ordinary thoughts: the price of happiness
Good morning and happy Wednesday 💐Yesterday was the first day of spring, which is likely cheerful news for most. But if you’re a person that has seasonal allergies like us, you’ll want to make that morning Walgreens run for a bottle of Zyrtec and that small tube of eye drops ASAP.
Happy belated to all of our Pisces family that celebrated life over the last few weeks. Aries season (the best season) is now upon us.
- Isaiah & Cybele
new on the blog
the arrival fallacy
A look at the hidden consequences of chasing happiness and the quest to redefine personal and professional fulfillment.
stories that have our attention
Famine is said to be imminent in northern Gaza as Israel raids the main hospital again
Famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where 70% of people are experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a report Monday that warned escalation of the war could push half of Gaza’s total population to the brink of starvation.
The report, by the international community’s authority on determining the severity of hunger crises, came as Israel faces mounting pressure from even its closest allies to streamline the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and to open more land crossings. Aid groups complain that deliveries by air and sea by the United States and other countries are too slow and too small.
Haiti violence: Residents see no end to crisis as capital city reels from gang warfare
Residents of Petionville, a wealthier area of the city, are shaken after their most violent day so far in the country's spiraling security crisis. More than a dozen bullet-ridden bodies lay in the street - the victims of the latest gang rampage. As well as the early morning killing spree, the home of a judge was also attacked - a clear message to the country's elites vying for power.
All this in what is supposedly the safe part of town. Unicef's executive director, Catherine Russell, has called the situation in Haiti "horrific" and likened the lawlessness to the post-apocalyptic film, Mad Max. Certainly, the latest violence in Port-au-Prince is a reminder, if any were needed, that Haiti remains closer to anarchy than stability.
Supreme Court allows Texas to begin enforcing law that lets police arrest migrants at border
A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally while a legal battle over the measure plays out.
The conservative majority’s order rejects an emergency application from the Biden administration, which says the law is a clear violation of federal authority that would cause chaos in immigration law. Texas Gov Greg Abbott praised the order — and the law — which allows any police officer in Texas to arrest migrants for illegal entry and authorizes judges to order them to leave the U.S.
in other news...
Politics
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza’s biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second day
A speech that sent shockwaves from Washington to Jerusalem
Netanyahu’s response to Schumer widens rift in US-Israeli relations
Markets
Fed will have to dent optimism over rate cut expectations
Asian currencies could stay on the ‘back foot’ despite U.S. rate cuts
EU reaches interim deal to extend tariff-free Ukrainian agricultural imports
Tech
Nvidia’s latest AI chip will cost more than $30,000, CEO says
Crypto firm Ledger to launch iPod-inspired crypto wallet in May
World’s largest pension fund explores bitcoin as an investment
Sports
March Madness as we know it could be on the way out amid seismic changes in college sports
March Madness: Does Caitlin Clark need to win a title to be the women's GOAT?
Lionel Messi keeps missing games with Inter Miami and Argentina, but is the World Cup winner getting enough rest?
pa' la cultura
cultural trivia
Passed by Congress a year before being ratified, the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote.
Question: In what year was the 19th Amendment passed?
1965
1920
1898
1912
Scroll further down to see if you’ve got it.
song of the week
We’re paying close attention to the latest exceptional music output from artists who deserve more flowers. This week, you should listen to:
Ride With Me - Pip Millett. Georgia Willacy, known professionally as Pip Millett, is an English singer, songwriter and musician from Manchester.
currently reading…
Isaiah’s pick for this week is The Wounded World by Chad L. Williams.
“I have seen the wounds of France…”
The notorious heroism of the Harlem Hellfighters and thousands of other Black soldiers that served in the Great War are one of several focal points in this beautifully complex project. Chad L. Williams picks up where the remarkable W.E.B. Du Bois left off regarding the impact and aftermath of African American involvement in World War I. At a time when the world’s most powerful countries were facing conflict, African Americans were battling horrific wars on their home soil. Soil that they cultivated and nourished for centuries. With high hopes of earning the respect that they deserved should they fight valiantly overseas,
The Wounded World dives deep into the thoughts and conversations that led up to US involvement in the war, focusing specifically on the all-Black regiments that valorously fought in France, all while facing racial discrimination, oppression and segregation every step of the way. I highly recommend this read if you’re interested in Black history, specifically surrounding global influence and turmoil.
words of wisdom
Cultural Trivia Answer
The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is… *Drum roll please*
2. 1920
However, while the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, it also failed to remove barriers to women of color.
Black women, Native American women, Asian American women, and women from other racial and ethnic minority groups were discriminated against for 45 more years until the passage of The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).