My weekly collection of the provocative, intriguing, or curious, in a world where the house is falling down. The contextual, the cultural, and other things that catch my eye.

Portrait of Andrew Weatherall by Tom McShane. Via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

One of the best ways to tackle climate change is to educate girls. It reduces population growth and reduces pressure on the environment. As well as being a good thing in its own right.

Ultra processed foods now account for half the calories we eat in the US and the UK. They are convenient, affordable, and very profitable. They also cause obesity and are bad for our health, says Bee Wilson in this long and compelling essay.

The fashion industry is being wrecked by the Coronavirus. Because: ‘the major labels depend on attracting Chinese consumers’.

Susan Fowler named sexism at Uber. She became a target for harassment, hackers and private investigators seeking to discredit her.

We need new words for the climate emergency. At least, that’s the ambition of The Ecotopian Lexicon. (Thanks to Ian Christie).

Machine learning writes fairy tales. These short tales are charmingly off-centre.

Andrew Weatherall, the producer who defined ’90s acid house, died suddenly. There were shockwaves in the DJ community. Collaborator Lee Brackstone remembers a friend and mentor. Here’s a playlist. His radio shows are online.

“The whole world’s at sixes and sevens, and why the house hasn’t fallen down about our ears long ago is a miracle to me.” (Thornton Wilder)