The Daily Dive

The world is running out of old whiskey and renewed interest in rare bottles of bourbon has fueled a black market where people sell and trade for their favorite brands.  One case in Virginia highlights how far some will go to get these sought-after bottles, it was an inside job from the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority selling delivery secrets.  Justin Jouvenal, reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for what to know about the bourbon boom.

Next, scientists have calculated how many ants there are in the world and the number seems unimaginable.  20 quadrillion!  That’s about 2.5 million ants for every person and a total weight larger than all the wild birds and mammals combined.  Dino Grandoni, environmental reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how scientists were able to come up with this new estimate.

Finally, it seems that the fall Covid booster campaign may be facing an uphill battle to get more shots in arms.  Health authorities are even facing some resistance from those that embraced vaccines early on.  Many aren’t convinced that another shot will improve protection despite being retooled for the Omicron subvariants and there’s also a lack of data on just how effective they are.  Jared Hopkins, Pharma reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Immigration politics have taken center stage after migrants were flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last week.  Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has waded into the story after his administration chartered a plane to fly 48 immigrants there at a cost of $615,000.  What’s happened now is that some of the migrants have filed a lawsuit saying they were “lured” to take the flights through fraud and misrepresentation and a Texas sheriff has opened an investigation into the legality of the move.  Gary Fineout, reporter at Politico and author of the Florida Playbook, joins us for what to know.

Next, why does it seem like so many kids need glasses these days?  Myopia, or nearsightedness, for decades was thought to be just a genetic condition, but optometrists are seeing kids come in with vision worse than their parents.  Cutting back on screen time and spending more time outdoors and in open space could help, but there is also a sprouting market for treatments to slow the progression called “myopia control” or “myopia management.”  These can take the form or contacts, lenses or drops.  Sarah Zhang, staff writer at the Atlantic, joins us for more on the myopia generation.

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In a surprise to many, a judge vacated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed who had been serving a life sentence for the murder of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee.  Syed was the subject of the hit podcast “Serial.” An investigation found that prosecutors failed to turn over evidence that could have helped him and pointed to two possible “alternative suspects.”  Michael Levenson, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what’s next, prosecutors have 30 days to drop charges or try him again.

Next, Uber has announced that it was the latest victim of the hacking group Lapsus$, which broke into their internal network systems and posted messages to employees.  This international group of hackers, which includes some teenagers in their ranks, have been motivated by notoriety more so than money and have targeted other top tech companies in the past year.  Bob McMillan, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to know about Lapsus$.

Finally, an influential U.S. task force has called for routine anxiety screenings by primary care clinicians in adults aged 19-64.  This follows a similar recommendation for children and teens 8 to 18.  The recommendations were made to raise awareness for mental health and catch the signs which can go undetected for years.  Rachel Zimmerman, contributor to the Washington Post, joins us for more.

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Intensive parenting, or also commonly known as helicopter parenting, is the dominant model of raising children right now. But does that mean it’s a good model to follow? It turns out that research shows this style, one in which parents overextend themselves to ensure their child’s success, may lead to parental burnout and even harm a child’s competency and mental health. Elliot Haspel, early-childhood policy expert and contributor to the Atlantic, joins Oscar Ramirez, for more on intensive parenting, and how to get away from it.

Next, it’s the topic that no one wants to talk about. Death. Or more specifically, what happens to our bodies after we die. Instead of choosing a traditional casket burial, many Americans are deciding to opt for cremations, with 56% of Americans being cremated. By 2040, that number may rise to up to 80%. The number of people who are deciding on green burials has also increased. A couple of examples for these green burials is having the body buried in biodegradable containers or reducing the body into soil that can be used for gardening. Karen Heller, national features writer at The Washington Post, joins Oscar Ramirez, for more on why Americans are moving away from traditional burials.

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As our attitudes toward certain drugs begin to relax, many are redefining what it means to be sober. Some drugs, such as magic mushrooms and MDMA are being taken in smaller doses and this action is being claimed by wellness culture. Although we only have limited research, many report beneficial effects on this microdosing.  Luke Winkie, contributor to Vox, joins Oscar Ramirez for the new sober-ish.

Next, almost everyone has a Disney adult in their life. These superfans live and breathe the company’s aesthetic, spending lots of time and money at the theme parks and buying its merchandis. Although they’ve been around for a long time, the term is somewhat new, along with the anti-Disney adult sentiment online while fans mourned the parks’ closures and advocated them reopening in the middle of the pandemic. EJ Dickson, senior writer at Rolling Stone, joins Oscar Ramirez for more on the adult Disney fandom.

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This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

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This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

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With so much of our information online and at risk from getting hacked, you may be wondering if it’s possible to scrub yourself from the internet.  Unfortunately, you’ll probably never delete everything about you online, but you can minimize how much information is out there. However, it’s going to take a lot of time, patience, and money.  Heather Kelly, tech reporter at The Washington Post, joins Oscar Ramirez for what to know about deleting your data online.

Next, should recess be a right or a privilege for children in schools? For a long time educators have withheld recess as a form of punishment for misbehaving students. However, research has shown that allowing students unstructured free time is important for developing social and coping skills in children, and there is a movement to protect recess, prohibiting schools from taking it away as a punishment.  Jackie Mader, early education reporter at The Hechinger Report, joins Oscar Ramirez for more on the fight for recess.

Finally, buy now, pay later. The model that allows consumers to buy something, take it home, and pay for it in installments has exploded in popularity. We’re seeing more and more retail stores and apps offering this service and getting in on the action. While many are incentivized with the service, especially with most of them being interest free, some experts are warning against them over concerns of overspending. Claire Ballentine, personal finance reporter at Bloomberg News, joins Oscar Ramirez for more.

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Although Pornhub wasn’t the first tube site, it still remains on top 15 years after its launch. The site was a good partner to studios and creators and helped to promote their content. It changed the way people entered and worked in the industry and even laid the groundwork for other sites such as OnlyFans. Anna Iovine, reporter at Mashable, joins Oscar Ramirez for how Pornhub changed the world.

Next, social media influencers are being given free or discounted beauty procedures in exchange for promotional posts and some of them are starting to regret it.  Surgeons, clinics and med spas cannot advertise through official channels on platforms like TikTok, but they are able to make deals with influencers to make posts advertising their products.  For the influencers themselves, they say that some of these procedures can be addictive, beginning with lip fillers and botox, and then moving on to facial surgeries, all to look good for their social media followers.  Kat Tenbarge, tech and culture reporter at NBC News, joins Oscar Ramirez for more.

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Educators are experimenting with new new ways of grading that don’t rely on the traditional A-F grading system which many say is inequitable. These experiments often focus on the work students do, allowing for them to redo tests and papers, and letting students own their learning by giving themselves deadlines.  Valerie Strauss, education reporter at The Washington Post, joins Oscar Ramirez for the hunt for a fairer grading system.

Next, is a story of a man named Vaughn Smith. Vaughn cleans carpets for a living and is also a hyperpolyglot, someone who can speak 11 languages or more. However, Vaughn is special, and by his count he can speak around 37 languages. It turns out, that Vaughn’s brain looks different and functions differently than a monolingual person’s. Jessica Contrera, reporter at The Washington Post, joins Oscar Ramirez for more about Vaughn, what drove him to learn so much, and how his brain really works.

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