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Amazon Is Serious About Healthcare

The online retailer gets ‘Whole Foods of primary care’ with massive One Medical deal

Amazon is acquiring the primary care organization One Medical in a deal valued roughly at $3.9 billion, marking another expansion for the retailer into healthcare services.

Amazon, in a statement, said that the health care field was ripe for disruption, since the status quo requires “taking time off work, driving to a clinic, finding a parking spot, waiting in the waiting room then the exam room for what is too often a rushed few minutes with a doctor, then making another trip to a pharmacy.”

The company hasn't had much success with its existing attempts in the space—and there have been a couple already. But experiences during COVID have made consumers more willing to try different forms of health care and to share associated data.

Currently, One Medical has less than 200 medical offices across the country, but has made a name for itself as a boutique, technology-focused primary care provider with chic offices and a slew of telehealth services. However, the company's primary appeal is that, for a $199 annual fee, it gives customers relatively easy access to a primary care physician and helps them more easily navigate America's dysfunctional health care system. I certainly wouldn't mind saving extra on prescriptions come Prime Day.

The Dictionary Just Got 700 New Words

From “cringe factor” and “soysage” to “daladala”

Following their most recent update in June, around 700 new words, senses and sub-entries have just been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, the largest dictionary of the English language.

The update includes 200 new and revised entries from East African English. According to Quartz, coverage of East African English includes the varieties of English spoken in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda—three countries that share a common Anglophone background despite their different colonial histories.

For example, daladala, which are buses used across East Africa. The word comes from ‘dollar’, which is what bus conductors called out as people boarded. That's joined by modern Western words like ‘soysage’ (sausage made with soy protein instead of meat) or ‘sportswashing’ (the use of sport or a sporting event to promote a positive public image for a sponsor or host).

Meanwhile, a new dictionary—the Oxford Dictionary of African American English—is attempting to codify the contributions and capture the rich relationship that Black Americans have with the English language. Prominent historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the editor-in-chief and the book is set to be released in 2025.

↦ FYI: Ever wonder how words are removed from the dictionary? A culling process for print editions allows dictionaries to remain relevant and, frankly, portable.

New Music Is Falling in Popularity

Older music is experiencing a revival though

I'm currently typing out this newsletter with the soothing stylings of Philip Glass in my headphones, so I can believe this headline. 

A new midyear report by U.S. market monitor Luminate has revealed an alarming fact, that current music is becoming less popular. And this bold statement can be backed up by facts and statistics, as reported by Music Business Worldwide.

According to the report, there was a “measurable decline in ‘high impacting’ new releases overall, which are defined as [any] album that debuts on the Billboard 200” during the first half of 2022.

The recent Stranger Things-abetted surge of ’80s jams from Kate Bush and Metallica was interesting, but is it possible that old music is crowding new music out of the marketplace? Well, yes and no. Catalog music (defined as anything that's at least 18 months old) is doing great—up 14% compared to last year. But Stereogum points out that a lot of the old music that's doing well isn't all that old; more than a third of that consumption is music that came out between 2017 and ’19.

↦ FYI: According to Spotify's data, they maintain a database of 82 million songs and a record of 60,000 new songs are added every day.

A Weekend Pairing

‘Nope’ + a Candy/Popcorn Combo

The trailers for Nope, one of the most feverishly anticipated movies of the summer, have raised some intriguing questions. Is it a western? A horror film? Science fiction? Satire? The third feature from writer and director Jordan Peele, the eerie looking movie delves into the scams of representation, the dangers of Hollywood's glimmer, and our country's increasing numbness to violence.

The cast is impressive: Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer star as brother-and-sister horse wranglers. Steven Yeun plays a child actor turned entrepreneur who runs a Wild West theme park. Of course, I don't want to give too much of the plot away and neither do the reviews. But they are overwhelmingly positive. Collider says “With Nope, Peele once again proves that he's not just one of the most interesting filmmakers working in horror today, he's one of the most interesting filmmakers working, period.” And Screen Rant confirms “while still full of profound and layered ideas, Nope is closer in execution to the horror-comedy mix of Get Out than Us.” But one thing's for sure: Nearly every review mentioned that this unlike anything you've seen before.

↦ Your Pairing:
Since we'll have to venture to the movies to watch Nope, I'm suggesting a pairing of theater popcorn and Raisinets. Here me out—this candy is way underrated and as Tasty points out, it provides a sophisticated blend of texture and sweetness, which complements the salty popcorn perfectly.

Morning Motto

Find yourself some happiness this weekend.

↦ Follow: @oshthoughts

That’s all for today...