This Female Pop Star Accused of Kidnapping, Vegan Eats a Lot-Dies of Starvation Anyway, (The Five for 08/04/23)
Hey, welcome to The Five, a publication about the stories that matter…not just the ones on that are the most click-bait-y.
It’s Friday…so let’s dive into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
Teen pop star Olivia Rodrigo is caught in the middle of a scandal because she…
[checks notes]
…went on vacation?!
From the internet’s flaming trash heap, formally referred to as Buzzfeed:
Since statehood, tourism has exploded. Because so many people visit Hawai'i, real estate is deemed valuable — developers snatch up land to build resorts, and wealthy people buy second homes that sit empty for much of the year. Celebrities have also bought absurd amounts of land. All of this has raised the cost of living to unbearable levels. Many Native Hawaiians have been pushed out of their homeland — where their ancestors lived for over 3,000 years. They're also significantly overrepresented in the homeless population.
For years now, many Native Hawaiians have urged people to stop visiting the islands. So, it's no surprise that Olivia's vacation drew criticism.
OK, let’s break this stupidity down a piece at a time.
A). If Hawaii loses tourism, the poverty rate will skyrocket. Period.
B). In regards to the housing crisis…that’s man made. Housing costs are related to housing supply. Normally, when costs rise, someone will see the opportunity, step in and build.
Hawaii has the same problem everywhere else has…building laws are so convoluted, it’s nearly impossible to get housing built fast enough, hence the outrageous prices.
C). In regards to vacation homes sitting empty being a longstanding issue…a local law demanding a certain number of days per year of occupancy to maintain ownership would be the easiest solve. It’s not legal to kick someone off of their property, and no matter how bad the people who read Buzzfeed (not the most intellectual crowd) want it to happen.
D). Solving housing isn’t a one-and-done, but we need to allow more mixed use buildings (residential above commercial spaces) as well as multifamily units (2-4-plexes) where they aren’t currently allowed—read, most neighborhoods. 3-D printing concrete concrete stand alone houses, townhomes and apartments are also a viable option…like these (Seriously, watch that video—it’s incredible).
E. Know what doesn’t fix homelessness? A tanking economy, which is what Hawaii will have without tourism.
What do these brilliant readers of Buzzfeed think is going to sustain the islands? Manufacturing? Uhh, you’re in one of the most remote part of the world with few natural resources and unbelievable shipping costs, in and out.
There’s a seed of truth in the article, but the problems facing the folks native to Hawaii aren’t due to a teen celeb vacationing there…the housing and price issues come from a mix of bad policy, bureaucracy and lack of innovation.
But it’s a heck of a lot harder to tackle complex policy issues than complain about a famous singer.
[two]
A former member of a men’s rugby team that joined a women’s team in Canada after declaring a gender transition put three biological female players on stretchers in a single match.
A biological male rugby player in Canada who identifies as non-binary was reportedly removed from a match in June after allegedly injuring three female competitors. The man’s identity has now been discovered and according to his former team’s Facebook page, he was named ‘men’s hardest hitter’ just last year.
The original story about a transwoman allegedly injuring three separate female competitors was first shared by photographer Diana Murphy on Twitter. Murphy explained that after “repeated dangerous tackles” the trans player was finally removed from the game.
Murphy’s thread about the unidentified trans woman went viral, but the outlets that picked up the story only referred to the player in question as ‘Ash.’
According to Reduxx, Ash’s full name is Ash Davis, a biological man who was awarded the “hardest hitter” during the 2022 Senior Awards Banquet. A Facebook post from Fergus Highlands RFC from December 2022 shows Davis wearing a blue dress in the graphic naming him “Men’s Hardest Hitter.”
Perhaps an “open division” will help solve the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports (there isn’t the exact same danger for men if a biological women joins their sports teams), to provide more opportunities for all to participate.
But this is madness. We cannot avoid hurting one player’s feelings at the expense of other athletes facing permanent injury.
[three]
There’s a LOT going on with the lawsuit against pop singer Lizzo, but for the sake of a the fact that Substack has a maximum word count, here’s the abbreviated version from NPR:
The documents detail one occasion where Lizzo allegedly pressured Davis, Rodriguez and Williams — and the rest of her employees — to engage with nude performers in Amsterdam's red-light district, in which Davis repeatedly said she didn't want to and was "hounded" by Lizzo as a result.
One of the complaints alleges that Lizzo aggressively confronted Rodriguez, who was resigning because of how the pop star had treated Davis. The complaint alleges Lizzo stormed toward the dancer balling her hands into fists and cracking her knuckles while shouting profanities. Lizzo was restrained, according to the court documents, but Rodriguez feared Lizzo was going to attack her.
Another charge accuses Lizzo of falsely imprisoning Davis in a room, keeping her there against her will until she allowed tour staff to search her phone and iCloud storage.
Despite millions of dollars in wealth, arena tours and being one of the most popular acts in the world, the singer has feigned victimhood for years, being so fragile as to say that music critics shouldn’t be allowed to write negative reviews (uh, wut?).
The case has yet to go to court, but it certainly appears that the “bullied” pop star…was in fact the bully.
And the sexual harasser.
And, most bizarre of all, the kidnapper.
[four]
There are topics I avoid covering like the plague, because I don’t have the expertise, insights or writing voice to do my best work with some some subjects (mainly science, which I just don’t like).
So, I wouldn’t normally write about veganism, except for the fact that an education policy story this week intersects with the reality of what happens when you live without meat…after a raw vegan influencer died of a common infection due to “starvation and exhaustion” and nutrient deficiencies, despite eating a lot.
A raw food diet can have multiple health benefits including weight loss, improved heart health and a lower risk of diabetes – if eaten in a balanced diet, but there are downsides to a solely raw diet according to Healthline. These include deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, which are needed for strong bones. This could cause B12 levels to plummet, which can result in anaemia, nervous system damage, infertility and, somewhat paradoxically, heart disease. A study published earlier this month in the Journal of Nutrition found that 100 per cent of participants on a raw vegan diet ingested less than the recommended 2.4mcg of vitamin B12 per day.
Despite the potential downsides to Samsonova’s diet, many of her devoted followers refused to believe her eating choices led to her death, instead claiming that she was killed by chemicals in the fruit she ate. Zhanna's official cause of death has not yet been determined as her family try to get her body back to Russia.
While I’m not an expert on diet or nutrition…people appear to need meat.
Meat is one of the most inflated items at the grocery store, which has spiked interest in hunting. Meat is free in the wilderness (well, almost free-you need licenses, which benefit conservation). You just have to go get it.
Only we can’t teach self-reliance in school anymore…because kids might shoot the place up…with a bow and arrow?!
The Education Department has cut off funding for school hunting and archery programs because of its interpretation of a provision in legislation passed last year, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). The law included an amendment to the ESEA that bans taxpayer funds from being used on “training in the use of a dangerous weapon,” according to Fox News.
Earlier this month, GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina wrote to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona concerned with the Department of Education’s interpretation of the amendment. Cornyn and Tillis introduced the BSCA last year alongside Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).
“We were alarmed to learn recently that the Department of Education has misinterpreted the BCSA to require the defending of certain longstanding educational and enrichment programs — specifically, archery and hunter education classes — for thousands of children, who rely on these programs to develop life skills, learn firearm safety and build self-esteem,” Cornyn and Tillis wrote, according to Fox News.
“The Department mistakenly believes that the BSCA precludes funding these enrichment programs,” the senators said. “Such an interpretation contradicts congressional intent and the text of the BSCA.”
In an effort to “own the Cons” the Biden administration has defunded education (I thought Democrats were against that?!) and taken valuable skills away from kids in working class, rural districts where alternate means of food production (like hunting) are often vital to the public’s household budgets.
[five]
As always, let’s head into the weekend with a pop culture roundup:
The Millennial/Baby Boomer murder mystery mashup Only Murders in the Building returns for season three with former Steve Martin and Martin Short (who starred together in the past in Father of the Bride and The Three Amigos!) paired up with former teen pop singer Selena Gomez. I haven’t aught season 2 yet, but season 1 was great fun.
On Hulu 08/08.
Do we have another Mario Brothers animated hit on our hands? Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has a 90%+ average score from both critics and fans…so if you’ve got little ones, put this on your radar.
I’m not Gen Z, so Jake and Logan Paul (two of the biggest YouTubers in the world) don’t interest me much from a content perspective…but Jake’s rise to prominence as a boxer is…fascinating. He beat Tommy Fury earlier this year, younger brother of current heavyweight champ Tyson Fury.
NEW MUSIC
Lori McKenna…is almost a genre within herself. The native Bostonian started writing songs as lullabies to her five kids, in a typically suburban life. Her husband worked (and still works) as a power company lineman, and everything about the McKenna family seemed…normal.
Until Lori was coaxed into an open mic night with her brother. Just a few short years after Lori played in front of people for the first time, she was opening for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in stadiums, and performing on Oprah Winfrey.
Due to wanting to be home with her family, Lori doesn’t tour much, but has racked up a mind boggling 10 Grammy nominations, writing for McGraw (“Humble and Kind”), Taylor Swift & Chris Stapleton (“I Bet You Think About Me”), Mandy Moore, Little Big Town, Alicia Keys & Brandi Carlile and contributed music for the hit film A Star is Born.”
Her new album, 1988, inspired by the year she got married, is incredible. But so has everything else she’s ever released. But hey, it’s the new one…so start there, and work your way backward through her unprecedented catalog.
It’s not uncommon (or a bad thing) for artists to revisit their biggest albums at key anniversaries. Rather than cash grabs, these often feel like love letters to fans.
Switchfoot is releasing new versions of the songs on their biggest album, The Beautiful Letdown, including this gem, in which pop singer Jon Bellion takes over sole vocal duties for their biggest hit ever, “Meant to Live.”
Until the next one,
-sth