Wednesday, April 15th. The anniversary of the Marathon Bombings.
The Trump administration has cut funding to the World Health Organization in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. I’m with Bill Gates on this one.
Winters in Russia were brutal in the 19th century and many of Chekhov’s stories were set in early spring, a time of hope. So along with what’s happening in the world today, this is a good time to read them. Parul Sehgal reviews a new collection of stories but doesn’t particularly like the translation. He recommends versions translated by Avrahm Yarmolinsky but I’ve always liked the Constance Garnett versions. Here’s her translation of one of my favorite Chekhov’s stories, The Student. It’s a five minute read, at most. If you like it, check out Easter Eve or the masterpiece, The Bishop. All free online.
Economists weighed in for The Globe on how the Massachusetts economy will be impacted by coronavirus (greatly) and what a recovery will look like (nobody knows). There. Saved you five minutes.
Trump’s name will be printed on the stimulus checks in this election year. Now that’s some good exposure. Almost as shameless as Bill Galvin’s census PSA’s.
And if you’re having trouble unlocking your iPhone while wearing a mask, you may have to retrain its facial recognition system. There’s a trick to it, but it’s not hard to do.