PicoBlog

A few months ago, ScaryMommy ran a story titled “Bulletproof Backpacks Are Becoming The New ‘Must-Have’ Back-To-School Item,” based in part on an Insider article that reported that bulletproof backpack sales spiked after the Uvalde massacre. Then, a former student of mine shared this popular Instagram reel from comedian Gwenna Laithland (@MommaCusses) in which she discusses her decision to buy her daughter a bulletproof backpack insert and a blood capsule — so that when her daughter is in an active shooter situation, she can, in Laithland’s words, “bite down on the blood capsule, spit it out, and play dead.

This BCPI: Open Sources (BCPI.OS) article is written by Tate Halverson and Lucia Constantine. Brian Callaway contributed. BCPI.OS stories focus on delivering data-driven discoveries from publicly-available datasets.  With the Democratic primary fast approaching, voters in Durham may be looking to endorsements by the city’s political action committees (PACs) and others to make their decisions. Two PACs have dominated Durham politics recently: the People’s Alliance (PA) and Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People (DCABP).

Hey everyone, I just got back from some EPIC traveling. A week in New York and then a quick jaunt to Washington State for Craig’s parents’ fiftieth anniversary celebration. For these festivities, Steve and Julee (the aforementioned parents), who live in Bellingham, chose a beautiful spot in the north-central part of the state called Winthrop. Here we are (with Craig’s brother Eric, sister Kristin, and Kristin’s boyfriend Dean) in front of a waterfall.

The Blue Jays continue to find ways to make this wretched season worse. After building some vaguely positive momentum over an 8-5 stretch against the lowly White Sox, Tigers, White Sox, and Pirates, they have immediately fallen brutally flat in the first two games of a four-game home set against the Orioles this week. So far they've been outscored 17-3 by their division rivals. Their run differential has slumped back down to -45; the eighth-worst mark in baseball.

Dear Readers, Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time considering the power structure between the Treasury and the Federal Reserve. As an aspiring American financial historian, I’ve closely studied the Fed’s founding, the private nature of the individual Federal Reserve branches’ shareholders, the Board of Governors’ history of representing US government interests, and periods of unorthodox coordination. A recent bill proposed to Congress would end the Fed and abolish the Federal Reserve Act (1913)—is this a good idea?

Welcome. You are a PAID subscriber and you are wildly appreciated. This week’s non-newsletter work has me mulling West Tennessee’s peach orchards, blue catfish, and historically segregated maternity wards. Has me trimming synopses from lush and full to catchy and zippy. Right now, during focused work-time, I am listening solely to instrumentals (see below ⬇️) and I am solely making deadlines. Please send me Blue Bottle (hot NOLA with a splash of oat), and plate of mushroom taquitos fried hard with mounds of pico de gallo.

What is carcinophobia and do you have it? Rare question. Common problem. Here’s the short answer: It is a cancer and you may have it. But it’s not The Big C. It’s fear. Specifically, the fear of cancer. Yes, it’s an actual diagnosis. And it’s so exhausting. Every symptom you have - and every symptom you don’t have - become cancer in your mind. After our chat with Dr. Gabor Maté the other week, many more people joined our Live And Help Live community in search of healing.

Did anyone else snarf their Cheerios this morning when reading the latest results from the pilot study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG)? We will summarize why you should not throw out your Cheerios and Quaker Oats despite the splash this is making in major media outlets which has caused a lot of fear and concern among cereal lovers! We dropped an Instagram post today, but let’s do an even deeper dive!

Have you heard of radiophobia? It’s the fear of radiation, which is a type of energy released by atoms in the form of electromagnetic waves or particles. On the extreme end, people with full-blown radiophobia include health patients who refuse to be X-rayed because they believe that the radiation will kill them, which can even mean refusing basic dental work and radiation treatment for cancer. But more commonly, it is a misplaced fear of everyday inventions like phones, microwaves, and ovens.