Welcome to the Monday Memo — your pop culture snapshot from Manifesto.
Hey friends, Mondays can be tough. Here are 7 things to make February 6th, 2023, a bit better.
1. Artist of the Week: Yifan Zhang
Born in Zhejiang Province, China, Yifan Zhang studied Arts and Western Oil Painting at university, combining his own Chinese culture with Western culture to create his unique and sophisticated style. His latest collection called 'Restoring Ancient Ways' takes figures from Ancient Greece and juxtaposes them against modern line work and color.
2. What we're listening to: Regret Me - Daisy Jones & The Six Based on the best-selling novel, Daisy Jones and The Six is coming to us as a miniseries in early March. Ahead of its release, we got the first single from our favorite fictional band. "Regret Me" feels like a lost Fleetwood Mac tune, an ode to a time when rock 'n roll was fueled by toxic relationships and sleepless nights. It makes sense then that actress Riley Keough, who plays Daisy Jones, delivers the song with such passion and heart. After all, Keough is the granddaughter of Rock'n roll icon Elvis Presley.
3. What we're watching: The Last of Us - HBO Max
In latest HBO smash-hit The Last of Us, a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope. Welcome to your latest (undead) obsession.
Remember the discourse with the sexy M&M? If you don't, M&M's made headlines last yeah when the green one got more sensible shoes, and it basically broke the internet. Some saw the choice as a meaningless PR move, where some were outraged with one prominent newscaster complaining he "wouldn't want to have a drink with anyone of them." The M&M character crew was first debuted in 1955, and since then have become an integral part of American Culture. But in the spirit of "brining people together," the company has put an "indefinite pause from the spokescandies," instead introducing actress Maya Rudolph as the new face of the brand. Rudolph is set to debut her new role during a Super Bowl Spot. You know what? We dig it. If they could create that much PR buzz around changing a characters shoe, they should be able to make twice as much for the brand by ditching them all together! And, with Rudolph's comedic chops, we can't wait to see what she does. But who knows, this may not be the last we have seen of our M&M spokescandies.
5. Cognitive Bias of the Week: Rosy Retrospection
"Back in the good ole days..." Rosy retrospection refers to our tendency to recall the past more fondly than the present, all else being equal. It is a cognitive bias that runs parallel with the concept of nostalgia, though the latter does not always directly imply a biased recollection. It gets its name from the expression, "viewing the world through rose-colored glasses," meaning to look at events in the past as better then they were. For example, let's look at life stages. Say we believe college was the best time in our lives. It is easy to remember the parties, the personalized class schedule, and the summers off. But when we do this we neglect the academic stress, homework and lack of a serious income. The truth is, even in "the best time of our life" we probably had a time during that period when we looked back and thought the past was better. It is important to not romanticize something for what it is not, and to challenge our perception of events. Because while the past is full of good old times, it isn't perfect, and the future that awaits us is even more beautiful.
L’Oréal unveiled the first handheld, ultra-precise computerized makeup applicator designed to advance the beauty needs of people with limited hand and arm mobility, called HAPTA. Applying makeup can be challenging for many living with limited fine motor skills, and L’Oréal is hoping to solve this.
6. Good News of the Week:
A star on TikTok's BOOKTok is using the platform to improve his reading skills (NPR)
Hank Green is giving you college credit for watching YouTube (GGG)
Urban walkability is gaining a foothold in the U.S. (GGG)
L’Oréal is launching a new motorised lipstick tool designed for people with limited mobility (Women's Health)
For the first time since 1977, zero Rhinos were poached in India’s parks (GNN)
7. Bonus: U.S. Senators Make Taylor Swift Puns After the absolute disaster of ticket sales for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour, Ticketmaster is under federal investigation for operating as an illegal monopoly. Lucky for us, that means a bunch of U.S. Senators from both sides of the aisle got to use a lot of Taylor Swift lyrics in their arguments. Just cause these attempts were Fearless, doesn't mean they landed.
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