SC Weekly – March 2026 – #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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::: ONE ART :::
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>> Upcoming Workshops <<
>> Upcoming Readings <<
>> ONE ART ~ Poetry Community (on Facebook) <<
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ONE ART’s IN A NUTSHELL: an anthology of micropoems
Guest Edited by Julia Caroline Knowlton
In case you missed it, here’s a recording of the release celebratory reading.
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ONE ART’s 2026 Haiku Anthology is open for submissions.
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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‘Fast Response & No Fee Lit Mags/Journals’ (Trish Hopkinson)
Includes ONE ART.
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‘Should you keep playing your hit song?’ (Seth Godin)
“Unless you’re an artist who doesn’t want to become a cover band of their former self.”
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The Bookworm’s Rules – Reading advice from Michael Silverblatt
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::: Podcasts :::
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‘How to be a caregiver (w/ Courtney Martin)’
A must-listen!
We’re all able-bodied until we’re not. Anyone is the disability community will tell you as much.
Here’s a link to Courtney Martin’s Substack— the examined family.
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‘The darkness behind looksmaxxing’ (Vox, Today Explained)
This is dark stuff. Be warned.
“internet nihilism” and boys and young men seeming even more deviant and obnoxious than previous generations
The kids these days…
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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We might be getting closer to a “universal vaccine” (basically an all-in-one annual shot for certain types of viruses).
I’m surprised this might work for “the common cold” since it’s been so resilient insofar as mutations.
In any case, we can never get too excited since there will always be some kind of health concern for humanity; there’s no fountain of youth and, let’s be honest, it’s a fool’s errand because living forever would almost certainly feel curse-like.
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“Researchers analyzed tissue samples from nearly 500 pet cats across five countries, covering 13 different cancer types. They found that many of the same genes altered in human cancers were also mutated in cats. This suggests that cats could serve as powerful models for understanding and potentially treating the disease in humans (and vice versa), especially since cats live in the same homes and face many of the same environmental exposures as their owners.” (Nice News / Sanger)
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‘Going to the Same Place Over and Over Again Is Really Good for You, Actually’ (SELF)
“Ultimately, Sandstrom says she and her team found that those who, on average, had more interactions with weak ties tended to be happier than those who had fewer. They also discovered that participants were happier on days when they spoke to more weak ties than they normally did. These microinteractions, while seemingly inconsequential, resulted in people feeling both more content and connected.”
“Oftentimes, especially online, there’s a sentiment that we no longer have “third spaces,” a place that isn’t home or work to go and socialize, Kasley says. However, she says these spots are still there; we just need to use them.”
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::: The Trump Regime :::
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USA Facts Presents: 2026 State of the Union: In Numbers
A person with this level of debt would have been forced to declare bankruptcy long ago. Well, unless that person’s name was Donald J. Trump. I hear that guy really knows how to work the system.
We destroyed our reputation with our top trading partners. They have found workarounds and may not find a reason to engage with a country that seems less and less dependable.
“In 2024, about one-third of students in fourth, eighth, and 12th grades were proficient in reading. The proficiency rate fell from pre-pandemic levels for all grades.”
I’m deeply concerned that kids and teens may… uhh… not really fully know how to read.
We all know that critical thinking skills and reading comprehension skills have declined for some time… but, well, things are looking grim. Will AI save us? Obviously.
Math scores are not looking great, either. This comes as no surprise.
Not mentioned in this SOTU, but least I heard we’re spending approximately 5-cents per student to learn Civics compared to about $50 per student for STEM (NPR)
Immigration (not up to date… spoiler alert: brain drain)
The so-called standard of living
About 1 in 8 Americans live in poverty.
“Nearly three-quarters of a million people were homeless in 2024 — that’s about the same as the entire population of Seattle, Washington.”
A strong offense is a ___ ______
Elon Musk’s personal wealth is rapidly approaching U.S. annual defense expenditures
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“You knew you lied,” the liar said.
Joyce Vance comments on Trump’s SOTU.
It’s highly quotable! A fun read in an unfun time on unfun subject matter.
“HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy looked pretty good for someone who recently acknowledged snorting cocaine off of a toilet seat.”
“If you had to take a drink every time he told the truth, you would have stayed sober.”
“All in all, Trump used a lot of words to say very little.”
““I love America” Trump said, but then he snarled, and it didn’t really look like love.”
“It was not a speech designed to bring Americans together. Trump called Biden corrupt and Democrats liars. “You knew you lied,” the liar said. Republicans cheered him.”
“Honestly, it just all ran together. It was a speech without a message. Trump never got out of first gear. He went on and on, ignoring the obvious, lying about his accomplishments, and it never became something of significance. There’s a reason Trump’s approval rating is hanging around 20%. He’s boring. And not particularly competent. And that’s becoming increasingly apparent.”
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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‘The Country That’s Madly in Love With AI: Who’s afraid of AI? Not South Korea.’ (Politico)
“The data bears out the immense AI optimism that exists in South Korea, particularly when compared to the United States and elsewhere in the West.”
It’s “interesting” that fertility and population loss often come into the AI conversation. Often, you’ll hear accusations that we didn’t ask for AI tools and that they don’t solve anything. In more technical terms, that AI does not actually have many practical use case scenarios. Increasingly, it seems like there will be more and more real utility for AI tools. Undoubtedly, the rollout has been too fast and reckless. There’s no question that current AI tools are environmentally unfriendly and this has to be a top priority to fix as it’s deeply irresponsible. An understatement.
“For all the AI enthusiasm here, Korea is not completely immune to the tech anxiety that has led to boycotts and unrest in other countries. One survey conducted last year found that nearly half of the Korean respondents believed their jobs would be replaced by AI.”
At the end of the day, humans need to work because humans require purpose. We cannot automate everything or we’ll be left twiddling our thumbs. Neil Postman is right that we’ve been comfortable amusing ourselves to death; however, that’s only true so long as there’s a sense that we should be doing something more important or that there is something we can aspire to achieve. If there’s nothing left for us to do, then the human spirit will suffer, our minds will wither, our bodies will prove useless.
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‘How to, Like, Stop Saying Filler Words’ (TIME)
“The key, he says, is to keep your lips closed until you have an actual word ready to say.”
Gotcha.
“Time feels so slow, so you may think taking a pause is ‘cringe,’ but rest assured that it isn’t.”
That is a truly bizarre statement. No… a pause is not “cringe”… In context, we need to all agree to try to become more comfortable with moments of silence when we are communicating with others.
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More about Peter Turchin’s theory of “elite overproduction”… here, in the framework of airport lounges.
Kafkaesque? Cynical? The machinations of a crazy man? You tell me.
“The overcrowding of airport lounges is more than a logistical headache—it’s a microcosm of a broader societal phenomenon. University of Connecticut professor emeritus Peter Turchin has developed a controversial theory of “elite overproduction” which posits that frustration and even instability result when a society produces more people aspiring to elite status than there are elite positions. It’s an unorthodox theory from an unorthodox academic: Turchin is an emeritus professor at UConn, research associate at the University of Oxford and project leader at the Complexity Science Hub-Vienna, leading research in a field of his own invention: Cliodynamics, a type of historical social science.”
“The catch with Turchin’s theory is that his own type of complexity science takes on a pseudo-prophetic quality, similar in some ways to William Strauss and Neil Howe’s “Fourth Turning.” And Turchin has foreseen that the United States has reached a stage repeated in civilizations throughout history, when it has produced too many products of elite education and social status for the realistic number of jobs it can generate. Decline and fall follows, Roman Empire-style. The Atlantic profiled Turchin in 2020, warning “the next decade could be even worse.” Several writers have expanded on his ideas since then, approaching it from their distinctive and different sensibilities.”
“In the context of airport lounges, the “elite” are not just the ultra-wealthy, but the vast upper middle class—armed with a combination of higher degrees, status, and premium credit cards—now jostling for the same perks. But what if much of society has been turning into some version of an overcrowded airport lounge?”
“There is a limited amount of space, but many more elites now, so to speak … low-rank elites.” Turchin said these low-rank elites, or “ten-percenters,” don’t have the status typically associated with elite status. “The overproduction of lower-ranking elites results in decreased benefits for all.”
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‘LGBTQ+ Identification Holds at 9% in U.S.’ (Gallup)
This headline is funny. This is, of course, just how we talk about numbers. But it’s hard not to read it like if we break 10% then the whole world is going to hell.
Check out the breakdowns.
If you’re been following trends, it’s not all that surprising.
One of the most interesting and big questions is that if young folx continue to identify as queer then we could have a very large shift from mainstream culture primarily identifying as heterosexual in a heteronormative culture to a culture that is openly much more representative of American realities.
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‘THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS: A Thought Exercise in Financial History, from the Future’ (Citrini Research)
Investors apparently freaked out after reading this and the DOW dropped 1.7% or something like that.
Unpacking this is above my pay grade but aspects align already well-known expectations of what was likely to come from AI integration.
I’ve been having a hard time lately imaging much that doesn’t have a tangible representation in reality being of significant value in the not-too-distant future (in terms of market economics). This dovetails into my thoughts that forms of live entertainment (sports, music) will be high value whereas software, fintech, seem like a dime a dozen. (Note: I might be totally wrong about this. And, to be clear, is not intended as financial advice.)
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‘Anthropic Education Report: The AI Fluency Index’ (Anthropic)
Points for trying. Points for [some] transparency.
“Staying in the conversation. Iteration and refinement is the single strongest correlate of all other fluency behaviors in our data. So, when you get an initial response, it’s worth treating it as only a starting point: ask follow-up questions, push back on any parts that don’t feel right, and refine what you’re looking for.”
“Questioning polished outputs. When AI models produce something that looks good, it’s the perfect moment to pause and ask: is this accurate? Is anything missing? Does this reasoning hold up? As we discussed above, our data show that polished outputs coincide with lower rates of critical evaluation, even though users go to greater lengths to direct Claude’s work at the outset.”
“Setting the terms of the collaboration. In only 30% of conversations do users tell Claude how they’d like it to interact with them. Try being explicit by adding instructions like, “Push back if my assumptions are wrong,” “Walk me through your reasoning before giving me the answer,” or, “Tell me what you’re uncertain about.” Establishing these expectations up front can change the dynamic of the rest of the conversation.”
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‘Most common fields of study, from 1970 to now’ (Flowing Data)
A look at college majors over the last 50 years.
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“According to new research: Nearly 60% of Americans ages 13 to 17 say their peers use AI to cheat at least “somewhat” often. Schools are struggling to adapt to AI cheating.” (WaPo)
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‘Hey guys? You could help out a little more.’ (not-ship)
On gender and unpaid labor.
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‘The way different states use ChatGPT could tell us a lot about their economies’ (Sherwood)
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‘Is That Guy Filming You With His Glasses? Here’s How to Tell’ (CNET)
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From the important world of cat videos…
‘Four-eared foster kitten in Alabama becomes a viral star’ (UPI)
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Take a moment for JOY.
‘Kung Fu Grandpa in the Food Lion parking lot!’ (YouTube)
It’s only a 1-minute video. It’s worth it.
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Throwback.
Because you still need this in your life.
(Hostile Government Takeover) Feat. The Essential Remix
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>> Make a donation to ONE ART: a journal of poetry.
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