James' World 2

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As children, many of us are warned not to judge a book by its cover. Yet, as adults, people frequently jump to conclusions about the character traits of strangers based on their facial appearance. These first impressions are striking in that they are often based on stable facial features – such as the shape of someone’s nose or the distance between their eyes – as opposed to facial behaviors like smiling, frowning, laughing, or shouting.

First impressions can exert an influence in various areas of our lives. Research suggests that, when we think politicians look competent, we’re more likely to vote for them. When we think someone looks untrustworthy, we’re less likely to offer them employment or lend them money, and more likely to think they’re guilty of crimes. First impressions of people of color formed by police officers and the judiciary can have fatal consequences.

The influence of face-based first impressions on behavior is particularly troubling given evidence that they are typically inaccurate; there appears to be little or no relationship between individuals’ actual psychological traits and the ones that others attribute to them based on their facial features. The distorting effects of racial stereotypes on impressions of intelligence and aggression are well documented. Research also indicates that face-based judgments of trustworthiness do not predict how individuals perform in economic games designed to measure trustworthiness. Similarly, judgments of CEOs’ leadership ability based on their facial appearance do not predict their performance.

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The San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain. Photo by Susana Vera/Reuters

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Nicholas Yung considered himself a lucky man. A German who immigrated to the United States in 1848, Yung had worked hard to carve out a living for himself and eventually prosper as the owner of a mortuary in San Francisco. The business allowed him and wife Rosina to purchase a modest lot on the top of California Street Hill, where they built a quaint, cottage-style home and planted a beautiful garden. Every day, California sunlight and fresh air would stream in through their windows.

Yung had no reason to believe that anything could interrupt his idyllic life, or that any one person could somehow deprive him of the beautiful days he had worked so hard to enjoy. But Yung also hadn’t accounted for Charles Crocker, a very rich and very petty man who would eventually become both his neighbor and the bane of his existence. With enough lumber to build a 40-foot-tall, blighting fence around much of Yung’s property, Crocker and his spite fence became a legendary revenge tale, a tourist attraction, and a lesson in the danger of escalating tempers.

At 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, Charles Crocker cut an imposing figure. He had filled his bank account by being one of the “Big Four” barons behind the building of the Central Pacific Railroad. By the 1870s, he could afford whatever he desired. And what he wanted was to loom over San Francisco like a gargoyle.

Crocker and his wealthy partners began scouting California Street Hill for its scenic views and proximity to the city’s financial district. One of his “Big Four” associates, Leland Stanford—former governor of California and future founder of Stanford University—suggested that the area would make for a beautiful residential plot if a cable car could bring residents up and down the hill. Stanford arranged to have one installed, and soon a group of wealthy men, including Crocker, were buying up all the homes on their chosen blocks. By the time Crocker was finished, he had erected a 12,000-square-foot mansion. With its new, wealthy inhabitants, California Street Hill was renamed Nob Hill.

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Still, it can be a hassle if you’re trying to find an email with a tracking number, for example, because you’re expecting a package. Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if your inbox let you keep track of packages without having to search through hundreds of emails? 

Well, now Google has added exactly that. Google says that, over the next few weeks, it’s adding the ability to track your packages directly from your inbox.

Sometimes Google adds new features and it’s not clear who thought it was a good idea. For example, earlier this year Google integrated its Chat and Meet services into Gmail. I doubt most Gmail users care about Google Chat or Google Meet, or even know the difference. Still, it’s right there at the bottom of your inbox.

Occasionally, however, Google adds Gmail features that are actually useful. The latest example is one of those. 

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Photo: Getty Images

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Meena Devi cooking on a wood-fired stove outside her home in New Delhi.Credit…Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times

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Like many of her neighbors in East Carroll Parish, in rural northeast Louisiana, Wanda Manning has struggled to get decent, affordable internet service. “I’m paying a lot of money each month, about $140, to get internet and phone service, but the internet isn’t dependable,” she says. “I often have problems staying connected. I’ll be in a meeting one minute, and the next minute I’ll find I’m no longer online.”

But Manning, a retired teacher who is part of a local church organization that has made headlines fighting to bring better internet service to East Carroll, is better off than many others in the community, who either don’t have internet or have to rely on dial-up service. “When I was teaching school remotely, we had people walking around their trailers holding up MyFi mobile hotspots just so their kids could be in school,” she says.

East Carroll is not unusual. In communities across the country, millions of people find it hard to find or afford a reliable high-speed internet connection. In addition, many internet bills are confusing, making it difficult and sometimes impossible for consumers to compare prices when shopping for a better, less expensive plan.

Those problems emerged from an analysis of more than 22,000 internet bills that Consumer Reports and several partner organizations collected from people around the country. Data from the project will be used to support a public-service and advocacy campaign called “Fight for a Fair Internet,” to encourage lawmakers, regulators, and internet service providers (ISPs) to improve broadband access and affordability.

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CR’s analysis found hard-to-understand bills that make it difficult for consumers to compare plans. Illustration: Chris Griggs/Consumer Reports

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The letters were meant to signify “Only Kevin,” CNN’s Melanie Zanona reported, as a rejoinder to the Never-McCarthy hard-liners on the right. But the message had an unfortunate double meaning that highlighted the doubts about the always-a-bridesmaid-never-a-bride candidate for speaker. McCarthy is just that: Okay. As in: not great. Not even above average. Just okay. One can anticipate future pro-McCarthy slogans as the Jan. 3 speaker election approaches:“McCarthy is adequate.”

“Meh.”

“He’s the best we’ve got.”

“[Shrug emoji].”

The “O.K.” buttons may have been the biggest messaging misfire since McCarthy, called a “moron” by Speaker Nancy Pelosi over his resistance to pandemic safety measures, removed all doubt about the charge by selling T-shirts with large letters proudly announcing: “Moron.”

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attends a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. (Mary F. Calvert/Reuters)

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For months now, we’ve been in a nationwide debate over whether we should cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for tens of millions of people. Next year, the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on the hundreds of billions of dollars at stake — and talking heads will debate, yet again, who is deserving of help in America.

The student debt cancellation program excludes people with especially high incomes. But hiding in plain sight is another federal program — 529 college savings plans — that offers the biggest benefits to wealthy families.

With the right accounting and legal moves — ones that have never been subject to the kind of scrutiny that debt cancellation has faced — people with hundreds of thousands of dollars to spare can create 529 accounts that will end up holding millions of dollars. With some careful planning, no taxes will come due for most people as long as future generations use the money to pay for college (say, $84,000 a year at a private university like Duke), graduate school (hello, half-a-million-dollar New York University dental school) and any other related educational costs, including high-rise dorms and Apple laptops.

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Robert Neubecker

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