November 1, 2021
Little moments where our ancestors loved & complained
Monk Hermann von Reichenau wrote a chronicle for the year 1021 which ends "My brother Werner was born on November 1." (I assume that's "Werinharius frater meus Kalend. Novem. nascitur." in this text; I don't read Latin.) Happy birthday, Werner! Also: A typical complaint fielded by Babylonian administrators: “I am not getting water for my sesame field. The sesame will die. Don’t tell me later, ‘You did not write to me.’ The sesame is visibly dying. Ibbi-Ilabrat saw it. That sesame will die, and I have warned you." As flglmn notes: "one of those moments where you absolutely feel the kinship of all human beings every where and at all times".
a bridge between the living and the dead
Ofelia Esparza, artist and altarista, speaks with Yes! Magazine on Día de los Muertos altars in the year 2021 (bonus video; bonus photo essay). "The first death, is the day that we give our last breath, the day that we die. And the second death is the day that we are buried, never to be seen on the face of the Earth again. And the third, but the most dreaded death of all, is to be forgotten." (transcript from the National Endowment for the Arts) [more inside]
“The things we do for the orange Jesus”
Bloodshed (Over thirty Washington Post reporters and contributors provide the most detailed accounting of January 6 yet published, 10/31/21.)
The Skill-Luck Continuum
Untangling Skill and Luck "For almost two centuries, Spain has hosted an enormously popular Christmas lottery. Based on
payout, it is the biggest lottery in the world and nearly all Spaniards play. In the mid 1970s, a man
sought a ticket with the last two digits ending in 48. He found a ticket, bought it, and then won the
lottery. When asked why he was so intent on finding that number, he replied, “I dreamed of the
number seven for seven straight nights. And 7 times 7 is 48.” "
Outcomes from many activities—including sports, business, and investing—are the combination
of skill and luck. Most people recognize that skill and luck play a role in results, yet they have a
poor sense of the relative contribution of each. The ability to properly untangle skill and luck leads
to much better thinking about most day-to-day outcomes, and allows for sharply improved decision-making." [more inside]
"I think I’m going to be fired" - Bird of the Year spokesperson
New Zealand's Bird of the Year contest (previously) has always been a source of drama. 2019 before last saw claims of Russian election-meddling in the results; 2018's winner - the kererū pigeon - routinely turn up drunk. But nothing could have prepared us for the controversy of this year's announcement that New Zealand Bird of the Year 2021 is... the long-tailed bat. [more inside]
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