Harper’s Magazine

[Letter from Texas] Free Country

Permitless carry and the new gun-rights extremism

by Rachel Monroe,

Current Issue February 2022

[Miscellany] Another Green World

Can the planet’s ecosystems be replicated?

by Jessica Camille Aguirre,

[Article] The Intelligence Factory

How America makes its enemies disappear

by Petra Bartosiewicz,

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans and Democrats, respectively, who got a flu shot in the 2019–20 flu season : 53, 56

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they have gotten or are very likely to get a flu shot this season : 44, 68

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in U.S. sales of cigarettes in 2020 : 0.4

[Harper’s Index]

Year in which U.S. cigarette sales last increased : 2000

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans aged 18 to 25 who say their alcohol use has increased during the pandemic : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Who say their drug use has increased : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say that drug use has been a source of trouble for their family : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of times people switch between screens or tabs per day : 566

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of minutes it takes to get back on task after checking a cell phone notification : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in U.S. workers who have been involved in a workplace relationship since the start of the pandemic : 26

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of adults with shared finances who have lied to their partners about money : 39

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which fewer Americans planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day last year than the year before : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2017 in the number of married Americans who say their spouse makes life meaningful : –58

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of U.S. households that acquired a cat or dog during the pandemic : 23,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of dog training services offered via Zoom increased during the pandemic : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which more working women than men report experiencing burnout often or almost always : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Number of years by which the average retirement age is lower in China than in the United States : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of U.S. employee walkouts since the start of the pandemic : 1,670

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since August in Google searches for “how to send a resignation email” : 3,450

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which bonuses for U.S. investment bankers and traders were projected to increase last year : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of active-duty U.S. military families that face food insecurity : 1/6

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of federal prison workers who have been arrested or sentenced for crimes since 2019 : 100

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of mistreatment and neglect reports filed with New York City child-welfare caseworkers per week : 1,054

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of eviction cases filed in New York City since the start of the pandemic : 77,346

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in rat sightings in New York City last year : 52

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of birds killed each year in New York City by collisions with glass windows : 90,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of whales killed by collisions with ships each year : 750

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the weight of whales killed in the twentieth century exceeds that of all wild mammals today : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum amount, in tons, of pandemic-associated plastic waste that has been deposited in the ocean : 25,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of material received by U.S. recycling centers that is nonrecyclable : 22

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which U.S. online grocery sales have increased since the start of the pandemic : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of New York City food delivery workers who have had their bikes stolen : 54

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of college graduates projected to need at least twenty years to recoup their tuition costs : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those graduates who will likely never recoup the total : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which philosophy majors are more likely than psychology majors to describe themselves as “brilliant” : 9

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults who say they have questioned the meaning of life in the past year : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that suffering is mostly a consequence of one’s own actions : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Who believe in heaven : 3/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans with graduate degrees who believe in ghosts : 1/3

Weekly Review

Harper’s Podcast

Another Green World

The big ship: on space exploration, climate change, and a new experiment at Biosphere 2

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Monday Gallery

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An untitled photograph, circa 1950s, by Sven Gillsäter, whose work is on view through March 11 in the exhibition Swedish Modern: Mid-Century Photographs by Swedish Photographers at Keith de Lellis Gallery, in New York City.

Courtesy the artist and Keith de Lellis Gallery, New York City

Sandy and Her Husband

Sandy and Her Husband, 1973, a painting by Emma Amos, whose work is on view through January 17 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Courtesy the Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund

“Grandpa helping Grandma out”

“Grandpa helping Grandma out,” a photograph by Gillian Laub, from her book Family Matters, which was published last year by Aperture. Laub’s work is on view through January 10 at the International Center of Photography, in New York City.

“Somewhere not here #077, 2017”

“Somewhere not here #077, 2017,” a photograph by Toshiya Watanabe, whose monograph Somewhere Not Here was published last year by Ibasho.

Courtesy the artist and Ibasho

Percentage of Republicans and Democrats, respectively, who got a flu shot in the 2019–20 flu season : 53, 56

Who say they have gotten or are very likely to get a flu shot this season : 44, 68

Percentage increase in U.S. sales of cigarettes in 2020 : 0.4

Year in which U.S. cigarette sales last increased : 2000

Portion of Americans aged 18 to 25 who say their alcohol use has increased during the pandemic : 1/5

Who say their drug use has increased : 1/5

Portion of Americans who say that drug use has been a source of trouble for their family : 1/3

Average number of times people switch between screens or tabs per day : 566

Average number of minutes it takes to get back on task after checking a cell phone notification : 25

Percentage increase in U.S. workers who have been involved in a workplace relationship since the start of the pandemic : 26

Percentage of adults with shared finances who have lied to their partners about money : 39

Percentage by which fewer Americans planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day last year than the year before : 5

Percentage change since 2017 in the number of married Americans who say their spouse makes life meaningful : –58

Estimated number of U.S. households that acquired a cat or dog during the pandemic : 23,000,000

Factor by which the number of dog training services offered via Zoom increased during the pandemic : 2

Percentage by which more working women than men report experiencing burnout often or almost always : 20

Number of years by which the average retirement age is lower in China than in the United States : 3

Minimum number of U.S. employee walkouts since the start of the pandemic : 1,670

Percentage increase since August in Google searches for “how to send a resignation email” : 3,450

Percentage by which bonuses for U.S. investment bankers and traders were projected to increase last year : 20

Portion of active-duty U.S. military families that face food insecurity : 1/6

Minimum number of federal prison workers who have been arrested or sentenced for crimes since 2019 : 100

Average number of mistreatment and neglect reports filed with New York City child-welfare caseworkers per week : 1,054

Minimum number of eviction cases filed in New York City since the start of the pandemic : 77,346

Percentage increase in rat sightings in New York City last year : 52

Minimum number of birds killed each year in New York City by collisions with glass windows : 90,000

Minimum number of whales killed by collisions with ships each year : 750

Factor by which the weight of whales killed in the twentieth century exceeds that of all wild mammals today : 2

Minimum amount, in tons, of pandemic-associated plastic waste that has been deposited in the ocean : 25,000

Percentage of material received by U.S. recycling centers that is nonrecyclable : 22

Factor by which U.S. online grocery sales have increased since the start of the pandemic : 6

Percentage of New York City food delivery workers who have had their bikes stolen : 54

Portion of college graduates projected to need at least twenty years to recoup their tuition costs : 1/4

Portion of those graduates who will likely never recoup the total : 3/5

Percentage by which philosophy majors are more likely than psychology majors to describe themselves as “brilliant” : 9

Portion of U.S. adults who say they have questioned the meaning of life in the past year : 1/4

Who say that suffering is mostly a consequence of one’s own actions : 7/10

Who believe in heaven : 3/4

Portion of Americans with graduate degrees who believe in ghosts : 1/3

January 19, 2022

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Another Green World

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The Great Wall of Steel

Late at Night

National Treasure

Sandy and Her Husband

“Grandpa helping Grandma out”

“Somewhere not here #077, 2017”

Past Issues

Harper’s Finest

From the Archive

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SARS was found in tears.

A psycholinguistic analysis of posts on Twitter and Weibo during COVID-19 lockdowns found that residents of Lombardy grew increasingly focused on leisure and residents of Wuhan grew increasingly focused on religion.

Convalescent plasma helps Syrian hamsters fight SARS-CoV-2.

Falling levels of tourist trash during pandemic lockdowns was found to have caused rat infighting, and macaques were reported to have attacked a lab assistant in Delhi and stolen vials of COVID-­19-­infected blood, which at least one monkey then tried to eat.

The World Health Organization warned that SARS will probably return this winter.

Falling levels of tourist trash during pandemic lockdowns was found to have caused rat infighting, and macaques were reported to have attacked a lab assistant in Delhi and stolen vials of COVID-19-infected blood, which at least one monkey then tried to eat.