Image: Chyenne Lee celebrates after her sister Sunisa Lee won gold in the Women's All-Around gymnastics Final at the Tokyo Olympic Games at a watch party on July 29, 2021 in Oakdale, Minn.

Golden opportunity

Nancy Yang Hmong Americans have felt invisible for decades. Then along came Suni Lee.

Isn't it ironic

Billie Eilish has a new look and sound in 'Happier Than Ever' but the same old talent

In her sophomore effort, the pop star makes something meaningful out of her struggles with fame, judgement and criticism.

Sarah John

Image: Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in, \"The Green Knight.\"

A24

a knight that doesn't shine

'The Green Knight' is the best medieval takedown since 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'

Gawain signed a contract and has to fulfill the terms, however pointless, due to an abstract principle that everyone has decided is more important than his life.

Noah Berlatsky

Image: A health worker administers a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine on a woman at the Maccabi Health Service in Jerusalem, on July 30, 2021, as Israel launches its campaign to give booster shots to people aged over 60.

Ahmad Gharabli / AFP - Getty Images

don't give me a boost

The Pfizer and Moderna push for Covid boosters isn't just about health

The new CDC report on the strain's breakthrough cases raises concern, but vaccinating the unvaccinated will go much further than vaccinating the vaccinated.

Dr. Jalal Baig

Dwayne Johnson as Frank and Emily Blunt as Lily in \"Jungle Cruise.\"

Frank Masi / Disney

the lose cruise

Not even The Rock's limitless charisma can save Disney's 'Jungle Cruise'

“Jungle Cruise” sails into theaters on a wave of marketing hype and a superthin premise.

Ani Bundel

A nurse loads syringes with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic in Bridgeport, Conn.

Joseph Prezioso / AFP - Getty Images

truth serum

I'm a contact tracer who's seen people lie about this virus. We need vaccine mandates.

My contact tracing and vaccine outreach work has shown how mandates can protect us when family members won’t.

Michael T. Luongo

Here's what to hold onto post-pandemic

These lessons from the lockdown made our lives richer, healthier and more meaningful.

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Don't throw out your Covid masks

The pandemic has unequivocally proven the public health value of masks. Here's why they should stick around in certain situations.

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Can't touch this! And that's how I want it.

The pandemic has unshackled me from the casual touches that define interpersonal communication for most people.

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It's the dawning of a new era of resistance

The pinprick of light at the end of this dark tunnel is finally coming into view, and it will hopefully bring a new era of working-class resistance along with it.

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Covid gave me the best birthday party ever

It was a revelation. We could gather friends from earlier times and time zones in one virtual room.

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Outdoor dining should stick around

This era has shown us that going out to eat can mean more than an overstuffed booth and an overly fussy menu. It does almost everywhere else in the world.

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Moving home, I saw I'd got success all wrong

I always thought success meant living by myself as an adult. But the complexities of Covid made me rethink that, and my life is better for it.

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The surprising power of a random Covid walk

Covid-19 highlighted for me how the rhythms and necessities of office life had once paradoxically required me to move around. And how much even small periods of movement matter.

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Accepting our mortality helps us live better

Accepting our mortality allows us to consider what really matters in life and motivates us to act on our values.

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