#5SmartReads - May 2, 2022

On 1898's significance in American history, vaccines in young kids, and Selling Sunset

May 02, 2022

There was a lot of confusion when reporting by Politico and confusing statements from Dr. Fauci indicated that the FDA would wait for both Pfizer and Moderna to submit their filings for the COVID-19 vaccine in young children.

I’m reassured that the agency has made a statement attesting that the agency would be reviewing the filings when they come in, though they may not be as quick as previous authorizations in pediatric populations:

“Marks said the vaccine reviews might take a few weeks longer than past emergency vaccine authorizations because of the complexity added by the variants and the need to closely examine the safety profile. Vaccine-induced fevers in young children can be more serious than in adults, he noted, causing febrile seizures.”

I’m hopeful that these vaccines are safe, effective, and will be authorized shortly after the announced review meetings. I’m also eagerly waiting the agency’s decision on a long-term booster program, which will be made sometime this month of next.

Eid Mubarak to all who celebrate!

I hope your feast includes haleem - one of my favorite dishes from my hometown - and one any omnivore should try at least once.

I didn’t know much about how this delicious dish is prepared, but NPR explained it in tantalizing detail and now I’m both starving and homesick.

“Today haleem is available in several Indian cities, as well as in Pakistan and Bangladesh — but Hyderabadis claim their version is superior.”

నేను నిన్ను ప్రేమిస్తున్నాను హైదరాబాద్. I love you, Hyderabad.

For my Muslim friends, I hope you had a blessed Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr Mubarak!

34%. That’s the increase of antisemetic incidents in a single year (from 2020 to 2021).

THIRTY FOUR PERCENT.

With more than 80% of the incidents from 2021 being carried out by those not affiliated with extremist groups, these two figures are deeply concerning.

“That means that the majority of incidents this represents are either unknown perpetrators are average Joes and Janes and that speaks to the normalization of antisemitism as as a tactic," he said. "There's a lot of people who have engaged in anti semitism that we wouldn't necessarily connect to any organized group, and that's a concern.”

I never thought to think about the striking similarities between Selling Sunset and The Office.

But now that I’ve read this, I can’t see anything else.

The show - especially the later seasons - aren’t as much about real estate as they are about typical office drama wrapped in designer labels, perfect lighting, and full out glam.

Alex’s commentary are far better than mine will ever be, so go read his smart article.

I admit that I didn’t know about the Wong Kim Ark case until I read this article. But it’s the reason I’m a citizen of the United States.

“The Wong Kim Ark case affirmed that American-born people of Asian descent were U.S. citizens — giving protections to millions of Asian Americans, Latinos, and even Native Americans decades later. It's an overlooked example of how Asian American civil rights fights transformed the nation.”

And it speaks to the reality that while Asian-American history IS American history, it’s rarely taught in general American history classes even at the collegiate level (let alone in the K-12 level).

If you would like to see that change (I know I would), check out Make Us Visible, who is activating and empowering local communities to build curriculum and advocate for the inclusion of AAPI contributions, experiences, and history in K-12 classrooms.

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