OMM – May 2024 – #4

~ a curated selection of discoveries ~

May 26, 2024

::: The Open :::

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoy this weekly newsletter (published on Sundays).

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Thank you for reading and for your time.

With Gratitude,

~ Mark

Note:

This newsletter is typically too long to appear in its entirety in an email. Please click through to Substack to read in full.

::: Personal Notes :::

ONE ART is fundraising for a print anthology!

Here is a list of currently scheduled and upcoming workshops.

June 12 – Write a Demi-Sonnet! with Erin Murphy

If you’re interested in signing up:

Email Mark Danowsky at oneartpoetry@gmail.com

June 18 – Haiku Targets with Michael Dylan Welch

If you’re interested in signing up:

Email Mark Danowsky at oneartpoetry@gmail.com

June 26 – Escaping Into the Present: Poetry as a Practice for Reseeing the World with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

You can learn more about the workshop, register, and buy tickets here.

Check out Rosemerry’s other upcoming workshops here.

I have two poems in Red Wolf Journal’s new project ‘Wondrous Leaflets Issue Number 1’. You can download a PDF to read them on the Red Wolf website. I believe they will also be released individually as leaflets (digital broadsides) in the near future.

As usual, we’re all more similar than we think.

How many emails does the “average” person receive in a day? 121 (sources vary, but over 100)

This is more likely in a professional setting.

Why am I looking this up? Because I receive a frightening number of emails per day.

Further, an office worker tends to send about 40 emails per day.

All my years in the office seem to have trained me well. (wink + nod)

::: Podcasts :::

What Is Normal? (Hidden Brain)

Episode Description: “Anthropologist Tom Pearson was devastated after his daughter Michaela was diagnosed with Down syndrome. When he began to examine that emotional response, he found himself wrestling with questions that have roiled his field for decades. Early anthropologists would often compare people of different backgrounds and abilities, asking questions like: How is one group different from another? Which one is stronger or smarter? And how do we understand people who don’t fit our expectations? This week, we talk with Pearson about his family’s story, and the evolution of our thinking on disability and difference.”

A thought-provoking episode that makes you consider important ethical dilemmas that go beyond births.

::: Music :::

I mean… how dare they…

‘Apple Music's 100 Best Albums’

Does Apple really have the right to claim this knowledge?

Well… I suppose many other sources do…

It’s an interesting list, for sure.

Would some of these albums never make my Top 100? Yes.

Are there many good selections? Also, yes.

Most notable surprise? Possibly the inclusion of Burial’s ‘Untrue’ which I like a lot but would never expect to see on a Top 100 of all-time list. It is cohesive… but… ok, the point is you only get 100 selections. Let’s keep in mind I was actually pleasantly surprised by Untrue’s inclusion as it’s thought-provoking and feels unobvious.

“Sean "Diddy" Combs' music catalog streaming drops 52% amid multiple allegations of sexual assault” (The Hollywood Reporter)

My focus here is the correlation between the artist’s actions in their personal life and a willingness to engage with their art. Like R. Kelly, Diddy appears to have entered the category where a large number of people are voting with their engagement.

There seems to be a point, for most artists, where apologies will only take you so far. People get tired of excuses.

Further, the separation between the artist and their art becomes difficult depending on the severity of their problematic life choices.

This isn’t a science, so some artists are going to remain popular even though they have committed heinous acts whereas others will be heavily punished by [former] fans.

Clairo has a new album forthcoming.

My favorite tracks remain [probably] the obvious tracks. ‘White Flag’ is definitely my #1.

Claire Cottrill (Clairo) does a great track with Wallows that I like to joke is pretty much the same track she does with Phoenix—because Phoenix and Wallows have semi-interchangeable voices.

::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::

‘The Fallacy of the Literary Citizen’

This essay by Alina Stefanescu, and published by ONLY POEMS, jumped out at me because I fairly often remark that I want to be a “good steward of the arts”. In my mind, I had somewhat aligned this concept with the idea of being a “good literary citizen”.

The Poetry Marathon

"Challenge yourself to write 24 poems in 24 hours"

Wow, that's a lot of poems...

Need a leg up in your submission process? Chill Subs is the place for you.

Here’s a special discount code.

::: Health & Wellness :::

Eye Health

‘Rubbing Your Eyes Is Way More Harmful Than You Think’ (Inverse)

Rubbing your eyes is a little like “gently punching yourself in the face”

Milestone

AP News reports that for the first time “the number of Americans who use marijuana just about every day has surpassed the number of people who drink that often”

Get that tax $ states who have been slow on the jump

To be clear, I want people to be safe and not overdo their vices

According to the CDC, 1 in 9 children (in the U.S.) between the ages of 3 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Previously, boys were more likely to receive the diagnosis, but the gap is closing.

::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::

Biden’s speech at Morehouse with a bit of context. (Letters from an American)

Can current AI technologies comprehend “theory of mind”?

Basically, the question is part of determining how quickly AI is learning how humans operate. Knowing “how we tick” is going to be both useful and worrisome. Worrisome, of course, when these technologies outpace us in a threatening number of ways.

Slop.

‘Spam, junk … slop? The latest wave of AI behind the ‘zombie internet’

“But like spam, its overall effect is negative: the lost time and effort of users who now have to wade through slop to find the content they’re actually seeking far outweighs the profit to the slop creator.”

I agree that the images depicted are offensive. There are jokes and then there is making fun of someone’s deeply held beliefs.

“Slop” is actually an understatement. For a while, this is likely going to feel like we’re constantly wading through quicksand trying not to get dragged under.

South Korea is debating paying people $70,000 to have a child.

My question: How many years of keeping a child healthy does that cover?

Broader picture: We don’t necessarily have a global problem when it comes to childbirth. We may have hit peak births for humanity. This would be very good for the planet. A downward trajectory could help offset our devastating impact on the environment.

I read a book that addresses this recently – Hannah Richie’s Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet (published in January 2024). An excellent read. Highly recommend.

JPMorgan shares dropped in response to Jamie Dimon indicating he may retire sooner than previously expected.

Waiting to see the Berkshire Hathaway dip when Warren Buffet dies.

Not financial advice.

Heli-plane.

I’m not about to get on one.

TBD if it has less crashes than helicopters.

How the income gap of “what it means to be middle class” shifted from the early 2010s to 2020s.

Attacks on U.S. water supplies… terrifying.

More AI Research

Anthropic (creator of ‘Claude’ AI) released a statement that raised some eyebrows.

Excerpt from Semafor's analysis:

"The research found that Claude had patterns which seemed to represent potential avenues for misuse, such as power-seeking, secrecy, and certain biases, in theory allowing Anthropic to weaken those patterns and reduce the chance of bad behavior."

‘AI Safety Is Dead’ (Bloomberg, paywall)

I hope the record does not show that May 2024 was the end of this movement. That being said, The People were never going to be able to stop the billionaire tech bros from the “move fast and break things” approach if they were unwilling to stop themselves.

The “dead internet theory” (which is news to me) … may be worse than previously thought (?)

You can bet on anything these days (though you shouldn’t).

I wouldn’t bet on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. I believe it’s unethical.

I’m sharing this as yet another metric for looking for considering likely outcomes. Looking grim at the moment.

Full disclosure: I DO NOT bet on anything on this platform and never intend to do so.

I’m sure there’s a way to bet on whether or not AI will destroy humanity. Lotta good that’ll do.

‘5 things you’ve got wrong about the Giving What We Can Pledge’ (EA Forum)

I’m sharing this basically as an opportunity for a PSA about the ‘Giving What We Can’ pledge concept.

Consider: GiveWell & Charity Navigator well-rated organizations.

According to the PEW Research Center, if given the opportunity, 49% of American registered voters say they would replace both Trump and Biden on the ballot.

A piece about TikTok “street interviewers” that, I must admit, if this technology had been available when I was younger… well, it’s hard to say for sure… but there’s a chance I would have been a bit annoying.

You have to keep in mind here that I intended to become an old school journalist for a time.

Do you know what constitutes the Appalachian region?

Interactive Map of County Economic Status and Distressed Areas, FY 2024

“Appalachia is made up of 423 counties across 13 states and spans 206,000 square miles, from southern New York to northern Mississippi. The Region’s 26.3 million residents live in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, and all of West Virginia.”

“The Region also comprises three federally recognized and five state recognized Native American Tribal Communities, with Tribal entities in Appalachian Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, and North Carolina.”

The Fed released a report on American households and found that 65% say their financial situation was worse in 2023 (compared to 2022). Not surprising.

Mixed messages from stories about the opioid crisis. Overall annual opioids deaths (specifically related to fentanyl?) have apparently dropped from all-time highs, however, The Washington Post reports that fentanyl has resulted in more than doubling of overdose deaths in children ages 12-17. This is believed to be directly correlated with the teen mental health crisis getting worse and worse. Fentanyl is highly available, the potency is off the charts, there are pill mills that mixes god-knows-what into these pills making them both likely more addictive and dangerous. It's noted that a single pill can be lethal.

‘The double face of fentanyl: the neuronal basis of opioid addiction’ (UNIGE)

“UNIGE Scientists have discovered that fentanyl leads to the activation of two distinct cell populations in the brain, first when the drug is taken and then during withdrawal, suggesting a novel model for opioid addiction.”

There’s a new airline for dogs called…ready for it… Bark Air.

Philadelphia makes the Top 10 for… worst mosquito-infested cities.

Mosquitos are on at the top of my “nemesis” list.

Admit it, we all have these lists (written or not).

World fights back against bad tourists.

Is college worth it? It depends. (Pew Research)

Andrew Scott Doesn’t Want to You to Call Him “Openly Gay” (them)

“Later in the interview, Scott also pushed back against what he called “an identity-politics era,” which he said isolates LGBTQ+ people from one another and the rest of society. “We’re separating each other more than we need to,” he opined. “This hysteria about your sexuality and how that is something that is only understandable to people who belong to the same tribe as you — it just doesn’t seem truthful.””

“But he also made time for lightness and frivolity in the conversation, explaining how Taylor Swift’s latest album The Tortured Poets Department may have drawn its name from one of his less-than-successful group chats. In 2022, Scott created a text thread with former co-stars Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers) and Joe Alwyn (Catherine Called Birdy), prior to the latter’s breakup with Swift, and titled it “Tortured Man Club,” in reference to their shared attraction toward playing brooding male characters.”

::: Google Search Trends :::

Pleased to see mini golf may be making a comeback.

People want to rent boats.

Spike in interest in 2016 summer songs.

“Goth Subculture search interest is currently at a five year high in the U.S., with “gothic romance outfit” being a top trending related search this year”

“This year, search interest for “budgeting” reached a 15-year high”

“Search interest for “childcare cost” reached an all-time high in the U.S.”

“In the U.S., “how to lower credit card debt” reached an all-time high in April 2024”

Also, in the U.S. – “how to save money on groceries” & “cheap grocery stores” spiked in searches over the past month

Grocery costs are at an all-time high

The People are searches for the least expensive U.S. states to live in.

In spite of knowledge of inflation, many seem baffled at the degree of price increases. This is where we have to acknowledge that greedflation is real.

::: 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)