Crash Course: A rising tide sailed the Oscars away from controversy, but "The Whale" still rocked the boat

An Oscar for best fat suit likely won't gain a year's worth of press like "the slap," but it's no less upsetting [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYjBqaXJlajVhMC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbHJhaTQ0ZXF3bi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). A rising tide sailed the Oscars away from controversy, but "The Whale" still rocked the boat As host of this year's [Oscars](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNTc3aTVkbDE2eC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) ceremony, [Jimmy Kimmel](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYWtuNHFtbHFrcC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) made a dedicated effort to keep everyone on their toes by wedging in jokes about last year's big [slap controversy](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMnEzMzY5eTlucC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and parading around with an anonymous person dressed in a Party City "Cocaine Bear" costume. But, try as he might, the night played out without a need for medics or mediation. The relatively sleepy ceremony all but washed away the sins of the 2022 Academy Awards, during which Will Smith infamously took to the stage to slap [Chris Rock](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcTV6ODloaW45ZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) across the face for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia, but a few questionable choices left the night less than perfect. "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" lost the award for Best Animated Feature to spooky Pinocchio. Jenny, the donkey from "[Banshees of Inisherin](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdmI1bGE0MjJjMy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)," was an imposter. Anne Heche was missing from the in memoriam. All shocking. But most shocking of all was "The Whale" winning the award for best fat suit. [Read the rest from Kelly McClure.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNjhub2JsdDZ3bC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Courtesy of A24) "I really didn't trust any humans": What it's like growing up in a doomsday sect "This girl has been indoctrinated by a cult," writes author and educator [Michelle Dowd](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaWM4MWR1ZTM3ai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), "but she has a high pain tolerance and a basic knowledge of the region's ecosystem." That girl is Dowd herself. And in "[Forager: Field Notes on Surviving a Family Cult](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcHVqNGJtaHdpMi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)," she weaves a memoir unlike any survival story you've ever read. Growing up on a mountain in the Angeles National Forest, inside an apocalyptic religious group founded by her grandfather, Dowd experiences unimaginable deprivation and brutality. She is raised to distrust outsiders, and to prepare for the imminent end of the world. Yet she learns to be a resourceful, skilled outdoorswoman and naturalist. The paradox, that all the things she had to eventually leave were intimately entwined with all the things that gave her strength and competence to do just that, creates a unique tension that's riveting. This isn't a conventional account of escape. Instead, it's a meditation on how the things that could break you could also build you and about the complicated nature of forgiveness. It's also a beautiful appreciation of the world we inhabit but rarely take time to learn from, and learning that when all else seems lost, "The earth could hold me in some way." [Read the rest from Mary Elizabeth Williams.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNXpkbzUzaDNqeC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Getty Images/Westend61) - For [Idris Elba](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvN21ldWZzMHo0Mi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)'s sake, let "Luther" retire - This little-known condition affects most women in [menopause](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbWt3cncwY2Jtdi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) — and no one talks about it - Why sleep scientists think [Standard Time](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaXQ1ZWFuZnNnNy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) is best - "I have no particular power": Don't blame [sensitivity readers](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOXZhaXA2NXI0aS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) for the latest censored books - The fungus from ["The Last of Us"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOWZ0bnJhNzl2eC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) is being used as a natural pesticide - "I'm actually not freezing my eggs": [Nikki Glaser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvczFpd25vZHY4aC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) opens up about comedy, fertility and oversharing - Ctrl-Alt-Defeat: [White Castle](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZG00MG91dHU4dS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) facing "annihilation" over worker surveillance; Congress gets hacked - Fahrenheit 2023: Even in Mississippi’s segregation academies, we learned about [Emmett Till](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOW1xNGw0bThtaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - How a $20 [food processor](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOG84YzN6YW5kbC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) made me a better weeknight cook If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZjQ0NHBzaXRrcC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! Who decided Jesus needed a brand makeover? "Jesus gets us" and evangelical hypocrisy Jesus has taken some bad press and is apparently in need of a branding makeover. Thus we have all been subjected to the ["Jesus gets us" marketing campaign](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbTVreml0Y2R5eS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). (It attracted widespread media attention [around the Super Bowl](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvb2RldWZ0bWcyci8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), but the ads had been around for months before that.) There's a problem, of course: The evangelicals behind this campaign do not seem to understand even the most basic elements of getting Jesus. It turns out that the evangelical leadership's warm embrace of Donald Trump was a bad idea, in terms of turning people toward the Christian faith. I'm sorry to say that i think the current "brand identity" of American Christianity looks a lot like Trump wrapped in the flag, with a semiautomatic rifle in one hand and the Bible (which he hasn't read) in the other. America is certainly becoming less and less a "Christian nation," and many evangelical Christians are panicking, believing certainly feel they are losing the cultural and political war for the soul of America. They're right about that, frankly, and what's more they deserve to lose. [Read the rest from Nathaniel Manderson.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcGNqMXFob2prMi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Universal History Archive/Getty Images) - "U.S. officials weigh protecting all deposits at Silicon Valley Bank," [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcWNlcWdkM2FuYS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Chris Rock's fumbled Will Smith quip removed from Netflix special," [Entertainment Weekly](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveTRtMW03ZGpneC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "8 dead after smuggling boats capsize off San Diego coast," [AP News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY3prczM5ajd1Yi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Fathers Gained Family Time in the Pandemic. Many Don’t Want to Give It Back," [The New York Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvc3h2dHl2a3VycC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) An unexpected source of methane? Your local sewage plant Wastewater treatment plants are typically overlooked when it comes to reducing greenhouse gasses, but new research from Princeton University reveals the plants emit twice as much methane as previously thought. Methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas and the treatment plants should be part of any plan to reduce emissions, according to the study released last week. "Wastewater treatment plants are a major source of greenhouse gasses in cities and we need to start treating them like that," said [Mark Zondlo](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbWZiaHRocGsxaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzVXA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton and one of the authors of the research. [Read the rest from Siri Chilukuri.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaW8zZG9yaWdzbS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXFnYnlmcmV5bzUmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZApAAg9kObYoy1IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Adrian Greeman/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmQKQAIPZDm2KMtSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2023 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl8Yc_P0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpkCkACD2Q5tijLUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)