The week of June 17, 2017 was exploding our hearts with this brand new baby gorilla and his human OBGYN; searching for Wallace; and not taking shit from raccoons.

Our friends at Buzzfeed played matchmaker and paired our podcast with a bestselling book. What are you reading this summer, fam?

RIP Philando Castile. Black Lives Matter.

Mash-Ups In The News:

Do You Have To Be Korean To Be K-Pop?

Yes. You do have to be Korean to be a K-Pop band. As one astute expert says, “What divides pop from K-Pop is the K.” The end.

via CNN

Rural America Is Stranded In The Dial-Up Age

Ever since FDR attempted to bring fireside chats to all of America, we’ve been fighting for information access for rural communities. Not having access to broadband creates a significant inequality, seen in the 50s in fights for electricity in Appalachia, and beyond. Bottom line: No Americans should get left behind.

via Wall Street Journal

How New York’s Obsession With Cuba Gave Rise To Salsa

An exploration of how the jazz trumpets of the 60s evolved into roaring salsa trombones as both Cuban and Puerto Rican culture began to rise and infiltrate the mainstream. We’re very not sad about this cultural exchange.

via New York Post

The New Class Markers That Divide The American Elite From Everyone Else

Our image of wealth is often a trustfunder with a reality show — like our president — but in 2017, wealth more frequently takes on the subtlety of the “aspirational” class. The markers of privilege and wealth are less ostentatious, such as buying TOMS, doing yoga, and eating only organic food, but they are there nonetheless.

via Quartz

All Fruit Salads Should Come With Cheese, Salt, And Hot Sauce

Tangy is our favorite flavor, so you can imagine how much we love the fact that in Morelia, the capital of the Mexican state of Michoacan, you will find freshly diced and sliced fruits sprinkled with a dash of lime and salt. Yes please.

via Roads + Kingdoms

You’re Not Imagining It: It Was Easier To Be Skinny In The Eighties

If you’re re-watching Olivia Newton John videos and thinking, how is her waist that small, trust us, you’re not the only one! Looks like Americans today, even when consuming the same amount of cals and exercising, are heavier than we were back in the 80s. Growth hormones FTW.

via Atlantic

How To Raise Woke Kids

This is an incredibly helpful guide on how your kids can take naps and stay woke, right here at your fingertips. To start: Discuss fairness, ask questions, and get comfortable talking about race.

via Buzzfeed

What Makes Somebody Identify As Multiracial?

Oldie but goodie: This 2015 article discusses the growing multiracial population (32% growth between 2000 and 2010!) and how a demographer might group you one way, but you may identify another way. Por ejemplo, only 22% of the people who Pew defines as multiracial identified themselves that way. Interestingly, people who have a white-Asian mix have the highest likelihood of saying they are multiracial, while those who are Black-American Indian have are the least likely.

via FiveThirtyEight

Inspo of the Week:

Chance The Rapper Hires ASL Interpreters For Tour

We literally got zero problems with this. Between hand-picking ASL interpreters for his remaining arena shows and offering 50 free (!) front-row tickets to deaf and hard-of-hearing guests, Chance the Rapper continues to be our top pick for Mayor of Chicago. If his interpreters are anywhere near as good as Snoop’s, then we all win.

via WTSP News