John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorNovember 27, 20245 Min ReadOleCNX via Alamy Stock PhotoAn IT project timeline that's overly optimistic can lead to delays, cost overruns, missed opportunities and, in extreme instances, complete project failure. It can also make the project leader look weak or incompetent.While there are multiple ways to build a project timeline, keeping it simple by starting with the overarching scope and then breaking it down into individual smaller components is key, says Sathya Chandrasekar, a managing director with Deloitte Consulting, in an online interview.Sharif Naqib, senior director of project management and resourcing at IT consulting firm SADA, says the project sponsor must clearly understand the venture's value as well as key constraints, including timelines, scope, and budget. In an email interview, he advises project leaders to research ways to embrace enterprise and industry best practices and then build a draft timeline leveraging input from the team's subject matter experts.A quality project timeline will have deliverables and milestones with strict deadlines tied to them, says Mary Rivard, a partner with technology research and advisory firm ISG. "Milestones are critical, because they provide specific points within the project to measure progress and keep the team on track," she notes via email.Related:When planning, be sure to include time for business readiness, employee feedback, and training, Naqib advises. "Many project leaders leave time for quality assurance and solution testing but tend to underestimate the time it takes to prepare employees to work with and adjust to the new solution." Lacking this critical organizational change management component, the timeline may be thwarted by staff resistance and a lack of understanding, he warns.Ensuring AccuracyBuilding resilient project plans that can handle unforeseen, yet often inevitable changes, is key to ensuring timeline accuracy. "Understanding dependencies, identifying bottlenecks, and planning delivery around these constraints have shown to be important for timeline accuracy," Chandrasekar says.Project accuracy also depends on clear communication and tracking. "It's critical to consistently review timelines with your project team and stakeholders, making updates as new information is discovered," Naqib says. He adds that project timelines should be tracked with the support of a work management tool, such as SmartSheet or Jira, in order to measure progress and identify gaps.Yet even with perfect planning, unanticipated delays or changes may occur. Proper planning and communication are key to assuring timeline accuracy, says Anne Gee, director of delivery excellence for IT managed services at data and technology consulting firm Resultant. "During the planning phase, include buffer time, identify potential risks, and develop mitigation plans to handle delays proactively and stay on track," she advises via email.Related:Getting Up to SpeedLeaders often underestimate how long a task will take. "We think we can get something done fast and easily when the reality is that the solution is more complex," Gee observes. "Due to this mistaken thinking, project leaders often have overly optimistic timelines that don't account for resource constraints, potential delays, or unexpected challenges."Rivard believes that the biggest timeline mistakes include neglecting to clearly identify the project's scope and deliverables, not identifying and accounting for project dependencies, and failing to ensure that the necessary resources, with teams possessing the right skillsets, are available to work on the project.Getting Back on ScheduleProject delays are common and must be immediately addressed. The first step is to identify the cause of the delay so it can be effectively resolved, Gee says. The project leader will then need to determine whether additional resources are needed, or if resources must be reallocated to get the project back on schedule. "At the end of the day, extending the deadline may be necessary," she acknowledges.Related:To get a stalled project back on track, determine if the project scope can be revised or reduced, Rivard says. "Regardless of whether you're working toward [meeting] the original project scope or a reduced scope, you'll need to divide the remaining work into smaller tranches of prioritized tasks." She suggests assigning responsibility for the remaining tasks while reaffirming that the project has the appropriate skillsets available to accomplish its goals within the specified timeframe.The best way to get a lagging timeline back on schedule is to work with your project team to identify the root cause, Naqib advises. "Then, you can work with your team and your greater organization to explore possible resolution accelerators that will keep your timeline on track." He adds that resolution plans might include resequencing work, adding or subtracting the project's scope, adding or changing team members, or leveraging automation or existing code libraries to accelerate delivery.Parting ThoughtsStakeholder involvement should be encouraged throughout the project to ensure that their expectations align with the project timeline, Gee says. She also recommends documenting all decisions to prevent future confusion and errors. "Finally, don't forget to conduct a post-mortem after project completion to document any lessons learned -- especially as they relate to the timeline -- and store it where others can access it."About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeReportsMore Reports

The payload of a Near Space Labs balloon parachuting back to the groundNear Space LabsAutonomous balloons high in Earths atmosphere are taking incredibly detailed photos of neighbourhoods and individual homes in 28 US states, and from January 2025, they will be able to photograph the ground anywhere in the continental US. Such high-resolution aerial images can help those responding to climate-related natural disasters but they also raise privacy concerns.This is the first time ever that nationwide aerial imaging at this resolution 7 centimetres is accessible, says Rema Matevosyan, CEO and co-founder of the company behind

Leader and TechnologyRecent developments in AI and neurological research may prompt concern. However, placing outright bans on such research is unlikely to be the best solution - and may hold us back 27 November 2024 Yuichiro Chino/Getty ImagesIn 1818, Mary Shelley invented a technology that has been used for both good and ill in the centuries since. It is called science fiction.You may not think a literary genre counts as technology, but sci-fi stories have long been tools for predicting and critiquing science. Shelleys Frankenstein, regarded by many as the first true sci-fi novel, was powerful enough for South Africa to ban it in 1955. It set the formula with a tale that serves even today as a warning of unintended consequences.The precise science employed by the eponymous Victor Frankenstein in his creation isnt, as far as we know, possible. But researchers today are able to bring dead human brains back to something resembling life. Experiments are under way to resume cellular activity (but, crucially, not consciousness) after death to test the effects of treatments for the likes of Alzheimers disease (see The radical treatments bringing people back from the brink of death).AdvertisementIt is hard not to think of the many sci-fi tales dealing with similar scenarios and imagine what might happen next. The same is true of work reported in AI simulations of 1000 people accurately replicate their behaviour, in which researchers are using the technology behind ChatGPT to replicate the thoughts and behaviours of specific individuals, with startling success.The teams behind the work are blurring the lines of fact, fiction and what it means to be humanIn both cases, the teams behind this research, blurring the lines of fact, fiction and what it means to be human, are deeply aware of the ethical concerns involved in their work, which is being conducted with strong ethical oversight, and with its details made public at an early stage. But now that the technology has been demonstrated, there is nothing to stop more nefarious groups attempting the same, without oversight and with the potential to cause great harm.Does that mean the research should be banned, as Shelleys book was, for fear of it getting into the wrong hands? Far from it. Concerns about tech are best dealt with through appropriate, evidence-based regulation and swift punishment for transgressors. When regulators overreach, we miss out not only on the technology but the chance to critique and discuss it.Topics:

Nature, Published online: 27 November 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-03835-yNeuronal population activity in the anterior temporal lobe of the human brain organizes into bursts of spiking in response to visual images. The specific sequence of neuronal firing in these bursts encodes category- and exemplar-related information about these images, complementing the well-established role of firing rates in neural coding.

Nature, Published online: 27 November 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-03860-xCountries are meeting to agree the first ever global treaty on curbing plastic pollution. Research suggests where bans and incentives can make a difference.

South Korean officials found that children's clothes from Temu and AliExpress contained toxic substances.Many fashion brands use toxic chemicals like PFAS and phthalates, which have come under increasing scrutiny.Consumers face less risk getting sick from these ingredients in clothing than textile plant workers do.Editor's note: This list was first published in August 2022 and has been updated to reflect recent developments.Chinese fast-fashion companies are coming under renewed scrutiny for toxic chemicals, a problem that has plagued the fashion industry globally.On Friday, Korean officials said they tested 26 pieces of children's winter wear from Temu, AliExpress, and Shein and found that seven contained toxic substances like phthalate plasticizers, lead, and cadmium.A children's jacket from Temu contained 622 times the legal limit for phthalate plasticizers, a chemical compound that makes plastics more flexible. Spokespeople for AliExpress and Temu said the products were removed, while a Shein spokesperson said the tested products were in compliance with regulations.This isnot the first time South Korea has found toxic chemicals in items from Chinese fast-fashion brands. In August, the Seoul Metropolitan Government found phthalates in some pairs of shoes, with one particular pair containing 229 times the legal limit. The same investigation revealed that sandal insoles sold by Temu contained 11 times more lead than legally permissible.And in an earlier investigation in May, Seoul officials said that they tested a pair of Shein shoes, and found that it contained 428 times the permitted levels of phthalates, according to theAFP.Experts said that many large clothing brands like Lululemon, Old Navy, and REI have been found to contain toxic chemicals in their clothes. While these chemicals are used at relatively low levels, exposure to toxic substances over time can elevate a person's risks of serious health conditions, such as asthma and kidney damage."It's not just people are exposed to one on a regular day," Alexandra McNair Quinn, a chemical sustainability consultant and founder of Fashion FWD, a nonprofit educating consumers about toxic chemicals in clothes, told BI in 2022. "It's the accumulation of all of these exposures in a regular day can be very harmful."Why chemicals are so pervasive in fashionThe use of chemicals like PFAS and lead is "fairly common" within the fashion industry, Marty Mulvihill, a general partner with Safer Made, a venture capital fund that invests in firms reducing exposure to harmful chemicals.Yoga pants and gym leggings sold by Lululemon and Old Navy contained PFAS, according to testing done by consumer health activist blogMamavation. Outdoor apparel brands Columbia, REI, and L.L. Bean received either a D or F grading for PFAS by Fashion FWD, a non-profit educating consumers about toxic chemicals in clothes.(In 2022, REI and L. L. Bean reiterated their commitment to product safety in statements to BI. Columbia, Lululemon, Old Navy, and Shein did not respond to BI's requests for comment at the time.)A 2012 sample of clothes from popular retailers detected phthalates in 31 garments, and lead had been found in baby bibs sold in Walmart and Babies R Us, BI previously reported.Quinn said manufacturers can add these chemicals to make them waterproof or stain-resistant, and soften ink on screen prints. Lead is sometimes found in low-cost pigments and inks, as well as zippers, and chromium can make leather more pliable.Exposure to toxic chemicals builds up over time Workers in clothing factories can suffer from skin and respiratory illnesses after exposure to toxic chemicals. Habibur Rahman / Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images Exposure to substances like lead and phthalates may directly harm people manufacturing clothes more than consumers, said Scott Echols in 2022. Echols is a senior director at the ZDHC Foundation, which works with companies to limit their chemical footprint.The sustainable fashion analytics firm Common Objective estimated in 2018 that 27 million people working in fashion supply chains worldwide might suffer from work-related illnesses or diseases, including skin and respiratory conditions.Plus, the exposure to toxic chemicals builds up over time, Quinn said. Not only are these chemicals in clothing, they exist in our food, water, makeup, and personal care products."PFAS don't just go away, they're around for very, very long time and they're very harmful to the environment and to human health," Quinn said. "The government needs to develop a preventative approach where products don't go on the market until they're proven safe."How to spot chemicals in clothes, including lead, flame retardants, and 'forever chemicals'Quinn told BI that toxic chemicals used to make clothes include:Chromium, used in leather products that can weaken the immune system and lead to liver and kidney damage.Phthalates, which are used to soften the ink on screen prints. BI's Andrea Michelson reported phthalates has been linked to early deaths in American adults, especially due to heart disease, and can disrupt the body's hormones.Brominated flame retardants, which are sometimes found in children's pajamas to protect them from house fires. These chemicals, which are banned in Europe, can change thyroid functions and shift the way the body processes fats and carbs. Researchers are studying whether a link exists between flame retardant exposure and ADHD, BI previously reported.PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," are a group of lab-grown chemicals that don't break down in the environment and are linked to a host of health conditions like liver damage, asthma, and chronic kidney disease. The substance is water resistant and can be found in waterproof or stain-resistant gear, Quinn said.Lead, a low-cost pigment or sometimes used as a cheap metal for zippers. Significant childhood lead exposure can lead to long-term developmental problems.How to avoid chemicals in clothesWashing new clothing is an important step in reducing residual substances, including potential toxins. Use hot water if the clothes' instructions allow it.To avoid purchasing clothing with PFAS, check your label for materials like Gore-Tex or Teflon, which could signal that the chemicals were used in the fabric. But the bigger concern is how those clothes affect the world around us."The biggest issue associated with consumer products isn't necessarily the direct exposure that we get from the products, but what gets released into the environment when those products are produced," Jamie DeWitt, the director of the Environmental Health Sciences Center at Oregon State University, told BI in 2019.In 2023, Laura Hardman, then the director of the Ocean Wise Plastic Initiative at the Ocean Wise Plastic Lab in Vancouver, Canada, told BI that she buys clothing made from natural fibers and dyes for her and her child."A lot of people make sure their babies' clothes are organic, cotton, and made with child-friendly dyes, but they're not aware of their own clothing. Your baby is probably sucking on your clothes more than she's sucking on hers," said Hardman, who now works with Dubai-based consultancy Sustainability Excellence.

Christian Louboutin made one key change to the iconic red soles from his namesake brand for Taylor Swift.Louboutin told InStyle he used rubber soles instead of leather for Swift's Eras Tour shoes.The shoe designer previously said he had crafted 250 pairs of shoes for the singer to wear on her tour.Taylor Swift's Eras Tour shoes were made for walking, running, and jumping regardless of the weather. After all, the show must go on.In an interview with InStyle published on Wednesday, shoe designer Christian Louboutin said that he made one key change to his iconic red soles when creating footwear for the singer on her tour."Weather is unpredictable," Louboutin told InStyle. "However, each pair is crafted with a signature red rubber sole, which makes it easy to dance."The shoe brand's iconic red soles are usually made from leather and painted with a special red lacquer, per Louboutin's website.The designer added that he typically uses rubber soles when designing shoes for musicians on their tours, as this ensures that the shoes can withstand performances night after night.The designs of Swift's Eras Tour shoes were inspired by the singer's past looks, and were the result of a collaborative effort between Swift, her stylist Joseph Cassell, and himself, Louboutin said."Each pair is made to fully allow for quick changes through the entirety of the show. As they are dancing for over three hours, comfort is also extremely important. So we incorporated sturdy block heels and also flats," Louboutin said.In November last year, one lucky Swiftie managed to snag an exclusive Eras Tour souvenir a bejeweled heel from one of the singer's Louboutin boots that had broken off while she was performing.In May, Louboutin told Vogue that he had designed 250 pairs of shoes for the superstar, including 60 new pairs for the European leg of her Eras Tour alone.Luxury cobblers previously told Business Insider that the "Cruel Summer" singer may have sparked an interest in Louboutins among Gen Z after donning the red soles on her tour."She's a big influencer in the brand and product," Pasquale Fabrizio, designer and owner of Pasquale Shoe Repair in Los Angeles, said. "Just endorsing it and wearing it allows the younger generation of girls to go after that look. She exemplifies fashion."Fabrizio added that he's seen more and more people come into his shop over the past few years to have their Louboutin shoes repaired.For reference, the brand's iconic stiletto pumps cost upward of $795, while boots cost upward of $1,195, per the brand's website.A representative for Swift did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

Kerry Rego, 47, always had a rocky relationship with her dad. His past history of drinking and passive-aggressive behavior eventually led to a seven-month period of estrangement. But they began reconciling after her dad started going to Alcoholics Anonymous, which prompted him to reach out. He told her that he missed her and he hoped they could have a relationship again.He was willing to work on himself and willing to change the way he navigated the world, and the way he ran his relationships, Rego says.Estrangement is a well-worn story in 2019, a survey found that 27 percent of Americans over the age of 18 were estranged from a family member but less discussed is reconciliation and the process of coming back together after falling apart. The reasons for estrangement can vary, from a single breach that feels too large to overcome to years of slights and misunderstandings piling up. These kinds of emotional wounds naturally take time to heal and, crucially, no one is owed reconciliation. But estranged parties might wonder: What does it look like to try to mend a broken relationship? Is it even possible? And to reconcile, do you have to face the things that tore you apart in the first place?The paths to reconciliationThere are two possible paths to reconciliation, says Joshua Coleman, PhD, a psychologist who conducts counseling on estrangement. One scenario includes reckoning with the issues that led to estrangement. In this scenario, an estranged child and parent may go to therapy together to understand their dynamic more deeply. I say that the purpose of this therapy is to really demonstrate to your adult child if youre capable of taking responsibility and then understanding why they felt [estrangement] was the healthiest thing for them to do, Coleman says. You might need to deepen your understanding of how your behavior impacted your child, even if its at odds with your own recollections of what happened in the past. Coleman is most often approached by a parent who is estranged from their adult child who cut off contact. Usually, Coleman encourages the estranged parent to write a letter of amends where they show understanding and take responsibility.The second path to reconciliation requires the wounded party to accept the inherent flaws of the person theyve been estranged from. The former person may ultimately conclude that despite the problems present, they still want to continue an important relationship. There is no grand reckoning more of a softening, an understanding that the person you were estranged from may never fix their flaws or change their mind but you want to be in their life regardless. They just want family and they dont want to continue to be estranged, Coleman says.This was the case with Sydney, who was outed to her evangelical parents as gay at the age of 18. (Her last name is being withheld to protect her privacy.)After her parents found out, they determined the family would pray about it together. But what happened, Sydney, now 27, says, was unimaginable, with her parents and older brother holding her down while praying, screaming and spitting like in an exorcism.By the end of it, I was screaming, I love Jesus, she told me. Anything I could to just get them off my body. In the middle of the night, Sydneys girlfriend came to pick her up, and she didnt speak to her parents for nearly a year until her mother approached her begging for forgiveness.Even though Sydneys parents behavior was abhorrent and a fundamental rejection of who their daughter was, she decided to give them another chance after she says they showed genuine remorse. In her case, their reconciliation was part reckoning and part softening. Though her mother apologized for that night, her parents still made it clear they didnt support her being gay. When Sydney got into a new relationship, her girlfriend wasnt allowed to come to her parents house. But she has a relationship with her parents, something that had initially seemed impossible during their period of estrangement.How can people approach reconciling?Karl Pillemer, PhD, a Cornell University professor and author of Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them, says one of the first steps to reconciliation is the phase when one of the estranged begins to ponder the possibility.They start to consider whether they might want to reestablish contact, Pillemer says. Often, they become aware that something has changed in the other persons life. A substance abuser has stopped abusing substances. A person in a relationship where the spouse repelled the rest of the family has gotten divorced.That was the situation with Rego. My dad gives me hope that people can acknowledge that their way isnt the right way, that they can change and grow and be different, she says. Now, Rego and her father meet weekly for coffee, on a neutral ground that is not either of our homes.Pillemer recommends that anyone looking toward reconciliation be sure that their methods of getting in contact arent invasive. Avoid anything that looks like stalking, but demonstrate your openness, he says. Dont show up to a family dinner unannounced, for example. One method hes seen work is communicating by card, letter, or through a neutral third party such as a family member who is not involved in the estrangement.Establishing boundariesA critical component of successfully reconciling is establishing boundaries. Many estrangements occur because of violated boundaries, so its important to protect your peace in this way. Boundaries may include topics of conversation that are not to be discussed like someones political views or parenting choices or behavioral expectations, like asking a family member not to drink or yell in your presence. In Pillemers research for the Cornell Family Estrangement and Reconciliation Project, he found that effective reconciliations often had very clear terms. Sydney used this method with her parents. I make it clear to them, if you say homophobic stuff when Im in the room, if you say disrespectful stuff, I will leave and not talk to you, she said.In some cases, Pillemer says, initially instituted boundaries were later loosened, but the act of setting them in place helped facilitate reconciliation. Boundaries can be a way of focusing on the future instead of the past. In Pillemers research, successful reconciliations tend to include clear terms, boundaries, and an understanding that the two parties may never agree on what tore them apart in the first place. People gave up on the idea that they were going to reconcile their ideas of what went on in the past, Pillemer says. Everyone accepted that life had occurred, but that they had to look forward in the relationship.Does reconciliation last?Both estrangement and reconciliation are not static states, Pillemer says. They are dynamic and can be moved into and out of throughout a relationship. But even an attempt at reconciliation can give people a sense of relief. Many of [my research subjects] told me that theyd learned an extraordinary amount about themselves, Pillemer says. Having done it was a life challenge that they felt improved their self-concept and sense of self-efficacy. It seems that even attempting to reconcile can help ease the intensity of feelings around estrangement. For a parent who may be estranged from their child, it can be difficult to come to terms with the childs view of their upbringing, according to Coleman. Its a psychological achievement on the part of the parent to be able to tolerate the adult childs reckoning of their childhood, he says. Theres a lot of work these days for both sides to do. Coleman tells me about his own estrangement from his daughter, who cut off contact with him when she was in her 20s. At first, Coleman responded more defensively than emphatically to his daughters view of conflict in their relationship. I didnt take the responsibility that I later learned is really required It wasnt until I radically shifted my position that she began to come back and things began to improve. From that experience, Coleman says he learned that estranged parents have to be empathetic and curious about the childs reasons for estrangement and they have to take responsibility. He also learned how nightmarish it is to be an estranged parent, which has helped him approach estranged parents in his therapeutic practice with empathy. Knowing what other estranged parents are going through has been helpful to me in terms of being able to help them strategize about points of reconciliation and outline the steps that they would need to take.What if the other party doesnt want to reconcile?There is, of course, no guarantee that a reconciliation attempt will be welcomed by the other party. It takes two to reconcile, Rin Reczek, PhD, a professor in sociology at the Ohio State University, said. Much as is the case with the reconciliation of a romantic relationship, its impossible to reconcile a family estrangement if one person is not interested, capable, or willing to reestablish contact and connection. We cannot coerce or force someone to reenter a relationship with us and if we try, we risk further damage.And if an attempt at reconciliation fails, Pillemer says a grieving process is necessary to move forward: Go through the experience of loss and go through the stage of it. Despite how prevalent estrangement is, stories of reconciliation prove that it doesnt have to last forever. People can and do find their way back to each other. If theres an opportunity for someone to demonstrate that theyve had a change of heart, give them a chance, Sydney tells me. You never know what could happen.Clarification, November 20, 3:35 pm ET: A previous version of this story was unclear about the timeline of Kerry Regos dads sobriety.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

On Thursday, tens of millions of Americans will partake in a national ritual many of us say we dont especially enjoy or find meaning in. We will collectively eat more than 40 million turkeys factory farmed and heavily engineered animals that bear scant resemblance to the wild birds that have been apocryphally written into the Thanksgiving story. (The first Thanksgiving probably didnt have turkey.) And we will do it all even though turkey meat is widely considered flavorless and unpalatable. It is, almost without fail, a dried-out, depressing hunk of sun-baked papier-mch a jaw-tiringly chewy, unsatisfying, and depressingly bland workout, journalist Brian McManus wrote for Vice. Deep down, we know this, but bury it beneath happy memories of Thanksgivings past. So what is essentially the national holiday of meat-eating revolves around an animal dish that no one really likes. That fact clashes with the widely accepted answer to the central question of why its so hard to convince everyone to ditch meat, or even to eat less of it: the taste, stupid. Undoubtedly, that has something to do with it. But I think the real answer is a lot more complicated, and the tasteless Thanksgiving turkey explains why. Get Voxs Processing Meat newsletterSign up here for Future Perfects biweekly newsletter from Marina Bolotnikova and Kenny Torrella, exploring how the meat and dairy industries shape our health, politics, culture, environment, and more.Have questions or comments on this piece? Email me at marina@vox.com!Humans crave ritual, belonging, and a sense of being part of a larger story aspirations that reach their apotheosis at the Thanksgiving table. We dont want to be social deviants who boycott the central symbol of one of our most cherished national holidays, reminding everyone of the animal torture and environmental degradation that went into making it. What could be more human than to go along with it, dry meat and all? Our instincts for conformity seem particularly strong around food, a social glue that binds us to one another and to our shared past. And although many of us today recognize theres something very wrong with how our meat is produced, Thanksgiving of all occasions might seem like an ideal time to forget that for a day. In my experience, plenty of people who are trying to cut back on meat say they eat vegetarian or vegan when cooking for themselves but when they are guests at other peoples homes or celebrating a special occasion, theyll eat whatever, to avoid offending their hosts or provoking awkward conversations about factory farming. But this Thanksgiving, I want to invite you, reader, to flip this logic. If the social and cultural context of food shapes our tastes, even more than taste itself, then it is in precisely these settings that we should focus efforts to change American food customs for the better. Its eating with others where we actually have an opportunity to influence broader change, to share plant-based recipes, spark discussion, and revamp traditions to make them more sustainable and compassionate, Natalie Levin, a board member at PEAK Animal Sanctuary in Indiana and an acquaintance of mine from vegan Twitter, told me.Hundreds of years ago, a turkey on Thanksgiving might have represented abundance and good tidings a too-rare thing in those days, and therefore something to be grateful for. Today, its hard to see it as anything but a symbol of our profligacy and unrestrained cruelty against nonhuman animals. On a day meant to embody the best of humanity, and a vision for a more perfect world, surely we can come up with better symbols. Besides, we dont even like turkey. We should skip it this year. The misery of the Thanksgiving turkey In 2023, my colleague Kenny Torrella published a wrenching investigation into conditions in the US turkey industry. He wrote: The Broad Breasted White turkey, which accounts for 99 out of every 100 grocery store turkeys, has been bred to emphasize you guessed it the breast, one of the more valuable parts of the bird. These birds grow twice as fast and become nearly twice as big as they did in the 1960s. Being so top-heavy, combined with other health issues caused by rapid growth and the unsanitary factory farming environment, can make it difficult for them to walk.Another problem arises from their giant breasts: The males get so big that they cant mount the hens, so they must be bred artificially.Author Jim Mason detailed this practice in his book The Ethics of What We Eat, co-authored with philosopher Peter Singer. Mason took a job with the turkey giant Butterball to research the book, where, he wrote, he had to hold male turkeys while another worker stimulated them to extract their semen into a syringe using a vacuum pump. Once the syringe was full, it was taken to the henhouse, where Mason would pin hens chest-down while another worker inserted the contents of the syringe into the hen using an air compressor.Workers at the farm had to do this to one hen every 12 seconds for 10 hours a day. It was the hardest, fastest, dirtiest, most disgusting, worst-paid work he had ever done, Mason wrote.In the wild, turkeys live in smallish groups of a dozen or so, and they know each other, they relate to each other as individuals, Singer, author of the new book Consider the Turkey, said on a recent episode of the Simple Heart podcast. The turkeys sold on Thanksgiving never see their mothers, they never go and forage for food Theyre pretty traumatized, Id say, by having thousands of strange birds around who they cant get to know as individuals, packed together in crowded sheds. From birth to death, the life of a factory-farmed turkey is one punctuated by rote violence, including mutilations to their beaks, their toes, and snoods, a grueling trip to the slaughterhouse, and a killing process where theyre roughly grabbed and prodded, shackled upside down, and sent down a fast-moving conveyor belt of killing. If theyre lucky, they get stunned and then the knife cuts their throat, Singer said. If theyre not so lucky, they miss the stunner and the knife cuts their throat while theyre fully conscious. On Thanksgiving, Americans throw the equivalent of about 8 million of these turkeys in the trash, according to an estimate by ReFED, a nonprofit that works to reduce food waste. And this year will be the third Thanksgiving in a row celebrated amid an out-of-control bird flu outbreak, in which tens of millions of chickens and turkeys on infected farms have been culled using stomach-churning extermination methods. Turkeys depopulated using firefighting foam after a bird flu outbreak. Glass Walls/We Animals MediaTwo baby turkeys still alive after their flockmates were culled with firefighting foam due to a bird flu outbreak in Israel. Glass Walls/We Animals MediaReclaiming ThanksgivingWhen I search for the language for this grim state of affairs, I can only describe it in religious terms, as a kind of desecration of our planets abundance, of our humanity, of life itself. On every other day of the year, its obscene enough. On a holiday thats supposed to represent our gratitude for the Earths blessings, you can understand why Thanksgiving, for many vegetarians or vegans, is often described as the most alienating day of the year. I count myself among that group, although I dont dread Thanksgiving. Ive come to love it as a holiday ripe for creative reinvention. I usually spend it making a feast of plant-based dishes (known by most people as sides, though theres no reason they cant be the main event). To name a few: a creamy lentil-stuffed squash, cashew lentil bake, a bright autumnal brussels sprout salad, roasted red cabbage with walnuts and feta (sub with dairy-free cheese), mushroom clam-less chowder (I add lots of white beans), challah for bread rolls, a pumpkin miso tart more complex and interesting than any Thanksgiving pie youve had, and rasmalai, a Bengali dessert whose flavors align beautifully with the holidays. Vegan turkey roasts are totally optional, though many of them have gotten very good in recent years I love the Gardein breaded roast and Field Roast hazelnut and cranberry. You can also make your own. The hardest part of going meatless is not about the food (if it were, it might not be so hard to convince Americans to abandon parched roast turkey). Its about unpleasant truths and ethical disagreements being brought out into the open, Levin said, about confronting the bizarre dissonance in celebrations of joy and giving carved from mass-produced violence. These conversations are not easy, but they are worth having. And we dont have to fear losing the rituals that define us as Americans. To the contrary, culture is a continuous conversation we have with each other about our shared values and any culture thats not changing is dead. Theres far more meaning to be had, Ive found, in adapting traditions that are no longer authentic to our ethics and violate our integrity. We can start on Thanksgiving.Rescued turkeys at Farm Sanctuary, an organization in upstate New York that cares for rescued farm animals, feast on a banquet of fruits and vegetables on Thanksgiving. Jo-Anne McArthur/We AnimalsYouve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

PS5 owners can play some great games this month, including a co-op classic and more. Here's what's free for PS Plus subscribers for December, with more to be announced.