#5SmartReads - June 22, 2022

Hitha on student loan forgiveness, what's happening in Bangladesh, and Raja Kumari

June 22, 2022

The business of media has a lot to do with the media you see - the more clicks/engagement/purchases you have, the more revenue you generate through advertising.

And it seems to be clicks/engagement/time on site is beginning to trump the purchasing of print publications - and purchases from advertisers in print.

Sara Fischer buried the lede in this piece, with the news that revenue from subscriptions of both print and digital media outlets will exceed advertising revenue this year - and I hope that means we’ll see media companies take some different risks and publish more unexpected content.

Or it could mean the echo chambers grow louder than before 😬

“I think now that I’m older and I can analyse it. I’d say the identity was formed because I needed something that was bigger than me at that time. Svetha didn’t like her body and wasn’t too confident, but Raja Kumari was a superhero, a goddess. I was familiar with these powerful women in classical dances, and I just wanted that energy. And I also loved the idea that every man had to call me a king,” she chuckles. “I am a person who will fake it till she makes it. So this was just what I needed at that point.”

Have I been blasting Raja Kumari’s Goddess since hearing it in the training montage of Ms. Marvel? Yes. Have I also been a longtime Raja Kumari fan? Also yes.

This is an older interview, but it’s an excellent one to get to know the phenomenally talented artist, who is truly one of a kind.

Monsoon season is one of South Asia’s usual seasons, but they’ve grown increasingly worse year over year, and downright fatal at the beginning of the season this year - with more damage expected over the next couple of days.

It’s utterly heartbreaking, and something we cannot look away from and need to take decisive action on - both in the aid and rebuilding of these regions, and in combatting climate change as best as we can.

If you can, please consider donating to Give2Asia’s fundraiser to aid those affected in Bangladesh.

Claire and Ashley are two of my favorite people. They are smart, hilarious, beautiful people and they are a force to be reckoned with as a couple and as business partners. You’ve definitely heard of their life-changing business, Ladies Get Paid.

This incredibly honest and loving conversation between the two of them about their relationship is worthy of your time and attention. There are so many nuggets of wisdom and compassion in this piece, but I’ll leave you with the standard you should hold for the most important relationships in your life:

“Being emotionally intimate can be very intense and exhausting, but ultimately it means that we feel totally alive and in sync, and that feels really f**king good.”

You may qualify for student loan forgiveness and not know it.

If you’re a full time employee of a qualified public service or non-profit employer (emphasis on qualified), you may be qualified for partial or full student loan forgiveness.

And because I don’t see this program being as well communicated as it should, it very much belongs in #5SmartReads.

I also appreciate Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jeff Merkley for introducing legislation to simply and strengthen the public service loan forgiveness program, and it’s a great action to take when calling your senators and Congressional representative.

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