Ben Tocker

yeah I rely on GPT for everything….girlfriend, partner, trusted confidant

The Powerful Consistency of Mail Delivery How mail carriers manage to do a job that keeps the country running

In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores how mail carriers do their jobs—even in the most remote parts of the country:

The Pleasures of Reading Outside Taking a book outside can be a practice in holding your attention.

Why not bring a book outside? In The Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social offers suggestions for what to read outdoors:

The Limits of the Family Vacation Travel doesn’t fix everything.

In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores how family vacations have changed, and how to make the most of your time with loved ones without expecting too much.

How to Decide What to Watch The more streaming options pop up, the harder it gets.

In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social rounds up our critics’ suggestions for how to organize your movie-watching and find what’s right for your mood.

The One Place Where Nuclear War Isn’t Abstract A conversation with Ross Andersen about what he saw in Hiroshima

The tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have turned Japan into a longtime proponent of nuclear disarmament. But that national identity is starting to shift, Ross Andersen told Isabel Fattal in The Atlantic Daily.

YouTube video by The Right Time with Bomani Jones Will Knicks make NBA Finals with Mike Brown, Steelers exploiting TJ Watt | Bomani Jones

Will Knicks make NBA Finals with Mike Brown, Steelers & TJ Watt Contract Negotiations, plus more.

Full episode 📺: youtu.be/fxFkKdHnqQs

Our Writers’ Boldest Opinions About Food A roundup of articles revisiting the snacks, meals, and drinks that make up American life

"Atlantic writers have never been afraid to make bold claims about beloved foods and beverages," @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes in the Wonder Reader. She rounds up our writers' strongest opinions on what we eat and drink:

With the Big, Beautiful Bill, You Can Now Sponsor a Billionaire of Your Choosing "My fellow Americans: When you pay taxes, which would you rather support? Cancer research, or getting one guy a really big boat?" @petridishes writes:

“My fellow Americans: When you pay taxes, which would you rather support? Cancer research, or getting one guy a really big boat?” @petridishes.bsky.social writes:

How Sleeping Less Became an American Value Working at the expense of rest has long been a pillar of achievement.

In some corners of American culture, one rule applies: The less you sleep, the more impressive you are.

Americans have been ascribing moral value to sleep, or the lack thereof, for centuries. Isabel Fattal explores the concept in Time-Travel Thursdays.

Our Writers’ Boldest Opinions About Food A roundup of articles revisiting the snacks, meals, and drinks that make up American life

"Atlantic writers have never been afraid to make bold claims about beloved foods and beverages," @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes in the Wonder Reader. She rounds up our writers' strongest opinions on what we eat and drink:

How to Deal With Insults The sting comes fast, and it can stick around for a while unless you do something to move forward.

Being offended can make a person feel powerless. But there are some ways to control our experience when we feel insulted. In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social rounds up advice for dealing with insults:

American healthcare system: “heyyyyyy there’s this new drug that’ll cure yr migraines, u should try it ;)

…also, u need to “be seen” by a specialist every 3 months or else no meds and u get even worse migraines than before ;) also, all the specialists are always overbooked ;) $65 co-pay, pls ;)”

Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad's wife.

While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.

This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely.

My Super-Special 79th Was Not Super Special A diary entry by a disappointed president

"What does a president have to do to get the right kind of birthday tank parade?" A diary entry from a disappointed Donald Trump, by Alexandra Petri:

The Challenges and Opportunities of Midlife How does a person manage change when it comes for them?

How does a person manage professional decline when it comes for them—and, for that matter, the many other changes that midlife may bring? In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores the challenges and the opportunities of midlife:

So, What Did I Miss? “How much can possibly happen when I’m on parental leave?” I said five months ago.

“How much can possibly happen when I’m on parental leave?” Alexandra Petri asked five months ago, on January 10, 2025. A lot, it turns out:

went to shul tonight and the only thing anyone was interested in doing was talk about politics. Typical.

Paris Can Be Intimidating—But It Has Great Butter A conversation with Caity Weaver about following Mark Twain there

“I feel like a completely idiotic, disorganized, disheveled crumb bum anywhere, but especially in Paris,” @caity.bsky.social tells @isabelfattal.bsky.social. And yet: the butter was “unbelievably good.”

How Air-Conditioning Built Our Reality The AC was not only a brilliant innovation; it changed the course of human life.

"The air conditioner was not only a brilliant innovation; it changed the course of human life"—and it's still shaping our world, @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes in the Wonder Reader:

America’s College Crisis Americans’ feelings about the benefits of higher education don’t always match the facts.

“Even though the numbers make the case for college, much of Americans’ distrust in higher education has nothing to do with return on investment,” Isabel Fattal writes in the Atlantic Daily:

When College Graduates Face Reality Advice from Atlantic writers on dealing with the inevitable uncertainty of the next weeks and months

In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social rounds up some honest, not-always-rosy, but often hopeful advice for the graduate in your life.

…and in this house, Chimpanzini Bananini is a hero - end of story!

An Atlantic Reading List on Consciousness What it feels like to love somebody who cannot communicate the way they once did

In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social rounds up stories on the human mind, and what it feels like to love somebody who cannot communicate the way they once did.

A Dangerous Disguise for Anti-Semitism The suspect who allegedly shot and killed two Israeli-embassy aides invoked the Palestinian struggle as a pretext to harm Jews.

“Neither Palestine nor Israel will ever truly be free until their societies are liberated from megalomaniacal men who perpetrate demonic acts in their name,” @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social writes in The Atlantic Daily.

Why do we accept this kind of duplicitous BS from our elected officials? Look at how @zellnor.bsky.social spoke about substantial equivalency on April 25 vs now. He’s lost my vote. I think it’s in everyone’s interest that people don’t accept having another mayor who lacks integrity and lies to us.

When I was in yeshiva, we learned this from the Gemara (Talmud): "That which is hateful to you, don't do to another. That's the entire Torah, the rest is interpretation."

The Torah of AMs Wieder, Eichenstein, Yeger, Weprin, Berger?
Well, that can be summed up as: "F*ck you, I got mine".

Go study.

and I say this with so much pride as a yeshiva grad for what we’ve contributed to society. But if you attribute yeshiva education to helping you get to this position, only to then turn around and use your power to stunt someone else’s yeshiva education? Yeah, that’s a terrible look for all of us

N.Y. lawmakers defend nonpublic school rule changes in budget Policymakers declined to discuss the issue until the budget was done.

“I did not experience this issue personally, so it’s not a problem for anyone else” is such a deeply apathetic and dangerous stance for any lawmaker to take. It’s just so extremely un-Jewish.

Assembly Member Berger is a disgrace to yeshiva grads everywhere.

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