From the Magazine: Is It O.K. to Press Your Spouse to Have a Vasectomy Before You Ditch Him?

The Ethicist, Cindy Sherman, black holes and more from our Culture Issue View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, October 5, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( The Ethicist [Is It O.K. to Press Your Spouse to Have a Vasectomy Before You Ditch Him?]( Dear Reader, Today’s newsletter is dedicated to the smaller stories from the magazine, starting with The Ethicist. Are you in a moral quandary or torn apart by a matter of principle? Send it to [ethicist@nytimes.com]( and Kwame Anthony Appiah may address it in the pages of the Magazine. This week’s question is truly a standout: Some time ago, a friend told me that she was planning to leave her husband but was waiting for him to get a vasectomy. She said she knew she’d have to hold his hand through it to make sure it happened. Once the procedure was done, she planned to break the news that she was going to end the marriage. She later reported that when she told her husband of her decision to end the marriage for good, he told her that he was upset to learn this after having had the vasectomy and that he believed it would hurt his chances of finding a new partner. This woman is employed by an organization dedicated to reproductive choice and plans to work as a counselor. I have been troubled about what she told me for months and have considered disclosing the information to the organization, but I’m unsure. Please advise. If you enjoy reading [the Ethicist’s reply]( you may also enjoy some past columns on the ethics of dealing with [sociopathic siblings]( keeping [a lost cat]( being honest while [running for reelection]( and what to do with [old racist memorabilia.]( (And while we're on the subject of ethics, this week's issue also contains [Sam Anderson's story]( on what makes "The Good Place" so good). In today's roundup below you'll find [Parul Sehgal writing about]( the ugly beauty of artist Cindy Sherman's Instagram selfies, [Seth Fletcher on a planet-spanning virtual observatory]( that could change how we think about space, time and the nature of reality, and seven cultural figures on what they think were the [boundary-pushing cultural moments of 2018.]( As we grow, change and create new things, we’d love to hear from you: what you think of our newsletter, your thoughts on the columns and articles you read or suggestions for how we can improve. You can email us at magazine@nytimes.com. And as always, thank you for reading. [The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman’s Instagram Selfies]( By PARUL SEHGAL For 40 years, [Cindy Sherman, the great chameleon of our time]( has created more than 500 photographs and almost as many distinct characters. She has transformed herself into vamps and victims, biker chicks and slasher babes, lonely-hearts and killer clowns. [How Do You Take a Picture of a Black Hole? With a Telescope as Big as the Earth]( By SETH FLETCHER A planet-spanning virtual observatory, years in the making, could change how we think about space, time and the nature of reality. [Will it work?]( From this week’s Magazine: [Female cadets at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University in August 2017.](  At War [The Many Dangers of Being an Afghan Woman in Uniform]( By SOPHIA JONES Inside the expensive and complicated NATO campaign to get more women into the Afghan security forces, and keep them alive. [Jesmyn Ward recommends Layli Long Soldier’s ‘Whereas.’](  [Seven Boundary-Pushing Cultural Moments of 2018]( As told to JAZMINE HUGHES AND MALIA WOLLAN Jenny Han on ‘Searching,’ Bo Burnham on Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4, Jesmyn Ward on ‘Whereas’ and more. Illustration by Kyle Hilton New Sentences [New Sentences: From ‘American Vandal’]( By NITSUH ABEBE Investigating the behavior of teenagers has become a much more pressing activity than this TV show anticipated.  On Technology [Apple Used to Know Exactly What People Wanted — Then It Made a Watch]( By JOHN HERRMAN The Apple Watch is hardly a failure, but its sluggish takeoff reveals the cracks in the company’s mythology.  Letter of Recommendation [Letter of Recommendation: YouTube Travel]( By LYDIA KIESLING Fly through time and space with nothing more than a few keystrokes. [Sonoran-Style Flour Tortillas](  Eat [A Homemade Flour Tortilla to Rival Its Corn Counterpart]( By SAMIN NOSRAT Chewy and diaphanous, handmade tortillas are worth the time investment.  First Words [When Did Everything Get So ‘Toxic’?]( By LAUREN OYLER A pop psychology concept applied to politics, “toxic” often obscures more than it clarifies.  Diagnosis [What Is Causing This Woman’s Life-Threatening Anemia?]( By LISA SANDERS, M.D. Sherry has been suffering from severe iron deficiency and dangerous medical treatments for years. We hope Times readers can help her doctors come up with the right diagnosis. ADVERTISEMENT More reading from our archives: [How the Trump Administration Is Remaking the Courts]( By JASON ZENGERLE Thanks to ruthless discipline — and a plan long in the making — the G.O.P is carrying out a sweeping transformation of the federal judiciary. [When the Supreme Court Lurches Right]( By EMILY BAZELON What happens when the Supreme Court becomes significantly more conservative than the public? [The Conversation: Seven Women Discuss Work, Fairness, Sex and Ambition]( By THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Emily Bazelon moderates a round table with Anita Hill, Laura Kipnis, Lynn Povich, Soledad O’Brien, Amanda Hess and Danyel Smith to talk about how — or if — real change is possible. [The location where Laquan McDonald was killed by a city police officer in October 2014.]( [Chicago After Laquan McDonald]( By BEN AUSTEN In the wake of a shocking video that showed a black teenager shot 16 times by a police officer, the city was rocked by revelations of police brutality and misconduct — and by activists determined to upend the political order. Enjoyed this email? 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