The Monday Mix (05/09/2022)
Hi friends,
A slow week getting back to the pace of things in the UK after my trip to the Netherlands. It always feels weird to be back after a trip, even if it’s just a week and I’ve spent much longer away before. You half feel glad to be home, while the other part of you wants to keep on travelling. At least that’s how I usually feel anyway.
I might be able to eke out one more trip before the year ends. But with energy bills going through the roof here in the UK coupled with rocketing inflation, that might not be possible.
In other news, today was Boris Johnson’s last day as Prime Minister here in the UK, which is great news. The ad news is that his replacement, Liz Truss, is no better and likely to make things worse with some of the policies she’s expected to implement. Never a dull moment in the UK these days!
Here’s what I want to share with you this week:
The Rise of Korean Culture
One of the most notable trends in the last decade or so is the increasing visibility of Korean culture. Gangnam Style started the trend in 2012 and Squid Game last year showed just how far Korean culture has come in a short time. This is a great article that tries to get to the bottom of why K-pop, Korean TV and films and even Korean food (I’ve recently started eating the delicacy Kimchi as an example of this, it’s delicious btw!) have become more and more commonplace in the west.
Quitting Single Use Plastic in Japan
Single-use plastic is one of the scourges of my life. As much as I try to cut it out, it’s almost impossible to do so without shopping at a variety of places. There are just some things like yoghurt I can’t get that’s not in a plastic container. In this article, the author relates a similar problem in Japan, which despite recycling a lot of plastic, still has issues when it comes to its proliferation.
There are some good suggestions on how to solve the issue of single-use plastics. Regulation is one, while Taiwan has recently brought in a ‘pay as you throw’ model, where the more you throw away the more you pay. These are measures that should curb waste but, in the end, it’s going to come down to a change in production and economies of scale. Until a viable alternative for plastic is found that’s sustainable and cost-effective or a widespread change in behaviour takes place, we might be stuck with plastic for the foreseeable future.
Jaw-Dropping Astronomy Images
I’ve always loved space since being mesmerised by E.T. and various documentaries when I was a child. I wanted to be an astronomer when I was younger but I was never proficient enough in maths or physics to make this dream come true. Still, I retain a passionate interest in space and this collection of images of our amazing solar system and beyond is too good not to share! I hope you enjoy the images as much as me!
Book I’m reading - Gray’s Anatomy by John Gray
Just finishing this book and it’s still as thought-provoking as it was when I first picked it up. Gray is an interesting philosopher and this might be the ideal book of his to start off with, as you get a flavour of his wide range of views on various topics.
Quote I’m pondering: “Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.” – Carl Sagan
That’s all for this week.
Until next time,
Tom