The Monday Mix (19/04/2021)
Hey friends,
Apologies for the late email, it’s been an eventful few days. I don’t know how many of you are interested in football, or know that much about it, but I’m a passionate fan. My team, Liverpool, decided to join a new ‘Super League’ this weekend and all hell has broken loose as a result.
I won’t bore you with the details here, but it stinks and doesn’t represent the sport many of us grew up to love here in the UK and in Europe too.
If you want to read my thoughts on the matter, here’s my piece on the matter.
In light of this, I’m only going to share a few articles today, but I’ll continue to send my ship30for30 essays throughout the week as usual.
Tiny particles
I found this article about a potential new scientific discovery fascinating. I’ve always been interested in the world of physics. Discovering how the universe works and how everything fits together has intrigued me since I was a child. What does it all mean? I don’t think the scientists themselves know yet. As Carlo Rovelli states in this article, it may turn out to be a false alarm. But this represents the beauty of science, through persistence and perseverance, the truth will out in the end.
Chernobyl’s Tomb
I’m reading a fantastic book about the Chernobyl disaster at the moment, one I’ll mention below. Reading through it, I couldn’t believe what happened, how it happened and the fallout afterwards. I didn’t how close it was from becoming an even bigger disaster! This article details the efforts to build a new sarcophagus to contain the damaged reactor and prevent radiation from escaping. It’s an engineering feat of brilliance and highlights how we’re not as infallible as we like to think we are.
Facebook and politics
I’ve been bearish on Facebook for a few years now and this article exemplifies why. Far from having humanity’s best concerns at heart, Zuckerberg only seems to be interested in maximising profit. Facebook is such a big and unruly platform it’s hard to police it all the time, but it looks like the people who do aren’t even listened to. Considering the reach and the power Facebook has, maybe it’s time to rein the company in before it’s too late?
The mystery of eels
This was an eye-opening read for me. I wasn’t even aware we didn’t know all that much about eels. It’s an eclectic topic, but this article is well worth reading. If only to improve your knowledge of eels at a minimum.
Book I’m reading - Chernobyl
As I mentioned above, I’m reading this great book by the Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy. I don’t know how many other books there are about Chernobyl, but there can’t be many better than this one. As Plokhy is from Ukraine, it adds weight to the book, providing it with a nice historical and personal perspective to this fateful event in recent history.
Quote I’m pondering
“The wise man sees in the misfortune of others what he should avoid.” - Marcus Aurelius
Until next time!
Tom