#5SmartReads - February 3, 2022

Hitha on popcorn brain, the next chip battle, and a peek inside the government's contract with Pfizer

February 03, 2022

A gentle reminder that you can join the conversation of the day’s reads by clicking the title above and add your thoughts in the comments! My goal for #5SmartReads has always been to start conversations and share our thoughts and perspectives. I hope to see you there!

“Remember, Black families were separated purposefully to delete and separate any sort of throughline, any sort of emotional connection,” said Donald Grant, a clinical psychologist and the executive director of Mindful Training Solutions, a consulting firm in Los Angeles that specializes in wellness and behavioral health. “And so, because those things were deliberately severed, a lot of Black people are getting catharsis by identifying these connections that were taken from them. These search options are providing people with opportunities to get tangible examples of their historical resilience. White people have stories about their heritage in newspapers and in textbooks that support white superiority and ideology. Black people have to find information to build that history, that pride.”

I cried when I read this. I take my family tree and knowing who my ancestors are for granted all the time. Every person should know where they come from and who they come from, and that these ties were destroyed on purpose for Black Americans is a mar on our history.

This article is hopeful - but shows just how much more work we have left to do in making this an equitable, equal nation.

All of us suffer from popcorn brain - especially if you’re reading today’s smart reads on Instagram!

(Props to the 500+ of you who get it delivered to your inboxes every day. If you’d like to be one of them, DM me and I’ll add you to the list)

Dr. Nerurkar (one of my favorite follows on Instagram and Twitter) explains what popcorn brain is (the biological effect of what happens when we spend too much time online), and how to minimize it to increase your resilience.

Brains are amazing, and I appreciate the clear connection between science and behavior and lifestyle to help us lead healthier lives.

And if it means getting #5SmartReads delivered to you or sharing it with a friend, please do :)

If you think the current chip shortage is bad, buckle up. Things could get a lot worse.

The TL;DR - the most advanced leading edge chips are predominantly supplied by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, who manufactures these chips throughout Asia.

If tensions escalate between China and Taiwan (whose current relationship is precarious and impacted by the United States’ own relationship with China), everything that contains a microchip (which is nearly everything these days) may suffer even greater supply chain issues.

Yes, Intel has committed $20B to build factories to manufacture these chips in Ohio. And yes, TSMC is building a facility in Arizona right now to do the same.

Things could get better (with chips for the auto industry being produced back to pre-pandemic levels, diplomatic tensions cooling). But if things do get worse, you’ll know why.

Hail to the Chief (Marie Claire)

I have a new hero and her name is Chief Theresa Kachindamoto.

This Malawian leader is leading the fight against child marriage in the country - where it is still shockingly common. She’s terminated over 2,000 marriages to child brides in her 14 years of power and supported these girls with education and childcare.

If there’s one article you’re reading today, please make it this one. It will inspire you and leave you feeling a deep sense of gratitude.

Hail to the Chief, indeed. I think I know who my next book is going to be about!

Allow me to geek out and confess that reading this contract was like Deepavali, Christmas, my birthday, and the Eagles winning the Super Bowl all in one.

I am a nerd. A nerd who gets far too excited by reading a contract between one of the largest drugmakers and the US government.

My friend Emily has had to hear me opine on how the government should be the largest procurer of medicines that are priced for shareholder benefit (NOT patient benefit) to drive down costs, the way they did with the COVID vaccine.

I still think it’s a brilliant idea. But there’s something in their contract for Pfizer’s antiviral drug for COVID that hints at how the government is looking to reduce drug costs - favored nation pricing.

The past few presidents have tried to get favored nation pricing (essentially a price match that would set the price of a drug based on what another country is paying), and Biden succeeded in this instance.

This is a rare case of the federal government and a major pharmaceutical company doing a really good thing with patient benefit in mind first. More of this, please!

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