Disturbing, violent images. Ongoing, sometimes violent, protests. Relentless coverage. Americans experience a lot of this when it comes to certain foreign wars. We get less of it when it comes to the endless war within; the relentless gun violence carried out with weapons of war on communities across the country. Somehow, gun violence doesn't seem to trigger us. But maybe that's because it's so often covered as a political, cultural story instead of what it really is: a human one. WaPo (Gift Article) is trying to change that with its series on the AR-15 and the devastation is has wrought. Terror on Repeat. The article begins with an editorial note: "The photos, videos and personal accounts below are extremely disturbing and may be too upsetting for some people." Imagine a culture in which being made aware of the damage caused by AR-15s could be too upsetting, but keeping them legal seems, to many, hardly upsetting at all. 2Stat 101As sports fans see the odds everywhere, the odds of increased gambling problems keep going up. The latest place we're seeing the trend is on college campuses. "An estimated 2% to 3% of U.S. adults have a gambling problem. The portion of college students with a problem, however, is potentially twice that number – up to 6%." I predict we'll see this among high school kids and maybe even down to junior high. Sports gambling was a draw back when you had to find a bookie and jump through hoops to lay a bet. Now its marketed nonstop during games and its as available as your front pocket. Colleges face gambling addiction among students as sports betting spreads. 3Hazed and Confused"Emmanuel Aguirre, a 30-year-old software engineer in the Bay Area, had Covid at the end of 2020. Within a month, he said, his life was transformed: 'I felt like I was permanently hung over, drunk, high and in a brain freeze all at once.' He stopped dating, playing video games and reading novels, though he managed to keep his job, working remotely. Some of his physical symptoms eventually abated, but the brain fog has lingered, disappearing at times only to steamroll him days later." Aguirre is hardly alone. NYT Upshot (Gift Article): Can’t Think, Can’t Remember: More Americans Say They’re in a Cognitive Fog. "Adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s are driving the trend. Researchers point to long Covid as a major cause." 4Here's Looking at You Kid“It’s also about someone dealing with growing older. Especially an older woman — a person who often disappears in our society." Dorothy Wiggins is 98, but far from disappearing, she's a mainstay on the scene of a new kind of NY high (or maybe low) society. NYT (Gift Article): At 98, She’s a Social Media Star. Wiggins is not exactly a fan of the medium that's made her semi-famous: "TikTok feels stupid to me ... You need more than a momentary thing. I watched ‘Casablanca’ the other night. Now that’s the perfect length for a movie. I just think it’s bad for concentration and that it’s going to make people stupider." (Captain Renault: "What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?" Rick: "My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters." Captain Renault: "The waters? What waters? We're in the desert." Rick: "I was misinformed.") 5Extra, ExtraSin, War: "Five years ago, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, scrawled a note on a document that he knew Egyptian intermediaries would hand to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Take a 'calculated risk’ on a ceasefire, Sinwar wrote in Hebrew." Bibi took that risk and many others. Now, Yahya Sinwar is being hunted by the IDF. Bloomberg (Gift Article): Hamas Mastermind Who Tricked Israel Is Top Target in Gaza Tunnels. Here's the latest from BBC, Times of Israel, and NBC. 6Bottom of the News"With the departure of the National Zoo's giant pandas earlier this month, the U.S. will soon be without any of the beloved bears." But wait. Panda diplomacy might be back. China may send new giant pandas to U.S., Xi says. Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store.
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