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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