Extra, Extra
Boys to Men: “Men have had way more than their fair share of our concern already, the reasoning goes, and now it’s time for them to pipe down. But for boys, privilege and harm intertwine in complex ways — male socialization is a strangely destructive blend of indulgence and neglect. Under patriarchy, boys and men get everything, except the thing that’s most worth having: human connection.” An interesting look at modern boyhood (and modern loneliness) from Ruth Whippman in the NYT (Gift Article): Boys Get Everything, Except the Thing That’s Most Worth Having. “I have spent the last few years talking to boys as research for my new book, as well as raising my own three sons, and I have come to believe the conditions of modern boyhood amount to a perfect storm for loneliness.”
+ Flight Status: “On a Wednesday afternoon in August, Daniel Posada and his girlfriend were screaming at each other at a bus stop when someone called 911. From a rooftop a mile away, the Chula Vista Police Department started the rotors of a 13-pound drone. The machine lifted into the air with its high-resolution camera rolling. Equipped with thermal imaging capabilities and a powerful zoom lens, it transmitted a live feed of everything it captured to a sworn officer monitoring a screen at the precinct, to the department’s Real-Time Operations Center, and to the cell phone of the responding officer racing to the scene.” Wired: Welcome to the age of drone police. It’s already happening in some places and it’s coming to a city near you.
+ Children of War: “The children were living in a foster home when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Then a group of Russian officials came and took them. Over the next year, the authorities filed paperwork to put many of them up for adoption.” NYT (Gift Article): 46 Children Were Taken From Ukraine. Many Are Up for Adoption in Russia.
+ We Have Lift-off: “A Boeing spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts is on its historic maiden voyage. The landmark launch kicked off the first crewed test flight of the capsule and marked the culmination of a long and trying development process.” Here’s the latest.
+ Hoop Streams: “The NBA sweepstakes has turned into a defining moment for the TV industry, highlighting the anxieties of traditional media companies about the collapse of cable and their uncertain financial futures in the streaming world. It has put front-and-center the paradox that sports content is outrageously expensive but also critical to own in an industry in which it is one of the few reliable ways to draw in audiences.” WSJ (Gift Article): NBA Nears $76 Billion TV Deal, a Defining Moment for Media and Sports.
+ The Other Front: In the US, the Middle East war stories are all about Gaza. In Israel, much of the focus is on Hezbollah—and about the already dire situation spiraling into a full fledged war. Reuters: Is the Hezbollah-Israel conflict about to spiral?
+ Molly Folly: NPR: FDA advisors reject MDMA therapy for PTSD, amid concerns over research. “A panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration on the use of the psychedelic MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder found on Tuesday that the available evidence fails to show that the drug is effective or that its benefits outweigh its risks.” (What are the risks? Joy, hugs, and possible dancing?)
+ Tabling the Issue: The “pandemic devastated the restaurant industry, but sales are now far higher than before it started — and climbing.” Restaurants are having their biggest year ever.
