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12 Great Stories That Have Nothing to Do With Politics - The New York Times

posted onMay 14, 2017
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Article snippet: Welcome to Our Picks, a guide to the best stuff to read, watch and listen to from around the internet. Check this space for the must-read long-form article, the next great podcast for your commute, the news-making tweetstorm. And yes, we’re also tooting our own horn here. We’ll share can’t-miss New York Times articles from the week and reveal some gems you might have overlooked. We want to hear from you! Send us feedback about our selections to ourpicks@nytimes.com. • When he was 19 years old, Ernest Hemingway had a big crush on Frances Elizabeth Coates, a girl he knew from high school. To woo her, Hemingway did what he did best: write. Read the newly discovered letters here. [Paris Review of Books] • Americans are unique in their obsession with lawns. They’re a pain to maintain, they don’t produce anything we can eat, and they use up a lot of water. Turns out, the phrase “the grass is always greener” carries a lot more power than we realize. [Scientific American] • Here’s a story of how the tragic death of a 7-year-old rattled a country and, in the process, tripled the number of organ donations. [BBC Magazine] • Beauty patches, face stickers, mouches. Whatever you call the fake beauty marks that European aristocrats affixed to their cheeks, their history is worth exploring. Started as a way to cover up blemishes, their purely aesthetic function only became popular in the late 1500s. After reading this piece, you’ll understand why beauty patches became so ubiqui... Link to the full article to read more

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