OMM – July 2024 – #1
~ a curated selection of discoveries ~
::: The Open :::
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoy this weekly newsletter (published on Sundays).
If you’re a subscriber, please consider reaching out to a friend you think may enjoy this newsletter and encourage them to sign up.
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I’ll be just as happy if you donate to ONE ART: a journal of poetry.
Thank you for reading and for your time.
With Gratitude,
~ Mark
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Please Note:
This newsletter is typically too long to appear in its entirety in an email. Please click through to Substack to read in full.
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::: Personal Notes :::
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Louisa has a new poem out in SWWIM.
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::: ONE ART :::
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‘A Unique Opportunity Courtesy of Faith Shearin’
So far, I’ve received really positive feedback from those who have purchased Faith Shearin’s prompt packet.
A reminder, this initial prompt packet purchase (of writing exercises) includes the opportunities to work with Faith (for an additional fee) later this Summer (about 2 months from now or so).
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WORKSHOPS!
‘Nature and Ecopoetry Workshop’ with Grant Clauser
Instructor: Grant Clauser
Day: Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Time: 6:00-8:00pm (Eastern)
Price: $25 (payment options)
Register for Grant Clauser’s workshop
Learn more about Grant on his website.
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The Music of the Line: Rhythm, Rhyme and Repetition in Poetryv
Instructor: Ellen Rowland
Day: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Time: 11:00AM-1:00PM (Eastern)
Price: $25 (payment options)
Register for Ellen Rowland’s workshop
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Check out ONE ART’s future workshops, too!
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::: Podcasts :::
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‘The Top 10 Book Podcasts To Listen To In 2024’ (Book Riot)
An interesting list.
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The Climate Pod – ‘What Will The Future Of Climate Denial Look Like?’
A conversation with Tad DeLay.
Only about 1 in 10 Christian Americans believe we will live to see another century. This is based on a religious belief in The Second Coming happening in the not too distant future.
“Whatever we repress returns as some sort of symptom.”
There’s a notable point about how no one is trying to turn off fossil fuels immediately. It would be devastating to living people. The goal is to mitigate global warming and other climate hazards. We’re aiming to slow down, not shut down, in the near term.
There’s a call for The Left to be more informed.
DeLay shares a really good explanation for how Capitalism actually functions. It involves class dynamics and the fact that no one can actually get paid “their worth” or else there would be no such thing as profit.
Important theoretical discussion of who we are willing to let suffer and to what degree.
Lots of good data, theory, and methodology shared in this episode. DeLay’s approach is conversational and even-handed as opposed to trying to force anyone’s hand.
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::: Music :::
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This is really cool
‘Jay-Z & Nas’ Unreleased First Collab Now Streaming With Shaq’s 1996 Album You Can’t Stop The Reign’ (Stereogum)
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Initial thoughts on the new Omar Apollo album…
It’s pleasantly forgettable (I mean this in a mostly good way). Highly listenable as chill background music. A notable exception is ‘Against Me’ which sticks out awkwardly and sounds like an out of place stylistic nod to Frank Ocean.
Right at the end, the album takes an interesting turn towards authentic life challenges such as grief. ‘Glow’ is beautiful; the track opens with a reimagined Philip Larkin quote (!)
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The Japanese House’s new song ‘:)’
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Gracie Abrams has a new track with Taylor Swift called ‘us.’
It should come as no surprise, at this point, that Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff are credited as Producers on this track.
Notably, the bridge includes the following lines:
“That night, you were talkin' false prophets and profits / They make in the margins of poetry sonnets”
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Lupe Fiasco has a new album – ‘Samurai’ (I haven’t sat with it yet)
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Lots of these “Best Albums of 2024 So Far…” articles. Here’s one from Variety.
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After reading several articles… sadly, it seems like M.I.A. is not joking about buying into conspiracies. She just went on Alex Jones’ Infowars to promote a fashion line that includes an actual “tin foil hat”.
Just a few references…
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Trigger warning: hyperpop
I’ve been slow to get around to Charli xcx’s new album ‘BRAT’ – which seems silly given all the press it’s received… but maybe that’s precisely the reason why.
Backed again by hyperpop living legend A.G. Cook, and others, Charli shares some real solid tracks on this. I haven’t been as into recent Charli releases… since Pop 2 (2017) which is amazing.
Peeps are losing it (I think?) over ‘Girl, so confusing’ (it genuinely has some confusion involved… which seem very purposeful in a Charli-esque wa)… anyways, Charli released an album version of ‘Girl so Confusing’ and fans were quick to determine the track is about her strained relationship with Lorde. The track features the line “One day we might make some music / The internet would go crazy” … Delightfully, Charli and Lorde then released a remix of the track.
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The day the music died?
‘When Did Rock & Roll Die? A Statistical Analysis (Stat Significant)
There’s a “1 in 5” Americans chart in this that seems like, well, Americans are liars. Go figure.
If you polled Americans ages 45-55, there are plenty who enjoy rap/hip-hop. Ditto “indie/alternative”.
When asked what we “like”… people are likely to want to sound smart or cool or socially normative. The age cutoffs are a problem in these charts. If you’re born in ’78-’80, I simply don’t think it’s the same as being born in the early 70s.
I’ve definitely talked about this before. There’s a new “silent generation” between millennials and GenX that we haven’t named yet.
They’re born approximately in the years from 1974-1983 give or take a few years on either end. I’m good with my “geriatric millennial” label.
A while back, I read a convincing argument that generations are really four years apart when it comes to perceptions about culture (art, music, film— taste).
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I was aware of some of the bands/artists… I was unaware there was a whole fashion angle. Seemingly wasn’t missing much.
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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Hailey Leithauser’s poem ‘Where I'd Live’ published in Verse Daily. First appeared in 32 Poems.
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The 2024 Guide to Manuscript Publishers: 285 Traditional Publishers (No Agent Required) (Courtesy of Authors Publish)
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Erin Murphy’s ‘The Internet of Things’ in Verse Daily. First appeared in Fluent in Blue.
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‘The Spellbinding, Bookish World of Art Nouveau Posters’ (Hyperallergic)
I’ve always loved art nouveau posters. Art Nouveau was one of my favorite periods of discussion in college art history classes. Was it a good use of my time? Debatable… but it was fun.
If I’m ever a homeowner, maybe I’ll be the type of person who has one of these posters framed and hung eloquently and tastefully in a hallway (or whatever).
In any case, I’m a fan.
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‘The Pitfalls of Expert Advice’ by Lauren Reynolds featured on Jane Friedman’s blog.
“The more successful a writer becomes, the more resources they have.”
“Evaluating someone’s experience, knowledge, or personality serves you better than being seduced by the most tech-savvy, beautiful websites or online courses.”
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‘Australian Museum Installs Toilet as a Loophole to Anti-Discrimination Ruling Against Women-Only Exhibition’ (ArtNews)
“We never had female toilets at Mona before, they were all unisex,” Kaechele wrote on Instagram. “But then the Ladies Lounge had to close thanks to a lawsuit brought on by a man and I just didn’t know what to do with all those Picassos.”
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“As a professional book recommender, the question I’m asked most often is “What book should I bring on my vacation?” But now there’s a new question to consider: What kind of literary vacation should I plan?”
[excerpt from a lousy Esquire article]
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Upsetting to reflect on but important topic of concern for writers.
‘Who Will Finish Your Manuscript When You Die?’ (LitHub)
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‘Do Authors Really Need to Spend Their Own Money to Make a Book Successful?’ (LitHub)
Requires in-depth serious discussion.
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‘American Grammar: Diagraming Sentences in the 19th Century’ (The Public Domain Review)
I didn’t have to diagram sentences in K-12 and… I’m pretty sure I would have struggled to do so.
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LitHub is having an interesting week. Or, rather, they’re sharing more articles than usual this week that I’m actually interested in checking out.
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‘Do Authors Really Need to Spend Their Own Money to Make a Book Successful?’ (LitHub)
Depressing.
Worthy of an in-depth discussion.
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The following is a VERY good article. I highly recommend clicking the link to read this in full.
‘Generation Franchise: Why Writers Are Forced to Become Brands (and Why That’s Bad)’ (LitHub)
“If I wanted to, I could fill my calendar with nostalgia shows.” Enter Live Nation. Too real.
“You could say we [Gen Xers] saw late capitalism coming in real time, planned for it, in many cases enabled and amplified it.”
“It was one of the most chilling experiences I’ve had as a teacher: not because Disney Adults are monsters, but because I was seeing something altogether new in the world, the pseudo-religious worship of a corporate brand.”
“I care about people in my own orbit and cultural sphere, who have been tasked with living the same way for at least 20 years: that is, under the pressure and the expectation that you will mine your own life for content; to become a brand, an influencer, just by being yourself. The imperative gets stronger the younger you are, and the more you’ve lived your life exposed to the Internet. But it affects anyone who engages in any kind of cultural production: At this point it’s so baked into the culture that it’s a given and a joke.”
Here’s a brutal attack on autofiction: “Autofiction is a form of solipsism refined into a high art”
“I use the past tense here because in the literary world the epoch of self-franchising seems to be coming—lurching, or dwindling—to a close.”
“What used to be fun or at least engaging—the way ideas, theories, and trends used to get hashed out online, giving rise to new essays, new books, even new organizations, like the feminist writers’ advocacy group VIDA—has now become routine, counterproductive, and cynical, even to those who still participate in it. The content machine is still as hungry as ever, but less and less value and satisfaction seems to come out of it.”
“[…] These kids know better. Even the ones trapped in a self-promotion economy understand it’s slowly killing them and want a way out, when they’re not immobilized by depression, despair, and self-harm. Psychologically, if not economically, they have seen the machine, know what it can do, and are already one their way to finding an alternative.”
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KB Brookins poem ‘& on my way out of the capitol, I see 2 trans boys kissing’ in Verse Daily. First appeared in The Southeast Review.
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‘Why Your Revision Shouldn’t Start on Page One’ by Monica Cox
“These changes may seem superficial, but they help transition you from writer to reader.”
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‘We’re Not Robots: Why AI Chatbots Can’t Replace Good Writing’ (Authors Publish)
1. Humor
2. Dialogue
3. Breaking rules
4. Character development
5. Reasoning
6. How it sounds read aloud
7. Keeping it fresh
Read the article for details.
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Shannan Mann featured on Authors Publish
On working for Chill Subs à “I’m a total nerd and this is kind of my dream job.”
If you have to work for someone else, it’s hard to pick more, well, chill bosses.
Use this link to get a discount on Chill Subs’ services.
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Here is Shannan’s very recent great talk — especially for emerging poets/writers — also on Authors Publish:
‘Free Talk: An Introduction to Publishing Your Writing in Literary Journals’
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Russell Karrick’s poem ‘Hungry Sparrow’ published in Verse Daily. First appeared in Slapering Hol Press.
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Martha Silano’s poem ‘When I Can't Get Out of Bed’ in Verse Daily. First appeared in Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry.
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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Back Pain & The Benefits of Walking (CNN)
“Unfortunately, nearly 70% of people who recover from an episode of low back pain have a recurrence within a year, experts say”
Walking at least 30 minutes a day can help.
This, of course, requires that you can go on walks. Walking is also complicated by other factors. For example, as someone with chronic back pain, I’ll vouch for walking being helpful in a number of ways; however, because I have asthma, I’ve been unable to go on walks outside during the ‘Heat Dome’ with a series of 90+ degree days. Walking in stores isn’t the same because of the flooring. Try walking around a Target or Walmart or IKEA or supermarket for 30-minutes without intention and you’ll find your feet hurt and your back gets sore… or at least that’s the case for me. So, it’s counter intuitive. Yes, it’s a little better if you walk in a store that has carpeting—but those are not the types of stores (Nordstrom Rack, for example) typically designed for people to walk aimlessly and in continuous motion.
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There’s something deeply unsettling about having any positive emotions associated with the pandemic lockdown phase. It was a terrible time for individuals and society. Still, I’ve read many articles talking about “lockdown nostalgia”… and I had an article (which turned out to mostly be about TikTok) saved in my inbox… so I did a mini-dive (not a deep dive). WebMD isn’t exactly a terrific medical source… though I thought this quote, from an article on ‘Pandemic Nostalgia’ was a notable takeaway:
“Batcho predicts that wistfulness for the early pandemic will wane in most people over time as they tire of revisiting a finite set of memories. And until it does, nostalgia may not be such a bad thing.”
The pandemic is not over for everyone.
Also, it’s a downer… but there’s a decent likelihood some of us will live to see another pandemic.
‘DISEASE X - What it is, and what it is not’ (CEPI)
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In a 2003 Gallup Survey, only 2% of Americans said they had “no close friends”. In 2023, that number was 8% (according to Pew Research). Pew also found a third of Americans under age 30 had less than 5 close friends.
There’s also a trend towards losing “weak ties”, which are known to be important for finding jobs. Sometimes called “fringe friends”, these individuals play an important role in filling out a person’s sense of reality or “the wider world”.
Loss of engagement with weak ties contributes to the loneliness epidemic.
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‘Loneliness can increase stroke risk by up to 56%, finds research’ (Guardian)
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‘Startup’s ‘Fentanyl Vaccine’ Aims to Block Drug’s Highs, Overdoses’ (Bloomberg)
Ovax Inc. is the startup.
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‘Simple paper-strip test might spot flu, identify strain’ (UPI)
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‘The Limited Value of Multivitamin Supplements’ (JAMA)
It’s mixed bag. The results are not entirely clear, either. I’d say the verdict is out, but I’m no scientist.
It’s more evidence, though, that the best way to get vitamins and nutrients is from actual food.
[excepts] … it’s a short abstract/summary so I’d encourage reading all 7 paragraphs.
“Drawing on 3 large cohorts including 390 124 participants and more than 20 years of follow-up data… On the contrary, mortality risk was 4% higher among multivitamin users, compared with nonusers, in the initial years of follow-up …”
“Not captured in mortality data, however, are potential benefits that do not affect longevity in cohorts of older adults. Supplementation with beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc is associated with slowing the progression of age-related macular degeneration. In older individuals, multivitamin supplementation is associated with improved memory and slowed cognitive decline”
“Considerable evidence now shows that, apart from the aforementioned roles for vitamin supplementation, there is little health rationale for the use of multivitamin supplements. Micronutrients come most healthfully from food sources. When supplementation is required, it can often be limited to the micronutrients in question.”
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::: Special Section — The Climate Crisis :::
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‘The Climate Is the Economy’ (Slate)
Climate devastation is impacting personal wealth and the aspirations of future generations.
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‘What if there just is no solution?’ How we are all in denial about the climate crisis’ (Guardian)
Not a delightful read but important.
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Potential climate win.
‘How sodium could change the game for batteries’ (Technology Review)
John Oliver addressed this on LastWeekTonight. China has started using sodium ion batteries in some cars. This is an alternative method that may prevent the need for deep sea mining operations that could disrupt invaluable ocean ecosystems. We don’t know nearly enough about how the ocean is involved in our planet’s stability for human, animal, and plant-life.
For a while, I’ve wondered what if Elon was obsessed with the ocean instead of space. There’s so much unknown in the ocean. Maybe we’re lucky his special interest involves pioneering space… since tech style move-fast-and-break-things in Earth’s water is asking for a real-life catastrophe summer blockbuster (or… 2003’s The Core rebooted with a certain Elon je ne sais quoi).
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Micro EVs sound great… just like Smart cars seemed like an eco-friendly choice years ago… except you’re really taking your life in your hands while there are massive vehicles on the road. It’s just not a reasonable risk to your personal safety.
A Smart car weighs about 2300 pounds.
My Nissan Versa weighs about 2500 pounds (and at least, in an accident, if the car crushes, at various angles, I’m less likely to be instantly crushed).
A standard (smaller) Ford F-150 (the most popular truck in America) weighs 4300-5800 pounds.
Then, there are the heavy vehicles on the road (and we’re not talking about semis):
A Ford F-450 super duty weighs about 14,000 pounds.
Chevy Silverado trucks range from 4,400 pounds to about 9,000 pounds.
If you’ve been in bad accidents, you can understand why I might not feel safe driving a tiny car.
If you haven’t been in bad accidents, read This is Water.
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‘Protecting just 1.2% of Earth’s land could save most-threatened species, says study’ (Guardian)
“Of the sites identified, which the authors called “conservation imperatives”, 38% are within one and a half miles (2.5km) of an existing protected area, indicating that they could be potential quick wins.”
“However, the study found that governments were often failing to safeguard the biodiverse areas that were most urgently in need of protection. The authors estimated that just 7% of sites in new protected areas between 2018 and 2023 were home to the most threatened species.”
“Protecting the key sites they identify would cost $29bn-$46bn (£23bn-£36bn) over the next five years, and cover 1.6m sq km (630,000 sq miles), the researchers said. It could be done through a combination of land purchases, expanding Indigenous rights and land titles, and creating protected areas on government-owned land.”
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‘The Elite Athletes Powered Entirely by Plants’ (bon appetit)
There are Olympians who are vegans. It’s possible. Just sayin.
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‘If it’s 100 degrees out, does your boss have to give you a break? Probably not.’ (Vox)
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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Heather Cox Richardson on The Debate:
“This was not a debate. It was Trump using a technique that actually has a formal name, the Gish gallop, although I suspect he comes by it naturally. It’s a rhetorical technique in which someone throws out a fast string of lies, non-sequiturs, and specious arguments, so many that it is impossible to fact-check or rebut them in the amount of time it took to say them. Trying to figure out how to respond makes the opponent look confused, because they don’t know where to start grappling with the flood that has just hit them.”
“About the effect of tonight’s events, former Republican operative Stuart Stevens warned: “Don’t day trade politics. It’s a sucker’s game. A guy from Queens out on bail bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade, said in public he didn’t have sex with a porn star, defended tax cuts for billionaires, defended Jan. 6th. and called America the worst country in the world. That guy isn’t going to win this race.””
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‘Are animals conscious? How new research is changing minds’ (BBC)
The more we learn about non-human animals, the more it becomes clear they possess forms of intelligence and something akin to “feelings” (emotional states?) — they would prefer to live their life at the very least. A reminder, that we’re going to keep learning more, and that we’ve already learned enough to make it clear we should be considerate of other life on the planet.
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What it’s costing us to imprison a VAST amount of our population. (Visual Capitalist)
A state-by-state breakdown.
States that spend a lot on keeping people in prison… are clearly not allocating funds well. Couldn’t we rehabilitate or do something a little more sensible than lock up nonviolent offenders for more than most people earn in a year?
States that spend very little on keeping people in prison… you have to expect that the conditions and treatment of the incarcerated are godawful.
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Thrifting Finds
‘$3.99 thrift store find turns out to be nearly 2,000-year-old Mayan vase’ (UPI)
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‘The Greatest Social Media Site Is Craigslist (Yes, Craigslist)’ (Slate)
Almost hard to believe this “article” isn’t sponsored by Craigslist.
Maybe the greatest social media site is Nextdoor? Kidding. Definitely kidding.
That being said, Semafor reports that, “Nextdoor is looking to radically change its business by leaning into local news and information. […] It’s planning a relaunch in the coming months that will build upon what most people use Nextdoor for — local services — and attempt to make it a destination for events, openings, and other information.”
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What is the real value of having these characters enter the public domain? Being serious.
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"Less than half of recent Chinese college graduates received job offers in the first few months of 2024. Three-quarters of grads received job offers before the pandemic, but the number dipped to 48% as of mid-April of this year, Nikkei reported. Fewer private-sector companies are hiring, and many are reducing their workforce in China. Youth unemployment has amplified China’s economic woes, and graduates complain that their qualifications are going to waste due to lack of opportunity. Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently ordered that creating quality jobs be a priority, a distinct change in tone from past comments suggesting that young people should “eat bitterness,” or endure hardship, the Financial Times noted." (Semafor)
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"Some people in Japan are opting to live in hotels for extended periods of time instead of buying or renting property, Nikkei reported. While hotel living might sound like a luxury, housing subscription services in Japan have made extended stays more accessible, while high prices of household necessities are pushing companies and consumers to get creative. Because hotel prices typically include utilities and amenities such as WiFi in their room rate, some people find they save money and have more choice overall. Hotels offer flexibility — in location, decor, and more — which aspirational Japanese in their 20s and 30s tend to value highly." (Semafor)
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"A former OpenAI safety researcher published a 165-page manifesto forecasting the near-future of artificial intelligence. In the text, Leopold Aschenbrenner offers several takeaways and predictions, including that a human-like AI will exist by 2027, and that the US government will eventually see superintelligence (when an AI surpasses human intelligence) as its “most important national defense project.” The document highlights China’s potential as a major adversary and the security risks of an AI that is built to do evil or goes rogue without sufficient safety limits. But as Axios reported, Aschenbrenner is an AI investor and effective altruist — a movement that sees AI safety as both paramount and under threat — so his predictions may reflect those biases." (Semafor)
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Tracking a Single Day at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NYT)
Over 2000 calls and texts. Solving the crisis of domestic violence should be a top priority in U.S. dialogue.
Even our problematically partisan Supreme court just upheld an important ruling that prevents known domestic abusers from legally obtaining firearms
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To Take a Day or Not To Take a Day
Americans get let vacation time than other large nations and still do not use all their days off. This isn’t really news but rather an ongoing concern.
Japanese workers tend to leave a large number of their vacation days on the table.
France, Germany, and the UK get the most vacation days and tend to use almost all of them.
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“Artificial intelligence companies are racing to produce chatbots that can talk in India’s many languages. Hindi is the most common of India’s 22 officially recognized languages, but there are thousands of other tongues and dialects, presenting a challenge for large-language models. Google, Microsoft, and others are increasingly offering Indian AI voice assistants — Google’s Gemini launched in nine Indian languages last week, while Microsoft’s Copilot is available in 12. The tools could support the country’s huge customer service and call center sectors, the Financial Times reported, and their development could lead to more powerful and useful AIs. Meanwhile homegrown AI companies, such as Sarvam AI, are working to adapt existing models for India.” (Semafor)
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Formula 1… of the water?
“Billionaire Larry Ellison’s SailGP predicts it will break even as early as next year as it steps up a global expansion aimed at establishing the professional sailing league as the Formula 1 of the water.” (Financial Times)
“The league’s 50ft catamarans are designed to lift out of the water — or foil — which reduces drag and allows the sailboats to accelerate to almost 100km an hour.”
“These speeds — combined with an occasional capsize — give the event the look of a Formula 1 auto race, an appeal the league hopes will broaden its reach beyond sailing aficionados.”
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Jiaming Liu’s sustainable design.
Liu’s “3D-Printed Clay Humidifier Works Without Electricity”
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Kuhnian Paradigm Shift … needs a rebrand. (The New Republic)
“The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, in other words, is one of those books that everybody knows but doesn’t read, or reads once and shelves.”
This article is a bit meandering but gets interesting right at the end.
The question of “who gets to tell a story” comes into focus.
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I listened to an interview with William Deresiewicz recently where he said some things that were genuinely interesting, thought-provoking, intelligent… but he also wrote this absurdly embarrassing essay… rife with misogyny. This is why I have very mixed feelings about the lit theory ‘Death of the Author’ concept… most of the time, you want to know who you’re dealing with. They may say some good stuff… but you probably want to know about the skeletons in their closet.
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‘Reddit Traffic Up 39%: Is Google Prioritizing Opinions Over Expertise?’ (SEJ)
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$4
“The daily salary for workers in South Africa who mine for quartz and other “healing crystals.” Hundreds of informal miners dig in the country’s hillsides for cactus quartz and other crystals — which can sell for as much as $40,000 — that some Western wellness practitioners think have special healing properties, despite there being no evidence to support these claims.” (Semafor)
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Sam Harris is working on a piece about October 7.
I like that he’s sharing drafts publicly with the expectation of revision. It’s an interesting idea.
Harris has been accused of islamophobia. He’s making a case here that that’s not his position or bias. I don’t think that’s his primary agenda though it would make sense that he feels pressured to define terms and be clear that he’s not Islamophobic.
This isn’t the best write-up I’ve read about the Israeli response to October 7; however, it is one of the better instances I’ve read of someone weighing in after the level of atrocity has gotten particularly out of hand.
Harris is misguided about a few things here, don’t get me wrong. I don’t agree with everything he says or how he says it.
I think it’s important to point out that I don’t think it’s been a “war” for a while now. And it’s wrong to posit the situation as a war between Israel and Gaza when, of course, it’s Israel vs. Hamas (and other terrorist organizations).
Because there is no logical end point… let me say that no one has figured out how to combat terrorism in an effective way. We know that killing terrorists tends to create more terrorists.
Groups that have it woven into the fabric of their existence that their goal is to eradicate all Jews are not going to just go away if left alone. Hate is difficult to overcome. This doesn’t end with a handshake and apology.
This all begs the question of where do we go from here?
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‘Phillies turn rare 1-3-5 triple play, MLB's first since 1929’ (ESPN)
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‘Order to Remove Cigarette from Singapore Street Art Mural Prompts Censorship Concerns’
Speaking of Philly, I think Mural Arts should go ahead an commission a variation on this mural.
Obviously, the person in the image will be smoking a Newport.
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‘The paradox of self skepticism’ (Seth Godin)
Important to keep this in mind as you move through the world
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‘Amazon Plans Discount Web Store in Effort to Counter Temu, Shein’ (Bloomberg)
Makes sense. Not surprising.
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Vienna was declared the “most livable city” for 2024. (The Economist)
Copenhagen took the silver medal.
Osaka receives bronze.
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‘China's 7-foot-3 teen basketball star towers over her competitors in viral video’ (NBC)
How many 7’3” tall women have you met?
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‘Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, taken by Lakers with 55th pick in NBA draft’ (AP)
“In the history of the NBA, there’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out ... but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”
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Hard to find any humor in the Biden / Trump debate… but here’s some of the youth vote.
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‘A San Francisco store is shipping LGBTQ+ books to states where they are banned’ (AP)
“In an effort she calls “Books Not Bans,” she sends titles about queer history, sexuality, romance and more — many of which are increasingly hard to come by in the face of a rapidly growing movement by conservative advocacy groups and lawmakers to ban them from public schools and libraries.”
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::: Google Search Trends :::
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Not totally surprising— June & July are popular times for Americans to take road trips. Or, at least, think about taking them.
Popular road trips:
1. Boston to Maine
2. San Francisco to San Diego
3. Salt Lake city to Yellowstone
4. Los Angeles to San Francisco
5. Denver to Yellowstone
+ related common questions…
1. Should I drive my car or rent a car for a road trip?
2. Should I get an oil change before a road trip?
3. Should I rotate my tires before a road trip?
4. Should I get my car checked before I go on a long road trip?
5. Should I change [my car] to 100 before a road trip?
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Most searched election debate cycles since 2004
1. 2012 (Obama v Romney)
2. 2016 (Trump v Clinton)
3. 2004 (Bush v Kerry)
4. 2020 (Biden v Trump)
5. 2008 (Obama v McCain)
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All insights are for the US during the time of the debate
· “who is winning the debate” was the top trending “who” within the first five minutes of the debate
· “what is the inflation rate today” spiked +5,000% in the initial minutes of the debate
· During the debate “how many immigrants came to the u.s. in 2023” is up +450%
· “national deficit by year” was a breakout search during the debate
· “how much money has the us sent to ukraine” and “how much money has the US sent to Israel” were breakout searches during the debate
· “malarkey meaning” spiked +3,465% and “bunch of malarkey” was a breakout search
· During the debate “what is the social security tax rate” is a breakout search in the US
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Top 10 issues searched during the debate, US
1. Abortion
2. Immigration
3. Inflation
4. Crime
5. Unemployment
6. Economy
7. Social security
8. Health Care
9. Supreme Court of the United States
10. Voter registration
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::: News of the Weird :::
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Is this even a clover at this point?
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“It’s a huge kitsch piece,” Michael pronounced.
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::: Questions :::
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‘The State of the Culture, 2024’ (Ted Gioia)
Is this really the state of culture?
Do you agree with Gioia’s take on “Dopamine Culture”?
Where do we go from here?
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Are music preferences related to internal psychological needs?
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Consistent Recommendations:
Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American – daily news with historical context
ONE ART: a journal of poetry – daily poems
Verse Daily – daily poems
Chill Subs – down to earth submissions resource
** Want to subscribe? Get a discount using this ONE ART exclusive affiliate link.
Becky Tuch’s LitMagNews – literary community news & essential resource
Trish Hopkinson – resource for the literary community
Erika Dreifus – resource for the literary community
C. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers –weekly email newsletter contains invaluable short essays
The Poetry Space_ with Katie Dozier & Timothy Green (podcast)
Commonplace: Conversations with Poets and Other People (podcast hosted by Rachel Zucker)
The Gray Area with Sean Illing (podcast)
Hidden Brain (podcast)
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