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[Miscellany] The Crow Whisperer

What happens when we talk to animals?

By Lauren Markham,

Current Issue April 2021

[Letter from Georgia] Civil Warning

Are we living through another antebellum era?

By Elliot Ackerman,

[Report] Lost in Thought

The psychological risks of meditation

By David Kortava,

[Harper’s Index]

Number of days a man stayed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport because he was afraid of flying during the pandemic : 89

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that an American spent the past holiday season alone : 1 in 9

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American men aged 18 to 24 who cite pornography as the most useful source of information on how to have sex : 39

[Harper’s Index]

Who cite their sexual partners : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American women aged 18 to 24 who cite pornography : 14

[Harper’s Index]

Who cite their sexual partners : 32

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of content creators on OnlyFans, a site for sharing explicit videos and photos with paying subscribers : 1,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of those creators who have earned more than $1,000,000 through the site : 100

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change in the amount of total U.S. credit card debt last year : -11

[Harper’s Index]

Amount in property-tax revenue that New York City is expected to lose in 2022 on account of COVID-19 : $2,500,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase last year in the sale of British country houses : 11

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of ducks that have been slaughtered in France this year to stave off avian influenza : 2,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease in the number of flu cases in the United States this season : 99

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of COVID-19 patients who report losing their sense of smell : 45

[Harper’s Index]

Who are found to have lost their sense of smell when examined : 80

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated portion of bitcoin that has been lost or is otherwise inaccessible : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated total value of that bitcoin : $164,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. online shoppers who reported having a package stolen last year : 43

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of items Amazon removed from sale in 2020 because of price gouging : 39,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum value of federal pandemic relief loans made to businesses that promote vaccine skepticism : $1,137,101

[Harper’s Index]

Made to hate groups : $4,248,522

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which U.S. police officers are more likely to use force against left-wing protesters than right-wing protesters : 3.4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Black Lives Matter protests during which the police used force against protesters : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Of Stop the Steal protests during which the police did so : 1

[Harper’s Index]

Number of U.S. troops deployed in Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day : 27,750

[Harper’s Index]

Number of U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq on that day : 5,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who identified as Republicans and Democrats, respectively, at the outset of 2020 : 47, 45

[Harper’s Index]

At the end of 2020 : 39, 50

[Harper’s Index]

Amount of money raised between Election Day and the end of the year by the Biden campaign : $11,400,000

[Harper’s Index]

By the Trump campaign : $115,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of U.S. members of Congress who are not affiliated with a religion : 1

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of the American population that is not : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Amount being offered by a U.S. businessman for evidence of “consciousness after permanent bodily death” : $950,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of adults who would choose to know about future events if they were favorable : 44

[Harper’s Index]

Who would choose to know if they were unfavorable : 12

[Harper’s Index]

Who would choose to know in either case : 1

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Don’t Dolittle: on the need to reassess our relationship with animals

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“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.

“Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, 2017/1438 (Gregorian/Hijri)”

“Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, 2017/1438 (Gregorian/Hijri),” a photograph framed by Tomato Squeezies, by Hassan Hajjaj, whose work is on view through May 29 at Yossi Milo Gallery, in New York City.

Percentage of American adults who are in therapy : 47

Who went to therapy for the first time last year : 17

Who believe that the pandemic has meaningfully damaged their mental health : 62

Number of days a man stayed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport because he was afraid of flying during the pandemic : 89

Chance that an American spent the past holiday season alone : 1 in 9

Percentage of American men aged 18 to 24 who cite pornography as the most useful source of information on how to have sex : 39

Who cite their sexual partners : 17

Percentage of American women aged 18 to 24 who cite pornography : 14

Who cite their sexual partners : 32

Minimum number of content creators on OnlyFans, a site for sharing explicit videos and photos with paying subscribers : 1,000,000

Minimum number of those creators who have earned more than $1,000,000 through the site : 100

Percentage change in the amount of total U.S. credit card debt last year : -11

Amount in property-­tax revenue that New York City is expected to lose in 2022 on account of COVID-19 : $2,500,000,000

Percentage increase last year in the sale of British country houses : 11

Minimum number of ducks that have been slaughtered in France this year to stave off avian influenza : 2,000,000

Percentage decrease in the number of flu cases in the United States this season : 99

Percentage of COVID-19 patients who report losing their sense of smell : 45

Who are found to have lost their sense of smell when examined : 80

Estimated portion of bitcoin that has been lost or is otherwise inaccessible : 1/5

Estimated total value of that bitcoin : $164,000,000,000

Percentage of U.S. online shoppers who reported having a package stolen last year : 43

Minimum number of items Amazon removed from sale in 2020 because of price gouging : 39,000,000

Minimum value of federal pandemic relief loans made to businesses that promote vaccine skepticism : $1,137,101

Made to hate groups : $4,248,522

Factor by which U.S. police officers are more likely to use force against left-wing protesters than right-wing protesters : 3.4

Percentage of Black Lives Matter protests during which the police used force against protesters : 5

Of Stop the Steal protests during which the police did so : 1

Number of U.S. troops deployed in Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day : 27,750

Number of U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq on that day : 5,000

Percentage of Americans who identified as Republicans and Democrats, respectively, at the outset of 2020 : 47, 45

At the end of 2020 : 39, 50

Amount of money raised between Election Day and the end of the year by the Biden campaign : $11,400,000

By the Trump campaign : $115,000,000

Number of U.S. members of Congress who are not affiliated with a religion : 1

Portion of the American population that is not : 1/4

Amount being offered by a U.S. businessman for evidence of “consciousness after permanent bodily death” : $950,000

Percentage of adults who would choose to know about future events if they were favorable : 44

Who would choose to know if they were unfavorable : 12

Who would choose to know in either case : 1

April 13, 2021

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The Crow Whisperer

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Tongues of Fire

Shelter in Place

The Business of Scenery

“Manuel, Desierto de Sonora”

Peace

“Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, 2017/1438 (Gregorian/Hijri)”

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.

Amount in property-tax revenue that New York City is expected to lose in 2022 on account of COVID-19 : $2,500,000,000

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.