Who is affected by SCOTUS rulings?
Plus: Fireworks are bad, noise is killing you, and southern states are too hot
Hello! I hope you all had a nice week. We’re officially into summer now and I can’t tell if I hate it or like it.
Do you ever have those stories which you see over and over again for several days or weeks and you don’t really want to read but then you do and you’re like “oh damn, this is why everyone was posting it”? WELL. ProPublica published a great investigation about penile enlargement procedures [pls don’t put me in spam, I am a real person and this is a real link!] that I had valiantly ignored for what feels like a very long time. It’s very good, shocking, and made me pull multiple horrified faces while reading. I’m not responsible for anyone feeling any kind of way after reading, mkay?
This week’s edition is uncharacteristically short and sweet. Twitter rate limits have banjaxed my ability to find a bunch of things and I don’t have the time to sit and refresh constantly.
On the home front
Who’s Impacted by the Supreme Court’s Student-Loan Forgiveness Ruling
This is a really nice visually-driven piece explaining who is impacted by the SCOTUS ruling on student debt forgiveness. The charts and maps break down borrowers by age, location, income percentiles and other factors.
Steven Bernard from the FT posted maps to Reddit showing how terribly hot it is in southern states in the US.
Where Documents Were Found at Mar-a-Lago
Just in case you wondered!
The risks posed by July Fourth fireworks
I know this makes me a miserable cow but I hate fireworks. They are pretty but every time I see them I can’t help but wonder how much damage they are doing to the environment, or scaring animals, or where the rubbish will end up. This is a good visual explanation of the many, many issues with fireworks.
Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition
Quite a nice maps-based story which explains where the US electric grid falls down (for one: it’s not ONE grid, it’s three!)
Dobbs electrified supporters of abortion rights
This is interesting since I suspect it may be relevant going into the election next year: “In the weeks after Dobbs, celebrities and other donors pledged millions of dollars for the cause. The share of Americans reporting that they supported legal abortion, even during the third trimester of pregnancy, rose. Democrats of all stripes have rallied against Republican abortion policies. That momentum is new.”
Odds and ends
Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here’s How.
This is totally fascinating, explaining the science behind why noise is really unhealthy for you. Unfortunately it’s something I am all-too familiar with: My neighbor’s dog barks constantly and it’s extremely stressful—I sometimes get woken up by it, or I can’t get to sleep, the barking disturbs meetings, and it makes me feel like I can’t relax in my own home. It’s one major reason I just really want to move.
Siesta guide on the Tour de France 2023
I truly do not care about the Tour de France but if you do, I imagine this calendar from Le Monde might be really helpful?
Thank you for reading. I hope you found it interesting/fun! If you want to get in touch just reply to this email. See you next week!