The New York Times - USA (2020-10-25)

The diabolical ironclad beetle can

withstand a force 39,000 times its

body weight. Unlocking the science

behind the bug’s impressive exoskel-

eton could lead to the development

of stronger building or aeronautical

materials. Here’s hoping researchers

don’t crack under the pressure.

Sketchbook

FORCE OF NATURE

VICTOR KERLOW

THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 N 3

According to family lore, the pianist

Keith Jarrett was 3 when an aunt

told him to turn the burbling of a

nearby stream into music — his first

piano improvisation.

Confronting Life Without His Piano

ARTS & LEISURE, PAGE 14

• In Copenhagen, the restaurant Noma
  formerly charged close to $400 for a
  tasting menu of gastronomic
  curiosities like edible soil.
  The Fed-Up ChefTHE MAGAZINE, PAGE 22


• 
  

  The Fig Tree, a home décor store in
  Chicago, will sell holiday ornaments
  featuring miniature likenesses of
  Dr. Anthony Fauci, toilet paper and
  bottles of hand sanitizer.
  Dark Humor for the Holidays
  SUNDAY STYLES, PAGE 2

  
  

On Feb. 7, 2009, in the Australian

state of Victoria, 400 separate

bushfires raged, claiming 173 lives

and generating the equivalent heat of

500 atomic bombs.

FirestarterBOOK REVIEW, PAGE 19

DC Comics’s Superman died in 1992

but returned the next year with a

black bodysuit, a silver “S” shield

and long hair.

Closets Full of Power Suits (and a Few Regrets)

SUNDAY STYLES, PAGE 4

• The average cremated adult
  produces about five pounds of
  pulverized bone fragments.
  How to Scatter Cremated Remains
  THE MAGAZINE, PAGE 19


• 
  

  Last year, The Pudding, a publisher
  of visual essays, analyzed the average
  “lightness” of models’ skin tones on
  the cover of Vogue and found that
  from 2000 to 2005, only three of
  81 women were Black.
  The White IssueSUNDAY BUSINESS, PAGE 1

  
  

Of Interest

NOTEWORTHY FACTS FROM TODAY’S PAPER

AURÉLIA DURAND

The Upshot on Today’s Polls

The most popular page two weeks before the U.S. presidential

election was The Upshot’s daily analysis of the latest polling.

Joe Biden has so far been able to hold onto a lead in national

polls as well as in surveys of several key states.

New Yorker Suspends Jeffrey Toobin After Zoom Incident

The suspension came after Mr. Toobin, a staff writer for the

magazine and CNN analyst, exposed himself during a Zoom

call with colleagues this month, an incident that he described

in a statement as “an embarrassingly stupid mistake.” He

added: “I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me.”

In Shift for Church, Pope Francis Voices Support

For Same-Sex Civil Unions

The pope expressed his support in remarks revealed in a new
documentary film that premiered on Wednesday. The com-
ments were perhaps his most specific and prominent on the
issue of civil unions and were a significant break from his
predecessors. Conservative critics within the church hierar-
chy saw the statements as a reversal of church teaching.

End Our National Crisis

The editorial board, part of the Opinion department, argued
that “Donald Trump’s re-election campaign poses the greatest
threat to American democracy since World War II” in this
and a series of other articles.

The Conversation

FOUR OF THE MOST READ, SHARED AND DISCUSSED POSTS

FROM ACROSS NYTIMES.COM LAST WEEK

VIVIEN KILLILEA/GETTY IMAGES FOR PSIFF

“The reality is all

planning for 2021 for

us, and for every other

business in America,

has to have an asterisk

next to it in terms of

what the course of the

virus is going to be.”

BASEBALL COMMISSIONER ROB

MANFRED.

Quote of the Day

IMPROBABLY, SPORTS MADE IT

BACK IN 2020. NOW, THE HARD

PART. PAGE 1

It’s that time of year again when compa-

nies scratch and claw and advertise like

heck to get us to buy the latest versions of

their phones. Here are a few questions to

ask yourself to determine whether it’s time

to consider a new phone. BRIAN X. CHEN

Can I still get software updates?If your

smartphone is so old that the manufactur-

er is no longer issuing the latest operating

system for it, you may need to consider

buying a new one. Without the latest oper-

ating system, you may be missing out on

important bug fixes and security enhance-

ments. Some of your favorite apps may

have also stopped working properly.

Is my device beyond repair?If your device

can still get the freshest software but it

has other problems, like a short-lived

battery or a broken screen, I recommend

researching whether it’s worth repairing

the device. Replacing a battery costs about

$50 to $70, and a new screen from an

independent fix-it shop usually costs

around $100. That’s far cheaper (and less

wasteful) than buying a new smartphone.

But at some point the cost of repairs

isn’t worth it. The good news is that you

don’t have to pay $1,000. Excellent smart-

phones, like the Google Pixel 4A and

iPhone SE, cost $350 and $400.

Am I unhappy with my phone?This is a

tough one because satisfaction is subjec-

tive. If you feel that your phone isn’t keep-

ing up with your needs in terms of speed,

features or photo image quality, then it’s

perfectly reasonable to upgrade, assuming

you can afford to. But try to make the

decision based on your needs and wants,

rather than caving to pressure from peers

or corporate advertising.

This article was adapted from the

On Tech newsletter. To sign up, visit

nytimes.com/newsletters.

Here to Help

WHEN TO BUY A NEW PHONE. OR NOT.

AMRITA MARINO

In The Times’s Parenting newsletter, readers are invited to

submit a Tiny Victory, the celebration of those small moments

of triumph in the long days of parenting. For instance, the

ingenious way a parent headed off a toddler meltdown on a

long car ride or persuaded a youngster to take a bite of some-

thing foreign. Find a Tiny Victory one reader submitted below.

My 3-year-old had been

constantly bugging us to try

our coffee — the last thing

I need is a caffeinated

toddler during a pandemic.

I had the idea to convince

her that Dada drinks black

coffee, Mama drinks brown

coffee (with cream), and

she gets white coffee

(milk). We’re a few months

in, and she hasn’t

questioned it!

JENNIE STURM, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

Spotlight

STORIES CONTRIBUTED BY READERS

OF THE NEW YORK TIMES

Sign up for the Parenting newsletter at nytimes.com/parenting. To get

your Tiny Victory published, find us on Instagram @NYTparenting or

email us at [email protected].

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