Shake, Rattle, and Roll: “With careful rebranding, word choice and packaging, products like vibrators and lubricants have become newly palatable to higher-end retailers that cater to women. It’s a significant evolution in the public acceptance of such products, helped in part by celebrity endorsements, and it comes amid a broader focus on wellness and self-care spurred by the pandemic.” NYT (Gift Article): Bloomingdale’s, Sephora and the Embrace of Sexual Wellness. (This is the only category of wellness that I seem to qualify for…)

+ Mole Keeper: “As head of the German soccer federation, Theo Zwanziger was among his sport’s most prominent critics of the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. He publicly attacked the energy-rich Gulf nation’s human rights record. He questioned the wisdom of staging the world’s most popular sporting event in searing desert heat.” Qatar deploys ex-spies to blunt German’s World Cup criticism. (You wouldn’t want it to get out that it’s really hot in Qatar.)

+ Gum, Disease: “A type of chewing gum mixed with a protein that is a gateway for infections with the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, could serve as a low-cost way to help prevent its spread.” Chewing Gum with GMO Could Reduce the Spread of COVID. (This sets the stage for the anti-chewing gum protests to take to the streets.)

+ Terrible Stat: “Percentage increase since 2019 in ER visits for suicide attempts by adolescent boys : 4. By adolescent girls : 51.” The March Harper’s Index.