The week of April 27, 2024 was yes, we also consider the high butt factor when making decisions; brushing up on rules for not being a bad Ken when beaching; and maybe we’re in for sad girl summer?

The Mash-Up Americans:

Happy Passover, from the hearts of MUA HQ! We sang, we flagellated each other with scallions, we drank. And we ate. Our Seder pretty closely followed the rules of our how-to guide, but what we love most about Passover is the same-same-but-differentness of it all. Blessings to you and yours, however you celebrate.

Mash-Ups In The News:

How To Die In Good Health
THE NEW YORKER

Good gracious. “The average American celebrates just one healthy birthday after the age of sixty-five.” Living longer is one thing, but can we make our sunset years more healthful? Peter Attia thinks so, and apparently he’s figured out how.

Tell Us: Is it Ever OK To Gather Fruit From Someone Else’s Tree?
LOS ANGELES TIMES

Oooh this is a good one. Always? Sometimes? Never? LA Times is soliciting your thoughts. Personally, we’re in the “sometimes” camp — if our neighbor’s tree drops fruit on our side of the fence, we’ve got dibs. Also, maybe nobody owns nature?

What Is A Cowboy, Anyway?
NEW YORK TIMES

More like, what isn’t it? It’s fringe, spurs, and rhinestones as much as it is Indigenous, Mexican, and Black too. The takeaway seems to be that anyone can be a cowboy if they want to, and we’re into it. In other cowboy news: Yikes.

The Armed Era
THE TRACE

“Since the mass shooting at Columbine High School 25 years ago, guns have grown ubiquitous, showing up in grocery stores, airports and political protests, and encroaching on our lives in new and unprecedented ways.” This is America.

A Taste Of Korea’s Roadside Dining Culture Lands In NYC
THE CHOSUN DAILY

At Kisa, a new diner inspired by the homespun, informal eateries in Seoul that’ve catered to taxi drivers for decades, diners can expect elevated versions of simple meals like rice, soup, and banchan. Put it on your lists.

SCOTUS Has A Chance To Right The Wrong Its EMTALA Ruling Forced
SLATE

Idaho’s near-total abortion ban came before SCOTUS this week. Should it be a crime for the state’s physicians to terminate a pregnancy, even when it’s necessary to protect the mother’s health? SCOTUS will likely rule in late June.

A Global Study Just Revealed The World’s Biggest Known Plastic Polluters
THE WASHINGTON POST

For shame, for shame. Topping the list are Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé and Danone, but as one expert points out, it’s not entirely on them to fix this plastic problem — “we have to change in a huge way how we operate as a society.”

Mastering The Art Of Making A Cookbook
THE NEW YORKER

There’s a new biography about Judith Jones, the legendary New York editor who basically invented the cookbook as we know it today (like, come on, she discovered Julia Child!). Love when a behind-the-scenes woman gets her day in the sun.

‘Bee hotels’ Coming To Select NYC Plazas In Effort To Protect Imperiled Pollinators
GOTHAMIST

The Pollinator Port Project, a Department of Transportation X the Horticultural Society of New York collab, is installing “bee hotels” around the city that’ll look similar to bird houses. Missed opportunity to call them AirBEEnbs, if you ask us.