#5SmartReads - July 21, 2022
Hitha on cozy games, Ms. Marvel, and the future of delivering aid
The energy pinch is easing (Axios)
Prices aren’t just falling at the gas pump. Energy prices overall have begun to fall, and the market is finding some much-needed stability. And there are a few reasons why:
The economy of China — the world's second-largest crude consumer — is quite weak and just posted its slowest quarterly GDP growth since the COVID crisis started.
Global demand for crude has also been hurt by the surging dollar. Crude oil is priced in dollars, so the greenback's strength makes it far more expensive for buyers outside the U.S.
Fears of a stateside economic slowdown, which would drag on oil consumption, have also grown, since the worse-than-expected inflation report last week, which raised the risk that the Fed would hammer the economy with higher interest rates.
U.S. average gasoline prices, above $5 a gallon back in June, had already started nudging consumers to drive less — reducing demand, and resulting in an unexpected increase in gas stockpiles.
I always appreciate Axios for breaking down the hard things succinctly and with additional reading to understand the issue. And may this news harken an easing of overall inflation.
A love letter to cozy games, the gentle game movement we need right now (Los Angeles Times)
My therapist recommended Cozy Grove to me last year, as a tool to pause when I sense I’m about to spiral (and I spent much of last year being sucked into work-related spirals).
It’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received, and I’m sorry for holding it so close to my chest because it was one of the only things that actually helped me pause before I found myself sucked into an emotional vortex, and helped me process what I was feeling and find my focus on what I could control.
I found such comfort and peace helping these little ghost bears, but didn’t realize how impactful this game - and cozy games in general - can be to find some peace in these wild times we’re living in.
“They’re games that, like the best fairy tales, understand that seriousness and a sense of childlike wonder aren’t mutually exclusive. “Once we realized these characters were going to be ghosts and have past trauma, then it became exciting for us to figure out how to tell that in a way that was cozy,” says Edery. “It’s not a trivial thing. Talking about a character that has survivor’s guilt is not a cozy topic, but the friendship you develop, how you help them, how you walk them through what they’re feeling, that became cozy.””
The GOP's shameless lies about a 10-year-old rape victim speak volumes (MSNBC)
A 10 year old girl was raped, became pregnant, and had to travel out of state to receive an abortion.
And rather than show compassion or care for this child who faced one of the most horrifying things in her life, conservative leaders and media thought that questioning and doubting this verified story was the move.
“In trying to dissuade the public that the story was false, Republicans inadvertently highlighted the horrifying truth: The harrowing tale of an abused child forced to carry a rapist’s baby to term is not an accidental quirk in the abortion bans they’re passing. It’s what they were designed to do. Ohio, like most states with new abortion bans, deliberately makes no exceptions for rape or incest. The lack of provisions to protect rape victims is not an omission, it’s premeditated.”
The cruelty of these bans will destroy lives, not protect them. And it will only give greater agency to those who wish to harm others through rape:
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 million women in the United States will become pregnant from rape. Twenty percent reported that their rapist actively tried to get them pregnant by refusing to wear a condom or controlling their birth control intake. For many rapists, pregnancy is not just a consequence, it’s the point. Sexual and reproductive violence are often intertwined and perpetrators use both to damage their victims, which makes these myths Republicans are spreading that much more deranged.”
'Ms. Marvel' Has the Heart the Rest of the MCU Needs (Thrillist)
Ms. Marvel is one of the best things I’ve ever seen - among all shows, movies, theater productions, etc.
Period. Full stop. No questions at this time.
Truly, I wish I had written this piece because it captures everything I feel about this incredible show (which is also Marvel’s top-rated show on Rotten Tomatoes). This piece does include spoilers, so go watch it first before you read it. I will leave you with a non-spoiler line from this piece that had me wishing that my younger self had a show like this when she was in middle or high school:
“But Ms. Marvel truly shines when it's about a girl learning that her family and community is an asset rather than something from which to hide. I can't remember the last time something from Marvel made me well up with tears multiple times, and that's something to celebrate.”
How one mobile app is helping Afghans send aid (Al Jazeera)
Nasrat Khalid should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
His startup, Aseel, was intended to sell Afghan-made goods to global markets. But with the United States’ withdrawal from the country last year, he quickly pivoted to delivering aid and raising money through the app.
It sounds simple enough, but the complexity in delivering aid in such a vast country with regions that are hard to reach is significant. And yet, Aseel has succeeded and is growing.
If there’s one article you read today, please make it this one. And if you are able, please purchase an aid package (or set up a monthly subscription), which will be distributed to a family in need in Afghanistan.