Wednesday, July 01, 2020 | What’s trending other than Zoom shirts (yep, that's a thing), folks with masks giving those without the evil eye, and remote, tear-jerker commencement speeches? Plenty, actually. The pandemic has changed all of our lives, forcing us to reinvent how we learn, live, work and even travel. Here are some of the new, wonderful and sometimes woeful ways in which the world is turning today. |
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| | | 1. Eating at Home, More or Less? Remember when the pandemic first hit, and everyone was talking about getting their hands on yeast and making a killer sourdough? Well, for many, the will to bake and cook is getting a bit stale. Still, staying in and eating at home continues to be the norm for most, and that’s good news for packaged food producers (less cooking, more of the heat 'em up variety) like General Mills and Campbell Soup. |
| 2. Toying With Recession Personal spending dips are natural during a recession, and especially during a pandemic. But as parents fight to cover basic needs amid mass job layoffs, there is one area where they haven’t stopped spending: on their children. Forced to entertain and teach their kids at home, parents are purchasing books, games and crafts in skyrocketing numbers. Read More on OZY |
| 3. Living With Roomies Splitting bills is handy, but quarantine has taught us that roommates offer one big advantage: not being lonely. Luckily, living with apartment mates into your late 20s and beyond is no longer an eyebrow raiser. In fact, in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available, the average age of living solo crept up to 26. And there are growing numbers of thirtysomethings and older — both single and coupled — who find that renting an apartment with roommates makes sense, financially and emotionally. Read More on OZY |
| 4. Be Mindful of Your Mental Well-being Well, this is depressing: A U.K. workers survey found that freelancers were 86 percent more likely than office staff to self-report depression. The study looked at 1,500 workers, split evenly between remote and in-office staffers, and while a third of at-work staffers suffered from depression — which is bad enough — nearly twice as many (a whopping 56 percent) of remote workers did the same. Six in 10 of those working from home said they felt lonely. None of this is good news for pandemic work-from-homers. Read More on OZY |
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| | we're getting smarter, right? |
| | 1. Commencing With Celebs The latest celebrity commencement hat tip goes to Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, who addressed 2020 graduates last night, calling on them to "fight the fight.” The former MLBer reflected on the need for teamwork, encouraging the country to come together like his World Series-winning 2009 team. "You're not going to be measured in how many times you fall, but in how many times you stand up,” he told America’s young scholars. Hear the Speech Here |
| 2. Time to Study Happy You read that right. A million schoolchildren in India’s capital take part in 45-minute classes that start with meditation, followed by reading and listening to one another’s stories. With the pandemic spawning great mental health woes, some education experts expect a meditative approach to learning to catch on. In fact, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, the UAE and Colombia are all showing signs of adopting this curriculum in a bid to reduce student stress. And American first lady Melania Trump, who visited a meditation session in South Delhi early this year, said: “I cannot think of a better way for all of us to start our day.” Read More on OZY |
| 3. Will Grad Schools Woo You Back to the Books? The pandemic has forced colleges, universities and graduate schools to ease up on some of their traditional application requirements. Many colleges and universities decided against requiring ACT or SAT scores from undergraduate aspirants this year. For graduate programs, most major schools have traditionally required GRE or GMAT test scores — though some have joined a move away from standardized testing. Now, with many test centers still shut because of lockdowns or social distancing norms, several grad schools have waived that requirement for summer and fall 2020 applicants, paving an easier road for students who had been deterred by the tests. Read More on OZY |
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| | | 1. Cop Calls Drop, But Why? COVID-19 lockdowns had already reduced the number of police-civilian interactions across North America. Then came nationwide protests against police brutality. Now, arrests and reported crimes are down — less going out means less trouble. But it may also signal police trepidation, in places like Atlanta, where a police union rep told the media that cops are afraid that routine stops could escalate into more serious situations. Some officers even started calling in sick after two colleagues there were charged in the death of Rayshard Brooks. One possible solution? Robotic policing. It’s taking off in China. Check it out and tell us: Would you rather be stopped by a bot? For More About Those Robots |
| 2. New Faces Emerge Among the Crowds You’ve gotta love a precocious organizer. Jalen Thompson, 17, just graduated from high school and plans to attend Colorado State to study music education this fall. But he’s focused now on fighting for racial equality in O’Fallon, Missouri, where he planned a peaceful protest, drawing an impressive 2,000 people. Read More on OZY |
| 3. What Are the Roadblocks Ahead? There are too many obstacles to count. Passions fade, and the movement for racial equality could peter out before achieving real change, having run up against intractable white complacency. Capitol Hill is slow to move, given that politicking takes time, so you can expect plenty of bickering over police reforms before seeing much action. And then there’s the deadly virus, which is still spreading like wildfire and could threaten the will to demonstrate. How far are you willing to go in the fight for racial equality? Read More on OZY |
| | 4. Sunny Days Ahead This is a movement, not a moment, so get the hat that's perfect for the long days of summer and the bright days ahead. Best of all, 100 percent of profits from this, and all Reset America gear, go to the racial justice organization of your choice. Get it now in the OZY Store. Shop Now |
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| | | 1. Being Half-Dressed Really Is a Thing Getting spiffy for your Zoom meeting is all the rage these days, which means many of us are only looking good from the waist up. Do you remove your nice shirt after each meeting, returning it to its silk hanger? Me neither, but apparently some folks are doing this. So don’t feel too bad the next time you show up feeling a bit crumpled for that 9 a.m. with your boss. Chances are she’s wearing shorts or PJs below her blazer anyway. Just don’t get caught without your pants on (camera angles count, folks). |
| 2. A Whole New Kind of Film School Everyone deserves their 15 seconds of fame, right? TikTok videos can be silly or magical — but the app offers a place for would-be filmmakers to practice and have a platform for their work. The algorithm promotes unknown creators rather than quashing those without huge followings, and while the videos are short, that encourages some to flex their creative muscles and squeeze a whole story into a quarter of a minute. What's unclear, however, is whether these skills will translate to the silver screen or whether, in this day and age, they’ll ever need to. Read More on OZY |
| 3. Firming Up on Facebook We know boycotting can work — just look at South Africa. Which is why many global firms are using cash to pressure Facebook these days, pulling ad dollars from the social networking giant over its policy on hateful posts. Now Facebook says it has removed 220 groups connected to the Boogaloo extremist movement. |
| 4. Yes, You’re Looking Twice Who are you … a cartoon? Hit any social media platform these days, and you’re likely to see your bestie comparing herself to a popular animated character. And while some folks are reaching, we have to give a shout-out to this one. Send us your best shots. |
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| | | 1. Flying the Disinfectant Skies While many travelers are eyeing staycations — and sprucing up their gardens — or nearby beach rentals for getaways this summer, some will brave flights to more exotic destinations. While Americans may be banned or forced into quarantine in some parts of the world, airline passengers can at least rest assured knowing that many airlines are doing their best to offer separated seating, bunk bed perks (for luxury tickets), and lots and lots of disinfectant. Some are even running ads showing off their fog machines and cleaning procedures. Read More on OZY |
| 2. And For All You Armchair Travelers Not braving the disinfected skies but needing a globally minded break? We’ve got you covered. OZY has traveled the globe, bringing you great trends, rising stars, recipes and adventures from all over the world. Whether it’s the booziest cherry chocolate cake Germany has to offer, or a daring Yemeni writer pushing the boundaries of Arab eroticism, OZY offers you an international smorgasbord of goodness. OZY's Interactive Map |
| 3. Podcast Lover in Need of a New Trip? How did the mysterious disappearance of a French inventor lead to the birth of Hollywood? All is revealed in the latest episode of Flashback, OZY's chart-topping new history podcast. Download now on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Find More Flashbacks Here |
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