Kathryn Besio and Sarah Marusek (Hawaii): Losing It in Hawai‘i: Weight Watchers and the Paradoxical Nature of Weight Gain and Loss. Will Portland always be a retirement community for the young? Emily Badger on why quirky Portland is winning the battle for young college grads. Vanessa Schwartz (USC): LAX: Designing for the Jet Age. From LARB, Richard Hertzberg on how the City of LA goes dumpster diving; and Victoria Dailey on the palms of Los Angeles. What is a dude? Anne Helen Petersen on how the strange history of the “dude” helps throw a light on why the West still feels like the real America. My Un-Private Idaho: Michael Ames on Bowe Bergdahl, the political-entertainment complex, and the personal costs of scandal. Which states are in the Midwest? The 21st century cowboy: The modern cowboy has a lot on his plate, including climate change. Rachel Pearson on Texas’ other death penalty: A Galveston medical student describes life and death in the so-called safety net. The introduction to Rough Country: How Texas Became America’s Most Powerful Bible-Belt State by Robert Wuthnow (and more). Carolina's Gold Coast: John H. Tibbetts on the culture of rice and slavery. Where slavery thrived, inequality rules today: More than a century later, some experts say, a terrible institution is still exacting its price. Roberto A. Ferdman on why the South is the worst place to live in the U.S. in 10 charts (and a response by Carol Guthrie). South Florida officials talk secession over failure to address climate change. A look at the hellish post-apocalyptic crimescape that is Connecticut. From New York, what’s the matter with Connecticut? Annie Lowrey wants to know; and which American state should secede? The Literary United States: Kristin Iversen on a map of the best book for every state.
