How is everyone’s weekend going? Anyone barbecuing?
Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone. This time always marks the unofficial kick off to the summer season (although having to go from air conditioning to furnace gas in 24 hours this week didn’t feel very ‘summery.’)
But graduation season, followed by camps, 4th of July, music festivals and long weekends are just around the corner. That’s to be celebrated.
Today’s Six features articles on one aspect of COVID recovery the mainstream media isn’t talking much about, how the music business changed forever 30 years ago, why serial killers are the stuff of decades of old and a random cicada insect attacks a CNN reporter (how’s that for a tease…the video is hilarious.)
Let’s proceed with the Six.
Quit Ignoring Natural Covid Immunity.
The vaccine is dominating most coverage of Covid these days—rightfully so, as much of the country’s “return to normalcy” is based on vaccination numbers. But what about immunity for those that have already gotten and recovered from Covid? This Op-Ed from MedPage makes strong scientific argument for how recent studies should diminish fears about long term immunity from Covid and the need for boosters down the road.
How SoundScan Changed Everything About Popular Music.
These are the types of historical pop culture/music pieces The Ringer does very well (Rolling Stone used to do more of these stories but, well, we know what’s happened to that publication over the past few decades.) From the first year the music business charted top selling songs, it used an honor-based, verbal confirmation system. Litanies of abuses made the “Billboard” rankings a total sham. Then in 1991, a new, digital-based system took over the business and turned the industry on its head. An entertaining read from The Ringer.
She Was The Fastest Girl In Connecticut. Until Transgenders Took Over.
You may have heard about this story this week. The content of the Op-Ed itself is controversial (credit to USA Today for publishing it) but then when complaints rolled in about the use of “hurtful” language in the article, USA Today edited the editorial without telling the author. Unfortunately, the word wrangling takes the focus off the important voice in the piece: a high school athlete in Connecticut who lost races she should have won because the state allows biological males to compete in girl’s races if they identify as female. An unfair situation for female athletes in that state.
What Explains The Decline of Serial Killers?
We used to mythologize the serial killer. Names like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy, as gruesome as their crimes were, are famous pop culture figures. But since the 1980’s, considered the peak of serial killings in the U.S., there’s been a steady decline. A bit of data from the article: “Nearly 770 serial killers operated in the U.S. throughout the 1980s, and just under 670 in the ’90s. The sudden plummet came with the new century, when the rate fell below 400 in the aughts and, as of late 2016, just over 100 during the past decade.” Discover Magazine takes a deep dive with this piece into the headline question and comes up with a few theories as to why.
Actor Gary Sinise Uses Fame And Funds To Help Veterans.
I loyal reader of the Six, Robert Tito, emailed me a few weeks ago and suggested I feature the actor Gary Sinise in a Six article. I waited until Memorial Day weekend as I know Sinise, most famously known for his role as Lt. Dann in “Forrest Gump,” is involved with military veterans. This is a nice feature story about how Sinise’s foundation paid for a new home for a quadriplegic Navy veteran and his family in San Diego. Sinise does this all over the country, donating money to not just veterans but first responders. A terrific actor, but based on what he does with his foundation, seemingly just as good a person. Thank you Robert for the suggestion.
Cicada Crawls on Neck of CNN Reporter Before Live Shot.
This is great stuff…watch the video embedded in this People article. Give it a minute as it takes a bit to set up, but the reaction from the reporter, Manu Raju, once he feels the cicada insect on the back of his neck, is hilarious. He even posted it himself on his Twitter feed. Thankfully, he wasn’t on the air when it happened. The cicada’s are out of hibernation this spring and ready to attack!
Have a great rest of your Memorial Day weekend everybody. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com.