Welcome to the Monday Memo — your pop culture snapshot from Manifesto.
Hey friends, Mondays can be tough. Here are 7 things to make September 18th, 2023, a bit better.
Another day, Another Alien Body
1. Artist of the Week: Valeria Khrystyna Valeria Khrystyna is a Ukrainian artist specializing in beadwork. Her beautiful pieces often recreate famous works of art across time, spanning from early Christian mosaics of the 6th century to surrealism and art nouveau of the 19th and 18th centuries. What is especially remarkable about her work is the ability to leverage the color of individual beads to create depth and detail on such a small scale. Just bead it...
2. What we're listening to: The Bridge by Maren Morris Last Friday Maren Morris dropped a new EP called The Bridge, with two new songs titled, "The Tree," and "Get the Hell Out of Here." Following her success with Girl and Humble Quest, Morris is the boundary-breaking country artist we deserve.
3. What we're watching: The Saint of Second Chances - Netflix Mike Veeck, son of MLB franchise owner Bill Veeck, blows up his father's career. Exiled from the game he loves, the younger Veeck spends the next few decades clawing his way up from rock bottom, determined to redeem himself. This documentary is a beautiful portrait of baseball, family, and what it means to keep trying. Check it out on Netflix this Tuesday. After all, the rule is THREE strikes until you're out...
4. Trend & Advertising Highlight: Using AI for Good Instead of Evil Are you concerned that AI is going to take your job? Don’t worry, we are too. But this new campaign from Fiverr, a freelancer creative network, takes a different perspective when considering what AI will do to aid us in our professional lives. Instead of worrying about the potential negative outcomes, this campaign focuses on the infinite potential of AI when combined with human creativity, and how we can work in tandem with AI to take our jobs and work “to the next level.” Many brands are trying to address AI or are even already working with it in their daily business, and this is a refreshing take from a brand that sells creativity, trying to continuously elevate its talent above the AI they are competing with. Until AI can master my witty banter, watch as much media as me, and spend time online curating dang this thing...consider me INDESPENSIBLE.
5. Cognitive Bias of the Week: Ben Franklin Effect
They say, "Treat others how you want to be treated," and it appears there is some psychological backing to this statement. The Ben Franklin effect is a psychological phenomenon in which people like someone more after doing a favor for them. People reason that they help others because they like them, even if they don't, because their minds struggle to maintain logical consistency between their actions and perceptions. This bias gets its name from a famous quote in Ben Franklin's autobiography: "He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged." So if you have a tricky coworker who you can't seem to get on your side, maybe ask them for a favor.
MEMBERS OF SAMU'S RESCUE TEAM, INCLUDING DOGS HOMERO AND BIRKA. PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMU/PROJECT HOPE
6. Good News of the Week:
Puffin colonies in Maine had their second consecutive successful recovery year — even in the face of climate change (AP News)
Suicide prevention campaign aims to provide 4,000 free counseling sessions (GGG)
Oregon is turning sewage into an endless supply of green energy (GGG)
Mexico is likely to get its first female president after top parties choose 2 women as candidates (ABC)
A Spain-based team of emergency response workers and their rescue dogs are helping save lives after Morocco’s earthquake (GGG)
Here at the Memo, we are tackling life's biggest questions: What is girl math? Could you land a commercial airliner in an emergency? And now, we dare to ask, how often do men think about the Roman Empire? According to a new TikTok trend, a lot more than you would think. But be careful, it can open a can of worms. Partnership Coordinator Michael Natelli responded, "The original or the Holy Roman Empire (which was neither holy nor Roman)? Vastly different answers." And people try to claim women are confusing...