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[Report] Sign of the Times

Caliphate and the perils of reporting online

By James Harkin,

Current Issue May 2021

[Letter from Terre Haute] The Lightning Farm

The death penalty under Trump and the execution of Dustin Higgs

By Caroline Lester,

[Memoir] The Silent Type

On (possibly) being Bob Dylan’s son

By Sam Sussman,

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Republicans who regard Donald Trump as the best president in American history : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of 2020 Trump voters who feel more loyal to Trump than to the Republican Party : 54

[Harper’s Index]

Who would support a Trump party over the Republican Party : 46

[Harper’s Index]

Who believe that the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was largely inspired by Antifa : 58

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of countries that have criminalized spreading misinformation : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of people in China who have been arrested for producing fake COVID-19 vaccines : 80

[Harper’s Index]

Number of doses produced by one man arrested in February : 58,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which declaring the intent to get a vaccine on OkCupid increases an American user’s chance of receiving a like : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated minimum number of U.S. COVID-19 deaths prevented by local moratoriums on evictions and utility shutoffs : 57,000

[Harper’s Index]

That would have been prevented had the entire country adopted such moratoriums : 170,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase last year in life-insurance applications from Americans under age 49 : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of identified long-term effects from contracting COVID-19 : 55

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of currently unemployed Americans who have considered changing careers : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of men working from home who would feel comfortable returning to the workplace when it reopens : 77

[Harper’s Index]

Of women : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change in average U.S. household spending on streaming services since the onset of the pandemic : +24

[Harper’s Index]

Average increase in the number of streaming services an American household now subscribes to : 1

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of directly held stock owned by the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans : 51

[Harper’s Index]

By the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans : 92

[Harper’s Index]

By the bottom 50 percent of Americans

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who believe the stock market is rigged against amateur investors : 64

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of long-term day traders who ultimately lose money : 97

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who think the stock market does a good job of measuring the country’s economic health : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Amount of energy, in terawatt-hours, used each year in the production of bitcoin : 121

[Harper’s Index]

Used each year by the United Arab Emirates : 113

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of energy used in bitcoin production that is generated by nonrenewable sources : 61

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which a solar farm was more expensive to build and maintain than a coal plant in 2009 : 3.2

[Harper’s Index]

By which a coal plant is more expensive to build and maintain than a solar farm today : 2.2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change in overall car sales last year : -14

[Harper’s Index]

In electric car sales : +43

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated cost of stabilizing biodiversity by 2050 if measures are taken immediately : $7,000,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

If measures are taken ten years from now : $15,000,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of countries that consume more resources than their ecosystems can regenerate : 74

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of Earths that humanity would require to sustain its current level of resource consumption : 1.6

[Harper’s Index]

Year in which humanity is expected to require two Earths : 2030

[Harper’s Index]

Number of years that have passed since Earth previously reached today’s average temperature : 12,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of days by which climate change has lengthened the duration of allergy season since 1990 : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about climate change’s impact on their mental health : 55

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change over the past year in the membership of the Optimist International club : -9

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Town of C

Talking pictures: Richard Rothman and Lyle Rexer

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Monday Gallery

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Blossom and Peat

Blossom and Peat, a hand-embroidered photograph by Julie Cockburn, whose work is on view through May 15 at Hopstreet Gallery, in Brussels.

“Manuel, Desierto de Sonora”

“Manuel, Desierto de Sonora,” 1979, a photograph by Graciela Iturbide, whose work is on view through May 2 with Patricia Conde Galería, in Mexico City.

Peace

Peace, 1956, a painting by Jacob Lawrence. The painting is Panel 26 of Lawrence’s series Struggle: From the History of the American People, 1954–56, which is on view through May 23 at the Seattle Art Museum.

Portion of Republicans who regard Donald Trump as the best president in American history : 1/3

Percentage of 2020 Trump voters who feel more loyal to Trump than to the Republican Party : 54

Who would support a Trump party over the Republican Party : 46

Who believe that the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was largely inspired by Antifa : 58

Minimum number of countries that have criminalized spreading misinformation : 20

Minimum number of people in China who have been arrested for producing fake COVID-19 vaccines : 80

Number of doses produced by one man arrested in February : 58,000

Percentage by which declaring the intent to get a vaccine on OkCupid increases an American user’s chance of receiving a like : 20

Estimated minimum number of U.S. COVID-19 deaths prevented by local moratoriums on evictions and utility shutoffs : 57,000

That would have been prevented had the entire country adopted such moratoriums : 170,000

Percentage increase last year in life-insurance applications from Americans under age 49 : 8

Minimum number of identified long-term effects from contracting COVID-19 : 55

Portion of currently unemployed Americans who have considered changing careers : 2/3

Percentage of men working from home who would feel comfortable returning to the workplace when it reopens : 77

Of women : 59

Percentage change in average U.S. household spending on streaming services since the onset of the pandemic : +24

Average increase in the number of streaming services an American household now subscribes to : 1

Percentage of directly held stock owned by the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans : 51

By the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans : 92

By the bottom 50 percent of Americans

Percentage of Americans who believe the stock market is rigged against amateur investors : 64

Estimated percentage of long-term day traders who ultimately lose money : 97

Percentage of Americans who think the stock market does a good job of measuring the country’s economic health : 17

Amount of energy, in terawatt-hours, used each year in the production of bitcoin : 121

Used each year by the United Arab Emirates : 113

Estimated percentage of energy used in bitcoin production that is generated by nonrenewable sources : 61

Factor by which a solar farm was more expensive to build and maintain than a coal plant in 2009 : 3.2

By which a coal plant is more expensive to build and maintain than a solar farm today : 2.2

Percentage change in overall car sales last year : -14

In electric car sales : +43

Estimated cost of stabilizing biodiversity by 2050 if measures are taken immediately : $7,000,000,000,000

If measures are taken ten years from now : $15,000,000,000,000

Percentage of countries that consume more resources than their ecosystems can regenerate : 74

Estimated number of Earths that humanity would require to sustain its current level of resource consumption : 1.6

Year in which humanity is expected to require two Earths : 2030

Number of years that have passed since Earth previously reached today’s average temperature : 12,000

Number of days by which climate change has lengthened the duration of allergy season since 1990 : 5

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about climate change’s impact on their mental health : 55

Percentage change over the past year in the membership of the Optimist International club : -9

April 13, 2021

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Narco in Chief

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Birds of a Feather

Blossom and Peat

“Manuel, Desierto de Sonora”

Peace

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.