The week of May 12, 2018 was doing whatever Quincy Jones says, just like Will Smith did; learning why our paycheck is not as big as a dude’s; and considering our desperation cocktail. 

Mash-Ups In The News:

A Guide To Midwestern Conversation

Oh my gosh, I didn’t see you there! How have you been? Well look at you, you big city girl! Alright, I’ll tell ________ you said hi!

Translation found through the link. (The Midwestern contingent of Mash-Up HQ asks: Where is the lie?)

via McSweeneys

The First Native American Congresswoman In U.S. History Could Be Elected This Year

There have been more than 10,000 members of Congress, but never a Native American woman. Now, two Native American women, Deb Haaland and Paulette Jordan, could be making history, and more importantly, making changes.

via The Nation

Americans Are More Anxious Than Last Year

We learned last week we were lonely; now research is telling us we’re more anxious, we’re not seeking help, and our mental health has significant negative impact on our physical health and economy. We know there’s a lot to be stressing about these days, but please take care of yourselves, fam!

via Statesmen

The Last Remains Of Viet Ville 

From 2,000 Vietnamese refugees to five Vietnamese families, Viet Ville has transformed beyond recognition — but even when the only Vietnamese restaurant in town is run by Filipinos the few who remain remember how it used to be.

via Roads and Kingdoms

He Searched For His Japanese Birth Mother. He Found Her, And The Restaurant She Named After Him

“She’s going to call you at this phone number in 10 minutes, and she doesn’t speak English. Good luck!” Bruce Hollywood talked to his birth mother for the first time over the phone, a translator on the line to help them understand each other. After a heart-attack scare, Bruce tried to find the woman who gave birth to him, and the real-life Hollywood story that followed high-key brought us to tears.

via Washington Post

William Barber Takes On Poverty And Race

“We don’t need a commemoration, we need a reconsecration.” 

The Reverend Dr. William Barber is a pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church. He has also become an indispensable figure in a civil-rights landscape surrounded by Trumpism, and he’s reminding us of the work that must be done, and the priorities we must focus on.

via The New Yorker

Why Google Docs Is Gaslighting You About Spelling

“A lot” or “alot”? “Going” or “gonna”? Sometimes, the spell check on Google Docs acts like it’s proofing your words for Twitter, not a term paper, and it might have to do with Google Docs using the semi-literate internet as their spell-check dictionary.

via Outline

An Orchestra Adopts A City, One Kid At A Time

Orchkids brings music into the colorful hallways of Baltimore schools, giving the next generation of string players, flutists, brass players, and percussionists a chance to practice Ode to Joy and make their parents cry. These kids create a new image of Baltimore, and they’re bringing the house down with every performance.

via NY Times

Samantha Bee Eviscerates Men Trying To Make Post-#MeToo Comebacks

Charlie Rose pitched a TV show about men affected by #MeToo. Next, 27 more women came forward accusing him of misconduct. Samantha Bee has some friendly advice:

“Maybe before you pitch a TV show about it, ask yourself, ‘Have all the women I’ve non-consensually shown my penis to come forward in the press?’ If the answer is no, go away. If the answer is yes, also go away.”

Men trying to make #MeToo about them? Just go away.

via The Cut