#5SmartReads - April 15, 2022

VP Harris: Investments in maternal health will have ‘generational impact’ for Americans (NY1)

Policy is often very unsexy, deep in the details, and the outcomes will take time to be realized at scale.

That said, my nerdy, VP-loving self deeply loves many of these new policies the administration has announced to invest in maternal health - specifically Black maternal health - in thoughtful, measured ways.

From expanding postpartum coverage to a full year in 11 states (and the District of Columbia) to developing a Birthing-Friendly designation for hospitals to private sector commitments to extend partnerships with nonprofits in this space, these policies and partnerships are adding onto the work this administration done since coming into office, from signing Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act and an expansion of the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (Rural MOMS) program into law as part of last year’s omnibus bill to investing $4.5M in doula training and compensation from HHS, and restoring Title X family-planning funding to centers that perform abortions.

How RRR and Baahubali Raised the Bar for the Indian Blockbuster (The Juggernaut)

I identify more as Telugu than I do Indian-American, or South Asian-American.

I suspect many of my fellow South Asians may feel similarly, given that we are more attuned to our regional identities than a pan-South Asian one, or by a specific country in South Asia.

I’m very proud to see more Telugu representation in mainstream culture - Nina Davuluri being crowned Miss America, Satya Nadella being the CEO of Microsoft, Deepica Mutyala building an incredible beauty company and showing pride in our heritage by posting beauty videos in Telugu on YouTube.

S.S. Rajamouli is another artist who makes me SO proud to be Telugu - his films are fantastic, have unprecedented commercial success globally, and are unapologetically Telugu but appreciated by the world.

RRR is his newest film (think Rocky, but anticolonial heroes fighting against the British), and this spoiler-free review of the film and of Rajamouli Garu’s work is really inspiring and made me even more excited to watch it.

How rising temperatures would bring on a longer, more intense allergy season (NPR)

BRB - going to stock up on more Kalya Veda PollenGuard.

Okay, I’m back.

Even if I ignored every piece of reporting on the effects of climate change, my seasonal allergies would hint to me that something is literally in the air making them more severe, year after year.

Pollen season has gotten longer, become more severe, and more expensive (medical costs for seasonal allergies are currently more than $3B a year).

This piece has all the details on the why and how and what’s expected in the future - worth your time. And I humbly recommend PollenGuard to help manage your allergy symptoms - it’s incredible and so is KalyaVeda’s content on Instagram and TikTok (not medical advice, just my own personal experience).

On Labels And Living Alcohol-Free (Some Good Clean Fun)

The labels that people who drink alcohol - social drinkers, occasional drinker, partier, wine mom - are plentiful (and a little troubling, if I’m being honest).

The same cannot be said of those who don’t drink alcohol, despite the many different reasons people have for abstaining from ethanol-based beverages.

And that annoys the heck out of me, along with the lack of non-alcoholic options at most restaurants. What does a woman have to do to have Lyre’s and De Soi available at more restaurants, hotels, and even airplanes?

Helena is far more eloquent about unpacking this narrative than I am, so please read her words instead of my nonsensical rambling. And if you’re looking for some amazing NA-sips, check out Boisson (if you’re in NYC) or A Fresh Sip (if shopping online - DM them if you want specific tips!)

A Farmer’s Quest to Beat California’s Waves of Drought and Deluge (WIRED)

This article was submitted by Smart Reader Ruchi - please DM me articles or leave them in the comments here. I love sharing the smart reads you find interesting!

I nerd out about near-term solutions to problems that are reaching their breaking points in the foreseeable future. Water management in areas that wave between drought and flooding is one of those issues, and Don Cameron has been hard at work engineering a solution for the past 12 years.

Cameron’s solution brings its own challenges, which are reported in detail and sets an excellent contextual foundation of the issues at hand. This is a long read, but it’s well worth your time. I learned a lot from this piece.