Your weekend must reads📰
Good morning, friends! I'm John Riley, editor of The Short List weekend edition✨, where each week we bring back some of great stories you may have missed in Paste BN. Let's get to it!
👉But first: If you're driving in the snow, this graphic shows how to do it safely. And here's something you shouldn't do to your car.
America in pain
⚕️At least 1 in 5 Americans live with chronic pain. Some experts put the figure at 100 million. And nearly 1 in 10 are disabled by it.
To better understand America's pain problem, Paste BN spoke with more than 50 pain experts. The result was a five-part series exploring the reality of pain, pain medications including opioids, nondrug alternatives, and scientific advances offering hope for the future.
- The pain crisis: The state of pain treatment 'should depress anyone'
- Pediatric pain: When it comes to pain, children are not just little adults
- Drug alternatives: 'Your lifestyle is your medicine'
- Pot for pain relief?: What cannabis can (and can’t) do for chronic pain
- The future of pain control: Future treatment could look very different
Drag shows are under siege. Why?
🎤Drag shows, in which performers typically wear elaborate costumes that exaggerate traditional gender norms, have a long history in the U.S., especially in the South. Over time, they've become mainstream and are a gathering place for people who feel marginalized in the straight world.
Yet an increasing number of drag shows are facing threats and protests — at least 126 in 2022 through mid-November, including 48 in the South, GLAAD reported. And legislative efforts to limit drag are underway in six states and the U.S. House.
Enjoying the holidays
🎁Enough with the doom and gloom! Here are some tips on having a happy holiday season.
- Christmas cookies: Google shares popular holiday searches by state
- Gift wrapping: How to wrap presents like an adult
- Being single: 5 perks of being single for the holidays
- Not-so-secret Santa: How to keep gifts a secret when shopping online
- Stocking stuffers: 45 gift ideas for everyone on your list
There are more great reads below.👇 See you next week!