WTF is Monkeypox? 🙊
Today we’re starting with a BIG shout out to the 54 new ✨SYSCA SUPPORTERS✨ who’ve joined us in the last week!
You've all got access to our special bumper book list, and we're about to launch some more bonuses, so you should become a ✨SYSCA Supporter✨ here!
I’m still catching my breath after Harry week, but HOW GOOD IS HARRY’S HOUSE STILL? I will say tho, that as much as I love him, I’m incredibly excited to be back in the real world and start writing about other shit you should care about, so hopefully, this week feels a little more ✨normal✨ (not that I’m ever really normal.)
Let me give you a super quick weekend recap: I was very much still recovering from covid + Harry week, so I took it SUPER easy, but on Sat morning I went to brunch with some of the besties (Rubes and Liv included, obv) and we just had such a cute life debrief and gossip and therapy session and celebration for making it thru life/ the week and it was nothing extraordinary but just felt very spesh. That afternoon I started watching ‘The Wilds’ (think Yellowjackets but… better… so far at least) and filmed at our very own Bethell’s Beach!!! On Sunday I went to a flea market and bought a lot of vibey second-hand clothes and came home to start catching up on the real world so that I’m ready to explain it to all of you!!
PS I’m talking at two cool things today & funnily enough, both are at AUT here in Tāmaki Makaurau - one is at lunchtime, and it’s the Red Bull Startup series where I’m speaking on a panel of some dope founders about startups, and the other event is the long-awaited Tech You Should Care About chat which I can’t wait for!!! If you’re coming to either, make sure to come over & say hey!!
What ✨ SYSCA Supporters✨ are up to:
It’s a great time to be a ✨SYSCA supporter!!✨ Last week we released our HUUUUGE bumper book list to all our supporters (so if you love reading and what every rec under the sun - including the books we hated - you should come and be a supporter!!)
This week we’re giving you something else you all said you wanted in our survey… SYSCA playlists!! If you’re a recurring supporter you’ll be getting a Luce, Liv and Rubes themed playlist (not gonna lie, ever since making mine I’ve had it on REPEAT, IT’S SO GOOD.) These will be coming your way at the end of the week, so there’s plenty of time to come and support us, or change your plan from a one-off to an annual/ monthly supporter!!
WTF is Monkeypox?
Elon Musk has been accused of sexual assault
Rihanna and Ed Sheeran had a baby (not together)
Australia has a new Prime Minister
“Learn to Live Alongside Cringe”: Taylor Swift Takes a Victory Lap at NYU’s Graduation Ceremony
Apple’s self-driving cars
Wtf is Monkeypox?
I'm seeing Monkeypox in the news everywhere at the moment (it makes sense - naturally, we are living in anxious times when it comes to health), but I wanted to explain what exactly it is to us all, to hopefully ease some of this anxiety.
So what is Monkeypox?
It's a 'zoonotic' virus, which means it spreads mostly from animal-human, and it was first found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. Since then it's stayed mostly in central/western Africa.
What are the symptoms?
The first symptoms of monkeypox are flu-like: fever, headache, sometimes sore throat and cough - and then you may develop a rash on your body (like the one you see in all the news stories.) In most people the illness is mild.
Is it treatable?
Most people will recover within about two weeks, and those with the virus are often given one of several smallpox vaccines, which have been shown to be effective against monkeypox. Anti-viral drugs are also being developed.
Where has it spread to?
First I want to note that it does not tend to spread easily among people, however, as of right now cases have been found across Europe, the U.K, Australia, the United States and Canada.
Anything else?
Oh, there's plenty more that you can read about it, but PLEASE don't spend too much time worrying/reading about this. I understand the anxiety around hearing about a 'new' virus, but monkeypox isn't new - it's just new to us. Maintain good hygiene, limit your news consumption about it, and watch this video (it explains it all in a very Rex Orange County way):
Monkeypox as quick as I can — www.tiktok.com
A SpaceX flight attendant said Elon Musk exposed himself and propositioned her for sex, documents show. The company paid $250,000 for her silence.
Content warning: Sexual assault
Ah yes, the 'political scandal' Elon has been warning us (or tweeting at us) about. Turns out it's... actually hella serious. Business Insider reported that ‘a flight attendant for SpaceX said Elon Musk asked her to "do more" during a massage’ - and allegedly, he showed her his penis and ‘offered to buy her a horse.’
The attendant worked as a member of the cabin crew on a contract basis for SpaceX's corporate jet fleet. She accused Musk of exposing his erect penis to her, rubbing her leg without consent, and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage, according to interviews and documents obtained by Insider.”
According to the declaration, the attendant confided to the friend that after taking the flight attendant job, she was encouraged to get licensed as a masseuse so that she could give Musk massages.
Elon responded to Insider's request for comment on this report by saying that there is a lot more to the story, and:
"If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light," he wrote, calling the story a "politically motivated hit piece."
The flight attendant’s complaint was resolved after a session with a mediator (which Musk personally attended.) It was never taken to court - instead, Musk and the flight attendant entered into a “severance agreement granting the attendant a $250,000 payment in exchange for a promise not to sue over the claims.”
It will be interesting to see how this affects... well, everything Elon's trying to do right now - or as with most other things in his life, money is his way out of it.
Read the full piece here.
Rihanna and Ed Sheeran had a baby (not together)
Some baby announcements for you today! Apparently Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their new baby boy on the 13th of May. There are no other details for you on that one, sorry!
But! In other secret baby news, Ed Sheeran and his wife announced that they’ve just given birth to another baby girl! Again, no more details!
CYA Scomo!!! Australia has a new Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese will be Australia’s next prime minister.
"He pledged to implement the Uluru statement of the heart in full – which includes constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians – promised “kindness” to those in need, and declared that “together we can end the climate wars”.
There are people doing WAY better reporting on this than me, so if you're super into the Australian elections, I'd go and check out our mate's coverage over at The Daily Aus.
'The Great Replacement' & the shooting in Buffalo, explained
New Episode of The Shit Show — open.spotify.com
A big episode of the show this week! We give you all the context and details you need on the latest mass shooting in America, discuss the symbolism behind McDonalds leaving Russia, North Korea's latest covid updates, and introduce you to the duck who ran a marathon.
Please come & be a 🥺SYSCA Supporter🥺
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“Learn to Live Alongside Cringe”: Taylor Swift Takes a Victory Lap at NYU’s Graduation Ceremony
I’m sure you’ve all seen this by now, but Taylor Swift got an honorary doctorate at NYU and she made a killer speech tbh. Delia Cai did a really good wrap up of the whole event here, but here are some of my favourite moments:
I won’t tell you what to do because no one likes that. I will, however, give you some life hacks I wish I knew when I was starting out my dreams of a career, and navigating life, love, pressure, choices, shame, hope and friendship.
The first of which is: Life can be heavy, especially if you try to carry it all at once. Part of growing up and moving into new chapters of your life is about catch and release. What I mean by that is, knowing what things to keep, and what things to release. You can’t carry all things, all grudges, all updates on your ex, all enviable promotions your school bully got at the hedge fund his uncle started. Decide what is yours to hold and let the rest go. Oftentimes the good things in your life are lighter anyway, so there’s more room for them. One toxic relationship can outweigh so many wonderful, simple joys. You get to pick what your life has time and room for. Be discerning.
Secondly: Learn to live alongside cringe. No matter how hard you try to avoid being cringe, you will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively. Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime. Even the term ‘cringe’ might someday be deemed ‘cringe.’
I promise you, you’re probably doing or wearing something right now that you will look back on later and find revolting and hilarious. You can’t avoid it, so don’t try to. For example, I had a phase where, for the entirety of 2012, I dressed like a 1950s housewife. But you know what? I was having fun. Trends and phases are fun. Looking back and laughing is fun.
I was a teenager at a time when our society was absolutely obsessed with the idea of having perfect young female role models. It was all centered around the idea that mistakes equal failure, and ultimately the loss of any chance at a happy or rewarding life. This has not been my experience. My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life…Getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my career gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine.
You should read the whole speech here - it’s super emo and good.
Look at Apple's new self-driving cars
Our HUGE SYSCA reading list! (✨Supporters only✨)
'The Great Replacement' & the shooting in Buffalo, explained (The Shit Show)
Cats Actually Know Each Other's Names, Study Suggests (Vice)
Female and non-binary Uber drivers are now allowed to reject male passengers in Australia (Screenshot)
FORMULA 1 SPOILERS (The Guardian)
The Illuminati, Explained (Culture Vulture)
Making Sense Of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Culture Vulture)