Episode 2: Space Oddity
This past week was a busy news cycle with the ongoing pandemic, culture wars over the use of masks, atrocious economic and unemployment figures, debates over free speech, executive orders aimed at social media platforms, racial tensions, social unrest, a power move by China in Hong Kong and India, and humans returning to space (DEEP BREATH!); despite these events and challenges, the US stock market is down only 6% YTD and up 9% over the last 12 months.
I. Below are the articles I enjoyed the past week:
How MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly) is being used to treat PTSD (video)
What is 5G? The next-generation network explained
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/what-is-5g/
China has launched rule by fear in Hong Kong
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/05/28/china-has-launched-rule-by-fear-in-hong-kong
A realistic appraisal of Today’s China
https://macropolo.org/the-frankenstein-that-wasnt-a-realistic-appraisal-of-todays-china/
Impact of Corona virus on travel industry by the numbers
After the Covid Apocalypse
https://www.wsj.com/articles/after-the-covid-apocalypse-11590618090?mod=hp_opin_pos_1
Vaccines and Herd immunity—how it works (video)
Covid-19 and Antibody Testing
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/covid-19-antibody-testing-tougher-than-true-false
US renewable energy consumption surpasses coal for first time in 130 years
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=43895&src=email&utm_source=morning_brew
Racism and police violence
Nashville Hot Chicken and a restauranteur’s story of survival
Sovereign-wealth funds face lean years
6 steps to dealing with difficult people
II. Name that Tune!
In closing, something on the lighter side. As I write this email, I’m listening to David Bowie, Space Oddity.
I’m not a huge Bowie fan but I do respect him as a ground-breaking artist and there’s something about the song Space Oddity that grabs me. Plus, it felt fitting to honor this weekend's NASA/SpaceX launch to the ISS. Space Oddity was originally recorded in 1969 (my birth year!) and captures the Zeitgeist of the late 1960s and American obsession with space travel and landing on the moon. Bowie’s fictional character in Space Oddity, Major Tom, was based on director Stanley Kubrik’s Dr. David Bowman in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, some music historians believe that Major Tom is actually Bowie himself singing about successfully overcoming his drug habit. Regardless, Bowie’s character inspired other artists, namely EltonJohn, whose song “Rocket Man” is believed to be influenced by Space Oddity. Another noteworthy element of Space Oddity is the pioneering use of the Mellotron instrument which produces eery, unearthly sounds. The Mellotron became increasingly popular among rock and pop bands during the psychedelic era and can be heard by notable groups such as Moody Blues and The Beatles (Strawberry Fields). Whether you like Bowie or not, his imprint on music is undeniable.
Happy reading and have a great weekend!