If you’re reading this, that means you may have missed something we published this week. And instead of going through every post one by one, you’re hoping for a quick, easy-to-digest rundown of the best of the best.
Look no further.
On Monday, contributing writer Zaron Burnett detailed the trouble black entrepreneurs are having gaining traction in the cannabis industry that they started. Tuesday started with a look at the slow demise of the once indispensable office communication, the memo, and ended with a profile of a company that wants to disrupt the men’s hair-dyeing industry. By Wednesday, we were onto an explainer of how food-delivery fees on apps like Seamless and Postmates work—not to mention, declaring that it’s time we brought back the Smirnoff “icing” game. Thursday saw our impassioned plea for everyone to immediately watch the very excellent Random Acts of Flyness on HBO. And finally, on Friday, we profiled a guy who’s the poet laureate of Tinder because he writes sonnets to all of his matches.
But as good as all that was, our most popular stories from the week are below…
Must Reads
“Junkies Are Leading the Narcan Revolution”
When singer Demi Lovato overdosed last month, her friends reportedly revived her with Narcan, the brand-name nasal inhalant version of naloxone, a drug that block the effects of opioids in the brain. Narcan is highly effective, easy-to-use and widely available — making it the go-to drug for medical professionals counteracting the effects of an overdose. But it’s in the streets where Narcan’s efficacy is really on display — and it’s the opioid users therein who have become its biggest champions. READ MORE
“The ‘Jihottie’ Who Stole Her Heart”
Features writer Hussein Kesvani spent the past six months talking to “Priya,” an Indian woman who fell in love with an ISIS fighter online. He claimed his name was Hamza Azeri, and that he was 22 years old. Priya’s story isn’t unique — it’s similar to that of the hundreds of young women who have travelled to Syria and Iraq to become wives of ISIS fighters. That’s because ISIS has used online flirting as a core component of its radicalization strategy. READ MORE
“A Conversation With Boots Riley, the Hip-Hop Communist Who Made the Summer’s Must-See Satire”
Riley may be best known as the frontman for the Coup, hip-hop’s best and most politically outspoken band since Public Enemy. But for the last few years, he’s found a different creative outlet: Filmmaking. And that effort has culminated with one of the summer’s best movies—Sorry to Bother You, a fantastical satire that borrows from his own experience as a telemarketer. We spoke to Riley about the film, writing political music that has sex in it and what it’s like to finally be able to pay his bills. READ MORE
“How the Women in Your Life Learned About Aunt Flo”
For much of the 20th century, hundreds of millions of American girls learned everything they needed to know about menstruation via booklets, almost all published by the manufacturers of pads and tampons, given to them by their mothers, aunts, teachers, nurses and camp counselors. But a how-to on the transition into womanhood wasn’t the only education they were receiving; Through the marketing efforts of brands like Kotex and Tampax, it also was a how-to on the transition into the world of consumerism. READ MORE
Five Things We Learned This Week
- Don’t Juul if you can help it, but if you can’t, skip the creme-brûlée flavor. Juul vapes are only slightly healthier than cigarettes, but sweeter flavors like the aforementioned creme brûlée are even worse, considering they’ve been shown to cause cellular defects in tadpoles.
- Applicant tracking systems know when you’re trying to “hack” the resume process. Trying the trick where you hide job-posting keywords in a tiny white font on the PDF version of your CV will only end with yours at the bottom of a very tall pile—here’s why.
- There’s a nickname for guys who’d rather the woman take charge during sex. They’re called “male pillow queens,” and they prefer being a “human dildo” as opposed to the guy who makes the decisions.
- YouTubers are the absolute worst. Even their “apologies” are designed to manipulate you. Don’t believe me? Just watch this video. Or this one, from just today (btw, it’s MONETIZED). And when you’re done, watch this. See what I mean?
- Insider trading is confusing as fuck. I’m a smart guy, but after reading about the charges levied at GOP Congressman Chris Collins for insider trading, I think I have even less of a grasp on what’s illegal, and what isn’t. And don’t even get me started on the difference in the rules for members of Congress versus the Average Joe. Luckily, we put together this handy guide to help explain just what the heck is going on.
The Week in Quotes
Canned cocktails are no longer a bad joke. Like canned wine before it, mixed drinks have found their way into aluminum, and the results are actually pretty tasty! Here’s who’s leading the canned cocktail revolution, and why you’re likely to see even more canned adult beverages in the future.
That just about sums up the quality of advice you’re going to get from The Art of the Deal, Trump’s seminal work on his life in the real-estate business. For our Bro Bibles series, MEL’s Shit-Poster-in-Chief and actual novelist Miles Klee explains why this ghostwritten tome is so popular with Jack Welch wannabes.
Guys have at most, two types of farts: Loud, and quiet. Women, on the other hand, have upwards of six—that, according to staff writer Tracy Moore. For example, the “postpartum” fart, which is described above. Get the scoop on there rest here.
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are America’s favorite foodstuff, but careful with the spicy snack—it’s a witches’ brew of an ingredients list that’s been putting kids in the hospital and record rates. Find out what exactly is in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos here.
The Weekend Binge
Not sure what to binge-watch this weekend? Allow us to help narrow the scope of your browsing. In honor of Mission: Impossible—Fallout, a poorly titled franchise considering the mission always turns out to be “possible,” we took a look at movies that were able to rise above the terrible titles bestowed upon them, and become, well, great movies.
Jeff Gross
Jeff Gross is MEL’s senior editor for social media and content marketing. His daily ICYMI column, which chronicles all things meta on the site, is the quickest way to catch up on MEL, and the funniest thing you’ll read all day. Follow him on Twitter.
