#5SmartReads - October 10, 2022
Hitha on Kimye, inflation, and on how President Trump was right
How inflation could lower your taxes (Axios)
While COLA (cost of living adjustments) are still wildly variable and at the mercy of your employer, employment type, and the IRS, they could provide you some relief on your tax bill.
In addition to any COLA adjustments, you can anticipate some additional tax breaks here as well:
“The standard deduction is expected to rise to $13,850 for single tax filers, up from $12,950, according to Pomerleau's math. The gift tax exemption moves to $17,000 from $16,000. The amount you can put into your retirement accounts will also increase.
The inflation adjustment on Social Security for next year is expected to be 8.7% — the highest since 1981, according to an estimate from the Senior Citizens League.”
Note - these are expectations, and will be finalized in announcements coming out the next month or so. And the $10,000 cap on SALT (state and local tax) and the standstill on the child tax credit (which contributed to a huge reduction in childhood poverty) has not changed, much to our detriment (though the cap on SALT will sunset in 2025, if no further action is taken).
In short - it could be good, it could be bad, and we still have to suffer guessing what we owe in taxes and writing a huge check and sending it with a prayer.
Cult-Hopping in Los Angeles: A Conversation with Sheila Yasmin Marikar (Los Angeles Review of Books)
The Goddess Effect is such a spectacular book that I’m uneasy to share the tropes it contains because the book is truly undefinable.
But if you love any or all of these things (fitness culture, a lost protagonist finding her way, LA culture, all that glitters not being gold) you’ll like it. And if you love sharp writing, a perfectly paced plot, and uncomfortably realistic characters you can’t figure out if you like or loathe, you will love it.
And if you still need convincing, just give this interview with author Sheila Yasmin Marikar a read. This quote was an uncomfortable mirror placed in front of me that I am still thinking about:
“Like a lot of people, I’m seeking to be better, to unlock some version of myself that is just out of my reach. Maybe if I work out more, or do this certain type of workout, and drink more water and sleep more, eat healthier, I’ll get there. If I just do everything right enough days in a row, something magical is gonna happen.”
Meet the strippers working to unionize a Los Angeles dive bar (NPR)
Women have always been at the forefront of the labor movement, fighting and lobbying for safe working conditions and dignified wages that the men in charge ultimately do acquiesce to, albeit late enough when other harmful conditions pop up.
And the women fight again. And the playbook gets adjusted and tweaked for other industries, and the ripple effects continue to spread.
This story is one clear example of that, and an incredibly important one as we begin to talk about sex work (arguably the oldest industry in the world) more openly, and with the nuance and respect it belatedly deserves.
“She [Charlie] said stripping helps her find her voice, to speak up for herself and communicate with her clients about their physical and emotional needs.
"[Stripping] is so incredibly multifaceted. It's a performance from all parties, not just us," they said. "The men that come in here, they get to be a different version of themselves."
It's not just Star Garden that's riddled with workplace safety concerns, they said. There aren't better options in the industry — the only solution she sees, for now, is to unionize, she added.”
How Kimye Fell From Grace (BuzzFeed News)
There is something about the Kardashian juggernaut that I can’t look away from.
I watched every episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians (and many of the spin-off shows), and now eagerly tune into The Kardashians every week. SKIMS and Good American are as good as people claim. And I especially love the detailed think pieces that explore the cultural relevance and psychological impact that this family has made on global culture.
This is one of those articles - and it is a superb piece of reporting. It’s a detailed written history of the fall of Kimye, from the moment the split was announced to where we are today (the finalization of their divorce). What comes next?
Your guess is as good as mine, but we have a front row seat to it.
A UV Lamp That’s Bad for COVID but Not for You (The Atlantic)
Listen - President Trump doesn’t appear to be wrong when he said COVID could be eliminated by “very bright light.” The accompanying quotes and gestures have been memeified and mocked to no end, but the science - and the latest experiments - show that this could be an incredible tool in our arsenal to kill not just COVID from densely populated indoor spaces, but other viruses too.
And the scientist in me is impressed with the studies conducted to date, and the next studies planned to see if this could be an effective option to scale in our high density spaces.