SC Weekly – April 2025 – #3
~ 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
*
::: ONE ART :::
*
Call for Submissions: Poems About Work
The Book of Jobs: An Anthology of Poems About Work (Online)
Edited by Erin Murphy
*
ONE ART’s next reading is Sunday, May 4.
Featured Readers: Jennifer Mills Kerr, Terri Kirby Erickson, Dick Westheimer, Ann E. Michael, Kai Coggin
>>> Tickets Available <<<
*
::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
*
Emily Stoddard at Poetry Bulletin is creating Care Packages and paying writers!
I love this!!
*
‘An Incomplete Biography of Jane Hirshfield in Six Jobs (with Poems)’ (Heather Swan, Lit Hub)
*
‘10 Iconic Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test’
*
::: Podcasts :::
*
‘John McWhorter on Pronouns’
Highly recommend! Brilliant conversation. Educational and thought-provoking and genuinely fun dive into linguistics and the evolution of language.
They is here to stay.
*
Intelligence Squared: Abundance: A New Blueprint for Liberal Politics, With Derek Thompson
I’ve listened to a few interview with Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson on their new co-authored book ‘Abundance’. The argument is, in part, that the DNC needs to adopt and ‘Abundance’ mentality in order to have a viable party. A larger argument is about how a growth approach is the only path forward and that ideas about ‘de-growth’ are simply not viable. As they discuss, everyone wants to have greater successful and life quality than the previous generations and people are not about to start using less resources en masse to avoid climate catastrophe a the expense of living a less whole life. (This is reductive. Listen to the podcast episode.)
*
Hillary Clinton? AI thought leader!? Yes indeed.
Hillary Rodham Clinton with Reid Hoffman — Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future
"Part of the thing with human beings is that we handle transitions badly." - Reid Hoffman
An important takeaway is that what’s coming is inevitable (with regards to AI) and it’s important that everyone take steps to educate themselves (at least a little).
I’ve read about this from numerous perspectives (really all four that Hoffman has… invented…)
AI cautious, doomers, gloomers, bloomers, etc.
The “bloomer” name is a bit silly… but, regardless, he’s on to something. We’ve been through these massive shifts (like the industrial revolution) before. What’s key is to reduce the amount of pain on the part of everyday people during the difficult transition periods that are baked in to these periods of tech advancements.
Elsewhere, Yuval Noah Harari shares more of a gloomer position (bordering on doomer, at times) suggesting that we are really getting ahead of ourselves by releasing a non-carbon-based entity into the world is all too likely to start making lots of decisions on behalf of carbon-based-lifeforms (such as ourselves). On a positive note, Harari notes instances where the U.S. has dodged the outcome of the Weimar Republic… that is, we did not fall into full-blown fascism.
My fear (based on reading many takes on this issue) is that, increasingly, there’s concern of societal breakdown during a period of mass unemployment, economic devastation, political turmoil, and the list goes on— that can result in anarchy.
Next, see my nod to a conversation with John Gray. In the conversation says, “What can be worse than tyranny? Anarchy.”
*
‘Whatever this is, it isn’t liberalism’
The Gray Area with Sean Illing
Warning: This gets quite dark ... and does not provide any kind of tidy resolution
Also, it’s worth doing a little background research on John Gray’s positions if you have not previously encountered his stances. There’s a high possibility that you don’t agree with him. That being said, I find him an interesting thinker and conversationalist on the issues of our time.
*
This is a fun treat of a listen.
‘You will love this conversation with Jaron Lanier, but I can’t describe it’
The Gray Area with Sean Illing
Lanier has made quite a lot of predications that have come to pass.
In this 2018 conversation with Ezra Klein, well, just listen, and you’ll get to see all the wild twists and turns. It’s quite a ride.
*
‘The art and pleasure of writing a letter’
*
::: Health & Wellness :::
*
Environmental Impacts of Food Production
Lab grown meat.
I know, I know, but try to get used to the idea.
Some are theorizing this could be readily available at a reasonable price in 5-10 years and it would mean a far less severe environmental impact as well as way less animal cruelty.
*
::: The Trump Regime :::
*
This is how it happens…
Nihilist Violent Extremists (NVEs)
‘Trump Admin Has a New Target: People Who Aggressively Believe in Nothing’ (Gizmodo)
Calling someone out as an NVE is a new witch hunt, new variation on McCarthyism.
This is to “inform us” that no one is safe.
*
‘25 million deaths: what could happen if the US ends global health funding’ – “Models estimate the ginormous potential impact of foreign-aid cuts.” (Nature)
*
Many are shocked that David Brooks of all Op-Ed writers shared the following:
‘Opinion | What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Not Normal.’ (The New York Times)
*
‘The State Department is changing its mind about what it calls human rights’ (NPR)
Extremely dark.
This is the U.S. saying that we are backing away from being the top international watchdog to ensure human rights abuses are not taking place.
We’re leaving the door wide open for bad actors to commit atrocities while we stand idly by.
*
Why the Arts Matter State Factsheets (Arts ActionFund)
*
Urgent: Act Now to Save IMLS (American Alliance of Museums)
+
FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS (ALA)
+
‘Authors Speak Up About Their Books Being Misrepresented in a Lawsuit Headed to the Supreme Court’ (PEN)
+
‘NC bill banning books with sex descriptions from school libraries passes House committee Tuesday’ (WRAL)
*
‘New poll says Pete Buttigieg & AOC could end up battling for presidential nomination’ (LGBTQ Nation)
Early to talk serious numbers; however, I wish I felt these were viable candidates in our current societal/political climate. (I hope I’m wrong.)
Here, we get closer to reality.
“Behind Newsom are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (at 5%), who was considered as Harris’s possible running mate in 2024; and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (at 4%), the first Democrat to win the seat since 1962.”
“In a four-way tie for seventh place, all getting 3% support in the poll, are Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, an outspoken supporter of transgender rights; billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, an LGBTQ+ ally who has supported queer athletes; Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who recently signed two pro-LGBTQ+ laws; and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who has repeatedly battled anti-LGBTQ+ Republican legislators in his state.”
Your thoughts?
*
::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
*
‘Should you quit your job — and work on risks from advanced AI?’ (80,000 Hours)
*
What is the income of a US household? (USA Facts)
*
What is foreign aid? How “Official Development Assistance” is measured (Our World in Data)
Charts show how foreign aid is spent.
*
‘How a Secretive Gambler Called ‘The Joker’ Took Down the Texas Lottery’ (WSJ)
Just recently I found myself wondering why rich people don’t do this… and, I guess, sometimes they do.
My assumption had been it’s just not worth the effort.
It’s not worth the lawsuit, either.
*
White Lotus: Season 3
Ok, let’s do this.
Let’s consider some takes.
There are spoilers so don’t read this section if you haven’t watched the season.
Let’s consider why viewers are so livid about the finale… and what this (and the season) might say about American society.
*
This piece, by Jess Row, focuses on what I’d expect… although the first half of the essay is rather interesting when it comes to satire.
“When I teach the basics of satire to my undergraduates, as I do almost every semester, I start by asking them to describe the difference between The Simpsons and South Park. This distinction—between a relatively gentle, humane, affectionate depiction of society and a caustic, bitter, scabrous, bloody one—is the key to understanding the two dominant modes of satire, sometimes called Horatian and Juvenalian or, as Max Eastman puts it, “teasing” versus “biting.” Lately I’ve been thinking I have to give up this exercise, and not just because fewer and fewer of my students every year have seen The Simpsons AND South Park (or, for that matter, either one). I’ve started to think Horatian satire, in the present moment, has more or less ceased to exist.”
*
This piece from Vogue is really all spoilers… what’s most interesting is the format. It’s basically an article in the form of live tweeting.
*
Ok, so, I thought I’d be inclined to dig in a bit more on White Lotus S3 opinions… but what I saw was mostly pretty similar, boring, poorly written. Go figure.
I suggest watching the season and forming your own opinion.
That being said, if you don’t want to stomach taboos and disturbing plotlines it’s really ok to skip this. After all, it’s just television.
I’ll write something about so-called “prestige” television one day soon. One of the debates will involves whether or not any of this can be considered “high art”.
*
Top searched “how long does … take”
Past month, US
Passport
Oil change
Walking a mile
MRI
Real ID
*
‘Secret of Orange Cats Finally Uncovered After 60-Year Search’ (ScienceAlert)
*
‘‘All of his guns will do nothing for him’: lefty preppers are taking a different approach to doomsday’ (Guardian)
*
‘Religious Preferences Largely Stable in U.S. Since 2020’ (Gallup)
“Steady one in five have no religious preference”
*
‘New Mexico made childcare free. It lifted 120,000 people above the poverty line’ (Guardian)
*
‘I Quit My iPhone Two Years Ago. It Completely Changed My Life.’ (Slate)
Idea here of merging low tech and smartphones for some kind of middle ground
Yet another recent case for giving the LightPhone a try.
*
Update on the Zizians.
‘Member of cultlike group says she did not kill her parents in Delaware County’ (6abc)
*
‘Oklahoma City bombing 30 years later: Is searing memory starting to fade?’ (USA Today)
This is the first terrifying news cycle that was had that effect where it continued to feel proximately closer to present than the event itself.
This does feel like a long time ago now… and, at this point, so does 9/11, though up until the pandemic I remember feeling it was hard to believe that 9/11 was nearly 20 years ago.
*
i absolutely LOVE john mcwhorter. i highly recommend all of his "the great courses" lecture series - i own 5 out of the 6. wait for them to go on sale as the savings can be substantial - https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/john-mcwhorter/