5SR - October 9, 2023

Hitha on space junk fines, beauty trends, and bodegas

Author

Hitha Palepu
October 09, 2023

Today’s curator is the founder of #5SmartReads, Hitha Palepu. She’s a consummate multihyphenate - CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals, author of WE’RE SPEAKING: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris and How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip, and professional speaker. Hitha is an unabashed fan of Taco Bell, Philadelphia sports teams & F1, romance novels, and is a mediocre crafter. She lives in NYC with her husband and two sons.

Israel’s Worst Day at War (New York Times)
this link is gifted via my NYT subscription

No commentary - please just read this piece in full.

Sometimes it takes an outsider’s perspective to help you appreciate the little things you take for granted.

Like a Brit’s take on a bodega. It’s just delightful.

Bodegas are New York institutions, but I admittedly didn’t know much about how they came to be or the deep role they hold in their communities.

“"When you go to a bodega, they greet you, ask how are you doing, how is your family doing. I already know how my customers like their coffee and their sandwiches. There is a very close integration with people," said Rodriguez, who founded the United Bodegas of America (UBA) association in 2018 to offer bodegueros better access to security cameras and protection from robberies, among other purposes.

But despite adversities, he loves working at his bodega. "For me, it is like therapy. I love contact with people. Behind the counter, I feel like Frank Sinatra singing at a concert. I love greeting and serving clients; it gives me great satisfaction," he said.”

Space junk is one of those nerdy doom-obsessions that keeps me up at night (along with our electrical grid and inadequate funding of the ATF).

Unlike the other two issues, we’re doing something about space junk - fining satellite operators when they don’t move their satellites into a safe orbit.

Fines have had varying levels of success when it comes to shifting behavior. While the first fine levied on Dish was relatively modest ($150,000), the news did contribute to a crash in its share price and valuation. Said fine also helps set a standardized price for removing space debris, which we need to invest in as the increasing amount of space junk is affects launch windows for government and commercial launches (something we will only see more of).

If things continue to trend in the right direction, I hope I can cross “space junk” off my doom list. Now if we only take a proactive approach on our grid or fund the ATF properly…

I have exactly 1 makeup look in my arsenal, which lacks any clever name.

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy studying trends (mostly connecting them to their historical counterparts) and seeing how they’ve been brought to the forefront.

And while we may think the food theme surrounding our current beauty trends is something new, that too is all just a little bit of history repeating.

“Using food to reference makeup isn't a new concept either. Drewe points out that food has been linked to beauty for decades. “Many big-name brands have always made reference to food within their collections, from chocolate-themed products to fruit-scented lip glosses,” he says. “The only difference in 2023 is that influencers and makeup moguls are marketing and capitalizing on the trends.””

It’s just an awful time in the world right now. And not to depress folks even more, but I do hope you give some of your attention to Afghanistan, and the devastating earthquake that has killed over 2,000 people and six villages.

What’s worse is that aid and rebuilding efforts will be slow to get into the country, given the Taliban’s rule over the country.

I learned about Assel from my friend Fereshteh and really admire their rapid direct aid approach in Afghanistan and other nations where Western support is low and aid efforts are slow to enter the country. This fund is set up directly for the earthquake relief efforts - I hope you join me in donating.

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