The Monday Mix (03/04/2023)
Hi friends,
I’m late in sending this out so I’ll get straight to it.
An Ugly Bathroom
A short read but an enjoyable one about a woman with an ‘ugly’ bathroom. There’s one photo of the bathroom and while it’s not the best, it’s definitely not the worst I’ve seen. The bathroom in my old flat in Barcelona was worse, and the one in the house I lived at in Melbourne wasn’t much better. Still, I think it’s better than the bland grey bathrooms that populate social media these days. It’s also interesting to read that the writer has a kitchen she’s proud of, which I find interesting. Sometimes, people prefer one over the other, and I think I’d prefer a nice kitchen rather than a nice bathroom if I had to choose.
Oil Drilling In One of Africa’s Most Sacred Places
It’s crazy to me that oil exploration is still a thing given what we know about the climate and how deadly pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is. This is a long piece but it’s an interesting one and highlights not just how bad oil exploration is for the planet, but how a lot of it is also a grift. The company profile in the article has spent a lot of money searching for money in western Africa but has not come close to finding oil. In the process, their stock price has risen as people pin their hopes on oil being struck to hit the jackpot. It reminds me of crypto and highlights how broken the economy is that people feel the need to plough money into these speculative vehicles to get anywhere financially.
Long Reads
Instead of one final piece, I’m going to share two. Both are from The Guardian Long Read. The first one is an almost unbelievable story of three children abandoned in Barcelona as children, who try to find the parents who left them there nearly 30 years later. These stories are so incredible and do show that fact is often stranger than fiction.
The second is a profile of the historian Timothy Snyder, whose writing I enjoy. It’s an interesting insight into the man and his work, and also his political advocacy. He was one of the first voices to call out Trump before he became president and raise the alarm about Putin way back in 2014. If you haven’t read one of his books, I recommend you do, especially On Tyranny. They’re excellent worse and this piece will give you an overview of the man and why he’s an important figure in today’s increasingly polarised world.
Book I’m reading - Breath by James Nestor
I’ve had this book on my shelf for a while now and decided to pick it up after having trouble with my sinuses the past few weeks. It’s a fascinating read and has taught me a lot about breathing already. If you have allergies or suffer from a congested nose/sinuses like I do, then I’d give it a read as you’ll learn a lot about breathing techniques that can help alleviate some of the symptoms.
Quote I’m pondering: – “All fiction that does not violate the laws of physics is fact.” – David Deutsch
That’s all for this week.
Until next time,
Tom