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Pacific Standard, November/December 2016. (Photo: Yadid Levy)
FEATURES
The PS Interview: Cinematic Justice
Ava DuVernay took an unconventional road from indie upstart to Hollywood powerhouse—aiming not only to change Hollywood but the culture at large.
By Kathleen Sharp
Sidebar: The Many Milestones of Ava DuVernay
A life in firsts.
By Katie Kilkenny & Kathleen Sharp
Photo Essay: The Buffalo’s Burden
Earlier this year, the bison was named our national mammal, but due to a conflict with Western ranchers, the beasts are anything but wild and free.
By Christopher Ketcham | Photographs by Michelle McCarron
Born Identity
One soldier’s story of transition.
By Deni Ellis Béchard
The Battle for the Great Apes
With several incremental victories behind them, animal-rights advocates are making their biggest push yet: to expand the definition of a person.
By George Johnson
PRIMER
Letter From the Editor: The End of Captivity
By Nicholas Jackson
Seven Things You Would Have Learned If You Read PSmag.com
Since We Last Spoke: Dangerous Waters
By Francie Diep
Since We Last Spoke: Fighting Terrorism
By Elena Gooray
Since We Last Spoke: Killer Mosquitoes
By Madeleine Thomas
The Small Stuff: There’s a Name for That: Proteus Effect
By Peter C. Baker
A version of this story first appeared in the
of Pacific Standard.
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The Small Stuff: Quick Study: The Downside of an ADHD Diagnosis
By Tom Jacobs
The Small Stuff: Research Gone Wild: Stem Cell Therapies: Hope or Hype?
By Michael R. Fitzgerald
The Small Stuff: Quick Study: No Sodas at School? Mom to the Rescue
By Tom Jacobs
Know It All: Disability Heads to the Polls
As tens of millions of people who care about disability issues prepare to vote, and new movements emerge to help get them organized, here are some of their major concerns.
By David M. Perry
Subculture: Street Ambassador
Paul Scott, 49, church minister, Durham, North Carolina
As Told to Elena Gooray
In the Picture: More Cowbell
Athens, Ohio
FIELD NOTES
Sutherland, Chile
Photo by Tomás Munita
Permanent Displacement
By Jacob Kushner
Champasak Province, Laos
Photo by David Guttenfelder
Death From Above
By Matt Skenazy
The Night Minister
By Jeremy Lybarger
San Salvador, El Salvador
Photo by Tomás Munita
THE FIX
Return to Malheur
Months after the Bundy insurrection rocked Harney County, Oregon, a group of local residents is trying to heal the community and overcome the American West’s long history of land-use conflict. Their secret: Bring cowboys and conservationists together.
By Jimmy Tobias
The Ministers of Minimalism
How a small group of optimists is revolutionizing consumer choice.
By James McWilliams
Sidebar: The Things They Kept
While the Minimalists insist that there is “absolutely nothing” they would have any difficulty parting with, other members of the movement to reject consumer culture aren’t as extreme. Here are the five personal items Christopher Wharton wouldn’t go without.
Sidebar: The Power of Possessions
Does being surrounded by stuff make us happy? Here’s what the science says.
By Elena Gooray
THE CULTURE PAGES
Culture Features: The Miseducation of Frank Waln
On and off the reservation, American schools tend to whitewash the stories of Native Americans. Frank Waln, a Lakota hip-hop artist from He Dog, South Dakota, is endeavoring to change that—with music that champions his heritage while demolishing Native American stereotypes.
By Tony Rehagen
Pacific Standard Picks: Loving
By Alissa Wilkinson
Scenes: Mapping People Back Into History
How one organization is using Google Maps to save history in the Middle East.
By Ross Ufberg
Scenes: A High-Concept Architect Takes on Low-Income Housing
In Rancagua, Chile, you’ll find innovative architecture where you least expect it—in low-cost housing.
By David Huber
Guest Programmer: Alexander Chee
As Told to Katie Kilkenny
Shelf Help: Black Elephants in the Room: The Unexpected Politics of African American Republicans
By Peter C. Baker
Book Reviews: Back in the Hole
A new book teaches the alarming lesson that all attempts at reforming solitary confinement have merely enabled the practice to continue.
By Peter C. Baker
Shelf Help: Future Sex
By Peter C. Baker
One Last Thing: Hostile Architecture
By Michael R. Fitzgerald
