Global Comment

Worldwide voices on arts and culture

Must reads: Malpractice, insects, education, rape kits, custom shoes

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Before we delve into the posts we’re reading and loving elsewhere on the internet, don’t miss our most popular post last week…Anna Hamilton’s commentary on Lena Dunham’s latest publicity stunt.

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Heartbroken (Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi for the Tampa Bay Tribune)

Other children suffered life-changing injuries. Jean Kariel Viera Maldonado had a heart transplant at All Children’s in March 2017. Soon after, the stitching connecting the 5-year-old’s new heart to his body broke, and he had a massive stroke. Today, he can no longer walk, speak or feed himself. His parents care for him full time.

The Insect Apocalypse Is Here (Brooke Jarvis for the New York Times)

When the investigators began planning the study in 2016, they weren’t sure if anyone would sign up. But by the time the nets were ready, a paper by an obscure German entomological society had brought the problem of insect decline into sharp focus. The German study found that, measured simply by weight, the overall abundance of flying insects in German nature reserves had decreased by 75 percent over just 27 years. If you looked at midsummer population peaks, the drop was 82 percent.

Louisiana School Made Headlines for Sending Black Kids to Elite Colleges. Here’s the Reality. (Erica L. Green and Katie Benner for the New York Times)

Landry success stories have been splashed in the past two years on the “Today” show, “Ellen” and the “CBS Morning News.” Education professionals extol T.M. Landry and its 100 or so kindergarten-through-12th-grade students as an example for other Louisiana schools. Wealthy supporters have pushed the Landrys, who have little educational training, to expand to other cities. Small donors, heartened by the web videos, send in a steady stream of cash.

Destroyed: How the trashing of rape kits failed victims and jeopardizes public safety (Ashley Fantz, Sergio Hernandez and Sonam Vashi for CNN)

Warning: This story contains graphic content.

A CNN investigation into the destruction of rape kits in dozens of agencies across the country found that police trashed evidence in 400 cases before the statutes of limitations expired or when there was no time limit to prosecute.

Touring Flowbuilt, the First Custom Shoe Factory (Heather Hansman for Outside)

Custom orthotics have been around since the 1960s, but you could only get them at a doctor’s office with a prescription. Hayes says bringing customization to retail is part of a historical curve that started after World War II, when mass production became common in shoes and apparel. Suddenly, you were pigeonholed as a size ten foot or a medium shirt, and for the most part, that standardization has endured. But as consumers have become accustomed to having so many more options thanks to the internet, they’re leaning toward ways to differentiate themselves. “We have higher expectations now,” Hayes says. “Curation is a thing. Self-branding is a thing. Everything is going to be custom.”

Photo: Noah Reynolds