OMM (On My Mind) – February 2024 – #2
~ a curated selection of discoveries ~
::: 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
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::: Personal Notes :::
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My essay ‘My History with Poetry Self-Help Guides’ appeared in Verse-Virtual’s new issue. Thanks so much to all the poets and writers who have already reached out to express their appreciation for this essay.
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On The Poetry Space_, we talked about Love Poems, with a partial focus on romantic love poems. I read a haiku of mine (published in print only) as well as a poem by Claudia Mills published in ONE ART.
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::: OMM Substack :::
From Acting to Poetry: The Interdisciplinary Path: On My Mind with Dan Butler
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Poems of the Week: Selections on music and song
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You can see how I did on my Grammy selections
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::: News from ONE ART: a journal of poetry :::
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Trish Hopkinson’s recent poem ‘Ex-Ballerina’ published in ONE ART + a note about ONE ART’s Call for Submissions for our 2024 Haiku Anthology Guest Edited by Katie Dozier.
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::: Podcasts :::
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Naomi Jackson talks 'losing and finding my mind' (Code Switch)
A thoughtful episode of Code Switch that addresses the additional challenges faced by minority groups who have mental health issues.
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‘How Should We Govern the Algorithm?’ (Civics 101)
“Machine learning is being used in police precincts, schools, courts and elsewhere across the country to help us make decisions. Using data about us, algorithms can do almost instantly what it would take human beings both time and money to do. Cheaper, faster, more efficient and potentially more accurate -- but should we be doing it? How should we be using it? And what about our privacy and our rights?”
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Speaking of AI… ‘AI chatbots tend to choose violence and nuclear strikes in wargames’ (New Scientist)
“In the simulation, the AIs demonstrated tendencies to invest in military strength and to unpredictably escalate the risk of conflict – even in the simulation’s neutral scenario.”
Thankfully… “The US military does not currently give AIs authority over decisions such as escalating major military action or launching nuclear missiles.”
“Currently”… Really??
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::: Music :::
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Taylor Swift announced a new album – ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ forthcoming April 19.
Apparently, the album will feature Post Malone and Florence and The Machine.
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Maggie Rogers announced her new album ‘Don’t Forget Me’ will be released April 12.
The title track (and video) is available now.
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AP News offers a nice breakdown of the Grammys
“There were so many riches that rock supergroup boygenius, with Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, won three Grammys and didn’t even make it onto the CBS portion of the show.”
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Killer Mike (an activist and musician) was arrested after winning 3 grammies while still at the award ceremony. It was surreal.
This feels… racist.
A statement by Killer Mike.
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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‘The Bizarre Case of the Serial Lit Mag Plagiarist’ (Plagiarism Today)
Special Thanks to Erika Dreifus for calling attention to this article in her newsletter.
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‘The State of the World’s 7,168 Living Languages’ (Visual Capitalist)
“3,078 languages are endangered and at risk of becoming extinct.”
88 million people speak one of these languages.
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One of the most entertaining reads lately:
‘Rebecca Solnit: How to Comment on Social Media’ (LitHub)
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Julie Weiss’ poem ‘A Different Kind of Restaurant’, published in ONE ART, was inspired by her learning about ‘Drexell & Honeybee's Donations-Only Restaurant’ – a truly wonderful concept! I wish these existed all over the country!
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‘Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Authors: February 2024’ (Authors Publish)
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“That’s a great question. (I hate when people say “that’s a great question,” and then they go ahead and answer it without missing a beat, as if they had all the great answers to all the great questions at the ready. I mean, if it was such a great question, maybe they should stop talking and take some time to think about it; maybe they should admit that they don't quite know the answer to that question, because that’s how great a question it was.)”
[from] Interview with Paul Hostovsky (ONLY POEMS)
“Deaf people, I think it’s fair to say that the narratives of Deaf people inform the poems. And the capital D refers to that community of people for whom sign language—and its attendant Deaf culture—represents their primary experience and allegiance. Signing is the most beautiful singing I have ever seen in my life. I began studying it when I was in my early twenties, and continued studying it for the next forty years. My wife is Deaf, my daughter is Deaf, my handyman, landscaper, optician, financial planner— are all Deaf. Many of my friends and colleagues and in-laws are Deaf. I spend more time signing in ASL than speaking in English. Which is why I often write about it.”
“But I’m more interested in the praise, and in the defense of Deaf people. Because they need defending. Because they and their language and culture are under attack. Because 90+ percent of Deaf infants and toddlers are being implanted by the medical establishment in an attempt to “cure” them of being Deaf. For their own good. Eradicating Deaf people for their own good! It’s all about eugenics and audism and… don’t get me started.”
“I could probably do without ninety percent of the poems out there. But the ten percent that I love, ah, how I love those poems! And those are the poems that have helped shape my so-called poetic voice.”
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AI reveals Music & Capers!
‘First passages of rolled-up Herculaneum scroll revealed: Researchers used artificial intelligence to decipher the text of 2,000-year-old charred papyrus scripts, unveiling musings on music and capers.’ (Nature)
“Meanwhile, some of the opened scrolls, written in Latin, cover a broader subject area, raising the possibility of lost poetry and literature by writers from Homer to Sappho.”
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“There is a new trend called, "Building in Public." I'm pretty sure it's the business world's version of shirtless mirror pics at the gym.” – Benjamin Davis, Chill Subs
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‘The Plagiarism Plague: Writer reflects on a personal run-in with plagiarism’ (LitMagNews)
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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“Research suggests that maintaining curiosity, learning new skills, and embracing new experiences are correlated with living a longer, happier life.” (Business Insider)
Remaining curious is certainly part of my life philosophy. (Note the subtitle of this substack.)
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Engineers Design Water Filtration Method That Permanently Removes Toxic “Forever Chemicals” (Nice News)
“UBC chemical and biological engineering professor Madjid Mohseni led the development of the new water treatment, which relies upon a “unique adsorbing material” that can trap and hold all the PFAs present in a water supply. The chemicals are then destroyed using “special electrochemical and photochemical techniques,” per a UBC news release.”
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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Another appeal for flex hours —
‘Americans want more control over when they work, not just where’ (The Hill)
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‘Meta surges with record $196 billion gain in stock market value’ (Reuters)
“Meta (META) [stock] surged 20.3% for the session, also recording its biggest one-day percentage increase in a year and its third biggest since its 2012 Wall Street debut. Its stock market value now stands at more than $1.22 trillion.”
I’m pointing to this as a reminder of the obscene wealth wielded by the largest companies.
The U.S. is on track to [continue to] break records for our largest National Debt (~$37T).
We’re in a position where American companies (and yes, a few overseas) have wealth that allows them to throw weight around like a superpower.
Recently, a Delaware judge blocked Elon Musk from receiving a $55.8 billion pay package from Tesla. Elon’s wealth is already startling.
Bernie Sanders makes a strong case, in his book ‘It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism’, that there should be no billionaires. In a fairer society, the bar would be much lower. Being a centimillionaire is well above the poverty line. (That’s a not very funny joke.)
The bottom line is that we need to spread wealth around. We can’t keep going like this. Eventually, the people aren’t going to stand for it.
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Limitarianism – a new book by Ingrid Robeyns
Listen: The Grey Area – The case for banning...millionaires?
In a way, Elon Musk earns about $1,800,000/hour.
Other billionaires make the equivalent of an American annual wage in a single hour of “work”.
“Elon Musk might be seen as exceptional, but there were 2,668 other billionaires on that Forbes list. Together they held $12,700,000,000,000. Do you, like me, see all those zeros dancing before your eyes? That’s because we don’t know how to take in that number. On average the value of their assets is $4.75bn. If we ask the same question again – what’s the average lifetime hourly wage? – we get $40,598 per hour, the equivalent to what many Americans hope to earn in a year.
“Extreme wealth is not only disastrous for solidarity and democracy, but also for the climate. For example, a recent study by Oxfam showed that the richest 1 per cent globally emit more than the poorest 66 per cent.” (What is ‘limitarianism’? Professor Ingrid Robeyns explains)
‘Limitarianism: why we need to put a cap on the super-rich’ (Guardian)
The basic argument here is to find a wealth cap where happiness and quality of life are maxed out for those who have earned it and the income gap is vastly narrowed from the current extreme.
We’ve heard variations on these numbers before… the Top 10% of earners in the United States control about 70% of the wealth. The lower classes control about 2% of the country’s overall wealth. It’s a massive disparity and, eventually, something gives.
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‘How to eat now: 16 rules of modern dining – from dress codes to dogs’ (Guardian)
Explained to you with a bit of charming British flair.
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Weird is one word. Let’s be clear, actions by MAGA-Republications are disgusting.
“Foreign affairs journalist Anne Applebaum reflected on the teetering national security measure and wrote: “People will die, today, because of the cynical game played by the American Republican party. Their irresponsibility is breathtaking.”” (Heather Cox Richardson, February 5, 2024)
Rewind it back…
“The upcoming vote on whether to support “the people of Ukraine as they fight for our values,” King said, “will echo throughout the history of this country and the history of the world for generations…. If we back away, walk away, pull out and leave the Ukrainians without the resources to defend themselves, it will compromise the interests of this country for 50 years. It will be viewed as one of the greatest geopolitical mistakes of the 21st century.”” (Heather Cox Richardson, January 31, 2024)
Also, when was the last time you thought about Edward Snowden?
Well, he’s still a villain to many and what does that make Tucker Carlson?
“Trump and the MAGA Republicans have always had an unusually close relationship with Putin. Over the weekend, former Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson, who routinely echoed Russian talking points on his show, was spotted in Moscow. Reports say he has been there since last Thursday, staying in the city’s top hotels and visiting its main cultural sites.”
“Carlson was fired from Fox in the wake of the election lies in which he participated, and which cost the company $787 million. He said on his now-defunct show that in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, he was “rooting for Moscow.” The Russian Union of Journalists has said they would gladly accept Carlson as a member.”
Traitor.
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‘The 10 Best-Selling Vehicles in America in 2023’ (Visual Capitalist)
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‘The Least Affordable U.S. Cities for Rent on an Average Salary’ (Visual Capitalist)
Plano? I blame Fritos.
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‘Medium is on track to be profitable this year’ (Semafor)
This is partly interesting in the Medium vs. Substack vs. other related blogging platforms.
But… Semafor itself is finding itself in an interesting liminal space:
‘Microsoft in deal with Semafor to create news stories with aid of AI chatbot’ (Financial Times)
My understanding is that Semafor was, basically, created to bring “real journalism” to the The People in a world where Mass Media is being questioned for telling the capital T “Truth”. Given what we know about the current state of AI chatbots… this is an “interesting” direction to say the least.
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“Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown has said he wants to end all animal farming by 2035.” (Vox)
“If plant-based foods do start taking up market share, big meat companies may be in the best position to nudge their farmers to grow ingredients for their own lines of plant-based products.”
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‘Less Than Half of Americans "Very Satisfied" With Own Lives’
No, it’s not The Onion…
It’s a Gallup poll.
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“It is not a normal part of our political system to have members of Congress deciding what laws to support on the basis of threats.” (Heather Cox Richardson, February 7, 2024)
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‘‘I was thrilled and shocked’: images raise hopes of return of wild jaguars to the US’ (Guardian)
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::: Thoughtlets :::
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Trendbait? Micro-trends? Just hearing about what goes on The TikTok is exhausting… at least for anyone over [your age + 5 years].
If you’re in the Arts Community – be a trendsetter. Don’t be a follower.
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::: Questions :::
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What are issues, ideas, beliefs, lifestyles, identities, ways of being in the world, ideologies, that fall outside the parameters of societally acceptance in contemporary times based on the framework of the Overton Window?
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What is the intersection of lifestyle creep and the hedonic treadmill in your view?
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Are plastic bag bans effective?
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What is your current understanding and view of Effective Altruism?
What are your feelings about the Giving What We Can pledge?
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What are the most important tenets or morality and ethics in contemporary America?
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How often do you deliberately make a choice instead of letting the algorithm guide you?
What are ways to take back control of your choices which, inevitably, influence your thinking and how you spend your time… and how you spend your time is, in fact, who you are in many ways.
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Do you agree with modern findings that 5-6 close friendships = the maximum number adults are truly capable of maintaining?
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What are the rituals that are most important to you on any given day?
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