🍄 Moms on mushrooms

Happy Thursday! It’s August 17 — people are talking about the Michael Oher & Tuohy family drama, moms on psychedelic mushrooms, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

🏈 In the news: Was Michael Oher blindsided?

Michael Oher, whose football story was the basis for the film "The Blind Side", says he was tricked into a conservatorship. He wants out, and he wants his money back.

🏈 Variety: Michael Oher, the inspiration for the football film "The Blind Side", says the Tuohy family duped him into signing a conservatorship and lied about adopting him. He also claims he wasn't paid royalties.

🏈 Deadline: The Tuohys defended themselves, saying lawyers told them adoption wasn't an option. Setting up a conservatorship was the only way that Michael could play football at Ole Miss — he was too old to be adopted.

🏈 According to ESPN, the Tuohys also allege that Oher recently demanded $15m and threatened to speak badly about them if they didn't pay up.

🏈 Suzanne Vierling thinks we need more facts before deciding who's in the right. Did he make money from the book and movie? Does he have savings?

🏈 Jezebel says that if Oher’s claims turn out to be true, it'll really put a damper on the Tuohy's white savior story, not to mention their speaking gigs.

🍄 Cultural trend: Moms on mushrooms

Some stay-at-home moms are experimenting with psychedelic mushrooms to reduce their stress. Is this a good idea?

🍄 The Daily Mail explains that some stay-at-home moms are experimenting with mushrooms. Regular micro-doses make them more "present" as parents.

🍄 WaPo is a fan of the trend — cut moms some slack. Many of them are suffering from mental illness — and a shroom trip definitely beats a daily Prozac.

🍄 Michael Davolt disagrees: Suck it up and do your job as a parent — drugs are for losers!

🍄 Verywell Mind says hold on, there are many mental health benefits that make it worth considering. But don’t do mushrooms if you’re pregnant, or if they’re illegal in your area.

Quick hits

✈️ President Biden plans to visit Maui next week on Monday, in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires. (NYT)

♟️ The chess federation FIDE barred trans women from participating in women's chess competitions. (The Guardian)

⚫ A boat carrying migrants from Senegal capsized off the coast of Cape Verde. 63 people are feared to have died. (ABC News)

💊 The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a ban on the abortion pill Mifepristone, but said it shouldn’t be provided via mail or telehealth. (NYT)

That’s it for today! Reply at [email protected] with your takes, topic suggestions, or anything at all. Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We’d love to hear what you think.