Cognoscenti

My mother's caregivers give her what I cannot Immigrants hold more than a quarter of long-term caregiving roles in the U.S. health care system. Many of these workers, from countries including Haiti and Nicaragua, are at risk of being deported by the Trump administration. My concern is two-fold, writes Judy Bolton-Fasman. What will become of my mom's caregivers if they are deported? What will become of us?

"My mother will be 90 this month. I continue to marvel at all the ways the nursing home staff protects her dignity and shows her love." spr.ly/63326fSHze

Third spaces are public goods Third spaces, a term coined by the urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in the 1980s, are places outside the home, but not the office. Many researchers think of these spaces as public goods -- and a lack of access to them degrades our quality of life and our political system.

"I missed being in places where it was OK to be around people, but not with people. Spaces where I could feel free from the relationships and responsibilities of my daily life." spr.ly/63323fULTV

How I fell in love with my e-bike I’m aware of how vulnerable I am on my bike when I place my left foot on the pavement, waiting for the light to change, surrounded by cars next to me ready to roar, writes Mathilde Piton. At the same time, there’s a feeling of power. I’m in charge.

"The truth is, biking every day makes my life better," writes Mathilde Piton. "It reduces my stress, I can choose to slow down, or to go faster." spr.ly/63322fULHk

A Palestinian bakery in Somerville that always feels like home What continues to make Yafa so special is that what might feel sacred elsewhere is the standard here, writes Lydia Begag. Over time, I started paying attention not just to how Abdulla’s practice of ‘amanah’ was unfolding, but how it was quietly changing me.

What continues to make Yafa so special is that what might feel sacred elsewhere is the standard here, writes Lydia Begag. spr.ly/63324fYIqI

The 'deluge of misery' in Gaza is acute. And we Jews, especially, must not look away The unvarnished horror of mass starvation and suffering in Gaza must be seen for what it is: an unfathomable abomination that must not continue, yet which cannot be undone, writes Daniel Osborn.

The unvarnished horror of mass starvation and suffering in Gaza must be seen for what it is – an unfathomable abomination that must not continue, yet which cannot be undone, writes Daniel Osborn. spr.ly/63324fYIkw

Medicaid was my passport to the world Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act 35 years ago, but this year they cut Medicaid, and my future is uncertain, writes Anne Fracht. Without Medicaid, I might never have had the chance to be a part of my community the way I am today.

Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act 35 years ago, but this year they cut Medicaid, and my future is uncertain, writes Anne Fracht. Without Medicaid, I might never have had the chance to be a part of my community the way I am today. spr.ly/63320f9ikp

Saturdays with my grandmother, and Hulk Hogan My immigrant grandmother’s English wasn’t great, and I didn’t speak Polish, so our closeness didn’t come from deep conversations, writes Jennifer Serafyn. Instead, our bond was forged watching Hulk Hogan wrestle on Saturday mornings.

My immigrant grandmother’s English wasn’t great, and I didn’t speak Polish, so our closeness didn’t come from deep conversations, writes Jennifer Serafyn. Instead, our bond was forged watching Hulk Hogan wrestle on Saturday mornings. spr.ly/63321fd9BS

There are so many ways to make a family When Ruthie Ackerman first decided to use a donor egg to conceive, she worried there could be a lingering, lifelong wedge between her and her child, because they wouldn't share genetic material. But today Ruthie knows something she only understood intellectually before: Family isn’t biology or genetics. It’s devotion. It’s showing up. It’s caretaking.

"My daughter will be five in a few months. She’s off to kindergarten in the fall," writes Ruthie Ackerman. "If you ask, she’ll tell you about the lady with the extra eggs she was nice enough to share, and the doctor who helped make it all happen." spr.ly/63325fzqUZ

The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves Cog editor Kate Neale Cooper is a runner. Or at least she used to be. In midlife, I’m not willing to accept that my running days are over, she writes, but I have accepted that I need to find new ways to move. Still, I told people, I do not like yoga.

"I have to move my body to still my mind. I’ve always been this way, so it surprised no one when I took up running as a teenager, or when it carried me through adulthood." spr.ly/63329fJGZU

Joni’s jazz and Bonnie’s blues: ‘All this time later, I still find it thrilling’ Two of my favorite musicians, Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt, are being feted in this twilight of their careers, writes Mark Schlack. I’m thrilled to see them get their due, but what’s missing for me is an acknowledgement of the daring brilliance of their less celebrated work.

"Raitt’s blues recall her personal struggles. Mitchell’s jazz highlights her unrepentant iconoclasm, her unwillingness to make endless copies of her masterpiece." spr.ly/63322fJH6e

Returning to triathlons in midlife helped me return to myself Pavithra Natarajan ran triathlons in her 20s, before she lost herself in the quotidian of being a wife and mother. Years passed, then a chance encounter nudged awake something inside her and she registered for another race.

I thought about how, before I was a wife and a mother, I was a human with hopes, desires and dreams of my own, writes Pavithra Natarajan. Next thing I knew, I was exercising daily and bought a Lycra tri-suit. http://spr.ly/63327fB5gJ

‘Project Esther’ and Trump’s playbook against antisemitism Many people believe President Trump is weaponizing antisemitism in his war against diversity, equity and inclusion. What many may not realize, however, is that his administration seems to be following a playbook written by the Heritage Foundation called “Project Esther,” writes Anita Diamant.

'Project Esther' is a playbook — an exercise in cynicism by an administration eager to prey on people’s worst fears — named for a biblical heroine who is credited with saving her people from annihilation, writes Anita Diamant. http://spr.ly/63320f6n3k

A Founding Father of NPR Worries About Its Fate

“Imagine the silence without it.”

A Founding Father of NPR Worries About Its Fate www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/b...

Ranked choice voting in NYC showed us what elections could look like The real story from the New York City mayoral primary isn't Zohran Mamdani's victory, but voters' response to a different way of voting, writes Ismar Volić, director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy at Wellesley College.

From a mathematical point of view, ranked choice voting asks for more information from the voter so that the algorithm can do more with it, writes Ismar Volić. Because it has more data to work with, RCV is much better at representing the will of the voters than plurality voting.

Summer is the perfect time to adopt a cat Animal shelters, scrambling for temporary foster homes to avoid overcrowding and the resulting health issues, face myths and misapprehensions about cats that scare off potential fosters, writes Rich Barlow. Allow me to dispel your doubts.

Dog lovers perhaps measure “fun” by animals’ willingness to sit, stay and obey other human commands, writes Rich Barlow. Cats flunk that anthro-centric demand, hands down, and bless them: Their unquenchable trace of in-the-wild independence is what intrigues us fans. http://spr.ly/633244Ayz6

I counsel women going through a divorce. Here's what they tell me Many women who initiate divorce tell me their spouse was more like an unreliable assistant than a true partner, writes psychotherapist Oona Metz. Eventually, after years of unproductive conversations, the imbalance tipped so far that the marriage fell over.

"Overall, marriage in the U.S. works better for men than it does for women." http://spr.ly/633244IeIa

The Supreme Court 'kneecapped' the lower federal courts. Or did it? The courts continue to be the only bulwark against an overreaching executive, writes Nancy Gertner, a former U.S. District Court judge. After the high court’s ruling on nationwide injunctions, it looked like Trump had won another victory, but the lower courts may surprise us yet.

"[W]here Congress is passive, the courts — courts at all levels, including the district court on which I served — continue to be the only bulwark against an overreaching executive," writes former federal Judge Nancy Gertner. http://spr.ly/633274IenH

Bees, like people, need each other When Linda Button's other half decided to become a beekeeper, he transformed their backyard. He cleared a space for the hives, lining it with rocks and building trellises with flowering vines to guide the bees away from the kids next door. This is who Peter is, a nurturer, she writes. It’s what drew me to him.

"We’re all learning. Bees, like people, need each other. Bees, like all of us, do best when they lean on each other’s strengths." http://spr.ly/633234QmHF

To stay on ‘nodding terms’ Theoretically, Cog editor Cloe Axelson should be great at keeping a journal. But she has a nagging (if slightly unhinged) worry that she could be run over by a bus: What if all of her private musings immediately became public? Author Suleika Jaouad might have the answer for that.

Cog editor Cloe Axelson should be great at keeping a journal. But she has a nagging (if slightly unhinged) worry if she died suddenly, all of her private musings could become public. Author Suleika Jaouad might have the answer for that. http://spr.ly/633234i0Wx

What we give — and receive — with the words, 'I'm sorry' It’s Pride month, and Jason Prokowiew has been thinking about a high school bully — one who surprised him. It couldn’t have taken more than a few minutes, and is now nearly 30 years ago, yet that apology is a moment I think of often, he writes. It was a first for me — when someone, unprovoked, said “I’m sorry.”

I know what it means to have someone who once screamed “I hate who you are” turn a corner, apologize and stand beside you instead, writes Jason Prokowiew. http://spr.ly/633294i09l

I'm a summer-hater through and through but this sweet post had me jotting a little to-do list: bsky.app/profile/cogw...

The moral imperative to show up anyway 'What good will it do?' is the question people ask upon learning I’m participating in a 40-day solidarity Fast for Gaza, writes Leah Hager Cohen. For most of us, it's a bitter truth that there is litt...

"For most of us, in the end, our bodies ... are what we have to offer. It’s the one thing we all possess, the one thing we can all choose to put on the line to try to heal what’s broken," writes Leah Hager Cohen. www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/...

Tuberculosis doesn't respect borders Tuberculosis kills 1.3 million people each year, making it the deadliest infectious disease in the world, write KJ Seung and Kunda Kwabisha Mikanda. Eliminating U.S. funding to combat it around the gl...

ESSAY: "Stopping the fight against drug resistant TB today, even temporarily, will have irreversible, catastrophic effects in the long run — for generations to come," write KJ Seung and Kunda Kwabisha Mikanda. @wbur.org @pih.org @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/...

How should kids spend their summer? Not in AP classes Many kids have too much pressure — the emotional stress parents and society put on children — and not enough responsibility, writes Ellen Braaten.

It’s summer so I thought I would repost something I wrote a couple of years ago about summers and kids for @wbur.org @cogwbur.bsky.social www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/...

13 ways to savor the season To savor our region’s sweet few temperate months, I created a summer checklist that I endeavor to make my way through once summer begins, writes Alysia Abbott. Soaking up the season is my way of actively living.

To savor New England's sweet few temperate months, I created a summer checklist, writes Alysia Abbott. On her list? Wandering a yard sale, procuring the perfect farm stand tomato and riding a ferry -- any ferry! http://spr.ly/633204ZwCo

Our 'obligations' to the dead Connecting with the dead doesn’t require Ouija boards or mediums, writes Julie Wittes Schlack. It can be a form of companionship, an act of gratitude, a private tribute that enriches the giver.

"I, like so many people who have lost loved ones, notice their presence not because I’m still grieving their deaths, but because I’m still grateful for their lives," writes Julie Wittes Schlack. http://spr.ly/633274Xk1V

What I didn’t have to think about at a historically Black college At Spelman, Blackness wasn't the first thing everybody saw, because it was something we all had in common, writes Nadia Harden. I didn't have to spend those formative four years of my life trying to assimilate and silence myself.

"To me, HBCUs are a proof point for what can happen when Black people have equal access to resources and education," Nadia Harden told Cog in a 2023 conversation. http://spr.ly/633224T9Be

‘We are our ancestors' wildest dreams’: Sharing stories from the African diaspora We want to make theater in a way that we're not just replicating the same damaging systems. We’re thinking about whose stories we tell, and whose experience we center in telling those stories, say Dawn Meredith Simmons and Maurice Emmanuel Parent who are co-founders and co-artistic producers of The Front Porch Arts Collective, a Black theater company.

"Taking rest is an act of protest. We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams. I think about that a lot. The fact that we are allowed to rest is radical." http://spr.ly/633204Tgfe

This era of 'the resistance' feels different At a "No Kings" rally in Gloucester, Mass., Anita Diamant felt a sense of relief. It was good to be together, she writes. It was joyful. It felt as though something had shifted in the body politic. A return of hope. Of agency. Of energy.

At a "No Kings" rally in Gloucester, Anita Diamant felt a sense of relief. "It was good to be together," she writes. "It was joyful. It felt as though something had shifted in the body politic. A return of hope. Of agency. Of energy." http://spr.ly/633274RMgF

Dreaming small in my backyard In the span of not-quite four weeks, I’ve transplanted dozens — maybe hundreds — of plants from my parents’ yard to my own. What is happening to me? asks Cog editor Cloe Axelson.

"In the span of not-quite four weeks, I’ve transplanted dozens — maybe hundreds — of plants from my parents’ yard to my own. I tore up two large plots of grass using an edger and my new trusty pickaxe. I learned about the importance of fluffing soil." http://spr.ly/633224RMau