ordinary thoughts: resolutions and revolutions
Good evening. Happy Wednesday, and happy New Year! During those uncomfortable and stormy seasons where trials and tribulations seem ceaseless, the most extraordinary versions of ourselves are born. In the thick of our storms is when our sharpest tools are forged. If 2023 was a year filled with storms for you, we hope that you see nothing but sunshine in 2024. May the tools that’ve been keenly sharpened last year, be placed on full display in the most rewarding ways.
On behalf of narrative media co., we’re wishing each and every one of you a safe, peaceful, prosperous, and blissful year. Cheers 🥂
- Isaiah & Cybele
the power of resolutions
In the thick of our storms is when our sharpest tools are forged. Here’s how to utilize the lessons we’ve learned to our utmost advantage, and why 2024 is your year.
stories that have our attention
Israel maintains onslaught as Gaza death toll tops 22,000
Israeli attacks have continued across the Gaza Strip with little let-up, as the death toll in the enclave rose above the latest milestone of 22,000. The total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 7 now stands at 22,185, while at least 57,000 have been injured, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, air and ground attacks continued, including in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have been directed to seek safety. And an attack on a Hamas office in Lebanon killed a senior leader of the group the governs the Gaza Strip. Some two-thirds of those killed in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza are women and children, according to the health ministry. Israel launched its campaign following Hamas’s raid into southern Israel, which killed around 1,140 and saw around 240 taken hostage.
Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard, amid pressure over her response to questions about antisemitism at US colleges
Harvard Corporation, the university’s highest governing body, released a statement thanking Claudine Gay for her service as president, and condemning what they said was “racist vitriol” directed at her.
Gay, who took office in July, was the first African-American to serve as president of the 388-year-old institution, and the second woman. She resigned today amid allegations that she had committed plagiarism in her published work, and after House Republicans accused her of antisemitism following her appearance at a committee hearing that dealt with protests on college campuses against Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
‘Battle against time’ to find quake survivors as Japan lifts tsunami warnings and death toll rises
Scenes of devastation emerged along Japan’s western coast Tuesday as rescuers raced to save residents trapped in the rubble of a 7.5 magnitude quake that triggered multiple aftershocks and killed dozens of people. The quake shook the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings, sparking fires, and triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia. At least 57 people have been killed by the earthquake, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing officials from the Ishikawa prefecture.
in other news...
Politics
Federal appeals court blocks Biden administration from enforcing guidance meant to protect abortion access in Texas
Congress faces crisis at home and abroad as 2024 deepens partisan division
This may be Biden’s best hope of reversing his slide with Black and brown voters
Markets
Wall Street’s new year hangover sends Big Tech stocks lower
SEC votes to expand central clearing in overhaul of $26tn Treasury market
London Stock Exchange suffers new trading outages
Tech
United States acts as top cop — setting the crypto standards for the world
Tesla reported 485,000 deliveries for the fourth quarter, bringing 2023 total to 1.8 million
Apple shares fall 4% after Barclays downgrade
Sports
Michigan and Washington prevail to reach College Football Playoff title game
Lamar Jackson strengthens MVP case as Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers clinch top seeds
Tyrese Haliburton makes history with career-high 23 assists, gets revenge on Knicks TV announcer
pa' la cultura
cultural trivia
Question: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 95th birthday is in twelve days. Arriving on January 15th, 1929, what city was he born in?
Washington, D.C.
Montgomery, Alabama
Atlanta, Georgia
Charleston, South Carolina
Scroll further down to see if you’ve got it.
song of the week
Song of the Week is chosen from subscriber submissions, as we pay close attention to the latest exceptional output of music from artists who remain slightly under the radar.
Song of the Week:
Sexual Love - by Maeta Featuring James Fauntleroy, released in 2023.
words of wisdom
Today’s quote from decades ago felt extremely relevant, and vital, given the times we’re facing.
From ‘No Name in the Street’ by American writer and novelist James Baldwin, first published in 1972.
Cultural Trivia Answer
The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is… *Drum roll please*
C. Atlanta, Georgia
Fun fact: In 1944, aged 15, Dr. King Jr. passed the entrance examination for Morehouse College (an all-male HBCU in Atlanta) and was enrolled at the university in autumn.