#5SmartReads - January 18, 2021

Hitha on the reality frontline workers face, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and magic mushrooms (no, not that kind)

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!

What happens when a state’s labor secretary leaves his political job for one behind the bar?

He gets a crash course in the reality of millions of workers who don’t have a choice to not show up for work, and eloquently points out every single issue “but people don’t want to work” false narrative and unpacks the truth.

People want to work. And our workers deserve fair wages that allow them to live a life of dignity, safety, and with good health.

Please read this and share this widely.

You definitely know Shohreh Aghdashloo, even if you may not know her by name.

This iconic actress has been The Flight Attendant and Star Trek Beyond, but the role that made me a diehard Shohreh-stan was her turn as Chrisjen Avasarala in The Expanse (one of the best television shows I’ve ever watched - even if you don’t typically watch sci-fi).

Come for her fabulous outfits, stay for her one-liners and a masterclass on leadership through turbulent times.

Most of this interview is really centered on the show, but there’s a quote on her character’s journey that I think should be required reading (and viewing) for anyone in power or who seeks power:

“It was a really interesting journey from being, let’s be honest, a spoiled brat, a famous politician from one of the richest families on earth representing this very elite view, to one who was genuinely a populist representing the feelings of the people. She had lost a son in the war, she was in mourning, and she keeps losing more people in her life. So she starts listening to others, starts thinking what is in the interests of the people even if it’s not really good politics. She would not have accepted the alliances from those other planets if she had not gone through so much with her family and friends.”

Rumor has it that Aghdashloo is joining the cast of The Wheel Of Time, so if you need me, I’ll be catching up on that.

If anyone claims to know how this pandemic will end or claim they have a cure for COVID, ignore them.

The only consistent thing about this pandemic is that it’s constantly changing and so will our guidance.

None of us know how it’s going to end, but the historian in me finds some comfort in looking at the past and seeing if there are any parallels we can draw to inform the options of what could happen.

The main takeaway:

“Historically, most pandemics end within 2 to 3 years as the virus mutates into a less virulent pathogen and the population builds up immunity. This is what happened to the influenza strain behind the 1918 flu pandemic, and what many virologists hope will happen with the coronavirus — whether that happens with Omicron, a variant that appears to cause milder infections, or another future variant is unknown.”

We don’t know what we don’t know right now. But I have hope that we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and that the precautions we take now - vaccination, masking, distancing - will be worth it.

My friend Lauren Smith Brody’s column for Maisonette has been a lifeline of mine since she started writing it.

She manages to answer the questions that are at the top of my mind, and she writes in a way that makes you feel seen and somewhat comforted and that you’re not alone.

This month’s column is on time management, centered on our very chaotic and uncertain reality right now. It made me feel a lot less along and acted as a permission slip to just do my best and not hold myself to impossible standards, and that my 30 minute putz around time after school drop-off is actually the right thing to do.

Thanks, Lauren. And go follow her Instagram for more wisdom.

Carbon sequestration is my current nerdy obsession (I think it’s the perfect bridge for us as we improve battery capacity and resilience for renewable energy while minimizing carbon emissions), and naturally Mother Nature has some amazing options already.

Like fungi. White-rot fungus, specifically.

It’s research like this that gives me hope that we can scale up these short-term solutions - sustainably! - to address our carbon emissions now as we build a more robust renewable energy infrastructure.

And fix the damn electric grid in the United States.

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