significant increase in COVID-related emergency room visits for young children.

CNBC

Student Loan Bills Could Double for Some Borrowers As Biden-Era Relief Expires

Many student loan borrowers could see their monthly bills more than double now that the Biden-era SAVE plan is defunct.

CNBC

What a Trump, Powell Faceoff Means for Your Money

Tensions are escalating between the White House and the Federal Reserve, with consumers caught in the middle.

Stylist

Managers, Here’s How to Have an Effective 1-to-1, According to Career Experts

How to help your team members get the most from your meetings.

The Walrus

Before You Share That Health Tip, Read This

Misinformation is everywhere. And yes, some of it has probably gotten to you.

Fast Company

I’m a Two-Time Tech Founder. but Restaurants Are Where I Learned to Lead

The surprising lessons the conveyor belt sushi business taught me. Sudden equipment failures. Supply chain surprises. Retaining staff as the goalposts move in real time. These aren’t challenges I’ve faced as a tech founder—but I have faced them running restaurants.

The Week

How Can You Get the Maximum Social Security Retirement Benefit?

For many, Social Security benefits are a key part of their retirement plan. So it makes sense that you would want to get the most possible from this monthly source of income.

Money.com

Why You Probably Need Flood Insurance — Even if You Don't Live Near Water

Over the Fourth of July weekend, parts of central Texas were devastated by flash floods after the region was hit with the equivalent of four months' worth of rain in just a few hours. At least 134 people were killed, and more than 100 are still missing as of press time.

Yahoo

What Is ‘Revenge Saving,’ and Should You Hop on the Trend?

“Revenge saving” emphasizes making up for poor financial habits by being aggressively frugal or restrictive with your current spending.