Tomorrow is Thanksgiving: try to enjoy the food, make a rule not to talk politics, and drink only just enough to ease the potential tension without ending up running your mouth. If your conservative uncle ends up zealously insisting that white people suffer from racism all the time, though, bring out this guide from the Daily Dot on why “reverse racism” doesn’t exist.
At The Atlantic, science writer Roni Jacobson explores the use of trained service dogs for sexual assault survivors with PTSD. Psychiatrists know that trained canines can be exceptionally helpful for many sufferers of PTSD, but they don’t entirely know why. The Atlantic writes:
“What there really desperately needs to be is a good study that looks at the effects of service dogs,” says Colonel Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, chief clinical officer for Washington, D.C.’s Department of Mental Health and a retired U.S. Army psychiatrist. “If the dog considerably improves quality of life, which is what I’ve seen, it’s almost indescribable how much its worth for that person.” The cost is prohibitive, though: upwards of $20,000, partly because pharmaceutical companies aren’t interested in investing in the research. And there’s debate over the best utilization of service dogs for PTSD. Thankfully, the VA is currently conducting research on the efficacy of service dogs who perform physical tasks as well as those who simply provide emotional support.
The stars of True Detective have finally been announced. Now we’re left to anticipate the actual plot of the second season. So far, we only know a little bit about the upcoming season—that it will take place in rural California and will involve a transportation conspiracy. Uproxx has a few ideas of real-life serial killers who did their nasty work along roads and highways—each one more strange and awful than the last—that could inspire Season Two. And while these mashed potatoes probably can’t be included in the list of possible True Detective inspirations, they’ve certainly inspired me.