#5SmartReads - July 7, 2022

Hitha on ending homelessness, the loud part being said aloud, and Enya

July 07, 2022

America in 2022 is when people looking to subvert democracy tell voters their plans out loud, and often. Like “I’m Doug Mastriano, I’m running to be the governor of Pennsylvania, and here’s how I’m going to try to cheat to win the election.”

I’m dead serious. Doug Mastriano has been open about his plans to repeal vote-by-mail, appointing a fellow election-denier to be secretary of state, forcing every voter in the commonwealth to re-register to vote, and more.

He’s doing it with bills he’s introduced in the PA state legislature. PA is also one of the few states where secretary of state is appointed by the governor instead of standing for election. And should the PA Supreme Court rule against him, he would defund them as governor.

He’s been open and vocal about all of these things. And I guarantee there’s a Doug Mastriano in your own state, and who stands a fair chance of winning the election based on these plans.

“Be patient, stick to your gut, and believe in the things you know to be true. When I’ve had challenges, there’s often been a level of “Can I do this? Am I talented enough?” And then [I remember] people, whose opinions I value, telling me, “You’ve gotten to where you are because of your talent and because you stuck to your instincts.” I know it sounds cheesy, but believe in yourself and your abilities.”

Love Ms. Marvel? You have Sana Amanat to thank. She’s the co-creator of the character and executive producer of Marvel’s best rated show (according to Rotten Tomatoes), and she’s refreshingly honest and open in this interview about her career, working at Marvel, and what it’s like to work on a film production.

There were a lot of headlines heralding Finland’s effective end of homelessness in the country. But how exactly did they do it?

They gave their unhomed residents a home, no questions act. Once someone was settled in a home, services like addiction counseling, job training, and food delivery quickly followed.

And in the past 10+ years since this policy was designed and implemented, Finland has basically eradicated homelessness and maintained it.

And yes, Finland’s 5M population and the low percentage of homelessness differs greatly from the United States and even some of our cities. But pointing out differences doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to adopt what has clearly worked, especially in our urban centers with growing unhomed populations.

I know what I’m calling my councilmember, borough president, and mayor about today (and every day).

Who Can Say Why Enya Endures? Only Time (New York Times Magazine)

When I was 9, my uncle gifted me my first boombox and took me to a music store to get my first CDs. My selections were all over the place - Oasis, Boyz II Men, Soul For Real (Candy Rain was a jam!), and Enya.

The former albums are the ones I’d play when getting ready for school or while doing my homework. Enya was my wind down-reading in bed soundtrack, and not much has changed in the last 29 years. I’ve just swapped my CD for asking Alexa to start my nighttime routine.

Enya’s own life is as haunting and fantastical as her music (living in a secluded castle with a bunch of cats), and this feature does our queen of synthetic melodies justice.

“She lived in a castle, rarely gave interviews or performed live. Her videos present her as an ethereal being, surrounded at all times by 400 lit candles, wearing a wardrobe bequeathed to her by a faerie queen who had too many velvet capes lying around and hated to see them go to waste. This imagery made Enya a world unto herself.”

…and I, for one, love to see it.

“Sponsoring content on TikTok that relates to a political issue, not selling a product, is a rare move. Favor is seemingly the first company to actively seek out influencer partnerships centered on discussing threats to reproductive rights specifically. The involved influencers say it gives them new ways to reach their audience with important information and get paid doing it, something especially critical for LGBTQ+ creators and creators of color.”

When so many companies are paying lip service right now on reproductive rights (claiming they’ll fund out-of-state travel for reproductive healthcare while still donating to anti-choice candidates), Favor is walking the walk in terms of what they say, how they’re saying it, and putting their dollars in creators who also walk the walk and are educating and informing inclusively.

#5SmartThings I do everyday (from this Reel and my daily planning worksheet)

  1. Meditation: Aditi’s morning meditation

  2. Workout: Bradley’s 20 minute Pop Punk ride and Tunde’s arm warmup and 10 minute arms & shoulder strength (from her Arms With Tunde program)

  3. Book: A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (a great fantasy romance series if you’re having ACOTAR withdrawals and/or love Greek mythology)

  4. Podcast: She Pivots Podcast with Selena Samuela

  5. Playlist: The Summer I Turned Pretty playlist

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