The Trend Report™: Unhappy
Exploring current "white" mania and why you're going to hear more about colds.
"heat in the Portland has melted power cables"
"so hot in the Pacific Northwest that roads are buckling"
Portland, Seattle, & Vancouver heat? Off the Charts.
Canada sees record temperature of over 118 degrees
Canadian Town Burns Through 121 Degree Heat
"infrastructure we've built for a world we no longer live in."
I don’t like any of this!
Massive 'eye of fire' in Gulf of Mexico
"The ocean is on fire"
This isn’t helping.
US could see "very dense outbreaks" of Delta
Anyway. I guess we’re going to keep hearing about this? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I saw a TikTok that people who are vaccinated should wear masks in light of the Delta situation which I thought was alarmism but is true – and being adopted by places like LA County. Okay.
“delta variant poppin out as thousands of athletes fly”
Related.
Moderna Is Effective Against The Delta Variant
Thank you, Dolly.
Covid event pilots compromised by low uptake
Some interesting news: a big study of indoor concerts in England found that about 30 people of almost 60,000 contracted Covid. This seems good but the scientists are saying it’s “very difficult to draw any conclusions from the tests” because negative tests were required to enter. It’s a start though!
Why Oxygen Is So Expensive
Depressing but fascinating look at why medical oxygen is so expensive — and it isn’t about resources. To that: Covid is BAD. And SAD. This video really shows how countries that aren’t America have suffered.
Parents Forbid Covid Shots. Defiant Teens Get Them.
Hell yeah, teens.
Deceptive Fund-Raising Ensnares Older People
Not a new story but new data pointing to how pervasive this politically unsavory move is.
Meetings. Why?
This story seemed to be semi-viral but makes it clear: a lot of meetings in modern working culture are baloney. Also: we should all just read more, or talk on the phone.
I hate to tell you this but colds are trending. Ironic given the heat wave, ironic given Covid, but people are getting together, inside, and they are sharing all the ickiness that’s inside their bodies. In the past week, I’ve heard at least four people say something to the effect of “I have a dumb cold!” or “I think I’m getting sick!” As my friend Liam captured on Twitter, it’s likely the merging of Pride antics with people generally being more out.
This colloquial observation isn’t just colloquial either, as the news – ”Common cold or Covid? Upper respiratory symptoms are growing more prevalent,” “5 Ways To Stop Summer Colds From Making The Rounds In Your Family,” “Increase in Colds and Flu Could Be Coming as Reopening Continues: Experts” – has been on this beat for a few weeks. This is all obvious and is interesting as, two months after everyone’s isolation dams broke, we’re now in the throes of summer colds.
So what do we make of this? Do you but also: be smart, y’all. As the Delta stories portend, we’re firmly in the liminal, between the normal and not, the regular and the irregular. Yes, looking at a cold and flu map may seem helpful until you realize, uh, everywhere is a risk because the pandemic is still around, a deadly flu hanging in the wings, awaiting its next act. Enjoy yourself – but also play to the top of your intelligence and make good choices. There is no shame in still wearing a mask and saying no to things.
The Prescient Power of The Rosie O’Donnell Show
Justice for Rosie. This show ruled my childhood.
What I Saw in My First 10 Years on Testosterone
This is a sweet piece, reflecting on the current state of trans and queerness.
Happy Pride, From The Middle Of Nowhere
This is a very sweet Pride video that is ~inspiring~ and makes you want to start a commune in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of queer people.
Napolian dies aged 29
Rest in peace. Stream his debut Incursio in memoriam. I once told him at a party at an art museum that his music was really good.
L’Rain Wants to Confuse You
Great interview with L’Rain, whose album Fatigue is ✨wonderful✨
Pastis, an Aperitif for Lazy Days
I’m listening…
Sha’Carri Richardson Tests Positive for Marijuana
Swimming caps for natural black hair ruled out
Tell me again why we venerate the Olympics?
How to Foster Diversity & Inclusion Remotely
This is interesting! Particularly as there can be so much silencing, online and off.
“FOBO”
I’m tired of fake adjacent FOMO phenomena and “fear of better options” is not immune. Making something out of nothing!
Reddit's Beloved No-Weights Workout
Okay, I’m intrigued to try.
‘Pigeons can’t find their home’ block I-95
Poor babies :(
Which Vanilla Extract is the Best
This is old but this is fascinating – and I didn’t realize imitation vanilla is made from petroleum! To that: as Claire Saffitz has shown, just make your own extract. It’s easy, and I’m definitely going to do this from now on.
At 112, Puerto Rican man world's oldest
I am sure I am somehow related to this old man and that, somehow, I too will live to my hundredteens.
A few stray articles, happenings, and thoughts that have been on the mind recently. Today seems like a good day to put them all together, in one place, to see what we can learn from them.
Juneteenth is officially a federal holiday.
Meanwhile, half a dozen states are pushing laws to limiting – and banning – education about race.
I ask my siblings about a rumor I heard about my father, that he was griping about how people like him – White men in their sixties. – are going to be placed in cages, after “illegal immigrants” are freed. No one can figure out if he actually said this.
The news is swelling with explainers, think pieces, and surveys about “critical race theory.”
After what feels like a lifetime, after a cycle of exhausting debate, Nikole Hannah-Jones was finally granted tenure by UNC Chapel Hill.
Days ago, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson asked his audience “How do we save this country before we become Rwanda?” as a graphic declared “ANTI-WHITE HATE,” thus building his years-long screed against equality.
For Father’s Day, Bobby and I surprise my father, mother, and brother and his family in El Paso for the weekend.
The term “White Boy Summer” has taken hold as a white supermacist meme.
New York features the story Before, During, After January 6: The historical perspective at six months. on their cover along with this story and this story and this story and this story.
On the Saturday morning of the visit with my father, he turns to my brother and says something along the lines of, “You’ll never believe this: the president of Black Lives Matters quit and is going to help communities and schools now.” They talk about school choice, which I’m unfamiliar with. I do know that Black Lives Matters doesn’t have a president: it’s a community movement. I ask where this information is coming from and that BLM doesn’t have a single leader. My father mentions he read the story from a Fox News contributor. I tell him that I would challenge that information. He scoffs. We both are quiet. This exchange is less than five minutes in length.
I forgot – and am reminded via a review – that post-punk band Cold Cave once had a white surpremacist as their opening act.
There is a tactic by the far-right to seed misinformation and general animosity within the Democratic party via digitally doctored “news.” The entire concept is concerning.
I try to to track down the story my father was talking about. The closest I can find is a Fox News story about the president of a group called “Every Black Life Matters” and how he has critiques of Black Lives Matters, which relates to another story about the “founder” of the St. Paul, Minnesota blasting the “ugly truth” about the organization. Unsurprisingly, Fox has a long history of defaming Black Lives Matter.
Country musician Toby Keith releases a song called “Happy Birthday America,” with lyrics like “seems like everybody's pissin' on the red, white and blue” and “your children want to turn you into something other than yourself” and “they burn your flag in their city streets, more than anybody else.”
Donald Trump had a rally planned for July 4 in Alabama that was cancelled due to concerns by local officials. The rally is took place in Florida on July 3.
My father and brother and his kids go for a ride, as the power had gone out due to extreme heat. Talking to my mother, we hear how my father was so distraught earlier in the day, emotional and not in a great space. Why? Because of the state of the country, because of what I had said.
"🍉 #kuwait"
Very wholesome TikTok.
"FREE BRITNEY #rubberchicken"
Now this is an ally.
"Why would she say this😭"
She isn’t wrong about that Mona Lisa.
"we wouldve talked about this for MONTHS"
Love reflections, love boobs.
"what's wrong with her?"
This is my experience <3
"You need eggs for dinner."
Me and my child walk to the store, yes.
"cc'd on an email i have no intention contributing to"
It’s the bag that really sells it.
"tonight is the night"
Bye, gay!
collection of insane people tweets
One of my favorite Twitters is @insaneppltweets, which curates madness put on main. This is a collection of some insane Tweets that probably have been Tweeted by that account. They are wild.
And, finally, me at a pool party this weekend.
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