SC Weekly – April 2025 – #1
~ a curated selection of discoveries ~
::: The Open :::
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoy this edition of SC Weekly (published on Sundays).
Please consider sharing with a friend who you think may enjoy this newsletter.
Thank you for reading and for your time.
With Gratitude,
~ Mark
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::: Personal Notes :::
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Days are moving quickly… in certain respects…
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::: ONE ART :::
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Today!
Sunday, April 6
ONE ART hosts Kari Gunter-Seymour, Amit Majmudar, and Chad Frame as Featured Readers!
Free! (Donations Appreciated)
>>> Tickets available <<<
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Upcoming workshop! Very soon!
ONE ART is hosting an upcoming workshop with Tresha Faye Haefner on Thursday, 4/10.
Learn more about Tresha and her work with The Poetry Salon.
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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Really good interview.
‘On Genre vs Literary Magazines with Neil Clarke, EIC of Clarkesworld Magazine’ (Chill Subs, Sub Club)
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‘Scandal-hit creative writing website NaNoWriMo to close after 20 years’ (Guardian)
On the plus side, if you still want to try to write a novel in a month… you can still try to do that.
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::: Podcasts :::
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A Legal Scholar On 10 Laws 'Ruining America' (Fresh Air)
I shared the following elsewhere in a comment.
Really good/important interview/book discussed in this episode of Fresh Air (plus Elie Mystal is fun to listen to) –
There are changes we can make as a country that are worth trying.
Solid points about pre-Civil Rights laws should be tested to see if they can still pass today as well as fair representation in states based on the “The Wyoming Rule”.
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Stop comparing yourself to AI (The Gray Area)
Valuable listen.
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::: Music :::
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Best new[ish] music remains:
Sunday (1994)
Japanese Breakfast
Lucy Dacus
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Underrated:
Twin Shadow – Georgie
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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‘Influencer Invasion: Qualified Or Just A Social Media Hoax?’
“Why This Topic Matters […] It’s personal to me because I see the harm that it has done to me and my peers over the years. The tailspin it has put us in. The confusion it has caused. Add it to the list of things that make social media unsafe. And it’s harmful because they have earned our trust under false pretenses.”
“If I wasn’t clear, I think following influencers is fine. There’s nothing wrong with it, as long as you’re mindful and intentional. Pay attention to what the influencer you’re choosing to follow promotes.”
“Some influencers are worth watching. You just need to weed them out in the sea of impostors and opportunists.”
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‘How Social Media Filters are Shaping Beauty Standards’
“Constant exposure to idealized images can wear down even the most confident among us. Seeing endless photos of flawless faces on your feed makes comparison almost unavoidable. Over time, this creates a toxic cycle of self-doubt.”
“This obsession with perfection can make us forget an important truth—we’re beautiful just the way we are, without filters.”
“When filters erase unique features, they reinforce the idea that we must all conform to a single mold. This can leave people feeling disconnected from their heritage. By homogenizing ideals, filters unfairly pressure individuals to fit into a framework that doesn’t celebrate differences.”
“While filters can be fun, the pressure to curate a flawless digital persona can harm young users. It’s essential to remind them that who they are offline matters far more than any filtered version online.”
“Filters have changed how we see ourselves and others, often clouding what real beauty means. From pushing unrealistic standards to the pressures they place on younger users, the impact is undeniable. Social media platforms need to take responsibility, but so do we.”
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::: The Trump Regime :::
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‘Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president’ (AP)
Believe him.
This is not a joke.
Plans are undoubtedly in progress.
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Trump seems intent on sending the U.S. into bankruptcy. Something he’s very familiar with.
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Cory Booker stands up.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who I love dearly, in a display of impressive strength and willpower broke the record for holding the Senate floor with the longest speech — over 25 hours!! Booker’s record-breaking speech importantly unseated South Carolina Senator Strom Thurman’s 1957 Filibuster of the Civil Rights Act. That alone makes it clear the type of terrible belief and value system held by Strom Thurman.
"I was very aware of Strom Thurmond's record," Booker told reporters after the speech. "I've always felt it was a strange shadow to hang over this institution ... It always seemed wrong." (USA Today)
This is no easy feat.
You will not be surprised to learn it comes with costs to personal health.
“Sen. Cory Booker says he did not eat for days and purposely dehydrated himself in preparation for his record-breaking marathon speech that ended Tuesday night on the Senate floor.” (USA Today)
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The literary community will have opinions—
“How about Trump charging up to $5 million for meetings at Mar-a-Lago? It’s the pay-to-play administration.” (How We Fight Back)
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False or misleading statements by Donald Trump
The man knows how to break records.
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What does the Department of Health and Human Services do? (USA Facts)
It’s about 25% of federal spending.
How the DHHS spent its budget in 2024:
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“Tariffs will even hit an island mainly home to penguins.” (The Washington Post)
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Seems like this has to be pointed out over and over…
Tariffs are Taxes
Tariffs are Taxes
Tariffs are Taxes
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‘Trump Media stock tanks 9% as Donald Trump files to sell up to $2.3 billion worth of shares’ (QZ)
Not a surprise.
Trump engaged in what was fairly obviously going to be a “pump and dump” crypto scheme.
Trump is a billionaire, for the first time, as a result of being President of the United States. This is not how the job description is intended.
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Important read by Joyce Vance à The Insurrection Act
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‘The S&P 500 has erased more market value than it did during the global financial crisis’ (Sherwood)
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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Project 2028: Wages (Scott Galloway)
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The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway: Abundance Is the Key to Fixing America — with Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
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Wealth Asset Breakdown: America’s Top 0.1% vs. Bottom 50%
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Manna is extant!?
The return of Sicily's ancient 'white gold' (BBC)
“For the past 30 years, Gelardi has made it his mission to put this Biblical superfood back on our tables, and today, this once-forgotten sap is being used by chefs and pastry makers in innovative ways.”
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A rundown of 2025 April Fool’s jokes… leading up the day, many had expressed thoughts that maybe we should just skip it this year… given, you know, everything.
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AI use may not be completely aligned with expert conceptions.
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Another sharp spike.
JP Morgan puts Recession likelihood at 60%.
Polymarket has it at 62% (up from the low 40s just recently.)
Note: as of this writing.
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There’s talk of a new “Millionaire” tax bracket that Republicans are purportedly taking seriously.
This new, top tax tier could be 39-40% for “top” earners… it’s about 2-3% more than raking in $626,350 (single) or $751,600 (married) filers… which is crazy money to us regular folks.
Yes, there’s a counter argument to be made involving what it costs to make money (education, time put in). Scott Galloway discussed a bit here.
These upper tier earners are still functioning in a totally different reality from everyday people—and they know it.
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We may be in the worst housing market in 50 years.
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ChatGPT users (and people using AI in general) need to calm down with the image generation. It’s sucking up massive amounts of energy and “melting” (maybe true or half-truth) equipment. Sam Altman made statements saying as much.
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Apparently the EU is about to fine Elon about a billion dollars.
But how much is a billion dollars to Elon?
Well, based on my previous research he loses a billion dollars every time Tesla stock goes down $2 and some change.
When you’re the wealthiest human in history… money is more of a concept.
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Speaking of billionaires… back in 1987 when people started paying attention to this new phenomenon… there were just 140 billionaires. In 2025, Forbes shared a list of over 3,000.
Bernie Sanders has noted that in a better, fairer, more just society we should have precisely zero billionaires.
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