Hi there! Up first this week is an excellent profile of Zappos, the quirky shoe company. Then comes a podcast (not an article!) featuring Maria from Sesame Street. Remember her? After the break, I’ve included two more serious articles, one about school shootings and one about John King, the new Secretary of Education. Please enjoy!

First, Let’s Get Rid of All the Bosses

I have friends who used to work for Zappos, so I know that the company is a bit kooky (my friends aren’t kooky), and every time I read another article about it, the kookiness grows. This article, for instance, ends with CEO Tony Hsieh’s giant praying mantis.

From Chaos to Sesame Street

Remember Maria from Sesame Street? Her real name is Sonia Manzano, and she retired this year (after 44 years on the show), and this 23-minute podcast will delight you. (Her voice will bring you back to childhood. Plus, Ms. Manzano has important things to say about race and coming of age in the late-1960s.)

My friend (and newsletter subscriber) Jessica sent me this beautiful picture of the San Francisco Bay at sunrise. Hope you like it!

How School Shootings Spread

Well, my newsletter got 13 issues in before its first Malcolm Gladwell article. (I suppose it was inevitable.) About school shootings, Mr. Gladwell argues that Columbine created a script, and now, “young men no longer need to be deeply disturbed to contemplate horrific acts.”

John King, the Next Education Secretary. Polarizing, Powered by Personal Story

I’ve been following John King’s career since he helped found Roxbury Prep in 1999. Now he’s 40, and he’s Everything Education Reform: no excuses and all charters, Common Core, and Race to the Top. If you wanted someone different from Arne Duncan, Mr. King is not your guy.

That’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed this issue! Reply to this email to send me your thoughts, and share this newsletter with your friends!