Top of the weekend to you all. We’ll start by throwing back to last weekend, when Imogen Dewey asked for your tales of public crying. The standout story came from reader J who, after the death of a relative and a missed farewell, sat sobbing with his daughter on a bench outside her Tafe “in the early dusk … as the students and workers headed home, throwing [us] curious looks”.
The only tears we want to see this weekend are those of Indian cricket fans (including my wife’s – sorry babe). We’ll have the World Cup final well covered through here. For the non-sporting types, there’s plenty for you below.
1. The fight to protect a historic music collection
It houses most of Keith Richards’ extensive blues inventory, Jonathan Demme’s personal collection of Haitian albums, and more than 2,500 signed albums from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols.
But New York’s ARChive of Contemporary Music (Arc) is under existential threat. The non-profit music library and research centre – now creaking under the weight of 3m sound recordings – has outgrown its current home. And the curators are pleading for help.
Humble beginnings: Think your personal collection is out of control? Arc founder Bob George will set you straight. He kicked off the archive in 1985 with a lazy 47,000 records of his own.
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
Further reading: The unlikely album cover stars who became modern pop enigmas.
2. Traffic jams and nitrogen wars
When the Dutch government in 2019 declared “drastic measures” would be needed to curb nitrogen emissions, the agriculture sector was in their sights. Farmers, who reckoned they were already doing their share, took to their tractors in protest – more than 2,000 vehicles caused more than 1,000km of gridlock en route to The Hague.
The environmental reform at first glance seemed to affect only a small proportion of Dutch society. It has somehow become “not only wildly controversial in its own right”, writes Paul Tullis, “but embroiled in a web of related and unrelated issues, grievances and conspiracy theories”.
Conspiracy theory #1: The far right (who else?) have spun a government press release into the idea that farms would be replaced with apartment buildings to house migrants from Turkey and the Middle East.
How long will it take to read: Eleven minutes.
3. Naked Attraction laid bare
Think Big Brother Up Late was the pinnacle/nadir of small-screen nudity? So 2002. The British have since 2016 been leaving us in their wake with Naked Attraction, a dating show in which contestants gradually reveal their naked bodies to potential suitors – and a national television audience.
Why do they do it – and how do they feel afterwards? Seven former stars reveal all.
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“I feel there are some professions it has blocked me out of. If I wanted to get into teaching, that would be a hurdle.” – Craig, Naked Attraction contestant
Career boost: Several contestants also have OnlyFans accounts. One uses the proceeds from nude photo sales to fund his animal sanctuary.
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
4. Avoiding cocaine is good for your heart
Who knew? The Experts. And our series of the same name kicks off with cardiologists’ 20 hottest tips for keeping your most important muscle in good working order.
The good news? As the heading suggests, it’s mostly commonsense stuff. See how you score – and stop putting off that long walk along the beach until next weekend.
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
5. Rapt in plastic
Why do I feel guilty every time I (thoughtfully) dispose of an ice-cream wrapper? At least 8m tonnes of single-use packaging reaches the ocean each year – and production is only increasing.
Richard Thompson, the biologist whose 2004 paper on microplastics spawned an entire field of research, says no amount of ocean cleanups and biodegradables will solve the crisis. “Scientific evidence has brought us to this point,” he says. “We’re going to need scientific evidence to go forward in the right way.”
Say no to ‘techno-optimism’: “If we’re not careful, the public gets convinced that a big gadget whizzing around in the middle of the Pacific gyre is going to mop it all up for us, and that’s the end of the story.”
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
Further reading: From our Long Read series, the plastic-eating bacteria that could change the world.
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