Did you know that dog days of summer isn’t actually a reference to the hottest time of the year but historically had to do with the stars? And according to the good ole Farmer’s Almanac, those days ended weeks ago. Regardless, it still feels like we’re closing in on that part of the summer when the days are endlessly sultry and the news is, well, maybe not slow, but at least it has been a little bit more calm this week than last (except for you, Texas). Here are the stories you should use this lull to catch up on.
From Slate
- Michelle Goldberg profiles Daryle Jenkins, who’s taken on the complicated task of trying to explain the antifa movement, a loose network of militant left-wing anti-fascist activists who often physically confront their opponents, to outsiders.
- Aisha Harris headed down to the Dixie Stampede, Dolly Parton’s “Medieval Times–style dine-in attraction where seven nights a week and at occasional weekend matinees, the South rises again.”
- Last week, OkCupid proudly boasted that it had banned Christopher Cantwell, the white supremacist who became widely known after the Charlottesville, Virginia, rallies. Christina Cauterucci points out that the dating service has long welcomed racists like Cantwell and that overall banning them won’t make dating sites any safer.
- Isaac Chotiner debates Mark Lilla, liberal scholar and author of The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics, about why Democrats keep losing elections.
- Game of Thrones wraps up its seventh season this weekend—have you been keeping up with our recap podcast? (You don’t want to miss out on Seth Stevenson’s “Maritime Minute.”) From Ed Sheeran cameos to long-awaited reunions, a lot has happened this season, but has the show lost its storytelling charm? We still got dragon invasions and tense sister squabbling, right? You can settle in to the finale by making these themed cocktails and by mourning the characters we’ve lost so far in our virtual graveyard.
Not From Slate
- A reporter tracks down the individuals involved in the original American college sex scandal, more than five decades later.
- Current and former Mic staffers disclose what’s been going on at the digital publisher, which recently laid off 25 and announced it was pivoting to video.
- The new status symbol for NBA players? Investing in Silicon Valley startups.
- The book industry is baffled this debut young adult novel made it the Times’ best-seller list.
- Why do mirrorless fitting rooms exist?
- A mycologist is trying to find out how mushrooms produce hallucinogens.
- Did you know Canada has a history of fiction about being invaded by the U.S.?
And a Summer Recipe Recommendation From a Slatester
We’ve got a few enthusiastic home cooks here at Slate, so this week, I got technology writer Jacob Brogan to share one of his favorite summer recipes:
Bon Appétit’s Crisp and Crunchy Chicken Salad
Says Jacob: “I love this recipe in part because everything about it is extraordinarily flexible, while giving you a smart base to work from. The method for cooking chicken thighs here—paring the meat away from the bone and then slowly rendering away the fat—leaves you with incomparably tender meat that plays well off of the array of vegetables. Once you’ve got that in place, you can throw in almost anything, from eccentric root vegetables like kohlrabi and black radish to more familiar basics such as cucumbers. That array of textures and tastes ensures that it needs almost no dressing—a few tablespoons of vinegar will do you right—which means it will still feel refreshing, even as you’re sweating out the last days of August.”
Happy cooking! Thank you for your Slate Plus membership, which helps make our journalism possible.
Chau
