📖 Britney Spears’s new memoir

Happy Friday! It’s October 20 — people are talking about Britney Spears’s new memoir, the pros and cons of chewing gum, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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📖 In the news: Britney Spears’s memoir

Britney's recently published memoir revealed new details about her music career and relationships.

📖 NYT: Britney Spears's memoir “The Woman in Me” explores her past conservatorship, music career, and relationship with Justin Timberlake.

📖 Vogue said the big revelation from the book was Britney's abortion with Justin Timberlake. Justin reportedly wasn't happy about her pregnancy. Hopefully telling the story empowered Britney.

📖 But Hot Air was skeptical. This all puts Justin in a bad light, but Britney may not be a reliable narrator.

📖 @notskinnybutnotfat was also skeptical, but for a different reason: It's unclear how instrumental Britney was in the writing of her own memoir.

📖 If you're curious, Buzzfeed reported that Justin Timberlake has chosen “not to concern himself” with Britney's book.

👄 Cultural trend: Should you chew gum?

Chewing gum can be good for you, but it creates a lot of waste and makes our sidewalks pretty gross.

👄 Healthline says that chewing gum has many benefits: reduced stress, better memory, and weight loss. But overdoing it could lead to jaw pain and headaches.

👄 WebMD adds that it's good for oral hygiene and helps with acid reflux, as long as it's sugar-free. Sugary gum can cause tooth decay.

👄 But Just One Ocean points out that gum is made of plastic — and none of it gets recycled. Gum creates around 100,000 tons of plastic waste every year.

👄 And Nautilus says it's a real pain to clean off the streets. It is probably better than you swallow the gum than toss it on the sidewalk — just don’t swallow multiple pieces at once.

👄 Daily Trust gives some etiquette tips: Don't smack your gum or blow bubbles, keep your mouth closed, and don't save a chewed piece for later.

Quick hits

🏛️ A federal judge ruled that California's ban on assault weapons is unconstitutional. (NPR)

🌎 The US State Department advised US citizens to “exercise increased caution” as part of a worldwide alert. (CNBC)

💊 CVS is removing medicine containing phenylephrine from its shelves. The FDA says phenylephrine is ineffective when taken orally. (CNN)

🔎 The NCAA is investigating University of Michigan football for possible violations of its scouting policies. (Yahoo Sports)

That’s it for today. Reply to [email protected] with any feedback, or ideas for tomorrow’s topics!

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)