Update on Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, 6/5/2026
Life
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CDC warns of Listeria outbreak linked to requesón/soft ricotta cheese
CDC warns of Listeria outbreak linked to requesón/soft ricotta cheese
CDC Highlights Adverse Outcomes Linked to Travel-Related Cosmetic Procedures
CDC Highlights Adverse Outcomes Linked to Travel-Related Cosmetic Procedures
What They Are Saying: Strong Support for The Great American Cotton Plan
(Washington, D.C., June 1, 2026) – Last week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, unveiled The Great American Cotton Plan (PDF, 2.7 MB). This plan received widespread support across the country.
Here is what they are saying:
Administration
USDA Announces Enrollment Period and Payment Rates for Specialty Crop Farmers
(Washington, D.C., May 29, 2026) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced payment rates and the enrollment period for the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will issue $1.625 billion in payments to eligible specialty crop producers in response to elevated input costs and market disruptions resulting from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impeded specialty crop exports.
I Used Garmin’s Heart Rate Monitor to Measure My ‘Running Economy,’ and Here’s What I Learned
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If you’ve been eyeing the Garmin Forerunner 970, you may be drawn to two of its buzz-worthy features: running economy and step speed loss. But there’s a catch: You can’t access either metric without purchasing a compatible Garmin accessory like the HRM-600 heart rate monitor, which will run you $170.
Is this extra training insight worth the additional investment? To find out, I’ve been wearing one on my runs for the past several weeks, including a half-marathon race in early May. Here’s what I’ve learned about myself, and what you need to know before buying an accessory to get the most out of your running data.
What is “running economy,” and how does Garmin calculate it?
Running economy technically refers to how much oxygen you consume at a given pace. But when runners talk about it, we’re referring to a basic principle that says the more efficient you are, the less energy you’ll burn to run at the same speed. Garmin translates this into a practical score by analyzing your heart rate, speed, and running dynamics. The key input in their calculation (which requires the heart rate monitor) is something called “step speed loss.”
To provide your score, Garmin says it needs data from at least 5–7 runs. After that, you can find your Running Economy score in the Garmin Connect app by tapping More (bottom right) > Performance Stats > Running Economy.
What is “step speed loss,” and how does Garmin calculate it?
Simply put, “step speed loss” (SSL) is a measure of braking. Garmin defines it as the difference between your forward speed at the moment your foot first contacts the ground and your minimum forward speed during that step’s stance phase. Picture the brief window when your foot is planted and your body is passing over it. It’s measured at the chest via a heart rate monitor, and expressed in centimeters per second. You want that number to be as low as possible.
To understand why SSL matters, it helps to think about what’s happening physically with each stride. A high SSL means your body is somehow hitting the brakes when your foot hits the ground, and you have to do a lot more work just to get back to where you were. A lower SSL means your foot is spending less time dragging against the ground and your stride is closer to a smooth, continuous wheel (rather than going brake-accelerate-brake-accelerate on a loop).
Several things can drive you SSL up: low cadence, overstriding (landing with your foot too far in front of your hips), or anything that creates a heavy, stomping contact. You can try to bring your SSL down by running with a lighter, shorter stride, with your foot landing right beneath the body (rather than reaching ahead or dragging behind).
One thing I discovered while digging into all of this: some gait metrics, like cadence and ground contact time, seem to improve on their own when you run faster, because speed itself encourages better mechanics. It’s a bit of a “chicken before the egg” scenario, but for proper running form and speed.
What Garmin’s running dynamics taught me
I’ll spare you all my typical face-saving disclaimers about how I’m an extremely average runner—almost always in the 50th percentile of every race I run, in fact. Let’s take a look at the numbers. In these graphs, each dot represents a percentile band compared to other runners. Purple sits at the top (95th percentile and above), blue covers 70–95%, green is the middle range at 30–69%, orange drops to 5–29%, and red represents the bottom fifth percentile. Garmin says the green, blue, or purple zones are typical for more experienced runners, which tracks for me.
Credit: Meredith Dietz
Credit: Meredith Dietz
If graphs aren’t your thing, here are the stats from the run listed out in my Garmin Connect app.
Credit: Meredith Dietz
My average step speed loss for the race was 8.2 cm/s, translating to an average SSL percentage of 2.85%. That means at any given step, I was losing roughly 2.85% of my forward speed during ground contact.
A bright spot for me is that there’s no obvious upward creep in the second half of the race, which is exactly where I’d expect to see my form break down due to fatigue. I checked out the green spikes around the 0:49-1:15 mark, and it turns out they correspond to a downhill portion of the race. It makes sense that I was subconsciously breaking my stride instead of blowing out my quads and charging down those hills.
Credit: Meredith Dietz
The other numbers that catch my eye are cadence and vertical ratio. My cadence averaged 181 steps per minute, which tickles me, as180 spm has to be by far the most common “optimal running cadence” all runners know. Unfortunately, my vertical ratio isn’t as pretty a picture: Vertical ratio also measures running efficiency, but by dividing vertical oscillation by stride length. At 8.5%, I’m below average in this metric. Instead of digging into that right now, let’s turn the other measure of efficiency I care about today: running economy.
How useful is Garmin’s running economy score?
Credit: Meredith Dietz
The Running Economy screen (dated from the race on Saturday, May 16) shows a score of 214, placing me in the “Trained” category. Garmin’s own description of the score is that my running economy is at a good level with room to improve, and meaningful gains will likely require gradual increases in both intensity and volume. Progress at this level may come more slowly, it tells me, but it’s achievable.
For now, I’ll take that at face value. As I’ve previously covered, there are tangible ways to improve this metric, but a lot of it comes down to genetics. What this number does is give me something concrete to track. If the score nudges into green, blue, or purple territory over the coming months, that’s a signal my training is translating into measurable efficiency gains. If it stagnates while volume and intensity go up, that’s worth investigating. Running Economy scores are only as meaningful as the underlying data, so I plan to log more runs with the HRM-600 to build a better picture.
Do you actually need the HRM-600?
Personally, the running economy score is an interesting metric to have, particularly with my newfound understanding of how SSL works. Beyond the single-race snapshot, I think there’s real value in simply wearing the HRM-600 consistently and tracking my personal SSL range over time.
For most runners, I don’t think SSL is something to obsess over. Percentile comparisons can be fun, but there comes a point where it’s better to tune them out. What matters more is whether your SSL is trending in a useful direction.
Whether or not paying $170 for the HRM-600 is worth it depends on how deep you want to go. Even without obsessing over the number, SSL is a helpful form-check tool for me. When it creeps up on a run, it’s a useful nudge to perform a mental audit to figure out what’s happening: Am I over-striding? Is my foot landing ahead of my hips instead of underneath them? How’s my cadence doing? A few cues I keep coming back to: shorten the stride, let the foot land beneath the body, and think “light and quick” rather than “push and drive.”
If you’re a data-oriented runner who’s already squeezing value out of your Forerunner 970 and looking for the next layer of insight, running economy and step speed loss are natural next steps. If you’re still working on nailing the basics, you’ll get more return from simply running more consistently. Save that money for race registration fees instead.
What You Get With Each Paid AI Subscription
It’s difficult to get away from AI inside apps and on devices now, and if you’re making a lot of use of these tools, you might be thinking about subscribing to a paid tier. While all the major AI chatbots offer free access, subscription plans offer more features and extended usage limits. Of course, there are a host of options to pick from—several big AI services, all with multiple plans at different price points. This guide should help you make some sense of the various offerings, and help you decide on the right one (or two) for you.
What’s not included here is any assessment of which AI models are “better” than others. That can be difficult to measure, especially as models frequently change. Using the free tiers for these bots should give you a good idea of which AI models you like best, and which give the most relevant responses to your queries.
Gemini
Credit: Lifehacker
Google doesn’t specify what the “standard limits” are for free Gemini usage, but it does say that AI Plus users get twice those limits, while AI Pro users get four times those limits. If you pay for AI Ultra, you get five times or 20 times the limits of AI Pro, depending on how much you’re spending. The AI Pro and AI Ultra plans give you access to the latest AI models from Google.
Context windows go up with each tier, too, which is how much the AI can keep in its memory per conversation. The standard on free plans is 32K tokens (the blocks of info that AI bots work with), which add up to around 24,000 words. For AI Plus plans, that goes up to 128K tokens (about 96,000 words), and for all the other paid plans, you get one million tokens (about 750,000 words).
You can generate text, code, audio, images, and video with Gemini. It features a deep research mode, the ability to create custom AI bots with Gemini Gems, and scheduled actions. Most features are available on all the plans, but you’ll find some exceptions. Video generation requires a paid plan, as does image editing. The new Gemini Spark AI agent is currently available only to AI Ultra subscribers.
Gemini makes sense if you already use a lot of Google apps (Gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs) and Android. After all, it’s built right in. It’s also worth noting that you get a host of extras included with these AI plans: more Google One storage at each tier, as well as YouTube Premium, Google Home Premium, and the new Google Health Premium (for AI Pro and AI Ultra plans).
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Paid plans: AI Plus ($7.99 a month), AI Pro ($19.99 a month), AI Ultra (either $99.99 or $199.99 a month)
ChatGPT
Credit: Lifehacker
It’s not particularly easy to figure out usage limits on the ChatGPT plans, but what we know for sure is that the Pro plans give you five times or 20 times the usage of Plus plans, for $100 or $200 a month, respectively. A Pro plan gives you unlimited messages with the latest models too, whereas on Go and Plus, you’re limited to 160 every three hours. Also of note: The Go plan may display ads at times.
For context windows, again, OpenAI doesn’t make it particularly clear. Free users get 16K tokens (roughly 12,000 words), which goes up to 32K tokens (24,000 words) for Plus users, but there’s no mention of the Go plan. Pro users currently get 128K tokens (96,000 words) for GPT‑5.5 Instant, and 400K tokens (300,000 words) for GPT-5.5 Thinking—the best models ChatGPT has at the moment.
ChatGPT is able to generate text, code, and images for you. It has a deep research mode available to everyone, and support for custom AI bots (which it calls GPTs) on the Plus and Pro tiers. In general, paying more gets you more of everything: more messages, more uploads, more image generations, and access to the latest models first.
There’s no wider ChatGPT suite of tools behind the AI chatbot, though it can connect up to a host of apps—including Photoshop, Figma, Spotify, Apple Music, Airtable, and plenty more. It also has its own experimental browser (ChatGPT Atlas), but it’s very platform-agnostic when it comes to what it works best with.
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Paid plans: Go ($8 a month), Plus ($20 a month), Pro ($100 or $200 a month)
Claude
Credit: Lifehacker
You wouldn’t really describe Claude’s usage plans as straightforward, but obviously, the more money you pay a month, the more usage you get. Exactly how much usage that works out to “is affected by several factors, including the length and complexity of your conversations, the features you use, and which Claude model you’re chatting with,” according to the official documentation.
Context windows are the same on all three paid plan tiers: 200K tokens (about 150,000 words). What the context window is for free users isn’t specified anywhere. Claude does let you pay as you go, to some extent, if you need extra AI usage on top of what you’re already being charged for your subscription.
Coders frequently choose Claude for development, and, of course, it can also do general text output. It can’t do images or video, though it can do basic visualizations (like charts and diagrams), and also offers the Canva-like Claude Design portal that will generate user interfaces, slideshows, and mock-ups for you. There’s also a deep research tool here as well.
Like ChatGPT, and unlike Gemini, Claude isn’t really tied to any particular ecosystem. However, it can connect to a multitude of other apps that you can then run through Claude, including Canva, Gmail, Slack, and Uber. There’s also a Skills feature, where you can create customized instruction prompts for Claude to run again and again.
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Paid plans: Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100 or $200 a month)
Copilot
Credit: Lifehacker
Copilot is unusual here, because (for individuals, rather than software developers) it’s tied into Microsoft 365 (previously Microsoft Office) subscriptions. If you sign up for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, then you get Copilot as well, at the two main pricing tiers.
While Microsoft isn’t too precise about Copilot’s usage limits, it does say that Personal subscribers get “higher than free” usage limits, and Premium subscribers get the “highest” limits. This applies to image generation too, while AI agents and audio creation are exclusive to the Premium tier. Microsoft doesn’t say anything about context limits for individual users.
Copilot can create text and images, deploy a deep research mode, and connect to third-party services such as Gmail and Dropbox. There aren’t quite as many of the AI bot features as you’ll find elsewhere, like scheduled tasks or custom-made AIs for specific purposes, though there is a neat Study and Learn mode.
As with Gemini and Google, the primary reason to pick Copilot for your paid AI subscription is if you’re already invested in Windows, the Edge browser, and Microsoft’s office apps. Copilot integrates deeply into these pieces of software, and so is easier to call on if you need AI assistance.
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Paid plans: Personal ($9.99 a month), Premium ($19.99 a month)
Perplexity
Credit: Lifehacker
Perplexity models itself as more of an AI research tool and search engine, rather than an AI chatbot in the more general sense—like ChatGPT or Gemini. You can actually use Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude models inside Perplexity, as well as Perplexity’s own models (or use several in combination).
There’s little official information from Perplexity about exact usage limits or context windows, though the more you pay, the more usage you’ll get: The Max tier is described as offering the “highest usage and top performance”, and gives you access to the “most advanced AI reasoning models”.
Perplexity does offer tools like deep research and custom AI silos that it calls Spaces—complete with their own custom prompts and specific models. You can create images and videos with Perplexity, but it relies on third-party models for the task, and (anecdotally at least) usage limits seem to be quite tight.
The primary reason to sign up for a Perplexity subscription is if you find its focus on web search and information gathering useful. It also has its own browser, as well as some agentic tools that can carry out actions online for you. It’s more focused than other AI chatbots, which may or may not be what you’re looking for.
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Paid plans: Pro ($20 a month), Max ($200 a year)
USDA Launches Great American Cotton Plan to Revitalize the Cotton Farm Economy
(Washington, D.C., May 28, 2026) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the Great American Cotton Plan (PDF, 2.7 MB), a comprehensive USDA initiative to strengthen the cotton farm economy, restore domestic textile manufacturing, expand cotton trade opportunities, and increase demand for products made with American-grown cotton.
You Can Get a Free Ryobi Tool From Home Depot Right Now
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While it’s considered by some as a budget brand since it doesn’t have the heavy-duty durability that pricier lines, Ryobi is widely hailed as one of the best affordable tool lines that’s still high quality for homeowners and hobbyists, and right now is the perfect time to buy in. As part of an extended Memorial Day sale, their best-selling Ryobi ONE+ 18V Starter Kit is down to $99 (originally $228)— and you get to choose a free tool valued at up to $79.97.
The starter kit is ideal for those already in the Ryobi ecosystem or preparing to stock up on the brand’s tools. It includes a 2.0Ah battery, a 4.0Ah battery, and an 18V charger to power any Ryobi device and extend runtime while you work. It also gives you access to the brand’s ONE+ ecosystem, which works with hundreds of tools across different categories, including DIY, lawncare, automotive, and home maintenance.
The BOGO deal lets you choose one of 13 popular tools, such as a leafblower, hedgetrimmer, saw, or multi-tool. The included 18V charger is versatile, and the heavier 4.0Ah is a powerhorse for longer jobs. The smaller 2.0Ah battery charges faster and is lighter, though it may not be enough for more demanding projects.
Still, for $99, this is a strong Ryobi starter or expansion deal, especially if you need backup batteries or frequently run into dead tools mid-project. While it’s not a standalone power tool, this bundle is a worthwhile investment for those who already own Ryobi cordless tools or want to start building out their collection.
Dell 15 DC15250 (Intel Core i7 13th Gen, 512GB SSD, 8GB RAM, Touch Display)
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$599.99
(List Price $839.99)
The Best Books, Movies, Video Games, and Podcasts to Check Out After Watching ‘Call the Midwife’
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Call the Midwife has been around for a long time—perhaps longer than you think. It began in the form of Jennifer Worth’s memoirs, first published in 2002, and later as the beloved TV series produced by the BBC.
Now in its 15th season, the show has been going strong for well over a decade, and while a new season and a prequel movie are in the works, there’s going to be a bit of a wait, as the creators are taking a bit of a breather. If you’re looking for something to fill the gap, we’ve already suggested some TV shows you should stream, but if you want to range a little wider, there are also lots of books, movies, video games, and even podcasts that bring the same charm, warmth, and willingness to tackle real issues.
The best books like Call the Midwife
If you’ve got a hole in your reading list, books can offer a more intimate experience that mimics the feel and atmosphere of Call the Midwife.
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The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth
Worth’s memoir about her time as a nurse and midwife in London’s East End in the 1950s is the source material for the show, and an absolute must-read if you’re a fan. Unsurprisingly, it’s exactly like the show: Worth recounts specific—often difficult or tragic—birth stories from her work as a midwife, but balances the trauma with fondly told stories of local gossip and shenanigans. She paints a rich portrait of a strong, resilient community that fans of the show will instantly recognize—and savor.
Women’s Hotel, by Daniel M. Lavery
If you’re looking for a woman-focused story about the power of community in rapidly changing times, check out Lavery’s first novel. In 1960s New York, the Biedermeier is a woman’s hotel where single, working ladies can safely rest their heads. When money troubles threaten to close it down, a cloud of doubt hovers over the residents—but that doesn’t reduce the charm and pleasure of reading about these sharply observed characters. The ways their lives weave together to make the Biedermeier the sort of place you wish you could actually visit.
The Midwife’s Sister, by Christine Lee
Jennifer Worth’s memoirs don’t offer much detail on her own life outside of her experience as a nurse and midwife in 1950s London. Her sister fills in those blanks with her own memoir of the period. Lee recounts a childhood that was happy, safe, and spent with her beloved sister—until their parents separated, and the girls were sent off to a horrific boarding school where they were mistreated and miserable. The book offers invaluable insight into the world the show depicts, including some of the darker aspects.
Yes Sister, No Sister, by Jenifer Craig
If you’re looking for a readalike book that brings you more 1950s nursing vibes, pick up Yes Sister, No Sister. Craig’s memoir tells the story of her experience training as a nurse in Yorkshire in the 1950s. The discipline harsh, and the work is exhausting and gross—many girls dropped out of the program, but Craig was determined to be a success, and she found a warm and supportive family in her fellow trainees. As in Call the Midwife, the serious work of nursing as described here is leavened by hilarious stories and romantic entanglements that remind Craig that life is meant to be lived.
All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot
This classic memoir is about the experiences of a veterinary surgeon working in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s and 1940s, and it offers the same sense of small-scale grace and tragedy found in Call the Midwife. Herriot (a pen name for James Alfred Wight) travels around the area, treating animal patients and getting involved in the dramas and hijinks of his neighbors. There’s sadness, joy, and a sense of a community bound together so tightly it can survive almost anything, making this the perfect companion to the show.
The best movies like Call the Midwife
One of the best things about Call the Midwife is how deep it goes—fifteen seasons so far, with more to come. If you want to linger in a similar fictional universe for a while, one of these movies is just the ticket.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
If you love the sense of community and the way the residents of Poplar struggle through adversity in Call the Midwife, you’ll love The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The story follows author Juliet Ashton (Lily James) in postwar Britain as she becomes involved with residents of the island of Guernsey, who formed the titular book club during the Nazi occupation of the island as both a cover for their resistance efforts and a way to comfort and support each other. It’s a warm celebration of how books and community can get you through anything. Stream The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society on Netflix.
Vera Drake (2004)
If you find the way Call the Midwife explores women’s health and social issues stirring, check out Vera Drake. It stars Imelda Staunton in the title role, a kindly wife and mother in London in 1950, beloved by her community for the support she offers to all who need it. She also secretly provides abortions to local women, doing the work for free, as she sees it as a kindness. When a procedure goes wrong and Vera is arrested, she’s abandoned by many she thought she could count on—but her community soon feels the loss of her presence. It’s a heartbreaking exploration of many themes found in Call the Midwife, anchored by a stellar cast. Rent Vera Drake on Prime Video.
Made in Dagenham (2010)
If you love the humor and sense of feminine solidarity found in Call the Midwife, you’ll love this rousing 2010 film. Based on a true story, it follows a group of women working as sewing machinists at a Ford automobile plant in Dagenham, London, in the late 1960s. Paid less than their male counterparts and enduring a sexist and unfair work environment, the women organize and go on strike, shocking their local community—and forcing real change in English society. Rent Made in Dagenham on Prime Video.
Philomena (2013)
Many of the most powerful stories told over the course of Call the Midwife’s run explore the way women and pregnancy were treated in the mid-20th century. Philomena tells the story of a woman who is sent to a convent in Ireland in 1951 when she becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. Forced to work in the convent’s laundry, she is devastated when her son is given up for adoption without her knowledge. Fifty years later, she hires a journalist to track down her lost child, exposing the horrifying way unwed mothers were treated and the traumatic impact it had on everyone involved. Rent Philomena on Prime Video.
Brooklyn (2015)
If you’re looking for a story that combines rich period details, romance, and the power of women supporting each other, Brooklyn, based on the novel by Colm Tóibín, is just the ticket. In 1951, a young Irish woman, Ellis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), immigrates to America in search of a better life. In Brooklyn, she stays at a boarding house for young Irish women and finds a supportive community that helps her slowly acclimate to her new life. When Ellis returns to Ireland after her mother’s death, things get very complicated. Fans of Call the Midwife will love the setting and the character’s fierce determination to make her own choices in life. Rent Brooklyn on Prime Video.
The best video games like Call the Midwife
A lot of Call the Midwife’s charm lies in its cozy and patient storytelling. If you’re a gamer looking to immerse yourself in that sort of vibe, you’re in luck.
Strange Horticulture
Part of the joy of a show like Call the Midwife is slowly getting to know the characters and their local community. That’s what Strange Horticulture offers: You play as the inheritor of your uncle’s store, which sells botanical remedies to the locals—remedies that often have powerful and unexpected effects (and side effects). As you are drawn into a murder investigation and seek to assist the residents with their problems, you’ll sink into a beautifully rendered world, and see your choices affect the course of the story.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam, Xbox
Lake
In Lake, you play as Meredith Weiss, a burned-out software developer who returns to her hometown of Providence Oaks, Oregon in 1986 for a break, agreeing to work as a mail carrier for a few weeks. You travel around town delivering the mail and interacting with the residents. The plot possibilities are warm and organic, and offer community-based, woman-centered storylines that echo the vibe of the TV show.
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Although this game is more of an ominous sci-fi mystery than a cozy community tale like Call the Midwife, the gameplay centers on immersing yourself in the lives of a small community of people in a Shropshire village called Yaughton. Everyone in town has vanished mysteriously, and you’re tasked with finding out the cause. As you wander the town, you can interact with various objects and forces to see recreations of events, and slowly piece together the truth. Along the way, you’ll get to know Yaughton and its residents intimately.
Platforms: PlayStation
Two Point Hospital
One of the subtle pleasures of Call the Midwife is watching the medical professionals wrestle with the logistical challenges of running a community clinic with limited resources. While Two-Point Hospital is visually very different and doesn’t delve into the serious topics the show trades in, it absolutely captures the challenge of running a healthcare facility for a group of charming people. The style is lighthearted and cartoonish, but the challenge is real, and will remind you of the day-to-day work done at Nonnatus House.
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Thank Goodness You’re Here!
If you really take joy in the often silly and hilarious doings of the local citizens of Poplar, you’ll love Thank Goodness You’re Here! Virtually plotless, the game casts yoy as a traveling salesman who wanders around the northern England town of Barnsworth, interacting with its colorful residents. As you meet people, you have the opportunity to help them solve various problems. By the end of this cozy, cartoony game, you’ll have a deep understanding of the town and a collection of surreal, fun adventures conveyed in a lushly detailed comic style.
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam
The best podcasts like Call the Midwife
Whether you want to immerse yourself more deeply in Call the Midwife’s lore and characters or you want to replicate the joy of discovering the show, here are a few podcasts that will definitely be what the doctor ordered.
Recall the Midwife
Credit: Podcast logo
Want to just sit back and listen to some passionate fans (from both sides of the Atlantic) discuss the show? Recall the Midwife is perfect. This unofficial, fan-produced podcast tackles the series episode by episode, and glories in all things Midwife, offering both American and British perspectives on the characters and issues tackled. It’s become one of the most popular CTM podcasts despite being 100% DIY.
Tales from Call the Midwife
Credit: Podcast logo
This official BBC podcast expands its focus by interviewing fans from around the world who discuss the ways Call the Midwife has influenced their lives, intersected with their own health and medical experiences, or prompted conversations about social issues. Less an analysis of the show and more of a celebration of its influence and the love its audience has for it, if you want to explore the global community of its fandom, this is a great place to start.
Home Front
Credit: Podcast logo
If you want more heartfelt, character-driven historical fiction exploring the resiliency and sense of community enjoyed by British citizens, Home Front is a perfect choice. Each episode tells a fictional story set during World War I, detailing how regular people dealt with the privation, dangers, and anxieties of a World War. With characters taken from every strata of society, the podcast slowly weaves a vibrant picture of the emotional and spiritual survival of an entire nation in the face of true horror.
The History Chicks
Credit: Podcast logo
If watching Call the Midwife leaves you interested in the often-overlooked (or simply untold) roles of women in history and societal change, this podcast will help you catch up. Each episode tells the life story of one remarkable woman, from her birth to her death, and often underscores how vital and important these women were to their communities and the world at large.
Midnight Radio
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This work of narrative fiction was inspired both by old-fashioned, 1950s radio broadcasts and the sort of small-town life that once existed around them. Both a ghost story of sorts and a love story, it’s a gauzy, nostalgic trip that celebrates and explores the joys of community while telling a heartbreaking tale between two women separated by more than just time.