8.4, da da dadada
"The ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently." ~ David Graeber
Hi Friends:
I’m really looking forward to daylight savings time this weekend. It’s great for new parents to have their baby’s hard-won sleep routine disrupted1. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome sign that spring is around the corner, and the days will be getting longer.
Also, my employer, NPR, is looking for a software engineer in Washington DC (although remote is permitted). I can personally vouch that the hiring manager is a fantastic person to work with! So, if you know anyone that’s in the market for a new software engineering position, please feel free to send them my way!
Anyways, on with the links!
Ghana’s Right to Return (podcast)
A new settlement in Ghana aimed at attracting African diaspora has led to tensions with locals who claim ancestral ownership of the land that was given to new foreign residents for free by a local chief. The dispute highlights the complexities of encouraging African diaspora to "return" while also protecting the rights and interests of local communities.
"They've built their houses, their bungalows. They've fenced it," Bensil says. "And now we can't go there. If we do, we're afraid of what will happen."
I will never stop talking about how vital and significant public libraries are to communities and to the civic project.
On the surface, libraries are intellectual spaces for education and scholarship. But, they’re also centers for culture and community, and a prime example of the ever–rarer “third place.” In his 1989 book The Great Good Place, urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term, which refers to spaces other than the home and the workplace. “Third places” encompass pubs and cafés, parks and theaters, churches and gyms and more. But why write about these places? Oldenburg argues that they are crucial to human flourishing; it’s in these more informal, neutral settings that strangers cross paths and community thrives.
Libraries fulfill a social role unparalleled by other third places. Unlike your nearest Starbucks, libraries hold absolutely no expectation of money–spending. They provide free technological tools and support to the public. Their existence supports literacy among the homeless and low–income and aid underfunded public schools in their efforts. Libraries encourage reading among young people, often acting as a chief formational power behind children’s love of learning.
“It is this very reliable place no matter where you go in the world, really,” he says. “Any community that has a public library is a place where, you know, all are welcome.”
With just a prompt describing the theme and musical style, AI can create an entire song; lyrics, vocals, and melody included. And, to be honest some of the songs aren’t half bad. Beneath the Spanish Sky, da da dadada, and The Saga of Stormbringer are all bops!
It’s rare to read about the IVF experience from the dad’s perspective. In this essay, Zach Baron, GQ’s senior special projects editor, chronicles his and his wife's difficult journey through IVF, receiving life advice from 50 Cent, and spending 9/11 masturbating into a cup.
“It took a long time for me to figure out how to even write this piece because it’s not really mine to write,”
Our personalities aren’t set in stone, and we’re more capable of change than we realize.
Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished.
Below the Fold 👀
This is interesting ✨
Loneliness and social isolation are more prevalent among Gen Z than previous generations. (61% of Gen Z adults reported feeling lonely during their teen years compared to 57% of millennials, 44% of Gen Xers, and 36% of baby boomers). [Source]
This is sarcasm, just in case it needs to be spelt out.