The week of March 6, 2021 was Reese’s peanut butter cups sans chocolate; the reviled and beloved tomato sandwich; and our undying love for Tofutti.

Mash-Ups In The News

They Couldn’t Go Outside For Years. Then Covid-19 Trapped Them Again.

Hikikomori — it’s a Japanese word, adopted by Korean culture, for those who have withdrawn from society, spending months or years not leaving their rooms. For recovering hikikomori, escaping their self-imposed isolation during pandemic isolation = a precarious battle.

via Wired

Stockton’s Basic-Income Experiment Pays Off

Stockton, California gave 125 people $500 per month with no rules on how to spend it. How did it go? In two words: Extremely well. 

via The Atlantic

How Did Chop Suey Become A Staple Of Chinese American Cuisine?

A comic journey into the many questions of this leftover staple: What is chop suey? How did it come to be? Is it “authentic”? How do you make it?

via Catapult

The Resurrection Of Kelly Marie Tran

Racist Star Wars trolls be warned: Kelly Marie Tran has a mash-up army behind her. Like several of her costars, the role of a lifetime was polluted by endless internet harassment. Now, she’s back with a new movie, new reflections on her journey, and maybe the hottest photo spread we’ve ever seen?

via Hollywood Reporter

The Untold Story Of Queer Foster Families

In the 1970s, social workers began placing queer children and teenagers with queer parents. 50 years later, read about the history and families created for those needing homes of acceptance. 

via New Yorker

‘Like A Warm Hug From An Angel’

“Flower blankets,” “mink blankets,” “ethnic blankets” or “immigrant blankets”—whatever you call them, they’re not just any blankets. They’re a soft, shared experience and a warm sense of belonging, and wow was many a flashback had reading this article!

via NY Times

Killings By Police Declined After Black Lives Matter Protests

Cities where BLM protests were held saw as much as a 20 percent decrease in killings by police, and increased the use of body-worn cameras + community-policing initiatives.

“Are Black Lives Matter protests having any real effect in terms of generating change?” We’ve got proof for the answer we always knew: YES. 

via Scientific American

The Real Threat To Women’s Sports Isn’t Trans Athletes. It’s Sexually Predatory Coaches.

The hypocrisy is, as always, infuriating. 

While Congress conservatives push anti-trans agendas in the name of “protecting the children,” none seemed too concerned about John Geddert, head coach of the women’s Olympic gymnastics team, who was just charged with human trafficking and sex crimes against girls as young as 13.

via Mother Jones

How Did A Home Built For Japanese American Seniors Become California’s Deadliest Nursing Facility?

97 COVID-19 deaths in a single facility. How did this happen? The answer lies in bafflingly poor decisions in hospital transfers.

via LA Times

‘It’s About Sacrificing’: Indigenous Youth Runners Call On Biden To Shut Down DAPL

“Just because the media went away and the camps closed down doesn’t mean that the fight went away.” Young activists like Kandi White continue the fight against the Dakota Access pipeline. 

via Atmos

The Muddled History of Anti-Asian Violence

“These moments didn’t coalesce into a movement…Understanding this history won’t bring back Ratanapakdee, Hall, or Quinto. A plea for context won’t defuse tempers between strangers in the street. But nothing is random, even if the logic of American life tries to persuade us otherwise. These histories may help us see patterns that, eventually, others might see, too.”

via New Yorker